John 6:60-71 TO WHOM SHALL WE GO?
“‘The Words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.’ And He said, ‘This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless it is granted him by the Father.’ After this many of His disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him.”
Have you ever experienced people walking out on you for sharing them the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Or have you ever experienced being brushed off in conversation or been thought differently for the things that you believe as a Christian? Thankfully, I have not received any harsh persecutions yet whenever I share the Word of God with people who have different belief systems or spiritual background. But since Jesus' time and up until now, we have brothers and sisters in different parts of the world who are extremely persecuted to the point of death for believing in Jesus Christ. A recent report even claims that Christian persecution and genocide worsened now than any time in history (1). Christians are displaced, murdered, beaten, imprisoned, and crucified in places in Asia and other parts of the world. It is a sign that we are near the Last Days when Jesus comes back again from heaven.
In America, Christians enjoy a lenient and comfortable freedom to worship the Lord. We have big physical churches, well-equipped bands, systematic sound systems, and high-tech media paraphernalia. Some bigger churches host conferences with famous speakers, stage tours of famous Christian artists, support missions by online giving (more like a "tithing subscription" as I would call it), and put up concerts all around the globe where, perhaps, Christians are more welcomed and well-received. While there is nothing wrong with what I just described (and not limited to) as "American" Christianity, I do see a subtle danger in how much comfortability we have in this country. Sometimes it is so hard to see what "cross" we have to carry in our daily lives. Sometimes posting Bible verses or pictures with such captions are enough for us to fulfill our call to the Great Commission.
“So Jesus said to the twelve, ‘Do you want to go away as well?’ Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that You are the Holy One of God.’”
But once our Christian faith begins to confront our old religious beliefs, our worldly habits, our personal comfort, our personal dreams and passions - how often are we tempted to run away from God? In John 6:66, many of Jesus' disciples turned their back and no longer walked with Him because of their unbelief and offense against the Truth - that He is the ultimate bread from God and not the manna that were given to them through Moses. More often than not, that is what's happening in the American society today. People are easily offended by the Christian teachings, not only because they have a hard time believing that Jesus is God and had came to save us, but mainly because the teachings do cut to the core of our hearts. The Bible talks about life, marriage/divorce, homosexuality, infidelity, lust, sexual immorality, greed, gluttony, and many other topics that encompass all facets of life. Christianity is seen to be very invasive that people feel threatened or, at least, intimated by the thought of surrendering ones life, thoughts, and actions to another being. Some people are so comfortable and entitled to their liberal rights that they tend to view Christianity as another religion that only tries to tell them that they are wrong and hopeless sinful creatures.
But where will you go ...
when everybody tells you your crazy for believing what you believe in?
when everybody leaves and decides to go the path that the Lord said not to go to?
when everybody is against you for being a Christian, even your family and loved ones?
when your faith brings you persecution and pain from those who hate you?
PRAYER
Father God, You are almighty and majestic. We exalt You and Your Son Jesus above all the earth. God, we thank You for the Word of spirit and life. We are grateful that Jesus came down from heaven to give us salvation and faith. There are times when we do not understand Your Word because it is either difficult to comprehend or our own established beliefs take offense at it. Lord, we ask that you will cause our hearts and souls to look straight towards You and only You. Help us to cling to Your Word deeper and tighter than our own doubts, skepticism, and rationalization. May You break down our walls and our religion that does not benefit us. May we all go to You as our strong tower and only one Savior. We ask this in Jesus' Name, amen!
(1) https://www.newsweek.com/christian-persecution-genocide-worse-ever-770462