At
the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the
kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the
midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and
become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is
greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little
child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones
which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about
his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Matthew 18:1-6
To be converted and become
as a little child!
To be converted means to
turn around from a course of conduct, or lifestyle, or to change one's mind!
But how does one become
as a little child? Be born again! What did you say? Be born again?!? What
in the world is that? It's not in the world! It's out of the world. You're born
once into this world. When you are born again, you are born into God's Kingdom,
and that my friend, is out of this world!
The natural mind fails
to grasp the spiritual things. The natural mind is limited to the physical
realm. The spirit sees beyond the natural. A religious leader had to be
taught this by the Lord! And I dare say there are many religious leaders today
who need to be taught this basic truth of the kingdom of God all over again!
There
was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came
to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher
come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be
with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith
unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time
into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto
thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the
kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is
born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born
again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof,
but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that
is born of the Spirit. John
3:1-8
Sometimes we get hold of
a tiny piece of knowledge and delude ourselves into thinking we know
everything! We are like the six blind men who went to "see" an
elephant! Each one came into contact with a single part of the elephant and
assumed it was the whole elephant. We sometimes grasp only a little bit and
make it the whole! We then strut around thinking that we have the knowledge and
know it all! In reality we know so little! We need to be born again to begin
seeing! And when we start seeing the way God intended for us to see, we will be
looked upon as foolish, simple, unsophisticated, behind the times! But who
cares?!?
God has said that HE will choose the
foolish things to confound the wise! Only God can have such confidence in
His action! For the preaching of the cross is to them that
perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it
is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing
the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where
is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this
world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it
pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 1 Corinthians
1:18-21
Why is this gospel hidden? There is
a horrible dread in the enemy camp! The enemy has an intense fear of people
believing this gospel. Why? Because the glorious light of the gospel shatters
satanic darkness, and scatters it like so much fragile shards of glass into the
mocking winds of despair and defeat! The enemy fears when men begin paying heed
to the gospel! Its very simplicity mocks at the convoluted complexity of the
spurious intellectual web that the enemy wraps around the mind of men,
ensnaring them into thinking their learning is enlightening, and of a higher
level than that of mere mortals. They are ever learning and never able to come
to the knowledge of the truth! But God hath
chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath
chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen,
yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 1
Corinthians 1:27-28
Truth is wrapped up in the person of
the Messiah for He said I AM THE TRUTH! Truth stares one in the face but
because of the jaded veil of the enemy, many like Pilate simply shrug and ask
What is truth? All the while truth stands patiently before them, yet is not
seen!
This gospel is like that
insignificant pebble, in the insignificant sling ,of an insignificant shepherd
boy! He was so insignificant in his own family's eyes, that his father
presented him as an afterthought, when Samuel asked Jesse if he had any other
sons! His brothers despised him when he queried the right of the philistine to
blaspheme Yahweh and His people. The Goliaths of this world roar in mockery at
the puny insignificant seeming story of a God who died for the sins of the
world! A likely fairy tale the worldly wise ones say and think.
Are we tempted to discard that which
seem insignificant and run with something more sophisticated? The spirits over
America influences and encourages mockery at the simple, foolish, little
things, all the while casting their illusory allure over the masses, deceiving
them into believing they are into a higher level of wisdom and intellectual
superiority. But a tiny spiritual pebble, in the sanctified sling of the
insignificant disciple, has ability to bring the Goliaths of worldly wisdom,
insipid intellectualism and popular philosophies, crashing down in devastating
defeat! In their futilely frantic efforts to be accepted and acclaimed as
the superior, sophisticated, super intellects of the world, the ungodly worldlings
blindly follow the naked emperor, deceiving themselves into believing in
invisible garments; and unable to come to terms with the fact that they have
strained their credibility to breaking point. They refuse to acknowledge that it
is the Word of the Gospel alone that brings salvation to men, to any who
believes! God has chosen the foolishness of preaching to save man.
Jesus came, and that is a historical
fact that cannot be ignored! He died, and the enemy would like Him to remain
dead, and that would be the end of it all! But Jesus did not remain dead!
Instead he was the Irresistible Force that had come against the immovable
object, and the object suddenly found out that it was not as immovable as it
had thought! Men always faced up to the inevitability of death and the grave.
They always lived in knowledge that it catches all. But death could not keep
Jesus and the grave could not hold Him! He not only arose from the dead but
made a mockery of death and hell. He lead captivity captive! He spoiled
principalities and powers! He made them a spectacle to all the unseen world!
His triumph reverberates through time and eternity! He has seized authority of
death and hell! He has their keys! He locks and none can open! He opens and
none can lock! And today that precious door of grace is opened by Him, to
anyone who comes believing! His nail pierced hands are outstretched in a
welcoming invitation, to all for His grace has appeared to all men! And he
stands there offering this precious life giving stream to anyone who is wise
enough to believe on Him! A jaded, worldly wise, cynical, woman who had stared
the harshness of life in its face found that living fountain sitting by a
traditional well. She saw both and made the comparison. The Messiah won hands
down! Come see a man, she says! Is not this the Messiah?
The Messiah is the Messenger! The
Messenger is also the Message! They killed the Messenger because they did not
like the Message! But the Messenger and His Message lives forever! And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being
turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven
candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the
foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were
white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And
his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as
the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of
his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun
shineth in his strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he
laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the
last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore,
Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. Revelation 1:12-18
What would have been the response if
Jesus had appeared to the Jews, Pilate and Caesar like He appears in The
Revelation? How would they have reacted? They would have done the same things
those who saw Him did! Run to hide and call on the rocks to fall on them, and
cover them! And the kings of the earth, and the great
men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every
bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the
mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from
the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For
the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? Revelation 6:15-17
This world continues to mock and
malign the Christ! They continue to deride and deny this Word! They seek to
negate and nullify the power and glory of this gospel! The puny, pitiful,
plotting produces mocking laughter in God! And we also laugh with Him! Do you
know why? Because we've read the Book. We know how it all ends! And just
in case you did not know it, here's how it all ends! You lose devil! GOD
WINS!!! WE WIN!!!
And
he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said
unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It
is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him
that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh
shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But
the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and
whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their
part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second
death. Revelation 21:5-8
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