I would love to begin this piece by reading a portion a portion of the Bible in the book of Matthew chapter 10, I will start my reading from verse 27, and then I will stop in verse 39. I'm sure for most of us that are familiar with this chapter, we know this chapter for something else. When Jesus sent out the disciples two by two, do we remember? Alright, so we are looking at this chapter from another angle in this article. From verse 27, the Bible says: “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops…”
In this particular place, who do we think Jesus was talking to? The disciples. So, Jesus was addressing the disciples, He was not talking to the multitude. Because by the way, how many times did the multitude have the opportunity to hear him? So, he was talking to those who have followed Him thus far, those who have committed themselves to a process of learning from Him, wanting to become like Him and He said, “whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the lights, and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.” Let us continue to verse 28-31, it says:
“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your father’s will. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
Now, if we pause here, assuming we are not going further, but we will. And we look at what happened between Jesus and the disciples, Jesus said, the things that you hear from me, in the dark, say it in the light. The question is why? Because there is a need for the disciples to make known the character, the culture. You know, we've been looking at the kingdom. And everything that the Kingdom is all about they should make known the same thing to the world. Because the joy of the Lord is not just having twelve people, who follow Him and it all remains like that. The people don't spread, the people don't multiply, they don't influence they don't affect, He doesn't want that. And He said what I tell you in the dark; say it in the light, so there is a power in what you say. And he now says the things you hear from me, although you could have heard it privately, quietly, they are not meant to remain in you forever. That's contrary to the way many of us live our lives.
We are so careful about how people perceive us and we will rather seal our mouth. As long as I don't open my mouth, nobody will get offended with me. But Jesus said, lest you are even afraid of people being offended with you and people persecuting you or hurting you, He said, do not fear. Look at the last verse 31 that we read, He says, do not fear therefore, because of these that I've said to you don't fear, you are of more value than many sparrows don't fear. So, you cannot tell yourself the reason why I have to keep my mouth quiet is because of my fear. I don't want to be killed. I don't want people to harm me. You have to lay aside your fear, if indeed you are a disciple.
You remember what Jesus said, if a disciple is perfect, he will become just like his master, the master is talking here. He said, do not fear. Sir, if you are afraid, the reason why you're afraid is because you don't want to die. You don't want to suffer loss. And he says, don’t be afraid of those who can kill your body, who don't have power over your soul and your spirits. So, this must be dealt with. The call onto discipleship is not a call onto comfort and whatever we can call it. So, you don't respond to discipleship until you are ready for it. So now let's continue, having settle that, that you have not been called a disciple because your life will be rosy and comfortable going forward. You have been called because of other people. There are people who need to hear the things you are hearing.
There was a time Jesus said, blessed are your ears that hear these things. Some people wish to hear they cannot hear. Now what you hear are not for the comfort of your ears alone. They are for the ears of others. So, God said what I say to one I say to all. So, when God wants to speak to a nation, God speaks to you. When God wants to speak to a whole church, God speaks to you. When God wants to change a generation, God changes you. So, the things God delivered to you are not meant for you alone. So, you cannot keep it to yourself. You know there's a song that says I cannot keep it to myself. He’s been good.
The goodness of God must be expressed by your life and your words. So where do you speak, you speak in the light, you speak on the housetop. That's wisdom for somebody. Don't just say, let me quickly say this now; let me quickly say this now. Say it loud. So, the bigger the platform, the better. Let more people get to know the mysteries that can change their lives. Many lives are shielded, or they are covered in mysteries. Many people don't understand why things happen to them. But you understand. The Bible spoke concerning 200 of the sons of Issachar. They were different. They had understanding of times and seasons. They knew what Israel ought to do. Therefore, because of their understanding, the Bible says “their brethren, were at their command.”
