BEWARE OF THE LEAVEN OF THE PHARISEES

Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. Matthew 16:6

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 26-30

The Pharisees and the Sadducees asked Jesus for a sign to show that He was the coming Messiah (Matthew 16:1). Meanwhile the people requesting for a sign were doctors of law. They knew the scriptures like the back of their hands. Isaiah 7: 14 says therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. They knew a virgin conceived Jesus, they saw Him perform miracles, yet they wanted another sign just to tempt Him. When Jesus got to another part of town, He warned His disciples of the leaven of the Pharisees. Matthew 16:6 says then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. The disciples must have thought that, Jesus was warning them not to buy bread from a bakery owned by a Pharisees or Sadducees since they had no bread on them but Jesus meant something else.

When baking bread, one will mix flour, and water to form dough. After that, one will add yeast to the dough and the dough begins to rise. That yeast is what is called leaven. What yeast does is, it literally adds air to the dough. Leaven bread is usually big but empty inside. When Jesus was talking about the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, he was comparing them to leavened bread, very big outside, but utterly empty inside. The Pharisees and Sadducees were full of public good works; they prayed aloud outside; they paid tithes even tithes of their vegetables (mint, anise, cumin, etc) and so on. Their public life was fantastic but their secret life was nothing to write home about. Outside in the presence of the whole world, they were full of activities – they prayed a lot, sang and danced in church , loved reading the bible during service, loved teaching , but inside their closet they don’t pray, they don’t sing praises to God, they rarely read their bible. There are some of us like the Pharisees, in the church, we are full of activities, we are so respectful and humble , so lovely and sweet, but at home and our places of work, we are terror. Let us look at some super cars e.g. Bugatti Veyron, Ferrari, McLaren, etc. What makes Bugatti Veyron a Bugatti Veyron is not the upholstery. What makes a Bugatti Veyron, a Bugatti Veyron is the engine that is locked out of sight. Although the upholstery, wing mirror, steering wheel, etc, are visible, the power (engine) behind the Bugatti is invisible. What makes one a genuine Christian is not public activities, but activities in the secret where no one is watching. Our spiritual lives are far more important than our physical lives. Romans 8:8 says so then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please purge me of every old leaven.

Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.

SWIFT TO HEAR BUT SLOW TO SPEAK

Therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear; slow to speak, slow to anger. James 1:19

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 20-25

In the head, we have the eyes, the ears, and the mouth. There is a reason why God put the ears at the sides and the eyes in the front. There is a reason why the eyes are above the mouth. He arranged them that way for a reason. Imagine if one had eyes at the sides, although one will be able to see opportunities lying around him, side distractions will also be inevitable. Let us imagine for a second that we have our eyes at the back, although we will be able to see the mistakes of our past and become wiser, we will never forget our past. To make progress in life, we need to forget our past and move ahead. To help man, God put his eyes in the front so he can focus more on his future not his past. He also put a neck under his head so he can take a quick glance at his past occasionally. If one spends too much time looking back, the neck begins to hurt signifying it is high time one looked forward again. We are to learn from nature and focus more on our future not our past mistakes. To see, we only need one eye but God has given us two for a reason. With one eye, one has many blind spots but with two eyes, the blind spots become less.

Let us imagine for a moment that we have our ears at the back. Although we will able to hear what people are saying behind our back, we will also live an unhappy life. People who speak behind one’s back always have negative things to say and if one listens to too much of negative things, it might affect one’s heart. Negative reports leads to sickness. Proverbs 15:30 says the light of the eyes rejoiceth the hearth and a god report maketh the bones fat. Someone once said, God envisaged that some brothers and sisters would wear glasses so He gave us ears at the side so the glasses can sit on the ear. I do not know how true this is but it makes logical sense. God gave us two ears so we can detect the direction of sound. Our ears transmit sound waves to the brain, and having an ear on each side of the head makes it easier for us to determine where the sound is coming from. Having two ears allows you to understand where someone is if he is talking to you in a social setting, where construction is, or who is honking his horn. God gave us one mouth and a tongue because of the potential in the tongue. Proverbs 18:21 says death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. With the tongue, one can start a war and with the tongue, one can put an end to war. James 1:19 says therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear; slow to speak, and slow to anger. The reason why God gave us two ears and one mouth is so that we can do more hearing than speaking. For us to be able to speak on a matter once, we must have heard from at least two sides. One of the ways to identify a mature Christian is that they listen more and talk less. The more one talks, the higher the chances of one offending God. Proverbs 10:19 saysin the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.

