Seeking First the Kingdom, and His
Righteousness
Matt 6:33
IN THIS ISSUE:
* Kenya – Bro Isaac Open Air Preach
* Uganda - Bro Wachana / Muslims converted
* East India – Bro Prasanna, revival continues...
* MT Elgon – Bro Davidson updates
* South Africa – Bro Renier campus preach
* Exhortation – Bro Wachana
* Matthew 12 – Exposition continues
My Beloved Brethren... be
ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the LORD, for as much
as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the
LORD.
1 Cor.
15:58
THE TRUMPET
CALL OF THE GOSPEL continues to go out among the nations! We would like to
encourage and remind all who are Proclaiming the Ever-Lasting Gospel in these
last days... it is a GREAT WORK that YOU are DOING! Ps 149:3-7 PRESS
ON!
You can realize greater Power in your delivery as you continue in the very presence of our Great Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ... for as you do this, you will continue in the necessary refinements amendments and mortifications that will be prompted by His Most Holy Spirit... Who continues to lead us all into HOLINESS AS UNTO THE LORD; and the Truth about Who our King is... but also who we are... and the station He has called us to in and amongst the Church Bride of Christ! HIS BODY (the Church) is very busy in the UPHOLDING OF THE GOSPEL TRUMPET... leading many to turn from their idols >> to the Living God!
Dearly Beloved, never lose sight of your so GREAT Salvation! This is the day to be DECLARING it to such a lost and needy time such as we live in today! They will listen to you as they behold your continual growth and processing of the grace and mercy that Jesus grants you every morning! ESPECIALLY IN THE MIDST OF THE STORMS OF LIFE TODAY, they will desire your love and PASSION for Christ and His Kingdom! They will take note of your BURDEN FOR THE LOST AND POOR! Never hold back Dearly Beloved! Show them your heart now full of “HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS!”
PRESS ON CHRISTIAN SOLDIER! 2 Tim 2:1-5 Bro Robert
We at FBF would like to Thank you again for your prayers and encouragements as the Teams in East, Central, South and Western Africa are experiencing many advances and serious revival that continues in the East and Central sections... all Glory to God! East India continues to open up new territories with the Gospel, and the Open Air preach continues in the US. All teams are training new recruits at this time. We thank the LORD for the good work of participating with His Kingdom advance... and with all His Church Bride who is eagerly awaiting His soon return. This is the hour for all of God’s children to ‘rise up’ for the gospel of Jesus Christ! It’s TIME to do all we can in Christ. His return is more certain than ever before! Amen.
You can realize greater Power in your delivery as you continue in the very presence of our Great Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ... for as you do this, you will continue in the necessary refinements amendments and mortifications that will be prompted by His Most Holy Spirit... Who continues to lead us all into HOLINESS AS UNTO THE LORD; and the Truth about Who our King is... but also who we are... and the station He has called us to in and amongst the Church Bride of Christ! HIS BODY (the Church) is very busy in the UPHOLDING OF THE GOSPEL TRUMPET... leading many to turn from their idols >> to the Living God!
Dearly Beloved, never lose sight of your so GREAT Salvation! This is the day to be DECLARING it to such a lost and needy time such as we live in today! They will listen to you as they behold your continual growth and processing of the grace and mercy that Jesus grants you every morning! ESPECIALLY IN THE MIDST OF THE STORMS OF LIFE TODAY, they will desire your love and PASSION for Christ and His Kingdom! They will take note of your BURDEN FOR THE LOST AND POOR! Never hold back Dearly Beloved! Show them your heart now full of “HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS!”
PRESS ON CHRISTIAN SOLDIER! 2 Tim 2:1-5 Bro Robert
We at FBF would like to Thank you again for your prayers and encouragements as the Teams in East, Central, South and Western Africa are experiencing many advances and serious revival that continues in the East and Central sections... all Glory to God! East India continues to open up new territories with the Gospel, and the Open Air preach continues in the US. All teams are training new recruits at this time. We thank the LORD for the good work of participating with His Kingdom advance... and with all His Church Bride who is eagerly awaiting His soon return. This is the hour for all of God’s children to ‘rise up’ for the gospel of Jesus Christ! It’s TIME to do all we can in Christ. His return is more certain than ever before! Amen.
The focus of
the Pastoral Letter (PL) is along the lines of generally edifying and
encouraging Preachers to establish more of Christ in our lives, promoting the
Kingdom of God where ever we go, Establishing God fearing Churches, mission
updates (Africa, India, US), missions reports, focus points, teaching,
exposition, a short list of mail-ins (with some excerpts). We are committed to
the Great Co-Mission for all, as being salt and light are not an option in the
church of Jesus Christ. Matt 5:13-16 ... We continue to bless all those who are at
work in the advancement of the Kingdom of God... for Jesus sake. We continue to
call all men to Jesus, and to the simplicity of Christ that we find in the Book
of Acts Church... to His Glory and Praise!
Acts 2:42, 46-47, Mark
16:15-16
May the LORD
leave His richest blessings upon each one of you as you Press On with
Jesus!
"'Not called!'
did you say? 'Not heard the call,' I think you should say.
Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear Him bid you go and pull sinners out of
the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity,
and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear
the damned entreat you to go to their father's house and bid their brothers and
sisters and servants and masters not to come there. Then look Christ in the face
— whose mercy you have professed to obey — and tell Him whether you will join
heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish His mercy to
the world.