Do you see it now? They didn't have understanding to keep it to themselves. They understood enough to command the others. They understood enough to influence others, they understood enough to help others with their own understanding. So, they didn't keep it to themselves. They were not afraid of people's faces. They were not fearing people's faces. If you think their brethren that were at their command were below them, or older than them, some of them were more influential than them, but they were at their command. So, I wanted to say, have you thought about it? Those who change nations, those who turn around, those who turn their world upside down were they men that were necessarily the biggest in the community? But you will see it, they were men who were not only willing to die, they were willing to die for what they were speaking about. That was their difference; from Apostle Paul, to this man in United States, Martin Luther King and every other person that has fought for something, these people spoke, there was something somebody said, I have a dream. I have a dream. I have a dream. The question is who gave him the dream? Was it you?
So, God said what I say in your ears declare it on the housetop. That's it. That's a responsibility. Somebody will say God has not given me that responsibility, are you a disciple, if you are a disciple, you have it. If somebody else is speaking, and you're keeping quiet is because the person has responded to the calling of God upon his or her life. If you have not responded, it doesn't mean you have not been so called. Alright, now we have seen it, this is like a background now. So, let's go to verse 32. Things are getting more intense. It says, therefore, whoever confesses me before men, do you see “them”, him, as an individual who chooses to confess me before men, him or her I will confess before my Father, who is in heaven. But whoever denies me before men, him I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven. Now can we meditate on that?
What does it mean to confess Christ before men? What does it mean to deny Christ before men? These are not ordinary words. If they are ordinary, nobody will deny Christ before men. And the question is how many people are confessing Christ before men? And what is the percentage of Christian believers who are denying Christ before men? To confess Christ before men means: to boldly acknowledge Christ Jesus…God has sent him to come to the world and that for the sins of the people so that they don't have to die in their sin and guilt and condemnation. To confess Christ means to proclaim that message of salvation, to witness Christ wherever you find yourself before men.
When it comes to confessing Christ before men also, the Scripture that directly comes to mind establishing our confession of Christ is what Apostle Paul said when he said I've been crucified with Christ nevertheless I live the life I live now I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. So, that Scripture for me kinds of summarizes confessing Christ. It says: “I've been crucified…” that means I die to flesh I die to myself and my life unto Christ. So, in my life, I confess Him. He said nevertheless, I live, meaning that this man you are seeing is dead. The man that is alive is Christ. So, my life is confessing His life. So, my death to self is confessing the living Christ.
Like ordinarily, I’m nobody, if you see anything fantastic it’s Christ. So, that again I believe is a strong confession of Christ. So, it is about acknowledging in every way. Acknowledging the fact that eternal life actually came to you through Christ Jesus, and the eternal life is the life you are now living. Confessing Christ also means taking a stand for Christ. You take a stand and you don’t move your head. You take a stand and you don't mind dying for that stand, you just take a stand. Somebody somewhere is taking a stand for something; the terrorists now are taking a stand for their ideologies and all that. So that the challenge that Christ is saying here is that if you take a stand for me, then I will take a stand for you. So, you actually have to take a stand.
Now, in the aspect of betrayal also you may want to use the word disown. Now, when Peter simply said I don't know Him. And when you say disown, disown actually has two phases, because when you disown someone, you actually you are saying that you have nothing to do with the person. But at the other end too, you are also saying the person does not own you. So, you don't have so the person and the person does not have you. So, I just want to use the word disown.
So, we've seen different explanations on confessing Christ and disowning Christ. Now, before we go on, on that there was something that I thought about. It was about this film Legend of The Seeker. Do we know the lady that was called a confessor? So, when she looks at people, she confesses them, and then they begin to do whatever she wants them to do. So those who don't get confessed, so to say by her, they are adamants, they behave the way they want to behave. But once she successfully confesses a person, the person will start following her, or start doing whatever she wants them to do. Now let's look at it. Confessing Christ before men, let's look at it a situation where a man a woman is confessed by Christ. So, all you do is Christ. All you say is Christ all you know, Jesus Christ.
