WEBVTT

NOTE
Podcast: Acts 29 Vancouver
Episode: Sowing and Reaping
Publishing Date: 2009-12-20T05:00:44-08:00
Podcast URL: https://acts29.ca
Episode URL: https://acts29.ca/sowing-and-reaping/

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Well, we finished, like I said, reconciliation, forgiveness at Gilgal. We moved on to Gilgal,

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a new economy. Because to recap, at Gilgal, and you did get my notes, right? Okay. They

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were quite elaborate. You will not be getting them every week. So do write notes today.

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Pardon? Yes. From last week, because I didn't have the scripture references. Now, Gilgal

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was the beginning of a new economy because the manna stopped and people began to live

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off the produce of the land. And last week, we talked about this. We said that one, there

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was a change of economy. Two, we said that God wants us to be able to rule over resources.

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God wants us to be able to rule over resources. We traced it back to Genesis 1.28, where God

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said, listen, I've given you this and this and this, herbs, trees, plants, animals. I

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want you to rule over them. And we also talked about 2 Corinthians 9, where we realized that

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God gives us resources to rule over so that he can fulfill his mandate. And we are supposed

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to be dispersers of his resources. Then we talked about Matthew 25 and the parable of

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the talents. And we realized that we can receive what we need today according to our present

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ability, according to your faithfulness then and a knowledge of principles, your ability

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either increases or decreases. Then we talked about tithing and how it's an old mechanism

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that cannot and does not apply to a New Testament people who are not limited in their giving

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or generosity. And therefore, after studying tithing and its reality, not as the church

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has presented it for the last 100 years, we then said this is not the way to go, it's

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only training wheels. And we talked about the different ways of giving. Today, we're going

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to take it one step further. But before we do, I want us to know this. Guys, you are

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called to rule over resources appointed to you so that you can fulfill the vision appointed

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to you. Let me say that again. And I pray, God, that we hang on to every word taught

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today. It has nothing to do with a teacher. It has everything to do with the tremendous

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benefit that you can accrue in your life today if our mind shifts to what God is going to

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say to us today. So the first thing I want to say is you can rule over the resources

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appointed to you so that you can fulfill the vision appointed to you. Or a church should

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rule over its resources appointed to it so that the church can fulfill the vision appointed

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to it. And when provision is locked, vision is shackled. When provision is locked, vision

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is shackled. When provision is locked, vision is shackled. Locked. When provision is locked,

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when vision is shackled, and your wisdom is despised. And your wisdom is despised.

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So on one hand, you're giving, the reason you're given resources to rule over is so

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that you can fulfill the vision or the mandate you've been given as an individual, as a family,

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as a group, as a church. But on the other hand, if provision is absent or if provision

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is locked, then your vision is shackled and your wisdom is despised. Turn to Ecclesiastes

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9.15. Ecclesiastes 9.15. Ecclesiastes is after problems.

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Q. Ecclesiastes is despised in this context.

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A. Despised as in, so what if you have tons of wisdom? You're a poor guy, I don't want

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to listen to you. What you got to show for yourself? Ecclesiastes 9.15.

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And here's what it says, starting from verse 13.

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I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom that greatly impressed me. There was once

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a small city with only a few people in it, and a powerful king came against it, surrounded

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it and built huge siege works against it. Now there lived in that city a man poor but

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wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom, but nobody remembered the poor man. So I said,

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wisdom is better than strength, but the poor man's wisdom is despised and his words are

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no longer heeded. When provision is locked, vision is shackled and your wisdom is despised.

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Q. How do you understand this passage?

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A. Just to take what Diana is saying and apply it to us, when we study things, sometimes

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a passage may not, we may not comprehend the passage immediately in terms of what it says,

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and it might need a complete teaching to elaborate the passage, but you can draw a principle

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out of the passage and apply it to what we are learning now. So in terms of explaining

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the passage, we would really need about 20-25 minutes, but we're going to draw out a principle

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now and apply it. And sometimes that's the way passages work, because this passage alone

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you can spend, I'm not kidding you, an hour and a half teaching on. So we'll draw the

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principle out. It's not that provision is absent, provision is locked.

