Stabbing At Maples.

The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’. (Psalm 14:1)

This past Sunday, Pastor Sam brought out an important aspect of this verse. The denial of God is not something that the fool says with his lips: rather, it is something asserted in his heart, the seat of his emotions and will.

How do we know what someone really believes? By the way they act. The actions of man are, at their core, an expression of the beliefs and intents of his heart.

Early in the sermon, we were reminded that we cannot love the world and love God simultaneously. Why? Because the world will sap away our possibility of loving God. And our pastor’s use of the word “sap” is apropos. In the process of creating maple syrup, a tap is placed into a maple tree. The sap from the tree slowly drips into a container placed below the tap, and eventually enough sap is collected for bottles of syrup to be packaged and shipped all over the world. But it’s a slow process.

In like manner, the world saps away our love for God over an extended period of time. The process begins slowly: a barely perceptible series of decisions that show where our heart really is. So we enter the church building, but we never actually attend the service because we’re “busy” having tea in the kitchen, or chatting it up in the hallway with a friend. We dutifully read our Bible, but because it is duty and not passion we fail to meditate upon what we’ve read, and the words do not transform us. We trade in the hard work of prayer for the easy work of watching television. Instead of speaking life and salvation into the nations, our day is absorbed in talking and texting and trysts. But, because we have walked into Bronx Bethany’s doors, we think we’re all right.

Guess what? We are not all right. And this is not my personal indictment. It is what the Bible warns us to avoid: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. These things absorb the time, passion, and desire that God wants us to pour into Him and His kingdom.

What can we do? Well, we can spend more time with the Lord. Converse with Him. Meditate on His word and consider implications it holds for us as believers. Review the sermon notes from last Sunday and capture insights we may have missed the first time around. Ignore the calls of the world, which will always draw us away from our Lord.

Pastor Sam shared a truth that may help us as we assess our standing in Christ: “Worship is mediated internally, but expressed externally”, and the expression is not through the music, nor even through one’s physical presence in a church building. It is expressed through our day-to-day activities, the true reflection of the state of our hearts.

“Take the world, but give me Jesus.” Lord, help us to love you exclusively.

Say it Again, Man.

A discussion of division in the heart of the believer would be incomplete without mentioning Judas Iscariot.

Over the few years I've been blogging, this Judas seems to have gained a regular spot in the rotation. Each time I think the Judas thing is done with, he comes around again. Who, or what, was Judas? He was a believer in Jesus. He was a bonafide participant in ministry, performing signs and wonders along with the other disciples. He was a gifted administrator, trusted to handle the financial aspects of Jesus's ministry.

But, like Solomon, Judas had a divided heart. Judas followed after Jesus, and Judas followed after money. The love of money drove Judas to sell out his Lord for thirty pieces of silver.

During this past Sunday's sermon, Pastor Sam summed up Judas's fate: in the attempt to simultaneously hang on to Jesus and hang on to money, Judas lost everything. The Scripture is true: “No man can serve two masters.” (See Matthew 6:24)

Why does God keep reminding Bronx Bethany of Judas?

I have a theory, which may be wrong, but here it is. Judas Iscariot was a person, but he is also representative of a spiritual attitude. The Judas Iscariot attitude is built on a faulty logic that goes something like this:

As a member of the body of Christ, I have spiritual gifts given to me by the Holy Spirit.
Because I have these spiritual gifts, I can bless the church even though I am sinful.
Because I am a blessing to the church, and my gifts have not been removed, my spiritual gifts are a sufficient covering for my sinfulness.
Since my gifts are a sufficient covering for my sinfulness, there's no need for me to ever repent.

There is a comment made by Peter, which we see early in the book of Acts: “Concerning Judas... he was a full participant in the ministry.” (See Acts 1:15-17) If Jesus did not remove Judas from ministry, that should be a clue to us that full participation in ministry is not a sign of righteousness. It is not a sign that we love Jesus exclusively. And it is not a sign that God is condoning our sinfulness.

The call to repentance has gone out again. Will we plead to Christ for forgiveness? Or do we think we're doing fine with our balancing act of spiritual power and sinful practices?

Judas's sad life warns us again. Let's take heed.

Solomon, Ashtoreth, and Molek.

During this past Sunday's sermon, Pastor Sam shared a very scary analogy concerning God's assessment of division in worship.

It is the analogy of a man who, being away from home, bought his wife flowers as an indicator of how much he missed her while away. However, the reality is that the man intentionally left home in order to spend time with a mistress. The flowers were a fraudulent offering, because the man's heart was not exclusively devoted to his wife.

In Scripture, we see that King Solomon was a prime example of a man with a divided heart. This division was evident spiritually and physically. Solomon divided his attention between a thousand women whom he kept as wives and concubines. These women, in turn, caused Solomon to divide his attention between the worship of God and the worship of idols.

King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done. (First Kings 11:1-6)

“As Solomon grew old... Solomon did evil”. There seems to have been, over a period of years, a process in which Solomon drifted away from his devotion to God. Solomon never had a moment where he made a declaration of rejection of God. Rather, he added to his life another set of “gods” in violation of God's command to love Him exclusively. And God identified Solomon as one who did evil in His eyes.

Our God is a jealous God. And, just as He gave His best for us out of love, He expects that we will reciprocate. If we give anything less, our worship of Him becomes as fraudulent an offering as that of the man who buys gifts for his wife while continuing an affair.

How ironic that Solomon, whom God gifted with a wealth of wisdom, suffered from such a poverty of soul. And how sad that Solomon's error spans the ages, as Christians compromise their faith by worshiping God on Sunday morning and someone else on Sunday afternoon. If you are in that category, the Lord urges you to repent now.

We are called to full devotion;
No other lover but You, dear Lord,
No other thing will take Your place.
Capture each heart, strength, mind, emotion!
Saturate us in Your matchless grace.

Surface-to-Air Missile.

God loves Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene.

I am convinced of that love because of Scripture. John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son…”. Because we are included in the world, we are included in His love.

In addition to the scriptural evidence, we also experience God’s love through His rhema word to us from week to week. Our pastors and guest speakers consistently bring the word of God to us our community, and we are constantly encouraged to draw ever nearer to the One who loves us.

From time to time, Bronx Bethany becomes the recipient of an unmistakable warning from the Lord. And that, too, is evidence of God’s love for us. He sends His word, like a guided missile, to reach us at the core of our being and to shake us out of our complacency and complicity.

In yesterday’s service, we received an unmistakable warning: Destroy the idols.

Pastor Sam shared a revelatory word from God which challenged us to re-think the way we understand Scripture. And as we read the canon from Genesis through Revelation, we can see God’s concern for how we love Him, and for how we demonstrate His love to others.

If we, created with the capacity to love exhaustively, do not love God exclusively, then we leave the door of our heart wide open for the sin of idolatry to be manifested. Pastor Sam pointed to the historical books (Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles) as examples: kings of Israel were judged based not on their war records or economic innovation, but on their devotion to God.

So as we go through this week, we’ll take another look at what God has said concerning love, obedience, and idolatry. For today, let’s close with a few cautionary verses from First John chapter 2.

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him, because all that is in the world (the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the arrogance produced by material possessions) is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away with all its desires, but the person who does the will of God remains forever. (First John 2:15-17)

Stop Staring At Me.

During this past Sunday's pastoral prayer, Pastor Sam made a prophetic appeal: "Stop looking at other people."

The Lord has warned us to not focus on the faults of others. Even as we engage in the ministry of salvation and deliverance, we must take heed to the counsel of God spoken through the apostle Paul: "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted." (Galatians 6:1)

Further, the Lord has warned us not to focus on the futures of others. We see the account of Peter: after Jesus gave Peter a prophetic word concerning the end of his life, Peter responded by asking for information on the disciple John. Jesus's response, in essence, was to tell Peter to mind his own business. "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me." (John 21:22)

This is a potentially virulent issue at Bronx Bethany. Though we are not a large church, we are a church with plenty of high-profile congregants to look at. As was said some years ago, every row could be a church board. It's tempting to watch other people, critiquing their spiritual walk and/or ministry track, instead of seeking God about our own standing with Him.

So God has graciously spoken to us, again. Let's take heed to His loving rebuke. Let's keep our gaze on Him.

O happy day that fixed my choice on Thee, my Savior and my God!
Well may this glowing heart rejoice, and tell its raptures all abroad.
'Tis done, the great transaction's done-- I am my Lord's and He is mine;
He drew me and I followed on, charmed to confess the voice divine.

Now rest, my long-divided heart, fixed on this blissful center, rest;
Nor ever from thy Lord depart, with Him of every good possessed.
High heaven, that heard the solemn vow, that vow renewed shall daily hear,
Till in life's latest hour I bow, and bless in death a bond so dear. (P. Doddridge)

Rest. Stop.

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

Our guest speaker, Jo Ann Richards, compressed these verses into a simple invitation: “Just come and rest.”

