Sunday, January 10, 2010

Bread of Life


Location: J.'s apartment in Sighisoara, Romania; 5:30 am on the 10th of January

Yes, I hope to go back to sleep before church; I was up late, and I have a lot to do today and this week. I did not get much done yesterday, and writing a blog post is not my priority right now. Nevertheless. my Father woke me up a half-hour ago and urged me to read in His Word. He took me to a passage that I read just a day or two ago (John 6), and I knew He was teaching me something I was slow to understand. Now, though I am tired, this teaching is burning within me--I have to share it. It is a teaching for me, but also for at least one of you, and I would be remiss if I kept it to myself. This is a hard teaching, and may be a long post, but bear with me.

John 6 is a familar story: Jesus feeds the Five Thousand. However, John tells the story very different from the other Gospel writers, and this time let us make some observations. Open your Bible and read with me.

1. Jesus is not interested in healing the people; certainly He does heal them ("all who are sick" we are told), but that is not His goal. In fact, here He is apparently trying to escape the crowd seeking the Healer, and He literally "heads for the hills" with His disciples! (John 6:1-4)

2. Jesus is not interested in feeding the people; though the story is about a miracle of providing food, the following verses show very clearly that it is not His goal to provide food for the hungry. He is not establishing a "soup kitchen" or a "canned-food drive." (John 6:26, 38-40)

3. Jesus is not interested in ruling the people; not only do they want to make Him king, but they want to force Him to be king! Instead, He flees (John 6:14-15). Why?

4. (This is a really hard truth.) Jesus is fleeing from the people who are seeking Him, from the very people who want Him to be their Healer, their Provider, and their King. (John 6:1-3, 15, 24-25). They are telling Him, "We need You!" Picture this: A mob of at least five thousand men are chasing after Jesus, driving Him into the mountains in search of a little peace with His disciples. Even there they will not leave Him alone! It is not easy to escape such a crowd! How is it done, especially with only twelve men to help with "crowd-control"? Think about the celebrities who have to try to escape the public and the paparazzi. Either you try literally to run away, ducking into a hiding place, or you speak harshly with the people, trying to convince them to leave you alone. Neither seems very dignified nor appropriate for the Son of God, and however He had been fleeing, it obviously was not working. And we still have not answered the "why" question.

5. Jesus is fleeing because these people want Him for the wrong reasons. They need Him, it is true, but not in the way they think. They need a Savior, not a doctor, a food-distributer, a governor, or even a miracle worker. Jesus knows His purpose: to reveal God the Father and to bring Him glory (by fulfilling His Father's will). Jesus knows what is truly important: that people put their faith in Him as the "face" of the hitherto "invisible God (John 6:29, 38, and 46).

6. Jesus is wanting to teach the people. His aim in going to the mountains with the disciples, as well as in feeding the multitude, is to create an opportunity to teach the people (John 6:3, 6, 59). To do so, He must correct the misconceptions of the people or separate those who are ready to listen and learn from those who are merely seeking a handout or deliverance. In fact, I believe He already has in mind His teaching in verses 26 through 58 when He feeds the people in verses 5-13, knowing that He will have a platform to speak the truth of the Gospel in verses, but also that He will convince the "freeloaders" to leave Him alone (verses 60 and 66) in response to His teaching in verses 53 through 58, and 61 through 64.

7. Jesus does not let us overlook the details. Note the surprises. Though He is fleeing, He did heal the sick (before this chapter). He does (abundantly!) feed the crowd (in this chapter), making sure that none of the blessing is wasted (John 6:12-13). In fact, He is the one who proposed the food idea(John 6:5), which is not normally the first thought of a fleeing celebrity who sees the pursuing mob in the distance. And do not forget that He is actually is a king (John 18:37). It is also intersting to consider the contrasts with the other versions of this story in the New Testament; here the pleasant platitudes are left out, pushing us rapidly deeper into the chapter, to the message of His teaching. Even the miracle of His walking on water seems expressly recorded to bring us quickly to join Him in the synagogue at Capernaum (John 6:16-21).

8. The main point is clear and obvious: Jesus is the Bread of Life, sent from heaven to offer true life to the world (John 6: 27, 33, 35, 38-40, 44, 47, 48, 51, 58, 63). This is the Gospel, the Good News. Notice how this truth stands in stark contrast to error of those who have missed the point: the crude hunger of the mob, the objections of the religious leaders (here called "the Jews"), the idea that even one of Jesus' hand-picked followers is a "devil".

