Because I Said So!

"Because I Said So!" Growing up, we all hated it when our parents said that to us... and while yes I really do want my kids to do what I tell them, when I tell them, there is a good lesson from kids if we apply it to our spiritual lives... If I tell my kid do not do something or to do something, one of the first things he says is why? Or he will do it anyway... Most of the time, while yes he is disobeying me, he is not disobeying me simply to disobey, but because his curiosity wants to be satisfied. He wants to learn and experience things himself to prove the truth of what was told to him.

While no, I am not advocating children not listening to their parents, I am saying that as adults we now have the faculties, experience and responsibility to prove the truth of what we hear. So as I try to connect this thought process to spiritual life, consider this...

When we attend church or small groups, do we just accept what is told to us? Do we take notes, go home and think that was a good teaching? While I hope for most of us we are getting wholesome teachings and you will not be harmed by this practice, I felt while reading Matthew 13 and other chapters in Matthew that we need to be careful of this... The pastor and our friends are just human, and therefore can make mistakes, or worse, they may not be spiritually in tune with the Lord and might be like the pharisees, teaching the laws of man as laws of God... Sometimes the worst advice people hear are from "friends".

Take some time and read Matthew 13 (More thoughts below text... but please read as that is important to understand context.)

Matthew 13

The Parable of the Sower

¹That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. ²Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. ³Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. ⁸Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. ⁹He who has ears, let him hear."

¹⁰The disciples came to him and asked, "Why do you speak to the people in parables?"

¹¹He replied, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. ¹²Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. ¹³This is why I speak to them in parables:
"Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand. ¹⁴In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
" 'You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
¹⁵For this people's heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.' ¹⁶But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. ¹⁷For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

¹⁸"Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: ¹⁹When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. ²⁰The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. ²¹But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. ²²The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. ²³But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."

The Parable of the Weeds

²⁴Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. ²⁶When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

²⁷"The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?'

²⁸" 'An enemy did this,' he replied.
"The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'

²⁹" 'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. ³⁰Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.' "

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast

³¹He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. ³²Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches."

³³He told them still another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough."

³⁴Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. ³⁵So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:
"I will open my mouth in parables,
I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world."

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

³⁶Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field."

³⁷He answered, "The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, ³⁹and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

⁴⁰"As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. ⁴¹The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. ⁴²They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl

⁴⁴"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

⁴⁵"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. ⁴⁶When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

The Parable of the Net

⁴⁷"Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. ⁴⁸When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. ⁴⁹This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous ⁵⁰and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

⁵¹"Have you understood all these things?" Jesus asked.
"Yes," they replied.

⁵²He said to them, "Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old."

A Prophet Without Honor

⁵³When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. ⁵⁴Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?" they asked. ⁵⁵"Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? ⁵⁶Aren't all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" ⁵⁷And they took offense at him.
But Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor."

⁵⁸And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

My Thoughts

In the first parable God's word "the seed" is rejected by the majority who hear it as it is spread across the field "the world" Mostly the seed falls to: the wayside, the rocky soil, among thorns... But some good seed takes in the fertile soil and will yield a great crop.

The second parable, the good seed is not the word as in the first parable but rather it is what the word has produced, that is the children of the kingdom. The seed as seen in the first parable were scatted across the field (world) and can be seen in this parable to be a place of activity for Satan. It is a picture of false professions of faith. Where the children of the kingdom are gathered, there, among the wheat Satan sows Sons of the Wicked One who profess to be children of the kingdom and in many ways are so like the children of the kingdom that in the end days only the angles are trusted with separating them. What is worse, is that if you reference back to 7:22-23 those Sons of the Wicked one may be so deceived in thinking they are righteous that when at the end days they stand before God and say we cast out demons and did many wonders in your name, He will say to them depart, for I never knew you.

The parable of the mustard seed is used to show how even the smallest seed can grow into the largest tree. So true is it that the smallest false teaching can cause huge troubles. For example there are entire books in the Bible that are letters from the Apostles to the different churches correcting false teachings that were constantly being planted in the new church and were causing great issues.

The point of being cautious and watching for even small wrong teachings is driven home by his next parable of the yeast. At first I thought the parable was meant to encourage in that a good word can grow and influence many.... but rather is is a warning.

Physically, leaven is a lump of old dough in a high state of fermentation, or a substance that causes dough to rise (yeast). A natural reason for leaven's negative symbolism is the idea that fermentation implies a process of corruption. In every instance that leaven appears in the Bible, it represents evil; the only exception, some say, is Jesus' use of leaven in this parable. Knowing its Old Testament significance, however, Jesus was definitely not using leaven in that manner. For the passage says that it worked all through the dough... Well given the parable of the weeps in the field we were just shown that the whole world will not be made pure from a small amount of goodness so rather it is in keeping with every other reference to leaven in the Bible and is a warning against corruption of false teachings permeating pure doctrine (the two loaves).

The passage goes on to affirm the existence of heaven and hell and that the weeds will be burned while the righteous will be in the kingdom of their Father.

⁴⁰"As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. ⁴¹The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. ⁴²They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

Then in vs 47-50 he covers the same topic again with the parable of the net. Just as fishermen throw the trash away and keep the fish, so will the wicked be separated from the righteous.