~William Booth, founder of the Salvation
Army
SOUTH BUNGOMA, KENYA
Bro Issac - STIRRING IT UP
Open Air Preach
Bro Isaac and Team are a real Blessing to FBF... solid prayer warriors always... planting 3 churches recently... and baptisms confirming the fruit!
Glory to God Most High!
mouth confession is made unto
salvation For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be
ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same
Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon
the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom
they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not
heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach,
except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that
preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have
not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Rom. 10;
8-17 BROTHER ISAAC
MUSLIMS GET SAVED WITH OTHERS
Bro Wachana Reports
Waiting for pix
Grace to you my dear brother
Robert and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ!
May the God of peace……….equip you
richly with everything good that you
work for Him, Thank you, Thank you (Pretty good) for loving us, and God has been
good to us through you.
Through Jesus Christ, to whom be
glory forever and ever (Heb.13:20-21). My beloved brother we do salute you for
the faithful, professional and instructions manner in which you always keep us
informed, in the process of sanctification, infact Jesus is our example, for we
are to run to race of life “Looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecta of our
faith (Heb. 12:2) and we should follow his steps 1Peter 2:21. Concerning the teachings and the believes of
our brother Odong, since we have just known one another we sent one of our
executive member who is also from Northern Uganda to help us and get his faith
statement so that we can be able to know what he believes and what he
teaches.
My dear brother, God bless
you!
By now Busia Border work need
much prayer and support, because even the house in which we have been
fellowshipping from, we were chased out because of rent fee and as I talk now we
just fellowship from one of our saints courtyard, if it rains we get shelter in
his house. So for that case we do request you to stand with us in prayer my dear
brother things to get better. Furthermore, there is an outbreak of cold war in Sofia Estate in Busia Town where
we are operating from between us and moslems reason being some of four (4)
moslems got saved, as we were teaching at the seminar we have contacted in Sofia
Estate Busia Town the teachings was about: At the name of Jesus every knee
should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth and that every tongue
should confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the father (Phil: 2:5-11) NOT THE NAME OF
MUHAMMED.
JESUS is the way, the truth, and
the life no one come to His Father except through Jesus Christ our Lord. Above
mentioned sisters and one brother made their decision to receive Christ as
savior, and confessed with their mouth, that Jesus is Lord and savior, that God
has raised him from the dead. They declared before the multitude that they are no longer moslems.
Therefore Busia work need us to stay within or near it, because we only be there
on Sunday and Wednesdays and sometimes we face transportation problems from
Muwayo to Busia regularly, we don’t have even instruments which costs us to
preach the gospel in conferences, open air, and in churches. And as you know we
are tent makers. Besides all these moslems also started their crusades on every
Thursday to confuse and convince people to join them in that very Estate Sofia.
For sure this work needs us to stay near and keep encouraging our new converts
and still reach others in various part of Uganda regional, I ever receive
invitation calls to move and teach or solve some problems, but transportation is
still a big problem needs prayer God to open the way.
Please pray for the 4 muslims that came to Jesus... their spouses are threatening to divorce them. Thank you for your prayers for this cause.
Please pray for the 4 muslims that came to Jesus... their spouses are threatening to divorce them. Thank you for your prayers for this cause.
Blessed be the God and father of
our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the
heavenly places in Christ.
His
Grace
Wachana
Bonventy
East India Revival
Continues....
Bro Prasanna reports
Dearest beloved man of God PASTOR. ROBERT EPHRATA
and beloved church family.
Greetings to you in the holy name of our lord Jesus
Christ.Thank you very much for your prayers And love and kind fellowship with
us. And we do daily praying for you,
your family and ministry around the
world.
Today in Sunday service we spend much time in praying for your good health, and
for family.
And your prayer.We give glory and honer to Jesus.for His
mighty presence With us in The 2 days
crusades meeting .
Holy spirit moving mighty in The lives of Hindus, idol worshipers, and believers and pastors through your massages, prayers and importation. We see the great change in their lives, families and their ministry after the meetings. Not only that Had in the 2dayes revival Crusades meetings the Power of god touched each and Every one of them mighty. And people were free from the bondage of Sickness, bondage of demons and evil spirit. Believers were strength. In the faith. And in the walk with god through your prayer.
1.Around the 2 crusades remote area 1800 people came to
The 2 days Revival Crusades Meetings
form 32 different village to the remote
area.
2.Almost Countless unsaved people came for forward to take Jesus as their
personal savior and Lord. We praise god for
that.
1. .Sister Ruth had epilepsy (Fits) she came forward
for your prayers, As you Were Prayed for whole, God healed her Completely. Now
she is free From her disease.
 And there is no pain after that we whet to the hospital,
3. One man
came with pain.in his stomach to the meeting.ha had ulcer in his stomach, god
healed him.
4. One of the sister marry. She have back pain. While
you have praying time she had receiver immediately. Now she have free no
pain.
5. A sister
brought her daughter to the meeting,the boy was attacked by Evil spirit every
night.as you prayed for them. Now she is free from bondage of evil
spirit.
6. One of the
sister came to the crusades Meetings.with grate pain in her Chest(breath
properly)unable to And heart weakness,
Jesus haled her.
