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Wednesday, April 2, 2025

JESUS' Teachings That Most Churches Depart From


If there's anything Jesus zeroed in, it's radical lowliness. Not the religious lowliness that is pretended in church to attract people to membership or to stay in the membership. This lowliness is fake and masks the real rottenness within which surfaces mostly in money matters---especially if you give away church money to the poor just like that witout ROI (which Jesus taught in his Beatitudes). Or, if you try to touch their personal money, like borrowing it from them.

Photo by john ko on Unsplash.

Jesus Christ emphasizes radical generosity, selflessness, and unconditional love. However, the modern church teachings often seem to diverge from these principles, prioritizing material wealth, institutional growth, and self-preservation over selfless giving. Central to Jesus’ message is the command to give up our possessions and care for the poor. In passages such as Luke 18:22, Jesus tells the rich young ruler to sell all he has, give to the poor, and follow Him. Yet, many churches today hoard wealth in the form of vast properties, luxurious facilities, and impressive programs, seemingly neglecting Christ's call to radical generosity.

Jesus also taught us to give to anyone who asks and to lend without expecting repayment (Luke 6:30-35). This reflects God's boundless mercy and grace—giving freely, even when it is undeserved. Yet, contemporary Christian practices often favor calculated generosity, extended only to those who can reciprocate or prove their "worthiness." This selective compassion contrasts with the unconditional love that Christ modeled and commands His followers to embody.

True believers are called to live out the two greatest commandments: to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:30-31). This love is not theoretical or limited to rituals and sermons—it is active, practical, and selfless (it's not "sacrificial" where you lose something and gain nothing. It's "selfless" because this giving kills the ego but rewards your soul). 

It means intentionally obeying Jesus' teachings, even when it challenges our comfort or societal norms. Radical living, as exemplified by the early church in the Book of Acts, involved selling possessions and distributing to anyone in need (Acts 2:44-45). This model of communal generosity and selflessness demonstrated the essence of Christian love and faith in action.

Denominations that accumulate immense wealth and invest in opulent buildings may inadvertently stray from Jesus’ example. Such resources could instead be directed toward alleviating poverty, aiding the needy, and embodying the kingdom of God on Earth. The church must evaluate whether its actions and value system align with Christ’s teachings or reflect worldly priorities.

In a world riddled with inequality, intentional obedience to Jesus’ radical call to generosity is crucial. Returning to His teachings means relinquishing attachment to material possessions, giving selflessly to anyone in need, and living a life that demonstrates love for God and neighbors in tangible ways. The true church reflects Christ’s heart—a heart that always gives and never holds back.

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Just email me at jesusstalkeremail@gmail.com and get an email back in 20 or 30 seconds with a download link to the e-book, "Your Power Within." It's FREE! You also get my GCash details in case you decide to donate P40, P50, P100 (or any amount) for the e-book to help my ministry. But with or without donation, the e-book is yours 😄. 

Studying and meditating Jesus give us deep insights on potentials, life, family, success and failures, all tied up to our relationship with Jesus Christ. 

SURRENDERING TO JESUS 

Ask forgiveness and repent of your sins. Believe God's forgiveness. It is promised in the bible. Receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your sole Savior and Lord. Then be assured of heaven, not because of anything you have or do (not your good deeds or religion or church), but because of God's grace and mercy through what Jesus Christ did on the cross. 

In Jesus alone is salvation. Jesus is: 
 ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” [Acts 4] 
Surrender to Him by intently studying the bible daily (ask guidance from the Holy Spirit) and applying in life everything you learn. And then pray that God lead you to the right person who'd disciple you, one who is totally surrendered to Jesus and living His Word in the bible.

Sunday, February 23, 2025

The Priorities of the Kingdom 2: Marks of a True Follower


MARKS OF A TRUE FOLLOWER OF CHRIST


Humility, meekness and emptying yourself. These are the priorities of the Kingdom, the aim of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, because these three constitute eternal life. Ministry, church planting or even evangelism or missions are not priorities if they do not have these three Kingdom priorities. Everything is garbage without the aim of the Gospel. 


You have to be born again. This trashes the old self and installs the new. It's not a gradual trashing but a thorough one followed by more trashings. Jesus said the branches that bear fruit are trimmed further to be more fruitful. But on day one of being born again the spring of living water that wells up to eternal life flows from within you at once. Just one drink from Jesus and you get it. This spring does not well up gradually in you. Once you drink Jesus' water, it bubbles up. You cannot be both fresh spring water and murky water. You cannot be both sheep and wolf. You cannot be a thistle that bears figs or a thornbush that bears grapes. 

And being born again really means Jesus' character replaces your rotten character totally. Jesus and your rottenness cannot live together in you. You'd be devoted to one and hate the other. The Jesus spiritual DNA, which has his imprint (humility, meekness and selflessness) becomes intact at the cellular level of your renewed spirit. No genuine change has taken place if you do not have Jesus' humility, meekness and selflessness. This is where people who are active in ministry but remain proud of themselves and cannot give up everything have a big problem. They have not really been born again. They just became familiar with church and active in it.





Humility

John the baptizer couldn't believe it when Jesus asked to be baptized by him. "You should baptize me," was John's reaction. But Jesus insisted because it fulfilled all righteousness. Humility fulfills all righteousness and you can just imagine what trash a ministry is, big or small, if it is not grounded on humility. More so a believer. Humility is when Jesus emptied himself and took the form of a servant or slave. Emptying yourself is a personal decision. Once GOD sees that decision in your heart the Holy Spirit empowers it. Without effort you find yourself always preferring to be the least. You stay low profile and quietly doing what GOD wants you to do. 

He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets.

Isaiah 42.2

Truly humble people possessing Jesus' own humility are always announced and promoted supernaturally by the Holy Spirit so that those of the same spirit will easily recognize them and support. John the baptizer saw the heavens open and the Holy Spirit descending like a dove. There were lots of people at the Jordan for the baptism but only John saw the vision and heard the voice. Andrew and another disciple decided to see where Jesus lived and when they did they concluded that "We have found the Messiah." These and many other encounters with Jesus were the promptings of the Holy Spirit, calling the attention of people GOD had chosen to do the genuine Jesus ministry. The Jesus DNA never prompts you to promote yourself. Just keep humble and obedient like Jesus and the Holy Spirit will do the rest. All churches today promote themselves.

