GOD Morning! August 1, 2016 / Con Artist Leaders

GOD Morning!  August 1, 2016

Con Artist Leaders

Luke 20:27-47

Is There a Resurrection?

²⁷ Now some of the Sadducees (who say that there is no resurrection) came to Him ²⁸ and they questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us [a law that] if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife and no children, his brother should marry the wife and raise children for his brother. ²⁹ Now there were seven brothers; and the first took a wife and died childless. ³⁰ And the second, ³¹ and the third married her, and in the same way all seven died, leaving no children. ³² Finally the woman also died. ³³ So in the [life after] resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all seven had married her.”

³⁴ Jesus said to them, “The sons of this [world and present] age marry and [the women] are given in marriage; ³⁵ but those who are considered worthy to gain that [other world and that future] age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; ³⁶ and they cannot die again, because they are [immortal] like the angels (equal to, angel-like). And they are children of God, being participants in the resurrection. ³⁷ But [as for the fact] that the dead are raised [from death], even Moses showed, in the passage about the burning bush, when he calls the Lord the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. ³⁸ Now He is not the God of the dead, but of the living [so these forefathers will be among the resurrected]; for all live [in a definite relationship] to Him.” ³⁹ Some of the scribes replied, “Teacher, you have spoken well [so that there is no room for blame].” ⁴⁰ And they did not dare to question Him further about anything [because of the wisdom He displayed in His answers].

“The Sadducees were the ancient version of the modern liberal theologians. They only accepted the first five books of Moses as authentic - and disregarded what was written in those books when it pleased them to do so. They did not believe in immortality, spirits or angels.” (StudyLight.org)

Hilarious. Trying to trip Jesus up. Seriously? They didn’t even believe in Heaven.

Some things never change. Folks are still trying to twist the truths of the Bible, to validate their own warped belief systems.

⁴⁵ And with all the people listening, He said to His disciples, ⁴⁶ “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes [displaying their prominence], and love respectful greetings in the [crowded] market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets.⁴⁷ These [men] who confiscate and devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense [to appear devout] offer long prayers. These [men] will receive the greater [sentence of] condemnation.”

“There are numbers of ways to take the life savings and/or money for daily living from the old, the gullible, or those who are zealous without knowledge. Con artists, crooks, shysters, sharpies, cheats, etc. make their living by fleecing people. The tactics they use are illegal.

However, there are others who have discovered a legal way to take money from the unsuspecting. They do it under the guise of Christianity. Following are two examples:

A daily paper recently revealed that a well-known TV evangelist wrote a letter to a widow in a nursing home asking for $200. His appeal was that if she did not have the money, she should borrow it and then send it to him. The letter was called to the attention of a reporter who published it in the newspaper. The evangelist defended his action by claiming that God had instructed him to send this letter to the widow. Unfortunately, the lady had been dead for three months.

Some years ago, an incident of solicitation by intimidation, which was reported to the police in Canada, was exposed in Christianity Today. The Executive Director of the New Brunswick Senior Citizens Federation charged that a popular evangelist in the United States took financial advantage of the sensitivity of seniors and preyed on them at a time in their lives when they are most susceptible. In his solicitation letter the evangelist warned the senior citizens that if they neglected to pay attention to what He (God) was saying, then Satan would take advantage and hit them with “bad things” and they would “wish they had never been born.” On the other hand, the evangelist stated, through the gift of prophecy he had been told that recipients could expect creative miracles: things seemingly dead in their body, their spirit, their mind, and their finances would come alive again. These tactics may be legal but they are far from Christian.” Bible.org

This is downright evil. But this is exactly what Jesus was speaking of in verses 46 and 47.

Con artists parading around as ministers of the Gospel are alive and well!

I am reminded of a minister’s wife I knew years ago who would “casually mention” her financial needs constantly. She was respected in the community, and she used this to her advantage. Folks would literally give her family hundreds of dollars regularly. She would “mention” that an appliance broke down to everyone she came in contact with and, sure enough, someone would purchase a brand new appliance and have it delivered to her door. I was seriously shocked time and time again.

I have said this many times, but I am so grateful for the leadership in my church. I work alongside of the pastors every day and I trust them with my life. These men and their wives are solid people, through and through.  

Beware folks! If you suspect that this may be happening to you, pray that God will show you clearly what is going on.

“Dear God, there is someone out there today who is being taken advantage of by someone who she highly respects. Please, Jesus, open her eyes this morning. You didn’t accidentally mention these evil scribes in Your teachings. These scriptures are in the Bible for a reason. To warn us. Thank You for not leaving anything out. Thank You for addressing every single situation that we may encounter. You are so amazing. Your word is incredible. How I love You, my Jesus, AMEN.”