John 6:26
“Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.”
How is it that a person who served the LORD ends up quitting church and becomes disenchanted with Jesus Christ? We often hear that Jesus always satisfies, and He does; however, there is still the problem that there are some who once served in church ministries who no longer want anything to do with Christianity. We have heard their excuses and the explanations of those in Christian leadership, but it still doesn’t answer the question.
The question can be found in the story from the verse above. Jesus had just finished the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand. He and His disciples got into a boat that night and crossed over the sea. When the people came to where Jesus taught the next day and saw that nobody was there, they also crossed over to see Jesus. These people were following Jesus, but they were following Him for the wrong reason. You will notice that Jesus said about them, “…Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.” These people were not following Jesus, they were following the miracles and the loaves of bread.
Herein is the answer as to why people become disenchanted with Christianity. It is hard to believe that anyone could ever become disappointed with Christ, but when their focus is wrong they will no longer be satisfied with Him. They focused on that which never satisfies, and that is why they eventually stopped following Christ.
You must be careful that you don’t follow the miracles. There are many people who jump from one large ministry to the next, and then they become disappointed with Christianity. If you follow the miracles and then the miracles stop, then where will you go? There is nothing wrong with enjoying the miracles, but you must not keep your focus on them. The purpose of the miraculous is not to focus on the miracle, but the purpose is to get you to focus on the One Who performed the miracle and that is Jesus Christ.
Moreover, you must be careful that you don’t follow that which is satisfying to your flesh. These people were seeking Jesus not because Him, but because they ate the bread and were filled. They followed Jesus as long as He satisfied their personal needs, but when He stopped performing the miracles that benefited them, then they stopped following Him. You cannot fall into the trap of saying, “What’s in it for me.” There will be times in Christianity when serving the LORD will have no benefit to you. If you are only following Christ because of the benefits, then you will one day be another story of someone who used to serve the LORD.
Friend, your focus must be on Jesus Christ. That is the only focus that will satisfy at all times. Don’t focus on His miracles, but stay focused on Him. Don’t focus on what He can do for you, but stay focused on Who He is. Anytime you get your focus off Christ, you will eventually become dissatisfied. Many people who served the LORD and were leaders in the church sit in their homes today disgruntled because they had the wrong focus. Stop following the miracles and start following Christ. That is the only focus that satisfies eternally.