7. One of
the Hindu woman came her name is durgga. she have thrombosis.in her hands and
neck god healed her sickness. Glory to god.
8. 10 One of the young man free from bondage of
alcoholism,and womanizing and from smoking.
9. One of
the man came to meeting with leg bone pain he have pain two years but he have much pain. And your praying time
. he came near stage while your praying while he had totally healed by your prayer. Glory to
god
10. God
blessed one man coming to 2 crusades meetings such way from his that he recover
debts, family problems and God healed him from respiratory
disease.
11. God had
done great miracle young woman 8 years old she unable to talk . while your praying time she received
straighten form god.now
speaking properly.glory to God.
12. One
young boy received healing.form back pain and shoulder pain,he had fell down
while playing in his childhood,
so he had back pain and shoulder pain and as servant of God prayed for him and god healed completely form his pain. 
14. Our orphan
girl her name is mammy. She don't have memory power. While your praying time. She received
knowledge form God.
Now she have reading books. Thank God.
15. Ch.
rajini was a chronic diabetes patient. She spent a lot of money for her
medical treatment but it was all in
vain.
As a last resort she came to our meeting blessing God, JESUS healed,Our God proved His Ability and healed her through your prayers.
16. One ot
the woman her name is Krupp she fell down your feet. She received strength your
feet.god healed her fever.
17. One woman
came meeting she received holy spirit. At the time demon spirit gone
out.
18. My father
he have BP and shouger my father healed by your
prayer
19. One of
the church believer he have family
problems he came meetings .now his
wife and children they have peace free.thank God.
20. Many
pastors, leaders and servant of God came to the meeting all of the pastors
praying you ,the Brethren there and loving ministry
.
Glory to God and your prayer.
Your brother in
His Vineyard.
Pastor.Prasanna |
CHURCH PLANTING FROM REVIVAL
NYEHUNGE - TANZANIA
BRO MICHAEL
HERE IS THE REPORT OF
NYAHUNGE:
Pastor Michael Elkana went to nyehunge to visit them with five
Pastors we were talking
about the prograce of the church then we preached and
God him self show up to his people
FBF in Nyahunge, there were only twenty
people but after revival within a short time we got another twenty so in
Nyihung we have forty people God is walking with us.
Pastor Elisha
in Nyihunge he is doing good he is preaching the word of God
with the
microphone which you give him in Geita so God is helping us really we thank
him
the subject was in Joshua 1:6. Amen.
Also Pastor Elisha need more
prayers because he doesn't have the place for the Ministry
so we need
prayers for Hunger.We do believe in God so much that we will plant a fine work here.
MT Elgon work
advances..
Bro Davidson - W Kenya
Choice brotherly greetings in the name of the Lord and our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Much work has gone into addressing public gathering of parents and teachers on ethnic integration and cohesion during September 2012. Our organization has established peace clubs in 14 schools around Mt. Elgon. Through this, we have designed activities in those schools which bring together children from different ethnic communities in effort to bridge the tribal divide between them and harness co-existence. We also run seminars for teachers and parents to inculcate in them skills for transformational education and parenting which encourage a broader world-view.
In time, we will be glad for you to consider some practical ways you can
compliment what we are doing for God and His
people.
The boys you send funds for are doing well. I put them in school and they feel blessed!! I am also currently involved in peace and conflict transformation in the Mt. Elgon region of Kenya -- in which we have initiated Peace Clubs in Primary and Secondary Schools in Mt. Elgon in effort to address the problem of socialization and negative parental influence over children.
I would like to know if you plan to come soon and if I can put together some meetings for you in Chwele and around Mt. Elgon. The Lord gave me a motorcycle which easens my mobility. The tyres, however, are now worn-out. I also have to renew the insurance cover. I need your prayer support. I believe God hears and answers PRAYER!!
Shalom!Davidson Akhonya
Bro Renier campus preach
South Africa
On Wednesday, the 24th of October I
took a day off from work to preach at Stellenbosch University. I’ve preached
from 8:00 am until 3:30 pm on the campus. The preach went very well. I had students around
me all throughout the day! Right from the start of the preach there was
action. A car stopped next to me and a person jumped out who attempted to pull
down and destroy my banner. I was busy to talk to a few students when it
happened. They just froze from shock, but one guy helped me to hold on to my
banner. When the attacker saw that his effort to destroy my banner failed he
jumped back into the car and sped off. Another guy was so offended at my sign
that he told me that he is going to phone the Police within 10 minutes to have
me removed. The Police drove past me 3 times, but they did not approach me. As
always, there was plenty of response, both positive and negative. A number of
Christians stopped by me to say that they are really encouraged and inspired to
see my boldness and courage … as it, in turn, helps them also to be more bolder
in their own witness and stand for Christ. There was also a journalist who
interviewed me and hanged around me for almost the whole day …filming me on her
video as I’m preaching and interacting with the students. Many students stopped
by to ask me what I’m doing and why I’m there. Some of them even told me that
“You are causing quite a stir here on campus! We hear inside the classes
that the other students are talking about you!” I’ve also had my share of
mockers, atheists and pagans to contend with.
