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  • Luke 13:1-5 - A Clear Call to Repentance

    Luke 13:1-5 - A Clear Call to Repentance

    · Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

    Jesus is nearing Jerusalem when some in the crowd bring up agruesome tragedy—Galileans slaughtered by Pontius Pilate, their blood mingledwith their sacrifices. Pilate, a harsh Roman governor, was notorious forclashing with the Jews. He brought Roman ensigns into the Holy City, seizedtemple funds for an aqueduct, and quelled protests with violence. Thisatrocity, possibly during a feast when nationalism surged, saw soldiers strikedown unarmed Galileans at the altar—a shocking sacrilege. The crowd, especiallythe Pharisees and Judeans, assumed these Galileans were worse sinners,deserving such a fate. They expected Jesus to agree.

    Instead,Jesus replies, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than allother Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unlessyou repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:2-3). Then He brings itcloser to home: “Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killedthem, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt inJerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish”(Luke 13:4-5). The Siloam tower collapse—workers killed on Pilate’s aqueductproject—stung the Judeans. They’d judged those victims too, thinking they gotwhat they deserved for working with Pilate.

    Jesusflips the script. He doesn’t defend Pilate or the Galileans, nor does He diveinto political debates. He lifts the issue higher: tragedy isn’t always divinepunishment. The Galileans weren’t worse sinners; the Siloam workers weren’tuniquely guilty. Suffering doesn’t always mark God’s wrath—Job’s friendsmisjudged that, and so did the crowd. Even Jesus, sinless, suffered. If everydisaster signaled sin, how would we explain the trials of prophets, apostles,or Christ Himself? Jesus debunks their logic, then drives deeper: all aresinners, and all face judgment unless they repent. The real question isn’t “Whydid they die?” but “Why are you still alive?”

    Thisurgency echoes through Scripture. Jesus’ first message was “Repent, for thekingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). His last, to the church inLaodicea, was “Be zealous and repent” (Revelation 3:19). Paul preached “repentancetoward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). The Greekword for repentance, metanoia, means a change of mind and heart—a turning fromsin to God. It’s not just confessing; it’s forsaking sin and trusting Jesus.The Bible calls for repentance 969 times—it hasn’t dropped out of God’s vocabulary,even if it’s faded from ours.

    TheGalileans’ fate and Siloam’s collapse foreshadowed a greater judgment—likeJerusalem’s fall to Rome in AD 70. Jesus’ warning was clear: repent now, orperish. Today, we’re tempted to judge others’ misfortunes—“They had itcoming”—while dodging our own guilt. But Jesus cuts through: “Unless yourepent.” We’re all in the same boat—one death per person. “Now is the day ofsalvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). As Jesus neared the cross, He urged thecrowd—and us—to wake up, stop pointing fingers, and turn to Him. He didn’tpromise a life free of towers or tyrants, but a way to stand forgiven beforeGod.

    ClosingChallenge

    Haveyou truly repented—changed your mind about sin, owning your guilt before God?This week, pick one area needing a turn—maybe a hidden sin, a bitter attitude,or a neglected faith. Confess it, turn from it, and trust Jesus to transformyou. Don’t delay; the time to repent is now.

    Prayer

    LordJesus, thank You for Your urgent call to repentance, preached from Your firstwords to Your last. Forgive us for judging others instead of facing our ownsin. Stir our hearts with metanoia—a true change toward You. Help us turn fromsin, place our faith in You, and live as Your children. Give us courage to acttoday, trusting Your mercy. Bless us as we follow You to the cross and beyond.Amen.

  • Luke 12:54-59 - Beware of Spiritual Dullness

    Luke 12:54-59 - Beware of Spiritual Dullness

    · Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

    Welcome to today’s pastor’s chat as we conclude Luke 12. Jesus closes with a sobering call: beware of spiritualdullness.

    First,let’s consider discernment (Luke 12:54-57). Jesus turns to the crowd and says, “Wheneveryou see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower’scoming,’ and so it is. And when you see a south wind blow, you say, ‘There’llbe hot weather,’ and there it is.” The people could read the sky like abook, predicting storms or heat with ease. Yet, Jesus calls them hypocrites: “Youcan discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do notdiscern this time?” The Jewish nation had centuries of prophetic Scripturespointing to the Messiah, yet they missed Him standing right in front of them.Their religious leaders led them astray, blinding them to the signs of thetimes.

    Isn’tthis a mirror for us today? We live in an age of incredible knowledge—humanscan predict planetary movements, split atoms, and land on the moon. We’vemastered getting to the stars, but so many are clueless about getting toheaven. Our world boasts scientific brilliance but often lacks spiritualwisdom. Jesus challenges us: if we’re so quick to prepare for a storm we seecoming, why aren’t we discerning the spiritual reality around us? The King hascome, and He’s coming again. Are we awake to what God is doing?

    Next,Jesus calls for diligence (Luke 12:58-59). He paints a picture of a lawsuit: “Whenyou go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the wayto settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge delivers you tothe officer, and the officer throw you into prison. I tell you, you shall notdepart from there till you have paid the very last mite.” The message isclear—if someone sues you, you’d hustle to settle out of court, hiring a lawyerto avoid jail. You’d do whatever it takes to escape that fate. But how muchmore urgent is it to prepare for the ultimate Judge—Almighty God?

    Jesusknew Israel was marching toward judgment. He wept over Jerusalem, foreseeingthe Roman armies that would destroy the city and temple (Luke 19:41-44), yetthe people wouldn’t repent. Their debt to God was piling up, and they’d pay theprice. Today, the stakes are just as high for us. The storm of God’s wrath iscoming, and as James 5:9 warns, “The Judge is standing at the door.” Ifwe’d prepare for a physical storm or fight a lawsuit with all we’ve got,shouldn’t we be even more diligent about our souls? “Behold, now is theaccepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).The time to act is now.

    So,what does this mean for us personally? Spiritual dullness creeps in when we getcaught up in the busyness of life, relying on science, philosophy, or worldlyanswers to fill the deepest need of our hearts—a need only Jesus can meet. Healone offers salvation, a new heart, and eternal hope. We can’t afford to belike the crowd, sharp about the weather but blind to eternity. As stewards inthese last days, we must stay alert, discerning God’s work and diligentlypreparing for His return.

    ClosingChallenge

    Takea moment this week to examine your spiritual sharpness. Are you discerning thesigns of the times, or are you distracted by the world’s noise? Pick onepractical step—maybe a focused prayer time, a Scripture reading, or aconversation about faith—to sharpen your focus on what’s eternal. Act now,trusting Jesus to guide you.

    Prayer

    HeavenlyFather, thank You for Your Word that wakes us up. Forgive us for the timeswe’ve been spiritually dull, chasing worldly answers instead of You. Open oureyes to discern Your work in our lives and the world. Give us diligence toprepare our hearts for Your return, settling our debt through faith in Jesus.Help us live for what lasts, not what fades. Bless us with Your wisdom andpeace today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

    Godbless!

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  • Luke 12:49-53 - Watching, Waiting, Working, and Warring

    Luke 12:49-53 - Watching, Waiting, Working, and Warring

    · Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

    Welcome to today’s pastor’s chat on Luke 12, where Jesus speaks to the heart ofwhat it means to follow Him in a broken world. As believers, we are called towait, watch, and work for His kingdom, but this calling comes with a challenge:it won’t be easy. We are aliens in enemy territory, living as stewards of God’sgrace while engaged in a spiritual war. Jesus doesn’t shy away from thisreality—He confronts it head-on, addressing the struggles that threaten toderail us and the battles we must face.

