During my early days as a Christian, I was made to pass through a form of Christianity which I think was the doing of God. It was the doing of God in the sense that by passing through that form I got more knowledge about a form of Christianity , which I think just evolved in modern times. It is the deviation from orthodox christianity. Most people call it materialistic christianity, prosperity christianity, name- it -claim -it or experiential christianity.
But first of all I want you to understand that there is no Christianity about it. It's just a form of deception where biblical messages are applied to its framework to mask the corruption within. Like a wolf in a sheep's clothing, it deceives many and have been accepted as the way forward in christianity. It's opposite to biblical christianity. Should there be any problem with this form of "christianity"? I want you to know that everything is wrong. The mindset is erroneous. We Christians are told to worship God with all our minds which I think is critical.
We should understand what we are doing before we start it in the first place . Take it this way. One has to understand why he must come to church before he comes. If not it'll be a mere formality void of the mind and heart. We worship God with all our faculties and the mind is one of them. So therefore to illustrate this in black and white , I would like all of us to open to John chapter 6 reading through verses 24 to 29.
John 6:24-29 So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went across to Capernaum to look for him. They found him on the other side of the lake and asked, "Rabbi, when did you get here?" Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. But don't be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval." They replied, "We want to perform God's works, too. What should we do?" Jesus told them, "This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent."
Before this encounter, Jesus had already fed the five thousand using just five barley loaves and two fishes. The people were so interested in the external display of the kingdom to an extent that they endeavored to follow him the next day after he had miraculously crossed the sea to the other side. So their pursuit is palpable. They need food. They need something to fill their desire. They needed an experience. So here they come to Jesus for the second time hoping to get something to fill their bellies. But Christ is omniscient and he could notice what was in their hearts.
They did not come because he could give them life. They came for the temporal instead of the permanent. They came for the natural bread instead of the spiritual and eternal Bread himself. They came because of food and not because of Christ. It's sad to see many people stream to church buildings not to primarily encounter Jesus himself and believe and have life but rather to seek for temporal things. I tell you , those who pursue temporal things have deviated from the main purpose of the church. The church is a place for the pursuit of permanent things and not temporal.
"I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. But don't be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you.. Here is the heart of the issue , they came because of perishable things like food. Others too go to him because of houses, success , money and the like. Don't misunderstand me. I am not saying that these things are bad. But should they be the main reason why you seek Jesus? Do you make the Lord a lord of material things? Is he a "genie" you have made for yourself to just provide you with material things? Isn't He more than that?
Jesus had to make things clear. He had to make it clear to them that he didn't come for material blessings. That he didn't come to just provide money and temporal things but rather he came so that they might belive in him and have eternal life. For observe his response to them;
"Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you" And also "This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent" after they have inquired the work God wants them to do. I think this answer was dissapointing to them because it's obvious that they wanted to do the miracles that he did. They wanted to have a certain power that would enable them to miraculously multiply their own food and perhaps gain the same fame he had. It's required of unbelievers to repent and be saved. That is the only 'work' God requires from them. Are you following because of fame , material things or what?
If your following him is not centered on spiritualities then you have missed the point. The truth is if it was only for temporal things , he wouldn't have come at all. He could've commanded money to fall on your bed whiles in heaven. Jesus could do everything when he was in heaven. But only salvation required him to put on flesh so that in his body, he could overcome death for us. So if following him now is not because of a spiritual purpose then you make his coming on earth to be in vain.
Today I wish you see through the same spectacle with our savior Jesus. His vision was spiritual. Don't let it be said of you that
"you want to be with me because I fed you" but that you want to be with him because you belive In his redemptive work. That you belive he can wash you and grant you victory over sin. Let our thinking be spiritual. After all he had said instead of seeking the temporal things "seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you".Matthew 6:33.
Instead of eryhly bread that does not satisfy the soul, seek the spiritual bread , Jesus Christ himself.
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