Meek

Jesus washed the disciples' feet, but it was something private among themselves, right after the last supper which was a night filled with sorrow, uncertainties and fear, with Jesus knowing that he would be betrayed, apprehended and treated like a criminal soon after. A lot of poor imitations of the washing of feet in church programs today are done to showoff supposed "servanthood" in front of the congregation and promote (or display) one's "humility." Showed off humility is always fake. It's more fanfare than a legacy of meek servanthood impressed in the hearts of disciples. 

Meekness is our high treatment of others, deeming them better than ourselves--and doing this with truthfulness and all sincerity. An example was how John the baptizer claimed that he was not fit to even untie the sandals of the one coming after him, and that the Messiah was "more powerful" than he was. Many "leaders" can perform humility and meekness for a while, probably serve you drinks and food and offer their seat to others, but it's all theatrics, because you see them in their unguarded moments boasting about their greatness, great achievements and great ministries. In their hearts, they hate to be the least and their self-conceit naturally surfaces.

Selfless

Jesus emptied himself. He gave up everything he had and chose to be human and die on the cross. Just imagine GOD choosing to die helplessly as a human being. That speaks a lot about how Jesus gave up everything he had. And he chose to become poor though he was rich---so we worthless people can become rich. That's Jesus' selflessness that should be ours if we really have His spiritual DNA in us and growing. GOD wants us to give up everything we have. And he means, EVERYTHING. It's why he wants us to love GOD with "all," meaning all our mind, heart, soul, strength---and money. Jesus told us to give up our money. 

MANY CHURCH PEOPLE FAIL IN THIS, AND THIS IS CRUCIAL

This is another big problem for a lot of church people. They cannot (and will not) give up their money. They can give some of it, probably a tithe and offering, but not all. Even churches and denominations cannot give up everything they have. They won't do it. I would like to see a denomination give up all its properties---lands, buildings vehicles and money--and give them to the poor, not to their mission work that just expands their influence, increase their membership and therefore their income. Give them to the poor. That's what Jesus said to all his disciples. Are you a disciple?

Luke 12: 32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

"Unless you give up everything you have you cannot be my disciple"
- Luke 14.33

Smart Alecks will probably say the above passages should not be literally interpreted. Well, the apostles and the Acts church literally did it. Church members voluntarily sold their properties and laid the sales at the apostles' feet to be distributed to the needy, not used for what churches today call evangelism, missions or church planting which are all merely to enlarge their denominations, their empires, not the Kingdom of GOD. The church in the Book of Acts, like Jesus, was selfless. 

Seflfess with Your Blessings

Are you blessed materially? Have GOD been opening doors for you financially? GOD does not bless you so you can showoff your blessedness in your testimonies. You show everybody how blessed you are and keep it all to yourself and loved ones. No, that's not the point. Blessings are not so you can keep a dead testimony. You got it all wrong, and many have been getting it all wrong. The only use for blessings is to give them all up and share with the needy. Period. If you don't do this, you fail the test. Blessings are not a sign of GOD's favor. They're all tests. If you don't give up your blessings, you fail. How can there be favor in disobedience? 

And when you finally give them all up, don't even announce it as a "testimony" of your faithfulness so others can be inspired. That's another garbage. GOD wants you to exercise your humility, meekness and selflessness in handling material blessings, and by "handling" we mean giving them all up to GOD and giving to the poor. Of course, GOD understands your needs. After you have all you need, share the remainder with the poor. Unless you do this, your spiritual life sucks to GOD. You are not blessed. You're a hoarder. GOD speaks both to individuals and to the church with this passage:

Luke 12: 16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
GET MY FREE EBOOK! 

Just email me at jesusstalkeremail@gmail.com and get an email back in 20 or 30 seconds with a download link to the e-book, "Your Power Within." It's FREE! You also get my GCash details in case you decide to donate P100 (or any amount) for the e-book to help my house church ministry. But with or without donation, the e-book is yours 😄. 

SURRENDERING TO JESUS 

Ask forgiveness and repent of your sins. Believe God's forgiveness. It is promised in the bible. Receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your sole Savior and Lord. Then be assured of heaven, not because of anything you have or do (not your good deeds or religion or church), but because of God's grace and mercy through what Jesus Christ did on the cross. 

In Jesus alone is salvation. Jesus is: ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” [Acts 4] 
Surrender to Him by intently studying the bible daily (ask guidance from the Holy Spirit) and applying in life everything you learn. And then pray that God lead you to the right person who'd disciple you, one who is totally surrendered to Jesus and living His Word in the bible.

Friday, February 21, 2025

The Priorities of the Kingdom


Character is the priority of the Kingdom, more than anything else. Humility (low view of your importance) and meekness (quiet submissiveness) are the most important and most powerful, but also the most overlooked and undervalued even in church today. Humility is how you treat yourself, meekness is how you treat others. All of Jesus' life and ministry modelled these two, and it is apt to say that the Gospel, the Good News, is all about them, too---how we can have these traits in us through Christ even if we are oriented towards self-pride and self-conceit because of sin.

Photo above by Madison Oren on Unsplash.

Genuine born again believers, therefore, should first of all have humility and meekness as their dominant character, before anything else. It is eternal life. Good works, ministries, accomplishments and everything we do for GOD (plus the titles and degrees) take second place---no, tenth place or last place. Without the fruit of humility and meekness (the true marks of everlasting life and Christlikeness, along with giving up everything) all our accomplishments in ministry are garbage. 

It's Jesus' Life

Jesus' life emphasized it. Why else would the Father (and Jesus himself) choose the Messiah to be born in Bethlehem, born to poor parents, and grow up in Nazareth, of all places (Nathaniel was amazed how anything good could come from Nazareth)? Why not in Jerusalem and be born to wealthy parents? Or why not grow up in Rome and be fathered by Caesar? He trashed wealth and prominence to opt for a humble and meek life. 

No wonder his first key teaching in The Beatitudes is "blessed are the poor in spirit," second is about those who mourn, and third, about the meek. Jesus modelled all this to show his followers what the aim of the Kingdom really is. God's will is first and foremost, our salvation from sin and hell, and then humility and meekness. All ministries must revolve around them.
"For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life" [John 6:40]

Whoever has seen Jesus and believes in him (be like him) will be humble and meek. Can we see Jesus? Genuine belief opens our spiritual eyes to see Jesus, and those who genuinely see him are humble and meek. No exceptions. If you claim to have seen him but remain proud and conceited, you lie. And you're lost. You may be popular for your accomplishments but you have no eternal life if you remain boastful about yourself. No one enters heaven without humility and meekness, the kind that Jesus have.

