DISSSECTING LUKE 21 (PART 1)

THE WIDOW'S MITE

If you grew up attending church and even if you didn’t chances are you’ve heard the story of the widow’s mite more than a few times. It’s easy to think it’s some detailed lengthy story but in fact the entire story on the widow’s mite is all of 4 verses (Luke 21: 1-4). It just happens to be one of those verses, loaded with so much meaning and such a powerful message that you hear many preachers and priests talk about it a lot.

On one occasion, I was reading this particular chapter of my bible and as I read those first 4 verses something occurred to me. I wondered seriously for the first time, "if Jesus knew that this woman had put in her last coin and she had nothing left to live on, why didn’t He do something?" Why didn't he work a miracle or give her food or money or anything really? Because it's all well and good to say she is the most cheerful giver but while we might be willing to be joyful when making sacrifices, nobody actually wants to give to the death.

As this thought attempted to settle in my mind as some kind of mystery, the Holy Spirit wasted no time in clapping back. Truth be told I love when God is oh so swift with His responses, kinda like excuse you missy. Anyway back to what the Holy Spirit told me.

The Holy Spirit told me that Jesus didn't need to do anything because a principle to cover her action was already in place.

Luke 6:38 "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you”

We hear "Givers never lack" so often that it’s easy to forget that it is not some cute Christian mantra, it is actually a Kingdom Principle. When you give, you will be given in measure pressed down shaken together, pouring over. This would explain why God expects us to give cheerfully because He expects us to give with a knowledge that the word of God is true and from the moment we give, all our needs are already catered to in abundance. So we ought never to you never give sorrowfully or with worry. We give instead with the knowledge that God is faithful and He is a God that owes no man.

THE END VS END TIMES

“The End will not come at once”.  I had read this bit of Luke 21 many times in the past but I’m not sure how I always missed this little but very important detail. Vs 9 says “And when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be terrified, for this is something that must happen first, but the end will not come at once." This puts into perspective even more than all the other signs Jesus spoke about, how to understand and process end times. Like this is why they are called "end times" because it's an ongoing process and season. Forget sudden prophecies about the end and a trumpet heard in the east. According to Jesus in Vs 9 of Luke 21, all of these things are not the end but simply the beginning of the end. So the next time you being to hear prophecies of a sudden end not preceded by all the signs Jesus gives in Luke 21, be assured that it is unscriptural and as such will not happen.

FALSE PROPHETS

Another warning I really love is the warning to guard against false prophets. We tend to think of this warning often times in the context of Pastors and Preachers who are masked as Children of God but are really not. You know, the biblical wolves in sheep clothing. While this warning definitely covers such “End Time Prophets" as we like to call them in our day; it speaks just as much or even more to dodgy ‘Christian’ movements.

There are so many movements these days that are supposedly “Christian” but have all these tiny little tweaks; whether they are add-ons or subtractions from the word of God. Asides from these seemingly tiny differences in perspective, these movements usually seem pretty Christian but they are not. These types of movements within the body of Christ more than movements that are straight up Anti-Christ because are very dangerous. Unlike Anti-Christ movements, the former has a stronger capacity to deceive Children of God. Remember what I said in my last post, God isn’t white and the devil black. God is white and the devil off white. He is a mimicker who often masquerades as the real deal to wreak havoc on the church. Kind of like Indians say, "same same but different" (I heard it that one time in a Bollywood movie).

The kind of movements I’m talking about are the ones that insist that we focus more on "Spirituality" and a Universal God, while telling you that there are many ways to God asides from Jesus. Make no mistake, when you start to hear stuff that sounds like "Christianese" but doesn’t line up with the word best believe that is an end time movement.

These movements always seem to borrow from the word to alter the gospel. Jesus is very clear and intentional about how He describes Himself. He is not 'a' way, but 'the' way and I’m just quoting Jesus here. He says “ I am the way, the truth and the life, no one can get to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6). So the next time you start to hear funny things that step outside of this truth even a little bit but yet insist that they are of God, be sure to tell the enemy to miss you with all that nonsense.  These are the days to check every principle and movement against the word of God and see whether it lines up or not. If it lines up then it gets to stay, if it doesn’t then it gatts to go. God in His faithfulness will always confirm His word so be on your guard and stay with word and trust the Holy Spirit always, for confirmation.

PS: Watch Out for Part 2 ( I've always wanted to say that publicly. It's the Nollywood factor. Looool)