The Road to Fellowship with Jesus Christ

By David A. DePra

 Back to the Goodnews

God wants to have fellowship with His people.  And certainly, those who are in Christ ought to desire fellowship with God.  Indeed, fellowship with Christ is to be the very life of the believer.  The question is, “How do we come to fellowship with Jesus Christ?”

 

The apostle John stated exactly how we can enter into fellowship with Jesus Christ:

 

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.  If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.  (I John 1:5-7)

 

This is as clear as it could be.  “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another.”  In contrast, “If we say we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the Truth.”  The key to fellowship is to walk in the Light and Truth.

 

Jesus Christ IS the Truth.  And the Greek word for, “fellowship,” or, “communion,” means, “a having in common.”  So if we want to be ONE with Christ then we have to abide or walk in the Light and Truth.

 

John the apostle is telling us that it is not possible to fellowship with Jesus Christ, who IS the Light and the Truth, unless we walk in the light and Truth.  Only then are we, “eating,” of Him, and abiding in Him.  Only then are we, “having in common,” with Him His life. 

 

To, “walk in the Truth,” is more than believing doctrine.  Rather, to walk in the Truth means that you have seen the Truth about yourself, and so you give yourself to Christ.  No conditions attached – not because you have to, but because you have seen the Truth.  To walk in the Truth means that you have seen the Truth about Christ – that He is all.  Thus, you put all of your faith in Him.  Again, no conditions attached – not because you have to, but because you have seen the Truth.  “To see the Truth,” is synonymous with seeing Jesus – and when we embrace Him we are entering into fellowship with Him.

 

“To walk in the light,” implies that there is nothing in us that we are trying to hide, or hold to ourselves.  It means that we desire Jesus Christ no matter what it takes.  This is possible – even though we are flawed and sinful.  It is possible because the basis for relationship with Christ is not found in us.  It is found in Him.

 

Abiding in the Vine

 

“I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”  (John 15:5)

 

To abide in Christ means to live IN and OUT FROM Christ as our life – it certainly begins with FAITH – trusting and surrendering OURSELVES to Him.  But we cannot abide in Christ as our life as long as we are abiding in our own Adam life.  That life must be under the work of the Cross – under the, “pruning,” work of God.  (John 15:1-2)

 

Note a big distinction:   Jesus said, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly,” (John 10:10) what did He mean?  What, “life,” was He talking about?  Much false teaching today states that Jesus was promising to take YOUR natural life and to make it abundant – prosperous, rich, and successful.  That is not the Truth.  He also said, “Whosoever would lose his life for My sake will find it, and whosoever would seek to possess his life for himself will lose it.”  Thus, He is promising HIS life in us would be abundant and sufficient – but only if we relinquish OUR life.  This is the same message that we find all through scripture, including within the teaching of the Vine and the branches.

 

To abide in Christ is fellowship with Him – because it is an active oneness with Him; a communion with Him with His life.  And if you read John 15, you can see that NOTHING is possible unless we do that.  Simply being saved does plant you into Christ; baptize you into Christ.  But then we must ABIDE in Him by faith – which is a continual choice.

 

On the Road to Fellowship

 

One of the best illustrations of how to come to fellowship with Christ is found in the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus:

 

And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem [about] threescore furlongs.  And they talked together of all these things which had happened.  And it came to pass, that, while they communed [together] and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.  But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.  And he said unto them, What manner of communications [are] these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?  And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?  And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:  And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.  But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, today is the third day since these things were done.  Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre;  And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive.  And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found [it] even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.  Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:  Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?  And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.  And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further.  But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.  And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed [it], and brake, and gave to them.  And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?  And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them,  Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.  And they told what things [were done] in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.  (Luke 24:13-34)

 

Let’s take this journey step by step.  There is much in it leading to fellowship.  This is one of the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus Christ, indeed, it happened on the very day of His resurrection.  Thus, the shock, fear, and devastation of the crucifixion that had happened three days before had not yet dissipated.  They had already been given the report by certain women that the body of Jesus was gone, and that angels had said he was alive.  But at this point, all of that was beyond their capacity to grasp.

