Hello everyone! Did you know there are three types of leaven that Jesus talked about in the Gospels?
- The leaven of the Pharisees (religion, which is hypocrisy). Mark 8:15
- The leaven of Herod (earthly politics). Mark 8:15.
- The only thing I will say about this leaven in this post is: Every earthly government (USA, Russia, China, UK, etc.) will perish with the rest of this earth. When you stand before the Lord there will not be an American section of heaven. There is only one everlasting government and that’s God’s. If you are consumed with earthly politics then it is a good indicator that you have been leavened with the leaven of Herod.
- The leaven of the Kingdom. Mat. 13:33
What Does Leaven Do?
The great and terrible thing about leaven is that it permeates throughout the whole lump. Let’s say a person comes in with religious doctrines and the church listens to them. Well, it starts to leaven the whole congregation. This is the reason why Paul withstood Peter to his face in front of the church. “But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed” (Gal. 2:11). In the example of Paul, a large portion of the Jews stopped associating with the gentiles. This wicked judgment started because of religious doctrines.
They started deeming gentiles as less than and started judging people according to the flesh (carnal). That’s the reason why Paul said he didn’t give place to them not even for an hour so that the Gospel could continue (from Gal. 2:5). The Gospel of grace.
Religion works for God to move while the Gospel of grace believes He has moved. Jesus is the move of God.
Jesus answered and said unto them, “This is the work of God, that you believe on him whom he has sent.”
John 6:29
The Leaven Of Heaven
The third leaven that I mentioned, the leaven of the Kingdom, is about God’s grace reigning in our hearts. Or God’s work that He accomplished through Jesus.
And again He said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three sata of flour until it was all leavened.”
Luke 13:20-21
It is interesting to note that one sata is around 48lbs. Just looking up a recipe for Challah bread (a Jewish ceremonial bread) it’s approximately a 40:1 ratio of flour to yeast. This means that three 48lb bags of flour (144lbs) would require about 3.6lbs of yeast. Which is not much. It does not take much leaven to leaven an entire lump!
As ambassadors of the King, we get to witness the leaven of the Kingdom permeating into all kinds of spheres. And it is so easy to get the leaven into the lump. All you have to do is speak about the gospel of grace. The free gift of God through His Son Jesus Christ! The actual “it is finished” gospel.
I have had religious people who’ve called me deceived start preaching the very same message that they thought I was deceived about. Why? Because I threw some leaven into their psyche and the leaven permeated through their lump. Or how Jesus puts it in this parable:
“And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he does not know how. For the earth brings forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.”
Mark 4:26-28
Another Gospel!
It’s so easy to see fruit grow when we start speaking the right message. But if we start speaking the wrong message, or a different gospel, it’s so easy to see the manifestation of demonic, egotistical, religious pride. And it is so deceptive because the “gospel” of works really sounds good to the flesh. It’s all about you and your effort and not about God and His finished work on the cross. It becomes about your devotion and not about His devotion. It becomes about your passion and not about the passion of the Christ. This is the wickedness of self-centered religious trash.
I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there are some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ
Galations 1:6
It’s the reason why the Pharisees hated Jesus. They could not get past their own righteousness and did not submit themselves to the righteousness of God. Because Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to those who believe.
For I testify about them that they are zealous for God, but not on the basis of knowledge. Because they were ignorant of God’s righteousness and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law, to bring righteousness to everyone who believes.
Barean Study Bible, Romans 10:2-4
It is good to have Zeal for a Good thing
It is good to be zealous toward God’s grace, but when it starts to become about you (your religious devotion and piety) then you have fallen from grace. When the zeal shifts from Jesus and what he has accomplished for us to what we must do to get God to “move” then we have missed the simplicity of the gospel of God’s grace. As I mentioned before, Jesus is the move of God!
But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you.
Galations 4:17
Let’s not be leavened with self-righteous pride, but with the lowly estimation of our complete dependence on His grace.
Love you guys. It’s all about Him. His kingdom, His grace, His mercy, His righteousness, His faithfulness, His love. Love you all! Jesus is King and He is still the only one found worthy!
A desire for all the nations of the earth to be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord. 