16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. [1 John 2 NIV]

16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. [1 John 2 NLT]

Everyone works hard for world domination, even the church (what it calls evangelism and misson), but it's not for spreading the Jesus DNA in people to make them radically humble and meek and give up everything they have, but to do better than other denominations in enlarging their membership and territory, and later bragging about their world dominance. John said this does not come from the Father but from the world, and whatever comes from the world cannot have eternal life or eternal rewards. 

GET MY FREE EBOOK! 

Just email me at jesusstalkeremail@gmail.com and get an email back in 20 or 30 seconds with a download link to the e-book, "Your Power Within." It's FREE! You also get my GCash details in case you decide to donate P40, P50, P100 (or any amount) for the e-book to help my ministry. But with or without donation, the e-book is yours 😄. 

SURRENDERING TO JESUS 

Ask forgiveness and repent of your sins. Believe God's forgiveness. It is promised in the bible. Through prayer, receive Jesus Christ as your sole Savior and Lord. Then be assured of heaven, not because of anything you have or do (not your good deeds or religion or church), but because of God's grace and mercy through what Jesus Christ did on the cross for you.

In Jesus alone is salvation. Jesus is: ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” [Acts 4] 

Surrender to Him by intently studying the bible daily (ask guidance from the Holy Spirit) and applying in life everything you learn. And then pray that God lead you to the right person who'd disciple you, one who is totally surrendered to Jesus and living His Word in the bible.

Saturday, June 15, 2024

Peter and John Went Privately to the Temple Gate Called Beautiful


It's commonly known as a public demonstration of a miracle at the temple gate where Peter and John was instrumental to the healing of a lame beggar. But actually, Peter and John went there without any intention of doing or performing something in public to attract people and lure them to their church ministry. They just went there for prayer. This lame beggar asked them for money (neither did he expect that a miracle for him was about to happen) which the apostles didn't have at the time.

Photo by Edwin Andrade on Unsplash.
When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. [Acts 3]

There was no pre-planning for this, no program or gimmick or whatever churchy thing that was prepared "for God's glory" to be seen by men. They were there for a simple, quiet prayer, and I can imagine that it was a private one, though they were amid a crowd gathering there also for prayer. When they talked with the beggar, it was not done to attract people. They simply talked with him. 

Miraculously, the beggar was healed and "he went with them to the temple courts." Then an excited crowd gathered. But, just like their Lord, they were not comfortable with a crowd that was excited about them. Jesus was never comfortable with a crowd that loved him. He pissed them off to make sure they were liking him for the right reasons--reasons the Father would approve of. Otherwise, he would just be performing a righteous deed "to be seen by men." The same with Peter and John. Seeing that the crowds loved what they did, Peter pissed them off with a criticism:

Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. 14 You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.

I don't know if a pastor today would say this to a big crowd already beginning to like him and his church. We would've been very careful not to offend the people or shoo them off with a silly criticism like that. We'd think a statement like that was uncalled for. Why not simply evangelize to the crowd and tell them God loves them and has a wonderful plan for them? Nope, Peter had to emphasize how they "handed him over to be killed." 

Why this statement? It was to make sure they were not there simply to please people and "be seen by men." I believe Jesus and the apostles did this to make sure the intention of their hearts was to do things in "private" because God watches what is done in private and rewards it. But since the crowd was now there and screwed up their privacy policy, they made sure they were not just pleasing the crowd but pleasing God. 

If the crowd persecutes you for your righteous deed, you don't do it "to be seen by men" but to please God. The reward is when you are persecuted for Jesus. But if the crowd likes you, beware. The persecution factor determines who is being pleased--God or people. People should be convicted by the Holy Spirit, be contrite and broken, repent and surrender to the Lord, not just feel blessed by your sermon and yet stay the same. And if your flesh likes how your preaching or ministry "blesses" (the right word is "pleases") people, you're definitely not doing it for God but for people and yourself. Your ego. I feel uneasy when people tell me they're blessed after I preach. I'd rather have them angry or broken and seriously repented than "blessed."

This is why I believe Peter and John went to prayer meeting without any desire "to be seen by men," much less to showoff the miracle to please the crowd or be seen doing it and be appreciated. Their heart's intent was to do things in private so that only the Father saw what they were up to. And when they saw how they had no choice but to be noticed by the people, they made sure their motives were pure and not a hint of hypocrisy was involved--a desire to be seen in public doing something for God. 

After urging them to repent, Peter also revealed God's good intentions for them if they decided to abandon their "wicked ways" and go all out for the Lord. Just imagine---the crowd was beginning to love them and then Peter tells them they had wicked ways. He should've at least simply said they were lost and misguided.

“Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. 19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.
And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ 26 When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.

Here are several things we can learn from these passages:

  1. Peter and John never planned or prepared a program for this.  
  2. No one was invited. No attempt to gather a crowd to watch their program, to be seen by them.
  3. They were simply attending a prayer meeting. Period.
  4. God used the situation to glorify himself and the apostles simply moved with the leading of the Holy Spirit.
  5. Clearly, everything was supernatural. Everything was God's plan.
  6. When the crowd liked them, they started an acerbic message, something the crowd wouldn't like. 
  7. They revealed God's plan, not their plan.

GET MY FREE EBOOK! 


Just email me at jesusstalkeremail@gmail.com and get an email back in 20 or 30 seconds with a download link to the e-book, "Your Power Within." It's FREE! You also get my GCash details in case you decide to donate P100 (or any amount) for the e-book to help my ministry. But with or without donation, the e-book is yours 😄. 

SURRENDERING TO JESUS 

Ask forgiveness and repent of your sins. Believe God's forgiveness. It is promised in the bible. Receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your sole Savior and Lord. Then be assured of heaven, not because of anything you have or do (not your good deeds or religion or church), but because of God's grace and mercy through what Jesus Christ did on the cross. 

