Illustrated Message Overview with Marjorie

A good question to ask yourself today is, are you sold out for the true riches in heaven that are eternal or are you selling out for earthly riches that are temporal, that you can’t even take to hell? Imagine that, spending your whole life selling Him out for earthly riches that you can’t even take with you to hell. You can’t take anything to hell with you, there’s not the comfort of a dime in your pocket, not a wedding ring, your favorite clothing, money in your bank account, none of it can be taken with you, and I get the impression that you’re not even clothed in hell, you’re down to the bare body in hell. Yet somehow, someway, we sell out for earthly riches that we can’t take with us to heaven or hell. Are there regrets in heaven, there may be a form of regret for not having shared the gospel of Jesus with the person you now know is in hell. There may be a regret in standing before Jesus for not having fulfilled His call on your life, for not having been a good steward of the call on your life and the finances that He’s given to you. We don’t know but let’s do everything possible to have no regrets.

Today we’ll look at the Unjust Steward that Jesus refers to in Luke 16:1-13, Amplified Bible, starting with verse 1;  “1Now Jesus was also saying to the disciples, “There was a certain rich man who had a manager [of his estate], and accusations [against this man] were brought to him, that this man was squandering his [master’s] possessions.”

Whether a Christian is rich, middle class or poor, stewardship of whatever he or she has been entrusted with by God will be accounted for upon the day of their death, when they stand before Jesus at what is called the Bema Seat, where Jesus is seated to judge a Christian’s life. The difference between the rich man in Luke 16 and Jesus, is that he is an ungodly, secular businessman, that is a man of the world and not a man of God, and like so many rich men today have rejected Jesus’s salvation plan in exchange for secular fortune and fame, who will not be judged by Jesus at the Bema Seat that afterwards leads to eternal life in heaven, but rather at the great White Throne judgment that afterwards leads to eternal life in hell.

Revelation 20:11-15 Amplified Bible talks about this final judgment; “11 And I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them [for this heaven and earth are passing away]. 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the Book of Life; and the dead were judged according to what they had done as written in the books [that is, everything done while on earth]. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and death and Hades (the realm of the dead) surrendered the dead who were in them; and they were judged and sentenced, every one according to their deeds. 14 Then death and Hades [the realm of the dead] were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire [the eternal separation from God]. 15 And if [a]anyone’s name was not found [b]written in the Book of Life, he was hurled into the lake of fire.”

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 talks about striving for the crown from Jesus; “24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may [a]obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize [b]is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”

The world, the unsaved, compete for the imperishable riches. The Apostle Paul makes it very clear here, that you can be disqualified from salvation. He himself was very cognizant that he could become disqualified if he didn’t contend and fight for the faith. How much more do we need to contend and discipline ourselves.

1 Corinthians 3:9-15;“9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”

This judgment is at the Bema Seat where Christians will be judged by Jesus, where all your works will be laid open before Him and the fire of God will come down on all you’ve done in your life and the only thing that will remain is what you’ve done for Christ and the rest will be consumed like wood, hay and stubble. Only what’s refined in the fire will come out as gold, silver and precious stones.

This is all the more reason for a Christian to not only be a good steward of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit found in 1 Corinthians 12, but also their monetary resources and how they use it for God’s works of Christian Charity. There will be a lot of donations to charity that Christians have made that will be burned up as wood, hay and stubble, simply because it was designated to a building fund while the needs of the poor were neglected to be met. So a good question today to ask yourself Christian, ‘Am I squandering God’s possessions that I am a steward of on Church building projects, while the needs of the poor in or out of my church are not being met’? It’s not that those projects are wrong but not at the expense of the poor who are being neglected. Budget for both, get them both done, but don’t neglect the poor.

Proverbs 19:17 says; “17 He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, And He will pay back what he has given.”

Acts 20:35; “35 I have shown you in every way, by labouring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ "

1 John 3:17; “17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?”  

1 Timothy 6:17-19 Amplified Bible says; “17 As for the rich in this present world, instruct them not to be conceited and arrogant, nor to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly and ceaselessly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, willing to share [with others]. 19 In this way storing up for themselves the enduring riches of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”

Matthew Henry’s Commentary in Bible Study Tools says the following on Luke 16;  

“Whatever we have, the property of it is God's; we have only the use of it, according to the direction of our great Lord, and for his honour. This steward wasted his lord's goods. And we are all liable to the same charge; we have not made due improvement of what God has trusted us with. The steward cannot deny it; he must make up his accounts, and be gone. This may teach us that death will come, and deprive us of the opportunities we now have. -Matthew Henry”

Upon death, stewardship will be required of Christians of what they did in the body for the Lord, were they true riches or earthly riches. If Christians truly believed that all they spent their money on will be judged with fire to reveal whether it is precious stones that will remain or wood, hay and stubble that will be burnt up, then their stewardship of God’s money would prioritize establishing the kingdom of heaven on earth rather than their own kingdom. There are a lot of Christian kingdom’s sprouting up all over the place today and have been over the decades.

2 Corinthians 5:9-11 talks about the Judgment Seat of Christ; “9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 11 Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.”

May this word be know in your conscience today Christian, may it help you to not stand before Jesus with the majority of your life being burned up as wood, hay and stubble before Him and yourself. It’s good to have a godly conscience when you stand before the Bema Seat with clean hands and a pure heart, knowing that your works are gold, silver and precious stones and you’re rewarded accordingly.

Luke 16:2 continues to say; “so he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management [of my affairs], for you can no longer be [my] manager.’”

Death will one day close the door on all of a Christian’s management of God’s money, and how they spent it will be clearly shown at the Bema Judgment Seat of Christ, and I sometimes wonder if some Christian’s suffer untimely deaths because of their poor stewardship of God’s money on earth. All of us will have to give an account of

 our management of God’s money, some sooner than others.

Luke 16:3-8 continue saying;“3 The manager [of the estate] said to himself, ‘What will I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig [for a living], and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from the management, people [who are my master’s debtors] will welcome me into their homes.’ 5 So he summoned his master’s debtors one by one, and he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He said, ‘A hundred [a]measures of [olive] oil.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write [b]fifty.’ 7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred [c]measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8 And his master commended the unjust manager [not for his misdeeds, but] because he had acted shrewdly [by preparing for his future unemployment]; for the sons of this age [the non-believers] are shrewder in relation to their own kind [that is, to the ways of the secular world] than are the sons of light [the believers].”

Matthew Henry’s Commentary in Bible Study Tools continues to say regarding this scripture;  

“The steward will make friends of his lord's debtors or tenants, by striking off a considerable part of their debt to his lord. The lord referred to in this parable commended not the fraud, but the policy of the steward. In that respect alone is it so noticed. Worldly men, in the choice of their object, are foolish; but in their activity, and perseverance, they are often wiser than believers. The unjust steward is not set before us as an example in cheating his master, or to justify any dishonesty, but to point out the careful ways of worldly men. It would be well if the children of light would learn wisdom from the men of the world, and would as earnestly pursue their better object. - Matthew Henry”

What is our better object today? The kingdom of heaven. It’s important to keep in perspective that both the rich man and his manager were worldly men, unbelievers, not Godly, and money was their god on earth, and both had to stand before God, and to this date are in Hades (a place of torment), awaiting the Great White Throne Judgment that condemns them to hell (lake of fire), for eternity. You may say, no, it’s just a story, a parable, no, Jesus didn’t tell ‘just stories’. The unjust steward – a real man, the rich man – a real man, judgment day and sent to Hades – a real thing and place, the Great White Throne Judgment – a real thing.

