May 30, 2020, Psalms 80, John 6

A little News 

I saw this in the headlines and it made me sad; but it happens. What do you think?

According to the NY post, The headline is as follows: 

Found in ENTERTAINMENT section of the News. 

Christian rocker Jonathan Steingard reveals he no longer believes in God

By Lee Brown May 27, 2020 | 7:56am | 

"The frontman of a leading Christian rock band has admitted he no longer believes in God.

“After growing up in a Christian home, being a pastor’s kid, playing and singing in a Christian band, and having the word ‘Christian’ in front of most of the things in my life — I am now finding that I no longer believe in God,” Hawk Nelson frontman Jonathan Steingard wrote in a nine-page confessional on Instagram.

The 36-year-old Canadian rocker admitted that losing his religion occurred over several years of serious doubts — even while penning some of the band’s most overtly Christian tunes."

The NY Post, 

What a sad story. This young man says he lived with serious doubts even though he grew up in "church. He was the lead singer in a Christian band. He lifted his voice to God; he praised God but he has come forward admitting that he does not believe in God. I am not sure about his personal life but the article states he had a Christian upbringing. The article states his father was his Pastor and I bet right now is probably difficult for his family. I think his honesty is great; but for me I have little doubt; and I cannot relate to his story; but I believe that God can do wonders in our lives. The  News published his story and now he will publicly experience life as a non-believer and I am very curious to hear his story in a few years. I wonder will he have a change of mind. I wonder what wonders or mighty things God can do. Hopefully he will have a different testimony. We get introduce to God through Church and sometimes we go through so much but it is not God's desire to lose anyone. This story also makes me think about different stages in my life. I am 38. My siblings and I attended a small church. The name has changed but back then it was Pendora Baptist Church. It was there we met the Pastor, I'll leave him nameless. He worked in the automobile industry and he had a beautiful wife and five kids. At the end of every service he called people forward and offered Christ to them. He would say; do you believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins. Most people say nothing, some stared; but I remember the day I replied yes. I thought to myself why did I believe? what made me say yes at the age of 12. I wondered why because in Sunday school we colored. Our ages ranged from 7 to 12 and we knew very little about God. I say all that to say, I replied yes because I believed in the Pastor. He was a nice man; and if he believed in Jesus, than I should I too. I trusted what he said. So I trusted God because he sent such a nice man to tell us about him. But once I became older I had my own experiences with God. We begin our personal fellowship with God. I want to write something out of love and not hate. Can you meet God and forget him? Or not believe anymore? Or it could be possible sometimes people just don't believe. I don't think its possible to believe and then not believe. Hopefully no one believes and than falls away easily. 

Do you remember when you first believed? 

The Injustice in the world is troubling. The Horrid situations happening sometimes cause people to think that there is no God. They become hardened by life. 

Injustice

Injustice is unfair and unjust treatment.  I know a young man who told another young man who was being harassed by another man who just didn't like him that it was his lack of faith causing him to experience the problem with the man. He said young man you have a big problem and today we have big problems. What happens when one person violates another persons rights. It is a big problem because everyone has different values and it is not up to us to make people change. But if a person violates your rights you have the right to pursue justice. We can report criminal activity. You can expose people.  We can have faith that God will keep you safe. He will keep me from hurt, harm, and danger. But faith does not change a bad person. More likely the harassing person is not believer.  When the young man thought about it being a lack of faith he told him when it comes to injustice we need to speak up?  When you see people hurting other people don't ignore it and say well, let God save them. If you was on the floor and needed CPR and I said, well let God save em. I would look pretty crazy waiting on God to show up. Martin Luther King made a difference because he exposed what was happening. He shined the Light on it.  Your silence reveals your real character, your words of peace reveal character. How great is a light in darkness. We can shine the LIGHT and say, this is wrong. The police beatings against the two unarmed black men is very troubling but if you don't speak up nothing changes. 