So what does this mean for us right here, right now? I cannot speak for you, but here are a few things the Lord was showing me.

1. Jesus did not help people just because there was a need. There are always people with needs.

2. Jesus did not get distracted from His purpose and calling even though there were many good ways He could serve the people (healing them, feeding them, ruling them, etc.). There are always good ways we can spend our time and energies, ways that really seem to benefit people in need.

3. When the people were not ready for the Truth, He fled, leaving behind disappointed people, His own popularity, and many opportunities to do good works. Nothing is worth doing if we miss the Truth, the main point of the Gospel. No charity is beneficial if it does not direct people to the Truth.

4. Jesus confronts incorrect belief, corrects it directly and with precision, even though it is unpopular. The Truth is the Truth, whether it is believed or not, whether it is popular or not.

5. Jesus wants to teach people. Sure, He cares for them in material ways, providing for them, protecting them, and more. But everything that He does, every moment of His life, is to teach the people around Him. Moment by moment, He is revealing God. Continuously, He is bring His Father glory. As He does this, He is training others to do the same thing.

When we keep our eyes on God, we will understand to what purpose He has called us, and how we can fulfill His will. Like Jesus, we are to reveal and glorify the Father, teaching the world that they can have true life through Jesus.

Finally, like me, maybe you need to ask yourself why you are (or are not) following Jesus. Are you just looking for healing, for bread, or for someone to stand up for you in a world of corruption and injustice? Or are you really willing to hear and accept His teaching. Are you seeking Jesus in such a way that He has to try to escape from your greedy hands, whiny complaints or selfish demands, or are you respectful of Him, recognizing that He wants to take you to a quiet place to teach you the ways of God?

God has hand-picked you to believe in Jesus and know that He is the Holy One of God, the Bread of Life. This Son of God offers you healing, provision, and justice as you follow Him away from the screaming world to the truth of eternal life, bought by a revolting death on a cross, paid for by a beautiful love, and assured by the presence of a risen King every step of the way. It is a hard teaching, a wonderful truth. Now it is your choice--which kind of bread do you want?
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A Rose From Home

A Rose From Home

My Story (As prepared for my church congregation this spring--2009)


I have a story to tell you. I am the main character, but the story is not about me. I have traveled several parts of the world, but my adventure has been closer to home. I am twenty-six years old. My story begins like many of yours…

I grew up going to church. I had been born into a family who labeled themselves “Christian,” in a country that labels itself “Christian.” Every Sunday found me attending a worship service and Sunday school in a mainline denomination church. I served as an acolyte, attended Vacation Bible School, helped my dad count and record the offering money, sang in the youth choir, was a leader in the youth group, and occasionally served as liturgist. Baptized as an infant, I was confirmed at the age of twelve, thus becoming an “official” member of the church. Then, hurt by the church, my family left to find another.

Have you ever been hurt by the Church?

After months of searching, we settled into a very large independent church. Things were different there, and I was quickly welcomed and at home among new friends that truly had a passion for Jesus. The Word of God was taught boldly from the pulpit, and I was introduced to a missions-aware lifestyle. So it was with regret that I said goodbye only a couple of years later to move with my family to another church. I purposely remained aloof, not wanting to make new friendships before I left for college a year later. Besides, I was loosing my faith—or so I thought—and I didn’t want anyone to know. I was asking scary questions like “Is there really a God?” and, if so, “Is He the Christian God?” and “Would I be Christian if I had been born in another part of the world?”

Have you ever asked yourself unsettling questions about what you believe?

So I headed into college under a cloud of confusion that only worsened for the next two years. Though I didn’t know what I believed anymore, I continued to go to church every Sunday, and to help lead worship in chapel. Most importantly, even during this questioning, I continued my morning habit of daily study of the Bible. I had begun at age twelve, reading at first a chapter per day, then ten minutes each morning, then an half-hour, and so on. So, only by the grace of the very God I doubted, I remained anchored in His Word and in His community, though I felt like a fake most of the time. Since then I have learned that “fake” is the worst insult the world can give us; that is why the label of “hypocrite” is so offensive.

Have you ever felt like a fake?

