+"Now many crowds were going along with Him, and He turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Lest, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.
"Therefore, salt is good, but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
Good Morning my beloved,
We welcome you to worship today in the name of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for joining us today, whether it's your first time or you are a faithful member of our family in Christ, your presence is acknowledged and truly appreciated. If you have recently received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, whether through this ministry or some other, please contact us so that we can include you in our prayers. If you haven't yet received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, won't you consider crying out to Him today, while there's still time? We are continuing to experience tremendous increases in areas previously never believed to be possible, which is evidence of just how critically important your prayers are but that God not only hears but faithfully answers our prayers according to His good pleasure.
It has been my experience that Christianity as a whole is literally all over the map in terms of their commitment to Christ and biblical interpretation, especially among younger Christians—where faith has been reduced to a feeling or an emotional experience. I won't yet go as far to declare that living an unwavering faith and uncompromising discipleship are extinct, but they certainly have become a rarity, having been widely replaced soft presentation, cowardly convictions, a perverted gospel, producing shallow Christianity. The days of deny God or die rapidly approaching and the modern church has become very good at succumbing to external pressure, compromising what we do what we do, how we do it, what say what we say, and who we say it to effectively rendering the Gospel as insufficient for biblical salvation, but a faith that requires little sacrifice or no authentic transformation. This is a crisis far greater than persecution alone, I believe its the internal compromise, orchestrated by none other than Satan himself, that threatens to undermine the very essence of the life saving Gospel itself, leaving many undiscerning believers spiritually vulnerable, no longer able to distinguish truth from error, due to the lack a firm foundation in Scripture, that are buying into every form of secular philosophies, and cultural ideologies shaped by consumerism, individualism, and instant gratification as if it were biblical Truth, even though it directly contradicts Christ’s call to self-denial and sacrificial living because of the weakness in doctrinal knowledge. Any teaching that contradicts the Bible, is satanic, even if it sounds spiritual. Sadly, comfort, complacency and conceit has replaced righteousness, holiness, and dependence on God. Revelation 3:16 clearly condemns lukewarmness, stating, You make Me sick, "I am going to vomit you out of My mouth," highlighting God’s rejection of spiritual apathy. And Proverbs 1:32 says, "For the turning away of the simple will kill them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them. " God is still on the Throne, and He is completely sovereign, therefore, I believe the church must be both compassionate and courageous, offering grace and mercy in love without the risk of compromising Truth. The Bible wasn’t written to give superficial Christians a book to post cute inspirational quotes from the Bible. The Bible is the inspired, inerrant, infallible, living, active Word of God, a life changing book written to transform lives. 2 Timothy 3:16-17, "All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be equipped, having been thoroughly equipped for every good work."
Sometimes, when we find ourselves in a confrontive situation, our greatest principles and convictions are sort of pushed aside, shoved into the background because we don’t want to offend somebody. Perhaps, there is nowhere more obvious than when you find yourself in the midst of conversation where you know you ought to speak out against evil, bringing Christ into the conversation and you’re suddenly afraid to really speak what you really believe, so instead of boldly speaking about Christ, you keep your mouth closed. While sensitivity to the feelings of others is important, and should most certainly be given consideration, we must never allow that to prevent us from speaking the Truth in love when necessary. We must remember Scripture consistently calls believers to speak truth boldly, even when it may cause offense. When our identity is deeply rooted in Christ rather than public opinion or the approval of men, fear rapidly diminishes. Sooner or later, we will come face to face with having to speak the truth about what the Bible teaches about something we're uncomfortable speaking up about; it’s unavoidable. While speaking the Truth in love is biblically justified when it's aligned with God's divine standards, we must also recognize that refuting that which contradicts God’s Word may well prove costly, it may even cost us our lives. That's why Jesus teaches in our text today, verses 25-35, to count the cost of discipleship, underscoring the seriousness of the commitment required to follow Him. Truth without grace is just plain mean, grace without Truth is meaningless.
Let's pray
Heavenly Father,
Father, thank You for Your Word, may You use it to transform lives. We confess that some us of are very good at self-justification, whether it's telling a small lie, or violating a rule that we believe is unfair or insignificant. We recognize that we do not perfectly abandon our past priorities, there are many things our flesh longs to hold onto, even as we claim to be willing to give up everything to obtain that precious pearl of great price. Our hearts grieve that Your people can become so complacent, so easily indifferent to Your Word. Make obedience to You Lord the cry of our hearts. May that desire become true through the powerful work of Your Spirit. Thank You, blessed Holy Spirit, for freeing us from sin and death, for changing our nature, enabling us to submit to Your leading so that we might fulfill the law for the glory of Lord. It is in His most precious name we ask and pray these things.