The above verses become more profound when considered in the light of Luke 1:37, which we reflected on yesterday. Our Lord God, for whom nothing is impossible, invites us to live as He lives. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me.” What can we learn from Him? How to love; how to forgive; how to serve; how to pray; how to speak in faith; how to respond to critics; how to stay focused on tasks. Because nothing is impossible with God, it is possible for us to bear the yoke our Teacher places upon us.

The voice of the apostle Paul speaks in agreement. Our light and momentary afflictions are not to be compared to the glory we will experience (Second Corinthians 4:17); God's grace is sufficient for us (Second Corinthians 12:9); we are called to put on the full armor of God, clothing ourselves in key aspects of His character (Ephesians 6:11-20).

So in the face of afflictions, we bear the yoke and experience rest. The heavy load of the world is counterbalanced by the light burden of submission to Christ. How amazing that the light burden consumes our attention! The struggles of life seem so insignificant as we look in the face and eyes and body of Jesus. The Lover of our souls, the One who has won our hearts, pours a rest into our spirits that defies logic.

World of woe, watch us rest in spite of you. We have chosen to carry a better burden.

Believing Is Seeing.

“What God has said will be accomplished in Jesus’s name.” – Jo Ann Richards, ethnomusicologist

The third folk song shared by Ms. Richards during last Sunday’s message was based on Luke 1:37: “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”

The Luke passage appears in the context of an announcement that morphed into an explanation. The angel Gabriel had informed Mary that she would be the bearer of the Christ, then addressed her confusion by explaining the process by which the Holy Spirit would cause a virgin to conceive. Gabriel then gave Mary a profound example of God’s power: “Your cousin Elisabeth has conceived a son in her old age” (see Luke 1:36).

Our God has the power to override biology.

Ms. Richards, in introducing the folk song, mentioned two accounts from the book of Daniel. She first mentioned the account of Daniel being thrown into the lion’s den. In the midst of King Darius experiencing his own distress at the edict he’d signed, the pagan king makes an incredible statement of faith: “Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee” (Daniel 6:16). The next morning, Daniel confirmed Darius’s statement of faith: “My God has sent his angel and hath shut the lions’ mouths” (see Daniel 6:22).

Our God has the power to override instinctive behaviors.

The second account mentioned by Ms. Richards was of the friends of Daniel (Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah) being thrown into a furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar. Their punishment for not obeying the king was preceded by their own statement of faith: “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king” (see Daniel 3:17). Their statement of faith was confirmed by the king, who testified of their deliverance: “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God” (See Daniel 3:25).

Our God has the power to override the laws of physics and physiology.

Guess what? Our God also has the power to override speech and language, denominational politics and posturing, plants and trees, time and space, and anything else we might think of. He does this not on a whim, but to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are perfectly turned toward Him (see Second Chronicles 16:9).

Is your heart perfect towards our God and King? Then trust Him to deliver you. Have faith and believe.

Reservations.

“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10)

After Jesus invites Himself to dinner at the home of the tax collector Zacchaeus, the man makes two promises to Him: first, to care for the poor; and second, to make restitution to the households from which Zacchaeus had wrongfully taken assets.

It is perhaps appropriate that ethnomusicologist Jo Ann Richards used this verse in one of her folk song compositions. Like Zacchaeus, the music industry has a history of pulling artistic resources from the poor and marginalized. And, also like Zacchaeus, the industry has many persons who, though well off financially, are lost spiritually and relationally.

The response of the Lord Jesus is not to ignore sinners, but to call them to repentance. The criticism of the crowd, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner” (see Luke 19:7), did not deter Jesus from being a transformative influence in the life of Zacchaeus.

Is there an unsaved person in your circle of influence who “wants to see who Jesus is” (see Luke 19:3)? If God has opened the door, I encourage you to ignore the crowd's criticisms. Seek to bring deliverance to those who, though rich by the world's standards, have recognized that they are spiritually impoverished. They, like us, need to be saved.

Would you be like Jesus? Then seek and save the lost.

Dark, indeed, the past has been, Nothing but thy blood can save me;
Yet in mercy take me in, Nothing but thy blood can save me.
No! No! Nothing do I bring,
But by faith I’m clinging to thy cross, O Lamb of God!
Nothing but thy blood can save me. (Richard Slater)

Gold? Standard.

On Sunday our guest speaker was ethnomusicologist Jo Ann Richards. She presented several songs that she composed in the style of traditional Jamaican folk music. The texts of these songs were reflective of various Scripture verses.

The first song she presented was an echo of last week's sermon: John 14:6-- Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

Sister Jo Ann gave an interesting theory, in light of this verse, concerning the belief that streets in heaven are paved with gold. She posited that the streets are paved with gold not because of the value of the gold, but because the value of Jesus far exceeds any other. If Jesus is indeed all we need, then of what value is gold? It is simply another common thing. It is no longer worthy of being fashioned into jewelry, nor is it worthy of being a standard for currency. It can be trampled upon without a second thought, because Jesus is our all in all.

I pray that He is everything to you.

Jesus, give us grace to love You with a love that will make the things of this earth "grow strangely dim." We long to see Your Glory.

You Are The One I Praise...

As was said this past Sunday by our pastor, Jesus has been “accorded a place in society as a great man.” The secular world seems enamored enough with His parables, His teachings, His miracles.

But this same Jesus has made some claims about Himself. He's not just another "great man". He is God. He is Lord. And He loves us! And He is jealous for us! And we have no other entrance into Glory, except through Him.

Some questions:

Do we love Jesus, and extol Him above all else?
Is our love for Him expressed in our obedience to His commands?
Have we given Jesus exclusive rule over our lives?

Let's continue to worship the Lord Jesus, Savior of our souls.

I Can't Recant.

During this past Sunday's sermon, Pastor Sam spoke about the differences between empirical evidence and forensic evidence. He reminded us of the statements of Thomas, who said he would not accept his fellow disciples' testimony of having seen the resurrected Christ.

What did Thomas want? Empirical evidence. “Unless I see the wounds from the nails in his hands, and put my finger into the wounds from the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe it!” (John 20:25) In an incredibly gracious gesture, Jesus obliged him. “Put your finger here, and examine my hands. Extend your hand and put it into my side. Do not continue in your unbelief, but believe." (John 20:27)

But the commendation of God is not gained from our demand for empirical evidence. If we have heard and know the word of God, we can't say things like "Well if God didn't want me to go to that place, then He would have prevented my car from working." See Thomas? He had walked with Jesus for the three years of His earthly ministry, and yet his demand for empirical evidence was evaluated by Jesus as unbelief. If we base our Christian walk on empirical evidence, we will bear the same rebuke.

There is a better proof of the truth of Jesus's claims: Forensic evidence. The testimony of witnesses through the ages who, in faith, took hold of the word of God and never let go. Hebrews chapter 11 lists some of the horrible deaths experienced by Christian martyrs. These men and women, convinced of the deity of Christ Jesus, chose to die rather than to recant their faith.

From then to now, we Christians are called to live by what we believe. But if we "have to see it to believe it", then where is the role of faith, which Scripture tells us is "the evidence of things not seen"?

Lord Jesus, help us to believe what You have said concerning Yourself. Help us to reject the urge for empirical data. We crave Your commendation, which is earned by belief and obedience. Give us grace to receive You by faith. Give us courage, by Your Spirit's power, to be witnesses of Your grace to the world.

Know-And-Tell.

In John 3:16 the verse begins, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son”. Jesus’s entrance into the earthly realm as an infant went largely unnoticed by the majority of people in that time. (see Matthew chapters 1 and 2.) But God went beyond Bethlehem and informed, through nature, a small group of wise men from the East. “We have seen His star and have come to worship Him,” (see Matthew 2:1-2). God loved the world, and the Magi showed up as a proof of His love. It was as if God said, Yes, I will speak to these wise men in a language they understand. Their culture speaks of a star announcing the birth of the King of the Jews, and I have given them the sign they were seeking.

About thirty years later, as we see in John 14:6, Jesus announced His deity in a geographical location that touches the world. This time, it is not announced to the sages through astronomy. Instead, it is shared through a common lingua franca. As Pastor Sam shared, all lands known at that time were able to communicate for the purposes of trade. And, all trade routes had to pass through Jerusalem. By confirming His deity during His time in Jerusalem, Jesus positioned His word to be shared throughout the known world.

And this is why He can say “no one comes to the Father except by Me.” He is the conduit. Africa, Asia, Australia, Americas... all must reckon with a tiny strip of land in Palestine, where Jesus made His claim as the Only option for mankind.

Do you know Him? Tell the world.

Unigenite...

Jesus replied, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

On this past Sunday, Pastor Sam carefully unpacked this single verse. And it is good to be careful when unpacking verses like this, because verses like this have the potential to explode. As he said, and I paraphrase here, the above verse is a dangerous one to quote in the twenty-first century because it carries an exclusionary, exclusive tone. But there it is, in the canon, so we have to deal with it.

