Imagine this:
\nA man gets into a terrible motorcycle accident. His leg is severed, and he\u2019s bleeding heavily. He lies on the ground in urgent need of help. Fortunately, a good Samaritan comes by and wants to assist. But instead of addressing the critical injury, the Samaritan looks closely at the man’s face, notices a small pimple filled with pus on his cheek, and proceeds to pop it.<\/p>\n
Then he says, \u201cThere you go! I\u2019ve helped you. If you hadn\u2019t found a calm and careful person like me, that pimple might have worsened.\u201d
\nAnd with that, he walks away saying, \u201cI\u2019ll come back tomorrow to check on your progress.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now ask yourself did that man truly help the injured person?<\/strong> This scenario mirrors what hypocrisy<\/strong> looks like focusing on minor issues while ignoring what\u2019s truly urgent.<\/p>\n Jesus saw this kind of hypocrisy in the religious leaders of His day. In<\/p>\n Matthew 23:23\u201324<\/strong>, He said:<\/p>\n \u201cWoe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. These leaders had flipped God\u2019s priorities upside down. Yes, tithing was good they were not wrong to do it. But ignoring the foundational matters of the faith<\/strong> made them blind guides. They strained out tiny gnats (like minor rules) but swallowed entire camels (massive spiritual failings).<\/p>\n The same leaders emphasized giving and temple taxes so much that they turned God\u2019s house into a marketplace (John 2:14\u201316). As long as people brought money, sacrifices, and tithes, they ignored sins<\/strong>, injustices, and corruption among the people.<\/p>\n If someone didn\u2019t tithe, he would be summoned, rebuked, and accused of \u201crobbing God\u201d (Malachi 3:8). Yet those living in sin were left untouched. The result? A generation religious on the outside but spiritually bankrupt within.<\/p>\n They ignored spiritual ignorance in the congregation. Instead of teaching people about:<\/p>\n No wonder Jesus called them \u201cblind guides\u201d<\/strong>. If modern day preaching focuses only on:<\/p>\n …but ignores<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Then we, too, are using that same strange filter<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Jesus said the greatest commandment is:<\/p>\n \u201cYou shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. If love for God and others is rarely taught, but money and blessings are emphasized year after year<\/strong>, then both preachers and hearers are being spiritually misled.<\/p>\n It\u2019s like this: Later, once you\u2019ve eaten and recovered, you can appreciate the suit.<\/p>\n So it is spiritually. If where you are now isn\u2019t feeding your soul <\/strong>if your relationship with God is growing colder you don\u2019t have to stay. Seek a place where you\u2019ll be nourished spiritually. There\u2019s no sin in that. Jesus called you not a denomination.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cBut seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.\u201d(Matthew 6:33, ESV)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Prosperity is not sinful, but it is secondary<\/strong>. The first priority is God\u2019s Kingdom and His righteousness.<\/p>\n These are the last days. Ask yourself:<\/p>\n The Bible warns:<\/p>\n \u201cAnyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him.\u201d(Romans 8:9, ESV)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n If you’re far from God today, repent. Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ<\/strong> for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit<\/strong> (Acts 2:38).<\/p>\n The Holy Spirit will:<\/p>\n Just like a letter with a seal, you\u2019ll be marked as God\u2019s own prepared for the Kingdom of Heaven.<\/p>\n
\nTechnically, yes, he offered some<\/em> help. But it was not the help needed at that moment<\/em>. His help was entirely misplaced. The bleeding man needed life saving aid, not a cosmetic fix.<\/p>\nJesus Rebuked the Religious Leaders for the Same<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nYou blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!\u201d(Matthew 23:23\u201324, ESV)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nThey emphasized meticulous tithing even of herbs and spices but neglected the core of God\u2019s law<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n
They Turned Worship into Business<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\nThey focused on building earthly wealth and church income.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\nThey had the strangest filter imaginable a strainer that misses camels but catches gnats.<\/strong><\/p>\nThis Strange Filter Still Exists Today<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\nThis is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it:
\nYou shall love your neighbor as yourself.\u201d
\n(Matthew 22:37\u201339, ESV)<\/p><\/blockquote>\nReal Help or Misplaced Help?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nYou\u2019ve gone six days without food starving to death. Then someone gives you a designer suit instead of a meal. It\u2019s a beautiful gift, but completely useless<\/em> at that moment. You need food<\/strong>, not fashion.<\/p>\n
\nAre You Truly Saved?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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\nGod Bless You in the Name of Jesus Christ, the Lord of Hosts.<\/strong><\/h2>\n