TRUNEWS with Rick Wiles - The Table Fellowship of Jesus

Episode Date: December 30, 2021

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Rick Wiles and the team at TruNews. All this week we are presenting special holiday editions of the Godcast, sharing some of the best of Rick's teachings related to the Advent Season. Also featured is the worship team of New Zion Assembly, as they share seasonal, uplifting praise to celebrate the birth of the King of Kings.

Well, welcome to a special Christmas week edition of True News. I'm taking a break from discussing the world's bad news. Instead, I desire to speak only about God's good news. My topic today is the table fellowship ministry of Jesus. Yes, Jesus did a lot of ministry around the dinner table, and he still does it today. Have you ever considered how many times Jesus was eating a meal while ministering to people. Perhaps there's something there for the modern church to learn from the ancient church. The four gospels contain numerous references to Jesus ministering to people involving food. Meals or food is mentioned often in the four gospels. In fact, food is often

mentioned throughout the Bible, from Genesis to the revelation of Jesus Christ. In Genesis, sin came into humanity when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil that was in the midst of the Bible. Jesus said in Revelation 2, 7, he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit has to say to the churches, to him who overcomes. I will give permission to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. Adam and Eve ate a meal that brought death. The saints of God will eat a meal that brings life. That's the Lord's Supper. Two trees, two fruits, two meals, two results. Jesus spoke often about food and meals.

Many of his most spectacular miracles were performed during meals. He also told parables around the dinner table. A vast portion of the four Gospels involves Jesus going to or coming from a meal. Now, I came to realize that Jesus had a table fellowship ministry. And the more I studied the Gospels about his table fellowship ministry, I came to a simple conclusion about his method of evangelizing the lost. Jesus ate good food with bad people. That says it all. The modern church would do well if we followed his example. What would happen if every Christian family opens their homes every week to unsaved people for a meal? We could evangelize cities, states, and nations by simply encouraging saints to invite their lost neighbors and friends to dinner or a weekend meal.

A relaxed atmosphere of fellowship around the table is the best place to impart spiritual truth about the kingdom of God. Meals are important social rituals in all societies. Meals foster kinship among friends and family. People bond with each other around the table. Meals enforce social boundaries based on hierarchy, wealth, status, age, honor. Meals perpetuate social customs and meals denote social rank based on the seating arrangement. Jesus used meals to touch all aspects of society. He used meals to reconfigure relationships, to disregard social status, to disregard religious purity rituals, to challenge commonly held

beliefs, to illustrate his sermons, and to teach kingdom values, and to perform miracles. Food and meals are mentioned throughout the Gospels. Satan's first temptation was to goad Jesus to turn stones into bread during the 40-day fast. And Jesus quoted scripture saying, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Next, he told Peter and Andrew he would make them fishers of men. In Syria, he admonished the crowds to not worry about food, drink, housing, clothing. He said that they are the salt and that they must have flavor. He classified the human population as two types of trees.

One tree produces good fruit. The other tree produces bad fruit. His first miracle was performed at a wedding feast for the benefit of his mother, Mary. The host ran out of wine for the many guests, and Mary appealed to her son, Jesus. There were six large stone pots that could hold about 20 to 30 gallons of water each, and Jesus instructed the servants of the host. He said, fill the water pots with water. Then he said, draw out some and give it to the master of the feast. The master exclaimed that the wine was the best he had ever tasted. And this was the first miraculous sign

performed by Jesus. And his glory was first revealed at a wedding feast because his mother was concerned about the honor and reputations of the bridegroom and the host of the feast. One of the first accusations against Jesus by the Jewish ruling elite was that he ate meals with sinners. They also accused Jesus of eating too much, eating too often, and not fasting. Another food-related accusation was that Jesus' disciples did not wash their hands before eating bread. The Jewish rabbis called him a glutton, a drunkard, and a friend of sinners. Jesus used his table fellowship ministry to teach the Jewish religious elite something about mercy and humility. Jesus saw a tax collector named Levi

sitting at his tax collection station. Jesus told Levi to follow him, and Levi jumped up and went with Jesus. The tax collector made Jesus a great feast in his house. And he invited many tax collectors and others to the feast. The Jewish elite griped about the meal. They arrogantly asked, why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners? And Jesus had an answer for them. He said, those who are well do not need a physician, but those who are sick. I've not come to call the righteous, but sinners to

repentance. Jesus also used a meal to teach the Jewish elite about forgiveness and faith. A Pharisee invited Jesus to dinner at his house. A woman in the city with a bad reputation as a sinner heard that Jesus was there. She entered the Pharisee's house and brought an alabaster jar of ointment. She wept as she stood behind Jesus. The woman washed Jesus's feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. She kissed his feet and she anointed them with the expensive ointment. The pompous Pharisee said to himself, if Jesus is a prophet, he should know that she's a sinner.