For anyone who is Christian, this reality of “the way, the truth, the life” is at the core of our faith. And it is Jesus- not Pastor Sam, not the denomination, not our personal opinion, but Jesus Himself- it is He who says, “No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

John 14:6 carries the echo of John 3:16, another verse that speaks of the exclusive nature and status of Jesus. As “only begotten Son” (see John 3:16) He is identified as unique, one-of-a-kind, with no other option available. He is the Only One. In the same manner, Jesus informs us in John 14:6 that He is the Only Way, the Only Truth, the Only Life. There is no other option available.

So, in light of this, we can never say “Jesus and…”. It’s not Jesus and Mommy, nor Jesus and Buddha, nor Jesus and Mary, nor Jesus and the Pastor (the uppercase “P” is deliberate, as an indicator of those who in fact deify their pastors). It’s only Jesus. Exclusionary and exclusive, because no one else can do what He does for us.

Who else has been crucified for our sins? Who else has made a way for our salvation? Who else is seated at the right hand of the Father? Who else can say, “If you have known me, you will know my Father too” (see John 14:7)?

Jesus, the Only Unique.

Proof Of Purchase.

One day I went to the house of Shemaiah son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, who was shut in at his home. He said, “Let us meet in the house of God, inside the temple, and let us close the temple doors, because men are coming to kill you— by night they are coming to kill you.” But I said, “Should a man like me run away? Or should someone like me go into the temple to save his life? I will not go!” I realized that God had not sent him, but that he had prophesied against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. He had been hired to intimidate me so that I would commit a sin by doing this, and then they would give me a bad name to discredit me. Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, my God, because of what they have done; remember also the prophetess Noadiah and how she and the rest of the prophets have been trying to intimidate me. (Nehemiah 6:10-14)

As we near the end of this week, let's walk a bit further into the book of Nehemiah. While Pastor Martha focused her sermon on the early chapters, we read in subsequent chapters that the opposition to Nehemiah's work grew stronger. The more he achieved, the more angry his detractors became.

Taunting didn't work, military threats didn't work, and political threats didn't work. So, Nehemiah's enemies tried a new approach. They paid spiritual leaders to lie to Nehemiah and attempt to turn him away from the work that God had called him to. On the surface, Shemaiah's counsel seemed logical: Nehemiah, you should hide in God's house where it's safe. But Nehemiah maintained his stance, offering the same response he had given to his other enemies: Why should I stop doing what God has called me to do?

It's so important for us to hear from God for ourselves, because our enemies will even seek to use spirituality in an attempt to derail our calling and purpose. The New Testament echoes this tactic: "But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed." (Matthew 27:20)

May God help us all to be readers, hearers, and doers of His word.
May His voice prevail above all others.
May we remain cognizant of the enemy's attempts to derail the work of the Lord.

God, give us grace to obey You and carry out Your will.

"What Has God Said?"

Then I said to them, “You see the problem that we have: Jerusalem is desolate and its gates are burned. Come on! Let’s rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that this reproach will not continue.” Then I related to them how the good hand of my God was on me and what the king had said to me. Then they replied, “Let’s begin rebuilding right away!” So they readied themselves for this good project. But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard all this, they derided us and expressed contempt toward us. They said, “What is this you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” (Nehemiah 2:17-19)

Ah, it’s all too familiar. God burdens us to pray about a particular issue, His Spirit reveals to us a plan of action, we move forward in obedience… and we are criticized. As the book of Nehemiah progresses, we learn that Sanballat and Tobias were intentional and aggressive in their attempts to prevent the Jerusalem gates and walls from being rebuilt. How did Nehemiah respond? With simple, unassuming persistence. He did not give in to the lies, threats, and negative comments of his critics, but instead persuaded his workers to stay focused and complete the task they’d begun.

Nehemiah’s persistence was grounded in a realization that God had spoken to him clearly and specifically. We would do well to follow Nehemiah’s example. The prayers, intercessions, and fastings brought an awesome result: the intercessor is the one who will move to answer the prayers. We see this modeled in Scripture in the lives of our Lord Jesus, Nehemiah, Esther, Daniel, Elijah, and others. Each moved forward in obedience to God, each had their critics, and each was integral in God's plan of deliverance for His people through the ages. We are in good company.

Has God spoken? Then act on His word, without fear. He will give you strength to bring the good work into completion.

Quiet Man.

So I came to Jerusalem. When I had been there for three days, I got up during the night, along with a few men who were with me. But I did not tell anyone what my God was putting on my heart to do for Jerusalem… I continued up the valley during the night, inspecting the wall. Then I turned back and came to the Valley Gate, and so returned. The officials did not know where I had gone or what I had been doing, for up to this point I had not told any of the Jews or the priests or the nobles or the officials or the rest of the workers. (from Nehemiah 2:11, 12, 15, and 16)

When I had been there for three days…

Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, but there was a three-day gap between his arrival and his survey of the damage done to the city walls and gates. What was he doing? We can infer, based on the first chapter of Nehemiah, that he was in communion with God. And we can say, with assurance, that he was not in conversation with man. In the passage above, Nehemiah shares three things that he did not tell:

-“I did not tell anyone what God was putting on my heart…”
-“The officials did not know where I had gone or what I had been doing…”
-“I had not told any of the Jews, priests, nobles, officials, or the rest of the workers…”

I got up during the night…

Nehemiah approached his task of rebuilding the walls and gates without fanfare. Though a few men accompanied him on his night tour of the city, Nehemiah remained silent: only he knew the task that God had assigned to him, and he did not disclose God’s plan until after his survey of the land was completed.

As Bronx Bethany approaches the last five months of our theme “Engaging Transformational Prayer… Experiencing Transformational Provision”, it is appropriate that we be reminded of the scope of transformational prayer. The book of Nehemiah reminds us that transformational prayer is supported through the related disciplines of mourning, fasting, intercession, silence, watching, and waiting. In the face of devastating news on the home front, what else can we do? What better options are there to obtain God’s blueprint for problem-solving?

Let’s have some quiet time.

And What Do You Do For A Living?

One of the more interesting moments during Pastor Martha’s sermon was when she asked the congregation whether they saw themselves as leaders and ministers. Most of them did not.

It is a sad commentary on the preparedness and willingness of our congregation to be salt and light in the world. It was a painful exercise to experience, especially in light of the lessons we learn from the book of Nehemiah. Pastor Martha made the point that Nehemiah was a man who rose through the ranks, and who presented himself as a leader in each position he held. We, like him, are called to lead.

Leadership is not necessarily correlated to the position we hold. The first job we see Nehemiah doing, “cupbearer to the king” (Nehemiah 1:11), was an unenviable task. Nehemiah’s job, essentially, was to make sure that the king’s food and drink were safe to ingest. If some random betrayer decided to poison the king’s meal, Nehemiah would have been the one to die.

On the first read, his job seems like a thankless task. But Nehemiah served faithfully, and he planned carefully. When he heard of the disrepair in his hometown of Jerusalem, Nehemiah first appealed to God, then to the king. And Nehemiah’s job, dangerous as it was, provided him with an opportunity to obtain financial and political support for the rebuilding of Jerusalem. He was no longer a mere cupbearer; he became a cupbearer with an awesome sabbatical assignment: Rebuild.

Nehemiah did not take his assignment lightly. As Pastor Martha shared, he spent his time of preparation in prayer, fasting, and planning. His life of discipline and preparedness was the training ground for his future leadership role.

Let’s evaluate our own leadership preparedness in light of Nehemiah’s. What are we doing from day-to-day as we work what might be a thankless job?

The rebuilder carried a toolkit: prayer, fasting, planning, and more. Tomorrow we’ll continue our reflection on Nehemiah’s emergence as a leader among his people.

Rebuilder.

As is our tradition during five-Sunday months, yesterday's service combined our English- and Spanish-speaking congregations. Pastor Martha continued the theme of transformational prayer with a message on Nehemiah.

Her previous fifth-Sunday messages, which focused on Elijah and Daniel, were indicators that the prayer of one man has the power to change nations and empires. Nehemiah, too, was a leader who changed the fate of a nation through his prayers.

For today, let's remind ourselves of the Scripture passage which was used as the foundation of Pastor Martha's sermon.

The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah:

In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.

They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire. ”

When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. Then I said:

“O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s house, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.

“Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’

“They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”

I was cupbearer to the king. (Nehemiah, chapter 1)

Second In Command.

