Jesus at the Centre

2010
Monday, 11 January
04:55:07

Me: Good Morning Lord, Thank you for waking me this morning and for a good nights sleep. I Love you.

Lord: Good morning Son, Welcome to our session of praise this morning. (Time of praise and worship and a reading from John 6 25-59)

Me: Lord, what must we do, to be doing the works that God requires?

Lord: The work God requires of all of you is the same as it always was, that you believe in the one he has sent. The Gospel of Jesus is the centre. (John 6.21)

Before you can come into the centre of my will, before you can even creep into the corner of my throne room you must have the name of Jesus, my beloved son, written on your heart. In order for the name of Jesus to be written on your heart you need to take the Word, that's Jesus, and take him into yourself. Some simplify that truth in the words, ask Jesus into their lives. It is that simple but the truth of what that simple step does is profound. To receive Jesus into your life is like taking a mouthful of food and chewing on it, with every chew you get more flavour and more nourishment. The symbolism of Jesus as My Word, and the Bread of Life, is not accidental. The Word, my word needs to be listened to, taken in, chewed over and digested. In exactly the same way you take food into your bodies, so you must take, eat and digest the Word of God. As you absorb and digest the Word of God in Jesus, you will find the desire to be more like Jesus. In order to be like Jesus you must take his life into yourself. The life of every living creature is in the blood, so taking the life of Jesus into your being is to have his blood flowing in your veins. When my Son was crucified on the Cross of Calvary, His precious life giving blood was shed. It flowed from his side and He died. It was through this act of dying and shedding his blood that you and all men and women find salvation. Take his Life into you. like drinking a cup of wine helps the food go down, so you need to take the life of Jesus into you to make the Word of God live. DO NOT make the mistake of worshipping the elements of bread and wine. This was never the Lords intention. He wanted, that whenever we shared a meal together with those who believe in Jesus, you remember that every Word He spoke, and every drop of blood he shed, was for you, and to treasure and nurture the Word of salvation in your hearts and lives. It is a sadness to me that this very simple illustration of the truth has in itself become a matter of ritual and even worship. That is not my intention. A ritual looses its potency and soon becomes a stumbling block when those who partake, forget, or do not fully understand the meaning. Yes I know the words of the Communion rite contain all the teaching needed, but because it has become a thing you do, even that washes over people without going in. I want my children to worship Jesus and to believe in him and in what he has done for their salvation, not because they like the ritual of eating a sliver of paste or having a sip of wine.

Martin, when you lead my people in the Eucharist, I want you to share this meal in a new and living way. Let all those who love Jesus partake. For those who don't know him or love him, it is better they do not pretend.

Those who claim that the Eucharist is central to Anglican or Catholic worship, have totally missed the point. It is not to be the centre at all. Jesus is the only centre in the Christian walk, and you should worship Him, not any symbol or rite. The Eucharist is only a symbol to help you understand that truth. The established Churches must re-focus and re-centre if they are to survive. If Jesus is not in the centre, they are lost, and are of no use in this revival.

John 6:53-56 (NIV)

Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.

Me: Lord, does that mean we shouldn't have Communion Services?

Lord: No, that is not what I am saying. Jesus instituted Communion to be a help to you, only He intended it to be as the Christian family came together to share a meal together, a remembrance of Him, and all that he achieved on the Cross. He made no rules about children not receiving, or of the elements becoming anything more than a symbol. It is as you receive Jesus and His Word, and as you take His life blood into your system, that you become more like Him. This can just as easily be done without the symbols. The rite of communion is not magic! It is supposed to be an aid, nothing more.

My message to you and to my Church today is simple, Jesus is the Centre.