FORT ANDRES BONIFACIO EVANGELICAL CHURCH

MIDWEEK SERVICE
MONTH OF JUNE 2023
THEME: THE MIRACLES OF JESUS

While Jesus walked on earth, He performed more miracles than we’ll know
about. He healed the sick, brought people back to life, and did
unimaginable acts that left onlookers speechless. In this series, we’ll learn
about five miracles Jesus performed and the truths from them that we can
apply to our lives.

07 JUNE 2023
Topic: WATER INTO WINE
Text: JOHN 2:1-11

Shortly after Jesus began His earthly ministry, He attended a wedding in

Cana with His mother and His disciples. It was customary to offer wine at
most festivities, especially weddings. As the event went on, the wine supply
came to an end. Apparently, this was uncommon and would even cause
the host embarrassment.

Jesus’s mother came to Him to let Him know the wine was gone. Maybe
Mary was a “fixer” and wanted to solve a problem, or maybe she was fully
confident that her son would have a solution. He responded to her that His
time “had not yet come.” But even though He said that, He still did
something about the wine shortage.

Jesus told the servants to fill the nearby jars full of water. There were six of
them and each held 20 to 30 gallons. In the Jewish culture, these jars were
used in a washing ceremony, and when they washed, they’d be cleansed
spiritually.

Once the jars were full, Jesus told the servants to give some water to the
master of the ceremony. They scooped it out to take to the master, but
instead of tasting water, he tasted wine. And not just any wine—really good
wine. He was blown away by this gesture, as it was completely acceptable
that the best wine was used at the beginning of the celebration, leaving the
cheaper wine for later. This was the first miracle that Jesus performed. It
showed His power and the glory of God, and many people came to believe
in Him.
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Today’s Takeaway: God’s Abundance

The amount of water that Jesus turned into wine was anywhere from 120 to
180 gallons, depending on the size of the jar. Today, that would equate to
590 to 880 regular bottles of wine. We don’t know how long into the
celebration they were, but to make this much water into wine and for it to
be such a high quality just shows the heart of our God.

He’s an abundant God, providing more than we need. He lavishes us with

His love, provision, and grace. What God gives to us can’t be measured.
His resources are unlimited, His love is unconditional, and His grace is
unbounded.

Whatever it is we lean on to make us feel better about ourselves or use to

“cleanse” our consciences is no longer necessary because of the unlimited,
unconditional, and unbounded love of our good God. This incredible
unleashing of grace and mercy from God is more than enough to cover our
past, present, and future sins. May we always remember that with our God
comes an abundance of everything we need.

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 FORT ANDRES BONIFACIO EVANGELICAL CHURCH
MIDWEEK SERVICE
MONTH OF JUNE 2023
THEME: THE MIRACLES OF JESUS

While Jesus walked on earth, He performed more miracles than we’ll know
about. He healed the sick, brought people back to life, and did
unimaginable acts that left onlookers speechless. In this series, we’ll learn
about five miracles Jesus performed and the truths from them that we can
apply to our lives.

14 JUNE 2023
Topic: A GREAT HAUL OF FISH
Text: LUKE 5:1-11

Jesus spent a lot of time teaching and preaching. One particular day He
was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. As usual, there were
crowds of people near who were listening to Him. Maybe it was the amount
of people pressing in on Him, or maybe it was just a new way to keep the
attention of His listeners, but Jesus decided to get into a nearby empty boat
and continue speaking from there.

He finished what He was saying, and then turned to Simon and told him to
go farther out where it was deep. He told Simon, “...let down your nets to
catch some fish” (Luke 5:4). Simon was a bit doubtful because his crew
worked all night and didn’t catch anything. He knew that if he couldn’t catch
fish during the night, then it was highly unlikely that he would be able to
during the day. Nevertheless, Simon reluctantly agreed and let the nets
down again.

Within a short time, their nets were so full of the fish that the nets were
starting to tear! They called for another boat to come to their aid. It wasn’t
long before both boats were starting to sink due to the heavy load of fish.

This miracle brought Simon Peter to his knees. He begged for forgiveness
of his sins and was simultaneously in awe at the amount of fish they
brought in. Of course he was! He did this for a living and had never seen
anything like it. Jesus spoke to Simon Peter and his two partners, James
and John, and told them that their fishing days would be changing—they’d

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soon fish for people! And in that moment, they left everything and followed
Jesus.
Today’s Takeaway: Doubting Doesn’t Define Us

Doubt is not something we came up with in our lifetime. Case in point—the

disciples of Jesus. We know they doubted. Peter and Thomas certainly did.
Yet, God didn’t hold that against them and continued to use them to
change the world.