Christian’s are to make their object the kingdom of heaven, and are to set their minds on things above, not on things below where moth and rust destroys and thieves break in and steal. Some Christian’s today are waking up in beautiful homes, everything is paid for with lots of money in the bank, not a care in the world, but will one day have to give an account of not tithing their income, not attending church and having turned a deaf ear to the needs of the poor and unfortunate that God put before them to meet their needs.

We continue in Luke 16:9-12; “9 And I tell you [learn from this], make friends for yourselves [for eternity] by means of the [d]wealth of unrighteousness [that is, use material resources as a way to further the work of God], so that when it runs out, they will welcome you into the eternal dwellings. 10 “He who is faithful in a very little thing is also faithful in much; and he who is dishonest in a very little thing is also dishonest in much. 11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of earthly wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? 12 And if you have not been faithful in the use of that [earthly wealth] which belongs to another [whether God or man, and of which you are a trustee], who will give you that which is your own?”

Here’s how I would make friends for eternity by the means of the wealth of the unrighteous, using material resources for the work of God. When it’s in my power to do good, I invest in eternity, the eternal well-being of a soul who may not only need monetary provision of food, clothing and shelter, but investing in eternity, regardless if they’re a Christian or not. If you do this, meeting their needs, you’re setting them up to be born again and receive Jesus.  

You’re a reflection of Christ to the poor, needy and misfortunate. You’re investing in eternity using your wealth. Their eternal dwellings that they’ll invite you into may be the mansion right around the corner from your mansion in heaven. The soul you invested in, who became born again now has a mansion in heaven, an eternal dwelling. All of this will require you to dig deep into your pocket and give up your money to the needy around you, instead of storing up for yourself. This isn’t a fund raising pitch, this is the word of God, this is how you invest in your eternal life and the lives of others. It’s by your love that they’ll know you’re His disciples, not by you storing up and hoarding for yourself. This doesn’t mean that you don’t provide for your family and children and parents, or that you don’t leave them an inheritance as we talked about in other messages. Of course you’re to do that. This is what you do with the rest of your wealth and income.

The true riches of heaven make our earthly riches look impoverished. There is no equality between them. In that verse, Jesus says; “Who will give you that which is your own, ”what is He saying? Is He saying that because of a person’s poor stewardship that prioritized their own kingdom on earth instead of the kingdom of heaven, that they have no inheritance in heaven awaiting them?  

Again, Matthew Henry’s Commentary in Bible Study Tools continues to say about this;

“The true riches signify spiritual blessings; and if a man spends upon himself, or hoards up what God has trusted to him, as to outward things, what evidence can he have, that he is an heir of God through Christ? The riches of this world are deceitful and uncertain. Let us be convinced that those are truly rich, and very rich, who are rich in faith, and rich toward God, rich in Christ, in the promises; let us then lay up our treasure in heaven, and expect our portion from thence. -Matthew Henry”

Matthew 7:21-23 Amplified Bible; “21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me on that day [when I judge them], ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, and driven out demons in Your name, and done many miracles in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them publicly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me [you are banished from My presence], you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands].’”

This is not about seeing the majority of your works as a Christian burn up like wood, hay and stubble at the Bema Judgment Seat of Christ, and making it into heaven by the skin of your teeth so to say, but rather it is clearly saying that there is no eternal life in heaven, but rather a temporary stop over in Hades (place of torment), while awaiting the fearful Great White Throne Judgment to stand before with the rest of the ungodly and be judged to hell for eternity. Is it worth it? No. But how many Christians are living like this on earth, withholding the true riches in exchange for earthly riches.  

Give your whole life, it’s not time to hold back, serve Jesus with your gifts, your calling, your monetary possessions and whatever other way to save a soul. Don’t withhold from those in need, store up for eternal dwellings. This message is to keep you from becoming or being an unfaithful steward of God’s resources, it’s meant to keep you from spending an eternity separated from God. Remember, there is no eternal security, just as the Apostle Paul said that he lived a disciplined life to not become disqualified from heaven.

Luke 16:13-14 continues saying; “13 No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand devotedly by the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon [that is, your earthly possessions or anything else you trust in and rely on instead of God].” 14 Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were sneering and ridiculing Him. 15 So He said to them, “You are the ones who declare yourselves just and upright in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts [your thoughts, your desires, your secrets]; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.”

Just as the religious Pharisees sneered and ridiculed Jesus as He preached, many Christians are sneering at this message as it’s being shared. The love of money that is the root of all sorts of evil has replaced the love of God. Don’t replace eternal dwellings for the temporal, impoverished riches, which although in our earthly eyes are lavish, are really detestable in God’s sight. What is highly esteemed in this world among men, the Forbes Fortune 500, the latest and greatest, is detestable if that’s what you’re relying on.

It’s pretty clear that prioritizing the kingdom on earth (earthly riches), over the kingdom of heaven (true riches) can cost a person their salvation, as we’ll read verse 13 again, “13 No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand devotedly by the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon [that is, your earthly possessions or anything else you trust in and rely on instead of God].”  

This is what Jesus said, the one who will judge. So who are you serving today Christian, God or the love of money? Is it worth giving up your true riches of heaven for an eternity in hell, where worm does not die and the fire does not go out? Now would be a good time to reevaluate who your master is going to be, and repent of having been an unjust steward of earthly riches and earnestly pursue the better object, the true riches of Heaven, eternal rewards for being a just steward of earthly riches.   

The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 talks about striving for a Crown; “24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may [a]obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize [b]is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”

Christian, you can be disqualified from the kingdom of heaven. It’s up to you to invest in true riches in the kingdom of heaven, it’s up to you to be a good steward of what God has entrusted to you. Ask yourself today, where am I disqualifying myself and others from entering the kingdom of heaven? Where am I being a stumbling block to those around me, where am I not qualifying myself to enter the kingdom of heaven upon death where I will be held accountable for the stewardship of my Christian life? How am I withholding, how am I building up my own bank account and not laying up eternal riches? Now is not a time to hoard but to meet the needs of others and store up eternal dwellings. When it’s in your power to do good and do good deeds, do it. Invest in souls for eternity and you’ll see them in heaven and you’ll be rewarded by Jesus for having been a good and just steward of the resources that He gave you.

Remember, you can’t take anything to heaven or hell. As opulent as you’re living is on earth, as big as your bank account is on earth, as great as a business person you are to be able to acquire, buy and sell ... you can’t take a dime to heaven or hell. Be a just steward for Jesus.

Illustrated Message Overview of Merchants – Message 6 - Christian Comradery With Judas - January 5, 2025

A good question for Christians to ask themselves today is; are they betraying Jesus with a kiss? Are they compromising and becoming comrades with a thief? Are they willing to betray Jesus for a lump sum of security that would sell Him out of their life? Is it worth it? No. Never, ever, ever.