I was asked about my opinion on evolution. I
responded: “Genesis 1:1 – In the beginning God created the Heaven and the
earth. God spoke and BANG! It happened.” Many students thought my sign
and message to be offensive. They’ve told me: “Why don’t you rather preach
that ‘God loves you’?” I responded: “That kind of message will never
work as the average sinner will walk by and think ‘Hey, God loves me so much …
I can continue on with my sinning, drinking, sleeping around … and still get
into Heaven!’. I don’t want to give people a false impression. Besides, the
book of Acts is our manual on how the first Christians evangelised to world.
The word ‘love’ does not even appear ONCE in the book of Acts. Instead, the
topics of judgment day, repentance, salvation in Christ alone, heaven and hell
were the themes of the apostles’ preaching. And these are the themes we should
include in our preaching today.” They would respond: “Yes, but times
have changed!” I would reply: “But the heart of the average sinner never
changed during the past 2,000 years. The heart is still deceitful and
desperately wicked as always! The diagnosis and the cure stays the same!”
The students would then ask about John 3:16 … I would respond: “John 3:16
was spoken to ONE person in the middle of the NIGHT. Yet, throughout the Gospels
you will never find Him saying to a crowd of people that ‘God loves you’. No,
He would always preach and say ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand’
(Mat 4:17) and ‘Repent or Perish’ (Luke 13:3,5).” Another lady objected:
“Are you saying that all those sincere muslims, jews and buddhists are
LOST???” I replied: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Sincerity never saved anybody. Only Jesus Christ can save you!” Again, I
was told: “The bible is written by man”. I replied: “Yes, man was the
pen and God was the One who used the pen to write the Bible.” Another guy
objected: “Can’t you just for a change begin a sentence without saying ‘the
bible says’?” I replied: “What do you want me to do? Preach things out
of my own heart or do you want me to preach the Word of
God?”
The preach lasted 7 ½ hours, but it was really
worth it! I don’t mind to spend and to be spent for the sake of Christ (2 Cor
12:15)! The preach really got the students talking about Jesus and thinking
about eternity so yes it was all well worth it… all I can say to this is “Praise
the LORD” for what He has done today! Amen.
Bro Wachana – A Exhortation
Greetings my
dear FBF Brethren and Brother Robert!
May God bless
you with His grace and peace Hallelujah!
We will
continually offer ourselves and all that we do or have as sacrifices to our most
worthy king. Yet we shall also, in subjection to God, share in ruling over the
universe, for with him we shall ‘reign forever and ever’
(Rev.22:5)
Jesus says,
‘He who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I myself
conquered and sat down with my father on his
throne’(Rev.3:21).
Mukana
Yebazibwe / Praise the Lord
Finally : we
as FBF Christians ought not to neglect to meet together.(Hebrews 10:25), but
ought to look forward eagerly to any assembly of believers in which any of these
means would occur, expecting that God will bring blessings from each of these
means!.
On the other
hand, we must realize that all of these means of grace occur within fellowship
of the church.
Those who
neglect the fellowship of the church willing fully cut themselves off from all
of these means of grace and thereby cut themselves off from most of the ordinary
means that the Holy Spirit uses to bring blessings to His
people.
These means of
grace ought to give us great appreciation for the amazing privilege of being
members of the body of Christ, the church.
I remain yours
in Christ’s Love,
WACHANA
BONVENTRY
MATTHEW Exposition continues
Chapter 12
(Matthew 12:1) At that time Jesus went on
the Sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began
to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.
This chapter records the rising catastrophe of rejection. The rising hatred and hostility of the
Pharisees are now ready to spill over. The issue that opens the floodgates is the
Sabbath question.
On this particular Sabbath, Jesus and His disciples were passing
through the grain fields. His disciples began to pluck heads of grain
and to eat them. The law
permitted them to help themselves to grain from their neighbour’s field as long
as they did not use a sickle (Deut
23:25). Thus, the disciples’ crime was not that they were stealing the grain,
but rather the seeming crime was that they were doing this on the Sabbath day.
(Matthew 12:2) But when the Pharisees saw
it, they said unto him, Behold,
thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath
day.
But the Pharisees,
legal nit-pickers, charged that the Sabbath had been broken. Though their specific charges are not stated
it is likely that they accused the disciples of: (1) harvesting (picking the
grain); (2) threshing (rubbing it in their hands); (3) winnowing (separating the
grain from the chaff).
(Matthew 12:3-4) But he said unto them,
Have ye not read what David did, when he was an
hungred, and they that were with him; How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread,
which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but
only for the priests?
Jesus answered their ridiculous complaint by reminding them of an
incident in the life of David.
Once, when in exile, he and his men went
into the wilderness and ate the
showbread, twelve memorial loaves forbidden as food to any but the
priests (1 Sam 21:5). Neither David nor
his men were priests, yet God never found fault with them for doing this. Why not?
The reason is that God's law was never intended to inflict hardship
on His faithful people. It was not
David's fault that he was in exile. A
sinful nation had rejected him. If he
had been given his rightful place, he and his followers would not have had to
eat the showbread. Because there was sin
in Israel, God permitted an otherwise forbidden act.
The similarity is clear. The
Lord Jesus was the rightful King of Israel, but the nation would not acknowledge
Him as Sovereign. If He had been given
His proper place, His followers would not have been reduced to eating in this
way on the Sabbath or on any other day of the week. History was repeating itself. The Lord did not reprove His disciples,
because they had done no wrong.
(Matthew 12:5) Or
have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the
temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?
