Large Crowds how to HATE them
There are certainly large crowds within the house of God today. In
every church and ministry the goal today is large crowds. TV
ministries, radio ministries and every ministry mission team wants to
be able to boast of their large crowds. This is so true today that when
someone in the Lord asks How is your church doing?, they do not mean
how spiritually healthy is your church. No, they mean how large of a
crowd goes to your church. It is the great sin and idol that Satan has
caused to prosper in the church today, (1 Chronicles 21:2). But just as
it was in the days of Jesus so it is today. Large crowds follow Jesus
but do not really belong to Him. There're just traverlers.
Large crowds were traveling with Jesus.. (Luke 14:25)
As you can see in Luke 14:25 there were indeed large crowds walking
with Jesus. However, they were only travelers! They are simply along
for the ride. They are not disciples. These crowds do not understand
what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. They have no idea what the
salvation of Jesus is all about. Think about it. All these crowds with
Jesus and they are not saved! They listen to his sermons, witness his
miracles, eat the food he provides and walk the same path he does, yet
are doomed to hell! How so very true the Word of God is today. Churches
are on every corner. Many an individual claims to believe in God. Many
say they follow Jesus. Ministers of the gospel on every TV and radio
channel in the nation. One tract after another being published and yet
this crowd already has the fire of hell licking at their feet. For they
are travelers with Jesus, but not saved disciples. For there are not
saved travellers with Jesus! Scripture predicted just such a time.
The more the priests increased, the more they sinned against me;
they exchanged their Glory for something disgraceful. They feed on the
sins of my people and relish their wickedness. And it will be: Like
people, like priests. I will punish both of them for their ways and
repay them for their deeds. (Hosea 4:7-9)
Ministers entertain us with stories, jokes and fiery preaching, but
sin and self remain alive. Indeed, the more the priests increase the
more sin one can see against God. All those people coming forward to
accept Jesus as Lord and Savior leave deceived and worse off. The house
of God is full of illegitimate children!
They are unfaithful to the LORD; they give birth to illegitimate
children. (Hosea 5:7 )
Your saved children in the Lord are in reality illegitimate
children! They know not the commands of God that would crucify the
flesh. Even with all the talk and preaching about righteousness and
obedience, lawlessness and rebellion are rampant within the house of
God. God will soon come with holy judgement against your wide road
deceptive gospels, that leave self alive even while you talk about the
crucified live.
Now will I arise, says the LORD. Now will I be exalted; now will I
be lifted up. You conceive chaff, you give birth to straw; your breath
is a fire that consumes you. The peoples will be burned as if to lime;
like cut thornbushes they will be set ablaze. You who are far away,
hear what I have done; you who are near, acknowledge my power! The
sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling grips the godless: Who of us
can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting
burning? (Isaiah 33:10-14)
Prepare to change your gospel calls. Prepare to change your life.
Prepare to let your heart be broken. Prepare the way for the Lord! Let
us prepare ourselves so that we no longer will give birth to chaff and
straw. Let us draw near to Jesus to listen with attentive ears to what
the Holy Spirit will tell us Luke 14 really means.
Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he
said:.. (Luke 14:25)
Jesus is going to tell you travelers what it really means to follow
him. It matters not that you walk in the very same step he just took.
Something much deeper than outward steps must take place deep in your
heart. If we will let the Lord change our hearts then there will be
revival in the house of God. So let us stop and listen to this Jesus
who has turned to face us and confront us with the living Word of God.
Let us look into those eyes and see what it means to really be saved.
You may be surprised to learn what you do not know or have not been
taught, because your flesh does not care to know. After all, Jesus says
that before you can follow Him you must come to live a life of hate.
Yep, you read it right. A life of hate. You have to hate before you can
say that you are saved? Were you aware that everyone who says that they
are a child of God must live a life of hate? Did you know that you have
to hate your father and mother before you can say that you are a
disciple of Jesus? In fact, you must hate yourself or you are not a
Christian! Then after you are willing to hate it's time to pick up the
cross. But don't you dare touch that cross or say that you carry one
until you know how to hate; until you have counted the cost associated
with this hate in Jesus.