In fact, Apostle Paul said something he said, I decided to know nothing among you except Christ's and Him crucified. He looks like a man that has been confessed, so to say, by Christ, and so he knows nothing. Only Christ, to the point that He said Christ in you the hope of glory. So, everything he peaks, all his wisdom, and mysteries they were within Christ. Christ was his boundary. Christ was his curriculum. When he wants you to grow, he will say grow up into the fullness of the stature of Christ. When he wants you to go forward, he will tell you to reach the end of Christ. Everything he gives you to do is about Christ. That is a man that confesses Christ. What about us?
Do we confess the courses we studied in school? There's no course you could study in school that you can’t confess. All courses or bodies of knowledge. You can build your destiny on them. Every time and everywhere you go, you only talk about those things. Are you confessing Christ or you're confessing your course? This is where we have to examine ourselves. Before you speak or before I speak blablabla, I have started talking about football. I'm confessing football. Before I speak, before I speak, I have started talking computer I'm confessing computer. Before I speak before I speak, I have started talking about God. I'm confessing God, who do you confess? Because who you confess is also a pointer to who you disowned.
The Bible says you cannot serve two masters. If you don't confess Christ, you have disowned him even though you think you are not. You know, in the book, The Marriage Covenants, our sister wrote helping us to understand divorce and separation. Separation has taken place before divorce takes place. People divorce publicly, only after they had been separated for a long time. So, until they first separate, they don't divorce. So, if you are not confessing Christ, you have been separated from Christ, you have just not disowned him publicly. And Christ knows those who are His. God knows those who are so you don't have to confess Christ publicly alone or deny Him publicly alone before He knows what is in your heart.
So, we have a responsibility, not just because you are a believer or you're a Christian, but because you call yourself a disciple of Jesus. You know, many words can be bamboozled or abused is difficult to abuse a disciple, a disciple is a disciple. There is no human being on earth who does not, who is not a disciple of somebody. You don't have to be good to be a disciple. Discipleship is not just about God, people disciple people. So that's why you can’t abuse this word, if you call yourself a disciple of Christ, there is only one thing you follow Christ and so if you follow Christ the responsibility of that followership is that you confess Him.
Now look at it, you just jump to YouTube for the first time and then having created your account, you decided to subscribe to a channel. And you are so very fortunate the channel has over hundred, because I did lately, I've subscribed to a channel that has three hundred videos. I told my wife everywhere I go on YouTube; the videos of those people keep chasing me. If you mistakenly subscribe to a wrong channel, they will start pursuing you, videos everywhere. So, what's the point? Because I subscribed, I have made YouTube to believe I want to follow them. Because YouTube doesn’t do follow like Twitter. They do subscribe but it has the same meaning. Your subscription is I submit to you, I submit to viewing your programs; I submit to your channel, I want to follow your channel. And so whatever flows into the channel flows into you whatever.
So, it's only a matter of time you will start confessing that channel, if it’s a big one. How many of us agree? It’s a matter of time. So, if I notice that my wife is on a channel, just seeing her once is enough for me to talk about it for one week. Especially if I don’t want not because he's bad. I just don't want. I'm sure now she may be doing it for me. Do you understand it's a matter of time? Do you really understand some of us don't go to YouTube like my sister; some of us don't go we may not be affected by this but the principle is the same, once you submit to something you say you want to follow it; then the implication is that you will confess the thing. They said be careful what you wish for because you might just have it.
If you submit to a wrong channel a wrong authority a wrong discipler you will flow in a dimension of the same discipler; you confess the same thing. And that means you have to de confess; you have to disown the other things. Hav you successfully watched two YouTube videos at the same time, on the same device? Don't forget your life is a device, it is a is a tool. Have you as a person held your phone and you are watching two videos from two different channels? You can only do one. That's it. Once you pick one you have picked against the other.
So, who do you confess is really about who do you follow? Don’t tell yourself I'm a Christian, I'm a believer do you really, really follow Christ. Is Christ the one that you view? Do you view Christ? Beholding Him as in the mirror the glory of the Lord and we are transformed into the same image from glory to glory. Whose glory do you behold? You know, lately, my wife just said something like two or three days ago, I saw some Nigerians maybe somebody in our streets dressing like and I said won’t people assume these people are bad guys. Like I don't want to call them thieves or anything. My wife now said okay, how do I want the followers of whiz kid to look? There are brethren in the church that are followers of whiz kid forget about their Christianity, it’s a Christianity one side, whiz kid, this side. So, you keep seeing believers that flow in dimensions you can’t explain.
