- “He returned to Nazareth, his hometown. When he taught there in the synagogue, everyone was amazed and said, “Where does he get this wisdom and the power to do miracles?”
- Then they scoffed, “He’s just the carpenter’s son, and we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers—James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas.
- All his sisters live right here among us. WHAT MAKES HIM SO GREAT?”
- AND THEY WERE DEEPLY OFFENDED AND REFUSED TO BELIEVE IN HIM. Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honoured everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.”
- AND SO HE DID ONLY A FEW MIRACLES THERE BECAUSE OF THEIR UNBELIEF."
Matthew 13:54-58 (NLT)
• People of Nazareth were deeply offended about Jesus and refused to believe in Him.
- They wanted to know what could have made Him so great, though they did not believe in His ministry.
- Do not allow familiarity to rob you of your blessings or miracles. Familiarity is an enemy of Miracles!
- Some attend Church meetings where they supposed to receive the touch of God, but reverse is the case, they could not receive any touch, Miracle or Blessing, because of familiarity.
DO not allow familiarity to the authority God has set over your Life! - If it is difficult for you to reverence, or honour the person who pastors you, or ministers to you, you may not receive anything under the grace or the anointing of Such a minister. In other words, the person's ministry would not bless YOU except you change in your attitude towards him or her.
THE anointing you do not respect cannot bless you!
YOUR unbelief will short-circuit the move of God in your LIFE! - No matter the level and greatness of the Anointing on someone, If the person or people whom such wanted to minister to do not respect the grace or the anointing on him or her, the anointing would not Flow as it should, to bless them.
EVEN in Jesus' earthly ministry, He could not perform many Miracles in Nazareth because of their unbelief and the fact that they did Despise the Anointing on Him (Matthew 13:58).
• The People of Nazareth were offended and refused to believe in Jesus (Matthew 13:57).
- Jesus told them: “A PROPHET IS HONOURED EVERYWHERE EXCEPT IN HIS OWN HOMETOWN AMONG HIS OWN FAMILY" (Matthew 13:57b).
- If you despised your prophet, you may remain long in the captivity: "BY A PROPHET THE LORD BROUGHT ISRAEL OUT OF EGYPT, AND BY A PROPHET HE WAS PRESERVED" (Hosea 12:13).
- God has put your word in the mouth of your prophet.
YOU should locate your prophet and submit to him properly. - The fact that you are planted in a local Church, the Pastor who oversees the work is meant to be your prophet, the authority Set over your Life.
- The person God has put in the Church to pastor you, who sees to your spiritual and physical welfare, is your prophet (Hebrews 13:17).
- Do not allow familiarity to breed contempt, and rob you of your Blessings, like the people of Nazareth.
- Jesus could not perform many miracles because of their unbelief—contempt, as a result of familiarity (Matthew 13:58).
- God has ordained someone to liberate you.
GOD has put your word in someone's mouth, He put the anointing to liberate you on someone, do not die in the captivity, or bondage. - Some have located their Prophets, but they allowed familiarity to Rob them of that God-ordained relationships.
• Kingdom arrangement
- The Senior Pastor—the Set Man of the Church. A senior Pastor who oversees a number of churches would appoint other people who will pastor the satellite Churches under his leadership.
AS he puts Someone there to represent him; the person is representing God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the Senior Pastor.
IF you despised the person whom the Holy Spirit has put over you to represent God and His servant, it means, you have despised God and His servant WHOM the resident Pastor is representing.
• The truth is: there is order in the Kingdom of God
THERE are people whom God has given the Church as ministry gifts (Ephesians 4:11), and they are ORDAINED to represent God.
- God loves order and believes in orderliness.
GOD does not want rebellion and unbelief, and He demands total obedience from all his children (Hebrews 13:7,17). - What are your attitudes to God ordained authorities over your life?
THE people of Nazareth missed their Divine visitation BECAUSE of unbelief and familiarity.
THEY knew Jesus' history, but they found it difficult to believe that Jesus whom they knew was the One performing miracles: "So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. AT ONE TIME WE THOUGHT OF CHRIST MERELY FROM A HUMAN POINT OF VIEW. HOW DIFFERENTLY WE KNOW HIM NOW!" (2 Corinthians 5:16 NLT) - Even if you know the history of a minister of God, now that he has become a minister, do not relate with him base on your past knowledge of him. Do not allow whatever you know about his past to undermine your relationship with him.
• Following order, believing in God’s delegated authorities who represent Him and set to watch over your Life, releases your miracles.
• It is my prayer that you will not miss your blessings in Jesus' name.
Peace!