Now, before you think this tract is coming from a drug crazed, power
hungry, sex starved cult leader, know that these words came from the
lips of Jesus, not mine. In one way or another, you have to do
something with these words for they hold the key to eternal life or
death. The only reason that this is striking you as something strange
is because the cross of Jesus that is to be in each Christian's life
just is not there. The reason the defensive fur stands up on end is
because churches no longer really preach the gospel of Jesus anymore.
But it is this hating that divides the true Christians from the false
ones. Only those who are hating by the power of the Holy Spirit are
real brothers and sisters in Christ. Jesus plainly said that we must
all live this hating out if we ever hope to go to heaven.
SCRIPTURE
Look carefully and you will see this word hate in the following
versions. Of course the real question is, do we see this hating in you.
KJV If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and
wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life
also, he cannot be my disciple. -Luke 14:26
RSV If any one come to me and does not hate his own father and
mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even
his own life, he cannot be my disciple. -Luke 14:26
PHILLIPS If anyone comes to me without 'hating' his father and
mother and wife and children and brothers, and even his own life, he
cannot be a disciple of mine. -Luke 14:26
NEB If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother,
wife and children, brothers and sisters, even his own life, he cannot
be a disciple of mine. -Luke 14:26
SPANISH VERSION If anyone comes to me and does not utterly abhor his
father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, even his
own life, he cannot be a disciple of mine. -Luke 14:26
GREEK If anyone comes to me and hates not the father of him and the
mother of and the wife and the children and the brothers and the
sisters, and besides also the life of himself, he cannot to be of me a
disciple.
Finally, to give you the complete context of what Jesus is saying we
will quote out of the NIV.
Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said:
If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife
and children, his brothers and sistersyes, even his own lifehe cannot
be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me
cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:26-28)
What makes me different from a mere traveler is if I hate. No more,
no less. Only a life of hate makes me a saved disciple of Jesus. I must
learn what it will mean to hate my father, mother, wife, children,
brothers, sisters and my own life. After that I am allowed to carry a
cross for Jesus. The reason you know that you are chaff and straw in
the Lord is because you don't understand what this means. The reason we
know that churches give birth to illegitimate children is because the
people who come forward to be saved are not confronted with this
passage. If you have noticed it at all you passed it off with that
lukewarm definition, Oh, it just means we are to love God first, then
everyone else. How true that these large crowds are not saved! Men no
longer have to count the cost. Or the cost they must count is not what
this hatred will mean to their lives, but how much fun they can have as
a Christian. Indeed, there is no cost to count anymore in the house of
God. Yet, this passage on hatred is the very passage that separates the
doomed traveler from the saved disciple of Jesus.
Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made
salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it
is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear." (Luke 14:25-35)
The reason why this scripture is so foreign and offensive to the
church is because the messages they put out are not worth the manure
pile. And we mean that! The reason this passage is ignored is because
no longer is there a preaching of a narrow road within the so called
body of Christ. The reason this passage is whitewashed by the preachers
of today when they say, Oh, it just means love Jesus first and everyone
else second., is because false prophets rule the land. If you claim to
know what it means to carry your cross and follow Jesus then this
passage would be one of your favorite ones to share. But most do not
even believe that it is in the Bible. Almost no one has heard it read
from the pulpit. For this passage is the cornerstone joy when it comes
to this matter of carrying one's cross and losing one's life. Know this
passage by the power of the Holy Spirit and your life will be radically
changed. Your life will finally be what Jesus intends for it to be and
you will no longer live a lie. No longer will you listen to the call of
the adulteress from the pulpit. No longer will the horrible thing in
our churches be tolerated.
And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen something horrible:
They commit adultery and live a lie. They strengthen the hands of
evildoers, so that no one turns from his wickedness. They are all like
Sodom to me; the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah. (Jeremiah 23:14)
If you are going to come to Jesus then prepare yourself to be taught
how to hate for Him. Otherwise go home and tell the truth. That you are
not a Christian and care nothing about Jesus.
HATING FOR JESUS
Let's consider for a moment what this word hate means.
HATE: 1. to dislike greatly; to have a great or extreme aversion to;
to detest; to have a strong ill will for. 2. to dislike; to wish to
avoid; to shrink from; Syn. abhor, detest, loathe, abominate {Webster's
New Universal Unabridged Dictionary, page 831}
This passage does not mean that you love Jesus first and others
second. Far from it! This passage means you have one love and one love
only. Christians are a people who love God and God alone. We are not to
have other loves next to our love for God. You cannot love your mother
and God at the same time. God demands that you love only Him.
Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul
and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today
are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about
them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you
lie down and when you get up. (Deuteronomy 6:5-7)
You cannot love God with all your heart, soul and strength and still
find room for other loves. Notice it says with ALL! God is a jealous
God and demands that we love Him and only Him! We are commanded to have
no other loves next to or along with God.
Do not make any gods to be alongside me...
(Exodus 20:23)
Our hearts are to be so full of the love for God that there is no
room for anything else. The only thing that matters to a disciple is
that he love and please God. To say that Luke 14 is only stating that
we are to love God first means that your heart is lukewarm in it's love
for God. The truth is that you probably don't really love God at all.
HATING YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER
Jesus said you have to hate your father and mother if you are going
to come to Him for salvation. Now, don't think for one moment that this
is only some abstract mental test. This could come out in some very
real and hard ways. Don't think for a moment that all of this doesn't
come out in some very practical and difficult ways. This is a narrow
road walk we are talking about! And few find or want it! For example,
if your father were to die would you think of opposing your mother's
will about going home to the funeral? Would it cross your mind to hate
your will that is wanting to go home and bury your dad? Yet Jesus gave
a literal order to a disciple of His.
He said to another man, Follow me." But the man replied, Lord, first
let me go and bury my father. Jesus said to him, Let the dead bury
their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God. (Luke
9:59-60)
If Jesus gave this order once He will do it again! The Lord has not
changed, but we have changed the gospel to fit our own comfortable
lives. Could you, filled with the Spirit as you are, say this to
another brother or sister? You see, we are to actively oppose, view
with contempt, our desire or anyone else's desire to go and even bury
our father. We are to ask God, while we oppose the will of others, if
it is God's will for us to go home and bury our father. If it is His
will then go, if not, then rejoice and do God's will. But I'll bet you
couldn't even hear God say this if your soul depended on it. Which it
does! This living hatred will cause your mother and brothers to be
offended at times. You will not give them the attention they think they
deserve. After all, when was the last time you stayed away from mom at
Christmas because God had you doing something else? Or when was the
last time you refused to go home to a family reunion because the Spirit
of Jesus would not let you? And when your parents called to see what
kind of cult you belonged to you answered by saying...
While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers
stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, Your mother
and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you." He replied
to him, Who is my mother, and who are my brothers? Pointing to his
disciples, he said, Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever
does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and
mother. (Matthew 12:46-50)
Yet, so many clamor with the vileness of the sinful nature, But
scripture says to 'honor your father'. It is very true that scripture
does say to honor your father and mother. But you will never, ever know
how to honor them as God intends until you learn to hate them. It was
because Jesus hated his mother that He was able to hear from God on how
to love her. Here is the Son of God, the God of love answering his
mother this way. Why this God of love uses His mother as a sermon prop.
Why don't we see this hatred being lived out in some pretty hard
fashions? Simply, - there aren't enough true disciples around! This
tract can't possibly cover all the ways this hatred would come out in
relationship to your dad. To that you have to hit your knees in the
prayer closet and seek the voice of God. But rest assured if you say
you follow Jesus then people will see a radical kind of love for Jesus
and be will we able to acknowledge how you have hated your father for
Jesus.
HATING YOUR WIFE
Every day in the life of a disciple of Jesus you must awaken to a
fresh and deeper hatred! You must arise each morning to hate your wife.
Paul said this clearly in 1 Corinthians.
What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those
who have wives should live as if they had none;
(I Corinthians 7:29)
Husbands must awaken each morning and say I don't care a bit about
what my wife wants. In fact, they must oppose what she demands of them.
Yet, most men are not leaders at all within the family. The wife has
the final say so on everything. Unless of course she makes him think
that he took leadership. It is the wife's demands and whimperings that
are heeded and not the voice of the Lord. So the question begs itself.
Where is the salt in your marriage? Where is the salt in all these
marriage seminars? Where is the salt in all this focus on the family?
I'll tell you where. It isn't there. Your gospels aren't even with the
manure pile! Your nice little women's retreat and men's marriage
seminars are worth the dung heap! No one walks away from those seminars
overwhelmed with the cost of what it will mean to follow Jesus. Can you
really boast men that you live as though you are not married? Ha! You
don't even know what this means and are afraid your wife will object if
you search it out. Not only can't you show it to me, you can't tell me
what this means and how the Lord is working it out in your life.