So, we dance dances, dance steps in the church, that it has not been so seen in Christ. It has been seen somewhere else. If I'm known for a dance and I’m not in Christ, and you are in Christ and you're dancing it, are you not confessing my dance in your church? That is it! So, we must ask ourselves this question: who am I following? If I'm following Christ, I must be deliberate. I must be deliberate. I want us to now look at the last aspect now from verse 34.
“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; 36 and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ 37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”
This is where I said many of us, we wish it has been removed. But if Jesus had declared a prophecy here, many people will be saying amen in the church. But this is the word of the Lord. He says; do not that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. The question is, was the purpose of the sword? He now gave Jesus in verse 35. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against his mother, and a daughter in law against our mother-in-law.
I have come, there is a sword that I brought, that with my sword, the Bible says the word of God is quick and active, sharper than any two edge-sword and is able to do what? Can we read? It says: “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Let’s keep this very close in our hearts. The Word of God is not, he says is sharper than any. So, he is even beyond a sword. But Jesus said, I have a sword. I came with a sword.
“For I've come to set a man against…” the question is: is it just for the sake of being against? Like David said, is there not a cause? Should you pick up a cause of identifying with Christ? And somebody else comes and says, I am against that your cause. Then what happens to your life? What happens to your destiny? Is Christ going to suffer so to say, your obedience simply because of your attachments?
These are questions. That's why I said discipleship is not just for those who say, I am a Christian, I'm a Christian, you have to be ready for it. You have to come to a point where you understand that everybody in your life is important. But it’s as if they are important to the degree of their positioning with Christ. Is like the standard that you measure importance is Christ. Many people have lost it in life and destiny simply because certain people in their lives I've said, it is a bad idea. Don't think about it. In fact, you will be odd, you be strange, you will just make a fool of yourself. There are many destinies that have believed; many people that have believed the voices of people. No, you can't do, it is not for people like you. And because you trusted or you believed, you also abandon your goal, you abandon your dream; you abandon the call of God on your life. You say you will never do it, because somebody says you can't do it. And the Bible says, let God be true.
That's why we began by seeing God beyond the Father. Let God be true, and every man a liar. So, when men speak, and God speaks, and so, who has the final say? You must be able to tell yourself, God is not telling you don't greet your parents. Don't greet your son, don't greet your daughter. God is not telling you that. Don't be nice, don't be caring. But when it comes to making a decision when God speaks, who must have a final say? You know, yesterday, I think yesterday at the at the Leadership Fellowship, we were looking at Eve, where Eve saw something and she ate it, and what led to it?
God has said, of all the trees in the garden you may freely eat, but of the tree of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall know eat. For in the days that you eat of you shall die. And then Satan came, serpent said; don't mind God for you we not surely die. And you now say serpents since I have been here, I have been having fellowship with you, you have been keeping a good company with me. You are like a family to me. Do you know how many years, or how long serpent and Eve have been together in the garden? Serpent was a creature of God; it was part of the creature that Adam gave names to. And so, they live together. They are like household. But what happened? Eve decided to listen to the voice of a house holder than the voice of the owner of the house. And so, God said, because you have done this. See what happens.
So, it's important you understand that when it comes to the Word of God, no order voice is supreme. When God speaks, that's final. If you want to be serious with your life, and destiny, you can’t get to hell and say, the reason why I'm in hell is because of my mother. There's this example, I wish I am not making it public. I hope I will be forgiven by the person concerned. You know, at a point in my life growing up as a believer, I wrote my first jamb I scored 133 over 400. You know, and then later on by the grace of God, God provided another atmosphere for me to learn again. And then I wrote, I prepared for another jamb. So, in the venue, my mother has already sent somebody to give me answer. You know, jamb they have different types of answers of different types. And the person stood outside and said, Gboyega, what's up, do you want? And I said, No. Now imagine you me saying, if you refuse what your mother has brought for you, your mother will curse you but what's the curse of the mother compared to the curse of God? Who makes the curse of the mother to be effective? Oh, when, your Pastor blesses you is it because the pastor has a large mouth, the blessing that comes upon your life came from God, responding honoring His servant. So, if God withholds the honor the blessing doesn't come the same way with a curse. A curse that is no curse cannot align.