Jesus reminded the Pharisees that the priests profane the Sabbath by killing
and sacrificing animals and by performing many other servile duties (Num 28:9-10), yet are blameless because they are engaged in
the service of God.
(Matthew 12:6) But I say unto you, That in this place is
one greater than the temple.
The Pharisees knew that the priests worked every Sabbath in the
temple without violating it. Why then
should they criticize the disciples for acting as they did in the presence of
One who is greater than the
temple? The italicized word
One can perhaps better read: “something greater than the temple is
here.” The “something” is the kingdom of
God, present in the Person of the King.
(Matthew 12:7) But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will
have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the
guiltless.
The Pharisees had never understood the heart of God. In Hos
6:6 He had said, “I desire mercy and not
sacrifice.” God puts
compassion before ritual. He would
rather see His people picking grain on the Sabbath to satisfy their hunger than
observing the day so strictly as to cause physical suffering. If the Pharisees had only realized this, they
would not have condemned the disciples. But they valued outward correctness above
human health.
(Matthew 12:8) For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath
day.
It was He who had established the law in the first place, and
therefore He was the One most qualified to interpret its true meaning. As a faithful Jew living under the law, Jesus
kept the Sabbath (in spite of the accusations of the Pharisees to the contrary).
As the Lord of the Sabbath, He freed it
from the false rules and regulations with which it had become coated.
(Matthew 12:9) And when he was departed
thence, he went into their synagogue:
From the grain fields Jesus went into the synagogue. Luke tells us that the scribes and Pharisees
were there to watch Him so that they might find some charge against Him
(Luk 6:6-7).
(Matthew 12:10) And, behold, there was a man
which had his hand withered. And
they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they
might accuse him.
Inside the synagogue was a
man who had a withered hand—silent testimony to the powerlessness of the
Pharisees to help him. Up to now they
had treated him with cool indifference. But suddenly he became valuable to them as a
means to trap Jesus. They knew that the
Savior was always inclined to lessen human misery. If He would heal on the Sabbath, then they
would catch Him in a punishable offense, they thought. So they began by raising a legal nit-picking:
“Is it lawful to heal on the
Sabbath?”
(Matthew 12:11) And he said unto them,
What man shall there be among you, that shall have one
sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it,
and lift it
out?
The Savior answered by asking if they would pull one of their sheep out of a pit on the Sabbath. Of course they would! But why? Perhaps their excuse was that it was a work of
mercy—but another consideration might be that the sheep was worth money and they
would not want to suffer financial loss, even on the Sabbath.
(Matthew 12:12) How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful
to do well on the sabbath days.
Our Lord reminded them that a man is of greater value than a sheep. If it is right to show mercy to an animal, how
much more right is it to do good
to a man on the
Sabbath!
(Matthew 12:13-14) Then saith he to the man,
Stretch forth thine hand. And he
stretched it forth; and it was
restored whole, like as the other. Then
the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy
him.
Having caught the Jewish leaders in the pit of their own greed, Jesus
healed the withered hand. In telling
the man to stretch out his hand, faith and human will were called
into action. Obedience was then rewarded
with healing. The hand was restored as whole as the other by
the wonderful Creator. You would think
that the Pharisees would have been happy that the man, whom they had neither the
power nor inclination to help, was healed. Instead they went into a white rage against
Jesus and plotted to kill Him. If they had had a withered hand, they would
have been glad to be healed on any day of the week.
(Matthew 12:15) But when Jesus knew
it, he withdrew himself from
thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them
all;
He healed ALL of them!
(Matthew 12:16) And charged them that they
should not make him known:
When Jesus knew the thoughts of His enemies, He withdrew. Yet wherever He went, the crowds gathered; and
wherever the sick gathered, He healed
them all. But He charged them not
to broadcast His miraculous cures, not to shield Himself from danger, but to
avoid any fickle movement to make Him a popular revolutionary Hero. The divine schedule must be kept. His revolution would come, not by the shedding
of Roman blood, but by the shedding of His own blood.
(Matthew 12:17-18) That it might be fulfilled
which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul
is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to
the Gentiles.
His gracious ministry was in fulfilment of the prophecy of
Isa 41:9; Isa
42:1-4. The prophet foresaw the Messiah as a
gentle Conqueror. He pictures Jesus as
the Servant whom YHWH had chosen, the Beloved One in whom God's soul was well pleased. God would put His Spirit upon Him—a prophecy fulfilled
at the baptism of Jesus. And His
ministry would reach beyond the borders of Israel; He would declare justice to the Gentiles. This latter note becomes more dominant as
Israel's “NO” grows louder.
(Matthew 12:19) He shall not strive, nor
cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.
Isaiah further predicted that the Messiah would not quarrel or cry out and His voice would not be heard in the streets. This does NOT mean that he was not a
street-preacher! Jesus was most
definitely a street-preacher as Luke 13:26 would confirm. This verse in Matthew 12:19 only mean that He
would not be a political rabble-rouser, stirring up the population in order to
gain a following.
(Matthew 12:20) A bruised reed shall he not
break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto
victory.
He would not break a bruised
reed or quench a smoking flax. He would not trample on the homeless or
underprivileged in order to reach His goals. He would encourage and strengthen the
broken-hearted, oppressed person. He
would fan even a spark of faith into a flame. His ministry would continue till He would
bring justice to victory. His humble, loving care for others would not
be snuffed by the hate and ingratitude of men.
