What that Mouth Do, Part 2

Part 2: Lip Service

“And so you cancel the word of God for the sake of your own tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’”

Jesus, Matthew 15:6b-9 NLT

First thing’s first: Jesus spoke what God said.

Logically speaking spiritually (as in the Spirit of God), since Jesus is our God example of what a human being should be in the earth, it would then follow that we should also do what Jesus has done.

Cuz, you know. Example or whatever.

Let’s get into it. The word of God for the people of God.

“These people honor me with their lips, but…”

Here’s the thing: we say a lot of stuff to sound like we know what we speaking on. Yeah, I said it. We spend beaucoup time trying to sound hip to the ways of the Father and the Kingdom of God (that has no end, Amen) but really be blowing big smoke. We’ont really be knowing what we be talmbout-let alone living the life that we are commanded to live that glorifies the Father of all Lights WHO sits on the throne and unto the Lamb (see don’t get me started, fam).

We don’t know cuz we ain’t clear on what the word of cuz actually say; and in the off chance we do know what that it say, we either don’t believe what it say or OR we don’t really wanna do what it say cuz what we got going on working for us.

So we pay lip service.

“…their hearts are far from me.”

When I read this, I promise you a whole other situation popped up in my mind that I may expound upon further later but T.I.’s “You’ont know me” started ringing in my ears and I KNOW that it’s the Spirit of the Lord because Jesus said exactly this when he told them, “It’s gone be a lot of you ninjas shocked and appalled when I gets back here cuz you gone be talmbout LAWD LAWD and Yeah you know they call me LAWD LAWD, BUT YOU’ONT KNOW ME. Shake, sir. Bounce ma’am” (Matthew 7:21-23, Kisha’s Hood Translation).

I cackles. Who knew God would use even that part?

Anyway, thing is that saying you know and knowing are two different things. The way that you know Christ is by faith and the faith comes by hearing the WORD of God, which is Christ, then you have to do all that Christ commanded you to do which you can’t do without the Holy Spirit, which basically gives you the MIND of Christ. Bwahahahahahaha! Such a set up. What I’m saying is, when you know Jesus, you finna act a certain way. Period. It’s going to show in your motives, speech, and actions that the Spirit of Christ lives in you.

That sound so extra, so deep, don’t it? But we say it alllll the time. We quick to tell a kid, “You yo daddy son” or “Yoy act just like ya mama nem.” Or we’ll act like we real wise or whatever talmbout, “The apple don’t fall far from the tree.” Alllll we really doing is regurgitating the word of God when it says, “You gone know the tree based on the fruit that come off it. When have you seen a thistle bush magically make grapes? You ain’t. When have you seen a thorn bush grow figs? You have not! Folks the same way. You know who they are (and who they belong to) by how they act.”

Long story short: you can’t fool everybody any of the time. Folks know when you ain’t right. Even when you do something that seems good, the slick nastiness of your nature leaves a film on it. Think about it? How many times has someone tried to do something that seemed nice but because of who the person was, your immediate thought was: what do you want? Whatchu up to Nah?

“For the sake of your own traditions.”

Jesus really didn’t spend much of His ministry talmbout folks; in fact, He was super clear that He ain’t eeeeem hafta judge not nahl body cuz His words would K.O. every last one of you ninjas on that last day (Don’t believe me? Read John 12:47-48). But when he did spend air snatching edges, Jesus spent that breath dragging every Pharisee that had the audacity. Jesus stayed asking them THE ultimate Lauryn Hill query: How you gone win when you ain’t right within?

The answer is: you can’t!

Here’s the thing. Ain’t nothing wrong with a little tradition. A lot of these traditions got us through the flesh test to holiness. Some of that tough love y’all be running from is the baby gate you need to keep you walking on the path of righteousness til you learn to listen and submit to the voice of the Good Shepherd without Him having to drag your butt out a ditch all the time first. The long skirt is a reminder to have a heart of modesty. The putting away of all that filthy music is a reminder to flee from filthy communication and perversion of every kind. The daily and night prayer and revival services give you something to do other than go to the club and watch porn, cuz how has that been working out for your walk with Christ? So tradition has its place. Don’t @ me.

But what we not finna do is act like our little rituals can take the place of a risen Savior and King. And what we further not finna do is hide our little dusty musty hateful motives behind traditions and call it godly. We shall NOT.

Using the word of God to trick, use, abuse, harm, steal, neglect, or otherwise act or selfishness or willfulness is satanic. It’s one of the times Jesus snapped, when He called out people who acted like that, telling them

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

John 8:44 KJV

Translation: You ugly-yo daddy’s son. See ACTUALLY AIN’T nothing new under the sun. Zay Hilfigerrrr ain’t say it first. Jesus did. [giggles in tongues]

When you out here using the word of God, the Law of Righteousness as a blunt force trauma tool to kill people? You yo daddy’s son.

When you use the word of God to justify your evil intent? You yo daddy’s son.

When you twist the word of God for personal gain and filthy lucre? You yo daddy’s son.

When you use the word of God to manipulate people out of your own lusts and perverted ways? You yo daddy’s son.

Don’t get mad at me. Go see the Son of God.

To end this: please stop talking what you refuse to live and hiding your lies behind the word of God. Tradition can’t save you, and the fruit of your life will always speak louder than your words.