Presumptuous Relations

Presumptuous Relations                                                    By Kelly Durant 9-24-11

Mark 10:36-41. 36 And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 37 They said to Him, “Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.” 38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” 39 They said to Him, “We are able.” So Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized; 40 but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared.” 41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John.

A Christian friend told me about a visit one time to a homeless shelter and a person there was being belligerent and imposing asking everyone there, “Hey who is the king?”, “I am”! He was annoying everyone trying be act cool and dominate the group by asking, “Who is the king?” Until he got to this Christian brother who saw that his pride needed to get clipped like you clip a birds wings and when he came to ask him, Hey, who’s the king?” He responded, “It doesn’t matter who the king is, what matters is who is the King of kings”! I want you to meet Him!

Dealing with people often times is like being a snake charmer. You have seen the snake charmers from India who play their flute and make the snake dance out of the basket. The problem gets serious though if suddenly the flute player needs to cough and the music stops. What happens? The snake that once seemed so happy moving to the music of the master suddenly reverts to his evil nature and strikes out at the master to bite him and kill him!

Working with people can easily be compared to the job of the snake charmer! Sometimes it seems like everyone is happy, and you are happy and a lot is getting done for the kingdom of God, and then suddenly someone makes a human mistake, and then the flow of work & music gets interrupted and then the fangs come out! Most people are not even aware of their own vicious nature when things do not go as they want them too!  People do not even perceive their own pride nor see with God’s spirit when they talk bad about others with unkind words.

Today in the scripture we see what typically goes on in any group setting, there is always a few who want to get in good with the boss so that the boss will do extra favors for them.

Here James and John, two disciples that usually are spiritual, that usually behave well, get out of control in their ambition. They are just like anyone of you or me, anyone of us can normally be in tune with God but once in a while we can be very out-of-tune! They are dedicated to Jesus, and they are proud of that fact, just as Peter was proud when he boasted that he would even die for Jesus if he had to but then he went on to deny him 3 times. Pride comes before a fall!

So what has happened here? These two disciples out of their pride and ambitious thinking were being very disrespectful to Jesus authority by their desires for having other recognize they were better than them. Here is the whole matter with people at times:

When things are going how you or I want them to be in the Corps church, when it seems the points are in your favor, then you everyone is happy. But when someone says something without thinking, then anger and hurt feelings can go around.  Who is the blame for the hurt feelings? It may not be the blame of the other person but from your own self!  

Like it or not each one of us have to get use to getting humiliated and corrected at times just as James and John did. We don’t know what God is doing in His plan within His work, and His big picture is more important than our ways. 

41 And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John. 42 But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. 44 And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Here James and John got a rebuke, a correction.  Do people when they get a rebuke really appreciate it?  Most people get angry that I know. But if a person is discipleship material like James and John, if they are a true Christian, then they will feel bad, maybe angry, maybe embarrassed, but you, or this person, will survive the uncomfortable-ness of the  correction and of the peer group and just keep on going for God!

Jesus made it clear he does not want us to have the mind of the people of the world that in a natural order sets up a hierarchy of the pecking order. In prisons, in our communities with gangs, in schools and in businesses, and yes sad to say, even in churches people naturally fall into a hierarchy of who is more important. Usually the most aggressive put their selves on top, but Jesus showed us a better way. To be a servant one to another! In other words, it is true the aggressive succeed but the aggressive to serve others and do God’s work. He that would be simple like a child. Again we keep reading.    

Lk 9:46-28  “Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. 47 And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, 48 and said to them, “Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great.”

I personally don’t like over aggressive imposing people, people who want to make their selves out to be better than anyone else, and I think most of us feel the same.  It is the game of politics that we all are tired of.  Just like the disciples were angry with James and John, wanting to get special treatment, it is natural also for us to want equality, justice, fairness and the same rewards for all that do things worthy of getting rewards.

Jesus is saying this, okay, you want to be on top, then sacrifice the most! Be a slave to others! Be the least of your brethren! Give your life in sacrifice to a cruel death! (the baptism he was refereeing to) Be like a child! “Be the least among you all and you will be great.”

Greatness only comes from being a servant and being willing to do anything for God’s service, no matter how humiliating or degrading it may be! It is sad many people flunk the tests of God to sacrifice more, to give all of their lives, to humiliate their selves, and instead they criticize and attack back those guiding them down that path!

Also, these same verses of study today are repeated in Matt. 20:20-22 But they have even more a twist to the story, listen to this… Be careful of the people who tell you to be great. 