HATING YOUR CHILDREN
Abraham was a man who hated his child in Jesus. When God tested him
he chose to hate the comfort, desires and life of his son. And know
this. That if you are of the seed of Abraham you too will be tested to
see if you hate your children.
Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, Abraham!" Here I
am, he replied. Then God said, Take your son, your only son, Isaac,
whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a
burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about. (Genesis
22:1-2)
Don't believe the ever subtle lie that says, If God ever calls me to
I can surrender all. For the Truth is Jesus has already called you to
surrender all. You will simply be tested later to see if you have
already surrendered all. Stop getting things backwards. One must ask,
with all the focusing in on the family that is going on, why do we not
see the hatred that Jesus came to bring.
In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has
cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:33)
Jesus says you cannot even start considering yourself a disciple
unless you have given up everything. So it is never a question of
whether God will call you to surrender everything. He just did! How few
walk the humble road of surrender and face the small tests of surrender
every day so that they will be ready on the great day of testing. If
our churches were really full of godly parents that hated their
children, then more sons and daughters would be living lives of purity
and holiness. As it is you can't tell the difference between those
children in the world and those in the church. How much peace we rob
our children of because we will not hate them. Just look at the peace
Isaac had. Just look!
Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his
son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of
them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham,
Father?" Yes, my son? Abraham replied. The fire and wood are here,
Isaac said, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering? Abraham
answered, God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my
son. And the two of them went on together. When they reached the place
God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the
wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of
the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his
son." (Genesis 22:6-10)
Just look at the peace Isaac had as Abraham took the knife to slay
his son. Examine closely the overwhelming peace Isaac had as Abraham
bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.
Isaac uttered not a word of objection and distrust. He did not cry out
Why, why father. No, he had the sweet peace of Jesus in his heart as he
laid upon that wood and saw the knife rise above his head. How our
children will love and trust us more if we would only learn to hate
them! As it is our children can't even surrender their toys let alone
themselves. They do not see this hatred in their parents and so are
robbed of the joy in Jesus that is to be theirs. How Jesus would bless
a family with love if they but would learn only to hate first. For
every mother who longs for her husband to spend more time with the
kids, if you will only pray for that husband to hate his children more
you would find the blessing John the Baptist came to bring in your
home. If your husband hates your children God will change the hearts of
your family.
Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their
God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of
Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the
disobedient to the wisdom of the righteousto make ready a people
prepared for the Lord. (Luke 1:16-17)
Like Abraham, if we learn to hate by the power of the Holy Spirit we
will hear a new and fresh voice of a loving God. Like Abraham we will
have a deeper insight and love for Jesus. For out of heaven God will
speak to each father and mother...
But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, Abraham!
Abraham!" Here I am, he replied. Do not lay a hand on the boy, he said.
Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you
have not withheld from me your son, your only son. Abraham looked up
and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over
and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his
son. So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this
day it is said, On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided. The
angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said,
I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this
and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you
and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as
the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the
cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on
earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me. (Genesis 22:11-18)
Oh, for a hating people in Jesus! We will hear God bless us from
heaven. We will be a blessing to others. And we will have blessed
generations of people. Those who get down on their knees and ask for
this mystery in Jesus of hating will indeed be blessed. You will be
able to say with Paul that God gave you the wisdom to proclaim this
mystery in Jesus of hating."Pray also for me, that whenever I open my
mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the
mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray
that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should." (Ephesians 6:19-20) Let
our churches be filled with hating fathers and mothers and children
will grow up to be mighty sons and daughters of God. Do not fear.
Gather the wood, sharpen the knife and go to church to worship God with
the fire you bring along. Offer unto God the lives of your children.
Teach your children now to surrender their will and desires unto the
will of God. But how few parents of faith are even willing to surrender
their children to God. To let God use them as He wishes. For we know it
will cost our children everything. Their comfort, fame and talents.
Indeed, the parents can't show their children this because they do not
hate their own lives.