So, if God does not curse you a father, a mother can’t curse you. So, if a father, a mother is disconnected from Christ and chooses to curse you, the person will soon come to perhaps, cry and say, I wish I didn't even say that, because that separated me from you from the real blessing. Look at it, a father curses his child, and the child has done nothing other than following the will of God for his life. And the child has tried to persuade the father but the father says, except you do it, I will never, and the father curses, and then God blesses the child. So, what happens? Because the father has cursed, the father is disconnected from the blessing of the Lord upon the child.
So, who is cheating himself in this? So, it is the father that will now come to cry and say, oh how I wish I didn't curse you. Because I would have also enjoyed from the blessing of God in your life. Let God be true and every man a liar, don’t get to heaven before you realize you shouldn’t have listened to your mother. Some people have different wives today they are running polygamous family, because their mothers say, just give me more children. Just give me more children. And God didn't command you so. So, when God speaks as to you, as a father, as a husband, and you're like, whatever my mother tells me is what I really love to do. So, I picked the Word of God under advisements. And then your marriage is in disarray. The mother that is advising you doesn't have the best marriage, the God who created marriage you are not listening to. And so later you're like, what is happening to me? Why is everything wrong? Everything is wrong because you have chosen to listen to other people other than God.
So, if you're a disciple of Jesus Christ, make sure the Word of God is final. So, if I speak to you as a disciple, I should rather confirm what God says, If I don't confirm I've misfired.Sir, if I speak to you, or any man of God, or any woman of God speak to you, and does not confirm what God has told you, the man the woman has misfired.Many people didn't support their children at the beginning, in following God, but when they open themselves they themselves as parent open themselves to God, they finally say, I yield, I yield but imagine, the parents yielding when the children already lost to the devil. When God called them, the parent didn't allow them. Now that the parents are persuaded to allow them; the children have lost confidence in the call. Go and ask many people who have refused to pursue the purpose of God for their lives. The environment at home wasn’t conducive, this is an aspect. But another aspect of this, it says, the enemies it says, a man's enemies, I replaced enemy with those who oppose you will be those of his own household. And this is a consciousness that you should not run away from.
Household here is not just limited to family. You're under the same covering, you are under the same supply, that we are under the same country. We're in the same household. Have you seen anybody where a Korean is trying to kidnap Nigeria, in Nigeria? The enemies of Nigerians are Nigerians. So, you mustn't deny that, I just want us to keep that very quietly in our hearts. So, I just imagine Jesus saying, I will respond to the will of God for my life, but I need all my brothers and sisters to be on the same page with me first. I want them to believe me. I want them to help me. I want them to also say Jesus you are Savior. Bible says there was a time the brother said something to Jesus I will say because they did not believe Him. But Jude, he believed later on. Other people came to believe.
When Jesus was approached by His mother, they said, your mother is looking for you. And he said who is my mother and who are my brothers and sisters? Those of you who listen to the Word of God, and you do them. So, you must not make anybody on this earth to be equal to God in your life, nobody. Because there was another place in Luke chapter nine, when Jesus was also speaking, making a similar statement for disciples.
Luke chapter 9:23 He said, then he said to them all, if anyone desires to come after me…so it is your decision. You are not forced to follow Jesus.You are not forced to be a disciple of Christ if anyone desire to come after Me, let him deny himself.
So, beyond not making the words of anybody to be equal to God even, your own words are not equal to the words of God. You can’t challenge the authority of God in your own life. He says, let him deny himself and pick up his cross daily and follow me, for who's ever desires to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake, will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is in save, destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of me, and my words of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels. But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God. If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself.