It can be so challenging to trust in God when we can’t physically see Him.

We see His work in other people’s lives and read about the miracles He’s
done, but we struggle to muster up enough faith to believe and override our
emotions. So, we doubt, and when we doubt, we feel guilty that we doubted
and wonder if God is disappointed in us for our lack of faith.

Here’s the great news about our doubts—they don’t define the rest of our
lives. Meaning, we can doubt God many times, but then begin living our
lives fully trusting in Him. Just because we have doubted in the past
doesn’t mean we will always doubt in the future. We may struggle with our
own failure, but rest assured, God does not. He loves us deeply and
continues to call us to trust Him.

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 FORT ANDRES BONIFACIO EVANGELICAL CHURCH
MIDWEEK SERVICE
MONTH OF JUNE 2023
THEME: THE MIRACLES OF JESUS

While Jesus walked on earth, He performed more miracles than we’ll know
about. He healed the sick, brought people back to life, and did
unimaginable acts that left onlookers speechless. In this series, we’ll learn
about five miracles Jesus performed and the truths from them that we can
apply to our lives.

21 JUNE 2023
Topic: CALMING THE STORM
Text: MATTHEW 8:23-27

Up to this point in Matthew 8, Jesus has just healed many people and
talked about the cost of following Him. In verse 23, we read that Jesus got
into a boat with his disciples and started out across the lake. Very abruptly,
a storm rose up creating waves so big that they rocked the boat.

Sudden storms like this were common on the Sea of Galilee, so it’s
surprising that the disciples were frightened because most were
experienced fishermen. Yet, while they were in a panic, Jesus was not. In
the midst of the turmoil that was all around them, He was asleep. So, the
disciples went down to wake Him up, begging Him to save them because
they feared death. And the way Jesus responded to them leads us to
believe that He was surprised they were acting this way. Here’s what
Matthew 8:26 NLT says:

Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he
got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great
calm.

The disciples were utterly amazed at this. They could not believe what
they’d just witnessed. The man they pledged to follow had just rebuked the
wind and the waves in one instance.

Today’s Takeaway: Jesus is with Us

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We’re flooded by our own storms every day. Some are on a larger level—
like pandemics and wars—while others are more personal and affect our
careers, health, and relationships. It’s natural for us to want the storm
removed from us. But, sometimes, that doesn't happen. Sometimes, we
have to trust God to calm us right in the middle of the storm that’s raging all
around.

It’s easy to say this, but harder to live out: We truly have no need to fear,
because Jesus is always with us. It’s been said that when we have fear,
we’re actually walking in faith but just in the wrong direction. And it takes an
effort for us to actively engage our faith in the right direction. The great
news for us is that we only need a small amount of faith to engage God’s
mighty power.

We face many different things in our lives that make us feel fear. But, even
when we don’t sense His presence, He’s still with us. Even when we don’t
see His hand, He’s still guiding us. Even when we don’t understand His
plan, He still has one. Let’s rest in the truth that Jesus is always with us.

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 FORT ANDRES BONIFACIO EVANGELICAL CHURCH
MIDWEEK SERVICE
MONTH OF JUNE 2023
THEME: THE MIRACLES OF JESUS

While Jesus walked on earth, He performed more miracles than we’ll know
about. He healed the sick, brought people back to life, and did
unimaginable acts that left onlookers speechless. In this series, we’ll learn
about five miracles Jesus performed and the truths from them that we can
apply to our lives.

28 JUNE 2023
Topic: FEEDING THE FIVE THOUSAND
Text: MATTHEW 14:15-21

This is one of the most famous miracles that Jesus performed. So much so
that it’s recorded in all four gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Before we dive into it, we need to understand what had just occurred that
broke the heart of Jesus.

John the Baptist, a cousin of Jesus and the one who “prepared the way” for
Him, had just been killed. Once Jesus heard this sad news, He withdrew by
Himself. But, in typical fashion, the crowds heard He was near, so they
followed Him. Even in the midst of His own grief, Jesus had compassion on
these who came to see Him and healed the sick among them.

