The Making of a Powerful Church

The account of Jesus multiplying bread provides key insights into the key components that enable a powerful church. As we read the verses, we observe how Jesus offers keys to breakthrough. He gives insight into how to manifest kingdom promises. He tests the knowledge of the disciples by asking them to do something. He does not state what the something is but the disciples think about the little they have and decide that they do not have enough. Jesus corrects them by giving them all the bread they need and more (many baskets are left over) to clarify that they will always have everything they need if only they learn to hearken or listen and obey His Word. Amen. Let us read on.

Matthew 14:13-21 New International Version

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

¹³ When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴ When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

John the Baptist who had been the forerunner to Jesus’ ministry had just been beheaded. Jesus saw great need as He saw the large crowd waiting for Him at the shore. Jesus felt compassion on the masses as they sought Him out in their need. Thus he healed them. Jesus knew it was time now to teach His disciples the most critical aspect of His ministry. He healed the sick to demonstrate his power to manifest miracles. Now He wanted the disciples also to operate at the same level of manifesting miracles (in kingdom power and authority). 

¹⁵ As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” ¹⁶ Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

Night was approaching. The disciples grew concerned that the masses were hungry. So they suggest to Jesus that He dismiss the crowd so that they can procure the food they need. But we know Jesus is the living bread that came down from heaven. 

We shall examine three instances by which we can ascertain that Jesus is indeed WHO He said He was. We read in John 6:35:

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.

This is Jesus declaring that He is all we need to be blessed with all the desires of our hearts. Jesus occasionally asked His disciples who they said He was—to which Peter clearly replied: ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven.” – Matt. 16:16-17. Evidently, God the Father had given him (Peter) the revelation of who Jesus was—He was the Son of the living God! This meant that He too had power like the Father to perform great miracles and wonders. He did mention in John 5:30: “…the Son can do nothing by Himself, unless He sees the Father doing it.” However this was prior to the Lord being glorified through His death and resurrection. At the present time, all authority and power belongs to our Lord Jesus Christ and His bride (delegated).

The third instance is when the other disciples leave Jesus after He tells them to eat His flesh and drink His blood—He asks them if they too wanted to leave. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” – John 6:68-69

Clearly the disciples had been with Him long enough to know that He was able to do anything—even the things they could not think of. Jesus is trying to engage their imagination by helping them SEE that He could provide bread to the hungry, just as He had always claimed to fill the hungry and the thirsty. We often underestimate our God and do not expect Him to do what we need. This keeps us in a state of confusion and turmoil over our situation. We fail to see any breakthrough because we fail to trust that God is ABLE to give us what we want if only we become willing to give Him what HE wants. Amen. Mat 6:33- “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto thee.” Jesus knew how to satisfy their hunger but He wanted the disciples to look to Him (and trust Him) to give the people something to eat. 

The five types of healing are spiritual (spirit), mental (mind), emotional (heart), physical (body) and holistic (spirit, mind, heart and body). When Jesus healed the people spiritually with the knowledge of Him, they were also healed mentally, emotionally and physically which means the healing was holistic (those healed followed Jesus and were changed inside out). Everyone could see the miracle of God manifested before their eyes. When Jesus had ministered the Word (bread of life), He desired to teach His disciples the art of manifesting His teachings into physical bread that would truly satisfy the pangs of the hungry masses as they had been for a long while without physical food. He had been training them on the principles of the Kingdom and now He gave them a test to see how they would perform. 

¹⁷ “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

They were still looking at their earthly resources and they did not understand the principle of trusting God for all their needs. They did not think that if Jesus asked them to do something, He will provide a way. Ideally they should just have just affirmed: “Lord, you know all things. We are sure you have knowledge on how we are to do this.” This would have helped them SEE their hands be filled with bread. This would have been an ideal lesson on tapping into heaven’s resources.

We find additional information in the same parable presented in Mark and John: Mark provides additional insights into the event (6:31-44) where he adds: And they said to Him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?” But He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they found out they said, “Five, and two fish.”

John (John 6:1-14) offers information about the boy with the few loaves and fish: ⁵ When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” ⁶ He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. ⁷ Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” ⁸ Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ⁹ “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

The disciples did not understand Jesus’ miracle of healing. They were still thinking according to the ways they knew (earthly minded). Unless one works for bread, one cannot have it. But God gives bread to those with the heart of a little child. The Lord always taught that we must become as little children because the kingdom of God belongs to such.

Matthew 18:3 ESV
And said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

The fact that they found a little boy with the bread they needed to start a miracle reveals how Jesus is looking for us to become child-like and work for His kingdom. The little boy offered the loaves of bread and fish indicates that he was willing to give his share of what he had to put into the work that God required of him. A child will lead the way. We can be certain that God loves those with the heart of a child—willing to learn, not easily offended, quick to forgive, not harboring evil thoughts against others or God, and simple at heart. Little children are not puffed up with pride and do not think much of themselves—God is thus happy to receive the bread of little children because the Lord is pleased with those who work for the kingdom with child-like attitudes: “Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’ ” – Mat 19:14. As we walk as children do, we will “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” – Colossians 1:10

The disciples failed the test because they had only been eating the Word (logos which helps us participate in the body of Christ) and drinking the blood (being grateful and offering thanks to God). What do eating the Word and drinking the blood signify?