PRAYER POINT: Father, please help me to tame my mouth

Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.

THE FIRE SHALL TRY EVERY MAN’S WORK OF WHAT SORT IT IS

Each man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. 1 Corinthians 3:13

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 19- 21

BIBLE STUDY: 1 Corinthians 3:11-15

On the last day, we (all believers) will stand before the Judgement Seat of Christ to give accounts of our deeds. 2 Corinthians 5:10 says for we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ; that everyone one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. When I say ALL believers will stand before Christ, I mean ALL believers – founders, pastors, evangelists, intercessors, ushers, choirs, counsellors, members just name it. All of us will stand in a single file with our works and give accounts of how we lived our lives. On that day, there will be no secrets, the ‘works’ of every man will be revealed in the open! This is why Jesus said in Luke 12:2, there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.

After everyone must have lined up, the angels will start to call names, Bro A please step forward with your ‘works’. Bro A will step forward with his ‘works’, the angels will pass it through the fire to test and critically appraise the character and worth of the ‘works’. If his ‘works’ are good, they will remain and Bro A will be presented with a reward or rewards as the case maybe, but if the fire consumes his ‘works’, he will get nothing, which means all his efforts on earth will be equal to zero. 1 Corinthians 3:13 says Each man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. Another name will be called, maybe Sister C this time, she will step forward with her ‘works’ and the angels will pass it through fire. One of the things that will shock many is, some names will be called and the fellow will come out with his ‘works’ as big as a skyscraper. As the fellow is marching forward with his ‘works’, everyone will be clapping. Jesus will say don’t clap just yet, pass the ‘works’ through fire and we will see. By the time the angels pass the ‘works’ through fire, all that will be left could be an ordinary pin!

It is not the number of ‘works’ or the size of our ‘works’ but the quality of our ‘works’. One of the things that will determine the quality of our ‘works’ is the heart with which we do God’s works. Are our ‘works’ an eye service or a show off? Did we do them to please men? How did we do them? Did we build according to the pattern Jesus the Master builder gave? What pattern did Jesus give? According to 1 Corinthians 16:14, we are to do everything in love. We are to do every thing without grumbling (Philippians 2:14). We are to do our ‘works’ with diligence. 2 Peter 1:10 says wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure, for if ye do these things, ye shall never fail. Whilst doing God’s work, we are to practice what we preach. Romans 2:21 says thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? Thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Many of us pray a lot in the public, do we pray a lot in the secret? Is who we professed to be on the outside, who we are on the inside?

TO PONDER: What people see outside and what is inside us, do they conflict?

Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.

CLEAN, INWARDLY OR OUTWARDLY?

And he said, peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice. 1 Samuel 16:5


BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 16-18

The children of Israel disobeyed God and He gave them into the hands of the Midianites (Judges 6). The Midianites were a wicked set of people. They would wait until the children of Israel had planted their crops and ruin everything they had planted. Not only that, they would destroy the sheep, cattles, donkeys and any living things they see. After they had left, the Amalekites would come and repeat the same exercise. After the Amalekites had gone, another set of people will continue where the Amalekites had stopped. This was what the children of Israel were going through, year in year out, for seven good years. After a while, the children of Israel repented and called on God for help. He answered and chose Gideon to lead an army against the Midianites and Co.

Gideon gathered 30,000 men and went to war against the enemy. Outwardly, these men appeared strong and courageous with their swords, axes, slings, etc. They exude confidence, anyone seeing them would think they anchored their trust in God, in the real sense they didn't. The Lord saw their hearts and told Gideon to announce that, anyone who is afraid should go home. The moment the announcement went out, 20,000 men returned home! Gideon was still recovering from the shock when the Lord spoke again and said, you have a lot of pretenders left, let’s test them. Only 300 passed and with the 300, the Lord secured victory for Gideon. 1 Samuel 14:6b says for there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or few. From this story, we see that the Lord neither needs a large number of people to fight a war nor does He need a crowd to carry out an assignment. All He needs is a few who have prepared their hearts before Him. All He needs is a few who will trust Him with their life.