 

The conversation recorded between the two men, and then between the two men and Jesus, reveals many things about their understanding immediately after the crucifixion -- but before they realized that Jesus had been raised from the dead.  First, they had, “hoped that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel.”  (v. 21)  And yet, rather than refer to Him and the Son of God, they described Him only as, “a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people.”   They were not denying Jesus was the Son of God, mind you, but at this point they had no frame of reference for Jesus as the Son of God.  No.  Instead, they had hoped He was the Messiah most of the Jews expected – One who would reign and rule from the temple in Jerusalem.  All of His mighty deeds had convinced them that He was exactly that.  But now their hopes were dashed.

 

You will note that they hoped Jesus would be the one to, “redeem Israel.”  Their leaders, the Scribes and Pharisees, taught only salvation for Israel, but not for the entire world.  Indeed, the Jews of that time did not believe or teach the doctrine of original sin.  That is why they believed a person could earn salvation through works and the study of the scriptures.  So the, “redemption of Israel,” in the mind of these disciples was a much different redemption than the Redemption Jesus had brought.  It was not a new creation.  It was foremost, an outward restoration of Israel to glory, leading to an earthly kingdom of God.

 

The Jews had no expectation that when the Messiah came that He would be God Incarnate.  They had not teaching that promised that the Messiah would be crucified and then raised from the dead.  They had taken all of the OT passages about the Messiah and misinterpreted them. 

 

All through the gospels you can see that this incorrect understanding of the Messiah, the kingdom of God, and the plan of God, governed the thinking and expectations of the disciples of Jesus.  Therefore, when Jesus was taken away and crucified it was a complete devastation to their hopes. 

 

Devastation

 

In the Christian life, there are going to be times that we move forward in our walk with God with certain expectations and beliefs – ones we believe are Biblical – in fact, ones that we may believe God has spoken to us.  Our lives can, to a greater or lesser extent, become governed by what we hope God is doing and is going to do for us.  It may never enter our mind that we could be wrong – because we are sure God has promised, and God is always faithful.  But then all of it comes crashing down.  Not only are we devastated because our hopes are dashed to pieces, but worse, we have to face the fact that our walk with God was based in a false position.  We thought God was doing one thing and He was NOT.  He was doing another.  How could we have been so wrong?  And how could God have allowed us to be so wrong?  Where do we go from here?

 

Of course, this is simply a trial of faith.  It is a crossroads.  We thought our faith was in God.  But perhaps our faith was more in what we assumed God was doing.  In fact, it may have never occurred to us that the two are not the same.  But they are not the same.  And there is something else – something even more difficult to deal with:  Many of us base our faith upon our understanding of God, rather than God Himself.  So when our understanding of God is shattered; proven wrong – we lose faith. 

 

All of these possibilities constitute a trial of faith.  And they are going to happen to each of us.  God is going to allow them to happen – He will guarantee it.  Why?  Because a trial of faith will destroy faith in our own understanding, and faith in our assumptions of what God is doing – a trial of faith will destroy that – BUT will open the door to faith in the Person of Jesus Christ.

 

Believers must learn to trust Jesus Christ even if we do not understand Him.  For it does not matter how spiritually mature or experienced we might be – we don’t fully understand Him.  There is always going to be more of Jesus Christ than we can understand.  Of course.  He is eternal.  He is God.  Yet as Proverbs states:

 

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.   Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.  (Prov. 3:5-7)

 

When our hopes are dashed, and we realize that our whole understanding of God Himself was faulty, it is easy to despair.  It is easy to lose faith and be afraid to ever believe again.  But God is setting us free.  He is showing us that He wants to speak to us in HIS SON – that He wants our faith to rest upon, not our understanding of Christ, but upon Christ Himself.  And the fact is, if our faith comes to rest upon Christ, our understanding of Christ will then be adjusted according to the Truth.