1 Timothy 6:6-10 Amplified Bible says; “6 But godliness actually is a source of great gain when accompanied by contentment [that contentment which comes from a sense of inner confidence based on the sufficiency of God]. 7 For we have brought nothing into the world, so [it is clear that] we cannot take anything out of it, either. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who [are not financially ethical and] crave to get rich [with a compulsive, greedy longing for wealth] fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction [leading to personal misery]. 10 For the love of money [that is, the greedy desire for it and the willingness to gain it unethically] is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves [through and through] with many sorrows.”

Ask yourself again, are you being tempted to betray Jesus with a kiss? Don’t do it. It leads to destruction, it’s a broad and wide road. Take the straight and narrow road, submit to God and resist the temptation when it comes your way, don’t sell Jesus out.

Verse nine is a good description of the sin that led to up to Judas Iscariot's personal ruin, destruction and betrayal of Jesus, which led to him hanging himself, committing suicide.   

“9 But those who [are not financially ethical and] crave to get rich [with a compulsive, greedy longing for wealth] fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction [leading to personal misery].”

You’ve heard of the Judas Kiss, that was used to identify who Jesus was to the temple soldiers or guards for the purpose of arresting Him found in the following verse:  

Matthew 26:47-50 Amplified Bible;“47 As Jesus was still speaking, Judas [Iscariot], one of the twelve [disciples], came up accompanied by a large crowd with swords and clubs, [who came as representatives] from the chief priests and elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him.” 49 Immediately Judas went to Jesus and said, “Greetings (rejoice), Rabbi!” And he [a]kissed Him [in a deliberate act of betrayal]. 50 Jesus said to Judas, “Friend, do what you came for.” Then they came and seized Jesus and arrested Him.”  

Are you a comrade of Christ today or are you a comrade with a thief in secret, like Judas? Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss, it was deceitful.  

Christians greeting each other with a holy kiss was the norm for the early Church disciples, however for Judas it was how Proverbs 27:6 describes as being a deceitful kiss of an enemy.  

Proverbs 27:6; “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” 

Other scriptures are;

1 Thessalonians 5:26; “26 Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss.”

2 Corinthians 13:12; “12 Greet one another with a holy kiss.”  

1 Corinthians 16:20; “20 All the brethren greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss.”  

1 Peter 5:14; “14 Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to you all who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.”

What Judas did to Jesus was deceitful, he was Jesus’ enemy deep down inside, the devil that entered Judas is Jesus’ enemy and is unholy.

Jesus Himself asked Judas the following in Luke 22:48, “But Jesus said to him, ‘Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?’”.  

The Lord is asking Christians the same question today. Is the intent of your heart to love money more than it is for obeying Jesus in all things?  

Judas was deceiving no one but himself, and so are Christians today if they’re considering to sell Jesus out for some security that they get by being deceitful. Are you sold out today, Christian? There’s a big difference between being sold out for Jesus and selling Him out. To think that Jesus didn’t know from the start of Judas’ discipleship that he would one day betray Him with an enemy's kiss of deceit would have been out of character for Jesus.  For Jesus it was the kiss of betrayal. Jesus is the Son of God and nothing was hidden from Him then nor now. Jesus knows your needs today, He sees all of your debt, He sees all of your insecurity about the future, He sees everything. But He’s saying to you today to stay on the straight and narrow road and stay off of the road that leads to destruction.  

The Bible says that Judas was ordained to be the son of destruction or perdition, he was irredeemable.  It’s a hard saying because it’s almost like putting God in a box. But God can do whatever He wants, He can set the stage however He wants for what He wants to bring about.

It’s important to establish that Judas was a Disciple and chosen Apostle with the call of Jesus to ministry, he was ordained to betray the Son of God, and allowed the love of money to give root to all kinds of evil in his life that ultimately positioned him to become what is known to be the son of perdition or destruction. He may not have know that initially but he definitely grew into it.

Jesus knowing everything, prays the following about Judas in John 17:12 Amplified Bible; “12 While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and protected them, and not one of them was lost except [a]the son of destruction, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.”

It might seem unfair that Judas was ordained to be on the road to destruction, but God’s ways are not our ways, and I’m leaning more towards that than that he evolved into being a betrayer over a period of time. It would be a nice thought for God to keep a person in a place of grace and mercy for everyone, and that God had a good plan for Judas to fulfill. But some of the ways that God works you have to put aside your natural thinking and allow the Holy Spirit to speak, if not, your rational and reason will kick into gear and try reduce God into a man.

Judas made a lot of mistakes that led to his destruction and let’s face the reality, out of the abundance of his heart his mouth spoke and acted it out.

Judas reminds me of many Christian ministers today that have all the knowledge of God’s word, operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit with signs, wonders and miracles even as Judas did whom Jesus sent out in the first commission, but the love of money that has been firmly planted in them and hasn’t been repented of, has given root to all kinds of evil in their ministry.

It was prophesied about Judas being a son of destruction (perdition), prior to his call and it gives the understanding that he was ordained by God for his destruction, and it once again shows that not everyone that says Lord, Lord will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but those that do His will regarding what’s required of them as ministers. Did Judas do His will? No. He was sent out by Jesus, but did he do His will when it really came down to it? Where was Judas’ heart? Where was his true love? It was for the treasury job he had that gave him access to the money box of ministry funds which he quite regularly helped himself to. It’s call the love of money and is the root of all kinds of evil.  

In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus is talking to individuals who are trying to convince Him that they are worthy of salvation; “21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”  

Did Jesus know Judas? Of course. Did Jesus know about the people He was talking about? Of course. But He didn’t ‘know’ them intimately. There’s a difference between knowing somebody and being known by somebody. These of whom Jesus is talking about didn’t ‘know’ Him. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, you can’t serve two masters, it’s either the straight and narrow road or the road that leads to destruction.  

Prophesying, casting out demons and doing wonders in Jesus’ name does not qualify a Christian to be genuine, even as it did not qualify Judas, but doing the will of the Father is what qualifies the Christian to eternal life and not doing the will of the Father disqualifies a Christian and they end up in eternal destruction. Judas was disqualified from eternal life to eternal destruction. Did Judas cast out devils, did he raise the dead, did he do signs, wonders, and miracles in Jesus’ name? He was sent out to do that along with the rest of the Apostles.

As Christians we should not be surprised that there are false Christians who spend their whole lives in church, or out of church, proclaiming to believe in Jesus and that He is Lord of their lives, but Jesus said you will know them by their fruit.  

Matthew 7:15-20 says; “15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”  

Judas was known to be a thief, and as treasurer of the ministry money box, he stole money from it for his own personal gain. What he was doing was the norm for him because he was behaving like his father the devil, and the son of perdition was being revealed for who he was, or if Jesus was Father he would have not bore the fruit of a thief and he would have never betrayed Jesus for money. Just like the anti-Christ when he comes on the scene. The first 3 1/2 years he’ll be looked upon admirably, the saviour of a lot of people’s problems, but the true colours come out after that and the true dark side will be revealed. The anti-Christ is also known as the son of destruction.