Matthew tells us that the crowds stuck around for most of the day. So, the
disciples came to Jesus and suggested that He “...send the crowds away
so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves” (Matthew 14:15
NLT). Instead, He told His disciples to give them food, but they claimed to
have very little—only five loaves of bread and two fish.

The people were brought to Jesus, and then He blessed the small food
offering. He gave the 12 disciples some food to pass out. We read that the
people got more than just one helping—they ate as much as they wanted.
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And the most profound part is that there was still some left. What started
out as a small amount of food ended up providing leftovers for the
disciples.

According to Matthew 14:21, there were 5,000 men who were fed. But
scholars have said it’s likely this amount didn’t include women and children.
So, it’s probable that the crowd was actually 15,000 to 20,000 in number—
maybe more.

Today’s Takeaway: Be a Giver

In this story, the disciples clearly couldn’t get past the amount of food and
the amount of people—they just didn’t match up. One of the most profound
thoughts from scholars is that the miracle of multiplication didn’t happen
until the disciples began to distribute the food. They would have probably
preferred to have seen a large buffet line set up so that their doubts could
be quenched. But, that’s not what Jesus planned. He wanted their faith to
increase.

This is often how we respond in our own giving. We see our financial status
and think, “I can’t afford to give.” So, we wait until we have enough, and
before we know it, we never end up giving or making a difference in our
church, our communities, or in people’s lives.

We all possess something to make a difference. The little boy who only had
five loaves and two fish gave what he had and look what Jesus did with it.
May we bring what we have to Jesus, and trust Him to multiply it for His
purposes. Let’s not wait until we think we have enough.

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 FORT ANDRES BONIFACIO EVANGELICAL CHURCH
TGIF DEVOTION AND FELLOWSHIP
MONTH OF JUNE 2023
THEME: THE MIRACLES OF JESUS

While Jesus walked on earth, He performed more miracles than we’ll know
about. He healed the sick, brought people back to life, and did
unimaginable acts that left onlookers speechless. In this lesson, we’ll learn
about the miracle Jesus performed and the truths from them that we can
apply to our lives.

16 JUNE 2023
Topic: Jesus Walks on Water
Text: Matthew 14:22-33

This final miracle we’ll discuss occurred right after Jesus and His disciples
fed the five thousand. Jesus instructed His disciples to get back into their
boat and set out for Bethsaida. Meanwhile, Jesus sent the people home
before He went up into the hills to pray.

Later on that evening, Jesus saw the disciples’ boat in the middle of the
lake and noticed that they appeared to be struggling with the winds and
waves. Then Jesus did something unimaginable. Mark 6:48 NLT says,
“About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on
the water.” The verse says that Jesus intended to pass them, but they
screamed when they saw Him because they thought He was a ghost.

Jesus spoke immediately by telling them not to be afraid, but instead, said
to take courage because He was with them! Right after that, Peter called to
Jesus and said, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on
the water” (Matthew 14:28 NLT). Jesus obliged, and over the side of the
boat Peter went.

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At first, things were going well for Peter as he was walking on water toward
Jesus. But then he took his eyes off Jesus and eyed the huge waves
instead. In that moment, he grew terrified that he was sinking, and he
begged Jesus to save him. When Jesus reached down and grabbed Peter,
he said, “You have so little faith...Why did you doubt me?” (Matthew 14:31
NLT). Then, Peter and Jesus climbed into the boat and the chaos around
them settled. And the disciples proclaimed, “You really are the Son of God!”
(Matthew 14:33 NLT).

Today’s Takeaway: Fixing our Eyes on Jesus

It’s amazing how we can be following Jesus so closely and paying attention
to His words, and then, we slightly shift our glance to the troubles around
us and immediately begin to sink. Ever been there?

It’s been said that too often we glance at Jesus and gaze at our problems
when we should be doing the exact opposite: gaze at Jesus and glance at
our problems. It feels easier to focus on what’s wrong, doesn’t it? But fixing
our eyes on Jesus will bring a calmness to our souls even when trouble
looms around us. The question we all need to ask is, “Where are my eyes
fixed?”

As you finish this Plan on the miracles of Jesus, maybe you’re waiting for
your own miracle. You’re not sure when your heart’s desire will be granted,
when your healing will come, or when that relationship will be mended.

Even in the midst of all of those unknowns, you can still rest in the truth
from this Plan. We serve an abundant God who doesn’t define us with our
doubts, is with us no matter what, calls us to give in faith, and desires that
we fix our eyes on Him and Him alone.

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