    First,Jesus warns against hypocrisy, covetousness, worry, and fear. These creep intoour lives when we pretend to be something we’re not, when we chase the thingsof this world over the things of God, or when we let anxiety take root.Coveting, at its core, is idolatry—placing anything above our Creator. Theresult? Restless, insecure lives, always chasing the next thing but neverfinding satisfaction. Yet, there’s hope. True fulfillment comes through anintimate relationship with Jesus Christ. He loved us, died for us, and roseagain, filling the void within us and making us new creations. Only He cantransform our hearts and give us lasting peace.

    InLuke 12, Jesus shifts to a story of stewardship. A master returns to find hisservants either faithfully waiting, watching, and working—or distracted andunfaithful. He concludes with a principle: “To whom much is given, from himmuch will be required” (Luke 12:48). The more God entrusts to us—be it time,talents, or opportunities—the more He expects us to use them for His glory.We’re accountable for what we’ve been given, and that accountability shapes howwe live.

    Butstewardship isn’t just about diligence; it’s also about warfare. Jesus says, “Icame to send fire on the earth
 I have a baptism to be baptized with
 Do yousuppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but ratherdivision” (Luke 12:49-51). Fire represents judgment, and His baptism points toHis suffering on the cross—a death He endured in our place, pictured by Hisbaptism in the Jordan. He didn’t need to repent, but He identified with us,taking our sin and rising victorious on the third day. That’s the triumph wecelebrate at Easter.

    Yet,His coming also brings division. Families may split—father against son, motheragainst daughter—because faith in Jesus demands a choice: “If you’re notwith Me, you’re against Me.” The Gospel of Luke begins with “peace onearth” (Luke 2:14), and yes, Jesus offers a peace that calms our hearts andovercomes worry as we seek His kingdom first. But in this world, He warns, “Youwill have tribulation” (John 16:33). He was persecuted, and as Hisservants, we won’t escape it either. We’re at war—against the flesh, the devil,and the enemies we face as believers. Taking a stand for Christ may cost us,but there’s a promise: if we suffer with Him, we will also reign with Him.

    So,where does this leave us? We’re called to be faithful stewards, watching andworking for Jesus, even as we navigate a world that opposes Him. The peace Hegives isn’t the absence of conflict but the presence of His strength within us.As aliens in this territory, we live differently, trusting that our battles aretemporary and our victory is sure.

    ClosingChallenge

    Reflecton what God has entrusted to you—your resources, relationships, oropportunities to share His love. This week, choose one specific way to stewardthese faithfully, even if it means facing resistance. Stand firm, knowing Jesusis with you in the fight.

    Prayer

    LordJesus, thank You for the peace You bring to our hearts, even in a world oftribulation. Help us turn from hypocrisy, covetousness, and fear, and find oursatisfaction in You alone. Strengthen us to be faithful stewards, watching andworking for Your glory, no matter the cost. Give us courage for the battles weface and hope in Your promise of victory. In Your precious name, Amen.

    Godbless!

  • Luke 12:41-48 - The Judgement Seat of Christ

    Luke 12:41-48 - The Judgement Seat of Christ

    · Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

    Remember Luke 12 begins with Jesus warning againsthypocrisy—don’t be a pretender. He cautions against covetousness—don’t chasethe things of this world, because they only bring pain, worry, and fear. And Heurges us not to be careless. Why? Because He’s coming back. “I will go away,but I will come again,” He promises. This isn’t just a distant hope; it’s acall to action. In verse 36, He paints a picture of servants waiting for theirmaster’s return from a wedding, and in verse 40, He declares, “Therefore beyou also ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”This urgency frames our passage today. Jesus wants us waiting, watching, andworking when He returns.

    Peter has been listening to Jesus’ teachings, and in verse41, he asks, “Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?”It’s a fair question. Is this just for the inner circle—the disciples—or forthe crowds too? Jesus doesn’t give a simple yes or no. Instead, He respondswith a parable that broadens the scope and deepens the responsibility. Hisanswer shows this isn’t limited to the Twelve; it’s for every follower, everyperson who claims His name. That’s you and me, friends. We’re all in thisstory.

    In this parable Jesus describes two kinds of servants. Onewho is faithful and can be trusted and one who is careless and will bepunished. Jesus clearly points this out: “The master of that servant willcome on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is notaware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with theunbelievers” (v. 46)

    Jesus doesn’t stop there. He then speaks of a day of accountability.One day we will all give an account of stewardship at the Judgment Seat. Asfollowers of Christ, we’re stewards of God’s resources. Jesus isn’t justwarning us to stay busy; He’s preparing us for accountability. This isn’t aboutearning salvation—Jesus took care of our sins on the cross, and by faith, we’resecure in Him. But how we live matters. Some think, “I’m saved, I’m going toheaven—nothing else counts.” But that’s not what the Bible teaches. Jesus andPaul both point to a moment of reckoning for believers: the judgment seat ofChrist.

    In Romans 14:7-10, Paul writes, “For none of us lives tohimself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; andif we die, we die to the Lord
 For we shall all stand before the judgment seatof Christ.” This isn’t the final judgment for unbelievers; it’s an evaluationof our service as believers. In 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, Paul likens our lives toa building project. He laid the foundation—Christ—and we build on it. “Eachone’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will berevealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is”(v. 13). Good works endure; worthless ones burn up. We’re saved, yes, but wecan still “suffer loss” in terms of rewards (v. 15).

    Then, in 2 Corinthians 5:10, Paul again reminds us “Forwe must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one mayreceive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whethergood or bad.” Everything we do will be judged at that judgment seat ofChrist—every idle word, we’ll give an account for.” This isn’t aboutfearmongering; it’s about purpose. Knowing this “terror of the Lord” (v. 11),Paul persuades others to live rightly. It’s a sobering motivator.

    In light of this we should be waiting, watching, andworking. Jesus could come at any moment—His return is unpredictable, like amaster slipping in unannounced. We can’t afford to be careless, assumingthere’s time to get our act together later. The faithful steward doesn’t slackoff; he’s diligent, using everything the master’s given for His glory. Thecareless servant, though, gets distracted by the world—hypocrisy, covetousness,indulgence—and faces the consequences.

  • Luke 12:41-48 - Watching, Waiting, and Working

    Luke 12:41-48 - Watching, Waiting, and Working

    · Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

    Welcome to today’s Pastor’s Chat! In Luke 12, Jesus warns us to beware ofhypocrisy, covetousness, worry, and fear—traps that keep us from pleasing Godin every part of life. These lead to anxiety, but Jesus says, “Do not worry, donot be anxious, do not fear.” His remedy? Believe He’s coming soon. He tells astory of a master returning from a wedding, urging us in verse 40, “Be ready,for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” We often get socaught up in temporary things that doesn’t last, that we forget this truth.

    Lest we get the idea that watching and waiting are all thatHe requires, Jesus added this parable to encourage us to be working when Hecomes. The Apostles had a special responsibility to feed God's household, Hischurch; but each of us has some work to do in this world, assigned to us by theLord. Our responsibility is to be faithful when He comes. We may not appearsuccessful in our own eyes, or in the eyes of others; but that is notimportant. The thing God wants is faithfulness (1 Corinthians 4:2).

    Once a believer starts to think his Master is not comingback, his life begins to deteriorate. Our relationship with others depends onour relationship to the Lord; so if we stop looking for Him, we will stoploving His people. The motive for Christian life and service must be a desireto please the Lord and be found faithful at His return.

    In this passage Peter asks, “Lord, is this parable just forus or for everyone?” Jesus responds with another story: a faithful stewardtends the household well and is blessed when the master returns, gainingauthority over all he has. But if a servant thinks, “My master’s delayed,” andstarts mistreating others, indulging in reckless living—eating, drinking,getting drunk—the master will come unexpectedly, judge him, and cast him withunbelievers. Those who know the master’s will and don’t prepare face manystripes; those who don’t know but still err, fewer. “To whom much is given,much is required.” We’ve been given heaven’s resources, how are we using them?

