12/8/16
“Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go?
Thou hast the words of eternal life.” John 6:68
Dear Congregation,
It is easy to
forget that the Lord Jesus’ ministry was not an appealing one. Not only did
following Him bring mockery, poverty, physical harm, and loss of respectful
status among many other things, it also promised no earthly compensation for
these losses. In addition to this, Jesus’ teaching often seemed completely
ridiculous. In the context of the above passage, Jesus explains the order of
salvation and how there is no freewill involved in choosing Him. It then says
that after hearing this, many of his disciples went back and walked no more
with him. They left! Jesus crossed the line and they saw no merit or future in
His ministry. They went to find some other group, some other message, some
other comfort.
Yet, because it is indeed the
Father who draws His own, the Eleven, sincerely regenerate, could not leave the
Lord. They were puzzled too, they were suffering too, they also wondered what
would come of this. Yet they recognized the uniqueness of the Lord Jesus as
opposed to all other options, and decided in their given faith, to remain with
Him. Where else was there to go? No one else was preaching and teaching Grace.
Others may have promised comfort and entertainment, but He had the words of
eternal life and they would stick it out trusting in an almighty God.
As
Christians, many things often challenge our faith. There are doctrines that
unsettle us, there are principles that we have a hard time defending. Sometimes
we just do not understand our Bibles. However, by faith given from above, we
must hold fast like the close disciples. Let’s not judge success or profit by
our own standards, but let’s trust the Lord. Let’s not judge success in the
world or ministries by what we see, lets judge by what the Bible says about
what we see. When in a smaller church there may be temptation to walk no
more with it or to feel discouraged. But does it have the words of eternal life?
Is it faithful? If it is, what is God calling you to do to enrich it and give
those words of eternal life a further reach?
In a world where the Gospel is not now nor has
ever been palatable, we cannot loose heart, we cannot be discouraged. We expect
no earthly charm here but we rely on our Savior and His words. Whether we like
it or not, there simply is no one else to turn to. There is no where else to
go. The Lord Jesus has the words to eternal life! Let us walk with Him, follow
Him, trust Him, and worship Him and His Gospel alone!
In Christ,
Pastor Basile