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Q. Locked by ignorance?

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A. Locked by sometimes our ignorance, locked by a lack of understanding of principles,

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because once we walk in knowledge, it's always a door opener, a treasure box opener.

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Q. Locked in ignorance?

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A. Locked in ignorance, locked in lack of knowledge of principles.

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Q. Ignorant of principles.

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A. Guys, to rule over resources, we need to know the principles that govern resources.

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To rule over resources, we need to know the principles that govern resource management.

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I'll say that again. If I want to rule over resources, if Acts 29 wants to rule over resources,

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then we need to know the principles that govern resource management. We've got to know the

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principles.

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Many givers, there are many givers who operate without the knowledge of these principles.

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Many givers, there are tons of good givers guys. There are many good givers. Matt, I

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bless you Matt. Matt, look at me. I bless you. I bless you. You're a powerful man of

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God who has the Spirit of Christ living in you, and you shall rule by the Spirit within

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you. Right? Amen.

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Many givers operate without the knowledge, many givers operate without the knowledge

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of principles. So there are great givers in church. Even in this church there are great

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givers. But you can be good givers, but you can still operate without the knowledge of

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principles. And you know what happens then? There's wastage. There is inaccurate sowing,

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and sometimes the harvest is not what it is supposed to be. There is the pouring of new

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wine into old wineskins. Principles of resource management allow you to have structures like

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new wineskins. The wine is then not wasted. The sowing is accurate. And the harvest is

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optimal. You'll get everything that you're supposed to get. And so I say to you, if you

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think you've been a good giver all your life, I bless you. But I say to you that there are

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still principles you do not know. So if you think that you've learned all the principles

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and there is nothing new to learn, then I'm saying to you that your giving, though splendid,

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is being wasted, is inaccurate in its sowing, and therefore will not produce the full harvest

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that it could, given what a wonderful giver you are. Resource management, or how we disperse

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our resources, deal with our resources. And the other thing I want us to know is that

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as we approach this topic, which we'll do this week and next week, God willing, is this.

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This is a mistake made by many who preach prosperity and who want prosperity. You cannot

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buy just the treasure. You have to buy the whole field. It's a parable. Matthew 13, verse

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44, it says this. There was a man who found out that there was a treasure in a field.

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But guess what the man did? He didn't go after the treasure. He first went and bought the

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whole field so that now that he has the whole field, he can go after the treasure. It is

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not possible to get rich in God's economy by going just for the treasure. You have to

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buy the whole field, meaning we have to get into everything that God has in terms of ruling

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over resources. That is when there is consistent flow of wealth in and out of you.

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Any questions? I'll give you an example of how we don't buy the whole field. You can

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just believe that if I tithe, God will prosper me. That's buying the treasure and God will

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bless you. But there's so much more to giving than tithing. Or if I give, I will receive.

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But there's so much more to giving and receiving than just give and receive. So much more to

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it. So much more to it. We are not here to get rich. We are here to have wealth flow

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through our hands like water so that the vision and the mandate of God will be fulfilled because

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of the resources that flow through us without a problem because suddenly God sees a people

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who he can give according to their ability and who are not falling for the age old trap

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of the love of money and who just love giving. Just flow through you like water. Any other

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questions? Any other questions?