    I do not think that Luke 12:46 teaches that unfaithfulbelievers lose their salvation, because our going to heaven depends on faith inJesus Christ and not good works (Eph. 2:8-10; 2 Tim. 2:11-13). The phrase"cut him in sunder" means "cut him off, separate him"; and"unbelievers" can also be translated "unfaithful." Our Lordwill separate the faithful believers from the unfaithful; He will reward thefaithful, but the unfaithful servants will lose their rewards (1 Cor. 3:13-15).

    This ties to 1 Corinthians 15, where Paul describesChrist’s return: the trumpet sounds, the dead rise, and we’re changed in atwinkling of an eye, receiving immortal bodies like Jesus. He says, “Therefore,be unmovable, always abounding in the Lord’s work, knowing it’s not in vain.”Jesus could come any moment, friends. We must watch, wait, and work. TheBible’s final prayer is, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” If He came today, wouldyou be ready? Would He find you working in His fields, living for His glory?

    Prayer:
    Lord Jesus, free us from hypocrisy and worry. Help us steward Your giftsfaithfully, staying unshakable in Your work. May we be ready when You return.Come quickly, Lord. Amen.

    Challenge:
    Reflect today: Are you living carelessly or carefully for Christ? Study theseverses, pray, and let’s be found working for our Master. God bless you—have awonderful day!

    God bless!

  • Luke 12:35-40 - Beware of Carelessness

    Luke 12:35-40 - Beware of Carelessness

    · Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

    In these verses, Jesus shifted the emphasis from beingworried about the present to being watchful about the future. It is interestinghow all the themes in Luke 12 go together, for one of the best ways to conquerhypocrisy, covetousness, worry and fear is to look for the return of our LordJesus Christ. When you are "living in the future tense," it isdifficult for the things of the world to ensnare you. In this section, Jesusexplained how we can be ready for His return by waiting and watching (vv.35-40).

    In the days of Christ, Jewish weddings were generally heldat night and could go on late into the night and early morning hours. Rememberin John 2 at the wedding that Jesus attended with His mother and His disciplesthat they ran out of wine. It must have been a long wedding! After the weddingthe bridegroom's servants would have to wait for their master to come home withhis bride. The new husband would certainly not want to be kept waiting at thedoor with his bride! But the servants had to be sure they were ready to go towork, with their robes tucked under their girdles so they were free to move.

    That is why Jesus said in verses 35-36, "Let yourwaist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who waitfor their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes andknocks they may open to him immediately.” Peter later would write to thesaints and say something very similar in 1 Peter 1:13-16, “Therefore gird upthe loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace thatis to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedientchildren, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; butas He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because itis written, "Be holy, for I am holy."

    But the remarkable thing that we should also notice in thisstory is that the master serves the servants! In Jewish weddings, the bride wastreated like a queen and the groom like a king; so you would not expect the"king" to minister to his staff. Wow!!!!! Our King will minister toHis faithful servants when He greets us at His return, and He will reward usfor our faithfulness.

    Jesus said the servants who were watching and waiting fortheir Master’s returned would be blessed (v. 37). To "watch" means tobe alert, to be ready, not to be caught by surprise. That is the attitude wemust have toward the second coming of Jesus Christ. His coming will be likethat of a thief: unannounced and unexpected. Jesus Himself promised His disciples that He would returnin John 14:3, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come againand receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” AsJesus ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives 40 days after Hisresurrection, His disciples were told by two angels in Acts 1:11, "Menof Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who wastaken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him gointo heaven."

    If we really believed that Jesus would return today, howwould we be living? Prayerfully, if we are living with this “blessed hope”in our minds and hearts, we should purify ourselves and be ready! (1 John 3:2-3).Titus 2:11-14 also promises and encourages us with these words: “For thegrace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that,denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, andgodly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearingof our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that Hemight redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own specialpeople, zealous for good works.”

    Are you waiting and watching for Jesus return today? We can’tafford to be careless!!!!!

    God bless!

  • Luke 12:22-34 -

    Luke 12:22-34 - "Do Not Fear, Little Flock..."

    · Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

    Again, I want to thank all my dear friends who responded toour pleas for prayer for my grandson Luke and his extensive brain surgery thispast Friday! The surgery and the recovery went well, and “Praise the LORD”, hewas able to go home yesterday afternoon! Your prayers, and the Lord’s miraculoushealing hand, made this possible! Thank you! Thank you!

    It is amazing to me how this passage in Luke 12:22-34,along with Dr. Towns devotion today for April 01, from 365 Ways to Know God,entitled: JESUS: THE LORD OF PEACE, is exactly what we needed for this periodof time, and crisis in our lives. God’s timing and reminders are always exactlyon time!!!! You can always trust Him!

    So far in Luke 12, we have learned that we should “bewareof hypocrisy”, we should “beware of covetousness”, and we should “beware ofworry”. It is interesting to me how all of these sins are linked to each other.And for sure, hypocrisy, pretending to be something that we are not, and covetousness,lusting and desiring things that we really don’t need, always lead to this incapacitatingemotion that we call worry! They “strangle” and destroy us, they deceive usinto believing a false view of life and of God. We are attempting to live a lifethat will never ever satisfy or fulfill us.

    Not only does worry destroy and deceive us, but it can alsodeform us. It keeps us from growing and it makes us like the unsaved in theworld (Luke 12:30). In short, worry is unchristian; worry is a sin. How can wewitness to a lost world and encourage them to put faith in Jesus Christ if weourselves are doubting God and worrying? Is it not inconsistent to preach faithand yet not practice it? The late chaplain of the United States Senate, PeterMarshall, once prayed "that ulcers would not become the badge of ourfaith." Too often they are!

    How do we win over worry? The first step is to realize thatGod knows our needs, so we can trust Him to meet them. We are sheep in Hislittle flock, children in His family, and servants in His kingdom; and He willsee to it that our needs are fully met. It is His pleasure to give us Hiskingdom, so will He not give us everything that we need? Romans 8:31-32 remindsus of a great promise: “What then shall we say to these things? If God isfor us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but deliveredHim up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”

    But God's pleasures and our treasures must go together. Wemust look at earth from heaven's point of view and make sure that we put God'skingdom first in everything. The main question is, "Where is yourheart?" If our hearts are fixed on the transient things of earth, then wewill always worry. But if we are fixed on the eternal, then God's peace willguard our minds and hearts (Philippians 4:6-9). We must "hang loose"when it comes to this world's goods and be willing even to sell what we have inorder to help others (Acts 2:44-45; 4:34-35). It is not wrong to own things solong as things do not own us.

    Worry always leads to fear, and that is why Jesus, in verse32 added, “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father'sgood pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Worry is proof that our “faithis little” and that we need to believe God’s Old Testament promise in Proverbs3:5-6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your ownunderstanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct yourpaths.”

    We are our Father’s “little flock” that He dearlyloves and takes pleasure in! You can trust Him to care for you today!

    God bless!

  • Luke 12:23-29 - Beware of Worry

    Luke 12:23-29 - Beware of Worry

    · Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

    Now amazing, the place we pick up in Luke 12:22-29, seemsto specifically be for our family during a time like this! Remember Jesusbegins this chapter telling His disciples to “beware of hypocrisy” (vv. 1-12).Then Jesus tells them to “beware of covetousness” (vv. 13-21). You might havenoticed like me, that in verse 22, this is the second time Jesus specificallyaddresses His disciple in this chapter. In verses 1 and 22, we read, “
Jesussaid to His disciples”. Now, In verse 22, Jesus basically is saying to them,and to us, “beware of worry”.

    Jesus had just told the story of the rich farmer who was afool, not because he was rich, but because he forgot to consider God and eternity.The rich farmer worried because he had too much, but the disciples might betempted to worry because they did not have enough! They had given up all theyhad in order to follow Christ They were living by faith, and faith is alwaystested.

