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Tag: John

  • Many of His Disciples Left Him – John 6:66

    Many of His Disciples Left Him – John 6:66

    Updated August 21, 2023

    At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him.

    John 6:66  

    Walking away from Christ

    Here is a Gospel commentary you might not consider Good News.

    It looks like the church is walking away from Jesus Christ. And church leaders do very little to take the ‘controversial Gospel’ of Christ Jesus into a world which has long ago walked away from God.

    “Many christians walk away from the church.  Biblical preaching is too confrontational for our daily lives.

    Roger@talkofJesus.com

    Many churches accommodate worldly sin as accepted doctrine.  Such preaching and failure to separate the Holiness of Christ’s Church from the sins of the flesh is NOT Biblical.  The atheist pulpits expect no miracles; nor will they be prepared for the Last Day.

    “The Bible is confrontational. Religious institutions as Temples of tradition will be torn down by the same crowds they once accommodated.

    Roger@TalkofJesus.com – August 20, 2013 A.D. (soon to become the ‘common era’)

    a Challenge of the Gospel of John

    Yet what happened to Jesus?  

    The crowds rejected Him.  

    The Religious establishment remained for a time, then the Temple fell [A.D. 70], as had its religious leaders long before.  

    Jesus did not strike down the Pharisees (as political Caesars do each other). Or did the Son of the Most High God take over the Temple.

    Rather, He became our Sacrifice on its Altar.

    the Chaff of ‘christian’ Unbelievers

    What would cause the unthinkable thing of disciples turning away from Jesus — the so-called faithful to turn away and desert our Lord Jesus?

     To back up a little in John’s Gospel, Jesus said:

    63 The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

    64 But some of you do not believe me.”

    Men and women followed JESUS when it was 'the thing to do.' The number of Jesus' disciples multiplied again and again. But when their KING would not seize their imagined National Throne for the country of God most looked for another savior.

    Do you believe Christ Jesus? 

    He does not say that is doesn’t matter what you do.  What we do as witnesses of Jesus as Lord of our life matters greatly.  However, nothing we do – no acts which merit praises of men – can accomplish anything to save our soul from hell.

    Remember the miracle of feeding the 5000?  

    They would have made Jesus King right there on the spot.  But our Lord fled.

    Most leaders of a 21st c. church (unlike the Lord Jesus) would taken credit for their miracle, make certain to collect the offering and most likely fail to mention God, the Bible or Jesus Christ.

    The crowds of disciples found and followed Jesus.  

    “Give us more miracles – show more of  this Kingly power” —

    Isn’t that is our typical human response (rather than thankfulness for God’s provision and blessing)?  

    No more miracles; no more disciples.

    We'll find another religious leader for our kingly church vision.

    Is the Christ of the Cross GOOD NEWS?

    John 6;

    41 Then the people began to murmur in disagreement because he had said,

    “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”

    51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.”

    52 Then the people began arguing with each other about what he meant.

    “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” they asked.

    53 So Jesus said again,

    “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day.

    Gospel of John 6:53b-54 ASV

    Do you, dear believer, murmur and complain that Jesus isn’t doing much for Christians in these last days?

    “Lord, to whom would we go?

    67 Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked,

    “Are you also going to leave?”

    68 Simon Peter replied,

    “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. 69 We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.”

  • Foundation of Truth

    Foundation of Truth

    “Trust requires a foundation of Truth seasoned by integrity. Build your Heavenly home with Christ Jesus.

    John 14: excerpt

    “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. … 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”

    5 “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

    6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

    The Church’s one foundation
    Is Jesus Christ her Lord,
    She is His new creation
    By water and the Word. – Hymn: Samuel Wesley, Lyric: Samuel Stone

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  • Life Interrupts Life

    Life Interrupts Life

    LIFE INTERRUPTS LIFE.  It may be a marriage, a birth, a graduation, a job change.  It could be a death, a divorce, a disaster, an accident.

    In an instant everything of your mundane or over-stressed daily life comes to a halt and the life-interrupting event changes your entire perspective on this day.  Tomorrow will never be the same.

    Do you stop to allow a relationship of love for another person to interrupt your tireless routine?

    The pattern in the life of the Son of Man continually allowed for interruption as opportunity to glorify God through compassion for others.

    John 2: The next day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration. 3 The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother told him, “They have no more wine.”

    4 “Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”

    5 But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

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    John 4: 6 Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. 7 Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” 8 He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.

    Pretty ordinary stuff of life.  Jesus and His Disciples are walking between towns. They have to stop for lunch and buy food.  Jesus is thirsty for a drink of water.

    The interruption brings Jesus to reveal to a Samaritan woman: “I Am the Messiah!”

    Rather than continuing back to Galilee, Jesus and the Disciples go with the interruption and stay in that village for two days.

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     Jesus continues to live an ordinary daily life as Son of Man.  He travels with other pilgrims to festivals in Jerusalem.  Miracles are just a moment in a crowded and busy day:

    John 5: “Would you like to get well?”

    7 “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.”

    8 Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!”

    You know the witness of the miracle; but other than that, in the life of Jesus and the life of one man who had been lame for a long time on every day of his life, it was just an interruption.

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    The examples are numerous throughout the Gospels.  The interruptions to Jesus schedule even include interruption of life to the point of interrupting death.  Jesus did this more than once.

    Jesus interrupts our thinking that life is burdensome or ordinary.

    Every moment has the possibility for a miraculous interruption of interaction in the will of God.

    A sudden and unexpected death… or a gradual, painful fading away: all of it is expected in one manner or another. No life is ordinary in the eyes of God.

    The pregnancy and birth, the courtship and marriage, the sickness and health: all are ordinary stuff of life in the eyes of God and the walk of man.

    Therefore let us be more like Jesus with a willingness to allow life to interrupt our daily life as we have seen it.  The Lord has a miracle for us; if not now, in His own eternal time.

    John 14: “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”

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    Life interrupts life.  As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be.  Expect it.

    Greet life’s interruptions like the One who interrupted the world with His loving interruption of hope.

    Matthew 24: 37 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. 38 In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. 39 People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.

    40 “Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.

    42 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.

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    P.S. The above post was not intended to be my first blog post.

    This is dedicated to my brother in the Lord, Vinny LaGuardia, who was murdered by a gunman who opened fire on this innocent man and others at a township meeting last night.  Vinny played drums for our praise band at Benders Mennonite Church and was a friend.

    Jesus Christ, our Lord will comfort Vinny’s widow, our dear sister in the Lord. We pray for his family, neighbors and many friends, and also the families of the others slain.  May the Lord have mercy on the soul of their killer.

    Roger Harned