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Okay. Let's talk about sowing then. If you go to Genesis 822, you'll see God saying

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that this is immediately after the flood. He makes a statement. He says, as long as the

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earth remains, there will be seed time and harvest. In Galatians 6-7, he says something

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similar through Paul when he says that what you sow, that you will reap. So guys, it's

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a universal principle. And in the context of what we are teaching right now, don't take

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it lightly. Let it sink deep in your heart that God meant right from the beginning, immediately

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after the flood, he said, Jacob, as long as the earth remains, there will be seed time

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and there will be harvest. And then in the New Testament, he says, Jacob, whatever you

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sow, you will reap. And it applies to every area of your life. But this is such a fundamental

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principle. The second thing we need to know about sowing and reaping, you will always

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reap more than you sow. You always reap more than you sow. If you sow the wind, you will

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reap the whirlwind. Hosea 8-7. So it goes both ways, guys. When you sow sin, you reap death.

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It is not an equal exchange. If you sow unkindness, you will reap violence towards yourself. When

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Wendy sows kindness, she will reap like crazy. When you sow the wind, you reap the whirlwind.

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Jesus said this in John 12-24. He said, unless, if you were using corn as an example, unless

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a kernel of corn for a seed, you reap the whirlwind. So you reap the whirlwind. So you

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reap the whirlwind. So you reap the whirlwind. So you reap the whirlwind. So you reap the

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whirlwind. If it falls to the ground, you will not be able to get a cob of corn. And

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it multiplies exponentially. So the first principle is reaping and sowing applies to

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monies for sure. Second, you never get what you sow. You always get more. Be it negative

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or positive, you always get more. Now we need to connect the two things. The first is the

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giving to sowing. Please understand that giving is just not giving. Giving has to be understood

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as sowing. Guys, this is so crucial. We have to begin to equate giving to sowing. Giving

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is not just giving something away. See, when we think of giving, we think we are giving

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something away. No, when you are giving, you are always sowing. Come on, Sue, you are not

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doing the classroom thing. You are supposed to end all those sentences. Because one of

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the problems the church has kind of sunk into without knowing is that we think giving is

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giving away. So I gave away. No, no, no. You did not give away. You sowed. Change. Change

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this equation in your mind. It is vital to the rest of the economy at Gilgal. You never

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give away everything. You always sow when you give away. No, I am saying you are, whenever

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you give, you are sowing. You have got to change this in your thinking. You are sowing.

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God gave his son. He sowed and he reaped a multitude of souls, Isaiah 53. Got to connect

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giving to sowing. Otherwise giving away is giving something away. No, it is not a wasteful

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giving. Every time you give, know that when it comes to economy, you are always sowing.

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Another word for giving and receiving is sowing and reaping. Very important to understand

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this. Our mindset. Our mindset. Results could be the same. It is just that the image that

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is conjured with the word giving is I let it go. And God is not giving away. He is giving

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away. As we go to the rest of it, we will find that God has certain principles that

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he wants intentionally to be put in our lives so that we don't look at giving as just letting

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it go but as sowing. And therefore receiving is reaping. The words, like she said, it is

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not so much the result. It is a change in our thinking that needs to happen. Because

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most of the time I give away, I don't sow. I mean, to tell you the truth, till I started

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working on this, I never knew the difference between giving and sowing. So... Not sowing.

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I have always talked about giving. I have never talked about sowing. I give away. It

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doesn't matter.

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True. True. Giving is to... Yeah. Yeah. And I don't want to run away from the word get

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because seed time and harvest. God invented that, not me. So I don't want to run away

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from get and act extra pious. The other thing about sowing, guys, is God kind of has a

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sowing is always expectant. It goes back to what he's just said. God kind of sowing

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is always... Go ahead, Joan.

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But if you're giving to get, you're getting to give.

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If you're giving to get, you're getting to give. True. It comes back.

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It doesn't stand for selfish.

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It doesn't. Which is something else we'll be talking about.

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It doesn't let me sow, you don't need.

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Yeah. It's just universal law. Sowing is never going to be something that is done without

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expectation when a farmer sows. When a farmer sows, he sows expectantly. The Bible talks

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about it. The Bible talks about it in the book of James where a farmer sows and then

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waits patiently. Sowing that is reluctant or neutral lacks the nature of God, guys.