    First, we should remember that worry is destructive.The word translated "worry" in Luke 12:22 (or “anxious” in othertranslations), means "to be torn apart," and the word “anxious”,translated "doubtful mind" in Luke 12:29, KJV, ASV, means "to beheld in suspense." It is the picture of a ship being tossed in a storm.Our English word worry comes from an old Anglo-Saxon word that means "tostrangle." "Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow," saidCorrie Ten Boom; "it empties today of its strength." Someone said, “Worryis like being in a rocking chair. It will give you something to do but won’tget you anywhere”. It will emotionally wear you out!

    Worry is also deceptive. It gives us a falseview of life, of itself, and of God. Worry convinces us that life is made up ofwhat we eat and what we wear. We get so concerned about the means that wetotally forget about the end, which is to glorify God (Matt. 6:33). There is agreat difference between making a living and making a life. Worry blinds us tothe world around us and the way God cares for His creation. God makes theflowers beautiful, and He even feeds the unclean ravens who have no ability tosow or reap. He ought to be able to care for men to whom He has given theability to work. Jesus was not suggesting that we sit around and let God feedus, for the birds themselves work hard to stay alive. Rather, He encourages usto trust Him and cooperate with Him in using the abilities and opportunitiesthat He gives us (2 Thes. 3:6-15).

    But worry even blinds us to itself. We can get to the placewhere we actually think that worry accomplishes good things in our lives! InLuke 12:25, Jesus pointed out that our worries do not add one extra minute toour lives (Ps. 39:5) or one extra inch to our height. The rich farmer'sfretting certainly did not lengthen his life! Instead of adding to our lives,our worries take away from our lives. People can worry themselves into thehospital or into the grave! Once again, Jesus argued from the lesser to thegreater. If God feeds the birds, He will surely feed His children. If Hebeautifies the plants that grow up one day and are cut down the next, surely Hewill clothe His own people. The problem is not His little power, for He can doanything; the problem is our little faith.

    The emotion of worry should be like an alarm clock to us.It warns and alerts us that we are looking and thinking more about our needs,and focusing on them, rather than our great God who loves us and cares for us, andis more than sufficient to meet those needs.

    May the Lord often remind us of His cure for worry in Philippians4:6-7, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer andsupplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; andthe peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts andminds through Christ Jesus.”

    God bless!

  • Luke 12:13-21 - The Treasure Principle

    Luke 12:13-21 - The Treasure Principle

    · Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

    I want to remind you that this might be my last pastor’schat for a couple of weeks. I would also like to ask you for special prayers forseveral things. For the next couple of days, I will be extremely busy takingcare of some family matters that involve my older sister, Lynda Smith, who wasput into palliative care this past week. Then on Tuesday, the 18th,my son Jonathan and I will be flying to India to take care of a specialsituation there involving both of our ministries. We especially need for you toask the Lord to give us wisdom and for safety as we travel.

    On Saturday, the 22nd, we will fly from India toCairo Egypt, to meet some ministry partners there and prepare for our scheduledtour to Jordan and Egypt that will take place this fall from October 14thto the 25th. We are hoping many of you will join us on thisunforgettable journey to places where some of the most powerful revelations andmiracles of God in the Bible took place. For more information on this tour,click on this link: https://www.gpartners.org/tour

    Also, would you please continue to pray for my grandsonLuke, who is in PICU in the Roanoke hospital, and will be there for the nextcouple of weeks dealing with a terrible infection. When they are assured thatit is gone, Luke will be going through major surgery to replace everything inhis brain and body to keep the pressure off his brain. I believe that this willbe his 31st surgery on his little brain. Your prayers and supportfor all the above are always very important and appreciated!

    In Luke 12:13-21, when Jesus was warning us to “bewareof covetousness”, He told the story of a rich farmer that He called a fool,because he forgot to prepare for eternity. Then, it is if Jesus turns to us andbasically says, we are fools if, like this farmer, we only live for money andthings now and forget to live for heaven.

    This is what Jesus said in verse 21; “So is hewho lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."

    A number of years ago, as a pastor I led our churchmembership though a series of lessons called the “The Treasure Principle” thatwas written by Randy Alcorn. I highly recommend this little book and theprinciples that Randy shares concerning how we should handle the resources thatthe Lord puts at our disposal. The Treasure Principle that Jesus gives here,and Randy highlights is very simple but profoundly true, “You can’t take itwith you, but you can send it on ahead.”

    Money is not evil, but the love of money and temporalthings is the root of all evil. Randy reminds us: “Anything we try to hang onto here will be lost. But anything we put into God’s hands will be ours for eternity,(insured for infinitely more than $100,000 by the real FDIC, the Father’sDeposit Insurance Corporation. If we give instead of keep, if we invest in theeternal instead of in the temporal, we store up treasures in heaven that willnever stop paying dividends.”

    “Whatever treasures we store up on earth will be leftbehind when we leave. Whatever treasures we store up in heaven will be waitingfor us when we arrive.” Several of the keys to being a good steward of God’swonderful resources are: “God owns everything. I’m His money manager”.Remember: “My heart always goes where I put God’s money”. “Heaven, not earth,is my home”. (Hebrews 11:16). “Giving is the only antidote to materialism”. And,“God prospers me not to raise my standard of living, but to raise my standardof giving.”

    My friend, remember what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 9:6-8:“But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he whosows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as hepurposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerfulgiver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, alwayshaving all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every goodwork.”

    God bless!

  • Luke 12:13-21 - Don't Forget Who Really Owns It All

    Luke 12:13-21 - Don't Forget Who Really Owns It All

    · Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

    Before we get into our study in Luke 12 today, I would liketo ask you for special prayer, and your patience for these next couple ofweeks. For the next couple of days, I will be extremely busy taking care ofsome family matters that involve my older sister, Lynda Smith, who was put intopalliative care this past week. Then on Tuesday, the 18th, my sonJonathan and I will be flying to India to take care of special situation thereinvolving both of our ministries. We need especially for you to ask the Lordfor wisdom for us, and for safety as we travel.

    On Saturday, the 22nd, we will fly from India toCairo Egypt, to meet some ministry partners there and prepare for our scheduledtour to Jordan and Egypt that will take place this fall from October 14thto the 25th. We are hoping many of you will join us on thisunforgettable journey to places where some of the most powerful revelations andmiracles of God in the Bible took place. For more information on this tour,click on this link: https://www.gpartners.org/tour

    I hope to be back home in Sneads Ferry NC by Friday, March28th. It will be extremely difficult to post daily chats during thistime while I’m away, but I will post updates on our travels when I can. Your prayers and support for all the above are always veryimportant and appreciated!

    Luke 12 begins with Jesus giving us two “beware” statements.In verses 1-12, He tells us to “beware of hypocrisy”. In verses 13-21, Hewarns us to “beware of covetousness”. Both of these two sins can destroyour Christian witness and our lives. Yesterday we learned from Colossians 3:1-7,that “covetousness is idolatry”. Covetousness is the sin of puttingother gods before and between you and the LORD God! This is the very first ofthe Ten Commandment in Exodus 20:2-5; "I am the LORD your God, whobrought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shallhave no other gods before Me. "You shall not make for yourself a carvedimage, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in theearth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow downto them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visitingthe iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generationsof those who hate Me”

    The sin of idolatry was the number one sin that brought God’sjudgment and harshest punishment upon the nation of Israel and sent them intocaptivity. Jesus told the story of the rich farmer who forgot that it was Godthat gave him his wealth and that when he died, he would leave it all behind.When we are committing the sin of covetousness, we are forgetting that God isthe owner of everything and we are only His stewards over it. “The earth isthe LORD'S, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein” (Psalm24:1).

    We are also forgetting it is God who gives us breath, time,and skills to get wealth. God warned Israel in Deuteronomy 8:17-20, that afterHe had blessed them for their obedience, they would be in danger of forgettingHim and they would: “Say in their heart, 'My power and the might of my handhave gained me this wealth.' And you shall remember the LORD your God, for itis He who gives you power to get wealth”.

