"Do You Also Want to Go Away?"
Dear Saints:
It is with sadness that I read the headlines, “Joshua Harris falling away from faith: ‘I am not a Christian.’” … Joshua Harris, the author of “I kissed Dating Goodbye”, announced in an Instagram post Friday that he is no longer a Christian.”(Christianpost.com, July 27, 2019). He used to be the pastor of a megachurch, Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
It is sad to hear and coupled with his previous announcement to divorce his wife of 20 years and they have three children.
How can you follow Christ for a period and now “fall away”? I do not know what has happened to Joshua Harris because now, he applauds same sex marriage which he previously preached against. In our today’s study (please read John 6 again), we also see some precedent even while Jesus was here:
“53 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day…
60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”
66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. 67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”
How do you not fall away? We can gain insight from Peter’s response. “68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Have you come to know for sure, trust, believe that Jesus is the Eternal Life and God the Son? The work of grace is at work within us who believe. Hear Jesus: “65 And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.” Do you have a relationship with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit? God must draw you to Jesus and faith in Him but you have to accept and receive Him. We are saved by grace and not works.
God’s grace that “draw” us to Him does not pave way for secret lifestyle of sin. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” Romans 6:1. We must reckon with any lifestyle of sin in us, confess, repent and ask God to forgive us.
People do not just “fall away” in one day. It is usually a culmination of a secret lifestyle of sin that reflects a rejection of the true full Gospel of Christ. Lord, have mercy on Joshua Harris and any other who may be struggling in faith in You.
We have a responsibility to make sure we are in Christ right from beginning. “5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? 2 Corinthians 13:5-6.
The question is not whether you are still in the faith but whether you are in the faith (in Christ) first of all. If you are in Christ, be rest assured; “39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.” John 6:39.
Some follow Christ for the “material bread” they can get (the prosperity gospel followers) just as were those who walked away in this chapter of John 6. When you do not realize your material and sensuous fulfillment in Christ, you will walk away, just like others.
Jesus is the “bread of life”, the “bread from heaven” and the “flesh we must eat” and “blood we must drink”. All of these metaphors are references to the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and His resurrection. It is a spiritual matter and Christ is received by faith.
Receive, believe, trust in Christ today if you have never really done so for the first time.
Lord, you chose me as your own. Thank you Lord. Please continue to grant me your grace and trust in your assurance to remain in you as you promised. Help me live your life that is in me. Amen.
It is with sadness that I read the headlines, “Joshua Harris falling away from faith: ‘I am not a Christian.’” … Joshua Harris, the author of “I kissed Dating Goodbye”, announced in an Instagram post Friday that he is no longer a Christian.”(Christianpost.com, July 27, 2019). He used to be the pastor of a megachurch, Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
It is sad to hear and coupled with his previous announcement to divorce his wife of 20 years and they have three children.
How can you follow Christ for a period and now “fall away”? I do not know what has happened to Joshua Harris because now, he applauds same sex marriage which he previously preached against. In our today’s study (please read John 6 again), we also see some precedent even while Jesus was here:
“53 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day…
60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”
66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. 67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”
How do you not fall away? We can gain insight from Peter’s response. “68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Have you come to know for sure, trust, believe that Jesus is the Eternal Life and God the Son? The work of grace is at work within us who believe. Hear Jesus: “65 And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.” Do you have a relationship with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit? God must draw you to Jesus and faith in Him but you have to accept and receive Him. We are saved by grace and not works.
God’s grace that “draw” us to Him does not pave way for secret lifestyle of sin. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” Romans 6:1. We must reckon with any lifestyle of sin in us, confess, repent and ask God to forgive us.
People do not just “fall away” in one day. It is usually a culmination of a secret lifestyle of sin that reflects a rejection of the true full Gospel of Christ. Lord, have mercy on Joshua Harris and any other who may be struggling in faith in You.
We have a responsibility to make sure we are in Christ right from beginning. “5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? 2 Corinthians 13:5-6.
The question is not whether you are still in the faith but whether you are in the faith (in Christ) first of all. If you are in Christ, be rest assured; “39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.” John 6:39.
Some follow Christ for the “material bread” they can get (the prosperity gospel followers) just as were those who walked away in this chapter of John 6. When you do not realize your material and sensuous fulfillment in Christ, you will walk away, just like others.
Jesus is the “bread of life”, the “bread from heaven” and the “flesh we must eat” and “blood we must drink”. All of these metaphors are references to the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and His resurrection. It is a spiritual matter and Christ is received by faith.
Receive, believe, trust in Christ today if you have never really done so for the first time.
Lord, you chose me as your own. Thank you Lord. Please continue to grant me your grace and trust in your assurance to remain in you as you promised. Help me live your life that is in me. Amen.
Comments