The
word loyalty is the same as the word faithfulness,
not ‘facefulness’; unfortunately
facefulness is more important than faithfulness. Facefulness is what we see
everywhere, and if it is not corrected the church is sinking in it, and the
reason is because we have very few people who have encountered God, many have encountered church while
few have encountered God.
Many
are very close to church; few are close to God,
because you can’t be close to God
and behave the way you do.
A man of God visited a
country and another man of God introduced him to a multi-millionaire who
entrusted into his hands three hundred thousand dollars, he said ‘go to Nigeria
do something with it for me’, the man of God came to Nigeria and used up the
money, and by the time they came to Nigeria to look for him, he told them
‘don’t worry I’ll pay back gradually’.
He used up the money
they gave to him to build a cathedral , and they people under him receives
curses by the day, because what we are doing is a spiritual thing, ‘transference of spirit’
. He is not loyal to God.
If
you are loyal to God, the work of God will be more important to God than you, so if God want the cathedral, He will provide
money for the cathedral. Life is not a competition, life is an exhibition!
You
exhibit your uniqueness’, you don’t compete; so do not transfer what is
applicable in the world into the church. ‘Life is not a sprit race, life is a marathon’ and
for the fact that you ran out here and got in here before me, does not mean you
have gotten to the destination , you have not embraced the tape yet so be
careful the way you live your life.
Hallelujah!
Loyalty,
is the same thing as faithfulness, the same thing as devotion, you can’t be
loyal to God and not be devoted to God.
How
do we check devotion in people?
Devotion
can easily be pictured in some religion, like Islamism, for example an average
Muslim northerner carries a mat as one of the most important tool for praying,
in order for he to observe his five times a day’s prayer and he will not stop
in his prayer even if there seems to be distraction anywhere or from anyone.
That
is devotion!
In
the Christendom it is not so as we seem not to have respect for God, we are not devoted to him, if we
claimed to be we should know that anytime we are praying, mostly speaking in
tongues, we ought to be aware that the Almighty
God is standing beside us, so it will be an abomination to be talking to
your father and be talking to another person. That is why your prayers are not
answered, because you can’t come into His presence and joke and expect Him to
take you seriously.
Loyalty
is devotion, it is allegiance. We are
using the same word but in different light; allegiance is one thing that is
lacking in church, lacking in the world, in politics.
When
husband commits and offence, the wife denies him, and if the wife commits an
offence the husband denies her, children commits and offence their parents
denies them, no allegiance anywhere.
We
allegiance more in the pagan world.
The
aim of this study is to be trustworthy, consistency, reliability, fidelity and dependability.
Who
is dependable?
Hallelujah!
Each
time I come across the way Judas betrayed Christ,
it become an issue for me because I cannot understand why a man decides to
fight his God. When He was born,
there was a prophecy that came up over His head as a king, as Jesus, as Emmanuel; so many prophecies
over His head. So when He was growing the people were observing Him and then,
He came of age and began ministry, and as He was doing His ministry He began to
call people to come and help Him and the people that applied to help Him were
men that knew a little bit about His history. They knew this man was God and then Judas followed. The
question is ‘how will Christ, God
the all knowing go to pick Judas as one of His disciples?
The
answer is plain simple, Judas has not always being a person given to betrayal,
and he was a good man. Judas is from Judah. Judas, the name means Jesus, it
means praise, but he did not live up to his name, instead he decide to fight
the king of glory, the master of the universe, the one who knows your thoughts
before you think it, He didn’t know your tomorrow, he knows your yesterday,
your today and knows where you will end, everything you do is a drama before
Him, you’re just acting a script.
Hallelujah!
So
he decided to betray the master. It is quite obvious why most people today do
not bear the name Judas- in as much as it means ‘praise’. The only place where
Judas has a wrong connotation is in Latin where the meaning is ‘murderer’ but
apart from that, the real origin of it is praise.
Hallelujah!