Mordecai the Jew was second only to King Ahasuerus. He was the highest-ranking Jew, and he was admired by his numerous relatives. He worked enthusiastically for the good of his people and was an advocate for the welfare of all his descendants. (Esther 10:3)

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery leading again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself bears witness to our spirit that we are God’s children. And if children, then heirs (namely, heirs of God and also fellow heirs with Christ) – if indeed we suffer with him so we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that our present sufferings cannot even be compared to the glory that will be revealed to us. (Romans 8:15-18)

The book of Esther has an interesting end. Its focus is not on the queen, but on the relationship between the king and Mordecai. Mordecai has taken Haman’s place as second in rank and authority, and we read of the good works Mordecai did for his people. The sufferings that he and Esther experienced resulted in promotion for themselves, and life for their fellow Jews.

We, too, are called to do good works. Our Commander and King has set the example through Jesus Christ: His sufferings brought about our redemption, and we are now equipped to do good works for the people of the world. We, as children of God, are promoted to the position of “heir of God”, and our lives are a reflection of His glory, grace, and compassion.

The book of Esther serves as a wake-up call to those who believe their life choices are made in a vacuum. Our personal decisions can affect nations. Had Esther chosen to not listen to Mordecai, and if Esther had not appealed to the king, the trail of Jewish history would have been drastically altered.

God has called you to take risks, to suffer, to stand and speak against unjust acts, to appeal to His power and authority on behalf of the masses. Have you chosen to stay comfortable and embrace anonymity when God has called you to public ministry as His royal heir? Are you living under obligation to His Spirit, or are you too busy loving the world?

The strength to stand as "second in command" is only found as we submit ourselves to the Spirit of God. “So then, brothers and sisters, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh (for if you live according to the flesh, you will die), but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God.” (Romans 8:12-14) Brothers and sisters, let's stand strong.

The spirit of Haman still exists. The enemy of your soul has decreed your death, and his strategy is to cause you to ignore and avoid the rule of God your King. Your death would affect not only you, but also your family and community. So I encourage you, I urge you, to stand in faith and live a life of holiness by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is what confirms your status as an heir, and it is how you stand strong in the face of suffering. Seek the Lord, put on your royal attire, and live.

Authorization.

If I perish, I perish! (Esther 4:16)

Frankly, the other famous quote in this chapter is more appealing: “Who knows if you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14) We like the idea of being given a place of favor and recognition by God. Sometimes, we even like having the attention and accolades of man. But not too many of us like to embrace the idea of suffering or dying for a cause that we believe in.

Kairos time, the opportune moment in which we are called to step forward and do something, sometimes arrives with accompanying signs. Not celebratory handshakes, but accusatory remarks: Who do you think you are? Who invited you to the leadership meeting? Esther had favor with King Ahasuerus, but she also had to contend with Haman’s hatred of her people.

In Esther chapter 5, we see that the queen engaged a process of appealing to the king which extended over several days. Her unauthorized, but accepted, appearance in the king’s inner court was followed up by two banquet invitations. In the first banquet, she was a gracious hostess to the king and to Haman. Esther held her peace and did not make a single appeal during the first banquet meal.

Perhaps we can learn from this incredible exercise of restraint. Have you ever had to host your sworn enemy? Have you ever been placed in the position of showing love and maintaining decorum as you stand face-to-face with the person who is intent on destroying you and all you hold dear? Have you ever had to serve your modern-day Haman, providing sustenance for the person who has influenced the heart of your King Ahasuerus against you?

Haman was not just a man enjoying a free meal. Haman was a man who had been given a promotion by the king. Haman had been given ten thousand talents of silver by the king. Haman had been given the king’s signet ring and had the authority to write and send letters with the king’s signature on it. Further, Haman had already been in exclusive events with the king where Esther had not been invited. Esther’s inclusion of Haman, to some degree, seems to have validated his position of favor with the king rather than her own (see Esther 3:8-15).

God had a plan, and through Esther He brought deliverance for His people. But first, she had to establish herself as a woman of wisdom and peace in the face of impending loss. And in the act of blessing her sworn enemy, she set the stage for a soon-to-follow, incredible, undeniable act of deliverance.

Esther, I am taking notes.

Fast Track.

Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa and fast in my behalf. Don’t eat and don’t drink for three days, night or day. My female attendants and I will also fast in the same way. Afterward I will go to the king, even though it violates the law. If I perish, I perish!” (Esther 4:15-16)

In Arthur Wallis’s classic book God’s Chosen Fast, we are told that a fast such as the one called by Esther was a rare occurrence. The few biblical instances of fasting from all food and drink were either cases of supernatural sustenance (as in the forty-day absolute fasts) or extreme spiritual emergency or upheaval (as in the three-day absolute fasts). According to Wallis, “A crisis of the utmost gravity threatened the whole Jewish race with extermination. Even Esther herself could expect no immunity because she was queen. She called this absolute fast because desperate situations require desperate measures.”

Esther exercised incredible wisdom in her response to Mordecai. Her call for an absolute fast changed the dynamic of her appeal for mercy: rather than merely appealing to King Ahasuerus, she began the process by spending three days in appeal to God, King of all the universe.

It is also important to note that Esther did not act alone. She asked Mordecai to involve every Jewish person in the community, and Esther involved each of her attendants in the three-day fast. After the fast, Esther put on her royal apparel and stood in the inner court of the king.

Why fasting and not prayer? Or, why fasting apart from prayer? The book of Esther does not give a specific answer. But we do have evidence from Christ Himself that prayer and fasting can be engaged as separate entities. In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus outlines various spiritual disciplines. He says, “When you give…”; “When you pray…”; “When you fast…”. (See Matthew 6:1-18) And He tells us that the Father, who sees what we do in secret, will reward us openly. Esther experienced the privilege of having her life spared, and having an opportunity to appeal to King Ahasuerus for the life of her people, because she engaged in fasting.

O Lord, I make appeal to Your grace;
My legitimate needs are tossed aside.
Renouncing food and drink, I seek Your face;
Through fasting I ask You to take Your place.
No devil’s threat can stand where You reside.

Utterly destroy the enemy’s plan:
Make my self-denial Your burning spear,
Pierce through selfish hearts as only You can.
Break the contract between Hell and man;
Cause Your swift deliverance to appear.

Saints of God, are you caught in a spiritual emergency? Reclaim your lost weapon of warfare. Fast. Absolutely.

Roles and Rules.

“All the servants of the king and the people of the king’s provinces know that there is only one law applicable to any man or woman who comes uninvited to the king in the inner court – that person will be put to death, unless the king extends to him the gold scepter, permitting him to be spared. Now I have not been invited to come to the king for some thirty days!” (Esther 4:11)

Esther had good reason to be concerned about breaking the rules. Her predecessor, Queen Vashti, had been removed from her post because she disobeyed the order of the king (see Esther 1:10-19). Mordecai’s word to Esther was that she must petition the king for the life of the Jewish people. Esther’s word to Mordecai was that she had no legal right to do so.

Are we in the same predicament?

There are good reasons, legally sound reasons, for not “speaking up”. We share Esther’s concern. Life may have blessed us with a title and a position of authority, yet we do not feel empowered to do much more than stand and look beautiful in our post. If we speak up on behalf of the disenfranchised, it may cost us our position, our title, our career. So we keep the title, keep the paycheck, and dutifully send money to “the cause”, whatever it may be. And we justify ourselves: after all, the position empowers us to give every once in a while, so it’s not like we’re totally ignoring the cause.

What’s the problem? The cause isn’t ameliorated by a donation. The cause cries out for attention, for a place at the table, for relevant dialogue that leads to relevant change. In Esther’s case, it meant breaking the rule and stepping into the inner court to appeal to the king .

We tread carefully on this path, because we don’t like the idea of breaking rules. Yet we see, even in the life of Jesus, that there are instances where the law became a hindrance to the grace and power of God. Jesus was criticized for healing people on the Sabbath day, yet His acts of mercy and grace were the means of salvation and deliverance for many.

Mordecai, in Esther 4:14, adds another dimension to the dialogue. There are times when our position of leadership gives us a platform from which we can challenge the law. We are in a position to stand in the gap for the disenfranchised: not as a rule-breaker, but as a respected leader seeking relevant change. Our minds recall the life-changing movements made alive by Ghandi, King, and others who peacefully sought to transform nations for the sake of the people.

The temptation is to downplay our own ability to effect change. Resist the temptation.

“Don’t imagine that because you are part of the king’s household you will be the one Jew who will escape. If you keep quiet at this time, liberation and protection for the Jews will appear from another source, while you and your father’s household perish. It may very well be that you have achieved royal status for such a time as this!” (Esther 4:14)

Lord, help us to transform nations through the positions and abilities You’ve given us.

The "Anguish" Of The Affluent.

[For this week's blogs I am indebted to Pastor Sam, who provided me with a summary of Dr. Mac Pier's sermon content.]

When Esther’s female attendants and her eunuchs came and informed her about Mordecai’s behavior, the queen was overcome with anguish. Although she sent garments for Mordecai to put on so that he could remove his sackcloth, he would not accept them. (Esther 4:4)

Sackcloth and ashes, in Old Testament times, were a sign of mourning and despair. Esther’s uncle, Mordecai, took the measure of wearing sackcloth and ashes after learning of the plot to destroy the Jews.