 

The Answer to Perplexity

 

The disciples were walking in a terrible perplexity.  They had no answers.  And trying to talk it through was not getting them anywhere.  When believers reach a spiritual impasse we probe and search to see the answers.  But God is usually silent.  He has a reason.  You and I do not need see answers.  We need to see Jesus. 

 

The disciples were going to have their eyes opened.  But initially, as the passage states, their eyes were closed.  Isn’t that a great picture of ignorance?  Ignorance is blindness.  It is a great picture of a slowness to put aside our faulty understanding and to believe regardless.

 

These disciples were not in a state of hardened unbelief.  Now, they could have ended up that way.  There are folks who profess their faith in Christ until their personal demands of Him are shattered.  They cannot accept that God would allow them to believe error or travel a wrong path.  But He does – yet for redemptive purposes.  He wants to expose us – but for the purpose of bringing us into the Truth.

 

Isn’t it amazing how easy we blame God for allowing us to believe error, when we ought to be thanking Him for delivering us OUT of it into the Truth.  We have to come to terms with the fact that if we believe error it is because there is error in us – unbelief, pride, etc.  There are reasons WHY we believe what we do. 

 

These disciples believed error because they had been raised in a culture of spiritual error.  It was all around them.  And they did have an agenda.  They wanted the kind of kingdom they were taught to expect from the Messiah.  But now He was dead.  And so were their hopes.  So here they were wandering the road to Emmaus.

 

There are millions of professing Christian people that cannot accept that God would ever allow such a perplexity to happen to them.  And there is so much teaching today that supports their denial of this possibility.  Christians have been taught that God speaks to them continually in the form of inward promptings, feelings, words spoken in their mind, and through signs and wonders.  But despite the fact that God COULD speak that way – the Bible states outright that this is NOT primarily the way in which God speaks today.

 

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by [his] Son.  (Heb. 1:1-2) 

 

The Greek language in these verses bring out the real Truth:  God USED to speak to people in all different kinds of ways – such as through prophecy.  But NOW God is primarily speaking to His people in ONE way – IN HIS SON.  The Greek meaning is, “Son-wise.”  In other words, since Christianity is, “Christ in us,” (Col. 1:27) God is today speaking to His people through a progressive INWARD realization of His Son.  In short, God is revealing Christ IN people – Jesus is THE WORD, THE LOGOS, that God is speaking today.

 

An inward realization of Jesus Christ – an inward experiencing of Jesus Christ -- results in a renewed mind and heart.  It changes our perspective and understanding of God Himself.  And that opens us up to not only trust Him when we don’t understand, but it opens us to be able to understand.  Believers should not need God to tell them THINGS or to lead them to do THINGS.  Believers should KNOW CHRIST.  If that happens, then the THINGS can be revealed – but in the context of knowing Him – which will keep them in the Truth.

 

The natural mind is going to interpret God, and interpret the Christian life, through the perspective of SELF and through the desires of our heart.  We will be governed by our emotions, intellect, and pride.  We will be governed, and perhaps even deceived, by our own religiosity.  Thus, we will tend to believe that whatever we want must be of God – because God is leading us.  We will tend to assume that however we feel must be how God feels.  This is a natural course for most Christians.  And God MUST allow us to travel down that road – He will allow us to take a path that is going to result in devastation.  It is the only way we can be brought to repentance.  It is the only way He can show us the Truth.

 

Can we accept the possibility that at any point in time that we simply do NOT know?  That presently we CANNOT know?  That there is more Truth about our situation, that there is more Truth about ourselves – Truth that is outside of our frame of reference?  And perhaps the biggest question of all is this one:  Do we really want the Truth?  Do we really want Jesus Christ?  Do we really want the will and purpose of God no matter what that is, and no matter the cost?  Well, if we do, God will bring us to that point.