In Jesus alone is salvation. Jesus is: 
‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” [Acts 4] 
Surrender to Him by intently studying the bible daily (ask guidance from the Holy Spirit) and applying in life everything you learn. And then pray that God lead you to the right person who'd disciple you, one who is totally surrendered to Jesus and living His Word in the bible.

Thursday, June 13, 2024

Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem was Supposed to be Private


It was a festive welcome to Jesus as he entered Jerusalem, but it was supposed to be private. Jesus directed two disciples to secure a donkey and its colt, not to prepare for a festive welcome, but to fulfill bible prophecy. Nothing was indicated that the event was planned by Jesus to be attended by multitudes and celebrated with fanfare. Watch how Matthew records it:

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

“Say to Daughter Zion,
‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” [Matthew 21]

CHRISTIAN AUDIO BIBLE STUDY 
FOR AMAZING BREAKTHROUGHS!

It's clear from above that the event was for bible prophecy alone, not for festivities. But then the crowds learned about it, and because of their marvel  for the miracles Jesus did, they took it upon themselves to welcome him by spreading their cloaks on the road and waving branches.

Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. [Mark 11.8]

It was a people's initiative. Jesus did not prepare a program, invite people to come, give perks and gifts for those who'd attend, or do any gimmick to gather people and create merriment or euphoria. The bible says Jesus simply wanted to enter Jerusalem precisely as the Scripture described it. It was "to fulfill" prophecy.

"This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet."

But the crowds were excited on hearing that Jesus was coming to town. Probably, the fact that they just came from a festival made them a spirited, avid audience for Jesus. Without being told or invited, they went to meet Jesus, threw their cloaks on the road and cut branches to use for a welcome gesture. All on their own volition. The simple entry to Jerusalem that should've been quiet and regular turned into a street feast. 

The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,

“Hosanna!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Blessed is the king of Israel!” [John 12]

And what made them shout like that? Did Jesus or any of the disciples give them a cue or signal to start shouting? Nope. But the fulfillment of prophecy moved them to do that through the Holy Spirit. 

Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him. [John 12.16]

They realized that everything was worked out together supernaturally for the fulfillment of Scripture. Nothing was by accident or chance. It was not the people's initiative, after all, but they were simply moved by the Holy Spirit to celebrate and shout on their own, without being told or instructed. It was God's plan to make it simple and unscripted (no pre-planning or programs or anything like that), but HE also allowed people (actually a "crowd of disciples") to get excited because of the wonderful things they had been seeing from Jesus. 

...the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: [Luke 19.37]

Jesus in Public

This was among few instances where Jesus allowed himself to appear in public in the city in front of multitudes of people. Remember, the prophecy about him was that "He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street," [Isaiah 42.2]. But the triumphal entry was a bible prophecy that had to be fulfilled to the letter, and it said that Jesus would ride on a donkey and its colt and be welcomed with shouts of praise.

At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him. [John 12.16]

Jesus riding on a donkey and its colt, both tied and and then untied, with the colt never had been ridden on by any man nd its first assignment was to serve Jesus, have lots of possible prophetic significance. Expert's guesses are as good as mine, but I believe the donkey and colt are animals of lowliness and simplicity--quiet ones, as well--and once the young donkey was released, its first assignment, together with the mother donkey, was to serve the Messiah. Jesus chose them to serve him. 

Anyway, since it was a "crowd of disciples" that welcomed Jesus according to Luke [19], and since they were already there in the mood to celebrate Jesus, they ought to do what disciples are expected to do--give shouts of praise. It's a given. Even if they were not close-in disciples, disciples are expected to give shouts of praise for Jesus, especially when the event is in fulfillment of prophecy--because prophecy has to do with the Holy Spirit. 

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” [Luke 19]

But to be sure, Jesus didn't do this to gain popularity, attract people to his membership, showoff his ministry achievements and what he has and does "for God," and all the carnal things church today does claiming they are done for the Lord.  

In fact in the end, as it seemed customary of him, he told them vitriolic words to make it clear that their festivity and celebrations didn't mean God approved of them. He was in fact angry. Jesus seemed to do this when the crowds loved him to make sure they do not do so with a carnal motive that the Father didn't approve of. In this way, he did not preach in public "to be seen by men."


GET MY FREE EBOOK! 

Just email me at jesusstalkeremail@gmail.com and get an email back in 20 or 30 seconds with a download link to the e-book, "Your Power Within." It's FREE! You also get my GCash details in case you decide to donate P100 (or any amount) for the e-book to help my ministry. But with or without donation, the e-book is yours 😄. 

SURRENDERING TO JESUS 


Ask for forgiveness and repent of your sins. Believe God's forgiveness. It is promised in the bible. Receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your sole Savior and Lord. Then be assured of heaven, not because of anything you have or do (not your good deeds or religion or church), but because of God's grace and mercy through what Jesus Christ did on the cross.

In Jesus alone is salvation. 

Jesus is: 

‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” [Acts 4] 

Surrender to Him by intently studying the bible daily (ask guidance from the Holy Spirit) and applying in life everything you learn. And then pray that God lead you to the right person who'd disciple you, one who is totally surrendered to Jesus and living His Word in the bible.

Tuesday, June 11, 2024

Jesus' Private Meeting with Nicodemus


Almost everyone knows this story, but a lot of important and powerful details are still missed by most church people, even pastors. Among the details is the private nature of the meeting. There's a powerful Kingdom and apostolic principle behind it. As I have shared in the first post of this series, "Why the Father is Particular about What is Done in Secret," Jesus taught about keeping our acts of righteousness a secret so that the Father who sees what is done in secret will like it. 

Photo by Roan Lavery on Unsplash.

Like how Jesus met Nicodemus in secret. Actually, it was Nicodemus' idea to meet Jesus in private in the cover of nocturnal darkness. Experts say it was to avoid being seen meeting with Jesus which was a definite no-no at the time, especially for a person in Nicodemus' position. Among the top religious teachers in Israel. Here's the account:
He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” [John 3]

Apparently, it was a convenient time for Jesus, too, not because he also feared being caught talking to a Pharisee, but it was in secret. He knew exactly why Nicodemus was there, being prophetic and spiritually discerning. He knew that Nicodemus wanted to know how to be saved--how to see and enter heaven. I believe that to Jesus, ministry, like evangelism, ought to be done in private, NOT to be seen by men. 