    We should take the command that Paul gave to Timothyseriously: “Command those who are rich in this present age not to behaughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives usrichly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works,ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundationfor the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life” (1 Timothy6:17-19).

    Please Lord, don’t let us ever forget that You own it all,and anything we have is a gift and blessing from You, and You gave it to us togive to others and bless them. Amen!

    God bless!

  • Luke 12:13-21 -

    Luke 12:13-21 - "Covetousness, which is Idolatry"

    · Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

    I believe I remember A.W. Tozer writing about how we live inthe age of a humanistic Christianity. Which means it is all about me! What Godand others can do for me. Instead of what I can do for Christ and others.

    The sad truth isthat we have raised a generation of irresponsible, disrespectful people becausethey think it is all about them. “Have your own way”. “Do it your way”. “Whatdo you want to do”. “Follow your heart”. These are all indications of a humanisticheart and philosophy of life. It appears that today most Christians have alsogot caught up in this stream of materialism in America. Someone said it sowell, “We live in the day of rat race! We buy things we don’t need, with moneywe don’t have, to impress people we don’t even like”.

    The Gospels are full of verses where Jesus deals with thesubject of money, greed, and covetousness. In His first recorded message in Matthew6:19-21, Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, wheremoth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up foryourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and wherethieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heartwill be also.” Do you want to know where your heart really is? Look in yourcheck book, look in your credit card statements. See what you spend your moneyand time on, who and what you give your money to.

    Jesus basically spends the rest of this chapter dealingwith the subject of covetousness and how to avoid this sin of idolatry that hasdestroyed so many families and lives. First, we need to realize that this sinof covetousness is something that comes from within the heart. Notice whatJesus said this certain rich man did. “He thought within himself
”. He didn’t get his friends and neighbors aroundhim and get upon a soap box and proclaim publicly to everyone, “Look at me! I havespent my life working very hard and now am a very wealthy man.”

    Jesus also said this man was a fool, not because he wasrich, but because he didn’t realize the brevity of his life. The very night he thathe thought about what he would do with his wealth, he died and left his hard-earnedmoney and wealth to others, who would probably waste it. Solomon spoke aboutthis in Ecclesiastes 2:15-20.

    The rich man also revealed his heart by what he said. “Hethought within himself, saying
”. You can’t help but notice all the I’s and “My’s”.“What shall I do, since I have no room to store mycrops?' So he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barnsand build greater, and there I will store all my crops and mygoods. And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you havemany goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and bemerry."

    It is obvious that his heart was all about himself and whathe wanted. This is the essence of humanism and the sin of idolatry! The truthis, it is not about making a living, it is about learning how to live. We shouldn’twonder why our children are so materialistic, when we teach them that they mustget a “good education” so that they can make a good living. And we fail toteach them to live for the eternal.

    Colossians 3:1-7 is a great reminder of the importance of livingfor the eternal things of God: “If then you were raised with Christ, seekthose things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand ofGod. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.... When Christ who is our lifeappears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore put to deathyour members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evildesire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things thewrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7 in which you yourselvesonce walked when you lived in them.”

    Idolatry is the worship of anything that gets between youand God. May God help us not to be a fool like the rich man in this story.

    God bless!

  • Luke 12:13-21 -

    Luke 12:13-21 - "Beware of Covetousness"

    · Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

    Luke 12:1-12 begins with Jesus giving a warning to Hisdisciples to, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy”.Jesus said, “Beware of hypocrisy”! Then He teaches us how to overcomethe temptation of hypocrisy and compromising our Christian faith. Hypocrisy isa terrible sin that destroys our responsibility and opportunities to be a faithfulwitness for the Lord Jesus to the lost world around us. We should take thiswarning of our Lord to heart every day!

    Today in Luke 12:13-21, the Lord is giving us anotherwarning! Here Jesus says, “Take heed and beware of covetousness!” Atthis point, Jesus is approached by a man in the crowd who interrupted Him by askingHim as the Rabbi or Teacher, to solve a family problem and help settle a legaldispute with him and his brother over their inheritance. Rabbis were expectedto help settle legal matters, but Jesus refused to get involved. Why? BecauseHe knew that no answer He gave would solve the real problem, which wascovetousness in the hearts of the two brothers.

    The "you" in Luke 12:14 is plural, which meantJesus is speaking to both of the brothers. As long as both men were greedy, nosettlement would be satisfactory. Their greatest need was to have their heartschanged. Like too many people today, they wanted Jesus to serve them but not tosave them. Jesus also knew the crowd needed to hear this warning, so, “He saidto them, Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's lifedoes not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses." Jesus knew we needed to hear this warning tooand we should “take heed” and listen carefully to what He has to say about thissin of covetousness.

    Someone said that covetousness is an unquenchable thirstfor getting more and more of something we think we need in order to be trulysatisfied. It may be a thirst for money or the things that money can buy, oreven a thirst for position and power. Jesus made it clear that true life doesnot depend on an abundance of possessions. He did not deny that we have certainbasic needs (Matt. 6:32; 1 Tim. 6:17). He only affirmed that we will not makelife richer by acquiring more of these things.

    Mark Twain once defined "civilization" as "alimitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities," and he was right. Infact, many Christians are infected with covetousness and do not know it. Theythink that Paul's admonition in 1 Timothy 6 applies only to the "rich andfamous." Measured by the living standards of the rest of the world, mostbelievers in America are indeed wealthy people.

    Jesus then told this parable of a rich farmer to reveal thedangers that lurk in a covetous heart. As we read and study it, we will noticeseveral things. We need to recognize that Jesus did not say this wealthy manwas a fool because he was rich. He was not a fool because he worked hard and wasfugal and saved a lot of money that he now had available for himself. No, Jesussays he was a fool because after he acquire this money and goods, that he didn’tknow what to do with it.

    This no doubt is a sin that many of us have in America. Thepoorest person in America is richer that ninety-five percent of the rest of theworld. We tend to waste money, spend money, and invest money to gain more moneyand a better living, but we spend it and invest it for temporal rather than theeternal.

    I love this quote by the missionary Jim Elliot, “He is nofool who gives up that which he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”As we think about this warning from Jesus, we need to look into our own heartstoday and make sure we are not seeking to be satisfied with money orpossessions. Their satisfaction is only temporary and will not meet the deepestneed of our soul that can only be satisfied by our relationship with JesusChrist!

    Today, may God help us to “beware of covetousness” and seekJesus first and foremost (Matthew 6:33).

    God bless!

  • Luke 12:8-12 - Depending on the Ministry of the Holy Spirit

    Luke 12:8-12 - Depending on the Ministry of the Holy Spirit

    · Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

    I believe that one of the greatest obstacles for lostsinners to put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ is the hypocrisy displayedin the lives of believers. When they see us acting like the rest of the worldaround us, and at the same time claiming to be a follower of Jesus Christ, theythink we are a bunch of fakes, or flakes, and use us an excuse not to trustChrist. Jesus denounced hypocrisy of any type in the harshest terms possible.

    Yesterday we gave a summary of how Jesus said we can avoidhypocrisy in our own lives, but it bears repeating: 1) Remember that everythingwe say or do in secret, or behind closed doors, will one day be exposed to everyoneto see and hear (vv. 2-3). 2) Jesus tells us not to fear men, or anyone, and whatthey might say or do against us, but to fear God (vv. 4-5). 3) Jesus reminds usthat despite our circumstances during difficult and tragic times, God stills lovesand cares for us and notices the smallest detail of our lives and all the needsof our lives (vv. 6-7). 4) Jesus tells us to be courageous enough to publicly professand confess our faith openly (vv. 8-9)!

