"Unwavering Commitment and Loyalty to The Lord" (John 6:60-71)

Let's talk about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Before we begin, allow me to share with you the purpose of Teach Well Bible Church. The teaching ministry of TWBC is the equipping of Christ followers for the work of service, for the edifying of the church! My aim is to bring as many as the Lord wills to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of Christ. In other words, the focus of this ministry is to help the Christ follower in developing an "unwavering commitment and loyalty to the Lord." This enables the Christ follower to learn, grow, develop, and mature in his or her relationship with God through Jesus Christ. What is a disciple? Is being a disciple the same as being a believer? Are there different kinds of disciples? In the widest sense, the term disciple is defined as, "a learner, student, apprentice, an adherent, a follower." A careful examination of the word "disciple" in the gospel of John supports the idea of different kinds of discipleship. Discipleship in the widest sense is being a learner or follower of Christ. However, discipleship in the narrowest sense, as found in John's gospel, is "an unwavering commitment and loyalty to the Lord!" This is the discipleship which the Lord Jesus Christ teaches and emphasizes! Let's examine our passage. It describes the response of the Lord's disciples to His teaching on Him being the "bread of life" (John 6:22-59). As with many other crowds, the reaction of many of His disciples was unbelief and rejection of Him. In our passage, John speaks of two groups of disciples and their reactions to what Jesus taught. The first group and their response is found in John 6:60-66. Jesus said, "there are some of you who do not believe" (v 64). Verse 66 says, "As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore." This group of disciples abandoned the Lord, and the phrase, "not walking with Him anymore" suggests that their abandonment was final (1 Peter 2:6-8; 1 John 2:19). The second group and their response is found in John 6:67-71. Jesus says to this group, "You do not want to go away also, do you?" (v 67). "Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life" (v 68). Peter knew that there was nowhere else to go to find eternal life! Peter's answer shows true discipleship, an "unwavering commitment and loyalty to the Lord!" Your move. Be encouraged!