And Jesus said, I've got something to say to you. Jesus said a creditor had two debtors. The one owed 500 denarii and the other 50. When they had no money to pay, he freely forgave them both. Tell me, therefore, which of them will love him more? The Pharisee said, well, I suppose he whom he forgave more. And Jesus said, that's the right answer. Then he turned to the woman and he said to Simon, do you see this woman? I entered your house. You didn't give me any water for my

feet, but she has washed my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but this woman, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but this woman has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little loves little. Then he said to her, your sins are forgiven. And those who sat at the supper with him began to say to themselves, who is he who even forgives sins? He said it to the woman, your faith has saved you. Go in peace. Now Jesus used another meal to teach the Jewish rulers about forgiveness.

As Jesus passed through Jericho, a rich tax collector named Zacchaeus tried to get a glimpse of Jesus. The tax collector was a short man. He couldn't see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed into a sycamore tree to see Jesus. When he passed that way, Jesus spotted Zacchaeus in the tree and said, Zacchaeus, hurry and come down for today. I must remain at your house. Yes, Jesus, the son of God, invited himself to dinner at Zacchaeus' house. The religious people mumbled about Jesus hanging out with the chief tax collector, a sinner. Zacchaeus, however, came under conviction and he vowed to Jesus that he would give half of his possessions to the poor and that he would pay back four times in restitution if he took anything from anybody unfairly.

And Jesus said to him at that dinner, today salvation has come to this house because he is also is a son of Abraham. For the son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. Now Jesus used the washing of hands before a meal to teach the people about issues of the heart and the words of their mouth. He told the people that they are not defiled by what goes into their mouths, but by the words that come out of their mouths. Jesus said, Do you not yet understand that whatever enters at the mouth goes into the stomach and is cast out into the sewer?

But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceeds evil thoughts, murders, adultery, sexual immorality, thefts, false witness, and blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man. But to eat with unwashed hands, that does not defile a man. Now some of the greatest miracles were performed at dinner. How would you like to have 5,000 hungry men show up for dinner along with their wives and children? The disciples didn't know how to feed them, but the master chef had the meal prepared before the beginning of time. The master chef, Jesus, hosted one of the biggest fish fry dinners ever known to man.

When Jesus heard that his cousin, John the Baptist, had been beheaded by King Herod, he departed by boat for a deserted place. And the people heard about it and they followed him on foot from many cities. And Jesus was moved with compassion toward the people and he healed the sick. At evening, his disciples came to him and they said, the day is over, master. There's no food.

Please tell these people to go to the villages and buy themselves some food. But Jesus said, there's no need for them to leave. You find them something to eat. Startled, they said, we only have five loaves of bread and two fish. The Lord told the people to sit down on the grass. He held the bread and the fish. He lifted it up to heaven. He blessed the food. He broke the loaves and he gave it to the disciples to distribute.

And everybody ate until their tummies were full. And when they picked up the leftovers, the Bible says that there were 12 baskets full of food. Then Jesus had another big fish fry. This time there were 4,000 hungry men plus their wives and children. He tested the faith of his disciples. He told them that he had compassion on the people because they'd been with him for three days and had nothing to eat.

Jesus said, the people will faint in the hot sun if we send them away fasting. His disbelieving disciples asked, where can one get bread here in the wilderness? Jesus asked them, how much bread do you have now? They said, seven loaves. Once again, Jesus did the same thing. He instructed the people to sit down on the ground. He took the seven loaves. He lifted it up to heaven. He gave thanks. He blessed the loaves. And then he gave the bread to the disciples to distribute. They also had two small fish and he blessed the fish too. Everybody there ate until their bellies were stuffed. Seven baskets of leftovers were collected.

It was at Passover, at the Passover feast, that Jesus taught humility to his disciples by washing their feet. And it was at the Passover feast that Jesus instituted the Eucharist sacrament, the Lord's Supper, Holy Communion. Mark 14, verses 22 through 25. As they were eating, Jesus took bread. He blessed and broke it. He gave it to them saying, take, eat.

This is my body. Then he took the cup. And when he had given thanks, he gave it to them and they all drank from it. And he said to them, this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many. Truly, I say to you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God. Then after his crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus appeared numerous times to his disciples prior to his ascension to heaven. One of my favorite scriptures is when he startled disciples who were still in shock by what happened in Jerusalem. He asked them for food.