(Matthew 12:21) And in his name shall the
Gentiles trust.
In Isaiah this expression is worded “And the coastlands shall wait for His
law,” but the meaning is the same. The coastlands refer to the Gentile nations.
They are pictured as waiting for His
reign so that they might be His loyal subjects.
(Matthew 12:22) Then was brought unto him
one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that
the blind and dumb both spake and saw.
In Judaism, there were procedures for exorcism, but in the procedures
they required the demon to identify himself. Thus, if it was the type of demon that had
struck this guy dumb, there was no way to exorcize him (as one could not get him
to identify himself). In this case, this exorcism was recognized as unusual.
(Matthew 12:23-24) And all the people were
amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? But when the Pharisees heard
it, they said, This
fellow doth not cast out devils,
but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.
When Jesus healed a blind
and mute demoniac, the common people began to think seriously that He
might be the Son of David, the
Messiah of Israel. This enraged the Pharisees. Unable to tolerate any suggestion of sympathy
with Jesus, they exploded with the charge that the miracle had been performed by
the power of Beelzebub, the ruler of
the demons. This threatening
accusation was the first open accusation that the Lord Jesus was demon-
empowered.
(Matthew 12:25) And Jesus knew their
thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided
against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against
itself shall not stand:
Jesus knew their thoughts. Only God can know one’s thoughts. So Jesus must be God!
(Matthew 12:26) And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how
shall then his kingdom stand?
When He had read their
thoughts, Jesus proceeded to expose their foolishness. He pointed out that no kingdom, city, or house divided against itself can
continue successfully. If He was casting
out Satan's demons by the power of Satan, then Satan was working against himself. This would be ridiculous.
(Matthew 12:27) And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children
cast them out?
therefore they shall be your
judges.
Our Lord had a second devastating answer for the Pharisees. Some of their Jewish comrades, known as
exorcists, claimed to have the power to cast out demons (Acts 19:13). Jesus neither acknowledged nor denied their
claim, but used it to point out that if He cast out demons by Beelzebub, then the
Pharisees' sons (i.e. these
exorcists) did also. The Pharisees would
never admit this, but could not escape the logic of the argument. They were not being logical in ascribing
similar effects to different causes.
Their own comrades would condemn them for implying that they exorcised as
agents of Satan.
(Matthew 12:28) But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of
God is come unto you.
The truth, of course, was that Jesus cast out demons by the Spirit of God.
His entire life as a Man on earth was
lived by the power of the Holy Spirit. He was the Spirit-filled Messiah whom Isaiah
had foretold (Isa 11:2; Isa 42:1; Isa
61:1-3). Therefore He said
to the Pharisees, “
... if I cast out demons by the
Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.” This announcement must have been a crushing
blow. They prided themselves on their
theological knowledge, yet the kingdom
of God had come upon them
because the King was among them and they hadn't even realized that He was
there!
(Matthew 12:29) Or
else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he
first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his
house.
Far from being in alliance with Satan, the Lord Jesus was Satan's
Conqueror. This He illustrates by the
story of the strong man. The
strong man is Satan. His house is the sphere in which he holds
influence. His goods are his demons. Jesus is the One who binds the strong man, enters his house, and plunders his goods. Actually the binding of Satan takes place in
stages. It began during Jesus' public
ministry. It was decisively guaranteed
by the death and resurrection of Christ. It will be true to a more marked degree during
the King's thousand-year reign (Rev
20:2). Finally, it will be
eternally true when he is cast into the lake of fire (Rev 20:10). At the present time the devil does not seem to
be bound; he still exercises considerable power. But his doom is determined and his time is
short.
(Matthew 12:30) He
that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth
abroad.
Their blasphemous attitude showed that the Pharisees were not with the Lord; therefore, they were
against Him. By refusing to harvest with Him, they were
scattering the grain. They had accused
Jesus of casting out demons by the power of Satan while actually they themselves
were the servants of Satan, seeking to frustrate the work of God. The rule is that if a man is not against the
Lord, he is for Him and should be respected accordingly. This holds true for us as well. Either you are for Him or against Him. You can’t be neutral.
(Matthew 12:31-32) Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be
forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not
be forgiven unto men. And whosoever
speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever
speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this
world, neither in the world to
come.
These verses mark a crisis in Christ's dealings with the leaders of
Israel. He accuses them of committing
the unpardonable sin by blaspheming against the Holy Spirit, that is, by
charging that Jesus performed His miracles by the power of Satan rather than by
the power of the Holy Spirit. In effect,
this was calling the Holy Spirit Beelzebub, the ruler of demons.
There is forgiveness for other forms of sin and blasphemy. A man may even speak against the Son of Man and be
forgiven. But to blaspheme the Holy
Spirit is a sin for which there is no forgiveness in this age or in the millennial age to come.
The unpardonable sin is not the same as rejecting the gospel; a man
may reject the Savior for years, then repent, believe, and be saved. (Of course, if he dies in unbelief, he remains
unforgiven.) Nor is the unforgivable sin
the same as backsliding; a believer may wander far from the Lord, yet be
restored to fellowship in God's family.
Many people worry that they have committed the unpardonable sin.