For one, it wouldn't be proper to shame a top Pharisee in public. Evangelism is a private thing because people are bound to be exposed when the Holy Spirit moves a servant of God to speak. Jesus had public appearances doing ministry, but they were never intended to be public. He never planned, arranged or prepared for ministry the way we do today. He always moved quietly and in private, but the multitudes rushing to him made it appear like it was intended publicly. And it was good that Nicodemus met him in private, at night, because Jesus was going to make Nicodemus face a truth about him that he probably never realized until then.

“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things?"

Other preachers would've enjoyed belittling a Pharisee like that in public. It would make them popular and feared. And it's so ego-satisfying to be able to make righteous pronouncements like that and be heard by people, and applauded especially. In fact, the reason why church leaders love attaching titles to their names is recognition, respect and applause. They crave for men's admiration. 

But your spiritual Kingdom stature or title should be in secret, too. Hence, Jesus said no one on earth should called "father" or "teacher." Of course, we have our fathers and teachers and we call them thus. But Jesus was referring to titles and the entitlements and egotistic pride they came with, and especially the broadcasting and parading of the same. God wants everything to be in secret, and which is why Jesus didn't permit them to call him Christ.

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.” Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.
[Mark 8]

Jesus told Nicodemus other supernatural and deep revelations that Nicodemus probably had never heard in his entire life and entire theological training as a top Pharisee. Everything he knew was earthly--the theologies and doctrines that men invented, putting in lots of bible verses for legitimacy, to make a name for themselves. Even the Kingdom concept of being born again was still earthly, and yet Nicodemus couldn't get it, despite all his "seminary" education, credentials and title. Prophetic ministers would love to declare things like this in public, too, before a massive moneyed audience (or a profitable market), because it can mean an avalanche of offerings and donations. But Jesus did it strictly in private. All righteous acts must be done in secret, to please only the Father's eyes.

Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.

That was an extraordinary revelation only folks genuinely and supernaturally led by the Holy Spirit (not by human theologies or denominational doctrines) can speak and understand. True Jesus believers testify to what they have seen, not what they learn from their theologies. They speak of both earthly and heavenly things. And when Jesus says "earthly" it's not about human theology or doctrines or churchy stuff. It's about things of the Holy Spirit on an earthly level. 

The revelation of the Holy Spirit can be on an earthly dimension to reveal spiritual things in ways humans can understand, like how Jesus talked about his body as real food and his blood as real drink which true believers must eat and drink to have life. That's earthly. But even on that earthly level, many of his disciples failed to understand it and left him. People bound by earthly mindsets that are worldly and based on human thinking will never grasp even the earthly things of the Holy Spirit. 

The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. [1 Corinthians 2.14]

This is why many "scholars" from seminaries would rather discuss theology and philosophy rather than pursue after genuinely experiencing the supernatural things of the Holy Spirit, because you get no title and credentials with the supernatural. You get them with bible school and seminary education, with the accompanying respect and applause from their ilk. No wonder, Jesus never pursued anything that man can teach. 

“Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you (or taught you) by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven."

Once you get the Holy Spirit's anointing in your life, you cannot show it off by presenting titles, degrees or earthly positions. You know you have it but you keep it secret. And you keep humble and low profile. That's truly apostolic and prophetic.

Continued in the links below:

Why Jesus Met Nicodemus in Private


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SURRENDERING TO JESUS 


Ask for forgiveness and repent of your sins. Believe God's forgiveness. It is promised in the bible. Receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your sole Savior and Lord. Then be assured of heaven, not because of anything you have or do (not your good deeds or religion or church), but because of God's grace and mercy through what Jesus Christ did on the cross.

In Jesus alone is salvation. 

Jesus is: 

‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” [Acts 4] 

Surrender to Him by intently studying the bible daily (ask guidance from the Holy Spirit) and applying in life everything you learn. And then pray that God lead you to the right person who'd disciple you, one who is totally surrendered to Jesus and living His Word in the bible.

Why the Father is Particular about What is Done in Secret


“Be careful not to practice your acts of righteousness 
in front of others to be seen by them." 
[Matthew 6.1]

Photo by Jordan Seott on Unsplash.

Don't practice your righteousness "to be seen" in public. No less than Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, urges, emphasizes and COMMANDS it. When we say "righteousness" (that's what it says in the Greek) it includes everything we do for God, like ministry. Ministry, any part of it, is an act of righteousness. It's not just giving alms to the poor. Anyway, the Greek uses "dikaiosynen" which is "righteousness," so it's not just giving to the poor but all we do for God. 

Here's another way Jesus put it:

“Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others. [Matthew 23]

Ministry is a collection of services we do for God in righteousness plus the kind of life we live. Ministry is acts of righteousness. Anything we do for GOD should not be done with the intention of being "seen by men." They must be done in secret to get God's attention. When we do something for God and he looks into our hearts, he wants to see nothing but the right motive there--which is NOT "to be seen" in public. 

Done in Secret

Jesus is revealing something about the Father here, especially what he is so particular about when it comes to things we do for him. He likes things to be done in private or in secret. And since God is a jealous God, he wants what we do to be exclusively for his eyes--to please him alone. Remember, our relationship with God is an intimate love relationship, and he is jealous. His name is Jealous [Exodus 34.14].

If we do things "to be seen by men," it triggers his jealousy and he refuses to even glance at what we're doing--since we're doing it not for him alone but for others, too. We're a two-timer, somewhat in love with God but also flirting with our heart idol--which is people we aim to please. Jesus would not have taught about this if this wasn't important. We need to make sure our righteous acts are done in private.

The secret things belong to the Lord our God. 

Deuteronomy 29.29

Jesus never loved standing somewhere he is seen by all and doing ministry. 

He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets. [Isaiah 42.2]

Church people who still love to be seen in public with their righteous acts, who love to be seen standing in street corners or in synagogues praying (or love to be seen leading in prayer in church), and who love to showoff their fasting and sacrifices for God or ministry, do not understand the apostolic teachings of Jesus. Believers in Acts devoted themselves to the apostles' teachings (you see the words, "DEVOTED THEMSELVES"? It means apostolic is serious), and foremost of these were the things Jesus taught in the Gospel, and especially in the Beatitudes. And a big part of that is God's privacy policy. All of the Beatitudes are the foundation of genuine apostolic teachings.

If you are genuinely apostolic and prophetic in the priesthood or order of Melchizedek as Jesus is, you do things for GOD in private, 
foremost of which is privately in your heart.