Amen.
Today's Message: Cost vs Price
Pentecostal/charismatic Christianity is expanding rapidly, growing at rates faster than many global population averages since 2021, this is being fueled by younger adults and a spiritual openness among Gen Z, where church attendance has quadrupled by many data sources. Leaders such as Perry Stone, Shawn Bolz, and others share messages about divine shifts, spiritual deception, and preparation, often amplified through podcasts, videos that reach global audiences directly, by bypassing traditional church buildings, raising concerns about their accountability of untested claims. Most recently, Bethel Church admitted being involved in a cover-up regarding the false prophet Shawn Bolz, previously considered to be one of the charismatic movement’s "most gifted and anointed prophets" and his "unparalleled supernatural ability," now accused of "mining social media" defrauding thousands upon thousands of undiscerning Christians rather than receiving "divine revelations from God." The leadership at Bethel Church has since apologized for its part in the failure to call out Bolz’s alleged abuse, but only after Mike Winger’s nearly six-hour exposé on YouTube, Sam Hailes, the editor of Premier Christianity, the UK’s leading Christian magazine, who frequently shares insights, adds his voice to those warning that the cover-up culture may run deeper in the charismatic movement than many want to admit. In 2 Peter 2:1-3, our beloved Peter warns of false teachers bringing destructive heresies for greed, exploiting believers with false words.
While social media certainly enables and expands the Gospel's reach, it also highlights the need for discernment and holding fast to sound doctrine, and prioritize Scripture as the ultimate authority amid a flood of voices of ravenous wolves. The apostle John, lovingly warns as the beloved of God, in 1 John 4 "not to believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." There is a reluctance within the Charismatic movement to call any individual a false prophet, even when the evidence provided is overwhelming, to confirm this very thing. Paul strongly urges believers in 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22, not to "quench the Spirit; ... but examine all things; hold fast to that which is good; abstaining from every form of evil," guarding against deception in an age where influence can spread rapidly without traditional oversight. Sid Roth is another popular false prophet, who hosts of the long-running television program named "It's Supernatural!" featured on TBN and has made unbiblical and ungodly claims popular among charismatic circles. He also repeats the same lies and false stories over and over again attributing them to the Holy Spirit. From a Scriptural standpoint, God's Word calls for humility and righteousness rather self-righteousness and self-exaltation. Roth, an entertainer first and foremost, is part of the New Apostolic Reformation (NRA) a cult who believes they are to influence the "seven mountains" of society including Arts and Entertainment, Business and Finance, Church and Religion, Dissemination and Media, Education and Science-Tech, Family and Health, and Government and Law. And, of course there is Bill Johnson, Todd White, prominent figures associated with Bethel Church in Redding, California, whose exaggerated claims of a "warehouse in heaven" with spare body parts, and "glory clouds" of fog and glitter during worship to perform miracles. We could easily do a complete series on just the false teachers, like Kenneth Copeland, Jesse Duplantis, Joel Osteen, Benni Hinn, and Joyce Meyer alone.
False prophets are certainly nothing new, in the Old Testament we find in Jeremiah 29, that Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, were false prophets among the Jewish exiles in Babylon who deceived the people by claiming to speak God’s word, yet delivered a prophesy of lies. The 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the Asherah, who ate at Jezebel’s table, were exposed as frauds when Elijah challenged them on Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18:19-40.
Scripture teaches the signs of a true apostle are wrought among you by signs and wonders and miracles. I have had more than one person come up to me and say, "You might not like to hear this, but you are an apostle in this generation." A statement to which I quickly disagreed. I am not an apostle in the true sense of the word. There are certainly many charismatics who are claiming to be an apostle, that claim to be able to do signs and wonders and miracles, I, however, am not one of them. If you don’t understand what a true apostle is, then you really have an incomplete understanding of Scripture and you're going to be very confused by all the false modern apostleship. The word "apostle" comes from a Greek verb "apostellō," which means to send, and in its noun form, its a term that can and often is used in a generic sense, referring to someone who is sent. But in the New Testament, the term "apostle" takes on a different meaning, its a word used to describe the original twelve disciples, until Judas discredited himself by betraying Jesus, and after much prayer, Matthias was hand picked to take his place, and later, Paul was added, for a total of fourteen men, who were sent to fulfilled a very unique role in God’s unfolding plan of redemption by proclaiming the Gospel to all the nations. They were chosen by God, they were who they were, and when their role was fulfilled, there were no more. In the biblical sense of the word, the title is non-transferable.