Esther’s first response was to seek to give Mordecai proper clothing to replace his clothes of mourning. But, as anyone knows who has been in deep despair, a new set of clothes was not a viable response to the conditions that led Mordecai to put on the clothes of mourning.

Perhaps some of us are in the same predicament. We see the desperate situation of our brothers and sisters in poorer nations, and our first response is to send “clothing” of our choosing. For some of us, it’s to write a check or mail a care package. But our surface giving has not touched the deeper issues. Like Mordecai and the Jews of old, there are nationalities and cultures today that have been given a death sentence. Today’s Mordecai might not be killed by the edicts of kings, but lives are lost in the crossfire of conversations about sustainability, wealth distribution, compassionate aid, and long-term solutions to poverty. Our Socratic conversations, our donations offered out of our relative abundance, and the “compassionate care package” have become the garments we export to cover the sackcloth of those who mourn… and to cover our own anguish at seeing their condition.

“Although she sent garments… he would not accept them.” Mordecai, in refusing the clothing, gave testimony to the fact that a change of clothes was not a change of condition. The edict still stood, and the Jews were still destined to destruction. His refusal was a statement to his niece Esther: Your donation is insufficient to address the emergency our people are facing. You have to make a bolder step and become personally involved.

Lord, help us to move from making a contribution to being personally engaged. Help us to send the clothing of Your choosing, which is our selves.

Here am I, my Lord, send me.

Mac On A Mission.

[For this week's blogs I am indebted to Pastor Sam, who provided me with a summary of Dr. Mac Pier's sermon content.]

On Saturday and Sunday, our guest speaker was Dr. Mac Pier. He has been an important force behind the scenes at Bronx Bethany, helping us in our mandate to reach "the Bronx and the world". He's connected us with Willow Creek's Global Leadership Summit; he led our congregation in an awesome prayer meeting a few years ago; he brought Bronx Bethany leadership into Movement Day (a successful ministry event that links pastors, administrators, and business leaders from all over New York City); and the list goes on. And though Pastor Sam said it jokingly, it seems to be more and more true that Dr. Pier is one of those rare people in the world that is known simply by his first name.

This weekend, Mac was with us to encourage us to connect (and for some, re-connect) to World Vision in a tangible way. The economic challenges we face here in the Bronx and surrounding areas pale in comparison to the crises faced in many regions of Africa. World Vision continues its legacy of making a difference in the lives of children, families, and communities in underdeveloped countries.

Mac shared three points from the life of Esther which we will reflect on in our blogs this week. For today, though, I encourage us all to re-read Esther chapter 4. The NET Bible version can be accessed at
https://net.bible.org/#!search/esther 4

Lord, help us to consider and respond to the needs of Your children around the world.

Elisha, I Really Want An Appointment With You.

In Second Kings 4, we are told that the Shunammite woman journeyed from her home in Shunem to Mount Carmel in order to personally appeal to Elisha concerning her dead son.

Based on which scholar you read, the journey would have been somewhere between fifteen and twenty-five miles. On a donkey. On unpaved roads. The Shunammite was determined to see Elisha.

Prophetic engagement, as Pastor Joy shared with us, is time-consuming and inconvenient. The trials of life test us, and our colleagues and loved ones get a front-row seat as they watch our response to the inconveniences that accompany prophetic relationships. Sometimes it means having to travel a long way. At other times it means living with accusations or jealousies from those who don't comprehend the nuances of prophetic-faith exchange.

Sometimes it means we have to go overboard in our expression of love, and deal with the subsequent embarrassment and exposure. Many of us know the story of the woman who poured a substantial amount of expensive perfume onto Jesus (about half a liter or so). The result? Negative comments from His disciples, a home that reeked of spikenard, and a financial loss of the equivalent of a year's wages (see Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; John 12:1-8).

Ah, but there was a benefit: the commendation of Christ Himself. "Leave her alone; she has done a good thing. Her story will be told wherever the gospel is preached." Yes, what a great reason to be inconvenienced!

I will say, in defense of Gehazi and his modern-day equivalents, that sometimes ministry assistants don't know why someone is "grabbing the feet" of a ministry leader, and the collective instinct of assistants is to protect their leader. But perhaps it might be better if we all step back and ask God to step in.

Has God called you to inconvenience yourself and radically bless Him by serving His ministers? Go for it.

Are you really unsure about this whole concept of prophetic-faith exchange? Ask God to work out His will in and through you, and to give you grace to bear the cost. You might be surprised at how God uses you to honor His name!

Shuna-Might.

In a culture where women were typically classed as subservient to men, the Shunammite stood out. She was described as a “well-to-do” woman. She owned property. She took the initiative of inviting Elisha to eat with her household. She planned the addition of another room to her house for the sake of the prophet. She personally traveled from Shunem to Mount Carmel to appeal directly to Elisha concerning her son. God placed her in a relationship where she was able to be a blessing, and to receive a blessing. Not a blessing mediated through Gehazi, nor through her husband, but a direct relationship between herself and the prophet.

For those of us who have read past Second Kings 4, we know that God maintained this prophetic dyad between Elisha and the Shunammite woman over a period of years. In Second Kings 8 we see Elisha return to warn her of impending famine, and she obeyed by moving to temporary housing in a different land for seven years. Upon her return to her homeland, Elisha’s servant Gehazi is found standing in the court of the king at the very moment that the Shunammite enters to appeal for the return of her house and field (see Second Kings 8:1-6).

Should we be looking to establish prophetic dyads on our own? No. Relationships forged apart from the will and direction of God are sources of confusion, error, and destruction. Our best and only Source is Christ Himself, the Lord of all creation. Our adoration, appeals, and petitions are to Him. But we, like the Shunammite woman, should obey when the Spirit of God leads us to bless the ministers of God who cross our path. We bless at His prompting, without seeking to gain something for ourselves. If God chooses to set up a prophetic exchange, using His servants to speak specific blessings into our lives, then that is His prerogative.

Lord, help us to live and serve according to Your leading.

The Prophetic-Faith Exchange.

The lifeless thing.

It may be a lost child, a lost job, or a lost marriage. And, figuratively speaking, we may hold the thing in our lap and watch helplessly until its last vestiges of life slip away. This was the experience of the Shunammite woman, whose son became ill and died.

Why did she never make arrangements to bury the lifeless thing? What kept her operating in faith?

The Shunammite continued to believe the promise.

Second Kings 4:8-36 illustrates the keeping power of a prophetic promise. It is that promise that keeps us encouraged even in the face of apparent loss.

It seems that from time to time God sets up prophetic encounters, short-term dyads between leadership and laity, where not even a spouse nor a ministry assistant is involved in producing the promise. We see this in the relationship between the Shunammite woman and Elisha. There had been an exchange between them: she had blessed Elisha with food and lodging, and he had blessed her by speaking prophetically into her life. God caused them to honor Him through this prophetic exchange: one room added to the physical house for the sake of the prophet, and one son added to the biological household for the sake of the woman.

And perhaps this is why the Shunammite's husband and Gehazi, though faithful men, could not be full participants in the miraculous. They stood outside of the circle of exchange. As Pastor Joy shared on Sunday, the Shunammite woman's husband questioned why she would want to see the prophet apart from a Sabbath or feast day (See Second Kings 4:23), and Gehazi even took the stance of attempting to push the Shunammite woman away from Elisha's feet (see Second Kings 4:27). They didn't understand what was happening.

We have loved ones and close colleagues who hold important positions in our lives (such as Gehazi and the Shunammite's husband did), but their status does not equip them to stand in the gap for us. Their lack of spiritual depth makes it impossible for them to offer authentic spiritual help in a time of crisis. They are close to us physically and emotionally, but somehow they aren't able to navigate the spiritual demands of walking in faith and courage when faced with "the lifeless thing".

There seems to be a correlation between participating in the prophetic promise and having the ability to exercise faith for the miraculous. In verses 21 and 33 of Second Kings 4, we see that the Shunammite woman and Elisha employed the action of shutting the door, an act that restricted the crisis response to the ones who had the necessary measure of faith to deal with the crisis. Jesus Himself employed the same action:

...people came from the synagogue ruler’s house saying, “Your daughter has died. Why trouble the teacher any longer?” But Jesus, paying no attention to what was said, told the synagogue ruler, “Do not be afraid; just believe.” He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James... he put them all outside and he took the child’s father and mother and his own companions and went into the room where the child was. (Mark 5:35-37, 40)

Pastor Joy made the observation that perhaps our needed miracles have been sidetracked because we've spent our energies on discussing our needs with those who, though close to us, are not equipped to help us. Perhaps it is time for us to take counsel from the Scriptures, from our Savior, and from the countless saints who have gone before us. The prophetic process has no place for unequipped spectators. It is a place for the faith-filled, the fearless, the few who can stand before the lifeless thing and speak life back into its being.