I don't know where to place the practice of evangelical churches, promoting themselves in public and displaying their good deeds to attract people to up their membership. They say the promotions are "for God's glory." How can that be when the Father wants all our righteous acts to be done in private? How can we oppose God's Word and still glorify him? People pursued after Jesus and made his ministry look public, but he didn't invite them and he never meant to show what he did in public. His ministry was promoted by the Holy Spirit, never by himself. That is among solid apostolic teachings. 

The Sermon on the Mount is the solid and pure apostolic teachings of Jesus the Apostle whom we confess. Sadly, not even "apostolic" churches understand Jesus' apostolic teachings and evangelical churches are worse. For one, you see apostolic churches also displaying their ministry (righteous acts) all over the Net. They promote their conferences and announce their coming. Even before the Net came, they've always been fond of doing churchy things in public to be seen by men. Churches in general love to be seen standing in the synagogue (or their church altars) or at street corners during outdoor ministries. They announce their fasting and prayer meetings. They say they do it "for God's glory." 

They break God's commandments to keep their traditions and programs, like the Pharisees did. They do this because they don't know the apostolic teachings of Jesus. It has not been revealed to them. 

And they love long prayers. They scorn short ones and think you're not spiritual if you just utter quick, simple, unimpressive and prosaic prayers. These are signs they are not apostolic. And if Jesus wants prayers to be in secret and non demonstrative, so with worship, because prayer and worship always go together as seen in the prayer Jesus taught his disciples. Worship should be in secret, too.

Jesus Doing Things in Secret

No wonder we see Jesus going to lonely places while it was still dark to pray. He preached in remote places, hillsides and by the lake where few people frequented. The Sermon on the Mount was given to his disciples on a mountain side, and Jesus didn't mean it for the multitudes. It was meant for his disciples but the multitude followed without being invited. Watch the account:
25 Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him. [Matthew 4]
Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them. [Matthew 5]

Imagine--this was his major teaching, his intro to vital and powerful Kingdom principles and interpretation of the Scripture, and yet look at him, simply sitting down with his disciples on a mountainside. We would have done it in a huge, comfortable auditorium with a lot of fanfare, preparations, teams, equipment, programs, money, and whatnot. But not Jesus. He just sat there. He intended it to be a small group meeting alone in the wilds where people were less likely to be found.

But the crowds followed. 

When Jesus saw the crowds he went up the mountainside and sat with his disciples. Clearly, the event was privately for his followers, and he began teaching "them," referring to the disciples, not the crowds. He had no intention of teaching the crowd, but the crowd came anyway to listen. And since Jesus will not cast you away if you come to him [John 6.37], he allowed the crowds to be there. 

But Jesus intended the bible study to be away from the public and exclusively for true followers. When Jesus said, "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me," he wasn't addressing the crowd but his disciples only. The multitude didn't have that kind of commitment to Jesus so they were not susceptible to persecutions. It was not applicable to them. From this, we see that Jesus didn't invite them over. 

Here's another:

“You are the light of the world."

This didn't apply to the multitudes but only to Jesus' disciples. You cannot be a mere spectator of Jesus, just waiting for the free meal of bread and fish, and then be "light of the world." The Sermon was meant for the disciples and this meeting was meant to be private and hidden from the populace. But, well, the curious multitudes were nosy and followed, hoping to get some more benefits from Jesus. And we're like that--we follow in hopes of getting answered prayers. Nothing more. We pursue after the blessings, not the radical apostolic teachings of Jesus the Apostle.

Private Meetings

Even during temple scenes, Jesus intended to meet people mostly in private, although there were instances when he did appear and talk in public, but not intentionally. He was mostly doing things in private and not showing off righteous deeds. Jesus didn't preach at the Sheep Gate, for instance, but simply talked with the paralytic who was invalid for 38 years. It was a private meeting and a private conversation. 

One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” [John 5]

It was a private talk. Jesus healed him and simply "slipped away into the crowd that was there." He just left and quietly disappeared from view. There was no great commotion or announcement, and this tells us that everything was done without attracting attention. It was a simple conversation in some corner at the pool. But after some time, the religious leaders saw the man carrying his mat and questioned him. That started the disturbance. Some time after, Jesus again saw him and had a private talk again with him. 

Great miracles can happen in quiet, ordinary private talks.

Man Born Blind

Another healing intended privately was that of a man born blind. This time, only Jesus and his disciples were talking. It was not a big public meeting or crusade. It may have been in a public place but the conversation was just among him and his disciples. The disciples had a query and Jesus answered with an actual miraculous demonstration. It was done, not to attract attention, but only among themselves, without showing off to the crowds. Here's how it went:

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” [John 9]

The private conversation is clear. It's like, you and two of your friends meet inside a mall where people are strolling or shopping, but the three of you are somewhere a bit private and having an almost quiet conversation. You're not making a scene or calling attention to yourselves or making a grand scenario. Then Jesus, without talking to the blind guy or asking if he wanted healing, just straightway applied mud mixed with his saliva on the blind man's eyes and then said, privately, not in a loud, announcing voice:

“Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

Everything so far was semi-private. Nothing was dramatic. They were in a public place but the conversations were private, just between them, until the neighbors started getting nosy about the healing, after Jesus had left, and brought the man to the Pharisees who made a disturbance on the issue. Later, Jesus met the man once more who had been blind but now was healed and talked with him in private, again. Jesus, as we have seen in both examples above, did things privately. No programs, fanfare, gimmicks, noise, announcements, preparations or what-have-you. That's true apostolic.

We would have been loud about it, making sure people around heard and saw, because we're fond of saying that announcing everything in public is for God's glory (and yet no real miracles happen). We would have made a scene or a well planned programmed for it to make sure we do a great presentation. Again, for God's glory. We don't believe in doing our righteous acts in secret, or that the Father who sees what is done in secret will reward our secret deed. We think nothing will happen to our ministries if we keep things in private. We don't trust what Jesus said. So we glamorize like showbiz.

There are a lot more examples of Jesus doing his righteous acts in secret, but sometimes made "public" only because people rushed to him in droves and made a public spectacle of them. Like Lazarus' coming to life again. Jesus stayed outside town, probably again to avoid publicity and crowds, and went to the tomb with Mary, Martha and some mourners from the funeral. These folks were not invited to see a miracle or create fanfare and attract people to Jesus to add to his membership, but they came to accompany Mary to the tomb, not knowing Jesus would be there.