The passage is not all warnings though as it also depicts the picture of Jesus' sacrifice in vs 44-46 with the parables of the treasure and the pearl. In the parable of the treasure, the field is the world which was purchased by our Lord at the price of His own blood so that He might have the treasure. Jesus paid for the sins of the whole world (the field) so he could have those who would believe in him (the treasure).

So, I would like to close by encouraging all of you to fight false teachings. Fight them by not just accepting what you hear from your fellow church mates, friends, or pastors. Get into the Word yourself and read God's words. Learn the lessons first hand. Go to Church talk to others and learn from others, just make sure you back up those teachings with scripture. No teaching can be of God that is not backed up by Bible.

In short.. don't get caught up in a false teaching just because some said, "Because I said so!"

Ministry

So I will share with anyone who wishes to read this a portion of my recent testimony...

Ever since high school, I have struggled with the the idea of ministry. The concept frankly has always frightened me... I look at it like Jonah... I feel like I will be rejected by the people of Nineveh and that they will want to kill me... Or like Moses... I am not an eloquent speaker... Lord send someone else... I have ignored the call to ministry at least three memorable times, where I definitely knew the Lord was saying to give over and labor for him... Each time I went the other way... I would close my heart to God... Church became somewhere I went because I was supposed to, my Bible gathered dust, and my relationship with God became estranged. Eventually I would come back to my senses as God never gives up on me. (Thank the Lord!) I would begin to slowly come back to God's open arms and begin to walk/run the race of faith again.

Years later I am now married, got a masters degree, two kids, great job, making good money... Outwardly, I am turning out to be very successful. Life must be figured out... Spiritually I was as dry as a rock in the desert. I still went to church, but I often fell asleep, and made it surprisingly quickly from the pew to the car after every Sunday's lesson was over. Devotions... please, I am busy... No time for that.

Well the call has happened again, and this time I am choosing to obey. I do not know really what that means, where it will lead me, or much of anything... I just know that my heart has changed. I do not think I can explain it, but I cannot deny that it is the right thing to do... Step out in faith. At this time I am not quitting my job, but rather seeking to aid my current pastor in any capacity I can and hopefully in return gain a mentor, a friend, and a church body of supportive individuals who together we will all learn and grow together.

While mentally I have been working to come to grips with/catch up to my change in heart, there have been several passages I have been reading lately that have been encouraging for me...

Matthew 6:21 (New King James Version)

²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:25 (New King James Version)

²⁵ “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

Matthew 6:33-34 (New King James Version)

³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

These verses all encouraged me to not worry about how little a full time pastor/minister makes compared to the no doubt larger salary I am already making, no to mention the potential I have to make in less than two years if I get the promotions I am expecting in the possible future. They also remind me to keep things in perspective. What really matters? Gaining a big house? Lots of money? Great clothes and super fine foods? A hundred years from now non of that will matter... What does matter? Seeing people I know and love and those I have yet to meet or even complete strangers in heaven with me forever?

Matthew 10:19 (New King James Version)

¹⁹ But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak;

This along with the story of Moses encourage me that God will give me the words to speak when the time comes. Goodness knows I am nothing special, and I am not very knowledgeable or wise... If anything I say helps someone else to come to faith in God, it is all through Him and not me.




All through Matthew does Jesus use parables of the seed and grain and the harvest, and hopefully I will write about those in the coming days, but here is one I feel applies extremely aptly.

Matthew 9:37-38 (New King James Version)

³⁷ Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. ³⁸ Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

I feel that today I have been called to be a laborer in the field (the world). How about you? Perhaps you are not being called as extreme as me or others, but God can use you where you are today. I find really, it is about being willing, and not hardening your heart to the possibilities before you.

Taking the Difficult Stand

The topic of difficult discussions was going on during my small group at Church this last weekend, and it seemed there was some hesitation around confronting or taking a stand for Biblical principles when family or friends were concerned. Mostly this was due to the conflict that would ensue due to hurt feelings or straight out contradiction to someone's lifestyle.

While on the plane to Dallas, I was reading in Matthew, and found some very interesting verses that will hopefully encourage each of us to take this stand despite it being difficult and that it will cause conflict; not just with our families, but also friends, and co-workers...

Matthew 10:24-42 (New International Version)

²⁴"A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. ²⁵It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!

²⁶"So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. ²⁷What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. ²⁸Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. ³⁰And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

³²"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. ³³But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.

³⁴"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵For I have come to turn
" 'a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her motherinlaw—
³⁶a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.'

³⁷"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; ³⁸and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

⁴⁰"He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. ⁴¹Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. ⁴²And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."

Go back and focus on vs 32-38. The Bible acknowledges that it will not be easy, and that yes this will cause conflict. But have faith! God is with you and will guide your words.

Matthew 10:18-20
¹⁸On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. ¹⁹But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, ²⁰for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.


As my father in law said to me once concerning witnessing to my father, if he was in a burning building would I run in and try to save him even if he did not believe the building was burning? I would! So much more should we be willing and wanting to save our family, friends, and co-workers from the chains of bondage to sinful lifestyles and ultimately the eternal flames of hell.

So, basically, as I read Mathew 10, my mind jumped back to our small group and felt strongly led to to share what I had read. I hope it encourages each of you to take a stand the next time an opportunity comes and despite the trials that may come to encourage your family,friend, or co-worker towards what God has shown us to be the right way to live.

And as one last thing, remember of course to pray about this and all things and know that God will give you what you need to succeed!

Matthew 7:7-11 (New International Version)

⁷"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

⁹"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!