 

We cannot see answers – we would not interpret them according to the Truth – until we SEE JESUS.  This does not mean that the GOAL is the see answers.  No.  The GOAL is to see Jesus.  But once we do see Jesus, our eyes will be opened to much else. 

 

I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye sees thee.   Wherefore I abhor [myself], and repent in dust and ashes.  (Job 42:5)

 

Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,  Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; 17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:  The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,  And what [is] the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead.  (Eph. 1:15-20)

 

The solution to perplexity is not INFORMATION.  It is unconditional FAITH.  That will lead to REVELATION. 

 

Seeing Jesus

 

There are many questions we could ask about this story – from a practical standpoint.  For example, why did these two disciples not recognize Jesus?  They had known Him before His crucifixion.  But they did not recognize his voice or know that it was Him – even though He walked with them and talked with them some distance.  In fact, “beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself,” but they still did not know that it was Jesus.  Why?

 

It seems insufficient to say that the cause is that they were not expecting Him to be alive.  From a practical standpoint, this does not hold.  He was there talking with them.  Still it does not occur to them that this was Jesus.  In fact, if you read the other accounts of Jesus’ appearances after the resurrection, the same pattern is there – Jesus is not recognized by the people who encounter Him.  But then something happens and their eyes are opened.  They know it is Him.

 

The conclusion is rather inescapable:  Despite the fact that Jesus continued to have a human body AFTER His resurrection – He states outright that He was not a spirit, but had flesh and bones (Luke 24:39) – He was nevertheless risen from the dead with a glorified body.  That is not something that we know much about.  In fact, He was able to ascend into heaven itself with that glorified body.  He also appeared and vanished.  So we are talking here about something, “other than,” that which operates according to physical laws.  Indeed, based on the passages of His appearances, and the failure of people who knew Him to recognize Him, His glorified, resurrected body, evidently operated according to the spiritual realm.  It required spiritual sight, if you will, to truly SEE HIM.

 

The disciples, when they first met Jesus on the road to Emmaus, did not yet have spiritual sight.  They were still viewing their situation, and viewing Jesus, through natural sight – with their natural minds and natural understanding.  So what Jesus begins to do is start at that point with them.  He begins to open up the scripture regarding the Messiah.  He shows them that everything that had happened was right there in front of them the entire time.  It was their understanding that was the problem – not the Bible and not God – but their understanding of God.

 

There is great encouragement in this passage because it shows that no matter how deceived we might be that Jesus Christ will come and meet us and will bring us into the Truth – if we keep our hearts open.  This gets back to an earlier point – we can believe even if we don’t understand.  These disciples did not understand but were still open to God.  They were like Job – they did not understand God but had faith in Him regardless.  At this point, they were still teachable.  They were perplexed but were seeking God.

 

So Jesus lays the groundwork with them of scripture.  And this begins to stir them.  There is an oppression that is lifted from them.  It is like a breath of fresh air.  But even then they do not recognize Him.

 

Isn’t it a fact that we can read the Bible and understand it – and that there can be a certain release in that?  We can gain a certain amount of hope and expectation.  But if that is ALL we experience it will be like reading about a Person who we have never seen – but about Whom we have read.  We can believe the descriptions and facts, and form in our mind and imagination a concept of Jesus Christ.  But this is NOT the same as SEEING HIM.  It is not the same as coming into an inward realization of Christ.

 

What was it that finally opened their eyes?  Luke writes:

 

And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed [it], and brake, and gave to them.  And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.  (Luke 24: 30-31)

 

And they told what things [were done] in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.  (Luke 24:35)

 

Why did Jesus’ breaking of the bread open their eyes – why did THAT open their eyes when all of the other things did not?  Well, what does this, “breaking of bread,” symbolize?  It represents COMMUNION with Jesus Christ – at the core of which is COMMUNION with Him in His death and resurrection.  We are being told that if we want to truly SEE JESUS we have to enter into a oneness with Him in spirit.