If you are worried about having committed the unpardonable sin, you
haven’t done it! The fact that a person is concerned is evidence that he is not guilty
of it. Those who committed it were hard
and remorseless in their opposition to Christ. They had no fears about insulting the Spirit
and no hesitancy in plotting the death of the Son. They showed neither guilt nor
repentance.
(Matthew 12:33) Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the
tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by
his fruit.
Even the Pharisees should have admitted that the Lord had done good
by casting out demons. Yet they accused
Him of being evil. Here He exposes their
inconsistency and says, in effect, “Make
up your minds. If a tree is good, its fruit is good and vice versa.” Fruit
reflects the quality of the tree that produced it. The fruit of His ministry had been good. He had healed the sick, the blind, the deaf,
and the dumb, had cast out demons and raised the dead. Could a corrupt tree have produced such good
fruit? Utterly impossible! Why then did they so stubbornly refuse to
acknowledge Him?
(Matthew 12:34-35) O
generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the
abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of
the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out
of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
Their hatred against the Son of Man, evidenced by their poisonous
words, was the outflow of their evil hearts. A heart filled with goodness will be evidenced
by words of grace and righteousness. A
wicked heart expresses itself in blasphemy, bitterness, and abuse.
(Matthew 12:36) But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak,
they shall give account thereof in the day of
judgment.
Jesus seriously warned them (and us) that people will give account for every idle word they utter. Because the words people have spoken are an
accurate measure of their lives, they will form a suitable basis for
condemnation or clearing. How great will
be the condemnation of the Pharisees for the hateful and disrespectful words
which they spoke against God's Holy Son!
(Matthew 12:37) For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou
shalt be condemned.
In the case of believers, the penalty for careless speech has been
paid through the death of Christ; however, our careless speech, unconfessed and
unforgiven, will result in loss of reward at Christ's Judgment Seat.
(Matthew 12:38) Then certain of the scribes
and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from
thee.
Despite all the miracles Jesus had performed, the scribes and Pharisees had the
cheek to ask Him for a sign,
implying that they would believe if He would prove Himself to be the
Messiah! But their hypocrisy was clear.
If they had not believed as a result of
so many wonders, why would they be convinced by one more? The attitude that demands miraculous signs as
a condition for belief does not please God. As Jesus said to Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet
have believed” (John 20:29). In God's family, seeing follows
believing.
(Matthew 12:39) But he answered and said
unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh
after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the
prophet Jonas:
The Lord addressed them as an evil and adulterous generation;
evil because they were wilfully
blind to their own Messiah, adulterous because they were
spiritually unfaithful to their God. Their Creator-God, a unique Person combining
absolute deity and perfect humanity, stood in their midst speaking to them, yet
they dared to ask Him for a sign.
The unsaved often want a “sign” from God. This is in spite of the testimony of creation,
their conscience, the Bible, and the Christian.
The cross is the only thing that can truly convince a sinner of the
reality of who Jesus is. Once they
understand that the holes in His hands and His feet are there because of their
own sin, they will fall at His feet and cry, “My Lord and my God!”
(Matthew 12:40) For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly;
so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the
earth.
Jesus told them that no
sign would be given to
them except the sign of the prophet
Jonah, referring to His own death, burial, and resurrection. Jonah's experience of being swallowed by the
fish and then spewed out (Jon 1:17;
Jon 2:10) foreshadowed the Lord's
passion and resurrection. His rising
from among the dead would be the final, climactic sign of His ministry to the
nation of Israel.
Just as Jonah was three days
and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so our Lord predicted
that He would be three days and three
nights in the heart of the earth. This raises a problem. If, as generally believed, Jesus was buried on
Friday afternoon and rose again on Sunday morning, how can it be said that He
was three days and nights in the tomb? We believe Jesus was in the grave for three full days and nights (72
hours), being crucified on Wednesday. Firstly, this is the literal meaning of the
phrase “three days and nights.” Secondly, on the view that Jesus was crucified
on Friday, there is no explanation for what He did on Wednesday. All other days are accounted for. Thirdly, the passover was not on a fixed day
(Friday), but floated.
Many liberals regard the book of Jonah as a myth and not a real
story. However, here Jesus Christ
Himself endorses the book of Jonah as a real story and not just a
myth!
(Matthew 12:41) The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation,
and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and,
behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
Jesus illustrated the guilt of the Jewish leaders by two contrasts.
First, the Gentiles of Nineveh were far less privileged,
yet when they heard the preaching
of the misbehaving prophet Jonah, they repented with deep grief.
They will rise up in the judgment to
condemn the men of Jesus' day for failing to receive Someone greater than Jonah—the incarnate Son
of God.
(Matthew 12:42) The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this
generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the
earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than
Solomon is
here.
Second, the queen of
Sheba, a Gentile outside the sphere of Jewish privilege, travelled from the South, at great effort and
expense, for an interview with Solomon. The Jews of Jesus' day did not have to travel
at all to see Him; He had travelled from heaven to their little neighbourhood to
be their Messiah-King. Yet they had no
room in their lives for Him—One infinitely greater than Solomon. A Gentile queen will condemn them in the
judgment for such excessive carelessness.
In this chapter our Lord has been presented as greater than the
temple (v. 6); greater than Jonah (v. 41); and greater than
Solomon (v. 42). He is “greater than the greatest and far better than the
best.”