Jesus performed the miracle despite this crowd because it was God's time for the miracle, not because it was an opportunity to be seen by men and become popular and "glorify God." To be sure, Jesus never did anything "to be seen by people" but did things as private as possible. He will not contradict his teachings. In the instances when crowds began to gather anyway despite his privacy policy, he didn't "perform" to impress people and lure them to his membership. In fact, he seemed to intentionally piss them off each time, to discourage them from following him for the wrong reasons the Father will not approve of. 

At one time, he found himself amid a crowd that liked him a lot. Jesus seemed uncomfortable with crowds that liked him, so he said something to offend them. Watch this:

All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked. [Luke 4]

We would have loved it so much if we got this kind of reaction from people. We crave for public acceptance and applause not knowing it's a demonic stronghold. Anything that feeds the ego is demonic. But pissing off people who are beginning to love us would be the last thing in our agenda. But not Jesus. He said something that irked them so much they wanted to throw him off a cliff. This was probably Jesus' way of doing his righteous acts NOT "to be seen by men" or NOT to impress them, so he pissed them off. He hinted how God had favored some gentiles more than he did the Jews, who were supposed to be people of God. 

“Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”

Haha. No pastor today will do this. They'd say it's bad preaching. Or, it's judgmental or legalistic or out of context. They'd even think it's a sin to turn away a crowd that's beginning to like God's Word and turn to him. But Jesus didn't have any second thoughts. He just outright pissed them off. That's another apostolic teaching: If the crowd likes you because of your "gracious" words, try telling them things that irritate their ears and upset their ego and you're going to reveal their true hearts.

And doing that (displeasing the crowd that seems to like us) prevents us from performing our righteous acts "to be seen by men." If you find yourself in a crowd that seems to like you, say something off and that makes you do your righteous acts NOT to be seen by men. That's Jesus' apostolic way.

Continued in the links below:

Private Meeting with Nicodemus 

Triumphal Entry to Jerusalem was Supposed to be Private

Peter and John Went Privately to the Temple Gate Called Beautiful


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Just email me at jesusstalkeremail@gmail.com and get an email back in 20 or 30 seconds with a download link to the e-book, "Your Power Within." It's FREE! You also get my GCash details in case you decide to donate P100 (or any amount) for the e-book to help my ministry. But with or without donation, the e-book is yours 😄. 

SURRENDERING TO JESUS 


Ask for forgiveness and repent of your sins. Believe God's forgiveness. It is promised in the bible. Receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your sole Savior and Lord. Then be assured of heaven, not because of anything you have or do (not your good deeds or religion or church), but because of God's grace and mercy through what Jesus Christ did on the cross.

In Jesus alone is salvation. 

Jesus is: 

‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” [Acts 4] 

Surrender to Him by intently studying the bible daily (ask guidance from the Holy Spirit) and applying in life everything you learn. And then pray that God lead you to the right person who'd disciple you, one who is totally surrendered to Jesus and living His Word in the bible.

Sunday, March 24, 2024

Going the Other Way


A law expert came to Jesus asking about going to heaven. Surprisingly, (at least to me it is) Jesus didn't mention anything about receiving Him as Savior and Lord but pointed to two commandments in the Old Testament---loving God with all, and loving neighbor as yourself. Loving God with "all" means we leave nothing for anything else except our neighbors, which is an inseparable part of loving God with our all. 


The law expert thought he didn't have any problem with the first command, but he had some doubts about doing the second one (didn't realize loving God and loving neighbor are inseparable). The passage [Luke 10.25 and on] says this lawyer sought to "justify himself." Or, he sought to look the other way instead of loving his fellow. So he asked, "Who is my neighbor?"

I think we all know the story. 

I'm amused how Jesus chose, of all people, two very religious folks (even men of God--a temple leader and a worshiper) to highlight a bad example, and a Samaritan (most repugnant to Jews) to exemplify a good trait. 

Anyway, the point is, often we're more like the priest and the Levite than the good Samaritan, though we can't see ourselves being so, just because we're church people, active in church, born again, serving God, worshiping God intensely and all that. We think these things keep us from being like the priest and Levite, not realizing that like them, we often prefer to look the other way and yet think we're better than Samaritans because we know God and worship Him. We think our church and born-again religion make us look good to God, especially if we have church programs for the poor.

But the Samaritan in the parable had no church (or synagogue) that had a program for the poor. He dug from his own pocket right on the spot, taking out no small amount, not a pittance, but something substantial. I say this because it covered an initial Php 1,200 inn fee (he gave 2 denarii to the innkeeper, and a denarius is equal to a day's labor wage back then, which is Php 600 today, just to give us an idea), and promised to give more when he returned. 

The innkeeper agreed, which said a lot about the Samaritan's character. The innkeeper trusted in  his word, probably because he'd known him a considerable length of time. He knew this Samaritan to be well trusted and liberal when it came to money. Question is, who among us would be ready to shell out Php 1,500 for a helpless stranger in the street? Fifty pesos probably, or a hundred, and that will make us feel "generous" already. We can easily give that amount in church, though, to impress people or the pastor and the treasurer, something which the priest and Levite would also have easily done. Jesus said they loved being seen publicly in their religiosity. 

Remember too, how Samaritans didn't know God. They were a product of diverse pagan peoples that Shalmaneser king of Assyria put there in Samaria after he exiled all Israel (northern) to Assyria, never to return [2 Kings 17]. They didn't know how to worship God or recognize the one true God. Jesus told the Samaritan woman, "You Samaritans worship what you do not know," and Samaritans believed God should be worshiped only on certain places (this mountain or that mountain), as most church people today worship God nowhere else except in their church buildings.

The good Samaritan didn't have the type of spirituality that Jews thought was acceptable to God but he knew in his heart the right thing to do in crucial times, especially when giving away money was involved. He may not be well acquainted with the Word of God but he obeyed the law that the Holy Spirit wrote in his heart. 
14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.) [Romans 2.14-15]

Paul told the Roman believers that it's not those who just hear the law that will be declared righteous but those who obey it [Romans 2.13].  We may not be under the law because of Christ in us, but Jesus said he never intended to abolish the law but to fulfill it, and in fact simplified it for believers into loving God with our all and loving neighbor as ourselves.