Judas
was once trustworthy, he was once a member of church, and he was once a loyal
person. Judas was so loyal that Jesus
made him the treasurer. In any organization you don’t make people treasurer
anyhow, you pick the best. Treasurers are people that are trusted, tested, so
you hand the money over to them for them to manage on behalf of the
organization.
So he must be a good man, he was a very good
man, that made the king of glory to hand over the treasury to him.
Hallelujah!
He
was a senior apostle, a great man by every standard. Every church, every
organization, every group has a Judas in it. As a matter of fact, if out of
twelve we have a Judas, then out of a church of eight hundred to one thousand
we are likely to have ‘Judases’, in every department we have Judas, they may
not have manifested does not mean they do not exist; but the aim of this
teaching is to fore warn you, so that you don’t manifest, the bible says that ‘ the spirit of
the prophet is subject to the prophet’ as such you can make Judas to
become Jesus if only Judas will
begin to eat the fruit of the spirit, dwell in God, take in the word of God,
practice the word, to live the word which will be more beneficiary to you,
because many hear it , many read it but few practice the word.
Hallelujah!
But
somebody must betray somebody, one of the problems we have in this world which
is what I want to establish now is that as soon as you are grown you should
expect to be betrayed.
Women
and given to betrayal, because they over trust, and they don’t open up their
heart to betrayal
‘I
live my life expecting the closet person around me to betray me, for it is a
way of getting prepared that when it happens
I won’t feel betrayed ’because
one of the worst thing to do to the enemy is to snub the enemy. The enemy wants
you to die when you are betrayed but when you are trained, and refuse to die,
they feel ashamed.
Praise
God!
Psalm 49
vs. 9
Expect
betrayal from your best friend, if it is from the enemy it is not betrayal, it
is an attack. From your friend it is betrayal, the one who is the custodian of
your secret.
To
detect who is Judas amongst us is very hard because Judas is the trusted one.
So the best way to handle Judas is to prepare for Judas.
Jesus, I want to believe that He
detected in His omniscience nature, but in His human nature He did not detect
but He prepared for him, so you must live every day of your life in preparing
for one Judas or the other, prepare your mind, fortify yourself, get ready, and
pray about it- prepare about it, because it will come.
Paul
in the books of Acts
of the Apostle 20 vs. 29, said
“After my departing shall grievous wolfs
enter”
Some
will come in the name of ministers, they will come in all manner of names, for
things are happening of which we need to pray. The corruption in the pulpit is worse
than the corruption in the world, so pulpit is losing respect by the day. That
is why the bible says that ‘judgment will
start in here, from the altar’.
Praise
God!
15 REASONS WHY
JUDAS BETRAYED JESUS
1. Judas
was an odd man out amongst the disciples. Amongst the disciples he was an odd man out. Any
odd man out in an organization is likely to betray you, any odd man out amongst
your friends, is likely to betray you, any odd man out in any environment is
likely to be a betrayal.
Judas
happens to be the only disciple that didn’t come from Galilee, while all the
other disciples were Galileans. Judas happens to be from Cariot, it is a city
or a town in Judah. Galilee, Judah and the other towns is one Jew but they have
different tones, just like the Ibo lands, just like Delta State, but they know
themselves.
Any
man, who is an odd man out amongst you, is likely to betray you.
Ladies
and guys be careful how you marry men who you are more educated than, between
the two of you he is an odd man out, so when you are a graduate and you have a
master’s degree, a P.H.D holder and as a woman a guy who just left school with
an ordinary certificate comes to ask your hand in marriage, out of desperation
you accept, that may is likely to feel odd any time you are with him and any
time you’re with your friends. You will feel odd, for whenever you speak
English, she will demand the reason why you should speak in English, and she
might think it’s because she is not as educated as you are. You use your
medical terminologies; she will say you are trying to prove to her that you are
a doctor. The same way a different tribe’s man feels whenever he/she is in the
midst of another tribe’s man, because when they speak, you ultimately feel that
they are talking about you.
Odd
man out!
Being
an odd man out automatically puts you in a level where you have a tendency of
being irrational
I left school long ago
before my wife, but when we met, I told her that any time you see me get an extra
degree to what I have, please go get your own. The reason I said so , is
because a time will come I will so move up there and you are so low there, and
you might start thinking that the reason I behave the way I behave is I have a P.H.D.
