YOU ARE WHO?
LUKE: 9:18-20
Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “who do the crowds say I am?” They replied, “some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.” “But what about you? He asked, “who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”
The market is full of pure white cooking fat brands from different manufacturers each brand bearing a different brand name label. Without the name tag, it is hard for a person to distinguish which is which since they all look alike. Ever come across identical twins? Sometimes even their parents find it a bit hard to establish who is who and unless one has a birthmark to identify from the other a mere look does not help in such a situation since when you call one of them by their names, both stare in reply!
In Matthew 16:13-17, Jesus tells Peter that his knowledge of Christ was not revealed to him by man but by the Father in heaven. There are many people who join organizations, churches and cults, partnerships etc. without seeking from the Heavenly Father. Surface knowledge is not enough, only the Heavenly Father knows the secrets of the hearts and can reveal to those who seek and enquire for this knowledge.
There are those who do not understand their marriage partners, no wonder marital problems like divorce are on the increase. Many a times men don’t know simply because the do not ask. Ignorance is a disease which can only be eradicated by the Word of God.
Luke 24: 13-35 speaks of the two men who walked with Jesus yet did not know him. Many people fail this test for they expect to see Jesus sparkling and glittering like an angel. Jesus dines with Christians everyday without their realizing it. How ignorant! Others walk with the devil without their knowledge. They are led into the gallows on their own feet. How sad! A time has come for each one to have time with God before engaging in any business partnership, spiritual enactment or any binding agreement. Remember that the children of Israel got into a treaty with their enemies, the Gibeonites (Joshua 9:1-16) which later on resulted into a famine and bloodshed ( 2 Samuel 21:1-9 ). The Spirit of God will enable us to discern whenever we come into contact with acquaintances.
There are those who come in sheep’s skin and expect to be housed and taken care of. Many have landed into problems by receiving the ‘enemy’ into their homes without seeking first from the Lord.
A certain relative was being buried. She had passed away after some illness and people came from different corners of the country for the burial ceremony. This woman, as people understood, did not have a stable job and nobody knew her exact profession but to the amazement of the parents, children, friends and relatives, it was discovered from the eulogy read by her co-workers that the diseased was a senior officer in the special branch of the criminal investigation department. People never knew her until the eulogy was read in her burial. It was too late for any compliments. People were tongue tied especially those who were very close to her.
You may actually not know the person you are confiding with. Take care for the same lady you are joining hands together in prayers and intercession for your partner may end up ‘stealing’ him away from you. There are actually genuine brethren who can really stand faithfully in prayer but in as much as we have the original, the counterfeits are also in the shelves. Beware of these decoys! There’s a story about how certain brother once prayed for the Lord to ‘take his fellow brother to heaven because home is beautiful….oh! hallelujah!…take him to paradise..!’ simply because he wanted the lady the brother was engaged to!
Many Christians do not want to testify about Jesus, and I am surprised to hear people comment that so and so was a faithful Christian on his or her burial. Let us know you as a Christian now than during your burial. We want to know who you truly are, today.