John 12:1-7 talks about Jesus being anointed at Bethany; “12 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was [a]who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. 2 There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. 3 Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. 4 But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, 5 “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for [b]three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. 7 But Jesus said, “Let her alone; [c]she has kept this for the day of My burial.”

Matthew 26:14-16; “14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. 16 So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.”

You don't have to be a theologian to see that Judas was not bearing the fruits of a Christian, but rather was continually behaving like his father the devil, and fulfilling who he really was, a son of destruction. Judas didn’t care for the poor, all he saw was costly perfume being wasted. He couldn’t see the spiritual significance because he was a lover of money. It gives you the impression that he was a little ticked off as Jesus called him out and exposed him indirectly. He probably left the house just mad, he didn’t get his way, he didn’t get access to the money and the anointing of Jesus didn’t mean anything to him. You can see his character more and more, the enemy of Christ that he was, in such deception.

Got Questions says the following of Judas;

“The title “son of perdition” is used twice in the New Testament, first in John 17:12 and again in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. The phrase simply means “man doomed to destruction” and is not reserved for any one individual. In fact, there are two people to which the title “son of perdition” is applied. In context, John 17:12 is referring to Judas Iscariot, while 2 Thessalonians 2:3 is referring to the “man of lawlessness”—the Antichrist—who will appear in the end times before Christ’s return.
 

The word perdition means “eternal damnation” or “utter destruction.” It can also be used as a synonym for hell. When a person is called “son of perdition,” the connotation is that of a person in an unredeemable state, someone who is already damned while he is still alive. Jesus mentions the “son of perdition” in His high priestly prayer in John 17. While praying to the Father for His disciples, Jesus mentions that He “protected them and kept them safe” and that none of them were lost except the “son of perdition,” that is, the one who was already in a damned state. The fact that the phrase is used again to describe the Antichrist shows us that forgiveness was not planned for Judas. God could have saved Judas—moved his heart to repentance—but He chose not to. He was indeed “doomed to destruction.”  

The world is full of true Christians and false Christians, and Jesus describes true Christians as wheat and false Christians as tares. Tares look like wheat, but they don’t bear the harvest of wheat, they were sown in the world by the devil, with all the appearance of a Christian without the fruit of being one. How many times have we talked about this,  an appearance thereof but no fruit, whether in the church or out of the church.

In Matthew 13:24-30, Jesus talks about the parable of the wheat and the tares; “24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. 26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. 27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”  

...36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” 37 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”  

Are you hearing today, Christians!

Matthew 10:8 says that Judas was empowered and able in Jesus’ name to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead and cast out demons. He had all the appearance on the outside of being a genuine Christian, but Jesus knew what was going on inside of Judas and saw right thru him to not only be stealing from the ministry money box, but saw him to be the son of destruction that would betray Him for money.  

How many ministers today are stealing from the tithes and offerings in church and on the side are selling out Jesus for personal gain by merchandising their Christian product which they received for free from the revelations, inspirations, and illuminations derived from the Holy Bible that are all paid for by donated money? The reality is that tares, false Christians, will always be in and out of the Church, and it’s not till the day of judgment that they are cast into the fires of hell, but in the mean time true Christians need to exercise the gifts of wisdom, knowledge and discernment that are given them by the Holy Spirit to live lives that are above reproach, and with the use of sound Bible teaching, be fruit inspectors of those who call themselves Christians. You don’t have to go looking for sons of perdition or destruction in your congregation and church, but when people say they’re Christians, there must be fruit and evidence of it. At the same time, there are genuine Christians that are struggling with sin and living a sanctified life, that are in need of prayer and support from members in the body of Christ.

Judas over a period of time revealed himself to be the son of perdition, however it is mentioned that Satan enters his life at a certain point towards the end of three years as a disciple, and it’s here that he then proceeds to plan how to turn Jesus over to the Jewish leaders for money. The treasury box that he was stealing from wasn’t cutting it any longer. More and more I’m leaning towards the belief that tares (false Christians) that are in the Church, don’t become tares over a period of time by their own decision making, but rather just simply reveal who their father really is by their actions, and by what comes out of their mouth. That’s why it’s really important to listen to what is coming out of Christian’s mouths because out of the abundance of their heart, their mouth will speak.

The plot to kill Jesus is found in Luke 22:1-6; “22 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover. 2 And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people. 3 Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. 4 So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them. 5 And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. 6 So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.”  

The scheme of the devil was to single Jesus out while He was alone, in secret, out with His disciples praying, to get Him when He least expected it. Jesus knew everything that was coming His way because the Father had revealed it to Him. Expect God to do the same for you. Expect your enemies, those with a kiss of deceit, to be revealed. Churches are full of tares that are on a road to destruction, that are not your friends but your enemies.

Jesus identifies His betrayer in John 13:18-30; “18 I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats [a]bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.’ 19 Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He. 20 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”  21 When Jesus had said these things, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.” 22 Then the disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom He spoke. 23 Now there was [b]leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. 24 Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask who it was of whom He spoke. 25 Then, leaning [c]back on Jesus’ breast, he said to Him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it.” And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. 27 Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” 28 But no one at the table knew for what reason He said this to him. 29 For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus had said to him, “Buy those things we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. 30 Having received the piece of bread, he then went out immediately. And it was night.”  

John might have almost whispered it to Jesus so that no one else heard when Jesus said it was going to be the one to whom He was going to give the piece of bread. Otherwise, all would have heard and known immediately that it was Judas. Another speculation is that if they had all heard, they might have easily been able to say that he was the obvious person to betray Jesus. It’s obvious that only Jesus knew who would betray Him. When Jesus told Judas to do quickly what he was going to do, Jesus was addressing Satan directly, He knew the plan ahead of time. It’s interesting to see that no one at the table knew why Jesus told Judas what He did.

How many ministers today have their staff hood-winked, how many staff would never say their leader was being deceptive and wrong, that it’s not in their character to do such and such. I guess the ministers are pulling a great bluff, but behind the scenes they’re selling Jesus out.

We know that Jesus is then betrayed by Judas and is turned over to the Jewish leaders for a series of trials that led to His crucifixion, and that Judas attempts to give the money back that he had received for betraying Jesus and then commits suicide by hanging himself. There was no repentance from Judas the same that there is no repentance on leaders who get caught. It makes me wonder who their father really is when there is no repentance, God is the judge of that, but by their fruit...you’ll know them.  

Got Questions again says the following;  

“A good picture of a person who is a “son of perdition” appears in Hebrews 6:4–8, which describes a person who, like Judas, has experienced a certain closeness to God and has a good understanding of salvation, but then denies it. Instead of bearing good fruit, he bears “thorns and thistles.” This is a person who sees the path to salvation, which is trusting in God’s grace to cover sin (Ephesians 2:8–9), and instead either flatly denies the existence of God or denies God’s gift of salvation, preferring to pay his own debt. Judas chose the second path, punishing himself by suicide instead of accepting grace.”  

How many people today are committing suicide for being ‘caught’. It’s not about repentance, it’s not about – forgive me Jesus, what do I have to do to be forgiven – it’s about being caught in their sin, and they commit suicide?

