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The Citizen, 2017-05-18, Page 17t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 18, 2017. PAGE 17. From the Minister's Study Jesus is the `bread of life' says Versteeg By Pastor Andrew Versteeg Brussels Community Bible Chapel Bread. I love bread. It is tasty, filling and nutritious. It is life sustaining, satisfying and an important food group in our diets. For as long as we know, we have been growing cereal grains to make bread. Bread is a basic part of diets all over the world. One day Jesus startled a large crowd. They were listening to Him teach and watching Him do miracles and He said something that scandalized them. He said, "I am the bread of life that God sent down from heaven" (John 6:35 - 38). The context was this. Jesus was in a remote place and many people had come to see Him. He had been healing the sick and teaching and the day had slipped away. The people had been so eager to see Him that they had brought no food and now the situation had become desperate. Jesus turned to one of His disciples and asked him, "where are we going to buy enough bread to feed all these people?" There was no place to buy bread there, but one of the disciples found a young boy who had come prepared with some lunch. So Jesus took that lunch and performed a miracle, producing enough bread to feed the entire crowd which numbered in the thousands. The people were astounded. They wanted to make Jesus their king. They wanted Him to be their leader and provide for them all the time. But Jesus would have none of it. He had performed this miracle to help the desperate people. He had also performed this miracle to give opportunity for a greater truth; namely, that He was the bread of life. Jesus reminded them how God had provided for their ancestors while they journeyed through the wilderness from Egypt to the Promised Land. God had sent down bread every evening for them to pick Book Your Ad Now for the 2017 IPM Issue 35,000 copies in total Call The Citizen 519-523-4792 or contact sales representatives Brenda Nyveld & Heather Fraser e-mail: ads@northhuron.on.ca Living 11Vater Cfiriahait Irdlleaip May 21: Matt. 9:14-17 "Fasting, Change, and the Kingdom of God as a PARTY!!" Evangelical Missionary Church Small Group • Mon. 7:30 pm at GSM Lisle's, Wingham Youth Group • Wed. 6:30.6:30 pm at Huron Chapel EMC, Auburn 10:30 a.m. — Worship & Sunday School at 308 Blyth Rd. (former Church of God) Pastor: Ernest Dow - 519-523-4848 getlivingwater.org� 16.1 from the ground. In the morning they went out and found their bread waiting for them. It was their daily bread. Then Jesus told them, "it is My Father who gives the true bread out of heaven." What He meant by "true bread" was the true spiritual bread. This bread given by God would give life to the world. The people thought He was still talking about physical bread so they said, "Lord, always give us this bread." They wanted Jesus to keep doing these miracles to continually supply them with bread. What Jesus said in response set the people back. Jesus said, "I am the bread of life; He who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst" (John 6:35). The bread that God gave in the wilderness pointed to a greater reality, namely Jesus. That bread gave them physical life, Jesus gives spiritual life. Jesus does provide daily bread for us and we thank Him daily for that. But He wants us to see something more. He wants us to see that we have a need for something greater than physical life. We have a need for spiritual and eternal life with God beyond the grave. God has sent His Son, Jesus, to make that available for us. This is why He said, "I am the bread of life" The reaction of the people showed that they were not hungry for that kind of bread. What they wanted most was physical bread. They were primarily interested in having God's blessings for this life. But that kind of thinking is too shallow. We need to think a bit deeper than that. We have to realize that we are not just physical beings, but that we are also spiritual beings with eternal souls. The people were also scandalized at the thought of having someone like Jesus be their "bread of life." It meant that they would have to trust that Jesus would give His life for • BRUSSELS United Church WORSHIP SERVICE AND SUNDAY SCHOOL 10:00 am Bulletin notices: 519-523-4224 blythunited@tcc.on.ca Church bookings: 519-887-6377 Everyone welcome ANGLICAN PARISH OF NEW BEGINNINGS BLYTH ,Trinity (k 9:15 am Church Office 519-357-4883 BRUSSELS St. John's 11:15 am Church Office 519-887-6862 Everyone Welcome! COME WORSHIP WITH USI Steamed eommIleatv Vac eitaftee Sunday, May 21 Brussels Business & Cultural Centre at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Sunday School for children 4 to 12 years of age at 9:30 a.m. Childcare provided for infants and preschoolers during the sermon. Coffee & cookies after the morning service. For additional details please contact Pastor Andrew Versteeg 519.887.8621 Steve Klumpenhower 519.292.0965 Rick Packer 519.527.0173 Blyth United Church Est. 1875 Worship Service & Sunday School at 11:00 a.m. Sunday, May 21 Join us as we welcome our guest speaker Pastor Sandra Cable All are welcome OFFICE: 519-523-4224 them and that they would have to adopt the ways of Jesus for themselves and follow Him. God created us to live forever, but we have sinned against God and have turned away from Him. Sin is disobedience against God and this has brought pain of all kinds into our lives resulting in physical death and also spiritual death. Spiritual death is life without God in the present and eternal separation from God in hell after this life. But Jesus, as the sinless Son of God and Son of Man has come to give us true life by living a sinless life and laying down His life for us. He calls us to believe in Him and receive Him as our Savior. Jesus' invitation and promise to us is this: "I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever" (John 6:51). BUY? SELL? TRY CLASSIFIED You re S] ii'ited JLC 7oil'l SUNDAYS Morning Service 10:00 am Evening Service 7:30 pm BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH A& Minister: Pastor Gary van Leeuwen Hwy. 4, Blyth www.blythcrc.ca 519-523-4743 MELVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BRUSSELS SUNDAY, MAY 21 We invite you to join our church family in: Worship & Sunday School - 11 am Coffee & Snacks following the service Fridays 11:30 am - 1:00 pm - Soup & More 2 - a free community meal held in Melville's basement, and made possible by the Brussels churches working together. Nursery care available 519-887-6687 Every Sunday in Auburn @ 10:30am - huronchapel.com THE CATHOLIC PARISHES OF NORTH HURON AND NORTH PERTH CORDIALLY INVITE YOU TO ATTEND HOLY MASS. OUR SUNDAY LITURGIES ARE AS FOLLOWS: Brussels: St. Ambrose Saturday 6:00 p.m. 17 Flora Street Wingham: Sacred Heart Sunday 9:00 a.m. 220 Carling Terrace Listowel: St. Joseph's Sunday 11:00 a.m. 1025 Wallace Avenue N.