To The Cities That Have Ears To Hear:
It's all a matter of belief...
God is neither confused about His Word, nor does His Word cause confusion. For those who have ears to hear (willing to receive with understanding), God’s Word is crystal clear. If at any time clarity is needed, He invites us to "Ask Him" for understanding, and He will give it in abundance.
Jesus was not naive concerning His stipulations for reward. The scripture doesn't say that just because someone gives a cup of cold water they will receive a reward: But rather, it must first be determined, to whom the water is given, and why? Jesus said to His disciples:
Rewards
“Those who receive you are also receiving Me, and those who receive Me are receiving the one who sent Me. Those who receive a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. Those who receive a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. I assure you that everybody who gives even a cup of cold water to these little ones BECAUSE they are My disciples will certainly be rewarded.” [Matthew 10:40-42, CEB]
A cup of cold water given to an atheist, no more makes him a disciple of Jesus, than it qualifies the giver for a prophet’s reward. There must first be belief and acceptance that the one to whom the cup of cold water is given, is in fact Jesus’s disciple. There cannot be both belief AND unbelief. That's lukewarm. To call the disciple evil and cast him out is to reject and dishonor, which is unbelief. That is exacly what happened to Jesus in His hometown of Nazareth:
UNBELIEF: Jesus's hometown demeaned Him, cast Him out of the Temple, called Him Beelzebub; yet somehow, still felt entitled to a reward: "Do here in your hometown what we’ve heard you did in Capernaum." [Luke 4:23b] When Jesus said no, they plotted to destroy Him.
The focus must not be on "reward;" but rather that, in believing, you grow not weary in well-doing. Give, simply because it is the righteous (right in God's sight) thing to do. Albeit firstly, the worker (disciple, messenger, prophet) deserves his wages (housing, food and water, and even clothing).
Now to a laborer, his wages are not counted as a favor or a gift, but as an obligation (something owed to him). [Romans 4:4]
Beyond that, Paul said, those who work outside the temple ought to also share in the same profits as those who work in the temple. Laborers (God's workers), many who suffer the harassment, torment and persecutions, that Jesus predicted, are those who answer the call and adhere to God's instructions in gathering His harvest. Therefore, because it is earned, a city is not entitled to a reward from the disciple's wages.
You gotta be careful who you roll with. Doctrines that dishonor the disciple, dishonor Jesus and God. Teachers of such strange doctrines will have a city operating in ritualistic sacrifices that hem God's worker in, in order to gain unauthorized access the reward. God knows the intentions of every heart. Nazareth tried to hem Jesus in when they ganged up on Him and chased Him to the cliff's edge. There is a heavy price to pay when Jesus's disciples are rejected and/or mistreated, and especially when the Holy Spirit is tampered with. How ever God's worker is treated in a city, is how God responds, in like treatment, to that city.
It is impossible to believe that someone is Jesus's disciple yet deem them evil. Again, where there is unbelief, whatever is gotten, especially through oppression, manipulation, or force, is theft from the Holy Spirit. God wants us to be merciful and compassionate toward one another, just as He is merciful and compassionate towards us. So many are of the belief that, because I do not speak "peace" in this city, I am operating in err in my assignment. God uses His messengers to speak harshness, particularly to a city and nation, to capture their attention and impart warning.
"I sent my prophets to cut you to pieces. I have slaughtered you with my words, threatening you with death. My judgment will strike you as surely as day follows night. I want you to be merciful; I don't want your sacrifices. I want you to know God; that's more important than burnt offerings. [Hosea 6:5-6, NLT]
There is a vast difference between binding the strong man to retrieve God's property (His harvest, His people), and oppressing a homeless grandmother to gain access to God's treasures. As harsh as it may have seemed, God had issued warning, and that was enough: So then, when Uzzah touched the Ark of The Covenant, even in trying to keep it from falling, there was serious repercussion.
As it was for Nazareth, it is so for any city that rejects: There is no reward in unbelief.
Summary: When God says NO, He means NO. Howbeit, He will sit by while wrongdoing against His messenger go forth from a city because again, He will not punish without cause.
Afterthought: Of course, it hurts that so many are so willing to do a homeless grandmother so dirty, for so little. And, aside from the forfeiture of miracle healings, it's seeing the least of these, especially those who are mentally challenged, being misled that breaks my heart the most. Nevertheless, all these things must come to pass.
It's all a matter of belief...