There
is nothing as frustrating as a woman that you cannot talk in the same pedestal
with, vice-vassal
Odd
man out!
That
was what Judas was, and he began to feel odd so the tendency of betraying
started building within him, little by little
2. Judas
was disappointed by the type of training that he was undergoing. When Jesus called the twelve disciples, one word that He will always
tell them is ‘leave the fishing business, I will make you a fisher of man ‘it’s
like someone saying to you that he ‘will make you a millionaire’. Judas
followed Christ with such
expectation. All of a sudden Jesus
converted him to an ‘usher’. He stopped being a millionaire because he stopped
seeing the process of being it, he saw destination, but he did not see the road
to it.
When
Jesus called all of them and began
to train them, in His various ways of training in one occasion, in John 6 vs10
where Jesus fed the five thousand
men, immediately five thousand men were gathered, He told the disciples to make
them sit down, all of the disciples became ‘ushers’; Judas must have felt so
tired by such exercise of making five thousand men excluding women and children
to sit down. Afterwards Jesus lifted
up the bread in thanksgiving and He made them share to the people, after which Jesus told them to gather the remnant –
there was no record that the disciples ate during this (I presumed Jesus instructed them that when they
might have gathered the crumbs, they can then eat from there) Judas must have
felt bad, because he must have felt that they should have being given the opportunity
to have eaten first.
Some
of us have come into Christ but
before we came in, there was something we expected, and when we have not seen it,
because you are going through process, you’re beginning to betray the faith.
Praise
God!
Judas
did not like the training he was going through, Jesus made him an ‘errand boy’ he began to send them out in twos’, Jesus made him a scavenger I John 6 vs. 12
when He told them to gather in crumbs, the fragments to eat. We have in the
human scenario ‘where the big eats the big and the small eats on the floor.
Praise God!
But that is not the teaching of Christ. The teaching of Christ ‘let the people eat first’,
while the teaching of the world is – ‘let the big, eats first’.
Abraham said “I
will not collect anything from him, lest he says I made Abraham rich”
There is an order that is wrong
which we need to reverse; when he was at the table with the twelve, the bible
said that
“He lifted the bread, broke it, gave thanks
and gave them”
For every time He share something, He gave
them.
Praise God!
3.
Judas was disappointed by the
accommodation given to him in his new career. He followed Christ
“follow me and I’ll make you fishers’
of men”. Imagine Jesus entering Jerusalem, Judea, and
all the Jews the then known world and then choose only twelve, and those twelve
men, were just following Him, without any destination in mind, for Jesus said
“the son of man has no place to lay His head”
The day I decided to buy
my wife a car, we were just courting and by then I had just started my full
time ministry, I was working in the church office with a little salary pay, and
then it takes N4, 000.00 to fill the Gulf car I had then, I make sure I pay my
tithe and give my wife her allowance, with none left for my disposal….
Let me tell you, if you know your
level manage it, the reason most of us can’t manage, is because we don’t have integrity.
…. I had a mechanic
working on my car, I entered into an agreement with him for payments on any
repairs on the car, and I kept to the terms of the agreement by not failing
him. One day my car got spoilt and the week happens to be a busy week for me,
and I didn’t have money to fix it, so I called my wife to know if she had any
money with her, she said ‘yes’ and she brought it, but before she did, I had
earlier reached out to various people and they disappointed me. When she
brought the money to the house I was staying then, I told her “for this you
have done, I’ll buy you a car”. Then I had none, “faith does not look at what is,
faith looks at what is to come”.
Hallelujah!
So out of lack of accommodation
and comfort in his work he decided to betray the master. Anytime you see a
subordinate trying to prove to you that what you promised that you are no
longer doing is likely to betray you. I am not saying you should deprive them
of your promises, but when you know the promises is still in-tact but they are
not yet there yet and they are beginning to complain, be very careful.
4.
