Articles
What Do You Need?
What Do You Need?
“Fill ‘er up!”
I, very nervously, stared at my fuel gauge not long ago as the low gas warning light illuminated. I was in the middle of the national forest, and it was well past midnight. Poor planning on my part had put me in a predicament and I could only hope for either an open gas station or that my truck could run on fumes fifty-five miles until I got into town where I knew of an open station close to my home.
I will mention now that I am very thankful for the fuel efficiency of my modern truck.
Fueling stations are a necessity of modern life. Without petrol fuel, the entirety of the modern world would screech to a halt instantly. Like with any other business, there is competition. Many fueling stations will offer not only several types of fuel, but different things to attract customers to them rather than the competitor across the street. Some offer food, advertise clean bathrooms, some offer a grand selection of snacks and bottled drinks, some start branding anything they can and offer merchandise. One brand, extremely popular among interstates in the southern United States, make their store the epitome of gas station stops to the point where the gas station becomes the destination. They even have a theme park style bever mascot for kids to take pictures with wandering in the store!
While all those things are fun, delicious, and convenient, that late night on my way home from work, only one thing would get me to my destination, and it was not “homemade” fudge, iconic mascot images, unique snacks, or the busiest bathrooms around. It was regular unleaded gasoline. If the pumps do not work, what is the use of all the other hoopla? The fact that, on my family trips, we make it a point to stop at this destination waypoint not for gas, but for all the other glittery madness is very reminiscent of modern churches today.
In John 6, Jesus, out of necessity, fed 5,000 people using only five barley loves and two fishes. It was a miracle that Jesus brought forth for the sake of the people there, but later in the chapter, the crowd chased Jesus around to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus tells them in verse 26 that, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.”
Many modern churches today attract the same type of person. They offer so many programs, events, and amenities that sometimes the goers of these places can forget why it exists in the first place. Just like the gas station, they stop for the unique food, and a boasted “world’s largest” something, and do not actually fill their gas tank to get them to their destination.
Jesus reminds us in the very next verse, “Do not work for the food that perishes, buy for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on Him God the Father has set His seal.”
Coming to the assembly is a place where we fill our spiritual tank. We study God’s word, searching for that “bread of life” Jesus describes in verse 35 of that same chapter. When we offer distractions and even things which take away from that purpose, the assembly has forgotten their purpose, and instead focuses on the worldly things. The fancy beef jerky may be tasty, but when the car stalls and leaves you stranded on the side of the road in the deserted parts where there is darkness, weeping, and gnashing of teeth, it will be too late.
Lance Byers
10/26/2024
- What_Do_You_Need_10-26-24.pdf (48.47 kB)