20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him. 21 And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.” 22 But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”

So now we see even more of the story, it was not just James and John that were ambitious of being the most praised, the most exalted within the group of disciples, it was their mother behind them influencing them! I want to warn each of you, that you need great discernment when you do God’s work! 

I know there are many men and women, and youth, that have other voices of influence in their lives in their homes that tell them, “Don’t let the Captain make you serve food, you are better than that! Don’t do anything unless he makes you leader of the group!” The Salvation Army’s got money, make them pay you! 

The problem I have with serving Jesus quite often is that you can see through people’s hearts, their influences, and their motives! It is the discernment of the Holy Spirit and it also is that I, like all of you here, have been through the school of hard knocks of getting humiliated in front of the group as James or John, but I have learned, humbled myself, moved on and grown spiritually! I recognize proud people because I too was once proud as most all of us have been!

Sometimes we wonder amongst ourselves, what happened to this or that person, we needed them for an important meeting and they did not show up! Sometimes people don’t show up because they don’t want to have to do any sacrifice, but that is failing God!

God sees it all and the whole group sees it all and I am surprised quite often some people have no shame that they are absent when we need them. They are not failing the Captains but failing the whole group of people in the church, failing God’s work, and out of pride not willing to be a nobody!

If you think any task around the church is too humiliating than just think about this, Jesus touched lepers many many times, Jesus escaped almost being killed a few times, Jesus suffered embarrassment from his disciples who failed or were offensive, but did He tell God that it was enough already? Did He say, okay, “Beam me up Scotty?” I am out of here! You can forget all these proud ugly humans and put me back on my throne where I use to be! 

No! Jesus served ‘til the very end and so much so that He was willing to die in a horrible way to show His love for us! After becoming a Christian, any one of us should think, wow, if Jesus suffered that much, then nothing that happens to me is really that bad at all! No matter how humiliating or dirty the job, I will do it for Jesus because He did more for me than what I can ever do for Him!

In the verse 39 Jesus says, “Okay, it is true you will be baptized of my baptism”, which meant that James and John would die serving Him, but even though they went on to die for God, even though Jesus knew this before it happened, He still insisted that they do not out of pride ask for a special reward of recognition! They have a special place in heaven! Imagine, all the angels, all the billions that have ever lived know the names of the disciples! They are famous forever with crowns of glory.

Do you want to be like them, honored by God and honored by others? Then never be ambitious for nothing! Never do the mistake of James & John to think that you deserve more, that you need a special status.  Just be as the verse says  in  Luke 17:10

So likewise, ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.    Prayer…

Ignorance Is Killing Us! Because God’s Truth is Rejected!

Ignorance Is Killing Us! Because God’s Truth is Rejected!  Kelly Durant 5-3-15  Re 10-15-23          

Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

2. How many of you deal with prideful ignorant people in your daily job? The problem is ignorant people sell their selves in a way that they make you feel intimidated to even question their knowledge! Ignorant people know how to bluff and are proud pretenders! Today ignorance of the basics of God and society plagues most professional, political, and ordinary people. Like the doctor in Miami that was doing plastic surgery by injecting HomeDepot household silicon into people’s bodies!  Ignorance=destruction! A woman died too!

Ignorance takes on many forms concerning the basic functioning of relationships and society, but most of all ignorance of the Word of God is causing our society to implode! Ignorance is wastefully degrading our organized systems and causing undue damage and suffering. It is provoking embarrassment! The world scenario is like this, more than ever people are being placed in positions of power only because of their political affiliations and not due to their knowledge and capacity, so consequently the chaos of incompetence is overwhelming all aspects of organizations. Systems that use to be efficient are now degrading by ignorance! 

Frist, I will tell you a story of how ignorance affected me on a personal level one time and I hope it convicts you to beware of ignorant people! We all must improve our own general knowledge of the world and of God and become more aware of our need for the discernment of the Holy Spirit!  Here is what I suffered through one time in Atlanta. There was a person who had many community hours to do and he boasted he was a mechanic and that he could do his hours tuning up our cars replacing plugs, etc. At that time our church van needed new plugs so I bought them for him and he worked on the van for an afternoon. I only thought I was happy to save over a $100 dollars on the tune up in my ignorance at that moment! 