Many times, we look down on people we think are not born again, who do not go to church, who do not read the bible or do not know our church lingo, like shouting "Amen!" or "Praise the Lord!" We don't see them being as spiritual as we are, so we have biases against them. We see some of them not as churchy as we are or as busy in church and we think they're idlers or backsliders.

Sometimes, we see pastors not as busy or hardworking as we are and think they don't have a heart for God, church planting, missions or whatever. We want people to make a lot of noise about their ministry, to announce, promote, brag or take pride in themselves and what they do, and we find something wrong if they don't do so. Thus, often we identify more with the priest and Levites who love the best seats in the synagogues and to be seen by men when doing things for God, than with the good Samaritan who quietly did the right thing in his heart in a remote and isolated place where only bandits and robbers frequented. 

Jesus did not promote himself or his ministry. Instead, the Holy Spirit did all the promotion in supernatural ways so that people from everywhere talked about him, sought him and pursued after him.

For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. [1 John 2.16]


SURRENDERING TO JESUS 


Ask forgiveness and repent of your sins. Believe God's forgiveness. It is promised in the bible. Receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your sole Savior and Lord. Then be assured of heaven, not because of anything you have or do (not your good deeds or religion or church), but because of God's grace and mercy through what Jesus Christ did on the cross. 

In Jesus alone is salvation. Jesus is: 
"‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” [Acts 4] 
Surrender to Him by intently studying the bible daily (ask guidance from the Holy Spirit) and applying in life everything you learn. And then pray that God lead you to the right person who'd disciple you, one who is totally surrendered to Jesus and living His Word in the bible.

Buy my e-books for my house-church ministry. Click the images below for more!



Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Turning to Another Gospel


There's another gospel. As early as Paul's time, "another gospel" was suspected to exist and hit hard on the Galatian church. It looked authentic that even if the church started right in the Holy Spirit, it was now abandoning being entirely Spirit-led and comfortably settled with being entirely led by the flesh. And they really thought they were doing right and dealing with Jesus' Gospel.

Photo by Mikołaj on Unsplash.

They probably even felt so spiritual because they were working so hard in the ministry with all their efforts. That's characteristic of being flesh-led---everything is by man's effort, design, smartness, programs, strategies and direction, all done "for God's glory." Man's effort is legitimized by that phrase, "for God's glory." But Jesus had it so differently. He said his ministry was all the Father's effort in him, not his own.
Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. [John 14.10]

Once you get out of that pattern and do things your own smart way, you follow "another gospel," which was exactly what the Galatians were guilty of. Man's effort in ministry looks glamorous and probably the reason why the Galatians were "bewitched" by it and threw anything genuinely of the Holy Spirit out the window because they saw how man's effort gave them quicker results that highlighted their geniuses. Like how the modern church today mocks the supernatural of the Holy Spirit as superstition and subscribes to what looks systematic, scientific nd respectable.

I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: [Galatians 3.3]

So Removed

Paul said the Galatians were "so soon removed." The word "removed" here is a big word. They removed themselves from anything of the Spirit of God, and didn't know it because they were bewitched, or as NLT puts it, "cast an evil spell on." Abandoning the Jesus Way and turning to another way or gospel is demonic, it has to do with the occult. And that's what God calls it---abandoning or deserting. Metatithesthe is the Greek which means among other things, not simply changing sides but perverting.

What the Other Gospel Does to Us

1. Throw us into confusion [1.7]. Probably why we have a lot of denominations with different doctrines that say some portions of Scripture do not apply to us anymore---or some of God's Word are already obsolete today 😂. Nope, God's Word is always fresh, like his steadfast love and mercy that never cease but are new each morning. 

They reason that even with our different denominational doctrines we're all united in our basic faith in Jesus, and that's all that matters. But Jesus is the WORD of GOD, and that tells us we cannot just agree on some things in God's Word and disagree on the rest. Is Christ divided? I follow this portion while you follow another portion? I follow Paul, you follow Silas?

2. Pervert the Gospel [1.7]. Try to teach people about Jesus honestly using the bible (without denominational presuppositions or presumptions) and you'd see how "believers" find the real Jesus strange, odd, extreme, even cultic. Why? Because the modern church has been preaching "another Jesus," a tame one. They also don't understand how it is to be genuinely Spirit-led but just rely on how their church or pastor interprets God's Word for them according to the theology or hermeneutics of man. That's a clear perversion of Scriptures, giving undue preference to what man can give instead of total reliance on the Holy Spirit.

17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood (by man), but by my Father in heaven." [Matthew 16]

Teachers in church should be genuinely led by the Holy Spirit, relying solely on how HE gives supernatural understanding, not on things learned from endless seminars on how to do things. 

3. Under a curse [1.8]. What we often understand by "under a curse" is suffering poverty or financial insufficiency. Why? Because of the church's money-value system, that anything not translating into church income is useless. If what we do does not grow church membership, it's nothing because church membership translates into income and income grows churches. So we think poor believers or churches are "under a curse."

But Paul gave the Galatians a good idea of what it is. It has all to do with being bound to people's approval and to pride. That's the curse from turning to another gospel. Thus, his opening statement was an emphasis on being called by God, not man. 

Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father.

Then he added.
10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

11 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.

If you're a man pleaser, that's among worst curses to be punished with. The scary thing is that pleasing people makes you likely to fall into the hands of false believers who want you to remain a slave to the world. No wonder a lot of pastors today are hostage to the whims, fancies and impulses of their church boards or the church itself. They obey the will of the board even if it thwarts God's will because they fear losing their jobs.

This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. 5 We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. [Galatians 2.4]

SURRENDERING TO JESUS 


 Ask forgiveness and repent of your sins. Believe God's forgiveness. It is promised in the bible. Receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your sole Savior and Lord. Then be assured of heaven, not because of anything you have or do (not your good deeds or religion or church), but because of God's grace and mercy through what Jesus Christ did on the cross. 

 In Jesus alone is salvation. Jesus is: 
"‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” [Acts 4] 

Surrender to Him by intently studying the bible daily (ask guidance from the Holy Spirit) and applying in life everything you learn. And then pray that God lead you to the right person who'd disciple you, one who is totally surrendered to Jesus and living His Word in the bible.

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