Six weeks with missionaries in South Africa followed by a year in France began to teach me what life with God is all about. I began rebuilding my faith, this time it belonged to me, in contrast to me borrowing the faith of my parents, church, or anyone else. In my parent’s basement in 2003, on either Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve, I invited Jesus to live in me; perhaps I had done so before, but I didn’t recall—but since 2003, I have never forgotten that moment. Unfortunately, nothing changed. I continued to do my best to act like a Christian, as I had done for so long.

Have you ever found yourself “doing your best” to be a good person, or to act like a Christian?

Though I did not realize it at the time, I was quenching the Spirit, even though I had welcomed Him into my life. During the next few years, the LORD continued to nurture me, and slowly things began to change. Several tough months in Idaho birthed my prayer-life. I spent three years being humbled in a job that was my informal seminary training. In 2007, a short stint in Mexico helped me to see things as they were, and not long afterward, I was baptized by immersion. No baptism of any kind can save a lost soul—only Jesus can do that. However, this baptism was an important covenant between me and God, symbolizing not only my death and resurrection with Jesus and my public profession of faith, but it also my life change, the beginning of my bearing fruit. “For each tree is known by its own fruit…”according to Luke 6:44. During the past year and a half, the LORD has provided me with an informal pastoral internship in my church, teaching me every aspect of discipleship. Simultaneously, I have been studying unceasing prayer and worship. I am now very different than I was five years ago.

In the Book of Acts (which tells the story of the earliest years of the Church) every time a person decided to follow Christ, two things took place—though not always in the same order. Each person experienced a life change, which I call the “baptism of repentance,” as well as the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which I call the “baptism of the Spirit.” Looking back, I realize that the Holy Spirit was living in me in 2003, but it wasn’t until I surrendered everything to God, as represented by my immersion, that I allowed the Spirit to have His way in me and transform my life. “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now life in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. (Galatians 2:20)”

Have you invited Jesus to live in you? Have you allowed the Spirit to transform your life?

I tell you this story for two reasons. First, I tell this story in order to boast in the LORD! May God our Father get all praise and glory forever! Second, I tell this story because it is relevant to you. Likely you have heard that I am leaving the country: I have let my light shine before you; please let your light shine within the Church, too! This congregation is in revival, and as each of you allows the Spirit to revive you, the entire Church will be revived and utterly transformed, to the glory of the Most High God. And for His glory is the reason He created us; the reason He sent His only Son to reveal Himself to us; the reason He became Sin for us and died for us on the cross—while we were still sinners; and the reason that He conquered death and offered us eternal life with Him.

It will cost you a lot—in fact, it will cost you everything, your very life. But if you have never surrendered your life to Christ Jesus, if you have never invited Him to send His Spirit into you and to transform your life, then do it right now. Just let go of everything to which you are desperately clinging; stop trying to do it yourself! This is the very reason you are still breathing in this physical life—God has been delaying His judgment of this sinful world because He is waiting for you—2 Peter 3:9 says He wants none to perish!

If you have already invited the Spirit into your life, then live like it! Bear fruit! Anyone and everyone who meets you or knows you or sees you or hears you should know immediately and clearly that Jesus the Christ lives in you and loves them! That is how stark the contrast should be between your life and the world around you!

Have you immersed yourself in God’s Word and in prayer in the last twenty-four hours?

If you call yourself a follower of Christ, then there is no excuse for not communing with Him daily! Anchor yourself in the Word! God has revealed Himself to us through His Son, Jesus Christ, and the Bible is a complete and accurate record of that revelation. And prayer is humbly letting Him love us. Let Him love you! God doesn’t need us, but He wants us! God doesn’t need us to live for Him—He wants to live in and through us! Let us love and fellowship with one another, even when you disagree! Pray for each other—the names in the church directory are a great place to start! Church, we are not only the Body of Christ, but we are the Bride of Christ. We have allowed ourselves to get bedraggled and stained—now let us stand to the glory of God! Let’s let Him purify us, restore us, and love us!

My dear Brothers and Sisters, if you have ever once been blessed by God our Father at work in me, then I urge you, please, take seriously His desire to love and work in you, beyond anything you can ask or imagine! I have told you the beginning of my story—may it end in glory to the Father, in the Name of Jesus, by way of His Spirit.

Now, what is your story?