HATING YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS
Certainly to hate your brothers and sisters can come out in the
natural family arena. However, we need to concern ourselves with our
Christian brothers and sisters. For nowhere else do we see such a
lacking of this hated as in our relationship with our brothers and
sisters. If you come to be taught by the Holy Spirit how to hate your
Christian brother and sister you will certainly know how to do it in
relationship with your natural family. Let us look to Jesus, the
perfect man of hate. For Jesus knew how to hate. Boy, did he know how
to hate. To the man who learns from the master how to hate his father,
mother, brothers, sisters and even his own life he will see the
likeness of Jesus growing in him. To those who reject this hating part
of Jesus they get to see the hellish nature grow in them day by day.
Now, we have already seen how Jesus hated his mother and brothers. He
was willing, in fact eager, to glorify God even at the expense of his
mother's feelings. Please understand though, that even when Jesus
insulted his mother's love for him it was out of concern and love for
them. It was what they needed to hear. Because Jesus hated them he was
able to love them with a pure love. With Jesus there was no favoritism.
Not even towards mom. They needed to be corrected just as many of our
parents do. For on this occasion they were thinking that Jesus was out
of his mind. Of course you must ask yourself if you are walking close
enough to Jesus that others think you too are out of your mind. You had
best get this much love for God before you ever start hating your
mother.
Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he
and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard
about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, He is out
of his mind." (Mark 3:20-21)
Jesus, being the perfect man of hate didn't show favoritism to any
man. In fact, it was one of the things the Pharisees sought to flatter
him about.
They came to him and said, Teacher, we know you are a man of
integrity. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to
who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the
truth. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" (Mark 12:14)
Now, scripture commands that each Christian show no favoritism to
any man. Yet the body of Christ is full of nothing but favoritism. We
know not how to really love one another because we refuse to hate one
another. Just look to Jesus and you will be given power to hate. See
here in this situation how Peter at one moment is held up as a man
inspired by God and in the next equal with the devil!
He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to
rebuke him. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he
rebuked Peter. Get behind me, Satan!" he said. You do not have in mind
the things of God, but the things of men. (Mark 8:32-33)
When was the last time God was able to move you to say this to your
favorite brother or sister. Why you can't even hear the Spirit to call
someone a viper who is a viper, let alone rebuke a brother in pure
love. One reason the body of Christ is so much concerned with things of
men is that we will not hate. If we hated each other then we would be
able to rebuke the worldly minds within the church. As it is we flatter
and justify rather than rebuke. All because we will not hate! Until you
hate your church doctrine and your opinions you will never know the
Truth. Get before God and hear from Him what the Truth is. Care nothing
about what your church will think, or your fellow brothers and sisters.
Be warned it may cost you the church you now fellowship at. But you
will be in good company. John the Baptist did not compromise on
doctrinal matters and when you learn to hate others you too will speak
the Truth no matter if it cost you your head. Better to lose your head
and be found in the head of Jesus than to lose Him who is our head.
Hear only the voice of God then you shall witness a revival that is
according to the Word of the Lord instead of the programs of your
church. But until you hate the thoughts of others and yourself you
shall never know the Truth.
If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my
teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. He who speaks on
his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the
honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false
about him. (John 7:17- 18)
JOHN THE BAPTIST
John the baptist lost his head over doctrinal matters. He hated his
life and what others thought of him and so lost his head. If men in the
church would hate the brethren then purity of doctrine and heart would
be what the church is known for. As it is, you are known for your
division and mis- guided understanding of the scriptures. If men will
hate their own lives and honestly receive their understanding of
scripture from the Holy Spirit then this world will finally witness
holy men giving the altar call. Instead of your college-trained,
whitewashing, money grabbing, smooth talking viper of a preacher, you
will be given holy preachers that really love you and preach the Truth.
Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison
because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, for John had been
saying to him: It is not lawful for you to have her." Herod wanted to
kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered him
a prophet." (Matthew 14:3- 5)
John the baptist lost his head over the issue of divorce and
remarriage. But until we stop wanting the approval of men we will
continue to lose ground instead of our heads. You will never be a true
believer in Jesus until you come to hate your head and the opinions of
others.