 

Up until this point, these disciples did not have that oneness with Christ.  They did not even know to have it – they were blind and deceived.  Their goals and purpose were other than those of Jesus Christ.  But as Jesus spoke to them out of the OT, and showed them the Truth, they began to hunger for more.  They began to want the Truth. They invited Him in.  This opened the door for the communion.  It was not simply the physical act of breaking the bread that opened their eyes.  It was the fellowship with Christ Himself symbolized by that – which opened their eyes and allowed them to SEE HIM.

 

Do we want to SEE JESUS?  The only way is by spiritual fellowship with Him.  It is by being brought into a oneness with Him in purpose.  We have to lose our lives – our goals, our purpose, our self-ownership – under the work of the Cross – so that we might find Him as our life.  If we allow Him to BREAK US -- then our blindness will likewise be broken.  What will emerge is a realization and experiencing of Jesus Christ that is found in, and flows out from His resurrection life in us.

 

This is freedom.  True freedom comes from knowing the Truth that is a Person, and knowing Him means to experience Him.  That is fellowship.  Everything in the story we have read leads up to this simple fact:  Communion with Christ is an experiencing of Christ that opens our eyes to see Jesus.  And then, “the eyes of our understanding will be enlightened that we might know.”  He is the Truth.  He is the Light.  We must see HIM.

 

Fellowship With Christ

 

If a person is, “in Christ,” then, by definition, they are one with Him in spirit.  But the fact that Christianity, at the core, is, “Christ in you,” must have an IMPACT.  God wants us to come into an inward realization – revelation and knowledge – of His Son.  This is the basis for fellowship with Christ.

 

“To know,” Christ, according to the Bible meaning, is to realize and experience Him.  That will renew our minds according to the Truth.  (Eph. 4:23)  That means a renewed heart, intent, will, and purpose.  If a person actually begins to see Jesus Christ they will begin to see everything else according to Him; according to the Truth. 

 

The story of the disciples illustrates that fact.  At the start of their journey, they saw nothing clearly.  But then Jesus sought them out and met them.  He began to introduce to them the Truth about Himself from the Bible.  This struck a chord with them, because despite their perplexity, their hearts were open.  They were hungry for more.  Their minds were beginning to be renewed – in other words, they began to see that there was another side to this story – a side they had not seen.  How many realize that this – in itself – is Truth?  It is one thing to be blind, but it is another to begin to, “see,” you are blind.  It is one thing to be ignorant, but it is another to begin to see that you are ignorant and that there is Truth to be seen and experienced.  This is the place Jesus had brought them -- their minds were beginning to be renewed.  In fact, they had reached the point where they actually invited Jesus to stay with them.

 

This was the pivot point – and it always is.  God will not force Himself upon us.  There comes a time when God has prepared our hearts enough that we can fully open ourselves to Him for whatever it takes; or whatever the Truth might be.  We have to open up and invite Jesus in – not only for initial salvation – but for His desire to bring us into the Truth. 

 

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.  (Rev. 3:20)

 

This verse corresponds to our story.  Jesus was, “standing at the door,” and, “knocking.”  That is what was going on as He opened them up for the revelation that was about to happen.  And they did open to Him, in their case, literally invited Him to come into their house.  And they did, “sup,” together.  Revelation 3:20 is talking about fellowship with Jesus Christ – the same fellowship as is illustrated in our story.

 

Many times Jesus used the picture of bread to illustrate communion between Himself and believers:

 

I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world…Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.  Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.  For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.  He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.  As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.  (John 6:51-58)

 

Here we see what fellowship with Christ really means:  It means that Christ is our life.  (Col. 3:4)  It isn’t that Christ merely GIVES us life – as a THING.  No.  It means that Christ IS our life.  Neither is this limited to being saved.  No.  It includes all that is within Christ, and out from Christ, as our salvation; as our very spiritual life.  Just as eating bread internalizes that bread and it then becomes that which nourishes and sustains, so it is to be with Christ.  Just as eating translates into living -- so must our communion with Christ do the same.

