6 A Fully Known Overcomer Series

I read this story about a Chinese boy who wanted to learn about jade so he went to study with a talented old teacher. This gentle man put a piece of the precious stone into his hand and told him to hold it tight. Then he began to talk of philosophy, men, women, the sun and almost everything under it. After an hour he took back the stone and sent the boy home. The procedure was repeated for several weeks. The boy became frustrated. When would he be told about the jade? He was too polite, however, to question the wisdom of his venerable teacher. Then one day, the old man put a stone into the boy’s hands. “Hey! That's not jade!”

I have heard that to recognize counterfeit money, banks don’t have their tellers study counterfeit bills, but instead have them become very familiar with the real.

REV 3:7-13 “And to the angel/messenger of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this: 8 ‘I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have followed My word, and have not denied My name. 9 Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and make them know that I have loved YOU. 10 Because you have KEPT My word of perseverance, I also will KEEP you from the hour of the testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to TEST those who live on the earth. 11 I am coming quickly; HOLD FIRMLY to what you have, so that no one will take your CROWN. 12 The one who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name. 13 The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

How would you feel if you were donating money to a Missions organization that turned out to be non-Christian? That there was NO mission to tell people about Jesus or minister in HIS NAME? Sure they do good, they help supply people with means, opportunities, food, shelter–but say nothing about Jesus Christ and how He wants to transform their lives if they will repent and turn to Him? Would you really want to support such an organization?

I have just heard that two organizations formerly supported by GMC are no longer doing so because of such a thing–they are no longer a mission in the name of Jesus nor hold to the Bible as supplying all the answers for life–eternal or otherwise. Are we really going to do that as a body dedicated to Jesus? NO! We want to be SURE the funding we supply as a Church body is going to a group that is Christ-centered and Gospel-driven in their mission. Amen?

Otherwise it is a counterfeit Mission. You would be shocked to find out, I know I was, and the GMC church on the other side of town has pulled funding for one of those so-called ministries because it is NO LONGER faithful to the core values of Christ. I went to the website and typed in the word Jesus and God. The name of Jesus isn’t exalted at all–not even ONE TIME! The word God showed up once and I had to dig for it and it was only used in a title of a book.

And it makes you wonder - how much do you really know people? IN a world of clicking and thumbs up or down, and popular opinion rules–who invented the LIKE button anyway? I think it was Fonzie. But if we get too wrapped in being LIKED it can make us into fakers.

Jesus used the word Hypo-krites, two words = “hypo,” meaning UNDER and “Krites” where we get our word Critic from.

Put the two words together and you get “Hypocrite” and it comes from the world of theater. In Greek plays, men were actors only so when they had to play the part of a woman they held up a mask, so their face was UNDER the mask interpreting (or pretending) from underneath to be something he was not.

And if you are really a good “actor” you can pretend so well that people don’t see the real you of who you are–like Tom Cruise, but instead they see Ethan Hunt, who he is pretending to be.