Topic: Danger Of Familiarity [DCLM Daily Manna Saturday March 3rd, 2018]
Text: Luke 4:23-32 (KJV)
Key Verse: “And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country” (Luke 4:23,24)
MESSAGE:
Prophecy, in part, is the revelation of a future occurrence by God to His servants for the benefit of humanity. However, prophetic utterances especially about Christ by false prophets “which come to you in sheep clothing” are not of God and should never be believed. God never kept the world in the dark concerning the coming of the promised Messiah and His mission on earth. He sent a good number of prophets to give precise details of the coming of the “Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world”.
Jesus had preached and taught in the synagogue with unmatched eloquence and authority and performed miracles in Capernaum, which His audience wanted Him to replicate in Nazareth, His hometown. ‘Physician heal thyself’, was their cynical remark. They contemplated His acceptance as the expected Messiah. How could they? “A prophet hath no honour in his own country” (John 4:44). The people who are familiar with the prophets, messengers and teachers of the gospel do not often see them as Godsend. Miracle are not for doubters.
The miracles, signs and wonders performed by Jesus were never for impressing anybody. He would have done so before Pilate and Herod if that was His sole mandate on earth (Luke 23:8). Our preachers, evangelists and pastors should act like our Lord Jesus Christ and resist the urge to impress the crowd by performing ego-boosting, so-called wonders and miracles. Any act of the supernatural which confers honour on the minister and not on God is of the devil. Neither should a true gospel minister strive to please his hearers. Ours is to preach the unadulterated gospel and leave the rest for Christ to confirm with signs and wonders.
Thought For The Day: Playing to the gallery with signs and wonders is vain and damning.
Bible Reading in a Year: Numbers 18-20
DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
){kind=link}