In This Issue

 

• MANY WENT BACK AND WALKED WITH HIM NO MORE

• ANOTHER LOOK AT ACTS 20:7

• IS EVERYTHING WORSHIP?

• MORE INFORMATION...

MANY WENT BACK AND WALKED WITH HIM NO MORE

In John 6, Jesus had referred to Himself as the bread which came down from heaven. He had indicated that those who had been taught by God would be drawn to Him.  He had insisted that in order to have spiritual life, people must partake of Him. Then He revealed that He was aware of who did and who did not really believe Him.

John tells us that “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. 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. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?" He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve” (John 6:66-71).

Many had followed Jesus for a time. They had eaten the bread and the fish that He had miraculously multiplied. But when it became clear that something was to be demanded of them, they lost interest.

Then Jesus pointedly asked His twelve apostles if they, too, were going to abandon Him. Peter’s response was to ask the question and make the comment, “To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” We sometimes sing a song based on this passage, “Where Could I Go But To The Lord?”. Then Peter made basically the same confession He had made in Matt. 16:16, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

In verses 70-71, Jesus made known for the first time that one of the twelve would betray Him. Of course, at that time, John and the other apostles did not know who the betrayer would be, but Jesus knew.

It is interesting to note that every time Judas Iscariot is mentioned in the Scriptures, he is identified as the one who betrayed Jesus.  A number of years after the death of the last inspired apostle, false teachers known as Gnostics wrote a book which they called the “Gospel of Judas,” in which Judas Iscariot is portrayed as a hero. A study of the legitimate Scriptures will quickly dispel any such notion.

One more thing of note: because John had written in verse 64 that Jesus knew “from the beginning” who would betray Him, and then in verse 70 the Lord said, “One of you IS a devil [adversary],” it has been commonly misstated that Judas was a devil from the beginning. That is NOT what Jesus said. It is not absolutely clear what “beginning” John had in mind in verse 64. Was it the beginning of the world? Or the beginning of Christ’s ministry? Or perhaps the beginning of the betrayal itself? Whatever may be the case, Jesus KNEW from the beginning but He did not say Judas had been an adversary from the beginning. In Matthew 10:4-9, Jesus had empowered Judas to heal the sick, cast out demons, etc. Later Jesus reasoned with the Jews that Satan would not cast out demons, Matt. 12:25-27. As Luke has stated, Judas “became a traitor” (Luke 6:16).  

--Clarence R. Johnson

ANOTHER LOOK AT ACTS 20:7

When He instituted the Lord's Supper, Jesus said, "But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom" (Matt 26:29, KJV).

The first occurrence of the word "drink" is in the aorist tense, which implies "I will not drink at all, not even one time." The second occurrence of the word is in the present tense, implying a repeated drinking, rather than a one-time drinking.

The phrase "drink it new" means "drink it in a new way." No longer having a physical body Jesus does not physically drink the fruit of the vine but that He drinks it spiritually.

The phrase "until that day," does not mean "until the kingdom age" for He identified the kingdom age by the phrase "in my Father's kingdom." Therefore, "until that day" refers to a particular, regular day, during the Kingdom age, on which He would drink of the "fruit of the vine" with His disciples. This implies an unstated frequency of drinking.

We know the day and frequency by the "account of action" in Acts 20:7. Thus, this example is a pattern to be followed. We are to "show the Lord's death" by eating the Lord's Supper on the first day of the week because that is the day when He drinks the fruit of the vine "new" with us.

--Bob Myhan, Forest Hills bulletin, Macon, Georgia

IS EVERYTHING WORSHIP?

While reading an article in the December 1995 issue of Look Magazine, the article quoted HaKeem Olajuwon as saying that he considers the game of basketball, "an act of worship." Olajuwon is a Muslim with Allah as his god. Evidently there are a lot of people who think every-thing they do is worship from changing the baby to playing golf. Let's notice some things the Bible teaches about worship and then we can see whether or not every-thing we do is worship.

God Is The Object of Worship

The Bible teaches, that when we worship, God is to be the object of that worship. Jesus told Satan when he tried to get Jesus to worship him, "Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve" (Matt. 4:10). We cannot worship Satan but worship is to be directed to God. Men cannot be the object of our worship. As Peter entered the house of Cornelius, "Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshiped him" (Acts 10:25). Now, notice what Peter did and said, "But Peter took him up, saying, `Stand up: I myself also am a man' (Acts 10:26). Peter would not allow Cornelius to worship him. Men are not to be worshiped.

Well, what about worshiping angels? John's encounter with this angel worship will give us the right answer. "And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things" (Rev. 22:8). John, what did the angel say to you? "Then saith he unto me, `See thou do it not: for I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God' (Rev. 22:9). How could one be directing the praise and adoration of his heart unto God while bouncing a basketball? Doesn't make sense does it?

Worship Must Be In Spirit and In Truth

The conversation of Jesus with the woman at the well indicates that worship is to be in spirit and in truth. Jesus said, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" (John. 4:24). Worship demands some purpose on the part of the one worshiping God. How could exercising be worship, when I am thinking about loosing weight or getting in shape and not directing such to God. God is not nearly as interested in my bodily exercise as he is with my godliness. Didn't Paul say, "For bodily exercise profiteth little. . ." (1 Tim. 4:8)?

To worship God in spirit, one must keep his mind on what he is doing toward God. It would be hard to do this while changing the baby! Worship is to be in truth. This means according to God Word. "Thy word is truth" (John. 17:17). Do you think it is worship when one is exercising?

Worship Is Spiritual

Since worship is to be "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24), worship is of a spiritual nature, not physical. Playing basketball, exercising, washing dishes, doing the laundry, changing the baby, fishing and the like are of a physical nature and have nothing to do with worshiping God. Did you ever read in the Word of God where any of these things were ever connected with the worship of God? I never did. We can read what the early Christians did when they worshiped God. "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers" (Acts 2:42). It is here recorded that the Lord's people engaged in teaching, giving, the Lord's supper, and prayer. They ate the Lord's supper and gave of their means on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:1-2) along with the other acts of worship. It is also said that they engaged in "singing and making melody" in their hearts to the Lord (Eph. 5:19). It is with purpose of heart that one engages in these acts of worship. I do not just accidentally worship God. Some think if one happens to listen to someone singing on the radio, that he is worshiping God. Not so. The Bible nowhere teaches that everything one does is worship.

–Johnie Edwards, Guardian of Truth, Jan. 18, 1996

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