I Am the Bread of Life
- Kerry Hartly
- May 18
- 7 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
Sunday the 18th of May 2025
Kerry Hartley
Exodus 3:14 “ God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.”
When God declares, “I Am,” He is revealing that He is everything we could ever need in every situation. He is not just a part-time help or a partial solution—He is the full answer. If you are lonely, He is your comforter. If you are struggling, He is your provider. If you are sick, He is your healer. God’s name, “I Am,” speaks of His sufficiency, power, and presence in every moment of our lives. He is not limited or lacking—He is the great I Am, fully able and fully present.
THE FEASTS
The Bible places great importance on the act of eating together - gathering around a table with good food, meaningful conversation, and great fellowship. This simple act is one of life’s great joys, and throughout Scripture, we see that meals are much more than just physical nourishment—they are moments where relationships are built, hearts are opened, and God is encountered. From the feasts of the Old Testament to the meals Jesus shared with sinners, disciples, and friends, the pattern is clear: the table is a place of connection, community, and transformation.
It's no surprise that many of Jesus’ most powerful moments happened over meals. If we want to reach others with the love of Christ, we must recognise the spiritual value of hospitality and shared meals. It’s not always in the large gatherings or from the stage where lives are changed, but in the everyday act of opening our homes and sharing a meal. This is where real work is done—where ministry becomes personal, where trust is built, and where the presence of God is often most tangibly felt.
Some Examples of feasts in the Bible:
Genesis 18 – the Lord appears to Abraham and Abraham prepares a feast.
Genesis 19 – Lot inviting strangers back for a feast.
Exodus 5 – let our people go because we want to make a feast in the wilderness
Exodus 23 – three times in a hear that people are required to come to together for feast or they will be chased out of the land. Nation came together; feast of tabernacles was 7 days of nonstop feasting!
Exodus 24 – Moses and the elders went up the mountain and saw the glory of God and their reaction was to sit down and eat and drink.
2 Samual 3:20 – David made a feast for Abner and God unite the nations together
1 Kings 3 – King Solomon had a dream and his reaction upon waking was to worship and them make a feast
2 Chronicles 7 – To dedicate the newly built temple there was a 7 day feast
Nehemiah- whole book is essentially about the feasts being restored
Isaiah 25 – mountain of the lord, place where God dwells. This is a place of deliverance, peace and feasting
Jesus’s first miracle is at a feast – the wedding feast.
Matthew 25 – How we are going to be judged. Did we feed the hungry?
Luke 22 – Jesus is going to prepare a table for us, where we can feast with Him
Passover – the last supper, day for the crucifixion was marked with a feast
Resurrection – Jesus was sitting on the beach and prepared a feast of fish
50 days later – the disciples were in the upper room, a place for eating, partaking in the feast of Pentecost and the Holy Spirit came
Acts 2 – 3000 people meet together and broke bread from house to house – sat down and had a meal together) and God added to the church daily.
There is a powerful and consistent theme throughout Scripture: food and God, food and Jesus, fellowship and the presence of God. These are not just casual connections—they reveal the deep importance and value of coming together in community. We were never meant to walk the journey of faith alone.
It is often around the table where the most meaningful ministry happens. Our homes play a vital role in building the Kingdom of God, serving as sacred spaces where people can encounter His love through fellowship, conversation, and hospitality.
If we are serious about reaching our communities, we must be willing to open not just our church doors, but also our homes, our hearts, and even our refrigerators. Our community is not just where we live—it is our mission field.
Discussion Questions:
Why do you think God places such importance on eating and feasting in Scripture?
How can hospitality and shared meals be a tool for ministry today?
How does/could your home reflect God's invitation to community and connection?
Jesus is the bread that sustains us—our true source of life and nourishment. And when we experience something as good and fulfilling as a relationship with God, it stirs a deeper hunger for more of Him.
One of the ways that hunger is fed is through fellowship. The Christ that lives inside our brothers and sisters can nourish the longing for Christ in us. We were created for connection, and spiritual growth doesn’t happen in isolation. A relationship with God and a relationship with others go hand in hand; they are inseparable parts of the same calling to live in love, unity, and community.
John 6: 35-40 “35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
I Will Statements of Jesus
Jesus makes several powerful “I will” statements that reveal His heart, His mission, and His promises to those who believe in Him.
He says, “I will never drive away” those who come to Him, offering complete acceptance and security.
He declares, “I will do the will of Him who sent me,” showing His perfect obedience to the Father.
He promises, “I will lose none of all those He has given me,” assuring us of His commitment to hold us firm.
He continues, “I will raise them up at the last day,” a repeated promise that appears multiple times, affirming the hope of resurrection and eternal life for believers.
These “I will” statements are not vague hopes—they are divine guarantees spoken by the Bread of Life Himself. Each one reflects Jesus’ deep love, His saving power, and His unwavering faithfulness.
Together, they form a foundation of confidence for every believer: that in Christ, we are known, kept, and promised everlasting life.
Discussion Questions:
· How do these promises in John 6:35–40 encourage your faith?
· What do these verses teach us about eternal security and our assurance in Christ?
John 6: 48-5548 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” [….] 53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. “
To eat of something means to partake of it, to feed on it, and to fully give ourselves to it. In the same way, we must learn to feed on Jesus, to partake of Him, and to carry Him within us—allowing His life to shape who we are. When others look at us, they should see a clear reflection of Jesus Himself; for many, we may be their only encounter with Him. Our ministry is not about holding God tightly for our own benefit, but about serving God’s will by loving and serving others. If we desire to see a powerful move of God, it won’t depend on just one person or one team—it requires all of us working together. What an incredible privilege!
· What does it mean to “feed” on Jesus?
· Jesus says that unless we eat His flesh and drink His blood, we have no life. What does this mean?
Note: The early church called their gatherings a “love feast.” Real fellowship—koinonia—is about sharing life, building one another up, and loving as Jesus did. In the early church they called their meetings a ‘love feast’, it was a special time that people wanted to be a part of.
1 Corinthians 11:20-22 “So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, 21 for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. 22 Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!”
Paul is confronting the misuse and abuse of what was meant to be a sacred and unifying time of feasting and fellowship within the early church. Instead of coming together in love and mutual respect, some were acting out of selfishness and greed, indulging themselves while others went hungry or were neglected.
This behaviour not only disrupted the unity of the community but also dishonoured the purpose of the Lord’s Supper as a time to remember Christ’s sacrifice and express genuine care for one another.
Paul’s words serve as a strong challenge to the church to reflect on how they were treating their brothers and sisters, calling them back to the true spirit of fellowship—a spirit marked by generosity, humility, and sacrificial love. He reminds them that genuine Christian community requires looking out for one another’s needs, rather than advancing personal desires at the expense of others.
· What does “koinonia” mean to you?
· How can we grow in authentic, Christ-centred fellowship as a connect group?
· How do we guard against turning church or connect group into something self-serving?
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