So when I've got a heart of compassion, compassion moved Jesus to engage. The disciples said: boy, this is too big a problem for us, get rid of them - so miracles will always require that you take an initiative, and take the risk of something happening. You notice what Jesus said: you give them something to eat. You do something. Now have a think about that. Just look into that parable there, and you have a think about what that means, in terms of our community. We can complain about all the problems, and all the issues, and we can say it's not my problem, and Jesus responds: are you a follower of His, by the way? Are you a follower of His? You give them something to eat - and they said: ooh, ooh, ooh, what do you mean you give them something to eat? We can't do that. That's all too big. You know, this is beyond us - but Jesus is still saying: you give them something. You give them something. You give them something. Give them something.
This is one of the great tragedies, when the church withdraws, and becomes caught up with just itself, and caught up with its own needs; then it stops engaging in the mission of the church, which is to reach people in need. Jesus placed us here to change and transform our community, so when I say: it's not my problem, I've just become the problem. They said well, it's all too big, and He said: you give them to eat; and you see Jesus answer is not some great thing that will just happen, and suddenly change everything. Jesus' answer is His people, His followers, giving something to people, to meet their need. Think about that - and so they said immediately: well, it's beyond us, we can't do that, you know? He said: no, no, you must take initiative. You're going to have to take initiative, so all miracles require that we extend our faith, and believe God could do something through us. You've got to extend your faith, and believe God can do something through me. I wonder what God could do through you.
I heard a story from a visiting minister I listened to in Auckland; great, it was amazing. He'd taken his daughter to India, and his daughter was just a teenager, and she was deeply touched by the plight of the Indian community she was in, deeply touched. She saw how poor they were - that's why it's great to go to India, Pakistan, go to any of these third world nations, and see how desperate the need is. If you can't see it around you, go where you can see it. Once you do see it there, come back and have another look. Then you'll see what the need is very easily. [Laughs] Ian would verify that, you've been out there and seen the need, you come back, you say: oh my! It really is needy here.
And so she looked, and she said to her father, she said: dad, I want to build a school, and I think the school would cost $30,000 US dollars. She said: I want to build a school that can hold this many students. It was going to cost about $30,000. She's only a teenager - and so anyway he nearly spoke up and said: oh that's ridiculous; but no, she was moved with compassion. Compassion moves you to step out, and start to engage. Now he could easily have said: it's not your problem. He could easily have said: oh well, you know, that's too big. I mean we could never do that, I mean that's a big amount, $30,000! Are you crazy? She said: no, I've got it in my heart to do it, so she went back, she took out all the savings in her account, which was $200, and she made her $200 available; and someone heard about it, and so they got her to testify, and she testified and someone else; the story started to get around about this girl who had taken all her savings, $200 and made them available for the school, to build a school in India.