Will You Turn and Walk Away… Or Seek Him with All Your Heart?
Yeshua, therefore, said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you: if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and do not drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves…. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink.” …Then many of His disciples, having heard, said, “This word is hard. Who is able to listen to it?” …And from this time, many of His disciples went away backward, and were walking with Him no more. (John 6:53, mjlt)
How well-attended would our congregations be if we eliminated the experience? Or the ritual? What would happen if we took away the “energetic worship,” or the multi-media presentations, or the “relevant” messages that guarantee our encouragement and comfort? This is what my generation—and younger—craves (whether we know it, or admit it, or not), and it is according to these elements that many decide where and with whom we will “worship.” But while older generations may pursue a bit more subdued set of criteria—more traditions, less volume, less technology—where (and whether) we attend services is still about the religious experience. Take that away, and we have no idea what to do with the leftovers—we don’t know how to relate to one another in Messiah, and we don’t know how to make disciples.
Are we a generation of true, sold-out disciples of Messiah? Or are we only seeking Him through self-oriented spiritual or ritualistic means—merely attempting to feed our own happiness and health? If we truly desire to instead feed on Him—not for our own sakes, but for the happiness and health of others—then there are a few things we can do to live out the fullness of the life from Messiah.
- Evaluate and soldify our own walk with Yeshua. Too many of us have, at best, made Yeshua part of our routine; at worst, lost him in the monotany and struggles of everyday life. You need to reorient yourself, making Yeshua the center and goal of your life, and then destroy and rebuild your daily life around His reality.
- Rekindle our passion for God by remembering who He is, and what He’s done for us. Has Yeshua ever actually done something for you? Saved you? Changed you? Then now it’s time to remember it, refocus your mind and heart upon it, and realize that He is the most extraordinary being in and beyond the universe—and He is worth telling everyone you meet all about Him.
- Notch out time for discipleship, even if we have no one to disciple yet. Your whole job, disciple of Messiah, is to make more disciples. But if your life is too full of busy-ness and your own self-focused spiritual pursuits, you will only always be a taker—never a giver. Rearrange your life today as if you were already spending hours every week discipling a new believer. If you make such room for God in your life, what do you think He will do with it?
- Be built up through the sharing of our lives with other believers. Get out of the congregation, the bible study, the prayer meeting, the house fellowship, and the Facebook, and get involved in each others’ lives! The experience you crave is not in a show, but in the richness of seeing God help and heal your brothers and sisters. Then you too will find the fullness and purpose of your life.
When the Master Yeshua presented His disciples with a “hard word”—leaving them feeling neither encouraged, nor comfortable—”many of His disciples went away backward, and were walking with Him no more.” What kind of disciple are you? The one who seeks a more palatable experience as the Master asks, “Do you also want to go away?” (John 6:67). Or will you seek God, not experientially and through what pleases you, but through the plain, simple and pure commitment of your heart to only do His Word?
With what does a young man purify his path? To guard it—according to Your word. With all my heart I have sought You, Let me not stray from Your commands…. Blessed are You, Adonai… In Your precepts I meditate, And look attentively to Your paths. (Psalm 119:9-15)
What do you think? Share your thoughts below.
Thank you for this unique message.
I am in that frame of godless lifestyle at present!
Lacking a desire to fellowship with Yeshua & others
of like faith.
Lack of spending QUALITY TIME in Prayer!
Not attending Service because it starts at 4 pm-5:30pm( I know, i know , it a very poor excuse. As the Word saiys in a couple of places, (1) not to forsake the assembling of believers. (2) in latter time the love of many will WAX COLD.
I am a Christian.
Pray that a very deep craving for Yeshua will motivate me to follow Him on the straight and narrow and I will deviate from the ‘broad Way’ that leads to destruction.
Amen!
Thank you for this timely Word ! I agree and just sent out a message regarding the great Commission of Christ to All ! He ha Called all who follow Him to GO into ALL the World and Make Disciples! The church is making members for mega churches filled with people of whom are few in number becoming true disciples . The very term is seldom taugh anymore . Jesus took the time to gather the twelve and train them daily . He lived and worked beside of them , setting the example of a servant leader . He came to serve , not be served as many leaders today are being exalted as celebrities ????… May God wake up this generation I pray , Let Him bring a shaking that will awaken every leader and every church to Return to her first Love , Jesus ??All praise and Glory to Him ????
Thank you so much Kevin! I’m going to print this out and tape it to my mirror!! It’s a new season, and I find myself holding on tight to my necessity for Him, and being useful to Him all the day. This encourages me. I’m still praying for your family and ministry every day!!!!
I don’t think experiences? such as miracles , noisy worship etc, establish us. I have found services that try to drum up experiences produce wrong expectations in believers. I question the experiences I have had and seen are really from the Holy Spirit.
Instead it is the word that does establish faith, and wisdom a d equips for every good work and gives the ability to persevere under whatever joyfully. It is It is choosing to read it and do it.
Just look what happened to the first generation that were delivered from Egypt. They didn’t make it except for two guys. Paul says that we are to be warned by this because this can be us me so easily.
I am not saying God does not do miracles today, it is they are NOT the goal or the point.
So what is? In Him we live and move and have our being, regardless.
Being fruitful in every good work, and living a life worthy of the Loads. The opening of Colossians and chapter 3 says it better than me.
Thank you, thank you and thank you, for being the disciple you are by sharing God’s Word with sobriety of thought which challenges the seasoned believer, the new believer, and the those are are in-believers.
I wish to than William (above) for being candid, transparent, and honest. I too have had my fair share of challenges but because of His unconditional love towards me, He (Yeshua) has and continues to be ever faithful to His Word.
Continued blessings to you, to Perfect Word Ministries and to the Haverim worldwide. ????