Heralds Digest

  “ However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews .” John‬ ‭7:13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The common phenomenon in life is that service often saps out the server’s strength. Particularly, when the mind is wired to focus on negative feedback, there might be no courage to continue on the service lane. During the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, even members of His family are sceptical of His claim as the Messiah…needless to mention the polarity of belief among the Jews. Notwithstanding, when the scriptures say “ no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews ”, it shows that there is always a service shield for true servants of God, irrespective of the boldness in all service sufferings. No matter the blackness of the darkness in all service sufferings, the brightness of the light (truth) in all service shields will never drain out. Unfortunately, many servants are often distracted to opt-out of the true service shield because of the flash of fake shields.

  “ Then Jesus said to the twelve, “ Do you also want to go away? ” But Simon Peter answered Him, “ Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life .”‭‭ John‬ ‭6:67-68‬ ‭NKJV‬ Everyone knows that every good product must have a clear and no-obligation opt-out opportunity. The only challenge though is that there must be a responsible opt-in offering before a reliable opt-out opportunity can exist. Before Jesus could ask the disciples “ Do you also want to go away? ”, He was confident they had been sufficiently taught the words of life. It was a responsibility that demanded His patience and intimate engagements during different preaching and training sessions. Unfortunately, many of our children and disciples today are conveniently taught errors outside, faster and deeper than the basic truths that may be available inside. It implies that they often do not need a pass to opt-out before they are gone. Therefore, “ Do you also want to go away? ” is a provision of an opt-ou...

  “ It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. ” ‭‭John‬ ‭6:45‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Submission to the dictates of the basic needs of life is naturally complex, depending on the divided interests. Their diverse interests teach complex things, mostly against the Will of God. And when the multitude that followed Jesus for bread - one of the basic needs of life - were made to submit themselves to the true Bread of Life, the call became a call gone too far. Notwithstanding, we learned from Jesus the virtue of a simple submission - which is the absolute submission to God. Here’s the key: No one can accept Jesus as the Bread of Life on the basis of the statement ‘ I am the Bread of Life ’; but on the basis of an individual submission to God. It is always an effort in futility for leaders at home to struggle for the submission of family members; and for leaders in the workplace to struggle for the loya...

  “ All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me .” John‬ ‭6:37-38‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ One of the evidence of unity in the godhead is the cooperative executive of the redemption plan. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are united in the plan to redeem humanity from the bondage of sin and death. Just like we are witnesses of the challenges of total submission to the Way of the Cross today, even by those who are familiar with the knowledge of God’s words, Jesus during His earthly ministry appeared to be concerned about the tardiness in the hearts of those who flocked His preaching sessions for physical bread and butter without their absolute submission to the Bread of Life. But then the righteous heart can learn more about the virtue of meekness here from the perfect model of meekness. Even when we may not fully understand why there are gruesom...

  “ And 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 Everyone knows that ‘Give us our daily bread’ is not a casual prayer. And an acceptable response to the need for our daily bread often represents the bedrock of stability at homes, relationships and governance. Unfortunately, many promising homes are scattered, developing relationships are broken, and thriving government policies are corrupted because of a simple misconception about the true source of our daily bread. When the multitude that were fed at the other side of the sea of Tiberias followed after Jesus for our daily bread, Jesus could see through the heights of their desperate mindset. Even today, the heart of man is ready to steal or subserve rules and regulations as long as our breakfast breads are guaranteed. Whereas, Jesus said to them and us “ I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, ...

  “ He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. ”” ‭‭John‬ ‭3:36‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Without prejudice to the depravity of sin and its consequences, it is understandable that life never actually dies but lives forevermore. Whereas, sin brings the penalty of the present physical death, decay, and degradation to the quality of life. Notwithstanding, almost all of life’s attractions in the public space, social entertainment, and work environment are motivated by different forms of unrighteousness and fashion of corruption. These ephemeral ‘loose life’ called attractions can come with earthly pleasures, transient excitement, and corruptible materials; but there is always no satisfaction, contentment, and peace in these life’s attractions without an absolute faith in God and peace against His wrath. Therefore, Jesus concluded His communication with those who have special interests in His own type of l...

  “ And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God .”” ‭‭John‬ ‭3:19-21‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Those who submit themselves for public service must be commended because of their courage to get scrutinized by the school of public opinion. People with skeletons in their cardboard or without sufficient cover networks for their dreadful deeds are naturally secluded from public service because, in the words of Jesus, their deeds were evil. Notwithstanding, Jesus says those who engage in dreadful deeds are condemned, not for their love of evil, but for their hatred for the light. Whereas, those who engage in delightful deeds are children of the light because they love the light ; they a...