Being an apostle in the true sense of the word, is not the result of some church leaders getting together, laying hands on someone, anointing him and calling him an apostle. That's not what an apostle of Jesus Christ was or is. These men, were special group chosen by God even before their life begun, and were appointed by Jesus Christ, including the apostle Paul, who was personally chosen by Christ when suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him on the road to Damascus according to Acts 9:3–6. So, the bottom line is a true apostle is to have chosen by God, appointed by Jesus Christ and is required to have personally seen the risen Christ firsthand and have been with Him after His resurrection, even the apostle Paul had at least four special appearances of the very glory of Christ, who came to him personally, one to one. Beyond that, very important requirement to be an ongoing, constant, intimate fellowship with Christ, every of those who were chosen were also assigned very unique ministry duties, they were called to go out into all the world and preach the Gospel of grace to everybody and to make disciples, teaching them to obey all that He had commanded. They were given authority over demons, and there wasn’t a demon who could withstand the power of their authority. They were given authority over all illnesses, every sickness, and disease. There wasn’t anything they couldn’t heal completely and instantaneously, on the spot with just a word. You won’t see anything like that happening today. By the way, after the martyrdom of Stephen, there is never a miracle recorded that was performed by an apostle. As the New Testament was being completed, you can see the apostolic gifts begin to fade away. God doesn’t need to authenticate apostles today. Why? Because there aren’t any.
Let's open our Bibles to the Gospel of Luke chapter 14, verses 25-35. We have been in our study of Luke for some time, nearly two years so far, even though we're moving rather quickly. Now, we've come to the last section of chapter 14. Throughout His ministry, Jesus has been calling people to come to Him and to follow Him, thereby becoming His own disciples. Here, in the midst of an invitation for people to come to salvation, He approaches the invitation to come to Him from the negative not to condemn, but to reveal that you must prioritize Him over all other loyalties, illustrating the need to consider the risks and consequences of true discipleship. Notice the key to this passage is "My disciple," where the cost is high, wholehearted devotion, self-denial and the readiness to suffer for Christ, but the cost of the alternative is even higher with eternal consequences. I pray that you will follow along with me as I read with an open heart to set this very important evangelistic text on how one becomes a true disciple in our minds. Luke 14:25-35.
"Now many crowds were going along with Him, and He turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Lest, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.
"Therefore, salt is good, but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
Let's begin with verse 25, which introduces this very important call to follow Jesus where He is about to declare the massive crowd of people who think they're going to be in the kingdom, the cost of true discipleship, and underscore the necessity of self-denial and perseverance in following Him. "Now many crowds were going along with Him, and He turned and said to them." True discipleship transcends mere religious activity or superficial faith which requires the ongoing decision to fully surrender one's self to Christ’s authority. By turning to the crowds to address them directly, Jesus deliberately transitions from passive attraction to active confrontation. He is about to issue a series of statements that will undoubtedly thin the ranks. The language is unmistakably narrow gate evangelism. He knows many are following Him for the benefits without the burden of true discipleship and He refuses to let them continue under false pretenses. Jesus rejects grace without the cost of self-denial. Keep in mind, Jesus isn't interested in accumulating fans; He's recruiting disciples. The Gospel is, very simply, a call to find your life by losing it, so that nothing possesses us more than Christ.
Verse 26, "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple." This is one of the most striking and difficult statements Jesus ever made, it's very challenging for some to accept, where He very clearly demands a radical prioritization of Him above all else, where at first glance, it seems to contradict His teachings of love found elsewhere throughout Scripture. However, Jesus isn't calling for literal hatred, but in the comparative sense and sacrificial nature of discipleship. The word hate used here is the Greek verb "miseó," which can mean "to hate" but can also mean to "love less" in comparison, as is the case here in verse 26. Essentially, He is saying "If you don't love the people who are closest to you and even your own life less than Me, you cannot be My disciple." The hyperbolic rhetorical term is used deliberately to shock and emphasize the absolute necessity of prioritizing Christ over and nothing or no one should stand in the way of your following Him. Again, this is a call for total commitment and absolute self-denial, redefining your attitude toward everything that matters in this life, there's no interpretation. It aligns with His words in Matthew 6:24, "No man can serve two masters. He will love the one and hate the other," emphasizing that our undivided loyalty must be directed to Him above all else. Your allegiance ultimately determines where your loyalty lies. The phrase "even his own life" clearly indicates that following may demand your life when faced with conflict, but not necessarily, however, it does require the willingness to die to self. The message again leaves not room for an alternative interpretation. A person who is unwilling to surrender everything for Christ is not truly following Him.