 

Jesus said, “He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood dwells in me, and I in Him.”  That is a living, practical communion.  That is the outcome of the believer experiencing (eating) Jesus in an inward fashion; a matter of Jesus being the life of the believer. 

 

If we go back to the passage, it is significant that it was Jesus that took the bread, blessed, and broke it.  It is significant because this was their house and their bread.  They had invited Him – not the other way around.   Surely this illustrates that when we begin to see the Truth, and realize God is working, that we must surrender ourselves to Christ.  We have to give ourselves to Him – we have to lose our self-ownership to Him.  And if we do, He will break the power of the old nature under a progressive work of the Cross – and it will result in fellowship – and that fellowship will open our eyes to see and realize Him.

 

You will note that the passage states that the disciples could not recognize Christ.  It wasn’t that Jesus was hiding from them and then came out of hiding.  No.  They COULD NOT see Him.  But once they responded to Him, and then invited Him in, and then gave Him the freedom to do whatsoever He desired – it was then that He broke the bread and their eyes were opened.  The change was in THEM.

 

Natural man is not constituted to be able to discern God.  In fact, we see everything, including God, through the lense of SELF.  That is why a person MUST be born from above in order to SEE Jesus Christ.  Yet, even if we are born from above, we have only the capacity to see.  Even as those born again, we continue to carry the natural man.  We must learn the fallibility of natural sight when it comes to spiritual reality.  We have to learn Christ.

 

But again, the story of the road to Emmaus helps us.  We might liken the LOAF before it was broken as an OUTWARD seeing of Jesus – as an OUTWARD seeing of Jesus through the natural man.  But as long as that is the case we will interpret Christ according to US.  But once the loaf is broken – once our natural man is broken by the work of the Cross – everything of that LOAF becomes open.  We can see the inside, indeed, taste and eat.  We can actually come into an INWARD realization of Jesus Christ.  We can actually begin to experience Him in fellowship.

 

Natural man – governed by the sin nature – is essentially SELF centered, and SELF occupied.  Thus, it doesn’t matter how smart someone is, they CANNOT see or receive the things of God if left to themselves.  They CANNOT.  There must be a new birth – but then a continual breaking of that SELF principle if any of us are to realize Jesus Christ.  This is why Jesus said we must LOSE ourselves into His hands.  He was saying that we must surrender to Him for, “whatever it takes,” to break us – for that is the key to freedom; the key to seeing Christ.

 

Such a surrender is, after all, where faith will ALWAYS bring us.  Faith without surrender is a hollow shell.  Despite all of our faults, an unconditional surrender to Jesus Christ is what it means to be, “pure in heart.”  And that, Jesus said, is a blessed commitment, that will result in us, “seeing God.”  (Matt. 5:8)

 

The disciples had followed Jesus -- tried to conform Him to their religion.  No wonder they could not see the REAL JESUS.  Their religiosity had to be broken.  But in order for that to be broken, THEY had to be broken – their lives had to be broken so that He could give them Himself as their life.  In this story, we see that happening – in a way that stands as an example for us.  Jesus meets them, begins to draw them – they invite Him in.  They give all to Him.  He takes it and breaks it – and gives it back to them, as if He is giving them Himself, the true Bread.  They have lost in order to find.  The result was fellowship – and it opened their eyes.

 

In conclusion, if we want fellowship with Christ, we must walk in the Truth – and the Truth in which we must walk starts only if we unconditionally surrender to Him.  Then, as Christ breaks us, our blindness will be broken and we will begin to see Him.  The great news is that we cannot want this more than God wants it.

 

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