YOU HAVE NO PART WITH ME.

Praise be to the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Welcome as we study the Bible the Word of our God which is the light for our path and the lamp that guides our steps.

There are things that to our eyes seem small, insignificant, or unimportant, yet to God they are very important. Ignoring them after we come to know them can distance us from God far more than we expect.

On the other hand, there are things that we may regard as highly important, but before God they carry little weight. That is why it is crucial to know what truly matters to God and what does not. The enemy’s strategy is often to magnify what is not important while making the truly important things seem ordinary.

For example, the Lord Jesus told the Pharisees that they had neglected the weightier matters justice, mercy, and faithfulness while focusing on tithing. They thought God was more pleased with their tithes than with their acts of mercy. Yet Jesus Himself said, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” (Matthew 9:13). In other words, mercy comes first, then sacrifice follows.

Matthew 23:23–24

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.”

In the same way, there are four other instructions that are very important to God, yet Satan has made them appear unimportant in the eyes of many.

1. Baptism

Baptism is a vital command for everyone after believing. The true, biblical baptism is immersion in water in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (see John 3:23; Acts 2:38; Acts 19:5). Satan has downplayed baptism because he knows its importance. That is why he has invested so much effort to prevent people from obeying this command.

Notice how someone may spend six hours happily swimming at the beach or in a pool without complaint, yet refuses to obey the simple act of being immersed once in water in the name of Jesus. This reveals how hard Satan works to resist this step.

2. Women Covering Their Heads in Worship.

The Bible instructs women to cover their heads while in worship, because of the angels (1 Corinthians 11:10). To understand the significance of angels, consider the journey of Israel, where God placed them under angelic guardianship:

Exodus 23:20–21

“See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.

Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him.”

Therefore, a woman who refuses to cover her head in worship after knowing the truth hinders the presence of God and limits her spiritual blessings. To us, this may seem small, but to God it is great and important.

3. The Lord’s Supper

Jesus commanded us to partake of His table regularly in remembrance of Him. Notice that He gave greater importance to the Lord’s Supper than even to His own birthday. Nowhere did He instruct us to remember His birth, but He did command us to remember His death through the breaking of bread and drinking of the cup.

1 Corinthians 11:24–26

“And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’

In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.’

For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”

If we neglect the Lord’s Supper, thinking it is minor or meaningless, we are in fact disobeying one of Christ’s most important commands for our own good. If you are in a place where you do not have the opportunity to partake, make every effort to do so.

4. Washing One Another’s Feet

Another command that Satan has worked hard to make seem meaningless is the washing of feet. Yet it is a vital instruction given by the Lord Himself.

John 13:5–10

“After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’

Jesus replied, ‘You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’

‘No,’ said Peter, ‘you shall never wash my feet.’

Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.’

‘Then, Lord,’ Simon Peter replied, ‘not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!’

Jesus answered, ‘Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.’”

Look again at verse 8: “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” Refusing or despising this command can cause us to lose fellowship with God entirely. This is a sobering truth worth deep reflection.

Jesus later made it clear that this was not just symbolic but an example for us to follow:

John 13:12–17

“When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. ‘Do you understand what I have done for you?’ he asked them.

‘You call me “Teacher” and “Lord,” and rightly so, for that is what I am.

Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.

I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.

Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.’”

This is plain: Christians are required to wash one another’s feet. It was part of the early church practice (see 1 Timothy 5:9–10), and it should be practiced by us as well. Otherwise, we risk losing fellowship with the Lord.

Do not be deceived when false teachers say, “This command is not important.” Even Peter at first resisted, but once he understood, he desired Jesus to wash not only his feet but his whole body!