Verse 27, "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple." In the first-century, the cross was not metaphorical as it is often used today. Nor was it though a religious symbol or piece of jewelry, it was an instrument of execution, public shame and humiliation, reserved for the lowest class of criminals, designed to inflict maximum amount of pain. This grim reality would have been immediately recognizable to His audience, where a condemned person was forced to carry the horizontal beam on a one-way journey to the place of execution, where their hands and feet would be nailed to the cross and left to slowly die. Carrying one's own cross also signifies a daily commitment to crucify one's pride, personal ambitions, and sinful nature as Paul indicates in 1 Corinthians 15:31,, where he wrote "I die daily," echoing Jesus' words for a daily commitment to surrender to God’s will, even unto death and the call to self-denial, dying to worldly desires, to live in obedience to His teachings.
Verse 28, "For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?" Here, Jesus frames the cost of discipleship by telling a parable about a man who wants to build a tower. Building a tower in ancient times, was a major financial and logistical undertaking, a builder need to ensure he had enough resources to finish the project before undertaking such a costly endeavor. Frankly, I believe it's pretty easy to see what He's getting at, this is a call for a deliberate, realistic assessment of what's being asked of you, before making the commitment. Like today, many wanted the benefits of following Jesus, without the burdens—heaven without holiness, grace without godliness. But Jesus offers no such "bargain" Christianity.
Many of those being addressed in the crowd were following Jesus due to being fascinated with His miracles, amazed by His teachings, and the hope of physical provision, but Jesus, recognizing their superficial enthusiasm, He issues a strong warning against half-hearted faith. While faith begins with enthusiasm and excitement, if it's not genuine, it will collapses over time under pressure, so He's saying you'd better count the cost of seriousness of becoming His disciple and the lifelong implications of surrendering to His will before making a commitment to follow Him.
Verse 29, "Lest, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ " Laying the foundation symbolizes the initial act of commitment such as repentance, public profession of faith, or baptism. From our earlier studies, we know many of these people were all over the map in terms of their commitment. Some are serious in their commitment, some are hardly committed at all, and some are nothing more than curious. So, Jesus is raising the bar, elevating the standard on discipleship. By failing to complete what you started, a half-built tower becomes a testimony to your failure, inviting ridicule from onlookers. This really about how one becomes a true disciple and follows after Christ. The religious leaders too confident in thinking they're going to be in the kingdom, sitting at the heavenly banquet. Sadly, they're horribly wrong. If fact, they so full of themselves they're going to be shut out of the kingdom because they refuse to humble themselves. An unfinished spiritual life is far more dangerous than never starting at all, because when a professing Christian abandons their divinely guided path, failing to build upon what was once begun, they become a stumbling block to others, often shutting the door to the kingdom in other's faces. So, if you're going to blatantly live in contrast to what Scripture commands, you'd do well to keep your "Christianity" to yourself, rather leading others astray with your ungodly behavior. The word Savior appears 24 times in the New Testament, while the word Lord appears 622 times, yet many churches and Christians believe it is inappropriate to discuss the Lordship of Christ because it makes people uncomfortable.
Verse 31, "Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand?" Here, Jesus presents a second parable on the cost of discipleship, using a strategic military scenario about a king who is preparing to go to war against another king who has twice the number of troops, ten thousand vs. twenty thousand. At face value, it sounds like just common-sense, what king would rush into high-stakes battle without first assessing the army of his enemy? Then, like today, strategic planning and calculating the consequences through early problem detection was a hallmark of wise and successful leadership. Speaking of counting the cost, I believe the church has really lost something in singing Christian music today, often written by people whose hearts aren't right, they're using the name of Christ to make a name for themselves, because they want to be famous and frankly, most of them have tried most every genre and failed so they say to themselves, "Let's give Christian Music a try, just mention Jesus and they'll buy it. If you mention His name and they'll buy anything."
All you have to do is just look at the contemporary Christian artists and their associations, that certainly seems to be true. They're shakin' hands with the devil for a dollar. Phil Wickham, Amy Grant, Lauren Daigle, Brandon Lake, Chris Tomlin, Michael W. Smith and let's not forget Michael Tait from News Boys, singing "God's Not Dead," all he's while drugging men for illicit acts of sex, selling millions and millions of digital downloads. But you don't hear the church talkin about the Trojan Horse that's entered the church, we want to just sweep it under the rug. Or worse, they don't even recognize what's happening.