So, if you choose to be a disciple, you must understand the decision that you have made, you have not come to a place or you have not come to an experience where you are the one in charge of your life. You have not come to an experience where all you want is all about yourself. You have come to an experience of following Christ confessing Christ, becoming like Christ. You see, it is not automatic to become like Christ, the requirement is confessing Him, following him completely. Like telling yourself I choose to know nobody else, nothing else except Christ. I just want to say this, anytime I'm having a little issue with my wife, or my wife is having issues with me and then I'm trying to persuade her with the Scripture. And she's like, I've come again with Scripture, but I'm not like at this time, what else do I have? That’s it, my life is in the Scripture, my marriage is in the Scripture, and my leadership is in the Scripture. Everything about me must be in the Scripture. So, I must find direction from it.
So, when men speak, or when I speak, I'm also base it, I must also gauge it by what God has said. So, if what God has said is contrary to what I'm saying, I have to suspend my judgment. So, if you really want to become like Christ, if you don't want to become Gboyega Christ, or Gboyega kind of Christ, you want to become the Christ of Christ, then you have to submit to Christ. Okay, let's look at it. For instance, let's say I am Gboyega Adedeji. And I know there is Christ and I have submitted to Christ. But every time Christ is speaking, I also speak I’m like Christ, let’s reason together, see this is my own perspective. I really wish we would do it this way. If you give me the opportunity to make my life, just be like this for now. I'm sure you yourself will be proud of it. You try to reason with Christ; you reason Christ into Christ of submission. Please what happens to your life?
Please, would you become like Christ? Or would you become like your own Christ? There is that's why Christ's there is no Abuja Christ, Lagos, Christ, Benin Christ, Japanese Christ, there's Christ. So, when we all come to the submission to Christ, we all come to Christ. And when people see us, they see Christ in us. Not a Nigerian, like they say African time, not an African Christ. We see the Christ of Christ. “Having this seal…” It says, nevertheless, the foundation; not the foundations of God stand sure the Lord knows those who are His. With the challenge upon us is not to take discipleship like the little little things we take in Christ or in the church.
As a disciple, you have a responsibility. Just imagine, there are some places I wanted to read in Matthew just when Jesus was starting His ministry, bible says as He was walking by the sea, He saw Peter and his brother, and then He invited them and immediately they came. They left whatever they were doing, and they followed Him. He saw the two sons of Zebedee Bible say they were mending their net with their father. And as soon as He called them, they let their father, the net, the business and they followed Him. What discipleship are we doing today? If you cannot follow having abandoned, and completely really, really abandoned, then you are not a disciple. And so don't blame Christ that you have not become like Christ or you're not growing in Christ likeness, you have not abandoned.
For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined. So, you have to leave to joy. We must live our past and our own ideologies and become raw with Christ. So, the matter is not what is my opinion on this matter? It is now what is Christ saying over this? Whatever Christ says I'm going to follow. There’s a song that came to my spirit some years ago when I was at Chapel of Praise to minister and so the song came to me again now.
“Anywhere you send me, I will go Any word you give me I will speak, anywhere you send me, I will go. Any word you give me I will speak, Send me in your name. Speak to me in your name. Anywhere you send me I will go.”
Anywhere you send me I will go; any word you give me I will speak is it not the same thing with what Jesus shared with us. Just send me your name. Speak to me your name anywhere you send me I will go. So, would that be our own confession? Can you confess to yourself? Anywhere Christ sends me I will go, I will mind their faces. So, if God sends me to a tough man, I will speak to him man. If God sends you to a tough man, what did I say? You speak to him. Even if he is your husband, you speak to him. If God send you to somebody that is not tough you speak to the person you don't fear or exempt faces. You must represent God as an ambassador, as a follower of Jesus Christ. You are an ambassador of Christ. He sends you to places He commit words into your hands and you must deliver the message of God as faithfully as possible. And I prayed that God will help us in Jesus’ name.
I believe you have been blessed.