The First Commandment
The first commandment that God gave to mankind was not about love.
The first positive and negative commands God gave to mankind was about eating (Gen 2:16, Gen 2:17).
Mankind fell not just because they disobeyed God's command, but by disobeying, mankind ate the wrong kind of food which resulted in their spiritual death (Gen 2:17).
Christ and the Apostles
Christ's life and ministry was about eating (and drinking) (John 6:54-57, Matt 11:19, John 4:13-14, Mark 7:27-28)
Peter's ministry was about feeding (John 21:17)
Paul's ministry was about feeding (1 Cor 3:2, Heb 5:12)
Genuine ministers of God don't merely teach and preach, they feed.
Everyone should know the story of Jesus feeding the 5000 in John 6:1-14. Some Christians see this story as a great miracle, God is powerful, He can supply our every need. He will multiply our loaves and fishes. Yes, it tells us that. But Jesus worked this miracle to show that He was the true bread from heaven, and that people's real need was not the physical food before them, but the spiritual food which is Christ Himself (John 6:32-35). His closest disciples eventually came to understand this, but the crowd followed Jesus because He filled their empty stomachs (John 6:26), when Jesus knew their real need was their unsatisfied and empty hearts (John 6:35).
Our Spiritual Food
The Word of God is called food and we should thirst for it (1 Peter 2:2, Eze 3:3). There are many references to eating and the Word of God (Hebrews 5:11-6:12, 1 Cor. 3:1-4, 10-15, Eph 4:11-16, 1 Pet. 2:1-3, 2 Pet.1:3-10). Christ is the Word (John 1:1), so we feed on Christ, eat His body and His blood by faith, by eating His Word.
The Catholics and similar denominations think they are eating Christ when they eat a small piece of waver and juice or wine every Sunday. But this is not what it means to eat Christ. Because if you do this without fail every Sunday, yet do not read the Word of God, you will spiritually starve. Even though they have all their theologies which "prove" that taking bread and wine each Sunday is eating Christ, our evidence and experience speaks for itself. Eating is entirely a matter of Spirit and faith and God's Word (John 6:63, 64).
Our Future Involves Eating
The future includes eating - we don't stop eating after we go to Heaven. The enjoyment of eating is Christ's reward (Rev 2:7, Matt 22:1-14).
What Eating Means?
With physical food, if we gulp it down without chewing, the nutrients inside will not be released. God gave us many teeth to show us that we need to chew our food. It is the same with spiritual food. We need to chew our food to release the nutrients. Chewing the Word of God is not skim-reading, which is like gulping it down. To chew the Word of God properly we need to spend time meditating on it, reading it over and over, slowly, enjoying it, taking it in, allowing it to touch our most inward part in our spirit, soul and conscience. This should not be done in and by ourselves, but in conjunction with prayer and the Spirit. It is possible to read the word of God in our flesh, but we should do it in the Spirit otherwise it will not be profitable for us (John 6:63). Some people read God's Word every day yet it doesn't profit them because they do not involve the Holy Spirit. It is better to read small portions in the Spirit for 5 to 10 minutes a day, than to read whole chapters in the flesh.
The Results of Eating
Eating properly is the way that we receive nourishment. Without eating we will not be nourished and will not have life. Life is needed for growing, sustaining, and for creating new life. Eating is the way to bear fruit, to overcome, to grow (Matt 7:19).
The root cause of most sin is dissatisfaction. People reach out to the thing which they think will quench their spiritual thirst and hunger. Of course we know that only Christ can fill this void. If we eat Christ and drink the living water, our hunger and thirst will be quenched, we will have no need to turn to sin again. The Christian life is really a matter of life versus death. Sin is not merely breaking the law but falling short of God's glory and life (Rom 3:23). The way that we get God's life and glory into us is to eat.
When we are tempted to sin, we should ask ourselves "does this thing give me life or death"? Does it satisfy me and give me life? or does it make me feel empty and dull? The next question to ask is "what and how am I eating?". If we get a stomach ache, the first thing we think of is what or how we ate. If we have spiritual "stomach aches", what have we been eating? Have we spent time in God's Word lately, or have we been enjoying ourselves in other things?