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Sowing that is reluctant or neutral lacks the nature of God. A God kind of sowing is

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always expectant.

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So that mindset is really important.

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Yes.

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You can't say, you put on that black thing.

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No. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay.

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In Mardochai it says, like this, they must have said, bring your clothes and you approve

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me.

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Yes.

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I will not open my hands and bring them and pour down on me.

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On you. Yeah.

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You've given out my pour.

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Yeah. Guys, if you miss something I'm saying, just ask and I'll repeat it, okay?

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Okay. A God kind of sowing is always expectant and if sowing is reluctant or neutral, if

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sowing is reluctant or neutral, sometimes sowing can be without expectation, without

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reluctance but with no expectation. If sowing is reluctant or neutral, it lacks God's kind

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of sowing, meaning it lacks, I'll tell you what it lacks. It lacks the nature of God.

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Sorry. It lacks the nature of God because have you noticed how God gives freely? God

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gives joyfully? God gives voluntarily? God gives generously? God gives freely? God gives

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voluntarily? God gives joyfully? God gives generously? God gives freely? God gives generously?

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God gives joyfully? And God gives voluntarily? And so if my giving is neutral or reluctant,

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it lacks the nature of God. That is such an important part of sowing.

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Go ahead.

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I always think if the Lord has put something in our heart for us to give, because that's

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the terminology I was used to, you give it and then God deals with the results.

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Yeah. You still have to. The farmer sows and there's nothing he can do. In fact, the Bible

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says once he puts a seed in, there's nothing he can do. He has to wait.

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I mean, I would even not worry, but am I supposed to be more concerned about the results?

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No, we're not concerned about the results. We are expectant in our sowing. A farmer wants

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to, when a farmer sows, he never sows with... Yeah.

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And he never worries?

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He doesn't worry, but he sows with expectancy.

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We'll get there, because you will see that sowing also... Pardon? I'm talking about every

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time you give you sow. Every time you're giving, you're sowing. You don't... Let's for a second

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assume that Chris is going to sow, give me a thousand bucks. She comes and she gives

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me a thousand bucks and she doesn't expect it back. But guess what? When she's coming

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and giving me, she's still sowing into this ground.

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But this giving is not... She's not expecting anything out of it. But she gets it. But this

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giving is not.

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She's not expecting money back, but there isn't... Whenever you sow, there is an expectant

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sowing which you know is going to pay off at some point. That there is going to be

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benefit to Jacob. There's going to be benefit to Jacob's children. There's going to be benefit

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to her, because as long as there is seed time, there will be harvest. A benefit will come

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to her. She's not waiting. Benefit, benefit, benefit, benefit. But she's absolutely sure

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that the benefit will come to her and her children and her children's children. It is

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just impossible to avoid it.

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There are hindrances to harvest which we'll talk about, but it is impossible to avoid

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the circle. This is like saying, I'm going to sleep tonight. If I die tonight, that's

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great. I'll go to heaven. But don't tell me you're not looking forward to the sunrise

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tomorrow. You wouldn't want this dark for the rest of your life. So I go to sleep. There's

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an expectancy that the sun will rise. But if the sun doesn't rise and I die tonight,

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praise God, there'll be bright light forever.

00:22:39.420 --> 00:22:40.420
Is that kind of a thing?

00:22:40.420 --> 00:22:47.420
I think we get wound up in the money part of it. But it's the same thing when we pray.

00:22:47.420 --> 00:22:48.420
We expect.

00:22:48.420 --> 00:22:56.060
Oh yeah. Good point. Every time I pray, I expect. But this is not going to disappoint

00:22:56.060 --> 00:23:00.820
me if God doesn't answer immediately or if God makes something happen in over a period

00:23:00.820 --> 00:23:08.220
of six months. When you and Sapna decided to have a child, not every time you tried

00:23:08.540 --> 00:23:11.900
having a child, did you have a child? But that didn't destroy anything for you. But

00:23:11.900 --> 00:23:17.140
you have an expectancy that we're going to have a baby and now she's pregnant. You still

00:23:17.140 --> 00:23:24.140
have to wait nine months. So please think in terms of sowing, not in terms of giving.

00:23:26.820 --> 00:23:33.820
Because even when you give away, you're actually sowing. And if you have sown, then there is

00:23:33.860 --> 00:23:38.540
a principle that God established before your forefathers were born, right in the time of

00:23:38.540 --> 00:23:42.060
Noah, when he said, as long as the earth remains, there will be seed time and there will be

00:23:42.060 --> 00:23:48.980
harvest. And therefore, even though you're not waiting saying, I gave, where is my return?

00:23:48.980 --> 00:23:55.900
You know that it is impossible to escape a universal principle.

00:23:55.900 --> 00:24:02.060
It is an intentional change in our minds that we are not giving away, we are sowing. And

00:24:02.260 --> 00:24:09.260
now that we have sown out of generosity, out of the nature of God, now there is a harvest

00:24:10.020 --> 00:24:15.060
coming. And we'll talk about it because we've only started, right? By the time we talk about

00:24:15.060 --> 00:24:22.060
it more, we'll see how this works even better. So the next point is, guys, there is no end

00:24:24.500 --> 00:24:30.660
to the reaping of some of the seeds sown. This is just so marvelous. When you sow, some

00:24:30.660 --> 00:24:35.780
of the seeds you sow, there is no end to the reaping you will do because it almost

00:24:35.780 --> 00:24:42.780
has a domino reaping effect. Like, guys, there are places that I have sown in the last four

00:24:46.020 --> 00:24:52.780
years where I have been reaping now for the last three years. It doesn't end. I'm talking

00:24:52.780 --> 00:24:59.780
about sowing monies, I'm talking about sowing non-cash items, I'm just talking about sowing

00:25:01.220 --> 00:25:06.340
time and my strength into things and it never ends. It has a domino effect. Sometimes you

00:25:06.340 --> 00:25:10.900
sow and you get a harvest and you're done. But sometimes what you sow will affect generation

00:25:10.900 --> 00:25:17.900
after generation after generation. I'll tell you something. Joan is a beneficiary of a

00:25:19.020 --> 00:25:22.020
dad who knew how to sow.

00:25:22.020 --> 00:25:29.020
I used to hear him laughing downstairs and he'd say, Joan, come down here and you'd get

00:25:30.660 --> 00:25:37.660
a good suspension. It didn't stop when her dad died. And it won't stop when she dies

00:25:42.260 --> 00:25:46.860
either because those that she has taught will now benefit from the same principle. Why?

00:25:46.860 --> 00:25:53.860
Because some seeds that are sown will go on and on and on and on. Because when we give

00:25:54.860 --> 00:26:01.860
away something we think it's a one time act. Gone away, no more. It's very different when

00:26:04.060 --> 00:26:05.060
it's sown.

00:26:05.060 --> 00:26:10.060
Is there a person that says don't blitz something that God has sown?

00:26:10.060 --> 00:26:16.260
I don't know. Find that out for me because I don't think it says that but I could be

00:26:16.260 --> 00:26:23.260
wrong. It says don't call profane what God has called profane. It's a very simple thing.

00:26:23.860 --> 00:26:30.860
Don't call holy. That's in Hegai or Malachi but I'm not sure of the other ones.

00:26:30.860 --> 00:26:31.860
So how much should I sow?

00:26:31.860 --> 00:26:34.860
Don't open doors that God has shut.

00:26:34.860 --> 00:26:35.860
No, that's not in the Bible.

00:26:35.860 --> 00:26:38.860
The Holy Spirit said that to Peter too.

00:26:38.860 --> 00:26:39.860
Pardon?

00:26:39.860 --> 00:26:41.860
The Holy Spirit said that to Peter.

00:26:41.860 --> 00:26:43.860
Don't open doors that I have shut?

00:26:43.860 --> 00:26:44.860
No.

00:26:44.860 --> 00:26:51.860
In Acts it says don't call dirty what I've called holy when the sheet is let down.

00:26:51.860 --> 00:26:58.860
Guys, the other thing about giving is this. Since we're talking about sowing, how much

00:26:58.860 --> 00:26:59.860
should I sow?

00:26:59.860 --> 00:27:00.860
How much should I sow?

00:27:00.860 --> 00:27:01.860
Have you sown and sown?

00:27:01.860 --> 00:27:02.860
Yeah, how much should I sow?

00:27:02.860 --> 00:27:07.860
The Lord says sow bountiful yield, be very bountiful yield.

00:27:07.860 --> 00:27:08.860
Sow it.

00:27:08.860 --> 00:27:15.860
Yeah, so let me give you, that's what the Lord said. Now let me take you to an even

00:27:16.860 --> 00:27:20.860
greater extreme. How much did the widow in Luke 21, 4 sow?

00:27:20.860 --> 00:27:21.860
Everything.

00:27:21.860 --> 00:27:28.860
Guys, so if you want a standard of how much you should sow and you want to be extreme,

00:27:31.860 --> 00:27:38.860
then the one person that represents who the father is, is that widow in Luke 21, 4 because

00:27:38.860 --> 00:27:42.860
she sowed so much that she had nothing left.

00:27:42.860 --> 00:27:47.860
That is the nth degree to which you can sow, just in case you thought, so where would the

00:27:47.860 --> 00:27:49.860
limit be to sowing dear Lord?

00:27:49.860 --> 00:27:54.860
That is the nth degree to which sowing can go and we do not know the rest of the woman's

00:27:54.860 --> 00:27:59.860
story but I guarantee you on the basis of the principle of seed time and harvest, that

00:27:59.860 --> 00:28:05.860
woman did reap. We don't know about it. But keep that as one of the things you want to

00:28:05.860 --> 00:28:06.860
find out in heaven.

00:28:06.860 --> 00:28:11.860
Yeah, she gave what was left of hers. But this was real. Yeah, that too. Good point.

00:28:11.860 --> 00:28:16.860
Now if someone says, but if you sow like that, what about saving? I mean, shouldn't one

00:28:16.860 --> 00:28:22.860
save for a rainy day? Shouldn't we save for the days ahead? Guys, the Bible never talks

00:28:22.860 --> 00:28:25.860
about saving. The Bible only talks about surplus.

00:28:25.860 --> 00:28:28.860
But the Lord says something about saving.

00:28:28.860 --> 00:28:30.860
Yeah, so what is the word for saving?

00:28:30.860 --> 00:28:33.860
The Bible never talks about saving. The Bible only talks about surplus.

00:28:33.860 --> 00:28:40.860
But the Lord says something about gathering cherries for our children.

00:28:40.860 --> 00:28:45.860
That's in terms of an inheritance but it comes out of a surplus, not out of saving.

00:28:45.860 --> 00:28:51.860
The Bible does not talk about saving. It talks about surplus. We may immediately go and think

00:28:51.860 --> 00:28:57.860
of the ant in Proverbs 6. The ant in Proverbs 6 is an illustration of diligence, not of

00:28:57.860 --> 00:29:05.860
saving. The Bible talks about a surplus. Deuteronomy 28.12. If you follow these things, I will

00:29:05.860 --> 00:29:11.860
bless you and give you a surplus.

00:29:11.860 --> 00:29:13.860
Mind shift again.

00:29:13.860 --> 00:29:19.860
We have to begin to live in an economy at Gilgal where we live by surplus.

00:29:19.860 --> 00:29:25.860
God just...surplus.

00:29:25.860 --> 00:29:37.860
And it is possible, guys, where you have a saving in your bank because God is giving you a surplus.

00:29:37.860 --> 00:29:44.860
Not because you're penny-pinching. Please understand, this might go greatly against the grain

00:29:44.860 --> 00:29:48.860
of the way my parents lived, your parents lived, I have lived, you have lived.

00:29:48.860 --> 00:29:52.860
And I understand that. And if it chaps, so be it. Apply some powder.

00:29:52.860 --> 00:30:00.860
But the point is that the Bible talks about a surplus and not about saving.

00:30:00.860 --> 00:30:08.860
Your saving then is your surplus.

00:30:08.860 --> 00:30:14.860
For what?

00:30:14.860 --> 00:30:20.860
Where? Show me. Feel free to question and challenge.

00:30:20.860 --> 00:30:24.860
Because I would like to know.

00:30:24.860 --> 00:30:29.860
Yeah, but there it was specifically where God told him, listen, there's a famine coming and so do it.

00:30:29.860 --> 00:30:35.860
I'm talking about living life in general. We never think in terms of surplus.

00:30:35.860 --> 00:30:39.860
We always think in terms of savings.

00:30:39.860 --> 00:30:45.860
We don't think in terms of surplus.

00:30:45.860 --> 00:30:49.860
So you would think given how we are trained to think.

00:30:49.860 --> 00:30:55.860
So we think given how we are trained to think.

00:30:55.860 --> 00:31:00.860
Saving for a rainy day is a concept that does not exist in the Bible.

00:31:00.860 --> 00:31:06.860
So here is again a mind shift where we move from the word saving to the word surplus.

00:31:06.860 --> 00:31:12.860
Now you can call, now the bank may call it a saving account.

00:31:12.860 --> 00:31:18.860
I'd suggest that in your mind you begin calling it a surplus account.

00:31:18.860 --> 00:31:28.860
Yeah, and even when you eat it up and give it out, you never lack because there is a surplus.

00:31:28.860 --> 00:31:31.860
Surplus.

00:31:31.860 --> 00:31:36.860
When you, sorry go ahead Joan.

00:31:36.860 --> 00:31:42.860
It's so that you can keep giving away.

00:31:42.860 --> 00:31:50.860
Because it is impossible to defeat the fundamental principle of seed time and harvest.

00:31:50.860 --> 00:31:56.860
So I, in all sincerity, and I'm assuming I'll be around in Acts 29 for a while,

00:31:56.860 --> 00:32:02.860
I expect to have a surplus for the rest of my life.

00:32:02.860 --> 00:32:06.860
Thank you brother.

00:32:06.860 --> 00:32:11.860
So we got to move from the mindset of saving to the mindset of surplus.

00:32:11.860 --> 00:32:16.860
Because this is how God is. It's a shift.

00:32:16.860 --> 00:32:22.860
Because Paul, this doesn't mean that, please understand, we're not talking about wealth in the bank.

00:32:22.860 --> 00:32:26.860
Paul said I know how to be contented, little and contented, lot.

00:32:26.860 --> 00:32:35.860
But Paul, Jesus, everybody knew how to live by the surplus.

00:32:35.860 --> 00:32:45.860
Surplus can be one dollar more than you need or a million dollars more than you need.

00:32:45.860 --> 00:32:49.860
Everyone's thinking of the million.

00:32:49.860 --> 00:32:53.860
If you always have one more dollar than you need, you don't have to worry about whether it's a million.

00:32:53.860 --> 00:32:54.860
Yeah.

00:32:54.860 --> 00:32:57.860
Like the whole plane.

00:32:57.860 --> 00:32:59.860
Yeah. There you go.

00:32:59.860 --> 00:33:02.860
So what about saving? Bible talks about surplus, not about saving.

00:33:02.860 --> 00:33:08.860
A surplus is a result of sowing.

00:33:08.860 --> 00:33:12.860
Remember what the woman at Zarifat did.