To my surprise 4 hours later he said well, “I could only change one plug because I got a phone call and busy and I cannot do the other plugs because, come let me show you, see they are impossible to reach”. It was true they were in very hard to get to locations and I thought, okay, that is just how it goes with some people who are incapable of finishing a job correctly. Then I noticed immediately that the V-8 was lacking the original power it had and I had a doubt about the one plug he changed. I checked it with another mechanic and it turned out he had stripped the threads of the plug putting it in and he caused a piece of it to break inside and consequently the motor then needed a head job and an expensive repair! I learned an expensive lesson: never trust boastful people who are so sure of their selves who have a dubious record of wrong doings and no proof of repentance or proof of the fear of God in their lives! This is just one case that reveals ignorance but I have lived through dozens of others cases! What is your story?

3. Proverbs 1:7 ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction’. All examples in the material world compare to the spiritual realm, so now with this tune-up illustration let’s uncover other problems. Too many people claim they know things but since they are carnal beasts and not close to God, they really know nothing at all about anything! And when their ignorance gets exposed, these impostors get furious! It is evident that ignorant people always lie, contradict, and argue about things they know nothing of! 

The world today, as it was in Jesus time, has too many hypocrites pretending to be smart and of a privileged elect class. They claim they are the lone experts of authority but in actuality they are smoke and no fire with a convincing façade. Ignorance, in particular of the spiritual things, has further reaching consequences! Have you noticed how many start up churches there are today with ignorant self-proclaimed pastors that have never really ever studied or applied God’s word in their personal lives? How do these people get knowledge or ideas to convince others? They don’t really study or read, they just imitate from other imitators and copy like Satan copies. They are like a fake counterfeit bill, imitating the light and pureness of God but denying His power. Usually these types preach strong, energetic, and fiery messages, and the ignorant congregations think they are undoubtedly intelligent, strong, and powerful!? A tragedy!

But by just looking at their lavish lifestyle and personal life it can be revealed that many of these people are consumed with greed, envy, and pride! And since they hardly ever personally interact with their people but live privileged and secluded, few people ever discover their embarrassing personal unholy lives that are gravely ignorant and faulty. They need exposure!

4. Ignorant people who have never spent time alone with God asking God to reveal to them their inner secret sins so they can repent and be remade into a new person (creation) can often appear normal and spiritual. They, in their ignorance, have actually deceived their own selves into thinking they are legitimate without the sacrifice! These are people who feel they do not need to study anything because they conclude that after all, all church Christian sheep followers are so ignorant (and sadly some are too naive) that they will follow whatever is said and invented. It is sad but true that many Christians are dubbed into accepting false pastors and false doctrines having itching ears desiring to hear what is convenient to inflate their pride. Many people want to be told that they are a privileged people, a special superior race, a people that should rule over others just because they are of a certain church with the anointed pastor! These deceived ones never ask, is it right I exercise authority over others while I am lacking knowledge and a deep connection with God? What is so destructive is they do not live out the Bible nor God’s holiness, and they make of themselves followers who copy their ignorance! 

The hypocrite pretender pastors see other pastors shouting a phrase over and over on TV and they imitate what they see. I have seen the TV sermons where they say, (Repeat), “Claim it, claim it, claim it, claim, grab it, grab it, grab it, grab that money, and take that power God has for you!” They copy sermons off of other preachers (plagiarism) instead of doing their own work of praying to know what to preach about and researching in the Word materials related to the subject. They depend on emotions to convince and manipulate people rather than the common sense divine Word of God from the Holy Scriptures to do the work!

William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army foresaw how bad ignorance would get in our day and said, “The chief danger that confronts the coming century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, heaven without hell.”

5. Why am I calling attention to this? It is a part of the signs of the times! When referring to Matthew 24 we often can identify the signs of the times such as the increase in earthquakes, the signs in the sun, moon, and stars, and wars but what about the false prophets who people follow due their ignorance? Matt 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. How is someone deceived? By not knowing the truth, or by rejecting the truth!

Today the internet is overtaken by many false prophets! It was reported that many of the sites that have leaked nude pictures of some famous actresses link you to an English speaking Islamist site trying to convince you of your guilt for not obeying God (Allah) hoping to recruit you to Islam! How many millions of our young people have been exposed to this propaganda and no one reports it or stops it!? My wife and I even watched one of these Islamic recruitment videos and they could be convincing to the unsaved! These recruiters would be very convincing if one did not already have the truth of Jesus Christ in your life! And the discernment of the Holy Spirit!

People get hooked in their ignorance to false teachings and lifestyles because many false leaders know how to appear powerful appealing to their feelings of weakness because they have a demon of an Unholy Spirit! How sad it is in the U.S. people have tried to rid God from their schools, workplace, and even churches to the point there is a darkness and spiritual vacuum out there for just anything that comes along! The ignorance of God is killing us!