I believe that what it all comes back down to is that a Christian will be known to be true or false simply by the fruit they bear in their lives, (excluding signs wonders and miracles), and whether or not they do the will of the Father God in the Bible or the will of the devil. It’s just a matter of time for the true father of a person to reveal himself thru them, either their father is God or their father is the devil, a person cannot serve two masters. A true Christian cannot hop-scotch between the straight and narrow and the broad and wide all their life. I understand there are times when a Christian may slip, but for a long period of time with no repentance, the heart will reveal itself, being a son of God or a son of the devil. A son of the devil will be on the broad and wide almost all their life, it’s just the reality, because out of the abundance of your heart your mouth will speak and act out what’s in the heart.

Got Questions says;  

“However, Judas and the Antichrist are extreme cases. It is never right for a human being to label another person a “son of perdition” because only God knows the ultimate future of each human soul. Only with these two individuals did God choose to reveal His plan for their eternal damnation. With every other person, no matter how lost or evil he may seem, we are to hope and pray for his redemption (1 Timothy 2:1).”

Regardless of whether or not you know that there are tares sown in the church, outside the church, in evangelistic or healing campaigns or on the mission field, it’s not your job to expose the tares, they’ll expose themselves. Our job is to pray and trust God for the gifts of the Holy Spirit to be in operation, the gifts of wisdom, knowledge and discernment to see clearly what’s going on in the hearts of those who are false Christians. God will reveal it, who’s true and who’s false. We’re to look for redemption in those who call themselves Christian, but through prayer, and if they don’t change, they will eventually expose themselves. It’s inevitable that the tares will expose themselves, as it was inevitable that Judas exposed himself. It’s a work of the Holy Spirit, in individuals that are false Christians. By you praying it will come out, either they’ll get redeemed, repent, get on the straight and narrow or they’ll continue on the broad and wide leading to destruction. Our job is to pray, speak the word, stay on the straight and narrow that leads to eternal life, stay off the broad and wide road. Be above reproach in the midst of a wicked and perverse generation that we live in.

Gehazi is known to be a servant of Elisha, who witnessed many of the supernatural miracles performed by God thru him, who also was a prophet that served the prophet Elijah of whom he received a double portion of God’s Spirit that was on him. So as great as the prophet Elijah was, Elisha doubled it. So can you imagine the daily supernatural signs, wonders and miracles that Gehazi witnessed, as well as being privy to Elisha’s teaching as a disciple in his school of prophets.   

2 Kings 2:1-14 says; “2 And it came to pass, when the Lord was about to take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. 2 Then Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me on to Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!” So they went down to Bethel. 3 Now the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that the Lord will take away your master [a]from over you today?” And he said, “Yes, I know; keep silent!” 4 Then Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me on to Jericho.”But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!” So they came to Jericho. 5 Now the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho came to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over you today?” So he answered, “Yes, I know; keep silent!” 6 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me on to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!” So the two of them went on. 7 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood facing them at a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan. 8 Now Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water; and it was divided this way and that, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground. 9 And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?”Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.” 10 So he said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.” 11 Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” So he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces. 13 He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. 14 Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said, “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over.”   

God performed many miracles of grace through His prophet Elisha, who has moved forward in faith and in response to the divine call. Here is a list of those miracles from Bibleask.org;  

1. Parting of the Jordan by the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him when he was taken alive to heaven (2 Kings 2:14).
2. Healing of the waters when Elisha cast salt in it so that there was no more death (2 Kings 2:21).
3. The curse of the she bear that mauled forty-two of the youths for their disrespect to God’s prophet (2 Kings 2:24).
4. Filling of the valley with water so that the animals may drink and not die (2 Kings 3:17).
5. Deception of the Moabites with the valley of blood so that they may loose the battle (2 Kings 3:22).
6. Filling of the vessels with oil to provide for the widow that needed money for the creditors (2 Kings 4:4).
7. Prophecy that the Shunammite woman would have a son (2 Kings 4:16).
8. Resurrection of the Shunammite’s son from death (2 Kings 4:34).
9. Healing of the gourds (2 Kings 4:41).
10. Increasing the bread to feed many (2 Kings 4:43).
11. Healing of the Naaman, commander of the Syrian army from leprosy (2 Kings 5:14).
12. Perception of Gehazi’s transgression (2 Kings 5:26).
13. Cursing Gehazi with leprosy for his sin of greed (2 Kings 5:27).
14. Floating of the iron Axe head over water (2 Kings 6:6).
15. Prophecy of the Syrian battle plans (2 Kings 6:9).
16. Vision the chariots and horses for Elisha’s servant to have courage (2 Kings 6:17).
17. Smiting the Syrian army with blindness (2 Kings 6:18).
18. Restore the sight of the Syrian army (2 Kings 6:20).
19. The prophecy of the end of the great famine (2 Kings 7:1).
20. The prophecy that the scoffing nobleman would see, but not partake of the abundance (2 Kings 7:2).
21. Deception of the Syrians with the sound of chariots so they fled (2 Kings 7:6,7).
22. Prophecy of the seven-year famine (2 Kings 8:1).
23. Prophecy of Benhadad’s untimely death (2 Kings 8:10).
24. Prophecy of Hazael’s cruelty to Israel (2 Kings 8:12).
25. Prophecy that Jehu will smite the house of Ahab (2 Kings 9:7).
26. Prophecy that Joash will smite the Syrians at Aphek (2 Kings 13:17).
27. Prophecy that Joash will smite Syria thrice but not consume it (2 Kings 13:19).
28. Resurrection of the dead man that touched the Elisha’s bones (2 Kings 13:21).
     

There may be more but are not mentioned in the Bible and we won’t go through all of them, but we see that Elisha’s servant Gehazi would have witnessed miracle 7 and 8 where Elisha prophesied the birth of the barren Shunammite’s son, as well as the resurrection of the son after he died in his mothers arms. There is no reference to Gehazi in the first ones so we can’t speculate on that.

Gehazi was not only a witness to these miracles but also assisted Elisha in the performing of both of them, one as spokesperson and the other as a person standing in proxy for Elisha using his rod to place on the dead boy, which failed to heal him, but later witnesses the Elisha raising him from the dead. You get the impression that Elisha had no intention of going to the Shunammite’sson at first, but until the mother said she would not leave him, he then agreed to go with her. We read about this in 2 Kings 4:11-16; “11 And it happened one day that he came there, and he turned in to the upper room and lay down there. 12 Then he said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite woman.” When he had called her, she stood before him. 13 And he said to him, “Say now to her, ‘Look, you have been concerned for us with all this care. What can I do for you? Do you want me to speak on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?’ ” She answered, “I dwell among my own people.” 14 So he said, “What then is to be done for her?” And Gehazi answered, “Actually, she has no son, and her husband is old.” 15 So he said, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in the doorway. 16 Then he said, [d]“About this time next year you shall embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord. Man of God, do not lie to your maidservant!” 17 But the woman conceived, and bore a son when the appointed time had come, of which Elisha had told her.”

The upper room referenced here is the room that the woman and her old husband had built for Elisha so that whenever he was in their region, he could stay with them, rest and eat. In other words, they had a relationship with Elisha.