So be encouraged my friends, even in the face of loss. Keep hold of the prophetic promise. Have great faith. Dismiss the spectators. Shut the door. And speak life.

"Well" Spring.

The boy grew and one day he went out to see his father who was with the harvest workers. He said to his father, “My head! My head!” His father told a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” So he picked him up and took him to his mother. He sat on her lap until noon and then died. She went up and laid him down on the prophet’s bed. She shut the door behind her and left. She called to her husband, “Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, so I can go see the prophet quickly and then return.” He said, “Why do you want to go see him today? It is not the new moon or the Sabbath.” She said, “Everything’s fine.” (Second Kings 4:18-23)

Okay, we know everything is not fine when a loved one dies. There is anguish. There are questions. There is the deep sense of loss and finality. So why does the Shunammite woman take such unusual action upon the death of her son?

Pastor Joy asked the congregation to share their thoughts about the Shunammite's behavior, and they responded with words like faith, courage, trust, and hope. The Shunammite, although faced with extreme crisis, chose to cling to the promise of God that Elisha had given her.

Pastor Joy also shared some key insights about how to respond to crisis, based on the behavior of the Shunammite woman:

Return to the source of the prophecy. The Shunammite put the boy on the bed of the one who had promised her a son, and made arrangements to go and see Elisha personally.

Refrain from spreading gossip. The Shunammite did not involve anyone else in her crisis of faith, because they were not in a position to address the crisis.

Resist the offer of assistance from third parties. When Gehazi spoke to the Shunammite (see Second Kings 4:26), she did not give him the opportunity to step in on behalf of Elisha.

For many of us, these three areas are where we get tripped up in our faith walk. When God's promise to us is threatened, or even seems to have been crushed, what do we do? Call the church secretary and complain? Send an e-mail blast to the masses to tell the world how disappointed we are? Do we avoid going back to the prophetic source who is in a position to help us?

To quote Pastor Joy, "What have you done with the thing that has rocked your world?" If you are sure that God has spoken, and your circumstances have been thrown into turmoil, return to the Source. Appeal to the Prophet-Priest-King, our Lord Jesus, and watch Him work miracles on your behalf.

It is well.

Future Suture.

One day Elisha came for a visit; he went into the upper room and rested. He told his servant Gehazi, “Ask the Shunammite woman to come here.” So he did so and she came to him. Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tell her, ‘Look, you have treated us with such great respect. What can I do for you? Can I put in a good word for you with the king or the commander of the army?’” She replied, “I’m quite secure.” So he asked Gehazi, “What can I do for her?” Gehazi replied, “She has no son, and her husband is old.” (Second Kings 4:11-14)

During this past Sunday's sermon, Pastor Joy brought out the paradox of the Shunammite woman's plight. While the Scripture describes the Shunammite as a well-to-do woman, and the Shunammite herself gave a testimony of not needing anything (Second Kings 4:13, 4:28), Elisha's servant noted a critical challenge: in a context where widows were dependent on their children, Gehazi reveals that the Shunammite had no children. In effect, she had no means of continuing support. Though her husband was alive, he was old. The woman's state of childlessness meant that she would experience, as Pastor Joy said, "no Social Security" to sustain her upon her husband's death.

Is that our situation? Do we tell God and the world, "I'm okay", when in fact there is an imminent pressing need? Are we allowing the prophetic community to have a role in preparing us for handling life's challenges?

Maybe you have enough money and resources, and you've determined that you don't need anything. And maybe that's true, for today. But I ask that you prayerfully consider the uncertainties of the future. God has given us ministry leaders who, like Elisha, have the authority to speak to powers. If you, like the Shunammite, have treated them with kindness and respect, then take the next step and allow your leaders to be a blessing to you.

Inn Sense.

One day Elisha went to Shunem. And a well-to-do woman was there, who urged him to stay for a meal. So whenever he came by, he stopped there to eat. She said to her husband, “I know that this man who often comes our way is a holy man of God. Let’s make a small room on the roof and put in it a bed and a table, a chair and a lamp for him. Then he can stay there whenever he comes to us.” (Second Kings 4:8-10)

In Sunday's sermon, Pastor Joy spoke on Second Kings 4:8-37. The account of the interaction between Elisha and the Shunammite woman provides several key thoughts for our reflection this week.

Verses 8 through 10 give us a glimpse of the wisdom and discernment of the Shunammite. After seeing Elisha on a number of occasions, she suggests to her husband that they create a space in their home for Elisha to rest in whenever he passes through their community.


At a recent event, I learned that each month several hundred ministers leave ministry. Why? Because ministry is often a life of high demands, low pay, and no encouragement or appreciation from the constituents they are called to serve.

Sometimes we are not conscious of the needs of our ministry leaders. We come to church for a myriad of reasons; more often than not, we expect to "get" something out of our attendance. It is a rare Christian who asks, "How can I bless my pastor? How can I bless the evangelist who passes through my town on a regular basis?"

The Shunammite woman models an answer: "I can bless this prophet by creating an atmosphere of refreshment and rest."

Now, I understand that we aren't all well-to-do like this woman was. Not everyone can renovate their home or open their apartment to host itinerant ministers. Not everyone is in a position to open their wallets or purses. But we can all open our hearts. We can create an atmosphere of refreshment and rest through our prayers for, and encouragement of, ministry leaders with whom we regularly interact.

Let's take a page from the life book of this Shunammite. Without fuss or fanfare, and without hidden agenda, she did her part to be a blessing to one of God's ministers. May God help us all to follow her lead.

Flash Flood Warning.

Over the past few weeks, in different parts of the world, people have experienced flash floods. These floods are distinguished by their swift and sudden appearance: what appears to be a standard thunderstorm or rain event transforms into a raging, uncontrollable river. Here in New York City, we can tolerate about one inch of rain per hour. Any more than that, the infrastructure suffers. Low-lying streets and highways become impassable. Delays abound in traffic and mass transit systems.

What does this have to do with Bronx Bethany? Well, we are on the verge of a flash flood. The Spirit of God will swiftly and suddenly manifest His presence, and we will be caught in His uncontrollable river. A river of grace for those who are submitted to Him, and a river of judgement for those who are not.

This is the impetus for our focus on building for the next generation. Most churches in the United States, when embarking on capital campaigns, seek to make their sanctuary bigger. Not us. We are seeking to create classroom space for our children and teenagers to be “taught and brought” into a deeper knowledge of Christ. My prayer is that we, the people of God, will be consumed with a desire to give freely, willingly, and joyfully into the work of the Lord. Not for ourselves, but for the many who will succeed us, so that they will receive grace when the flood of God appears.

God has spoken. The flood is imminent. Let's build the ark, prayerfully and practically.

“Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to You while You may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him.” (Psalm 32:6)

Take A Culture.

Pastor Cole, in this past Sunday’s sermon, spoke of the importance of progression in the Christian life. We are ever growing and developing in our relationship with the Lord. It is a maturation process that calls for spiritual discipline and the will to live a life of holiness in contrast to the life of compromise offered by the world.

The life of holiness is indeed countercultural. The world promotes the concept of humanity as a melting pot. However, as Pastor Cole shared so eloquently (and I paraphrase here), we Nazarenes don’t melt. We cannot compromise in matters pertaining to the word of God. We are called to model the lives and passionate hearts of the early Christians, who chose to die rather than to renounce Christ.

And that is the core of the struggle for Christians who are not completely sold out to Jesus. The carnal Christian tries to placate the demands of a world that has no love or regard for the rule of Christ. The Christian who is not completely sold out to Jesus will seek to straddle the fence.

But guess what? We can’t straddle this thing.

Paul wrote very plainly about believers who walked away from complete devotion to Jesus. “Demas deserted me, having loved the present age.” (Second Timothy 4:10) John echoed the theme: “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us, because if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But they went out from us to demonstrate that all of them do not belong to us.” (First John 2:19)

So, it is one or the other. Either we renounce the ways of the world, or we renounce the way of Christ. In modern culture we have seen many a leader, some after decades of ministry, announce that they are not fully on board with the counsel of Christ. Some of these leaders have walked away from their ministry call. Others have lobbyied for substantial changes in their denominational bylaws so that their compromised life could be sanctioned by vote. (As if God’s law can be changed by human consensus.)

What about us? Are we immersed in the culture of the world? Or are we completely sold out to Jesus? Or are we trying in vain to live a double life?

Take the world but give me Jesus; in His cross my trust shall be
’til with clearer, brighter vision, face to face my Lord I see.
(Fanny Crosby/ Frances van Alstyne)

Pure Passion.

In Sunday’s sermon Pastor Cole shared, “No heart is pure that is not passionate.” When we have experienced Christian purification, then we respond with a passion and zeal in serving Christ. Pastor Cole made the important point that purification does not lead to legalism, but rather moves us to unbridled enthusiasm in doing the work of the Lord.