    In verses 10-12, Jesus promises us that we have a fifthpowerful “Helper” that we should also recognize and depend on, which is the ministryof the Holy Spirit. (Please watch or listen to our Pastor’s Chat today. It probablysays it better than I can write about it.) I also should point out that the OldTestament emphasizes the ministry of God the Father. The Gospels emphasizes theministry of Jesus Christ. And the Acts and Epistles belong to the ministry ofthe Holy Spirit.

    You might remember in the previous chapter, Luke 11:13, whenJesus was teaching about prayer, that He finished His lesson with these words: “Ifyou then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how muchmore will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" Jesus knew the disciples and all futurebelievers and followers would face tremendous opposition and persecution throughouttheir lives (John 16:33). They would find it difficult, and most likely,impossible to “keep their faith”.

    That is why Jesus spent much time in His last hours anddays with His disciples assuring them of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. In HisUpper Room discourses, Jesus told them He would not leave them “orphans”. “AndI will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abidewith you forever-- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, becauseit neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you andwill be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you” (John14:16-18).

    John chapter 15, finishes with this promise from Jesus: "Butwhen the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit oftruth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.” In John 16:7-14,Jesus continues to assure them: “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is toyour advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will notcome to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you
, when He, the Spirit oftruth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on Hisown authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you thingsto come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it toyou.”

    Jesus last words to His disciples before He ascended intoheaven were: “Wait for the Promise of the Father, which you heard of Me
 andyou shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shallbe witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the endof the earth." (Acts 1:4-8).

    Have you ever asked and received the Promise and Gift ofthe Holy Spirit to give you grace, strength, and wisdom, to live for Jesusevery hour of every day?

    God bless!

  • Luke 12:8-12 - Be a Public Witness for Christ

    Luke 12:8-12 - Be a Public Witness for Christ

    · Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

    Today, in our passage here in Luke 12:8-10, we have one ofthe most interesting and discussed topics in the Gospels and that is the questionof what does it mean to “blaspheme against the Holy Spirit.”

    Luke 12 begins with Jesus warning the disciples to “bewareof the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy”. Over the next several versesJesus instructs both the disciples and the crowd on how to avoid becoming ahypocrite like the Pharisees of His day. Of course this is very much for usbelievers today. There are some very practical things we can do that will keepus from compromising our faith and going along with the crowd. Sometimes itmight be the crowd in the world with their ungodly ways, or most likely itcould be the crowd in our religious circles with their emphasis on the externalrituals, ceremonies, legalism, and made-up rules and preferences.

    First, Jesus tells us to remember that everything we say ordo in secret, or behind closed doors, will one day be exposed to everyone to seeand hear (vv. 2-3). Secondly, Jesus tells us not to fear men, or anyone, and whatthey might say or do against us, but to fear God (vv. 4-5). Third, Jesusreminds us that despite our circumstances during difficult and tragic times, Godstills loves and cares for us and notices the smallest detail of our lives andall the needs of our lives (vv. 6-7).

    Now in our verses today (vv. 8-12), which begin with, “Also,I say unto you”, Jesus gives us another way to avoid hypocrisy is to be courageousenough to publicly profess and confess Christ openly (vv. 8-9)! And we shouldalso recognize and depend on the ministry of the Holy Spirit (vv.10-12).

    We need to remember that one day we will have to standbefore God at the Judgement Seat of Christ and give an account of our deeds. (Notour sins, because they are taken care of at the cross.) If we obediently and courageouslyprofess Christ openly now to the lost world around us, on that day Christ willconfess that we have been “good and faithful servants” before both the Fatherand the angels in heaven. But if we deny Him now, fail to live and stand up forHim, Jesus says we will be ashamed before the angels in heaven on that day.

    What a great motivation to avoid being a hypocrite!!!!!

    Now what about the statement concerning the “blasphemy ofthe Holy Spirit’? We need to recognize that this statement is connected withthe ministry of the Spirit in and through the Apostles (Luke 12:11-12). TheJewish nation rejected God the Father when they refused to obey John theBaptist and repent, for John was sent by the Father. They rejected God the Sonwhen they asked Pilate to crucify Him. But that sin could be forgiven becausethere was still the ministry of the Spirit.

    God did not judge the nation immediately. Instead, Jesusprayed for them as He hanged on the cross (Luke 23:34; see also Acts 3:17).Then God sent the Holy Spirit who ministered through the Apostles and otherbelievers in the church. This was the last opportunity for the nation, and theyfailed by rejecting the witness of the Spirit (Acts 7:51). Luke 12:11-12 wasfulfilled during the first chapters of Acts when the message went "to theJew first" (Acts 3:26; 13:46; Rom. 1:16). Israel's third "nationalsin" was the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7), after which the message went outto the Samaritans (Acts 8), and then the Gentiles (Acts 10). Note that Stephensaid, "You always resist the Holy Spirit" (Acts 7:51).

    I do not believe that the "sin against the HolySpirit" is committed by people today as it was by Israel centuries ago. InJohn 16:8-9, Jesus told His disciples “that when the Holy Spirit has come, Hewill convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin,because they do not believe in Me.

    I believe that the only "unpardonable sin" todayis the final rejection of Jesus Christ (John 3:36). Make sure you have trusted Jesustoday! Tomorrow might be too late.

    God bless!

  • Luke 12:4-7 - Fear God Not Man

    Luke 12:4-7 - Fear God Not Man

    · Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

    Fear God not man! First, we need understand thatGod created us as emotional creatures which is an aspect of being created inthe image of God. God has emotions! One of the most powerful and motivatingemotions we have is fear. There is a good benefit about fear, and there is abad aspect about fear.

    The good thing about fear is that it warns us of impendingdanger so we can prepare for it. I should fear getting to close to the edge ofthe cliff, getting in deep water if I can’t swim, jumping out of a plane with afaulty parachute, or someone threatening to kill me with a gun. I get verymotivated to response in a proper way. But there is a fear that is not good.That is why the phrase, “Do not fear” or “do not be afraid” appears several hundredtimes in the Bible. There is a fear that paralyzes us or keeps us from doingthe right thing. There is a fear that indicates that we are not trusting Godfor His presence, protection, or His provision.

    In this passage in Luke 12, it first appears that the Lordmight be teaching us and addressing fear as one of the basic causes of hypocrisy.You might notice that Jesus mentioned "fear" five times in theseverses. When we are afraid of what others may think or say about us, then wetry to impress them in order to gain their approval.

    If necessary, we will even lie to accomplish our purposes,and this is hypocrisy. We often get caught up in the moment and follow a crowdto do evil, so we don’t get ridiculed for being different or being a religiousnut.

    We also might fear what the crowd or our enemies could do tous physically, to our body, if we don’t compromise our faith and say what theywant to hear or do what they are demanding. It is very possible that this iswhat the Lord is referring to in these verses. For sure the Pharisees weremotivated to be hypocrites because they were more concerned about theirreputation rather than their character, what people thought about them ratherthan what God knew about them. If we are not careful, we easily fall into thesame trap. A good verse to remember when we face this temptation is Proverbs29:25: “The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD shallbe safe.”

    The remedy for hypocrisy is to forget about what people maysay or do and fear God alone. The fear of God is the fear that conquers allother fears, for the person who truly fears God need fear nothing else. Allthat men can do is kill the body, but God can condemn the soul! Since He is thefinal Judge, and He judges for eternity, it is logical that we put the fear ofGod ahead of everything else. We also need to remember that the body is only temporary,but the soul is eternal. And that eternity is more important than time.

    In verses 6-7, Jesus also gives us the answer to what mightbe our greatest fear, and that is, that God really doesn’t care about us. Jesusassures us God's amazing love and care. “Are not five sparrows sold for twocopper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God (v. 6). Godsees a sparrow fall from the sky and attends it in its hour of death. Mosestells us that God actually counts how many eggs a bird has in its nest (Deut.22:6-7). Coming closer to home, God “numbers the hairs on our head”. Goddoes not merely count them; He numbers them. The Greek word for “number” isarithmeo (from whence comes our word arithmetic). The word means that God notonly counts our hairs (a virtually impossible task) but He also labels them.