We continue in 2 Kings 4:29-37 where the promised son dies;“29 Then he said to Gehazi, “Get[f] yourself ready, and take my staff in your hand, and be on your way. If you meet anyone, do not greet him; and if anyone greets you, do not answer him; but lay my staff on the face of the child.” 30 And the mother of the child said, “As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” So he arose and followed her. 31 Now Gehazi went on ahead of them, and laid the staff on the face of the child; but there was neither voice nor hearing. Therefore he went back to meet him, and told him, saying, “The child has not awakened.” 32 When Elisha came into the house, there was the child, lying dead on his bed. 33 He went in therefore, shut the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the Lord. 34 And he went up and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands; and he stretched himself out on the child, and the flesh of the child became warm. 35 He returned and walked back and forth in the house, and again went up and stretched himself out on him; then the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. 36 And he called Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite woman.” So he called her. And when she came in to him, he said, “Pick up your son.” 37 So she went in, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground; then she picked up her son and went out.”

These are two miraculous moments that Gehazi was a participant in. I’m convinced that had the woman returned to her home without Elisha, that after Gehazi placed Elisha’s rod on him, he would have raised from the dead, but for whatever reason the circumstances dictated otherwise. It seems like one of the reasons was that the woman wasn’t going anywhere without Elisha and she wasn’t settling for a proxy healing.

Regardless of his shortcomings with regards to the love of money that we’ll read about, Gehazi was more than just a spokesperson of Elisha, he was a trusted servant and disciple who was favoured by Elisha among all other disciples. You would have thought that Elisha would have seen the future sellout of Gehazi found in 2 Kings 4:15-27, but it shows that Gehazi was a true servant of God and Elisha, and that somewhere, somehow the devil managed to turn his heart to love money more than God and Elisha. Gehazi is not mentioned in Elisha’s healings 9 and 10, but I would assume that he served Elisha right up till he was cursed by him with leprosy, but who knows, maybe he was off the grid as a servant during this time period and was distracted by the cares of this world and took just enough time off to not only miss God’s supernatural provision found in miracles 9 and 10, but also to may have been tempted by satan to doubt God’s supernatural provision which then set him up to take advantage of the misfortune of Naaman’s health and capitalize off of his healing to his own benefit. Getting caught up in the cares off the world and not focusing on God’s call, can be enough time for the devil to sow seeds into your mind and life to miss out on God’s provision and call on your life. Like Matthew 13:22 says; “22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.”

These are the miracles numbers 9 & 10.  

9 Healing of the gourds (2 Kings 4:41).

10 Increasing the bread to feed many (2 Kings 4:43).

How many ministers are off the grid, caught up in the cares of the world, wondering about God’s provision over their lives and are missing out on what God is really doing. In doing this, are being set up by the devil, to give into the temptation, to capitalize off of the misfortunate that come into their services and are healed. They may even think in their hearts that they have to make a ‘big show’ of a miraculous healing, write a book about it, sell the story because it’s a money maker. They then call the publishing house to get the ball rolling, they set up the cameras to get the person’s testimony. They may even hear that this man’s wife also wants to make a big donation as a result of seeing her husband healed and the minister is saying, thank you Jesus, we’ll receive that donation. But...God is saying don’t do it! Don’t capitalize off of the misfortunate! You, minister, should be sending the healed person away with the blessing because they’re the one that has had a hard time that they haven’t even been able to enjoy their own personal riches. Bless them, be on the give – not the take.  

Give to those in need and even give to those who receive the supernatural healing that I promised in My word, I’ll provide for your needs says the Lord. I’ll provide supply all your needs according to My glory and riches.  I’ll perform miracles of supernatural provision. I’ll extend the bread in your cupboard, I’ll multiply the food in your cupboard, I’ll multiply the oil and the wine says the Lord. Just when you think it’s all over, just when you think I’m no where to be found, I’ll multiply it. Just don’t capitalize off the misfortunate, be a giver, bless them, heal them, see them set free and delivered, don’t receive an offering from them. Don’t do it, no matter how tempting it is, don’t set yourself up for that, don’t do it. I’m not saying to not take offerings in your church, but there’s a time to take offerings and there’s a time not to.  

It’s in miracle #11, that the military commander Naaman, who is seeking out personal healing for leprosy by Elisha, does not even meet with him personally but is instructed by a messenger on what to do to obtain healing for his body. The fact that he doesn’t use Gehazi as a spokesperson, shows Elisha’s lack of trust in Gehazi already, for he simply knew what was in the heart of Gehazi and needed to put him to the test to see if he would stand or fall when tempted by the riches of Naaman’s offer.  It didn’t look like Gehazi was with Elisha very long.

2 Kings 5:9-16 says the following; “9 Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’ 12 Are not the [a]Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. 15 And he returned to the man of God, he and all his aides, and came and stood before him; and he said, “Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel; now therefore, please take a gift from your servant.” 16 But he said, “As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive nothing.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused.”

Gehazi was obviously privy to the whole offer given by Naaman and Elisha’s refusal of it and is tempted to sellout his discipleship under Elisha’s ministry for the personal monetary gain offered. The temptation came to Gehazi and because it looks like he had been off the grid for a while, he was well prepped by the temptations of the devil to capitalize off of this miracle of healing.

2 Kings 5:20-27 shows Gehazi’s greed; “20 But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “Look, my master has spared Naaman this Syrian, while not receiving from his hands what he brought; but as the Lord lives, I will run after him and take something from him.” 21 So Gehazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw him running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him, and said, “Is all well?” 22 And he said, “All is well. My master has sent me, saying, ‘Indeed, just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the mountains of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of garments.’ ” 23 So Naaman said, “Please, take two talents.” And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and handed them to two of his servants; and they carried them on ahead of him. 24 When he came to [a]the citadel, he took them from their hand, and stored them away in the house; then he let the men go, and they departed. 25 Now he went in and stood before his master. Elisha said to him, “Where did you go, Gehazi?” And he said, “Your servant did not go anywhere.” 26 Then he said to him, “Did not my heart go with you when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you? Is it time to receive money and to receive clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male and female servants? 27 Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and your descendants forever.” And he went out from his presence leprous, as white as snow.”

Gehazi lied to Naaman, the misfortunate man, who wasn’t even able to enjoy the riches and wealth he had as he had been a leper. The devil had tempted Gehazi with mammon and he had to tell one lie after the other to cover it all up.

There are many Christians that have been called to ministry in one or more of the ministry positions and gifts found in 1 Corinthians 12, that have gone the way of Gehazi and receive monetary or otherwise gifts from those who have been physically healed in their meetings. This is why you will often see offerings taken up after miracle services, rather than before, and it’s simply because those who receive healing will give more as a result of their healing than they would prior to being healed. Receiving monetary or material offerings from individuals that have been healed by Jesus is worse than what Gehazi did by obtaining it deceptively, simply because it’s more brazen to have gained it by making it acceptable to take advantage someone’s misfortunate sickness that was healed in a healing service.  

2 Corinthians 2:17 Amplified Bible; “17 For we are not like many, [acting like merchants] peddling God’s word [shortchanging and adulterating God’s message]; but from pure [uncompromised] motives, as [commissioned and sent] from God, we speak [His message] in Christ in the sight of God.