I'm not saying it's all bad, but you really have to use discernment, something that the modern church seems to be lacking. We just keep flailing our arms arounds singing our hearts out because it makes US feel good, following right along to the crescendo, failing to even notice that the music isn't what it used to be. Which by the way, is designed for the purpose of that emotional response by counterfeit Christian artists who are trying to emulate the Holy Spirit, all for personal gain. It bears a striking resemblance to Simon Magus in the New Testament doesn't it? Who was amazed by the "Great Power of God" upon encountering Philip in Acts 8, he attempted to buy the Holy Spirit's power with money. Satan's strategy hasn't changed.
I sometimes believe if Satan himself were to write a song naming the name of Christ, many churches today would still sing it, if he could just get the right artist to sing it on the radio. It's sounds like the world's music because they're dragging our Lord's holy name down to the world level, so their music can be played across the band, country, Christian and pop. Selling out Christian venues, patting themselves on the back at the Dove Awards. They're making a killing all while dragging people to Hell with them. That's always been Satan's plan has it not? And, he's still using our PRIDE to do it. Because as long as we're consumed with proud, we can never be truly thankful.
Jesus, the eternal Son of God, had everything and became nothing for us, with no place to lay His head. And we who have nothing, because we think so HIGHLY of ourselves, believe we deserve it all. God wants His people to be thankful, to be filled with His joy! He gave us everything, even His own Son, and we still want the world. Doesn’t really make any sense, does it? Have you really counted the cost of what it means to truly be His disciple? Or are you still loving the world, while continuing to check all the proverbial "Christian boxes" more interested in self-fulfillment rather that submissive, in humble service to God?
Verses 32-33, "Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions." The climax of this parable is the king, realizing he is outmatched by his opponent, seeks peace from a position of weakness even before battle begins, symbolizing submission rather than equality. We anxiously, joyfully submit to the One who saves us, namely the Lord Jesus Christ. The word delegation or "presbeia" sending someone of authority with a message to make peace. At first glance, it seems to represent the human initiative toward God, but it is God Who sends the delegation, in His Son, to emphasize the urgency of man's reconciliation with God, while "He is still far away," echoing the words of Isaiah 55:6a, "Seek Yahweh while He may be found." Christ is the divine ambassador, sent while humanity was "far off" from God. The call to "ask for terms of peace" is a call to repentance, but the terms are set by God Himself. The idea of giving up one's possessions is not a demand, but a willingness, ready to surrender it all when called. I'd like you to kindly notice the phrase "cannot be My disciple" is non-negotiable, it is absolute in terms of total surrender, there are no exceptions. The call to come to Christ is not an invitation to embellish your life with some kind of personal enrichment, its a call to follow Christ by becoming obedient. Count the cost, be willing and ready to give up everything, holding nothing back. That doesn't sound like the modern invitation we so often hear today, does it?
Verse 34, "Therefore, salt is good, but if even salt has become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? At first glance, this verse appears deceptively simple, yet, upon closer inspection, it carries profound spiritual weight, serving as both an affirmation, representing the preserving influence of true disciples in a decaying world and a warning for those who compromise true discipleship with the world values, abandoning core Christian values; spiritual integrity, self-denial, and obedience—becoming indistinguishable from the culture around them, and ultimately spiritually useless, ineffective for God's purposes. The question "With what will it be seasoned?" is both rhetorical and devastating. Once salt loses its primary function, nothing can restore it, there is no longer a remedy that exists.
That brings us to verse 35, "It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear." Jesus concludes His teaching on the cost of true discipleship with a profound statement worthy of much contemplation, salt that loses its saltiness "is useless for the soil or for the pile of manure, it is thrown out." This is not about losing salvation, it is about false profession, those who profess faith but lack its substance were never connected to Christ, Who is the Vine, in the first place and will be cut off, thrown into the fire.
This echoes His teaching in John 15:1-6, "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vine-grower. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He cleans it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit from itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned." The world is going to soon pursue and demand certain things of us as Christians that we can never even begin to anticipate. It is imperative that a true disciple of Christ must be very careful to retain their spiritual integrity and influence, not compromising with the world or like Judas, even though they may profess to walk with Christ and the true disciples, they will ultimately be rejected at the Judgment. Then, Jesus uses a phrase that He's used multiple times in the Gospels, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear," indicating that the message is spiritually significant and is not automatically understood by those whose eyes blinded, ears are deafened and hearts are hardened to the Truth of God. This verse is a very sobering call to the church today to pursue authenticity over cultural affiliation. What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? In the end, when death comes knocking, you'll have nothing left to hold onto anyway....not even the body that carried you through this life.
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
Copyright © 2019-2026 All Rights Reserved