I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but if
someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you
believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to
obtain the praise that comes from the only God ? (John 5:43-44)
Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I
trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not
be a servant of Christ. (Galatians 1:10)
Today doctrine is a very optional matter among Christians. We know
not a living doctrine anymore and so except anyone who says, Jesus is
Lord, (1 Corinthians 12:3). How few churches ever hate their doctrine
and so are able to repent of error. How few demand a change in doctrine
when they know something to be wrong. Until you begin to hate your
opinions and ideas of God's Word you will never ever hear from the Holy
Spirit what the Word of God is saying, (1 John 2:27). You will not be
in a position to learn anything about God until you grow to hate your
thoughts and ideas. That is why Jesus said you cannot be a disciple
until you hate. For a disciple is one who learns from Jesus. And His
thoughts are so different from ours that only a hatred of our ideas and
doctrines will allow us to be in a position to be taught by him. Self
and the pleasing of our flesh must go before we will receive
understanding from God. The Baptist must hate this flesh before he will
be able to know that once saved - always saved is an utter lie. The
Happiest church in town must hate it's sinful nature, before it will
know that it is better to enter a house of mourning than a house of
joy. The Harvest Christian Center must grow to hate it's stomach before
it will ever lay down the doctrine's of whitewash. The Christian
Fellowship church must hate it's desire for God and the world before it
will ever close Simon's music hall. The list goes on and on. We must
hate ourselves if we are ever to be honestly taught by the Holy Spirit.
With all the preaching and writing and talking about Jesus how few
servants of God are there in the midst of all that. Until you learn to
hate the brethren you will never be a servant of the most high God. How
can you dare have the audacity to say that your church preaches this.
When was the last time you uttered this passage to a person considering
the salvation of God? When was the last time your church had a revival
and preached all week long on hating for Jesus? When was the last time
you went into a Bible book store and bought a vacation bible school
packet on teaching children to hate in Jesus? Who in your church that
is considering following Jesus is compelled to sit down and count the
cost because of what he sees in the lives of these Christians that hate?
Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit
down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete
it? (Luke 14:28)
Don't brush aside this hate thing too quickly. Jesus said you had
best look it straight in the eye and count the cost to see if you are
willing to pay it. This is no wide gospel call that allows everyone in!
This is the gospel call of Jesus, not your church!
HATING YOURSELF
Now with renewed importance Jesus says you must even hate your own
life! As if all the other was not enough, Jesus stops mid-sentence and
makes sure that everyone understand clearly that before you pick-up the
cross you have to hate your own life. Now the most important aspect of
this hating in Jesus is that you must hate yourself. You must actively
oppose, utterly detest, never speak well of, view with contempt,
yourself. Until you do this you will never really hear the voice of the
Spirit directing your life. Oh, you will hear a voice, but it will not
be the voice of Jesus directing your life. For to be a disciple, that
is, to hear Jesus' voice you must hate your own life. For anything you
want to do is sin. That is why, if you desire anything then you must
hate it. We are to be surrendered people doing only what the Spirit
leads to do in everything.
For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and
the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict
with each other, so that you do not do what you want. (Galatians 5:17)
You must hate what you want to do, where you live and who you are.
Each day in your quiet times you begin by hating your own life. You
tell God that you are here to oppose yourself, to speak evil of
yourself, to view with contempt and loathing your will, desires and
thoughts.. Do this and you shall live a life of joy! Have the attitude
of Paul in Philippians 3:7 or of Jesus in Luke 18:19 and you shall
receive from God the richness of His righteousness and purity.
But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of
Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the
surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I
have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ
(Philippians 3:7- 8)
A certain ruler asked him, Good teacher, what must I do to inherit
eternal life? Why do you call me good? Jesus answered. No one is
goodexcept God alone. (Luke 18:18-19)
You will never gain Christ until you begin to love to hate your own
life. Until you view with utter contempt everything about you, you will
never get rid of the rubbish smell Christianity and find sweet
fragrance of life in Jesus.
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
(Galatians 6:14)
This is what the LORD says: Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom
or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his
riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands
and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and
righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD."
(Jeremiah 9:23-24)
Only those who awake each day with a fresh hatred for who they are
will have a renewed sense of God's salvation in their lives. For unto
those who see the sinfulness of who they are, given the joy of the
Lord's salvation in increasing measure. But until you despise who you
are; until you say that you are a worm and not a man with David you
will never experience the rich mercy of God's love.