Judas
was disappointed by the means of transportation, the chosen career gave him. An
average wealthy man in those days rides on a donkey, a Carmel and horse; but
all through the life of Christ for those
three years, He did not ride on any one, He and His disciples walked on the
street of Palestine. The only time it was recorded that Jesus did not track,
was when He alone rode on a donkey. Judas was behind deep in thoughts,
wondering if all Jesus promised would be fulfilled.
Anybody that questions your
promises,(I mean you sincere promises, with impeccable integrity) can betray
you.
Hallelujah!
5.
Judas wasn’t happy with the kind of
food that he was eating.
For every time they went for an occasion, they ate left (they always gather the
crumbs) life will always change your menu for you but stay faithful.
6.
Judas
began to see Jesus as a wicked
person and a miser. Judas was the treasurer, Jesus wasn’t making demands on it, so Judas was wondering what Jesus would do with the money.
7.
Judas
hated the way Jesus was being
treated in a special way. Mathew 26 vs. 8, Judas hated the special
treatment, anybody that is angry the way you’re treated by his boss, is a traitor.
The story in Mathew
26 vs. 6, tells us that they hated the way Jesus was being treated, being shown preferential treatment.
Anyone that questions the way men treat you, is a traitor in the making, he is
looking for an opportunity to strike.
When I came into this
town newly seven years ago, by then I had already given out my Gulf car as a
seed in church, I came in here tracking but when the work started getting
tough, through the help of one of the members I got a ‘delta city ‘kind of car
painted ‘Delta city’ I drove it for three years, in and out of Delta state,
some times when I drive by people wave me down thing I’m a commercial driver,
but when they become aware of the person driving they will stop waving . The
church just started, so from time to time I’ll get calls from head quarters, so
I had to travel using the same vehicle….
“Life is in stages men are in
sizes” life
is a process, you will get there, no matter what is happening, you will get
there.
8.
Judas felt that the emphasis and
the direction of the ministry have changed. John 12 vs. 5, sometimes you begin to look at the
pastor and you feel he is no longer doing what he used to do. pastor can never
continue what he used to do, for change will always come- in the verse, Jesus was a man given to the poor, He
was in the habit of helping the needy and the poor, so when this money in the
form of oil came, Judas felt that Jesus
in His benevolence would have allowed the oil to be sold and be given to the
poor that he had always cried out to. So when Judas saw that Jesus allowed the woman to waste the
oil, Judas felt Jesus had lost it.
There are sometimes that pastor
will begin to do something or leaders will begin to do something and you feel
they are out of course, you fail to understand that there is a reason for every
action. Your boss acts somehow and you say the man has lost direction.
A man was coming
home to his house, as he was coming from a distance he sighted his gated, and
saw a suspected an oncoming vehicle to
be kidnappers in the car, so instead of approaching his gate he drove round his environment with his friend in the car; for every time he drove to
his area , he will still see the car, and that will make him drive past and
keep driving round his environment again, he did that like seven times, until
those men in the vehicle left his area.
Sometimes God will be avoiding some things for you and starts behaving like
He does not have plan for you again and allow you go through circles, and then
you start looking for help where there is no help.
Judas felt that Jesus had lost direction, so he felt he
should look for direction elsewhere.
9.
Judas began to accuse Jesus of
eating church money.
Be careful of men that accuses you from time to time, any man that is given to
accusation is a traitor in the making and people who accuses you for a
particular thing if you look well that is what they do, because they can only
see what they do, ‘like attracts likes’.
To betray a person, is not an
event, is an act planed through process.
10. Judas
wanted to get rich quickly.
Be watchful about ambitious people around you. Ambition is very good, but when
you become over ambitious and begin to compete with your bosses, your pastor,
that is betrayal. When you want to have what your boss have by all means, be
careful of those people.
Judas wanted to get rich so
quickly, and he began to think about the means to get rich, and he began to
steal the money. John 12 vs. 6, he wanted wealth by all means. It takes process
to be where your superior is, so be patient.
11. Judas
has become so familiar with Christ.
