Encounters with Jesus: The Feeding of the 4000

Send us Fan MailWhat does it mean to be with Jesus? What are the implications of Jesus’s compassion? Eric’s Story: 9th grade at Rincon HS Physical Science class. There were mostly other students who were not headed to college in this class. Sam had stolen the workbook answer key. He offered it to me, but I declined. A couple of days later, the teacher found out someone had stolen the answer key and asked who had done it. Eric (full of wisdom) raised his hand and told the whole class that Sam had taken it. Sam was smaller and couldn't beat me up. Keep in mind that Rincon HS was a violent school in the mid-80s…my senior year, I was in the locker room and my friend was buying drugs from Sam. Sam said he didn’t trust me; my friend told me “he’s with me; he’s ok.” Notice what my friend said: HE IS WITH ME: his reputation is my reputation. This is what it means to be with Jesus.  https://www.villagersonline.com/6533-2/Support the showThe Village Church’s sermon podcast is more than just a weekly message. It is an invitation into the great and ongoing story of God’s work in the world. Pastors Eric, Mark, Susan, Daniel, and other leaders open the Scriptures not as a collection of abstract ideas but as the living, breathing witness to God’s kingdom breaking into our midst. Each episode is a call—not merely to listen, but to take part, to step forward into the life of faith with renewed vision and purpose.Week by week, the pastors and leaders explore the deep rhythms of Christian discipleship—prayer, fasting, generosity—not as isolated duties but as part of a larger, richer, and more beautiful whole. They unpack these ancient practices in light of Jesus himself, the one in whom heaven and earth have come together. But they also turn their attention to the realities of everyday life—relationships, finances, the struggles and joys of being human—demonstrating how the gospel is not merely about what we believe but about how we live as God's renewed people in the present age.The Village [email protected] information at www.villagersonline.com