In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered
them. They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were
not disappointed. But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and
despised by the people. (Psalms 22:4-6)
Only the poor in spirit will be filled with the fruit of
righteousness. Only those who are willing to be humbled and broken each
day learning anew what it means to hate oneself will know the answer to
this promise Jesus gave.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are
the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger
and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. (Matthew 5:3-6)
To those who are given the joy of hating themselves, rich life in
Jesus will overflow. But to those who have their own religious light
and keep the smallest measure of good self-esteem will be given the
torments of hell. Blessed are those who hate their own life. Yet how
few one can find who hate their lives and their money. Why money?
Because money and self are one and the same. Remember, that out of all
the things Jesus said, he said you can't serve God and money. The two
are one - money and the flesh.
No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love
the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You
cannot serve both God and Money. (Matthew 6:24)
To love self is to love money. For it is the means by which we feed
the monster called self. It is the god that drives men to volunteer to
serve at the gas chamber that sends Jews to their death. It is the
thing that causes the abortionist to commit murder. It is the thing
that causes the housewife to trade Jesus for her new carpet. It is what
holds society together and grants us the peace we enjoy. It is our love
for self and money that causes the prosperity teaching to send
thousands, maybe millions to hell where their gold and silver will eat
their flesh like fire! Until we hate money and self we will never have
the true riches of Jesus. Jesus, too, hated money. Each day we also are
to actively oppose, detest and view with loathing the money of this
world, (Luke 16:13). Jesus refused to keep money in it's proper
perspective. He chose instead to hate it! Because Jesus hated money he
was able to say no to the temptations Satan was bringing.
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all
the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. All this I will give you,
" he said, if you will bow down and worship me. Jesus said to him, Away
from me, Satan! For it is written: `Worship the Lord your God, and
serve him only.' (Matthew 4:8-10)
What the body of Christ needs to do first is throw out all the
logical financial plans and learn to hate money as Jesus did. Let each
Christian hate money and they will be able to feed multitudes. It
certainly wasn't within the disciple's budget to feed a multitude of 5,
000. Yet a hatred that springs from faith will feed large crowds. Not
only will you find churches that have everything in common, but you
will find you have gained the peace you have sought after for so long.
You will no longer worry about money because you have learned to hate
it. Your heart will be content in God because you hate the things and
money of this world. (Ask for the tract on money for a greater
understanding of this.) Jesus also hated his vacations, retirement and
relaxing moments. Jesus hated a home and so his door was always open.
How few so called Christians have open homes. In the many, many years
that I have been preaching we have never failed to have someone living
with us. God has brought the strange, the helpless, the mid-class and
the religious. Why isn't someone living with you right now? I will tell
you why. The workers are few! True workers! Honest to goodness, cross
carrying, hating workers just cannot be found. Jesus, instead of being
even remotely concerned about such foolish things was, consumed with
doing only God's will. Here we see Jesus tired from a day's labor and
yet ready to do the will of God for He hated his rest and comfort.
So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of
ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and
Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was
about the sixth hour. (John 4:5-6)
And while others are off getting food Jesus is busy hating dinner
time. Because Jesus hates, He has a food they know nothing about. If
you too will hate food then you will eat of this hidden food.
Meanwhile his disciples urged him, Rabbi, eat something." But he
said to them, I have food to eat that you know nothing about. Then his
disciples said to each other, Could someone have brought him food? My
food, said Jesus, is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish
his work. (John 4:31-34)
As it is we live in a time when pleasure and rest are what the
church is known for. You worship your pleasure and how you can feed
your belly. Much shame is awaiting you before the judgement seat of
Jesus unless you repent and learn to hate by the power of the Holy
Spirit.
Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of
those who live according to the pattern we gave you. For, as I have
often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as
enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god
is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on
earthly things. (Philippians 3:17-19)
It is your lack of hatred for money that causes your god to be your
stomach. Just look at your church socials! Why, one church in Denver
had a 4th of July baptism and pig roast at the lake. How prophetic of
this church. There are no hating men who hate their own life and so
feed only upon the work of the Father as the Holy Spirit guides them.
Oh, they lay claim to the Holy Spirit, but are liars! Are you one?
Probably!
