The Bible is INTEGRAL to our vision of embracing faith, declaring hope and serving with love.

  • It contains the PROMISES of God – which empowers our FAITH
  • It contains the PLAN of God – which empowers our HOPE
  • It contains the PRIORITIES of God – which empowers our LOVE

The reason we read it is to internalize the gospel and be renewed by truth and grace.

John 6 – Jesus Feeds 5000 and Jesus Walks on Water

  • In both miracles, Jesus reveals Himself, but the disciples struggle to internalize it fully.
    • Feeding → death: shows provision for our deepest need (sin, spiritual hunger).
    • Walking → resurrection: shows authority over life’s storms (fear, chaos, death).
  • Both invite faith, but faith grows when the disciples connect what they see with the gospel reality of cross and resurrection.

Just as the disciples had to move from astonishment to trust, modern believers are invited to INTERNALIZE the gospel:

  • Trust Christ for spiritual provision (bread → forgiveness and sustenance).
  • Trust Christ for truth in CHAOS (water → resurrection power).

Mark’s Gospel has some unique elements to the story that we will HIGHLIGHT today.

  1. Jesus’ consistent REVELATION – His Divine IDENTITY
  2. The Disciple’s ongoing STRUGGLE – Their DEEPENING faith

Jesus’ Consistent REVELATION - Jesus is not present in the boat. But that doesn’t mean that He is distant from the struggle.

  1. Jesus is MEDIATING - 46 After he said good-bye to them, he went away to the mountain to pray
  2. Jesus is PRESENT – Very early in the morning he came toward them walking on the sea
  3. Jesus is GLORIOUS - and wanted to pass by them. 9 When they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out, 50 because they all saw him and were terrified….

 The Disciples ongoing STRUGGLE - The disciples saw Jesus’ power but struggled to trust Him fully. Likewise we often witness God’s work yet wrestle with fear, doubt, or misunderstanding. Seeing God at work—through miracles, provision, or answered prayer—is only the BEGINNING.

  1. We may see God’s work but struggle to INTERNALIZE it. Like the disciples, it is possible to see without deeply believing—to observe God’s work externally without letting it shape our inner trust, faith, or obedience.
  1. There is always TENSION between knowledge and trust. Just as the disciples knew about the loaves, we may know Scripture or have theological knowledge, but our hearts may not fully trust or respond in faith. Discipleship involves moving from intellectual assent to lived faith, letting God’s works and Word transform our inner life.

  2. Faith grows through REPEATED encounters and reflection. Believers often need time, reflection, and community to process God’s work in their lives. Witnessing miracles or answered prayer is just the start—the spiritual formation happens as we integrate those experiences into our daily faith, trust, and obedience