You can read about it in Luke 24, verses 36 through 43. The Bible says, and they were saying this. As they were saying this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, Peace be unto you. They were terrified and frightened and supposed that they saw a spirit. Then he said to them, Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I, myself feel me touch me and see for a spirit does not

have flesh and bones as you can see that i have and when he said this he showed them his hands and his feet and while they yet disbelieved for joy and wonder he said to them, do you have any food here? They gave him a piece of broiled fish and some honeycomb, and he took it and he ate it before them. Now, by far, my all-time favorite Bible verse about Jesus and food is found in the story about the encounter two men had on the road to Emmaus as they talked about the crucifixion of Jesus in Jerusalem. You can read it in Luke 24, verses 13 through 35.

The Bible says, now, that same day, two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they communed and reasoned together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. He said to them, what kind of communication are you sharing with one another while you are walking? And why are you so sad? And one of them answered, are you the only foreigner in Jerusalem who does not know what has happened there in these days?

And he said to them, what things? They said to him, concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet, powerful indeed, and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him. But we were hoping that it was he who was to redeem Israel. Moreover, today is the third day since these things happened. Even some women from among us who arrived early at the tomb surprised us. When they did not find his body, they returned saying that they had even seen visions of angels who said that he's alive.

Then some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it, just as the women had said, but they did not see him. Jesus said to these men, O fools and slow of heart to believe what the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter his glory? And beginning with Moses and all the prophets he explained to them the things concerning himself in all the scriptures well they drew near the village where they were traveling and he seemed to be going farther but they urged him saying stay with us for it's nearly evening and the day is far spent so he went in to stay with them. Now listen to this.

As he sat at supper with them, he took the bread, he blessed it, and he broke it, and he gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, and he vanished out of their sight. They said to each other, did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the way and while he opened the scriptures to us? They rose up and returned to Jerusalem at once and they found the eleven and those who were with them assembled together saying, the Lord has risen indeed and has appeared to Simon. Then they reported what had happened to them on the way and how he was recognized by them in the breaking of bread. My friend, they walked alongside Jesus and they did not recognize him. They talked to Jesus and they did not know him.

They did not see Jesus until they gathered around the Lord's table and he broke bread. You can go to church all your life and never know Jesus. You will only truly see Jesus at his table in the breaking of bread. Are you hungry to see and know Jesus? Do you thirst for him? There is one place your soul can be satisfied. It is at the holy table. Come and dine. Jesus is both the host and the meal. John 6, 35. Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall never hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. John 6, 48, I am the bread of life. John 6, 51, I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.

The bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh. John 6, 47 through 58. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness and they died. This is the bread which comes down from heaven that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. My friends, the Jews quarreled among themselves saying, how can this man give us his flesh to eat?

And Jesus said, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last days. For my flesh is food indeed, for my flesh is food indeed. And my blood is drink indeed. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. As the living father sent me and as I live because of the father, so whoever feeds on me also will live because of me.

This is the bread which came down from heaven, not as your fathers ate manna and died. He who eats this bread will live forever. My dear friend, the Lord's supper is not crackers and grape juice. It is the flesh and blood of the risen savior his presence is real in the divine meal he said that if you do not eat his flesh and drink his blood there is no life in you jesus said whoever eats his flesh and drinks his blood shall have eternal life and he shall raise him up on the last day. The last day is the second coming of Jesus Christ. He shall return one time, not twice, one time and all the graves shall open. All the souls shall be reunited with their bodies. The wicked shall be bundled and burned in the lake of fire and the righteous shall dwell with God in new Jerusalem. His kingdom

shall have no end. How many times have you heard preachers tell people that Jesus is standing at the door of their hearts desiring to come in? The scripture is found in Revelation 3 20. Listen, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him and he with me. What does Jesus desire to do when you open the door when he knocks? He desires to have supper with you. It's the Lord's Supper. And Jesus is both the host and the meal.

He serves himself in the Holy Communion meal. I hope this message has blessed you. Remember, the best place to meet Jesus is at the Lord's table. You will see him when you break bread. His presence is real. Thank you for watching this Christmas week special from True News. Let's close today with a Christmas carol performed by the Flowing Streams Praise Team. O come, O come, Emmanuel

And ransom captive Israel That mourns in lowly exile here until the son of god Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel O come, thou rod of Jesse, free Night on from Satan's tyranny From death's unhealed thy people sing will say and give them victory over

the grave Rejoice Rejoice Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel Emmanuel Emmanuel Emmanuel O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer

Our spirits fight on Advent here Disperse the gloomy clouds of night and that's dark shadows put to fly reach reach you and Emmanuel Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel Shall come to thee, O Israel Shall come to thee, O Israel