I gave this presentation at the HBC Kids Choir Club on April 23, 2003, as part of our 2003 mission team’s ministry.
Introduction: I want to address a simple question this evening: Can a young person be used by God in missions? Most likely you will not be able to go on mission trips or give yourself to full time mission work right now. So is there any part that you can play, or do you just have to wait until you get older to get involved in missions?
I think a lot of young people don’t really think they can really do much or be spiritual. That’s for when you get older, right? The Scripture, however, puts young people in a special place in God’s plan. They can be spiritual people and can be used by God. Consider the following examples:
Jesus cares for young children (Mark 10:13–16; Luke 18:15–17)
Young people can be concerned about spiritual things.
Samuel served God in the temple.
Jesus was used of God and showed great interest in spiritual things as just a young boy (Luke 2:41–52).
Timothy knew the Bible as a little child (2 Tim. 3:15).
2 Timothy 3:15 From childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
So young people have a special place in the Scriptures, but I want to consider just one example of how a young person can be used in the service of God.
Boy with five loaves and two fish.
John 6:1 After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias). 2 A large crowd followed Him, because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near. 5 Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” 6 This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do. 7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.” 8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted. 12 When they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.
You all know the story well, but let me just bring out a few key points.
Can you imagine trying to provide food for over 5000 people?!?! How many of you have ever been to Bob Jones in the FMA. Does anyone know how many people it holds? Imagine if you were there for chapel or a special service, and Dr. Bob called your name out and asked you to get a meal prepared for everyone for when the service was over.
But in the work of missions, we are not just concerned about meeting people’s physical needs and there are not just 5000 of them. The primary task of missions is to meet people’s spiritual needs, which is far more difficult. And there are billions of people who need to be fed the message of Jesus Christ.
The problem wasn’t just that the needs were so great, but it was also that the disciples really couldn’t do anything about it. They didn’t have the resources or ability to even begin to feed so many people. In the same way that the physical needs were greater than the disciples were able to meet, so the spiritual needs of men are far greater than we are capable of meeting. We cannot meet the needs of so many people.
Here you have a child, who perhaps overhears the disciples’ conversion that they didn’t have anything to give to the people, and he offers to give what he had. The disciples likely laughed, seeing how insignificant were a few pieces of bread and a couple fish. And they were right, humanly speaking. What the young boy had to offer was far too small to meet the need.
Maybe that’s how you feel. What can I do? I’m just a kid. And you are right. By yourself you can do nothing in God’s service that will be of any value. You can do nothing to help do the work of missions. But this is not where the story ends.
But what is the amazing part of this is what God will often do with what we offer in His service. The disciples saw things for a human perspective and said it was impossible, but the young boy had a childlike faith who simply wanted to help meet the need. Our service to God can be transformed by Him to be more than sufficient to meet the needs. God just requires a trusting willingness to give what we have. He will take it and use it to accomplish his purposes.
God loves to magnify Himself by taking our puny resources and multiplying them for His glory. God wants to show that He is the one who must do the work and meet the need. All He requires of us is that we trust in Him and give Him what we have.
Illustration: Maybe you have an unsaved friend or mom or dad or brother or sister. You don’t think that they would listen to you because you are just a kid. But what you offer to God in faith in His service, He can take and multiply it and make it sufficient to meet the need.
So how can you practical offer what you have to the work of missions?
Let me suggest five ways how you can give your bread and fish to God and see Him multiply it and use it for His glory: