WHEN OUR INCOME AS A CHURCH WAS 18,000 (NAIRA) IN A YEAR, MY OFFERING AND SACRIFICE WAS THERE.
BY 1985, OUR INCOME JUMPED TO 55,000 (NAIRA). EVERYONE BEGAN TO TAKE STEPS, SOME STOPPED WHILE OTHERS CONTINUED.
THOSE THAT CONTINUED, FROM A SMALL GROUP THAT HAD NO FORM OF COMELINESS OWN MAJOR FACTORIES TODAY.
IT IS NOT ABOUT THE VOLUME, IT IS ABOUT THE COST OF YOUR GIVING.
-Bishop David Oyedepo at CHoP
Lord Jesus, thank You for the end of another week. Lord, thank You for Your grace that was abounding in our lives since the week began. Receive our thanks in the name of Jesus. This Morning, speak to each one of us, move us forward again, in the name of Jesus Christ.
“If you had been here, our brother would not have died.” But I am here now and he shall live.
-No matter what had refused to turn since the year began, He has come to turn them around.
-Everything must turn in your favour this year.
SPIRITUAL STEWARDSHIP PAYS THE MOST
Spiritual stewardship pays the unmatchable. It pays the incomparable. No other platform of engagement has the capacity to pay what we enjoy as returns from spiritual stewardship.
Exodus 23:25-26
He shall bless your bread and your water: no begging
And I will take sickness from you: that is not found anywhere else.
Well, bread and water can come from any other engagement, but to take sickness away from you and me can only come from this platform. Church Gist. Many have undergone IVF 3 times, somebody said 7 times. “Children are an heritage of the Lord and the fruit of the womb is his reward” – Psalm 127:3. It is part of our guaranteed returns for serving God, all for free.
“And the number of your days I will fulfill” – no one can make that offer to anyone else.
So it is obvious that it pays the most, pays the incomparable, pays the unmatchable.
-May the wonders in spiritual stewardship begins to speak in everyone’s life afresh by engaging according to the rules.
Engaging in your stewardship according to the rules, you don’t set the rules, He sets the rules. By engaging joyfully, engaging heartily, engaging as a privilege not as a burden, not posing to engage but actually engaging. Engaging without murmuring and grumbling or you destroy the harvest. Engaging according to the rules.
One aspect we’ll look at this morning in spiritual stewardship is Financial Stewardship
FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP
Why is this vital? The Gospel requires finances for advancement – Zechariah 1:17
The advancement of the Kingdom demands the prosperity of the saints. Finances is a requirement for advancing the Kingdom, “and this gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached among all nations and then shall the end come “– Matthew 24:14. The gospel must be preached among all nations before Jesus comes, there will be heavy financial releases in the end time Church and God is looking for faithful channels through whom to release such financial fortune.
-May each one of us be counted worthy.
-May each one of us be counted a worthy channel through which God will keep transmitting the needed wealth for the end time.
He gave them gold as their luggage out of Egypt and then He demanded of them gold to build His tabernacle. God never demands what He has not given. He never asked Abraham to give Him Isaac until He gave him one.
Financial stewardship is simply about giving towards Kingdom Advancement endeavours. It is about serving the interest of the Kingdom with our finances which brings us into favour with God that culminates in financial fortune.
Psalm 102:13-15
Fearful favour: It is the favour that brings the saints to the realm of glory, wipes away all the shame and reproach of the past as we favour the matters of the Kingdom.
1 Chronicles 29:3-5, 12
Our affection towards His Kingdom makes great. Our financial advancement towards His Kingdom makes great. They are not make-believe stuff, they are real stuff. Check out on anyone that is genuinely investing towards Kingdom advancement, they don’t struggle for things to happen, favour brings things their way. And nothing makes great like favour.
“By thy favour, thou hast made my mountain to stand strong”: it sets you on top
Giants of strange order will begin to emerge in the end time Church. Men like nations will start rising in the end time Church. By the hand of God, “it is in thy hand to make great” – 1 Chronicles 29:12
It is not people’s connection, it is not anything, “it is in thy hand to make great and to give strength unto all.” And Jesus came from the lineage of David and Jesus is the holding the key of David in heaven – Revelation 3:7.
1996, we had a ceremony in Israel, the 3000th year that David reigned in Israel. You know 3,000; somebody is still relevant 3000 years (after)?
