Pharisee or Publican Which are You?

Greetings sister saints.
I hope you are all doing well in the Lord, striving and pressing on for His glory. 
Today I want to ask this....
Pharisee or Publican Which are You?

I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: [10] Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.  
1 Corinthians 5:9-10 

Let's keep reading....
But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. [12] For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? [13] But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person. 
1 Corinthians 5:11-13 


Notice the last sentence...
"Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person."
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Believers in sin are called wicked and we're to put them away from us.
We're to go into the world by the fornicators, the covetous, the extortioners, the idolaters... And preach the GOSPEL.

We're shown (in the above verses) the contrast of the sins between the world and the believers. The sinful believers will have a much worse end than the sinful world (if none repent) as God hates hypocrisy.

We should hate all sin and what we see is that many people with religious pride, look down on the world and are horrified by their sins but accommodating and overlooking the sins of those that claim Christ, which should be horrifying as well. In fact, the sins of believers should be more horrifying than the world not claiming His name!


Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. [11] The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. [12] I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. [13] And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. [14] I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. 

Luke 18:10-14 

I'll use those two as examples for today...
Pharisee=Person of religious pride 
Publican=Humble servant

The Pharisee is the one who was either raised in a "Christian" home or "always tried to serve God"  and thinks she just had to change a few things to be obedient to scripture but hasn't truly had a change of heart through the gospel.  

She works hard to keep herself away from those of the world because she thinks she is defiled by their immodesty or music or words or activities but yet she overlooks the damning sins of so called brothers and sisters who are sanitized on the outside but hypocrites and wicked on the inside.  The Pharisee is the one who spends her time protecting herself instead of trying to protect people from the wrath of God by preaching the gospel to them.

The publican knows she was in sin and beats her breast over it, thankful to the Lord for giving her a new heart and new life.  She would be the one who sits with the harlot looking woman, dealing with the cigarette smoke drifting by her face, watching her pick scabs on her arms, telling her the good news and how she can be cleansed by the blood of Christ if she repents and get a new heart and new life, then hugs her, scabs and smells and all. She is the one that will offer the hope of eternal life to the tattoed beggar without his shirt on and ask if he needs any food. She is the one that will stand by an ear blasting concert trying to answer questions about the Lord from a seeker that uses some vulgar words in their vocabulary. She will be patient with the woman who admits she had a few drinks but has some questions about God. She has a heart for the lost and could care less about what goes on around her as she's not defiled by it yet she knows she would be defiled by association with the hypocritical unrepentant Pharisee claiming the Lord's name.

This is another good example....

And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat. [37] And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, [38] And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. [39] Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner. 
Luke 7:36-39 

They were more worried about her sins and defilement from her, than seeing her repentance. 

I love how Jesus used parables to make His point...
And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. [41] There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. [42] And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? [43] Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. 
Luke 7:40-43 

Now let's see how He plays the rest of it out to make His point....

And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. [45] Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. [46] My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. [47] Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. 
Luke 7:44-50 

Jesus put the Pharisees in their place...
It makes me think of this...

And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. 
Matthew 23:12 

The humble, lowly and despised (publican) will be exalted above those (pharisee) who who have sanitized themselves.

The publican will walk through the sins of the world (even if all alone) to seek and save a soul.  The Pharisee won't, because she is too worried about sin defiling her and stick close to other Pharisees who do the same.
What does that say about the differences between their hearts? 

* One is a servant. 
* One is self serving.

What I'm describing is what we've seen in the many years of our ministry in various situations. We are a teaching, discernment, gospel preaching ministry that saints can use to train up for ministry and in time be able to help others themselves.  If you've been following our website you'll know we often post street preaching videos, audios and pictures of what witnessing is like in real life.

NOTE: Edited to add here that we have been accused of posting 'gross immodesty' in our videos by a woman who we were united to.  She claimed she couldn't bear to watch them or promote them (after doing so for close to 4 years) never bringing up the subject until AFTER there were issues.  You can see a post HERE that brother Tupos did to refute her false accusations about us.

What we put on our videos is NOTHING compared to the vulgarity, immodesty and wickedness that goes on in the real world. What we post is what you WILL see and hear in the grocery store, in a parking lot, at a worldly festival, in a tourist downtown area, at a so called Christian music event, outside churches, on the streets in every day life etc.  

We do this so you can see what real world ministry of the gospel is like, so you can learn how to share the gospel, learn how to contend for the faith, to discern what people are saying so you can help them, to expose the lies and hypocrisy of man made religion and maybe someone on the videos will learn from seeing it themselves.  This all glorifies God.

Now let's look at an example of the Pharisee vs publican attitude on this.
The Pharisee will claim that she cannot watch or listen as there is immodesty and vulgarity in them, thereby missing the whole point and instead are more concerned about keeping herself sanitized like the Pharisees did with the woman that washed Jesus feet. She's more concerned about the sin defiling her than learning real life witnessing, how to do it and helping a lost soul.
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The publican will watch or hear the message being given, will learn how to deal with such situations so she too can share the life saving gospel and will praise God that His truth went out and He gets the glory.  She will learn how to walk in the Spirit with the armor of God on, looking past the sin to the soul that needs the gospel. 

If our videos or audios or pictures, of real life and what it's like out here offend you (Pharisee) stay home and pray to the Lord for a new heart.  You better not go to the grocery store or a parking lot or a park or drive by churches when they let out or anywhere there are people because you're going to see and hear it all out there.  And let's keep going... Don't go online looking for recipes or gardening and sewing tips because you will see women's uncovered heads and immodest clothing and hear music and worldly talk.... and the gospel won't even be being preached while you're in the midst of it all!

I'll stand on the streets with a publican like woman who struggles with some issues but loves, obeys the Lord and has a burning desire to preach the gospel,  than a sanitized Pharisee woman who has everything in order but is too good to stand in the midst of sin to save a soul (but yet will sit in the midst of sins of other Pharisees like her.)

Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. 
Matthew 16:6 

* Pharisee
* Publican
Which one are you?
Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
1 Corinthians 10:12 

Love in Christ to all my 'publican' sisters.

Sister Aman