    Think of it! God actually knows each separate individualhair on our head as separate and distinct from every other hair. That's ourGod! If He is that concerned about us, we must trust Him even when persecution orthe temptation to compromise comes. We have a God who loves us with aneverlasting love.

    Jesus by His own life, death and resurrection teaches usthat we can always trust God

    God bless!

  • Luke 12:1-3 - The Greater Danger of Hypocrisy

    Luke 12:1-3 - The Greater Danger of Hypocrisy

    · Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

    In the closing verses of Luke 11, Jesus was dealing withthe hypocrisy of the religious leader, but now in opening verses of Luke 12, Hewarns His disciples of a greater danger, and that is the hypocrisy of His followers.

    Remember what a hypocrite is. The word hypocrite comes froma Greek word that means "an actor," "one who plays a part."There are hypocrites in every walk of life, people who try to impress others inorder to hide their real selves. In the Christian life, a hypocrite is somebodywho tries to appear more spiritual than he or she really is. These people knowthat they are pretending, and they hope they will not be found out. TheirChristian life is only a shallow masquerade.

    Maybe one of the reasons that Jesus turned His attention toHis disciples in the midst of all this commotion, with an “innumerablemultitude of people” gathered around them, is that the Lord knew that theymight be tempted to either gain popularity by pleasing the crowds, or to avoidtrouble by pleasing the scribes and Pharisees. All of us want people to likeus, and it seems such an easy thing to "act the part" that otherswant to see.

    Jesus compared hypocrisy to leaven (yeast), something thatevery Jew would associate with evil. (See Ex. 12:15-20). Paul also used leavento symbolize sin. (See 1 Cor. 5:6-8; Gal. 5:9.) Like yeast, hypocrisy beginsvery small but grows quickly and quietly. As it grows, it infects the wholeperson. Hypocrisy does to the ego what yeast does to bread dough: it puffs itup (see 1 Cor. 4:6, 18-19; 5:2). Soon pride takes over and the person'scharacter deteriorates rapidly.

    Hypocrites are people who are trying to cover up something intheir life. I have found that most hypocrites are also bitter people or guiltypeople trying to cover up their sin. They are people who have “failed thegrace of God.” In other words, God gave them grace to deal with their hurtthat caused their bitterness. Or their sin that has caused their guilt.

    We are instructed in Hebrews 12:14-15 to: “Pursue peacewith all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: lookingcarefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root ofbitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled”. Hypocritesare trying to cover up their sin and bitterness and are troublemakers. And theadded tragedy is that it spreads and “defiles” those around them.

    The greatest obstacle between a sinner and the Savior is usuallya hypocrite, a Christian who has one foot in the church and one in the world.That is why Jesus gave this warning to the Laodicean church in Revelation3:15-17: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wishyou were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold norhot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, 'I am rich, have becomewealthy, and have need of nothing'--and do not know that you are wretched,miserable, poor, blind, and naked”.

    Jesus would rather that we not even claim to be a Christian,“cold”, or be on fire as one, “hot”, thanto be a “lukewarm” one, in the middle. Like the Laodiceans, hypocrites becomedeceived, thinking they are rich, wealthy, and have no needs. That is why lostpeople often say, “I would go to church, but there are too many hypocritesthere”. And the sad thing is that in most cases they are right.

    In verses 2-3, Jesus goes on to say that hypocrisy isfoolish and futile. Why? Because nothing can really be hidden. This is anotherway of saying, “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). Thesin of hypocrisy will one day be uncovered. Hypocrites with be exposed sooneror later. The real person will come to the surface. This is not good news forpoliticians, religious hypocrites, and others who prey on people by their pretending.

    May the Lord help us humble ourselves, confess our sins,find forgiveness, give forgiveness, and be real!

    God bless!

  • Luke 11:53-54; Luke 12:1 -

    Luke 11:53-54; Luke 12:1 - "Beware of the Leaven..."

    · Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

    Luke 12:1

    1 In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of peoplehad gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say toHis disciples first of all, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees,which is hypocrisy.

    Today, before we begin looking into Luke 12, I want to giveyou a special invitation to join me and my son, Jonathan Grooms, the presidentof Global Partners in Peace and Development, for an unforgettable journeythrough Jordan & Egypt on a special tour we have planned for this fall, October14-25, 2025! We will experience seeingand walking through the lands where Jacob wrestled with God, where Moses ledhis people out of Egypt and through the wilderness, where Mary, Joseph andJesus sought refuge.

    Imagine exploring the ancient Pyramids, wandering throughthe lost city of Petra, riding through the stunning Wadi Rum desert, and beingbaptized in the Jordan River—all while walking in the footsteps of biblicalhistory!

    Our tour highlights will include:

    In Jordan we will visit: Jerash, Amman Citadel, RomanAmphitheatre, view the Dead Sea Scrolls, Mt. Nebo, Tank and Automobile Museum,Jesus' Baptist Site, float in the Dead Sea, Petra, Wadi Rum Desert Tour, andrelax or swim at the Red Sea.

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    Now back to Luke! You might have noticed that we didn’tfinish the last two verses of Luke 11. After Jesus’ scathing rebuke and condemnationupon the Pharisees and the Lawyers, it appears instead of repenting and seekingHis mercy, they were overcome with rage and anger. Hypocrites do not want theirsins exposed; it hurts their reputation. They deliberately began to attack Himwith "catch questions" in hopes they could trap Him in some heresyand then arrest Him. What a disgraceful way to treat the Son of God.

    Verse 53 says: “The Lawyers and the Pharisees began toassail Him vehemently”. I can only imagine that they are shouting andyelling at Him very loudly! There was already a crowd outside and maybe Jesusis trying to leave the house with His disciples, but the commotion is so loudthat the crowd grows larger so that, according to Luke 12:1, they are tramplingupon one another.

    We are not sure where Jesus was at this time but according toLuke 9:51, He had set His face to go to Jerusalem and it appears that He wassomewhere in the region of Samaria that was between Galilee and the city ofJerusalem. Remember also at this time, Jesus has been ministering and healingpeople for over three years. Hundreds and most likely thousands of blind peoplehave received their sight, the lame and sick have been healed, and hungry peoplehave been miraculously fed! The crowds want to see more miracles and they arecurious with all the commotion going on.

    Yet with all this happening, Jesus turns His attention toHis disciples and warns them to “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, whichis hypocrisy”. Not only can the religious leaders have a problem with hypocrisy,but the close followers of Jesus can face the same temptation. If we are not careful,we can become “pretenders” trying to get people to think better of us than wereally are.

    May the Lord help us today to heed His warning of hypocrisyin our own lives.

    God bless!

  • Luke 11:45-54 - Beware of False Teachers

    Luke 11:45-54 - Beware of False Teachers

    · Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

    52 Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did notenter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered."

    Luke 11 finishes with Jesus giving a personal, up-close,scathing word of rebuke and declaration of condemnation and judgment upon the religiousleaders of His day. He pronounced three “woes” upon the Pharisees and their hypocrisy,and three “woes” upon the lawyers who were the religious “experts” interpretingthe Law of Moses for the people.

    That is why verse 45, tells us that after Jesus spoke His wordsto the Pharisees, the lawyer said, "Teacher, by saying these things Youreproach us also." The Pharisees believed, and were supposedly practicingall the traditional teachings of these lawyers. This opened the door for Jesusto condemn these lawyers too. I’m convinced that the false teachers of the Wordof God will receive the greater condemnation on judgment day from God. We needto know how to identify them and avoid them.