“It is in thy hand to make great”; “because of my affection towards the house of my God, I have given all out of my private treasure, my own proper good, not Kingdom good, my own proper good of gold and silver. Who then will follow my example, he said, who will give himself and all that he has to the Lord?” The ultimate of a consecrated giving life is greatness that comes from God. Greatness that comes from God.
-No one here will sell his birthright for a morsel of meat.
When Christ came, the Word said, “He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest”
Jesus said, “as My Father sent Me so send I you”: so we are redeemed unto greatness.
-May you not sell your birthright to eating with your 10 fingers.
“It is in thy hand to make great and to give strength unto all”: You know what that means? Those who know their God shall be strong and do exploits – Daniel 11:32. It is in Your hand to raise men of exploits.
Riches and honour are of thee – 1 Chronicles 29:12. The way to it is giving, Kingdom advancement investment. It works like fire.
-No one here will sell his birthright for a morsel of meat.
-May each one here, receive that giving grace in a new way this morning.
Now let me tell you where that grace is required?
2 Corinthians 8:1-7
”…To their power and beyond their power, they were willing of themselves” – 2 Corinthians 8:3. That is where grace comes. They were bare footed perhaps, deep poverty, but grace was upon them. The giving grace that keeps you going, even in the midst of lack, at your level per time. Grace is needed to make you go at the level of your power and beyond your power in doing what is right and what creates a future.
When we do not mind the advancement of the Kingdom with our finances, it can stop God’s blessing from coming upon us.
Haggai 1:2-11
Our non-involvement does not only rob us of favour, but it procures God’s wrath. Kingdom advancement investment keeps our heavens open for blessings.
Heavens shut up – Haggai 1:10
-Your heaven will not be shut up, the blessings will keep flowing, in the name of Jesus.
It is not about the volume, it is about the cost. The widow’s mite was rated to be the greatest giving in that Service. It was a mite: it was one coin, it was one penny and you can’t tell how that triggered her turnaround at her level.
Don’t shut your mind to every Kingdom promotion opportunity. Don’t close your eyes, don’t pretend not to know that something is going on.
-Somebody’s story is changing.
-May your giving life step into another realm.
-May your commitment to Kingdom advancement endeavours come alive afresh in the name of Jesus.
Sacrifice brought greatness the way of Solomon.
Sacrifice brought greatness the way of David.
Tireless giving brought Abraham to the realm of being the father of blessings.
No one benefits from your giving and my giving like you and me.
“Give and it shall be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over” – Luke 6:38
“Bring ye all the tithes, I will open the heavens over your life” – Malachi 3:10
Commit to my Kingdom advancement endeavours and your heaven will stay open.
Everything about giving has you as the core and only beneficiary.
Riches plus honour. There are many wealthy people that have zero honour.
Greatness by the hand of God. No one votes you in, no one can vote you out when God makes you great.
Prayers: Ask God for grace, the giving grace afresh. Ask God for the release of the giving grace afresh upon your life. Ask God for renewed grace for financial stewardship in advancing the Kingdom of God. In Jesus precious name we have prayed.
Is anyone excused from tithing? No. The tithe of 10 Naira is 1 Naira. Am I correct?
In the same way, no one is excused from giving of offering. Don’t come before Him empty. That can be one-quarter of a Naira. It doesn’t matter.
No one is excused from Kingdom promotion endeavours. That can be one-tenth of a Naira.
Just be there. From the place where you are, get started. The covenant gives you the opportunity to start from where we are, not where we are going. Church Gist. When our income was 18,000 (Naira) in a year, my own offering was there, my sacrifice was there. That was our level, all of us were at that level. We grew amazingly to 55,000 (Naira) in 1985, great growth. That was our level, everyone. Everybody began to take steps, some got tired, others were taking steps, our story was changing and changing and now giants are rising. Many own major factories today that were in that small group that had no form of comeliness.
Get started, that is where to start from. Start from now and watch how the grace of God will keep decorating your life from one level of greatness of grace to another.
Give God thanks. Give Him thanks for light! Thank You Father in Jesus precious name.
We have water baptism today across our various facilities where we have these baptistries and everything. Those who have not been baptized in water, just humble yourself, get baptized and experience the newness of life.
We also have WSF tonight. Be part of it. This Morning we have ‘Ark on the Move’ and the Ark is really moving.
-May you be part of the move, you will not be left behind in the name of Jesus.
Tomorrow, special anointing service: it is going to be an awesome time in God’s presence.
Again, speak to the day, all your converts that you talk to, must appear. Every convert that appeared in Church this year must make their way back tomorrow. No one shall be left behind.
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