6.  Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. 

The verse of today was prophetic for that time period, and as with all prophecies, it is fulfilling itself again in this end-time era! How sad that people have access to 30 versions of the Bible 24/7 with two finger strikes on Google to Biblegateway (& others) and they will not even read it! People today are remaining ignorant of the Word of God on purpose mainly because they do not want God interfering with their consciences and mind concerning the sins they are choosing to participate in! A thief never seems to find a policeman, right? 

Identify ignorance! We must bring to the light people that are willfully choosing ignorance spiritually, educationally, and financially! Instead of choosing the good and eschewing the evil ignorant people are killing our peace and progress by choosing the evil and shunning the good! 

People in ignorance choose the trash over the truth! With an ignorant spiritual life, if you are an introvert, you can read worthless novels, or you can play computer games until your fingers drop off! If you are an extroverted frustrated young man, mad at the world and wanting to take revenge, you can hook up others online and become a travelling protester, a gang member, or even a Jihadist! The possibility of being overwhelmed with materials to read on any subject is limitless! Sadly many people have no family, no father or mother, no church friends or anyone to consult with about what they choose! The entire country is suffering because too many people in ignorance are choosing poorly! All basic systems are breaking down!

7. Ecclesiastes 12:12 And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. Isn’t this the truth! The other day I was watching an anti-bullying campaign on C-Span and on that subject, or any subject for that matter, all guidance is refined to a science and it is contained in hundreds of books! I would never have time to read all the hundreds of books written on that subject, but I need to be educated on that matter and on the hundreds of other things affecting our world to know how to save, help, and serve others appropriately.

I beg you to read more and read more Bible and be informed or you will fall into some new trap due to your ignorance! Ignorance will cost you money! Do you remember the hundreds of millions of dollars that were lost by ignorant people who when they got an email from a Nigerian prince that said all they needed to do to get millions of dollars from an inheritance was to open a new bank account with yours and the prince’s name on it? The prince wanted to share his millions and all you had to do was to open an account with $5,000 for him to deposit in. What happened? He didn’t deposit but instead he withdrew your $5,000 and you never heard from him again! He was no prince but a thief and being abroad far away, no prosecutions could take place. A fool and his money are quickly departed! Ignorance is not bliss, but rather a curse that will cost you and me dearly!

8. So today many assume we are surrounded by intelligent people running complicated systems in our society but instead these people are more than likely dangerous and ignorant on many basic matters, in particular ignorant in the knowledge of the Word of God! We see what is happening to people as in 2 Timothy 3:7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. This explains why everything in society is degrading into ignorance, lawlessness and chaos! Many professionals today are amoral, carnal, prideful, and ignorant!

The knowledge of the truth only comes from the Word of God! Intelligent people may read a few thousands of books to be a lawyer or doctor, but what good is it if their soul is corrupted and they gain the world and lose their soul?  The ones in high places in the world, no matter the intelligence, are actually ignorant and on the bottom morally & spiritually without God!

Jude 18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

9. So how do you and I as dedicated Christians help those who live in ignorance? As the saying goes, ‘You can take a horse to water but you can’t make him drink!’ We can share with others the Good News of the gospel’s truth to help them out of their sinful destructive path, but if they don’t want it, it is not our fault.  Consider Ezekiel 3:18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand:19 Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

We live in a world that is a twisted paradox, yet the truth of the Bible and Jesus and excellent good teachings are out there for anyone and how ironic few discover it due to the shroud of the sheer volume of the mega million writings of dark deceivers! Never forget, it is our job to educate ourselves others on the things of God; ‘to preach the gospel to every creature!’

10. Ignorance is killing us because the people in the community at large practice ignorant habits from their carnality and false teachings! People have a free will to believe what they want, but people never calculate the consequences that those beliefs bring! The worst ignorance is the spiritual ignorance! People who are shallow, who have practically no understanding of the Bible, suffer dearly for mistakes and their mistakes affect all and make others suffer as well. 

We must face the fact there are billions of truth rejecters! Some of these may also be lazy people who are ignorant by choice! They are like this Proverbs 26:13 The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets. They know the consequences, that they will die for doing what they do, but they do not care! Sin keeps people in ignorance!

We must drive away ignorance! Daniel 12:3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. Let’s pray to hunger more to learn from the Word of God! Others may lack in knowledge of the basics of life but for a Christian, we should never be ignorant of anything! Learn and obey the Word of God and you will be prepared to live wise and avoid the consequences of ignorance! Let’s pray to desire more knowledge and wisdom from God!