If you have not read my first post to this teaching please do so here before reading on…

Alright, now that you are caught up let’s continue on in our lessons about Do You Need A Miracle…So far we have learned…

Lesson #1 – All Miracles Start With A Problem

The crowd had no food to eat…they had a problem…they were in need of something they didn’t have. We too have problems in our life, but take heart every miracle has started with a problem.

Lesson #2 – We Are Called To Partner With God

Jesus asked the disciples to feed the people. He still did the miracle but He partnered with the effort of the people. We too have a part to play in the miracle God wants to do in us and through us.

Lesson #3 – Excuses Limit Your Faith

The disciples said they didn’t have enough food to fee the people. They made an excuse because they couldn’t see how God could do something impossible. We too need to make sure we are not making excuses from of our lack of faith.

Here is our passage for this teaching…

Luke 9:10-20

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

10 When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, 11 but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.

12 Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.”

13 He replied, “You give them something to eat.”

They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.” 14 (About five thousand men were there.)

But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 15 The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. 16 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. 17 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

Lesson # 4 Bring All You Have

The disciples brought Jesus ALL they had, the 2 fish and the 5 loaves. They didn’t hold any back. If we are going to experience God’s miraculous power we have to give Him ALL we have. That means all our faith, trust, effort, finances, thoughts, etc… We cannot have one hand on God and another on something else. The disciples didn’t hide a loaf of bread just in case. They had to be willing to let go of everything! Not 98%, everything.

Can you imagine being the boy who brought the food. Maybe his mother and him prepared the bread all morning. Perhaps he spent hours catching the 2 fish and prepping them. He is the only one with food at this event and he took the time to pack it and haul it there, now he is being asked to give it all up! Would you have been willing to give it up for what seemed like an impossibility. The boy could have thought, “Why are they taking my food? You can’t feed everyone, but at least I could have eaten.” This boy could have hid the food, but instead he was willing to give it all up for a miracle to take place. It doesn’t matter how much we have, all that matters is that we bring it ALL!

Lesson #5 God Doesn’t Always Make Sense

What Jesus was asking the disciples to do didn’t make sense. Jesus said to break everyone into groups of 50 in order for everyone to be served and fed. Imagine the thinking everyone had, “How in the world is this teacher going to feed us? Why is He breaking us into groups?”

Don’t miss out on a miracle because what God ask of you doesn’t make sense. Many times what God wants us to do goes against our natural thinking. Think of all the things God asks of us that does not make sense…

• Give all you have to get more?
• Forgive those that have hurt you?
• Prepare a table for your enemies?
• The first shall be last?
• Bless those who curse you?
• Walk by faith not by sight?
• Call things that aren’t as though they were?
• Believe God’s report not the worlds?
• Stay calm in the storm?

The list goes on and on about things God does that do not make sense to our natural mind. Many times God will ask you to do something that seems illogical or even backwards at times. But we have to learn to obey Him no matter what He is calling us to do. Remember God will never lead us to where He won’t provide for us. You can trust Him even when it seems confusing or doesn’t make sense. Miracles are supernatural not natural!

Lesson #6 He Multiplies His Blessings

Not only did Jesus multiply the fish and bread there was leftovers! Did you get that? Leftovers. He not only met the need He surpassed the need. God’s ways are so much bigger than our ways. We just want God to come through and He wants to blow our thinking out of the water. Jesus is into multiplication. We need not worry about the amount that God will come through, that is up to Him, but we must bring all we have so that He can use what we’ve got. He takes our little and makes it much. You can always trust God to do above and beyond what we could ask, think, or imagine according to His riches and glory in Christ!