2004-05-23 Communion Dedication - Baldwin Christian Church

John 6:8-9

2 Corinthians 6:14-15 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord (agreement) hath Christ with Belial (Satan)? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel (How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever)?

This is easy enough for me to understand. We’ve all been told, “Don’t marry an unbeliever, and don’t go into a business partnership with an unbeliever.” A believer that’s yoked together with an unbeliever soon learns that it’s hard to plow in a straight line. That’s a Biblical principle that’s pretty easy to understand, even if it’s hard to deal with sometimes. It becomes a much more difficult problem when the disbelief comes from inside of me. If I exhibit even the slightest disbelief, does it mean that I’m in agreement with Satan, and if so, how can I learn to recognize this in myself? The simple answer is: Read God’s Word and meditate on it. Today’s clue comes from verse nine of John chapter six.

John 6:8-9 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

It seems to me that Andrew Bar-Jonah was a guy who had a heart for introducing people to Jesus. As one of the very first disciples, his very first action was to fetch his brother Simon and introduce him to Jesus (John 1:41). At another point he’s mentioned as having a part in bringing some Gentiles to Jesus (John 12:20-22), and in John 6 we see him bringing this young lad to Jesus. Jesus had indeed turned water into wine, so maybe He could do something with this young man’s lunch. If we read only the first half of verse 9, right up to the colon, and leave out the second half, it would seem that Andrew had tremendous faith in the Lord’s ability to provide, but there is a problem with Andrew’s question.

According to what little I understand about English composition, the word “but” is like the pivot on a pair of scales. It divides the two halves of a compound sentence, and each half has equal weight within the sentence.

As you parents well know, the word “but” isn’t even in your child’s vocabulary until they reach the age of maybe four or five. Up until a certain age, their sentences sound like this: “We got to go to Grandma’s house, and I got to play outside, and then I saw some horses, and Grandpa let me help him make ice cream on the porch, and then we played hide-and-seek, and I took a nap in Grandma’s bed, …” Life is so simple for kids, until one day, all of a sudden that word comes into their vocabulary. One day, their sentences are no longer a string of pleasant clauses joined together with that joyful little word “and.” Instead, that dour, bitter, resentful, wishy-washy, divisive word “but” begins creeping into their sentences, and they begin to say, “We got to go to Grandma’s house, and Grandpa let me help him turn the handle on the ice cream maker, but he wouldn’t let me lick the paddle (Grandpa's no dummy. He knows that's the best part, and he wanted it all for himself.).”

There could be something very important about the inability of young children to use the word “but” properly in a sentence.

Luke 18:17 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.

If you’re like me, this is going to be a difficult exercise, however (but), if we can trim down on the number of times we use the word "but" in our speech, it will help Jesus. It just requires that we think about what we’re going to say before we say it. Whenever the word “and” can be substituted for the word “but” in a sentence, it might be helping our witnessing power, and it just might help us bring someone to Jesus.

Andrew sized-up the situation, and knew that something had to be done about food. He loved the people who were following Jesus, and he loved them enough to do something about their growling bellies, but when he brought this uncertain situation before the Lord, in one simple sentence he exhibited both belief and unbelief. Believe it or not, I become a partner with Satan whenever I use the word “but” during prayer, too.

If I pray, "Lord, I bring Billy Bob before you. He needs your help, but he has so many troubles before him," then I'm actually questioning God's power to help Billy Bob, and it might hinder a much-needed blessing.
If on the other hand I pray, "Lord, I bring Billy Bob before you. He needs your help, and he has so many troubles before him," it confirms my faith in God's power to help Billy Bob, and it paves the way for blessings.

One little word; what a difference it can make! Let's try getting rid of the "buts" in our lives this week, and replace them with "ands." Somehow, I just have to believe that would make And-rew smile!