HATE BRINGS LOVE
Don't think that you can get out from under this passage (for you
are probably feeling the weight of the cornerstone crushing you), by
stating the lie that we are preaching one must literally hate others to
be a Christian. We are not saying that you must hit your mother to be
considered a Christian. Nice try, but that excuse does not rid Jesus of
His own words. Nor will it widen the narrow road. Only as we begin to
hate will we begin to love. For when there are no other loves in our
lives except God, then God, as He sees fit, will pour His love through
us. We will then have the ability to really love others. For where God
is all in all then you will be able to love all. Where God fills only
1/2 a heart you merely live a life of idolatry and witchcraft. If
churches would begin to hate each other then they would be able to love
each other. But, because we value men above or along with God, the
church is rampant with sin. Open wounds and puss oozes out of each and
every pew in church because the wicked, unrepentant Christian is
tolerated. Because preachers do not know how to hate their congregation
in Jesus we find the sins of the people being healed lightly even when
they talk of righteousness.
From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets
and priests alike, all practice deceit. They dress the wound of my
people as though it were not serious. `Peace, peace,' they say, when
there is no peace. (Jeremiah 6:13-14)
Oh, if pastors only knew the secret of how to hate their
congregations they then would preach the mighty living word of God. It
wouldn't matter to them how many members they had for all they would be
honestly concerned with is pleasing God. A preacher who hates you in
the Lord is a man worthy to be listened to. As it is, the church feeds
the prophet and he tells them what they want to hear. In turn the
preacher feeds off the sins of the people. No one knows how to hate
anymore!
They feed on the sins of my people and relish their wickedness. And
it will be: Like people, like priests. I will punish both of them for
their ways and repay them for their deeds. (Hosea 4:8-9)
If men knew how to have this God-given hate they would have churches
that are clean. They would finally be able to have the desire to live
out 1 Corinthians no matter who it affected.
But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who
calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater
or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even
eat. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are
you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. Expel the
wicked man from among you." (I Corinthians 5:11-13)
If the members of the church hated their own lives and things they
would be able to really love each other as the first church did.
All the believers were together and had everything in common.
Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had
need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.
They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere
hearts, (Acts 2:44-46)
All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that
any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they
had. (Acts 4:32)
The reason your church does not have this kind of fellowship is that
it refuses to hate in Jesus. For as God fills the heart there is no
more room for the gods of gold and silver.
Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves
gods of silver or gods of gold. (Exodus 20:23)
Oh, for Christians to get up each morning hating and despising their
money, lives and things (Matthew 6:24)! What joy is theirs in Jesus!
But how few there are. Few indeed.
NOT OPTIONAL
This is not an optional commandment. It is THE commandment. It is
love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul rewritten
into tangible action verbs. You either begin to hate your life, your
mother, your father, your brothers and sisters or don't claim to be a
child of the King of Kings. This is radical discipleship but it is the
only kind of discipleship that is really of Jesus. Men may do religious
works, be missionaries and give of their lives but without a hatred in
Jesus they are no better off than the New Ager down the street. No
better off! In fact, you are worse off because you think you are right
with God. You had best get off your spiritual high horse and repent.
CONCLUSION
If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his
wife and children, his brothers and sistersyes, even his own life he
cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26)
The words are clear and clean. They ring with life and joy for those
who discover the secret to this mystery. It is a passage to revel in
and rejoice over. For our precious savior uttered these divine words
with all truthfulness. Though preachers and theologians smooth over it,
though men and women ignore it, though we leave it out of our altar
calls to accept Christ, to the few who find it, you know the joy we
speak of:
But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and
only a few find it. (Matthew 7:14)
Before you consider yourself a part of the few, stop and consider
that out of the 600, 000 fighting men God brought out of Egypt only 2
entered the promised land. Pick up your cross and learn to hate or God
will be even more displeased with you than He is already.
Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord
delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did
not believe. (Jude 1:5)
In conclusion understand this. Those who hate the most are the
deepest of lovers! For all they see is Jesus. All that fills their
heart is a Holy God! And those filled with God know how to love. For
God gives them love and teaches them how to love. The last man I want
loving me is a man who refuses to hate me. Show me a man who hates me
in the Lord and there is a man I can fellowship with. For the God of
love is complete in him. Since he obeys God by hating me, he then is
given abundant grace to love me. Until this happens our churches will
be full of flattery and lies. Your fellowship will be nothing more than
socializing and back scratching. Those of you who choose to be taught
by the Holy Spirit to hate will have God's love made complete in you.
What rich joy awaits the few who will learn this tough, humbling and
life-giving command of Jesus:
But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in
him. (I John 2:5)