Not to entertain you.....

John 6

okay so check this out....

This is has really struck me and been on my mind.....

Jesus...

Started His ministry.....

taught for 3 yrs......

that's it....

He had 3 yrs. to say what he wanted to say here on earth....

Soooo....how did he choose to do that?

To great multitudes?

At times....there were great crowds who would gather to hear what this miraculous healer, teacher, miracle performer had to say, but what did Jesus show us?        

               Take the instance where thousands had gathered to watch and listen to Jesus, in fact they had come from so far and had been there so long they had nothing and no way to eat. So what did Jesus do? He feeds them....this is the kind of stuff they had come for right?!!! I bet everyone was so stoked! It probably looked something like our worship services at times. Very entertaining with lights, heart wrenching videos, sweet guitars with maybe an occasional solo, and maybe even a testimony that we know will get peoples emotions stirred just enough so that they will respond to the Holy Spirit. But here's the deal....then what did Jesus do?    He said something tough, something that people didn't want to hear. Something that they didn't know how to handle. He told them without skirting around actually he made sure no one misunderstood that he was God himself. He told them that He was the bread of life( John 6:35), that unless you eat of the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you(John 6:53-56). Now being empathetic, as I try to be in all situations, putting myself in that time and culture on that hillside. I imagine that would be quite a shock to hear. This man that alot of them have watched grow up, knew his parents and where he lived is now claiming to be God himself. And I probably with the crowd, as I often do in my own life, would've begin to question. But see, here's where it gets interesting. Here is where Jesus teaches us something that sadly I feel like we, the American church, have completely missed. See, Jesus wasn't interested in popularity or even numbers. He was interested in making true disciples, and building the church through those disciples. I mean look, as soon as He gave the crowd something tough, something they didn't want to hear, they left. How many times have we seen this in the church. Someone is so dedicated, at every service responding to the "emotion" they're feeling in their soul. Praising with their mouth and hands, but as soon as it's a time of testing or sorrow, they're out. They say, "How could God allow me to go through this?" Just as those weak disciples on that hillside, as soon as we hear or experience something that messes with out comfort, we're gone. WAKE UP! Check it, Jesus didn't come to entertain us. If we come expecting only to be entertained then we will leave Him at the first request for sacrifice or obedience. Can you see what Jesus was doing? What Jesus is trying to show us? He loves His children and does not wish any to perish, but He is interested in making real disciples. Disciples who are grounded in Him, and His word. He could've spent all His time in front of huge crowds, teaching to as many as possible, but see Jesus wasn't initially about numbers. He would even at times turn and hide from the crowds to pray or teach his disciples. When teaching He was about quality over quantity. Because....Jesus knew the way to grow the church was not how we've decided to "do" church here in America. Jesus was showing us we need to build the church through discipleship. Real, true, biblical discipleship. He invested everything He had into those twelve so that they would go out and do the same and invest in the world. Spreading the gospel to the far ends of the earth. Making disciples who would turn around and make more disciples, ect. ect. See, Jesus knew and was trying to show us the way to grow the church was through relationship. Through relationship it becomes, real and challenging. You have accountability and help. So in the end, more would come to know him in an authentic faith than would've had he stood and taught thousands at a time. We wonder why we have so many people in the church that profess with their mouths but are not genuine at their hearts. It's because we have made "church" a very impersonal thing. You come in, sit in a sanctuary, sing, pray, listen, and then leave. Don't get me wrong, I am all for corporate worship and think it's very necessary. However, corporate worship should not be our sustaining factor in our faith. It should not be our main food source of our growth. It should not be the only time in our week in which we are completely focused on our spiritual lives. Sadly, it has become that. We've made it possible in the church to be a Christian and not be a disciple. We have church's full of casual listeners but few who are committed life long learners. Why is that? It's because the "American gospel" that we preach and teach is very selfish at its nature. Our idea of it is Jesus died for me, to save my sins, so that I can have eternal life. And while I am definitely not knocking the truth that lies inside those statements, we do need to evaluate what we're saying we think about what Jesus came to do. He didn't save us for our benefit, he saved us so that we could make His name and glory known!  Isaiah 43:7!  In the new testament you do not see a people who are satisfied to receive forgiveness at Jesus expense and then go on living at a casual acquaintance with Him, it's not biblical. We need to stop making Christianity about us and make it about His glory and other people! I am a huge David Platt fan and one of the things he says is," The greatest need in the church today is for believers to step up and be the disciples they were called to be. I want to be a part of the church that is impacting the world for Christ, for the glory of Christ. I wanna be a part of believers who are not casual in their approach to Jesus, but we are committed followers of Him, and who are embracing and making Him known in all the world!"     So yeah, i know this is getting long, so I will stop this one here(even though I have just as much or more to get out!) haha.....but I am just learning so much and I just want to share it all with you!This was inspired and quoted from a Call to Die by David Nasser and David Platts series, Follow Me.