Bread of Life

Recently I spoke at a church in Indiana. God has been on the move in such a way that there are chairs lined up the isles on Sunday mornings. The pleasant sounds of children filled the morning and evening services. New believers, filled with God’s Spirit, took notes, shared stories of finding Jesus, and engaged in discussions about doctrine in their new believers Sunday school class. At the end of several days of preaching and engagement, my soul was refreshed!

What struck me about these new believers, many with young families, was their patient hunger for something different. It is not unusual to encounter new believers who are fleeing bad situations, and many of the new believers I encountered last week were doing just that. What struck me was that their flight “away” didn’t seem to be their driving force. What propelled them was a hunger for meaning found in God. They tangibly discovered the Bread of Life and would drive an hour one way each night to eat more of this bread, listening to teaching, singing, and spend time with God’s people. We didn’t usually leave the church before we’d spent an hour and a half visiting after the service.

Many believers live in reaction to things they’ve left behind, often fighting old battles long after the war has ended and never learning to rely on the sustaining nourishment of Christ. Their aim isn’t as much Jesus as it is avoiding the things they fled.

May we learn to find joy and fullness of life in Christ himself!