Abide:

John 6:48-69
“I am the bread of life. Your ancestors at the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’

Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood REMAINS in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever’. He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

On hearing it, many disciples of his said, ‘This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?’

Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, ‘Does this offend you? Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you — they are full of the Spirit and life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe.’ For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray Him. He went on to say, ‘This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.’

From that time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed Him.

“Do you want to leave as well?’ Jesus asked the twelve. Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.

mc
Discovery Questions:
What do we learn about Jesus?
Who can remain in Him?
What makes this a hard saying?
Why did many people turn back?
How could Peter say what he did?
What do we gain from abiding in His words?
How does this challenge you to remain in Him?

“He who eats this bread will live forever.”
Jesus offers us heavenly bread for eternal life, but we must eat it. Faith in Jesus is not compared with tasting or admiring, but with eating. Jesus says that we must have Him within us, and we must partake of Him.

· Seeing a loaf of bread on a plate will not satisfy our hunger.

· Knowing the ingredients in the bread will not satisfy our hunger.

· Taking pictures of the bread will not satisfy our hunger.

· Telling other people about the bread will not satisfy our hunger.

· Selling the bread will not satisfy our hunger.

· Playing catch with the bread will not satisfy our hunger.

· Nothing will satisfy our hunger and bring us life except actually eating the bread.

“He who eats this bread will live forever.”

mc
Notes from a Movement Leader
“Converts run away from Me in persecution, Disciples will die for Me.”

“Go where you are uncomfortable, when it’s hard to talk, and where you don’t know what to say. Then, the Holy Spirit will come in and anoint you.”

“We should be desperate to be with Jesus.”

“We have the answers to eternal life, why are we begging people to be with us? They should be begging us!”

“Jesus never did anything on His own, He always checked with the Father. Ask God, we are under His authority.”

“In this persecuted area we ask, “Are you willing to die for Jesus?” If they don’t say yes, we don’t baptize them.”

“Lord, show us Your strategy. We fast 6 months out of the year. Why? To move the angelic realm. Daniel got the answer from the Lord, angels and demons will stop answers = spiritual warfare. How much are you praying and fasting? God wants them saved more than you do. We fast, not to move God, but to get the answer from God.”

“Persecution keeps you clean and your eyes on Jesus.”

“People come to Christ when it’s hard.”

“God has called us His church to engage those without Jesus to the point of death.”

“I don’t introduce Jesus, until Jesus introduces Himself. We stay in the Old Testament, until God reveals Himself to them. Who brings people to Jesus? God does!”

“When they worship, you know God is there. The presence of the Lord is so tangible, like children they are filled with so much joy!”

“They aren’t super human, they’re people like you and I, who have been obedient. They’ve decided to not depend on themselves, but on the LORD. They’ve given total obedience to Him. They wait for God to show up and He does.”

“We spend 4 hours in prayer before we minister. It needs to be focused prayer. Living a life of prayer and fasting in a real and authentic way. Waiting on the Lord to talk to you, is a hard discipline. Lord, give me a way to speak to ________ . Get a map of the city and ask the Lord for an address: “Lord, where do you want me to go?”

“Who has the best strategy? Who knows every culture?”

“Our God is an inconvenient God. If you aren’t being inconvenienced, you probably aren’t making disciples.”

mc