07/06/11

The Christian fools

Luke 24:25 - And he said unto them, O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!


These days the most talked about religion is Christianity. It is not because of the Christ like character which is seen in its people or the glory of God shining in them, but people are discussing the ills of Christianity.

Yesterday on BBC they were showing how people were praying to the lady who is called Santa Muerte (Saint of Death). It is only because she is dressed in women clothes like 'mother Mary' with bead chains around her neck you figure it is a 'she', since that figure does not have skin or flesh and is just plain skeleton. They showed people doing the same traditions and prayers around it just as the Catholics do to their saints.

More than these idol followings of the Catholics today, the most talked about is the end of the world and the rapture announcement by people of the Believer Churches. We hear almost every week one or another Pastor announces the last date for mankind. So much so, it has now become less amusing and more an irritation and ridicule for Christians because un-believers laugh at the Bible and point to these dates when someone goes to share the Word with them. We also have many, many Christians the world over who are almost ready to be zapped any time from the face of this earth and hope to find themselves in Heaven any day.

In today's message the Lord is telling us the words which He spoke calling these people 'foolish men' and 'slow of heart'. The Greek word translated as foolish is 'anoetos' which means lack of understanding. The words slow of heart refer not to the human organ but to the inner man.

The reason why people lack understanding of the Bible is not because they do not believe or study it. Many of these people who give these end day dates or speak of rapture may give great understanding from the scriptures to justify their thoughts but yet they make mistakes and the reason the Lord tells us is they do not believe all the prophets.

People take a few scriptures here and there and build their house of these few small rocks. Such people are referred to in scriptures as people who dwell in the spiritual state called Samaria which symbolizes rocky mountain. We are now in a period before the Church of God comes in glory, where the Lord is going to make an example of these Samarians along with (false) Jerusalem and Assyria (people who pursue earthly prosperity).

The reason why these people dwell in Samaria is the same reason why Paul gave for not giving solid food to the Corinthians but gave some to the Hebrews and that was because they were slow of heart. Slow of heart means being spiritually lethargic. These people may preach great sermons but are far from doing what they preach. They are people who do not exercise their faith. They may say long prayers and even shout at the top of their voice and shake the congregation in between but their communication with God is nil. Their spiritual discernment is like a person going to the forest with just a candle in hand. They will not know of danger until the wild animal is just over them and even at a slight breeze their candle extinguishes and they become totally blind. In short they are more carnal and less spiritual.

Let us understand when Jesus performed the transfiguration He took 3 persons with Him to witness it so that it would be confirmed by the mouth of 3. The Gospel would have been recorded by one but the Lord works by His principles and confirms everything by at least the mouth of 2 or 3. The Bible is structured in such a way that each and every major event is recorded twice or thrice. Son witnesses for Himself, the Father witnesses for Him and we too witness Him.

Let us not be slow of heart and a foolish nation but let us exercise our inner-man and let us build our house firm on the one Rock by understanding the whole Word and not on many small rocks.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, You alone are Truth and the Rock of our Salvation. In your wisdom knowing the weak and foolish man You gave us the Word designed in a way that we will not be misled by the powers of this world. Your Word has everything within its self and confirms all within itself. Lord, work on our hearts and quicken it. In your Name we rebuke and bind the deaf and dumb spirit which rules over the hearts of many Christians. May the world know You alone are Truth and your Word is Truth...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scripturesr ]
Mark 9:2-4
2 And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them;
3 and his garments became glistering, exceeding white, so as no fuller on earth can whiten them.
4 And there appeared unto them Elijah with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.

John 5:31-32
31 If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.
32 It is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true.

John 8:17-18
17 Yea and in your law it is written, that the witness of two men is true.
18 I am he that beareth witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.

Luke 24:27
27 And beginning from Moses and from all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

Isaiah 10:10-13
10 As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and of Samaria;
11 shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols?
12 Wherefore it shall come to pass, that, when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria [means earthly prosperity], and the glory of his high looks.
13 For he hath said, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I have understanding: and I have removed the bounds of the peoples, and have robbed their treasures, and like a valiant man I have brought down them that sit on thrones:

Hebrew 5:12-14
12 For when by reason of the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need again that some one teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of solid food.
13 For every one that partaketh of milk is without experience of the word of righteousness; for he is a babe.
14 But solid food is for fullgrown men, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil.

1 Corinthians 3:1-3
1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, as unto babes in Christ.
2 I fed you with milk, not with meat; for ye were not yet able to bear it: nay, not even now are ye able;
3 for ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you jealousy and strife, are ye not carnal, and do ye not walk after the manner of men?

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)