"Laws are meant to be broken", it is human nature to break the laws, this was a problem with the Law of Moses (Rom 7:6-8). We should change from being sin and law-conscious to being Christ-conscious, or life conscious. We don't need to be so careful about what we do or say, but about what we eat. If we eat the right food (God's Word), we will produce the right kind of fruit - our thoughts, words and actions will take care of themselves (Matt 7:18). Christianity is not about following a set of rules, that is Judaism. Christianity is about living Christ, eating and drinking Him.
When we pray "Lord, help me to be a better person, help me to obey your laws, help me be less angry and more kind", this is a religious kind of prayer and doesn't really work. If we pray "Lord make me a bit taller, or a bit smaller", Christ won't often answer these kinds of prayers. People who seek miracles as a solution to their problems, are like the crowds following Christ wanting to see a miracle. But eating the Word of God diligently and often is the way many people have been delivered from addictions, bondage, sickness and infirmities. Christ doesn't just want to help us in an outward way by giving us loaves and fishes, working miracles, or making small changes here and there, He wants us to eat Him, to receive the spiritual living water, to be satisfied in our heart by Him. Christ wants us to be like Mary (Luke 10:42) and come to Him for rest (Matt 11:28). People who pray "Lord help me do this or that" prayers rarely, if ever, see results. Why? Because they don't want to "eat", they want to "do" or "be" without taking the time to eat. We should pray "Lord, give me a hunger for your Word, remove all the distractions so that I can eat and drink you day by day, Lord you are my food and drink, satisfy my heart". This is a prayer that will please Christ and will work. Eating God's Word will give us life, it will increase our faith, give us new energy and vigor, we will know God's will, our mind and purpose will be clear, we will be strengthened and feel strong, we will not be afraid, our life will bear fruit, there are many benefits to eating God's Word, because it will ultimately lead to us becoming more and more like Christ. The expression goes "you are what you eat", so if we eat Christ, we will become like Christ. The way to do or be anything in the Christian life, is to eat.
The first commandment that God gave to mankind was not about love.
The first positive and negative commands God gave to mankind was about eating (Gen 2:16, Gen 2:17).
Mankind fell not just because they disobeyed God's command, but by disobeying, mankind ate the wrong kind of food which resulted in their spiritual death (Gen 2:17).
Christ and the Apostles
Christ's life and ministry was about eating (and drinking) (John 6:54-57, Matt 11:19, John 4:13-14, Mark 7:27-28)
Peter's ministry was about feeding (John 21:17)
Paul's ministry was about feeding (1 Cor 3:2, Heb 5:12)
Genuine ministers of God don't merely teach and preach, they feed.
Everyone should know the story of Jesus feeding the 5000 in John 6:1-14. Some Christians see this story as a great miracle, God is powerful, He can supply our every need. He will multiply our loaves and fishes. Yes, it tells us that. But Jesus worked this miracle to show that He was the true bread from heaven, and that people's real need was not the physical food before them, but the spiritual food which is Christ Himself (John 6:32-35). His closest disciples eventually came to understand this, but the crowd followed Jesus because He filled their empty stomachs (John 6:26), when Jesus knew their real need was their unsatisfied and empty hearts (John 6:35).
Our Spiritual Food
The Word of God is called food and we should thirst for it (1 Peter 2:2, Eze 3:3). There are many references to eating and the Word of God (Hebrews 5:11-6:12, 1 Cor. 3:1-4, 10-15, Eph 4:11-16, 1 Pet. 2:1-3, 2 Pet.1:3-10). Christ is the Word (John 1:1), so we feed on Christ, eat His body and His blood by faith, by eating His Word.
The Catholics and similar denominations think they are eating Christ when they eat a small piece of waver and juice or wine every Sunday. But this is not what it means to eat Christ. Because if you do this without fail every Sunday, yet do not read the Word of God, you will spiritually starve. Even though they have all their theologies which "prove" that taking bread and wine each Sunday is eating Christ, our evidence and experience speaks for itself. Eating is entirely a matter of Spirit and faith and God's Word (John 6:63, 64).