1 Timothy 6:3-10 Amplified Bible  “3 If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine and teaching which is in agreement with godliness (personal integrity, upright behavior), 4 he is conceited and woefully ignorant [understanding nothing]. He has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, which produces envy, quarrels, verbal abuse, evil suspicions, 5 and perpetual friction between men who are corrupted in mind and deprived of the truth, who think that godliness is a source of profit [a lucrative, money-making business—withdraw from them]. 6 But godliness actually is a source of great gain when accompanied by contentment [that contentment which comes from a sense of inner confidence based on the sufficiency of God]. 7 For we have brought nothing into the world, so [it is clear that] we cannot take anything out of it, either. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who [are not financially ethical and] crave to get rich [with a compulsive, greedy longing for wealth] fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction [leading to personal misery]. 10 For the love of money [that is, the greedy desire for it and the willingness to gain it unethically] is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves [through and through] with many sorrows.”

Gehazi pierced himself through and through with many sorrows and not only him, but his children, their children and so on for generations. I guess it all comes down to the true motivation of a ministers heart as it will come out of their mouths, for out of the abundance of their heart their mouth speaks, and this is all the more reason to put a guard over our hearts. Jesus made it very clear that as ministers of the Gospel we are to be servants, and give freely healing to those around us, expecting nothing in return. The only return you want for doing your work, is to acknowledge that you’re a humble servant of Jesus, just doing what He asked you to do. That’s your reward.  

The Psalmist David says in Psalm 37:5; “I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread.” So those who walk upright before God, expect miracles for His provision. But you don’t have to go the way of Gehazi or of corrupt ministers who take advantage of the misfortunate, those that have been healedin their meetings. This isn’t just a message for Pentecostal, Spirit-filled Christians where the gifts of the Holy Spirit are in operation. This is for the whole body of Christ.  

Matthew 10:8 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition says; “8 Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Freely (without pay) you have received, freely (without charge) give.”

The untimely sicknesses and deaths of ministers of the Gospel that have profited off the misfortune of individuals that have been healed in their meetings, does not take me by surprise, but rather affirms God’s judgment that begins in the House of the Lord first, and as for those outside of God’s House and are not Christians, they are already under His wrath unless they repent and receive Jesus as Lord of their lives, and this is all the more reason to preach the Gospel, cast out demons, and heal the sick freely, for freely we have received and freely we are to give.

We read this earlier but we’ll read it again in 2 Kings 5:26-27; “26 Then he said to him, “Did not my heart go with you when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you? Is it time to receive money and to receive clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male and female servants? 27 Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and your descendants forever.” And he went out from his presence leprous, as white as snow.”

So Christian ministers, that have exploited the misfortunate that are healed in your services, I’ll ask you the same question that Elisha asked Gehazi and however you want to apply it in the 21stcentury and however you’re living;  “Is it time to receive money and to receive clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male and female servants?”  

Let’s close by reading Matthew Henry’s Commentary on 2 Kings 5:27  

“2. How he was punished for it: The leprosy of Naaman shall cleave to thee, v. 27. If he will have his money, he shall take his disease with it, Transit cum onere—It passes with this incumbrance. He was contriving to entail lands upon his posterity; but, instead of them, he entails a loathsome disease on the heirs of his body, from generation to generation. The sentence was immediately executed on himself; no sooner said than done: He went out from his presence a leper as white as snow. Thus he is stigmatized and made infamous, and carries the mark of his shame wherever he goes: thus he loads himself and family with a curse, which shall not only for the present proclaim his villany, but for ever perpetuate the remembrance of it. Note, The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of those that seek death, Prov 21 6. Those who get wealth by fraud and injustice cannot expect either the comfort or the continuance of it. What was Gehazi profited, though he gained his two talents, when thereby he lost his health, his honour, his peace, his service, and, if repentance prevented not, his soul for ever?”

There is no mention that Gehazi gave the money back to Naaman or gave it to Elisha. Do we give? Yes. Do we give tithe’s and offerings? Yes. But don’t merchandise or capitalize off of it after the emotion of a person receiving something from the Lord, whether it be healing, a word of knowledge,  a miracle...don’t do it. Don’t coerce people to give to get and don’t coerce people to give after receiving from the Lord. Learn from Gehazi that it won’t be beneficial to you, your family and ministry.

Click to read the prophecies from Sunday's church service.