This is a particular challenge at Bronx Bethany. It’s very easy to pull together a group of people to get work done. But it’s not as easy to pull together a group of people that are passionate about the work they’re doing. Pastor Cole used the apropos example of choir members who come to rehearsals not because they are passionate about ministering for the glory of God, but because they feel the music director is nagging them into participation. So they are present, they are singing, but without passion or enthusiasm for the God who gave them the ability to sing. It’s pure legalism.

As was mentioned in the sermon, it is never a good thing to work for the Lord out of a sense of legalism. The Scripture shows us that legalistic service earns no commendation from God. It is, as Pastor Sam mentioned some years ago in his sermon on Psalm 50, “empty works.” All the tithing and giving in the world, all the service we can render in the house of God, is in vain if the King of Glory has not won our hearts.

Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me: all His wonderful passion and purity.
O Thou Spirit Divine, all my nature refine ’til the beauty of Jesus be seen in me. (Albert Orsborne)

Amen.

Timeshare? Terrible Investment.

Jesus gave himself for us to set us free from every kind of lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people who are truly His, who are eager to do good. (Titus 2:14, italics mine)

Our Lord demands exclusivity. In this past Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Cole used the term “uncontested possession”- that is, our sanctification marks us as belonging completely to God. When we belong completely to God, there is nothing left to share with the devil.

Perhaps this would be a good place to remind us that the devil is not known for his sharing skills. Satan, who seeks to counterfeit the divine, also wants to completely own people so that he can use them in the service of the demonic. As much as he hates humanity, he has no problem using humans to further his goal to “steal, kill, and destroy” all people (see John 10:7-10). A prime example of this is found in the life of Judas Iscariot. Judas’s apostolic authority was compromised when he chose to betray Jesus. A few days of clandestine activity resulted in heartache and destruction for Judas, who was driven to suicide. The book of Acts confirms that Judas was an authentic disciple (see Acts 1:16-17) who traded the beauty of holiness for the short-term pleasure of sin. His status as a true disciple did not save him from destruction.

As Nazarenes, as holiness people, we believe and expect that our hearts are continually experiencing what Wesley calls an “inner cleansing”. Jesus has cleansed us from our sins. We have received a pure heart, and we have embraced life in a community of like-minded people who daily live redeemed lives. Sin has lost its appeal! We are so deeply in love with Jesus that nothing can persuade us to disobey His law. Nothing can cause us to walk away from His love.

At least that’s the way it’s supposed to be.

Does sin still have a grip on you? Appeal to God. His Spirit is available to you. Embrace a complete and exclusive love relationship with God which will, every day, make your character look more and more like His. Ask Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit. He will give you the strength to renounce sin and cling to His grace.

Refiner’s Fire, my heart’s one desire is to be holy, set apart to You Lord.
I choose to be holy, set apart for You, my Master, ready to do Your will. (Brian Doerksen)

Soul Proprietor.

In this past Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Cole spoke on the importance of core character. He shared a quote he’d heard some time ago: “All shine on the outside, and all sham on the inside.”

Scripture informs us that Jesus had a controversy with the religious leaders of ancient Israel: there was plenty of form and ritual, and all the “right things” were being done in terms of worship protocol, but the lives of the leaders were out of sync with the heart of God. But the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Didn’t the one who made the outside make the inside as well?” (Luke 11:39-40) The crisis of the modern Nazarene church is that, in many instances, we have neglected to emphasize the importance of holiness doctrine in conjunction with holy living.

The apostle Paul picks up the theme, warning his fellow Christians in Corinth. Some scholars believe that the Corinthian culture was so influential that Christians had adopted Corinthian sayings that ran counter to the truth of God’s word. In First Corinthians 6, we see Paul responding to the error inherent in the cultural sayings of that time (such as “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food”, “All things are lawful to me”), error which was evident in the behavior of the Corinthian church.

In addressing the Corinthians’ belief that sexual indiscretion was not a sin because they felt there was no moral relevance to how they used their physical bodies, Paul said: Flee sexual immorality! “Every sin a person commits is outside of the body” – but the immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? (First Corinthians 6:18-19)

We do not belong to ourselves. Pastor Cole used the analogy of landlord and tenant: the tenant is permitted to manage a particular property, but the landlord is by definition the property owner. You and I are tenants, charged with managing our bodies, and God is the owner of our bodies. We are His property. As holiness people, we must provide the Holy Spirit with a body in which He is pleased to live. He is concerned about the core of our character, because we represent the character of Christ to the world. We should be concerned also.

Tenant, don’t get evicted. Manage your Landlord’s property well.

Yes, Again.

Bronx Bethany’s Pastor Emeritus, Rev. Dr. Seymour Cole, gave us a thought-provoking message yesterday. The topic was not new: for several weeks, we have heard sermons from many different preachers whose message carried the same warning of “all or nothing”.

As Christians, and in particular as Nazarene Christians, our lives should indicate that we are completely sold out to Jesus. Our effectiveness in ministry is inextricably tied to our obedience to Christ. When we remain in mindsets and activities that run contrary to the word of God, our message of Spirit-led transformation loses all credibility.

Over the next few days we’ll reflect on some of the specifics of Pastor Cole’s sermon. For today, though, let’s meditate on the Scripture reading he based his message upon.

Slaves are to be subject to their own masters in everything, to do what is wanted and not talk back, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, in order to bring credit to the teaching of God our Savior in everything. For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people. It trains us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, as we wait for the happy fulfillment of our hope in the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He gave himself for us to set us free from every kind of lawlessness and to purify for himself a people who are truly his, who are eager to do good. (Titus 2:9-14)

The Power Of One: Red Band Nation.

Friday night was Youth Explosion Night at this year's National Black Nazarene Conference. Our own Pastor Richie was the minister in charge of the service. Though he did not preach the sermon, he did set the tone for the evening's activities.

Each attendee received a red wristband with a succinct message: "NBNC 2012 Changing My City". As individuals, we each can do our part to reach lost souls in our own communities and affinity groups.

One of the key lessons from the service was that there are multiple means by which we can share the gospel of Jesus Christ. We were reminded that God cannot be put in a box, and our evangelism efforts are best engaged when we are willing to reach people in the specific way God has gifted us to minister to them.

What gifts has God given you?
How can you best use those gifts to serve Him in love?

[Note: I will be traveling back to New York by bus on Saturday (into Sunday), so I will not be making new posts during the remainder of the weekend. Please pray with me for patience and safety as we return home.]

The Power Of One: One Love.

Last night, Pastor Sam was the plenary speaker at the opening service of the National Black Nazarene Conference (held in Atlanta, Georgia).

I must confess up-front that I don’t have adequate words to summarize my pastor’s sermon. It was a beautifully woven tapestry of Old and New Testament scriptures in support of the conference theme, The Power of One. Perhaps I can best describe it in terms of the “ones” expressed during the message: One Love, One Heart, One Command, One Response.

Pastor Sam reminded us of Augustine’s description of the triune God: The Father (Eternal Lover), the Son (Eternally Beloved), and the Spirit (Love), existing in unity. And, in the act of expressing His love for us, God took the incredible measure of breaking up the love-fest in the Godhead. The Son, Jesus, was sent to earth in bodily form as the sacrifice for our sins. God’s love is an exhaustive love.

In referencing Psalm 27, Pastor Sam spoke of the need for God’s people to love Him in the same manner as He loves us. And as was shared earlier in this week’s blogs, it is an all-or-nothing venture. In Matthew 22 we see the word of Jesus, who quotes from Deuteronomy and Leviticus: the Lord wants all of our heart.

Jesus said to him, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

We are called to respond to God’s exhaustive love for us with a corresponding exhaustive love for Him. As Pastor Sam shared, “If we know what the love of God is, we should be ready to love Him back.” The God who loves us exhaustively reserves the right to instruct us on how we are to show our love for Him. His instructions to us are concentrated in the Decalogue (the Ten Commandments). We are taught that we must express our love to God through complete devotion, and through genuine love for our neighbors.

May our love for God be in the same vein as His love for us: exhaustive, exclusive, and extravagant. Embrace this love today.

Jerusalem Stone.

In this past Sunday’s message, our pastor shared (and I paraphrase here) that those who belong exclusively to the Lord can’t belong to everybody else. The twelve disciples, represented by Simon Peter, made a confession of exclusive allegiance to Jesus: “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God!” (John 6:68-69) However, in spite of the confession of allegiance, the Lord made it clear that one of the twelve was not fully on board with His program. “Didn’t I choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is the devil?” (Now he said this about Judas son of Simon Iscariot, for Judas, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.) (John 6:70-71)

For some reason this reminds me of a famous Old Testament example of a man who received profound revelation from God, but who also lived in profound violation of God’s law: Solomon.

