It is not as if anytime you like you come to eat, and any day you don't like you go your way, no, it is not as the flesh wills but as the Spirit wills. The eating is daily and the drinking is daily.

Like the physical body of a man or woman grows weak and loses freshness when he neglects his daily meat, food, or water, similarly, our spirit man, the inner man, grows weak and looks malnourish when we neglect to eat and drink from our source, Christ Jesus.

Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever eats [daily action] My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:53-54, NKJV).

Eating and drinking the flesh and the blood is not physical activity, it is much more than chewing something. Jesus in His expression was talking of the Faith that believers are to have in His name.  Faith in the Word of God is the food that nourishes our inner man, the life of God that we have been given in Christ Jesus.

It is also very important for us to note here that partaking in Holy Communion (eating physical bread and drinking physical wine in our different denominations) is not the same as the eating and drinking of the flesh of Jesus that He talked about in John chapter 6. That was how the multitude also misunderstood it to be a physical meal or bread, and they prayed Him saying, “Lord, always give us this bread” (John 6:34 AMP).

And like you know, if Jesus was merely talking about eating flesh or bread as their fathers ate to nourish their physical bodies in the wilderness, of course, that wouldn't get anyone offended.  But the confusion and argument began the moment Jesus dig deeper into the matter and told them not to labour for the bread and meat that parishes. And they started declining their allegiance to Jesus immediately.

"Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst"(John 6:35, NKJV).

Believing, trusting in the Word of God with all our hearts, keeps us alive spiritually. Jesus said, "Man shall not leave by bread alone but by every Word that proceeds out of the Mouth of God." Like food is needed for the flesh (body) so that it does not fall and die, that's how Faith life, believing in Christ Jesus, trusting all our confidence in Christ Jesus as our source of life, hope, source of livelihood, is powered by God to nourish us spiritually and to function maximally for our God in our generation.

The disciples of the Lamb quickly wrapped their lives in this reality, and they were translated as signs and wonders upon the earth in their generation. It was immediately after the people complained about the teachings of Jesus saying, "Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” (John 6:52). And they were offended greatly in Him and left. But the disciples, having understood that Jesus was talking of how God has commanded life through Him to as many that believe in Him, the disciples responded to Jesus when He demanded to know if they too were as confused as the crowd and were willing to leave.

The disciples declared their unwavering trust in the Son of God:

So, Jesus said to the twelve [disciples], “You do not want to leave too, do you?”  Simon Peter answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You [alone] have the words of eternal life [you are our only hope]. We have believed and confidently trusted, and [even more] we have come to know [by personal observation and experience] that You are the Holy One of God [the Christ, the Son of the living God]. (John 6:67-69 AMP.)

Sir/Ma, do you also believe? Do you believe the Word of God with all your heart, or do you treat the Word of God as a thing that you go to listen to, or you are preached to on some days of the week? How is the Word of God that you know changing your life, affecting your heart for God? What progress are you making with the Lord your God through Christ Jesus that you believe or know?

Don't forget, the other people who were offended left Him, many are also leaving Him today, hope your heart had not left the Lord leaving your body in the fellowship meetings day in, day out dancing like every other person in the assembly? Hope you have not also left the Lord, if your answer is no, how then has the Word affected your life, your choice, your speech, your appetite, your taste, your fashion, your general lifestyle?

You can't preserve both the old wine and the new wine in the same wineskin, the new will be made as to the old making both to become unprofitable. The new, "you and I," must daily feed, keep believing and trusting in Christ Jesus every step of the way until we have joined the saints who have gone ahead of us to also declare, "We have run the race, we have reached the goal, we have kept the faith...hallelujah!"

 

 

Thanks for the gift of your time, I am John Ojoagbene!

Feel free to share your thoughts or testimony in the comment box below. I promise to respond to them as soon as possible!