God is neither confused about His Word, nor does His Word cause confusion. For those who have ears to hear (willing to receive with understanding), God’s Word is crystal clear. If at any time clarity is needed, He invites us to "Ask Him" for understanding, and He will give it in abundance.
Jesus was not naive concerning His stipulations for reward. The scripture doesn't say that just because someone gives a cup of cold water they will receive a reward: But rather, it must first be determined, to whom the water is given, and why? Jesus said to His disciples:
Rewards
“Those who receive you are also receiving Me, and those who receive Me are receiving the one who sent Me. Those who receive a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. Those who receive a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. I assure you that everybody who gives even a cup of cold water to these little ones BECAUSE they are My disciples will certainly be rewarded.” [Matthew 10:40-42, CEB]
A cup of cold water given to an atheist, no more makes him a disciple of Jesus, than it qualifies the giver for a prophet’s reward. There must first be belief and acceptance that the one to whom the cup of cold water is given, is in fact Jesus’s disciple. There cannot be both belief AND unbelief. That's lukewarm. To call the disciple evil and cast him out is to reject and dishonor, which is unbelief. That is exacly what happened to Jesus in His hometown of Nazareth:
UNBELIEF: Jesus's hometown demeaned Him, cast Him out of the Temple, called Him Beelzebub; yet somehow, still felt entitled to a reward: "Do here in your hometown what we’ve heard you did in Capernaum." [Luke 4:23b] When Jesus said no, they plotted to destroy Him.
The focus must not be on "reward;" but rather that, in believing, you grow not weary in well-doing. Give, simply because it is the righteous (right in God's sight) thing to do. Albeit firstly, the worker (disciple, messenger, prophet) deserves his wages (housing, food and water, and even clothing).
Now to a laborer, his wages are not counted as a favor or a gift, but as an obligation (something owed to him). [Romans 4:4]
Beyond that, Paul said, those who work outside the temple ought to also share in the same profits as those who work in the temple. Laborers (God's workers), many who suffer the harassment, torment and persecutions, that Jesus predicted, are those who answer the call and adhere to God's instructions in gathering His harvest. Therefore, because it is earned, a city is not entitled to a reward from the disciple's wages.
You gotta be careful who you roll with. Doctrines that dishonor the disciple, dishonor Jesus and God. Teachers of such strange doctrines will have a city operating in ritualistic sacrifices that hem God's worker in, in order to gain unauthorized access the reward. God knows the intentions of every heart. Nazareth tried to hem Jesus in when they ganged up on Him and chased Him to the cliff's edge. There is a heavy price to pay when Jesus's disciples are rejected and/or mistreated, and especially when the Holy Spirit is tampered with. How ever God's worker is treated in a city, is how God responds, in like treatment, to that city.
It is impossible to believe that someone is Jesus's disciple yet deem them evil. Again, where there is unbelief, whatever is gotten, especially through oppression, manipulation, or force, is theft from the Holy Spirit. God wants us to be merciful and compassionate toward one another, just as He is merciful and compassionate towards us. So many are of the belief that, because I do not speak "peace" in this city, I am operating in err in my assignment. God uses His messengers to speak harshness, particularly to a city and nation, to capture their attention and impart warning.
"I sent my prophets to cut you to pieces. I have slaughtered you with my words, threatening you with death. My judgment will strike you as surely as day follows night. I want you to be merciful; I don't want your sacrifices. I want you to know God; that's more important than burnt offerings. [Hosea 6:5-6, NLT]
There is a vast difference between binding the strong man to retrieve God's property (His harvest, His people), and oppressing a homeless grandmother to gain access to God's treasures. As harsh as it may have seemed, God had issued warning, and that was enough: So then, when Uzzah touched the Ark of The Covenant, even in trying to keep it from falling, there was serious repercussion.
As it was for Nazareth, it is so for any city that rejects: There is no reward in unbelief.
Summary: When God says NO, He means NO. Howbeit, He will sit by while wrongdoing against His messenger go forth from a city because again, He will not punish without cause.
Afterthought: Of course, it hurts that so many are so willing to do a homeless grandmother so dirty, for so little. And, aside from the forfeiture of miracle healings, it's seeing the least of these, especially those who are mentally challenged, being misled that breaks my heart the most. Nevertheless, all these things must come to pass.
Thank You LORD for this ensign assignment
(Please forgive me, this got a bit lengthy; yet there is much still to impart.)