1 Corinthians 10:16 ¹⁶ Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?

Note that apostle Paul mentions the cup of thanksgiving first and then the breaking of bread. To participate in the blood of Christ means to remember the blessing of the Father in giving us His Son and every good blessing we need through Him and offer thanks for it. To participate in the body of Christ means to build up the body of Christ. As we read in Eph 4:12, when we participate in equipping the saints for work of service, we build the Body of Christ.
Ephesians 4:12 – “for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.”

We read in 1 Corinthians 11:27: Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Why is this so? When we do not work for the kingdom as a result of not remembering the goodness of the Lord in saving us from the old life of corruption we once lived, we are counted as guilty and unworthy.

¹⁸ “Bring them here to me,” he said. ¹⁹ And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. 

So Jesus asks them to bring the bread to Him. He takes the five loaves and the two fish and the miracle takes place when Jesus gives thanks and breaks the bread. As we saw above, giving thanks is symbolic of our participation in the BLOOD of Christ. The blood was shed on the cross which enables us to give thanks. We rejoice because of the gift of salvation (Luke 10:20). 

The breaking of the bread is indicative of illumination or revelation that Christ provides through His Spirit. Jesus’ Body was broken on the cross to provide the gift of the Holy Spirit. Through His brokenness, He paved the way for resurrection life through His Spirit, the Holy Spirit. This is the reason Jesus meets the disciples on their road to Emmaus (after His resurrection) and breaks bread (shares the depth of the knowledge of scriptures with them) which causes His entire Being to become manifest in the natural realm. Then He disappears to reveal that He is now in their midst as Spirit and all His power and authority is given to them to manifest miracles on His behalf.   

Luke 24:30-35 New International Version

³⁰ When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. ³¹ Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. ³² They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

³³ They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together ³⁴ and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” ³⁵ Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke bread.

Their hearts were burning within them because the Word that Jesus revealed as He spoke to them was the Rhema Word of God. The Rhema Word reveals Christ in our spirits and manifests Christ to us everytime ‘bread is broken’ which means we share the rhema word of God with each other. The rhema word illuminates and offers understanding of His ways. When the disciples set out to meet the rest of the disciples, the risen Lord makes Himself evident to their natural eyes (yet another time – Luke 24:36) to reveal to His disciples that every time bread is broken (the illuminated Word of God is shared), He manifests Himself to them. This means miracles take place when there is illumination. The manifestation of miracles is the result of illumination and the revelation that the Holy Spirit provides. The proof of illumination or revelation is in the manifestation of miracles! 

When the Lord Jesus asked the fishing disciples to cast their net on the right side of the boat, they had no revelation that it was Jesus who had spoken to them but because they obeyed the Word, they received a miraculous catch of fish. Then the disciples realized that it was the Lord (John 21:12) and you know what happens after this event! 

Matt. 18:18–20 ¹⁸Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. ¹⁹Again, I tell you truly that if two of you on the earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven. ²⁰For where two or three gather together in My name, there am I with them.”

Matt. 16:17-19 ¹⁷Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven. ¹⁸And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock (of revelation) I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. ¹⁹I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 

The disciples on the road to Emmaus were heartbroken (their faces were downcast – Luke 24:17b) and they could not see the risen Lord in their midst because they had no understanding of scriptures. The knowledge and understanding of it was not given to them. So we need the Holy Spirit to bring the revelation of God into our hearts to manifest Jesus’ miracles in the earth realm. Let us get the Word in us so that it will become the wine of God and light up our lives. Amen.

Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. ²⁰ They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. ²¹ The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

When they had eaten and been satisfied, the disciples collected twelve basketfuls of broken pieces. The bread alone can satisfy because it is given to us by God. But the broken pieces are left over because the bread has satisfied them. They no longer need the broken pieces that failed to satisfy them. The broken pieces could mean unfulfilled assignments which did not satisfy because they were not from God or because you desired to make your own bread but the Lord broke them. Ultimately only the bread from God satisfies, not the plans that we make to satisfy ourselves which God knows about (and still has use of it because we read: “When everyone had enough to eat, Jesus told the disciples: “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.”” – John 6:12, but you will have no need of it and you will leave it behind so the Lord can use it. Amen.

Additional Scriptures

Luke 22:19

And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

Acts 2:41-47

⁴¹ Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. ⁴² They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³ Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. ⁴⁴ All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵ Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. ⁴⁶ Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Acts 20:7

On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.

Acts 2:46

Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.

John 14:26 ESV 

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Luke 1:37 ESV

For nothing will be impossible with God.

Revelation 3:20 ESV

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

Acts 20:11

Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left.

Matthew 26:26

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”

Isaiah 11:2 ESV 

And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

Matthew 5:8 

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Psalm 119:18 ESV

Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.

John 14:6

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Ephesians 1:17-19 ESV 

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might.