The English man says that “too much
familiarity breeds contempt” Judas was too familiar with Christ. When subordinated become so
familiar with you that they no longer afraid to make fun of you in your
presence, watch it.
‘Lesser
does not stretch hand to the higher’
you do not trivialize leadership, you should take note of certain bases; such
that it is apparent that you should not be the one to first of all stretch
forth your hand to an elder for a hand-shake, if the elder stretches forth his
/her hand to you, you are now compel to do the same. When you are at the table
with your boss, you don’t sit down before he does, you don’t start eating
before he does, unless he asks you to.
Judas was familiar with Christ, he saw Christ when he was rejoicing, in the book of Luke 10 vs. 21, he saw Christ when he was crying in John11 vs. 35,
when Jesus wept, Judas was there. Be careful of people that have seen your
weakness and your strength, the people you have cry to out of heart break, people
that are familiar with you; Judas got familiar with the master, the king of
glory, he got familiar with the man forgetting that there was anointing behind
the man, you can familiarize with the man but anointing will strike you.
Familiarity!
I advice you, no matter how close
your boss wants you to get to him, don’t be familiar, know where to draw the
line.
Familiarity killed Judas. It came
to a point when Judas began to see Christ
as an ordinary man.
12. Judas
realized that Jesus had realized that he was a thief. John12 vs. 6. Immediately he
realized that Jesus knew he was a theif,
he behaved like a civil servant, you know a typical civil servant behavior,
when you discover that they have stolen so much money, that week, their office
will get burnt and then files they would have used to pin him down will be no
more.
Judas felt that Jesus was about to probe him, so he
decided to sell him before he discovered fully, he walked straight to the high
priest, he gave the master out, he gave the humanity out but did not give out
the divinity. Judas created an opportunity immediately, to do away with the
files.
13. Judas
thought that if Jesus was to die, then he will lose his job, so he had to secure himself.
Praise God!
Imagine you work in a company, and you have an
intuition that the company is about to fold up, most bosses will start
siphoning as much money as they can possibly lay their hands on. That’s what
Judas did.
Hallelujah!
14. Judas
knew too much about many things concerning Christ. Be careful about men in your organization
that knows about the money, be careful of men in your house that knows about
your money, be careful of the people in your accounts department, anybody that
sees your money, you should be careful of them, the reason is that, they are
aware of the money’s existence but they don’t see what it is used for. The
accountant is aware of the sum, but not aware of the people the boss is in debt
with, even in the church, it so happens that the offering taken every Sunday is
not made know to the people, as such they place so much demand on the offering
taken, accusing the pastor in the process, simply because you are not aware of
how the offering is being spent. So be careful of your subordinates that handle
money around you, be at alert, no matter how trust worthy they tend to be. If
Judas can do it, your accountant can do more. Psalm 131 vs. 1
Lord my
heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty
neither
do I exercise myself in great matters
Or in
things too high for me
You might be the subordinate, do
not put your eyes in great matters that do not concern you .The Offering of the
church is ‘great matter’, it does not concern you, what your boss is doing
in the office is ‘great matters ‘it is none of your business. Any money you see
with your boss has a purpose, don’t be the one to dispose of the money.
15. He
thought that the anointing upon the life of Christ was going down because Jesus
kept talking about death.
The oil to start a ministry and the oil to grow the ministry is not the same,
and God gives both oils. God gives you an Apostolic, which is an
Evangelistic auction when you are starting a work, when you begin to grow the
work, He gives you a teaching oil to stabilize the work and grow it. When you
grow the work enough, He gives you an apostolic oil to establish the people. So
your subordinates that thinks like Judas, fails to understand this pattern
which God takes His servants, as
such the subordinate is a traitor. Any subordinate that cannot differentiate
when you are changing and criticizes it is a traitor and if care is not taken,
he will trade you.
Amen!
Rev. Cosfinney Udoka N.
Senior Pastor
House on the Rock, Asaba
For messages like this and more visit,
House on the Rock Asaba,
Plot 17 GRA beside Lumen Christi School,
DBS Road,
Off Summit Road,
Asaba.
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