Last weeks message was entitled, Sold Out for Jesus, but today we’ll study how Christians and people can sell Jesus out. Before talking about Ananias and Sapphira, who will be the main topic of the message, I’d like to first set the message up by taking a look at the following scripture which is God’s promise to Abraham.
Deuteronomy 8:18 in the Amplified Bible says; “18 But you shall remember [with profound respect] the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore (solemnly promised) to your fathers, as it is this day.”
Let’s look at the covenant that God swore to Abraham. We’re of the seed of Abraham today by being born again of the Spirit of the Lord, by having asked Jesus to be Lord of our lives, so what applied to Abraham, applies to us today.
Genesis 12:1-3 in the Amplified Bible it talks about Abram’s journey to Egypt;“12 Now [in Haran] the Lord had said to Abram, “Go away from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; 2  And [a]I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you [abundantly], And make your name great (exalted, distinguished); And you shall be a blessing [a source of great good to others]; 3  And I will bless (do good for, benefit) those who bless you, And I will curse [that is, subject to My wrath and judgment] the one who curses (despises, dishonors, has contempt for) you. And in you all the families (nations) of the earth will be blessed.”
As Christians, we are the seed of Abraham, who consist of messianic Jews (born again Jews) and Gentiles who have been in grafted into the vine, that the non-believing Jews were cut off from because of unbelief and their rejection of Jesus as their Messiah. You can read an in depth study on this in the following link by Got Questions. We’re not going to deal with that specifically today, but I just wanted to set up the message so everyone can see that the Gentiles have been grafted into the vine, who is Jesus, and are therefore covenant participants with Abraham. We have the same blessings through faith in Jesus that were promised to Abraham’s Seed. God is not finished with the Jews, His plans have not changed towards them, Romans 9-11 and Galatians 3 are very clear about that. The covenant God gave to Abraham in the power to get wealth, was not to store it up for their own ambitions but to be a blessing, salt, light and testimony to those around and that same Seed is also referred to in Genesis 3:15, as the one who would bruise satan’s head. Jesus is the Seed through whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed and Jesus crushed satan’s head at the cross. The blindness on the Jews is only in part and God will fulfill His specific covenant with the Jews through what the Prophet Jeremiah referred to as the time of Jacob’s trouble, which will take place during the seven year tribulation. Again, you can go to Got Questions to read a short article explaining it.
So what exactly is the covenant that God gave to Abraham regarding giving him power to get wealth? As Christians, Jesus has given us power to get wealth – the same promise given to Abraham. Having established this, it’s going to help understand the severity of God’s judgment upon Ananias and Sapphira, who were killed by God for having lied to the Holy Spirit and robbing Him of money that was dedicated to the establishment of the early Church. Here’s the fate of Ananias and Sapphira and it’s a good story if you can obey Jesus fully and not get caught up in the racketeering they got caught up in and it’s good to see the blessings of Abraham and the wealth that He gives your hands the power to get, and to use it for Jesus’ building of His church. Of course we have personal needs, to eat, drink, cloth ourselves and to survive, but ultimately, it is for the building of the body of Christ or it is for building our own kingdom on earth. When we seek first the Kingdom of God, everything else will be added to us.
Acts 5:1-6 Amplified Bible; “5 Now a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife’s full knowledge [and complicity] he kept back some of the proceeds, bringing only a [a]portion of it, and set it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and [secretly] keep back for yourself some of the proceeds [from the sale] of the land? 4 As long as it remained [unsold], did it not remain your own [to do with as you pleased]? And after it was sold, was the money not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this act [of hypocrisy and deceit] in your heart? You have not [simply] lied to people, but to God.” 5 And hearing these words, Ananias fell down suddenly and died; and great fear and awe gripped those who heard of it. 6 And the young men [in the congregation] got up and wrapped up the body, and carried it out and buried it.”
God had given Ananias and Sapphira the power to get wealth,  and although it doesn't say what their business was by which they gained the piece of property which they sold, it’s clear that they withheld a portion of the sale and gave the rest to the treasury of the Lord that was overseen by the Apostles. But they gave the impression that they were giving it all and in so doing, they lied to the Holy Spirit and to the Apostles.
Again, verses 3-4 says; “But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and [secretly] keep back for yourself some of the proceeds [from the sale] of the land? 4 As long as it remained [unsold], did it not remain your own [to do with as you pleased]? And after it was sold, was the money not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this act [of hypocrisy and deceit] in your heart? You have not [simply] lied to people, but to God.”
What they were giving was a love offering, a monetary donation that did not even fall under the laws of tithing 10 percent of their income. They were saying that they were giving 100 percent of the sale of their property, when in reality they gave only a percentage whether great or small, and kept back the rest for a rainy day.  It would have better for them to say that they were giving 20% and keeping 80% because they could do with their money as they chose, but they weren’t honest, they lied.  
The reason God gives Christians the power to get wealth, is for the establishing of God’s covenant given to them by receiving Jesus and becoming born again of His Spirit, and by preaching the Gospel so that others can become Christians and heirs of not only salvation, but also the blessings Abraham that were promised to his descendants. It’s obvious that Ananias and Sapphira’s love offering was not about establishing the early Church and the preaching of the Gospel that would save both Jews and Gentiles, but rather it was about establishing themselves as generous givers that would give them the best seat in the house, so to say. Prior to them giving, there was another convert by the name of Barnabas, who also sold a field and gave the money to the Apostles for the church. It seems like Ananias and his wife wanted to ‘outshine’ him, maybe, or maybe for a prestigious position in the new church – or at least in their hearts.
Let’s take a look at what the Apostle Paul says about making Christians joint heirs as Abraham’s seed. Ephesians 3:1-6 Amplified Bible; “3 For this reason [because I preach that you and believing Jews are joint heirs] I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— 2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was entrusted to me [to share with you] for your benefit; 3 and that by [divine] revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I have already written in brief. 4 By referring to this, when you read it you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which in other generations was not disclosed to mankind, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the [Holy] Spirit; 6 [it is this:] that the Gentiles are now joint heirs [with the Jews] and members of the same body, and joint partakers [sharing] in the [same divine] promise in Christ Jesus through [their faith in] the good news [of salvation].”
Abraham didn’t have what we have today, the Holy Spirit in us being born again. Hewalked by faith and never saw the finish – Jesus. But not you if you’re born again. You received what these men preached, you received what the prophets and teachers taught about but never saw. Hebrews 11 talks about the heroes of the hall of fame, those who according to verses 13-14 says; “13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off [e]were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland.”
Establishing God’s covenant on earth is receiving Jesus as Lord and Saviour, it’s soul winning, and many nominal Christians today like Ananias and Sapphira, are more concerned about establishing a good position in the Church as members, than they are about establishing the body of Christ thru the preaching of the Gospel. When Ananias and Sapphira lied about the proceeds of the property sale, they were selling Jesus out for a good position in the Church, a nominal position that would enable them to continue selling Jesus out for personal gain.
Again, verse 3 “But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and [secretly] keep back for yourself some of the proceeds [from the sale] of the land? 4 As long as it remained [unsold], did it not remain your own [to do with as you pleased]? And after it was sold, was the money not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this act [of hypocrisy and deceit] in your heart? You have not [simply] lied to people, but to God.”
It was extremely serious what happened to them, and the Holy Spirit took them out. It wasn’t just satan having access to their lives because of their sin, it was that they lied to the Holy Spirit.I don’t believe that Ananias and Sapphira were born again, but rather they were nominal believers that had all the appearance of being Christians, however their actions were not Christ-like, but rather like their father the devil, and like so many nominal believers in the Churches today, have sold Jesus out for position and title.  Peter had the power of the Holy Spirit and the gift of discernment that revealed to him what was really going on with this charade, but today many Church leaders have rejected the baptism of the Holy Spirit and don’t operate in the gift of discernment, and as a result many Ananias’s and Sapphira’s are in positions of great influence that ultimately result in ponzi business schemes that not only bankrupt those involved, but Churches as a whole are destroyed by the love of money that is at the root of all kinds of evil.  
Acts 5:7-11 Amplified Bible says; “7 Now after an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Tell me whether you sold your land for so much?” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” 9 Then Peter said to her, “How could you two have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Look! The feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.” 10 And at once she fell down at his feet and died; and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 And great fear and awe gripped the whole church, and all who heard about these things.”
Imagine that, her husband was already dead for three hours and was already six feet under the ground without her even made aware by God or by man that he even died. You get the impression that she was showing up with the expectation of a surprise church celebration in honour of her and her husband’s great act of benevolence towards the body of Christ, and who knows, she might have prepared a written speech for the apostles and all the Christians in attendance. It’s pretty clear from what we read that God was no respecter of persons that day, and no matter how great of a gift they gave, the fact that they lied not only to Peter, but they lied to, and robbed from the Holy Spirit, cost them their lives. The churches are full of people that call themselves Christians, but it doesn’t mean that they are truly born again of the Holy Spirit, they may believe in Jesus and have the appearance of a Christian, but if they are selling Jesus out for personal gain, lying to Church Leaders and lying to the Holy Spirit, turning God’s Church into a house of thieves, it’s pretty clear that they are not Christians.
It’s a good question to ask yourself today, are you sold out for Jesus or are you selling Him out? It doesn’t matter how many years you’ve been going to church or serving the Lord or how many things you’ve overcome by the power of the Holy Spirit, it comes down to; are you sold out or selling Jesus out? We know that it’s appointed unto man to die and then comes judgment; will you stand before Jesus at the Bema seat to receive His rewards and hear – well done good and faithful servant, or will you stand before God at the White Throne judgment and be cast into the lake of fire because of denying Jesus?  
Today, if you’re truly born again, the blessings of Abraham will overtake you, but it’s for establishing His covenant in the earth with soul winning, not to build your own empires on earth. Let’s build the church, the body of Christ, preach the gospel so that souls can be saved.
To read the full film script, Travesty, click here.