Bread of Life

Culture of the Kingdom
Today’s Topic: Breaking of Bread: Bread of Life
Scripture: Matthew 6:31-33; John 6:27

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Jesus said in John 6:27 not to work for bread that perishes but that bread that endures unto everlasting life. So it is possible to work for bread that leads to death or work for bread that leads to everlasting life. After the fall man seeked for ways to get bread and he worked by the sweat of His own brow. When mankind was in the Kingdom of God all of his bread was provided and all he had to do was gather. I have not seen in scripture where Adam, when He was in favor with God before the fall, tilled the ground and seeked to find a way to get food. God turned around again in the wilderness with the children of Israel and showed His love and mercy by raining manna (bread) from Heaven. Now the children of Israel did not have to plant or refine grain to get bread in the wilderness, it literally rain from Heaven. All they had to do was gather. God is now drawing a picture. The foundation of that picture is Bread comes from Heaven. Jesus collapses 1500 years of this type and shadow when He makes the declaration in John 6:33: For the bread of God is He that cometh down from Heaven, and giveth life unto the world.” Jesus is the Bread of Life (John 6:48) because He is the Word of God (John 1:1,14). This is why it is vital for every Kingdom citizen and son of God to understand how important Matthew 6:31-33 is.

Matthew 6:31-33:”Therefore take no thought (worrying) saying, What shall we eat (bread)? Or, what shall we drink? Or, wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek) for your Heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

I took that entire section of scripture because even in the great mandate from Jesus we see Jesus telling us not to worry or even say what shall we eat and of course this corresponds to bread but if you seek the Kingdom first then not only are your physical needs met in the form of physical bread but also your spiritual nourishment is met because of the proceeding Word of God from the mouth of God to your ear. Another reference to bread is when Jesus tells His disciples to beware of the LEAVEN of the Pharisees and of the LEAVEN of Herod (Mark 8:15). Usually when we see leaven in scripture it is in reference to sin. In this scripture the leaven is symbolic of the doctrine or bread that Herod and the Pharisees are spreading. Their doctrines do not lead to everlasting life but unto death. This is why Jesus warns the disciples of their bread or doctrines.

We need to beware of the leaven or bread that leads to death. Too many times, we live in the mindset that what we cannot see will not hurt us. When in actuality what you cannot see is what can save your life or lead you to death. Now in the next message we will look at the Bread of Life and how He shows us the third element of Kingdom culture, the breaking of bread.

At the Father’s Service,
Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.