    First in verse 46, they don’t practice what they teach.They put a “religious works” burdens on others that they ignore themselves.Secondly, in verse 47-51, they glorify the Old Testament prophets as they attemptto identify with them so that they will appear to be authentic. They appear toknow the Bible better than anyone else. And third, in verse 52, they claim becauseof that, they are the only ones who can properly interpret the Scriptures. The internetand social media are full of these false teachers today! Beware!

    These “lawyers” that Jesus was condemning were guilty ofrobbing the common people of the knowledge of the Word of God. It was badenough that they would not enter the kingdom themselves, but they werehindering others from going in! It is a serious thing to teach God's Word andnot everyone is supposed to do it (James 3:1). Unfortunately, what some peoplecall "Bible study" is too often just a group of unprepared peopleexchanging their ignorance.

    The lawyers had convinced the people that nobody couldunderstand and explain the Law except the trained and authorized teachers. Wehave some of that arrogant attitude showing itself today. Teachers whooveremphasize the Bible languages give people the impression that the HolySpirit cannot teach anyone who does not know Greek and Hebrew. We need toalways remember that Jesus is the key to the Scriptures (Luke 24:44-48).

    When you take away that key, you cannot understand what Godhas written. As helpful and necessary as theological studies are, the mostimportant requirements for Bible study are a yielded heart and an obedientwill. Jesus said in John 7:17: “If anyone wants to do His will, he shallknow concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on Myown authority.” In John 14:21 Jesussaid: “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. Andhe who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifestMyself to him."

    The best Bible teachers are men and women who learned thetruth of God's Word on their knees and on the battlefield of life. They wereSpirit-taught, not man-taught. Jesus told His disciples in John 16:13-14: “However,when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; forHe will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak;and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take ofwhat is Mine and declare it to you.” A Spirit led Bible teacher will alwaysglorify Jesus and not himself.

    So serious is this danger of false teachers that Jesus willhave more to say about it in Luke 12:1. (Also read 2 Peter 2-3)

    Meanwhile, let us beware!

    God bless!

  • Luke 11:44-54 - Jesus Exposes Religious Hypocrisy

    Luke 11:44-54 - Jesus Exposes Religious Hypocrisy

    · Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

    In this passage, Luke 11:42-52, as a guest, in the veryhouse of a Pharisee, Jesus courageously exposes the hypocrisy of the religiousleaders of His day, the Pharisees and lawyers. Jesus is making it very clearthat there is no room for hypocrites in the church, especially in the pulpitand in the church leaders. Jesus is not only exposing them, but He is declaringcondemnation and judgment upon them with these six “woe” pronouncements. Threewere for the Pharisees and three were for the lawyers. The first three"woes" denounce the Pharisees for their wrong priorities.

    In verse 42, the Pharisees were careful about tithing eventhe tiny leaves and seeds from the herbs, but they forgot about importantthings like justice and love (Micah 6:7-8). They majored on the minors! Jesusdid not say they should stop tithing but that they should put their religiousactivities into proper perspective.

    In verse 43, Jesus points out that they also put reputationabove character. They thought that sitting in the right seats and beingacknowledged by the right people would make them spiritual. Reputation is whatpeople think we are; character is what God knows we are.

    But it was the comparison Jesus made in Luke 11:44, thatmust have infuriated the host and the other Pharisees who were present. TheJews had to be especially careful about ceremonial defilement from dead bodies(Num. 19:11-22; note especially v. 16), so they made sure the graves werecarefully marked. But the Pharisees were like unmarked graves that did not looklike graves at all! This meant that they were unconsciously defiling otherswhen they thought they were helping them become holier! Instead of helpingpeople, the Pharisees were harming them.

    In verse 45, the lawyers felt the sting of our Lord's wordsand tried to defend themselves. Jesus used three vivid illustrations inanswering them: burdens, tombs, and keys. The lawyers were good at adding tothe burdens of the people, but they had no heart for helping them carry thoseburdens. What a tragedy when "ministers" of God's Word create moreproblems for people who already have problems enough! Jesus might have hadthese "religious burdens" in mind when He gave the graciousinvitation recorded in Matthew 11:28-30.

    The scribes were also good at "embalming" thepast and honoring the prophets who had been martyred by the religiousestablishment to which they belonged. Both Bible history and church historyreveal that true servants of God are usually rejected by the people who mostneed their ministry, but the next generation will come along and honor thesepeople. The Pharisees were like "hidden graves," but the lawyersbuilt elaborate tombs!

    The first recorded martyrdom in the Old Testament is thatof Abel, and the last is that of Zechariah (see Gen. 4:1-15; 2 Chron. 24:20-27).Jesus did not suggest that the scribes and Pharisees were personallyresponsible for killing the Old Testament prophets. Rather, He was affirmingthat people just like the scribes and Pharisees did these terrible things toGod's servants. Their ultimate crime would be the crucifixion of the Son ofGod.

    You can only imagine the tension that is in the room atthis point. But the lesson for us today is very clear: Jesus has no patiencefor hypocrisy in religious leaders or even in any of us!

    God bless!

  • Luke 11:37-44 - Religious Deception

    Luke 11:37-44 - Religious Deception

    · Pastor Mike Impact Ministries

    As we look at this passage in Luke 11:37-54, we need to rememberthe setting Jesus was in where He is declaring judgment, the six “woes”, uponthe Pharisees and religious lawyers, who are also called scribes. In verse 35, Jesushad just made the public statement, “Therefore take heed that the lightwhich is in you is not darkness.” It was then that a Pharisee invited Jesusto come into his house and dine with him. He was hoping to catch Jesus sayingor doing something so that he could accuse Him of breaking the Law of Moses andthen he could expose Jesus as a false prophet or teacher.

    This morning, I couldn’t help but think how that Jesus notonly accepted the invitation, but when He is in this Pharisee’s house sittingat this meal with him that Jesus pronounces these stinging words of judgmentupon all the Pharisees. When Jesus didn’t wash His hands before He ate, thePharisee immediately was thinking that if Jesus was a true prophet he would nothave broken the Law of Moses and traditional teaching of the lawyers.

    It is then that the Lord gives this message exposing the hypocrisyof the religious leaders of His day. The religious Pharisees and lawyers claimedto have the truth and the light of God because of their “knowledge” of the OldTestament Scriptures. But they needed to “take heed” that the light they haveis not darkness”. In Jesus first recorded message in Matthew 6:23, He said, “Butif your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore thelight that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”

    We should take heed also! The greatest darkness is a “religious”darkness. To be deceived into thinking and believing that our religion of gooddeeds of “righteousness” that we can do, will save us. Remember what Paul wrotein Romans 10:1-4: “Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israelis that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal forGod, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God'srighteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have notsubmitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law forrighteousness to everyone who believes.”

    Religion and Bible knowledge without Jesus Christ is what thePharisees of both Jesus’ and Paul’s day had as they sought “to establish theirown righteousness”. What a powerfulmessage for us today! We can know the Bible forward and backward and attempt tokeep it in our own way and strength, and think we are “right” with God. Paulwould also write in 2 Corinthians 3:6: “Who also made us sufficient asministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for theletter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” Yes, trying to keep “letter ofthe Law” in our own strength brings both deception and death.

    There is no greater deception than religious and self-deception!In James 1, we are warned about this kind of deception in several verses. Jamessays this kind of religion is empty, vain, useless! This is basically a warningto believers who have the Bible but are not practicing the love of God in caringfor the poor, helpless, widows and orphans. We look into the mirror of God’s Word,but we refuse to clean up the inside and we become hypocrites and at the sametime think that we are “right” with God.

    A good verse to end with today is found in 2 Corinthians5:21: “For He (God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin for us, thatwe might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Let’s make sure we aretrusting in a personal relationship with Jesus and His salvation and His imputedrighteousness and not an outward religion of “right” deeds and good works!

    God bless!

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