(Matthew 12:43-44) When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through
dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will
return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he
findeth it
empty, swept, and
garnished.
Now Jesus gives, in parabolic form, a summary of the past, present,
and future of unbelieving Israel. The
man represents the Jewish
nation, the unclean spirit the
idolatry which characterized the nation from the time of its servitude in Egypt
to the Babylonian captivity (which temporarily cured Israel of its idolatry).
It was as if the unclean spirit had gone
out of the man. From the end of the captivity to the present
day, the Jewish people have not been idol-worshipers. They are like a house that is empty, swept, and put in
order.
Over nineteen hundred years ago, the Savior sought entry to that
empty house. He was the rightful
Occupant, the Master of the house, but the people steadfastly refused to let Him
in. Though they no longer worshiped
idols, they would not worship the true God either.
The empty house
speaks of spiritual vacuum—a dangerous condition, as the sequel shows. Reformation is not enough. There must be the positive acceptance of the
Savior.
(Matthew 12:45) Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more
wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the
last state
of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it
be also unto this wicked generation.
In a coming day, the spirit of idolatry will decide to return to the
house, accompanied by seven spirits
more wicked than himself. Since
seven is the number of perfection or completeness, this probably refers to
idolatry in its fully developed form. This looks forward to the Tribulation when the
apostate nation will worship the Antichrist. To bow down to the man of sin and to worship
him as God is a more terrible form of idolatry than the nation has ever been
guilty of in the past. And so the last state of that man becomes
worse than the first. Unbelieving Israel will suffer the awful
judgments of the Great Tribulation, and their suffering will far exceed that of
the Babylonian Captivity. The idolatrous
portion of the nation will be utterly destroyed at Christ's Second
Coming.
“So shall it also be with this wicked generation.” The same apostate,
Christ-rejecting race that rejected the Son of God at His First Coming will
suffer severe judgment at His Second Coming.
(Matthew 12:46-50) While he yet talked to the
people, behold, his mother and
his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy
brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. But he answered and said
unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are
my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples,
and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For
whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my
brother, and sister, and mother.
These verses describe a seemingly ordinary incident in which Jesus'
family comes to speak to Him. Why had
they come? Mark may give us a clue.
Some of Jesus' friends decided He was
out of His mind (Mar 3:21, Mar 3:31-35), and perhaps His family came to take
Him away quietly (see also John 7:5).
When told that His mother and brothers were waiting outside to speak with Him, the Lord
responded by asking, “Who is My mother and who are My
brothers?” Then, pointing to
His disciples, He said “Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven
is My brother and sister and mother.”
This startling announcement is pregnant with spiritual meaning; it
marks a distinct turning point in Jesus' dealing with Israel. Mary and her sons represented the nation of
Israel, Jesus' blood relations. Up to
now He had limited His ministry largely to the lost sheep of the house of
Israel. But it was becoming clear that
His own people would not have Him. Instead of bowing to their Messiah, the
Pharisees had accused Him of being controlled by Satan.
So now Jesus announces a new order of things. Henceforth, His ties with Israel would not be
the controlling factor in His outreach. Though His compassionate heart would continue
to plead with His countrymen according to the flesh, chapter 12 signals an
unmistakable break with Israel. From here on Jesus speaks only in parables to the public.
The outcome is now clear. Israel will not have Him, so He will turn to
those who will. Blood relationships will
be superseded by spiritual considerations. Obedience to God will bring men and women,
whether Jews or Gentiles, into vital relationship with Him. Jesus was saying that His circle, His loyalty, was to His family of
faith.
Before leaving this incident, we should mention two points concerning
the mother of Jesus. First, it is
obvious that Mary did not occupy any place of special privilege as far as access
into His presence was concerned.
Second, the mention of Jesus' brothers strikes a blow at the teaching
that Mary was a perpetual virgin (The teaching of the Roman Catholic Church that
Mary remained a virgin for life after the birth of Jesus). The implication is strong that these brothers
of Jesus were actual sons of Mary and therefore half-brothers of our Lord. This view is strengthened by such other
Scriptures as Ps 69:8; Mat 13:55; Mar
3:31-32; Mar 6:3;
John 7:3, John
7:5; Acts 1:14;
1 Cor 9:5; Gal
1:19.
FBF Staff - Renier {Ref sources: W McDonalds, Walvrood & Zuck, Evidence Bible}
Much emphasis is given by our LORD and the
Apostles in their teaching on the importance of the PREACHING or DECLARING the
Gospel of Jesus Christ! It is the POWER of God on earth as given to men (Rom
1.16)... as it provides the most coverage in every area.
The words used for PREACH, PREACHING carry
with it the Open Air Proclamation just as a TOWN CRIER! It is never a 2 way
conversation... but a DECLARATION TO ALL! The Church Bride of Christ is to be
the VOICE of the Bride and the Bridegroom in this untoward
generation.
It has been, and remains the privilege of
this ministry to expose men to this dimension of the Gospel as prescribed by our
LORD JESUS CHRIST! May we present the Truth in Love... as Jesus did.
Amen.
Mark 16:15-16, 1:14, Matt 9:35, 24:12-14,
Luke 4:18, 4:43, 24:47,
Acts 5:42, 10:42, 1 Cor
1:18
FBF Admin Staff, Bro Robert
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FBF - Sons of thunder -
Time for Christ
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