The Lord says He will rebuke and chasten those whom He loves. When He does this some believers get angry at God. Wrong response! When we are rebuked by the Lord we are to repent fervently. To be angry with God is to prove there is deep rebellion and lawlessness in our personality.

We are not to faint in dismay when Jesus rebukes us for our sin and carelessness. This is only a sign He loves us.

The Lord is standing at the door of the hearts of Christians. We have our church thing and now we are facing something else. Christ Himself is asking for entrance into our personality.

He is ready to eat and drink with us. The food is His flesh and the drink is His blood. We are married to the Lamb by eating the Lamb and drinking His blood.

One time the Lord had a revival going thousands of people. Then He left them and started out to hike across the lake.

He had multiplied food for them. Free lunch. Great! "The rabbi can teach whatever He wants. The bread and fish were the best I've ever tasted."

The next morning guess what happened? They got hungry again so here they came.

They didn't want to act crude and ask for more food so they came up with, "Why Master, when did you get here?"

Jesus didn't even bother to answer.

Then Jesus forsook all the principles of church growth. He deliberately began to teach things He knew would drive away all but the most sincere.

This is good to do every once in a while. It gets rid of the dead wood.

Now came the greatest backdoor revival in history. The free-lunch crowd left by the thousands. I've held some backdoor revivals in my time but this was on the grand scale.

Not enough people left to make the mortgage payments.

Did He have to say, "Eat My flesh and drink My blood"? Oy!

Of all the things to speak to the Orthodox. No wonder they left!

"Will you also go?"

Peter said, "You can preach whatever you like. You are the only show in town. I'm staying with you."

When we have the attitude that no matter what takes place we're betting on Jesus, then we pass from the ranks of the called to the smaller company of the chosen.

I guess Jesus never studied the principles of church growth.

When you talk about eating the flesh of Christ and drinking His blood you may offend many of today's believers. They can go for the Communion service but that's far enough. (It was too far for the free-lunch congregation.)

But the true Christian can't get enough of the body and blood of the Lord. He wants to eat Christ's flesh continually and drink His blood. He desires to live by Christ as Christ lives by the Father. The talk about mansions in Heaven and acres of diamonds makes him sick. He wants Christ!

When we Christians let Christ into us and live by His body and blood we soon find strength and joy in driving King Self from the throne of our personality. Then the Father and Christ come and sit on that throne.

After a while, when the Lord is sure of our obedience, He permits us to get back on the throne that is in us. Now there are three of us on the throne of our personality the Father, the Son, and us.

You always get everything of worth back, but only after it has died and been raised again in Christ.

The greatest reward of all is offered to the worst of all churches. But notice the supreme wisdom and humor of God! To the church of the "rights" of people, the miserable humans who think the universe owes them everything they desire, the opportunity is given to surrender all of their rights to another, to God.

After they have learned to enjoy being the slave of God they are permitted back on the throne. Neat, huh?