When Samuel got to Jesse’s house, he told the old man, tell your sons to clean up themselves for sacrifice. 1 Samuel 16:5 says and he said, peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice. These boys came to the sacrifice looking the part . As they stood before Samuel one by one, the Lord rejected them all. Samuel then asked Jesse, are these all your sons? The man replied, there is but one in the forest but he is not a king material. Well bring him here and let’s see what the Lord has to say about the boy, Samuel replied. They brought David and the Lord said, anoint him. Although the brothers of David had washed themselves, the Lord rejected them and picked a boy who had not washed in days. David may not have had his bath for days because he was tending the sheep, he had a pure heart. Outwardly, the brothers of David looked clean but inwardly they were dirty. From this story, we see that the Lord looks at a fellow’s heart not there appearance. It does not matter the number of times a fellow bathes, if he is dirty on the inside , he is dirty.

TO PONDER: If God where to look inside you and I, will He be happy with what He will see?

Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.

AVAILABILITY, A CRITERIA?

And Samuel said unto Jesse, are here all thy children? And he said, there remaineth yet the youngest, and behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him for we will not sit down till he come hither. 1 Samuel 16:11

AVAILABILITY, A CRITERIA?

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 13-15

After Saul’s disobedience, God rejected him as king over Israel and chose David the son of Jesse. He told Samuel (the king maker), I am done with Saul, there is no point mourning over him. I want you to fill your horn with oil and go to Jesse’s house; I have chosen one of his sons as Saul’s replacement. When the old prophet got to Jesse’s house, he told him, bring out your sons because the Lord has chosen one of your lads to be the next king of Israel. Delighted Jesse lined up his seven sons before Samuel. The moment Samuel saw the first born, Eliab, he arose to anoint him because the young man ticked all the boxes. He was tall, handsome with a charming smile. As he took out the horn to anoint him, the Lord said to Samuel, I have rejected him! Outwardly he is good but inwardly he is terrible.

Many a times when God warns us against certain people, we find it hard to believe because these people appear perfect outwardly. They don’t smoke, drink, swear, fornicate, etc. By the time we get to 1 Samuel 17:28, we see the true Eliab. His father (Jesse) sent his younger brother (David) to bring food for him and his brothers. The moment he saw David, he didn't even ask about his welfare or his father’s welfare, he just began to scream and shout at this poor boy for no good reason. Eliab was charming outside but wicked and angry on the inside. Anyway the second born (Abinadab) passed before Samuel and he said “next”. They brought the third born (Shammah) and he said “next” again. The Lord rejected all of them. 1 Samuel 16:11 says And Samuel said unto Jesse, are here all thy children? And he said, there remaineth yet the youngest, and behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him for we will not sit down till he come hither.

They moment Samuel saw David, the Lord spoke and said, that’s the one, anoint him for Me as Saul’s replacement. David had prepared his heart before God. He had passion for God and the things of God. He had a personal relationship with God. He had endured a lot of pains; he had been attacked by bears, lions and other beasts in the field and conquered them. He had learnt how to cater for the helpless, the poor and the needy (sheep). From this story, we see that, the fact that a fellow is available does not mean God will use him. When we are appointing people into position, let us not choose those who are available but those whose heart are right before God. Eliab and his brothers were available but their hearts were not right before God. It is better to sing without anyone playing the instruments than to sing with people whose heart are not right with God, playing the drums, piano and other musical instruments. An instrumentalist whose heart is not right before God cannot lead people into God’s presence.

NOTE: It is better to use people who are unskilled whose heart are right before God than to use people who are skilled but whose heart are not right before God.

Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.

IS PAEDOBAPTISM BIBLICAL?

Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Romans 6:3-4

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 8-10

Baptism symbolizes one’s burial with Christ and resurrection with Him. The immersion symbolizes burial with Christ and emergence from water symbolizes resurrection. Romans 6:3-4 says know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. The bible requirements for baptism are simple. First of all, one must understand what baptism is and why he or she needs to be baptized. It impossible for one to say he or she is saved and yet does not know what salvation is. So also one must understand what baptism is before going for baptism. Secondly, one must have a saving relationship with Christ. Faith must precede baptism, in other words, one must be saved before going for baptism.

It is important to know that baptism does not save a person. It does not matter if you were baptized by immersion, pouring, or sprinkling – if you have not first trusted in Christ for salvation, baptism (no matter the method) is meaningless and useless. I once witnessed a boy who had just been baptized, chasing another boy with a broken bottle. That fellow was not baptized but bathed because he is not walking in the newness of life.

This brings us to the question, is Paedobaptism biblical? Paedobaptism is a big word which simply means infant baptism. There are no explicit instances of infant baptism in the entire bible. In the three “household baptism” mentioned (household of Lydia, Acts 16:15; household of the Philippian Jailer, Acts 16:30-33; household of Stephanus, 1 Corinthians 1:16) no mention is made of infants , and in the case of the Philippian Jailer, Luke says explicitly, “And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house” ( Acts 16:32), implying that the household who were baptized could understand the Word. Baptism is an act done through faith. Colossians 2:12 says buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. What this means is that, how we were buried with Christ in baptism and how we were raised with him in baptism was through faith. Infants are not capable of this, and therefore infants are not fit subjects of baptism. They don’t know what baptism is , talk less of having faith. If you were baptized as an infant, why not prayerful consider this and go for proper baptism.

PRAYER POINT: Father, as Christ resurrected, let every good thing that has died in my life resurrect.

Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.

AND THINE EARS SHALL HEAR A WORD BEHIND THEE

And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. Isaiah 30:21 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Isaiah 3- 7

Recently I wrote a devotional about ‘lies’ and ‘shedding innocent blood’. After writing, I proofread it and corrected all the grammatical and spelling errors. I proofread it the second time and found no errors. As I proceeded to proofread for the third time before posting, I heard a voice in my spirit, which said, “go and shower and proofread again.” Meanwhile this was very early in the morning, I had just finished praying, and I wanted to get the writing out of the way before taking my shower. I obeyed and went to shower. When I returned to proofread again, I saw that I had put down ‘sharing innocent blood’ instead of ‘shedding innocent blood’. I changed it and posted the message. If I had disobeyed the Holy Spirit and proofread the third time before bathing, I would not have seen that error and this would have resulted in a big embarrassment. The Holy Spirit is our Guide. John 16:13 says howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all the truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. Obeying the voice of the spirit saves one from of embarrassment. I cannot count the number of times I have burnt my food whilst preparing it because I delayed when prompted by the Holy Spirit to go and check what I was I was cooking. Thank God, I am wiser now.

A lot of mishaps, road accidents, problems, etc, could have been avoided, if only we obeyed the voice of the spirit. I heard how the Lord saved a brother during the September 11 (9/11) terrorist attack on the Twin Towers. Whilst working on his computer, he heard “run”. He did not question the Holy Spirit; he just started making his way down the building. As he stepped out of the Twin Tower, the first jet struck. Another brother was with his daughter in the Twin Tower. The daughter requested for McDonalds snack, as he was about to tell his daughter to wait a bit, he heard the Holy Spirit telling me to take the girl to McDonald. He left what he was doing and quickly proceeded to the McDonalds nearby. Whilst there, He had that there was an attack on the Twin Tower. If the Spirit of God is leading you to do something or make a move, please do it as soon as possible because you do not know what might happen next. If He says stand, please stand up first before asking why. If He says sit, sit first before asking why. If He says, make a call; do not ask why before making the call. Two things that could hinder one from hearing the audible of voice of God are bitterness and disobedience. At times out of anger, you may want to say something, the moment you spirit says do not say it, just keep quiet. If you disobey and say it, the Holy Spirit will be grieved. If He continues to tell you not to do something and you keep doing it, He will stop speaking and that is not dangerous.

PRAYER POINT: Father, Your word says I will a hear voice behind me guiding me; please heal me of spiritual deafness so I can hear your audible voice.

Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.