 

Psalms 80

King James Version

to the chief Musician upon 

Shoshamin-Eduth. A Psalm of Asaph. 

Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph , like a flock, thou that dwellest between cherubiums, shine forth. Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come and save us. Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. O Lord God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people? Thou feedest them with bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure. Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbors; and our enemies laugh among themselves. Turn us again, O God and cause they face to shine and we shall be saved. Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt; thous hast cast out the heathen, and planted it. Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land. The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs  thereof were like the goodly cedars. She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river. Why hast thou broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her?

The boar out of the wood doth wast it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it. 

Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine; And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself. It is burned with fire, it is cut down; they perish at the rebuke of thy countenance. Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself. So will not we go back from thee; quicken us , and we will call upon thy name, Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. 

Jesus the Bread of Life

John 6

King James

The day following, when the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one where his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone; 

How be it there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks: When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. And when they found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?

Jesus answered them and said, Verily, Verily, I say unto you, you seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because you did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give you: for him hath God the Father sealed. Then said they unto him. What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 

Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. They said therefore unto him, what sign showest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? What doest thou work?

Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, Verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not the bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. 

For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life; he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. 

(All that they seen and they still did not believe; some people see very little and believe; and others see a lot and find it difficult to believe. It is definitely about God drawing us unto the Son.) 

For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Fathers will which hast sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.  And this is the will of him who sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son, and believe on him, may  have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 

The Jews murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I cam down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father which had sent me draw him; and I will raise him up at the last day. 

(Jesus says the Father has to draw them. to draw something is to cause it to move in a particular direction by or as if by a pulling force; pull; drag (often followed by along, away, in, to bring, take, or pull out, as from a receptacle or source:

to draw water from a well. to exert a pulling, moving, or attracting force:

A sail draws by being properly trimmed and filled with wind.

to move or pass, especially slowly or continuously, as under a pulling force (often followed by on, off, out, etc.)

It is written in the prophets, And they shall be taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father. Verily, Verily, I say unto you, He that believe on me hath everlasting life. 

(It is true; we have not seen God. I cannot image what God looks like.  Nothing we could see in a movie, or image, or think, or even wonder about). We only get a voice in scriptures. 

I am the bread of life. Your fathers did eat mamma in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. 

The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, Verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son man, and drink his blood, ye have not life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth  in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. 

(This is very deep) ( I am sure if they didn't believe before he said it; I bet they were real confused at this point. I am sure it takes God and a drawing, if you try to believe on logic the brain fails us at times. There are things Jesus do that surpass understanding it. Some people can theologically explain what John is writing and what Jesus is saying; but those that didn't believe would get confuse right here. I am sure believers get it. Everything in John has a natural and spiritual meaning. The well, being born again, bread from heaven, the works of God etc..In the book of Matthew, Mark, Luke they do not write like this. John really develops things. His gospel is very different than the others. When he writes about Jesus he is very detail almost like he is in two worlds. Dual things are happening in the writing at the same time. The Woman at the well but we know he is speaking about something deeper. then he is talking to the Jews because they came looking for bread, but he tells them he is the bread from heaven. The other gospels are not like that.)

This is the bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. 

(This is where I find a easy path to follow in this chapter. The incident happen with the Jews; but the writing is mixed with things he taught in the synagogue. He probably taught a lot and John really understand it because he writes it. John takes his teachings and what happens to them and he writes this well developed Gospel. It seems a little odd but his writing is very different. It is tough because it filled with heavenly meanings. So far not so many parables; but the other writings have lots of parables. John wraps it all together to help us understand what Jesus is teaching as well as what is happening day to day as they are with Jesus.)

The Questioning Disciples

Many therefore of his disciples, when they heard this, said, this is an hard saying; who can hear it? When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing; the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. 

But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. 

From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou has the words of eternal life. 

And we believe and are sure that thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?

He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve. 

(There are times the disciples did not understand Jesus Teachings but they held on; but John understood a lot). 

Have a great day!