Our Future Involves Eating
The future includes eating - we don't stop eating after we go to Heaven. The enjoyment of eating is Christ's reward (Rev 2:7, Matt 22:1-14).
What Eating Means?
With physical food, if we gulp it down without chewing, the nutrients inside will not be released. God gave us many teeth to show us that we need to chew our food. It is the same with spiritual food. We need to chew our food to release the nutrients. Chewing the Word of God is not skim-reading, which is like gulping it down. To chew the Word of God properly we need to spend time meditating on it, reading it over and over, slowly, enjoying it, taking it in, allowing it to touch our most inward part in our spirit, soul and conscience. This should not be done in and by ourselves, but in conjunction with prayer and the Spirit. It is possible to read the word of God in our flesh, but we should do it in the Spirit otherwise it will not be profitable for us (John 6:63). Some people read God's Word every day yet it doesn't profit them because they do not involve the Holy Spirit. It is better to read small portions in the Spirit for 5 to 10 minutes a day, than to read whole chapters in the flesh.
The Results of Eating
Eating properly is the way that we receive nourishment. Without eating we will not be nourished and will not have life. Life is needed for growing, sustaining, and for creating new life. Eating is the way to bear fruit, to overcome, to grow (Matt 7:19).
The root cause of most sin is dissatisfaction. People reach out to the thing which they think will quench their spiritual thirst and hunger. Of course we know that only Christ can fill this void. If we eat Christ and drink the living water, our hunger and thirst will be quenched, we will have no need to turn to sin again. The Christian life is really a matter of life versus death. Sin is not merely breaking the law but falling short of God's glory and life (Rom 3:23). The way that we get God's life and glory into us is to eat.
When we are tempted to sin, we should ask ourselves "does this thing give me life or death"? Does it satisfy me and give me life? or does it make me feel empty and dull? The next question to ask is "what and how am I eating?". If we get a stomach ache, the first thing we think of is what or how we ate. If we have spiritual "stomach aches", what have we been eating? Have we spent time in God's Word lately, or have we been enjoying ourselves in other things?
"Laws are meant to be broken", it is human nature to break the laws, this was a problem with the Law of Moses (Rom 7:6-8). We should change from being sin and law-conscious to being Christ-conscious, or life conscious. We don't need to be so careful about what we do or say, but about what we eat. If we eat the right food (God's Word), we will produce the right kind of fruit - our thoughts, words and actions will take care of themselves (Matt 7:18). Christianity is not about following a set of rules, that is Judaism. Christianity is about living Christ, eating and drinking Him.
When we pray "Lord, help me to be a better person, help me to obey your laws, help me be less angry and more kind", this is a religious kind of prayer and doesn't really work. If we pray "Lord make me a bit taller, or a bit smaller", Christ won't often answer these kinds of prayers. People who seek miracles as a solution to their problems, are like the crowds following Christ wanting to see a miracle. But eating the Word of God diligently and often is the way many people have been delivered from addictions, bondage, sickness and infirmities. Christ doesn't just want to help us in an outward way by giving us loaves and fishes, working miracles, or making small changes here and there, He wants us to eat Him, to receive the spiritual living water, to be satisfied in our heart by Him. Christ wants us to be like Mary (Luke 10:42) and come to Him for rest (Matt 11:28). People who pray "Lord help me do this or that" prayers rarely, if ever, see results. Why? Because they don't want to "eat", they want to "do" or "be" without taking the time to eat. We should pray "Lord, give me a hunger for your Word, remove all the distractions so that I can eat and drink you day by day, Lord you are my food and drink, satisfy my heart". This is a prayer that will please Christ and will work. Eating God's Word will give us life, it will increase our faith, give us new energy and vigor, we will know God's will, our mind and purpose will be clear, we will be strengthened and feel strong, we will not be afraid, our life will bear fruit, there are many benefits to eating God's Word, because it will ultimately lead to us becoming more and more like Christ. The expression goes "you are what you eat", so if we eat Christ, we will become like Christ. The way to do or be anything in the Christian life, is to eat.
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