A Clanging Cymbal?
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
There are those sincere good intention preachers who believe that their particular book or doctrine is the solution of all of life’s problems. And if you will only buy the book or practice their doctrine you will be very successful and prosperous? It’s nothing but a lie from the pits of hell because Jesus Christ alone is the Savior, Healer, Truth, Life, Healer, Deliverer and source of our total supply.
Dust mites of any size and shape can be used by God or not, but they are not the answer. Jesus Christ and dependence on the Holy Spirit are! Aggressive preaching and teaching of the Message of Jesus without love, having the gifts of the Spirit and understanding all mysteries and all knowledge, and though having all faith, so that we could remove mountains, without love is nothing. And the same is true with being friends of the Pope, Mother Teresa or Billy Graham if God’s glory cloud and His presence is not in our own life and ministry it profits me nothing. God alone is the one we serve and please and nothing else and nobody else is important except those who are poor and needy who are always on God’s heart. God’s word is unchanging:
What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe-and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? James 2:14-20
Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:13-18
In today’s society self-centeredness, empty words and foolish talk are plentiful, but good deeds towards the poor and needy are scarce. We live in a generation where there are dead business practices of the money machines that pass themselves off as Christian ministries today, only selling Jesus for a profit, being all hirelings themselves! But in their luxurious and freshly tailored suits, produced from the very thread of the lives they only weekly toss promises of a better tomorrow to with their sermons but would never actually stop to lift those hearers and ministry supporters with any of their daily burdens with even one small finger, there are no true prophets or apostles amongst them.
How many of these ministries work in the inner cities tutoring immigrant children with their homework, befriending strangers and caring for the poor, the disenfranchised and those with no one anywhere to care for them, and no place anywhere to call home, and not one family member or blood relative alive to call their connection in time of crisis or in time of holiday feasting? Very few!
Do the great talkers and prosperous people with plenty share with the needy and the broken care? "As you have done unto others, you have done unto Me." –Jesus. Very few! Yet Jesus instructed us to go deep into meeting the real needs of people, and bring them up and out of the waters of hopelessness and darkness where they will only drown without our love for them, being manifested in real and tangible ways so that we will demonstrate that we are sheep’s not goats:
"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. "All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. "And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. "Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 'for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 'I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 'When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 'Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' "And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 'for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 'I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' "Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' "Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' "And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Matthew 25:31-46
The central theme of the New Testament is not on getting financially rich, although God desires that we prosper and be in health as our souls prospers, or on the lack of love or lack of faith but on spreading the good news of the gospel and remembering the poor by those who had become rich through Jesus Christ’s poverty.
Yes, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ was demonstrated that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. Because God through His Spirit and His gifts, including faith, miracles and tongues, can do in an instant what years of perspiration cannot do, including healing a wounded spirit and a broken heart, we need to have all the nice gifts of the Spirit and we need to walk in love. For with out love we become nothing, just a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
Through love and the gifts of the Spirit we can become like Jesus whom God anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power, and went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
Jesus never neglected or criticized the poor, although He did rebuke the rich, powerful and mighty. Jesus was very understanding and compassionate to the poor and needy for a bruised reed He would not break and a smoking flax He would not quench. He gave grace to the humble and contended with the proud whom He called dead men, hypocrites, liars, sons of hell, brood of vipers, blind ones, etc. The latter group Jesus rebuked and cursed and didn’t bless. ‘Woe to you’ doesn’t mean something good is going to happen. God’s word is unchanging:
"Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Matthew 10:8
And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"
Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: "The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. "And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me." Matthew 11:2-6
So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them: "When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; "and he who invited you and him come and say to you, 'Give place to this man,' and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. "But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher.' Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
Then He also said to him who invited Him, "When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. "But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. "And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just." Luke 14:7-14
Jesus Christ loved the poor and didn’t cast them aside like others have done. He healed their sick, cleansed their lepers, raised their dead, and cast out their demons. But he didn’t have nice things to say to the rich and powerful even if it was king Herod. The bible records:
"But woe to you who are rich, For you have received your consolation.
Woe to you who are full, For you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, For you shall mourn and weep.
Woe to you when all men speak well of you, For so did their fathers to the false prophets. Luke 6:24-26
"But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.
"Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them." Luke 11:42-44
On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to Him, "Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You." And He said to them, "Go, tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.' Luke 13:31-32
Jesus Christ was not and never will be a respecter of persons and doesn’t show partiality to any one including the rich and mighty. As a matter of fact the Word of God’s tells us it’s sin to show paritiality and to be a respecter of persons. God’s word is unchanging:
My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, "You sit here in a good place," and say to the poor man, "You stand there," or, "Sit here at my footstool," have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?
Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.
So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. James 2:1-13
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