When you come to the land the Lord your God is giving you and take it over and live in it and then say, “I will select a king like all the nations surrounding me,” you must select without fail a king whom the Lord your God chooses… he must not accumulate horses for himself or allow the people to return to Egypt to do so, for the Lord has said you must never again return that way. Furthermore, he must not marry many wives lest his affections turn aside, and he must not accumulate much silver and gold. When he sits on his royal throne he must make a copy of this law on a scroll… he must read it as long as he lives, so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and observe all the words of this law and these statutes and carry them out. (see Deuteronomy 17:14-19)

Solomon accumulated chariots and horses. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. He kept them in assigned cities and in Jerusalem. The king made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones… Solomon acquired his horses from Egypt and from Que; the king’s traders purchased them from Que. They paid 600 silver pieces for each chariot from Egypt and 150 silver pieces for each horse… King Solomon fell in love with many foreign women (besides Pharaoh’s daughter), including Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites… Solomon was irresistibly attracted to them. He had 700 royal wives and 300 concubines; his wives had a powerful influence over him. When Solomon became old, his wives shifted his allegiance to other gods; he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his God, as his father David had been. (see First Kings 10:26- 11:4)

A recurring theme during this year of prayer at Bronx Bethany has been “all or nothing.” Solomon and Judas lived and died in infamy because of their divided loyalty. Their works for the Lord did not merit commendation, because their hearts were not exclusively devoted to Him.

What about us?

The Real Chew.

Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that has come down from heaven, so that a person may eat from it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats from this bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” (John 6:49-51)

Jesus, in John 6, makes an offer to the crowd: Feed on Me and live eternally. Their response? “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept, understand, or obey it?” (see John 6:60) In other words, they were not willing to engage in the work of faith which was necessary to accept the teaching.

Ironically, they were no different from their ancestors who ate the manna in the wilderness. Ancient Israel’s response to the supply of manna was, in essence, “Huh?”

When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” because they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you for food.” (Exodus 16:15)

In teaching the Twelve to pray, Jesus said, “Give us each day our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11; Luke 11:3). To the crowd, He said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven.” (John 6:51). To us, He says, “I am what you need. I am here to sustain you every day, from now through eternity.” What is our response?

Perhaps we don’t fully understand how it is that we are sustained by the body and blood of Jesus. It is indeed a hard teaching. But, as Pastor Sam reminded us, the act of communion is a vital and continual sacrament of the Christian faith. As often as we re-enact the sacred meal, we do so in remembrance of the One who feeds us daily. We are called to participate in faith, knowing that God honors those who are faithful to His word. “Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you the solemn truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves.’ ” (John 6:53)

Through communion, the resurrected Christ pours the life of His Spirit into us, equipping us to do whatever He asks of us. It is a powerful sacrament, not to be taken lightly.

Lord, give us grace to consume You by faith, through Communion.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Step Right Up...

For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to die, because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to people. (First Corinthians 4:9)

After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (also called the Sea of Tiberias). A large crowd was following him because they were observing the miraculous signs he was performing on the sick. (John 6:1-2)

Jesus replied, “I tell you the solemn truth, you are looking for me not because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate all the loaves of bread you wanted.” (John 6:26)

Some years ago, on a whim, I decided to stand at the front door of Bronx Bethany and hold the door open for people as they came into the building. I received a number of reactions. Some people were happy and thanked me for holding the door. Other people were offended and said that they were capable of opening the door for themselves, and did not need my help.

But the most interesting experience that I had that day was that two men came to the door and asked me a question. “Is Sam Vassel here today?”

I replied, “He’s speaking at another church this morning, but he might be back in time for the end of the second service.” (This was back when our church only had two services each weekend.)

“Oh, okay,” they said, and they turned to leave.

I asked them to stay, assuring them that all of our pastors were excellent speakers and that service would go on as usual.

“No thanks,” one man replied. “We weren’t really coming for service. We just wanted to see Dr. Vassel.” And with that, they went back down the steps and left.

Well, at least those men were honest. What about us? Why are we showing up at Bronx Bethany?

In John 6, Jesus confronts a crowd that has been “following Him” for the wrong reason. Rather than seeking forgiveness, intimacy, and communion with the Lord, the crowd followed Him for the satiation of their appetite for food and entertainment. They were content to watch Jesus minister life while they themselves remained bound in sin, in a spirit of hate, and deluded by their own sense of self-sufficiency.

Our Lord Jesus calls us to intimacy with Him. Our participation in the sacrament of communion is a way in which we publicly identify ourselves with Jesus. Our commendation is not gained by mere church attendance, but by having hearts that hunger and thirst for intimacy with the living God.

Jesus says, “Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so the one who consumes me will live because of me.” (John 6:57) It’s nice to hear great music and great preaching. It’s nice to see friends and hang out with the body of believers. It's nice to hear inspired sermons. But life, true life, eternal life, is only found in Jesus.

Entertainment, or intimacy? It's your call.

Eat This.

(Note: As you may have noticed, there was not a blog post for yesterday. This past weekend was busier than usual for my husband because of The Chorale’s leading role in the three English-language services, and I felt it necessary to skip the Sunday posting in order to devote more time to helping him.)

The weekend's selections presented by The Chorale were primarily as a means of teaching the Bible through song. Many of the song texts also reinforced the mission and vision of our local congregation. But, though the services were more music-oriented than usual, we still received a word from the Lord through our senior pastor. So this week’s blogs will stick to Glossa tradition: we’ll be reflecting on the homily rather than the service music.

Pastor Sam, in the Sunday services, spoke from John chapter 6. For today, let’s reacquaint ourselves with the text. It’s a long chapter, but well worth reading. The version below is from NET Bible. God bless you.

The Feeding of the Five Thousand
After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (also called the Sea of Tiberias). A large crowd was following him because they were observing the miraculous signs he was performing on the sick. So Jesus went on up the mountainside and sat down there with his disciples. (Now the Jewish feast of the Passover was near.) Then Jesus, when he looked up and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread so that these people may eat?” (Now Jesus said this to test him, for he knew what he was going to do.) Philip replied, “Two hundred silver coins worth of bread would not be enough for them, for each one to get a little.” One of Jesus’ disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “Here is a boy who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what good are these for so many people?”

Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” (Now there was a lot of grass in that place.) So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed the bread to those who were seated. He then did the same with the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were all satisfied, Jesus said to his disciples, “Gather up the broken pieces that are left over, so that nothing is wasted.” So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces from the five barley loaves left over by the people who had eaten.

Now when the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus performed, they began to say to one another, “This is certainly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” Then Jesus, because he knew they were going to come and seize him by force to make him king, withdrew again up the mountainside alone.

Walking on Water
Now when evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, got into a boat, and started to cross the lake to Capernaum. (It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.) By now a strong wind was blowing and the sea was getting rough. Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, they caught sight of Jesus walking on the lake, approaching the boat, and they were frightened. But he said to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid.” Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat came to the land where they had been heading.

The next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the lake realized that only one small boat had been there, and that Jesus had not boarded it with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. But some boats from Tiberias came to shore near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

Jesus’ Discourse About the Bread of Life
When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus replied, “I tell you the solemn truth, you are looking for me not because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate all the loaves of bread you wanted. Do not work for the food that disappears, but for the food that remains to eternal life – the food which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has put his seal of approval on him.”

So then they said to him, “What must we do to accomplish the deeds God requires?” Jesus replied, “This is the deed God requires – to believe in the one whom he sent.” So they said to him, “Then what miraculous sign will you perform, so that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the solemn truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but my Father is giving you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” So they said to him, “Sir, give us this bread all the time!”

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will never go hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty. But I told you that you have seen me and still do not believe. Everyone whom the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never send away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. Now this is the will of the one who sent me – that I should not lose one person of every one he has given me, but raise them all up at the last day. For this is the will of my Father – for everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him to have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Then the Jews who were hostile to Jesus began complaining about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven,” and they said, “Isn’t this Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus replied, “Do not complain about me to one another. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who hears and learns from the Father comes to me. (Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God – he has seen the Father.) I tell you the solemn truth, the one who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that has come down from heaven, so that a person may eat from it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats from this bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

Then the Jews who were hostile to Jesus began to argue with one another, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “I tell you the solemn truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves. The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood resides in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so the one who consumes me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the bread your ancestors ate, but then later died. The one who eats this bread will live forever.”

Many Followers Depart
Jesus said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. Then many of his disciples, when they heard these things, said, “This is a difficult saying! Who can understand it?” When Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining about this, he said to them, “Does this cause you to be offended? Then what if you see the Son of Man ascending where he was before? The Spirit is the one who gives life; human nature is of no help! The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus had already known from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) So Jesus added, “Because of this I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has allowed him to come.”

Peter’s Confession
After this many of his disciples quit following him and did not accompany him any longer. So Jesus said to the twelve, “You don’t want to go away too, do you?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God!” Jesus replied, “Didn’t I choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is the devil?” (Now he said this about Judas son of Simon Iscariot, for Judas, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.)