00:33:12.860 --> 00:33:25.860
She took her jar of flour and she took a little bit of oil and she sowed it into the God sent man Elijah.

00:33:25.860 --> 00:33:30.860
And she had a surplus.

00:33:30.860 --> 00:33:34.860
So one of the ways surplus happens is through sowing.

00:33:34.860 --> 00:33:38.860
Psalm 112 verses 9 talks about it too.

00:33:38.860 --> 00:33:42.860
Another way that surplus happens is through obedience.

00:33:42.860 --> 00:33:46.860
Deuteronomy 28 verse 12.

00:33:46.860 --> 00:33:51.860
If you harken to these commands and follow them and do them, then I will do this, this, this, this.

00:33:51.860 --> 00:33:56.860
Your barns will be full, your vats will not be empty, your cupboards will be full, your house will be full.

00:33:56.860 --> 00:33:59.860
And you will have a surplus.

00:33:59.860 --> 00:34:02.860
So you will have a surplus.

00:34:02.860 --> 00:34:04.860
Then I will do this, this, this, this.

00:34:04.860 --> 00:34:08.860
Your barns will be full, your vats will not be empty, your cupboards will be full.

00:34:08.860 --> 00:34:10.860
I will bless the work of your hands.

00:34:10.860 --> 00:34:11.860
You shall have a surplus.

00:34:11.860 --> 00:34:13.860
You shall not borrow, but you shall lend.

00:34:13.860 --> 00:34:15.860
Obedience.

00:34:15.860 --> 00:34:25.860
And a third important factor in walking in surplus is diligence.

00:34:25.860 --> 00:34:26.860
Diligence.

00:34:26.860 --> 00:34:28.860
Proverbs chapter 6 verse 6.

00:34:28.860 --> 00:34:32.860
Look at the ant who is not lazy.

00:34:32.860 --> 00:34:35.860
Proverbs 10-4.

00:34:35.860 --> 00:34:36.860
All those scriptures are given about.

00:34:36.860 --> 00:34:46.860
Proverbs 10-4 says something again to the effect that a lazy man will not eat, but a man who is diligent.

00:34:46.860 --> 00:34:50.860
Yeah.

00:34:50.860 --> 00:34:51.860
Oh, you don't have the reference?

00:34:51.860 --> 00:34:52.860
Okay.

00:34:52.860 --> 00:34:56.860
It's 1 Kings 17, 10-4.

00:34:56.860 --> 00:34:58.860
That's a story about the woman from Zarifat.

00:34:58.860 --> 00:35:00.860
1 Kings 17, 10-4.

00:35:00.860 --> 00:35:01.860
10-14.

00:35:01.860 --> 00:35:04.860
1 Kings 17, 10-14.

00:35:04.860 --> 00:35:09.860
The second one is Psalm 112, 9.

00:35:09.860 --> 00:35:11.860
Both of them have to do with sowing.

00:35:11.860 --> 00:35:15.860
1 Kings 17, 10-14.

00:35:15.860 --> 00:35:18.860
Psalm 112, 9.

00:35:18.860 --> 00:35:24.860
Then when it comes to obedience, it's Deuteronomy 28, 12.

00:35:24.860 --> 00:35:34.860
And when it comes to diligence, it is Proverbs 6, 6 and 10-4.

00:35:34.860 --> 00:35:37.860
Thanks.

00:35:47.860 --> 00:35:49.860
Any questions?

00:35:55.860 --> 00:35:56.860
Okay.

00:35:56.860 --> 00:35:58.860
Moving on to the next bit then.

00:35:58.860 --> 00:36:00.860
Bread and seed.

00:36:00.860 --> 00:36:04.860
Guys, you never sow bread or fruit.

00:36:04.860 --> 00:36:08.860
You sow seed.

00:36:08.860 --> 00:36:10.860
You never sow bread.

00:36:10.860 --> 00:36:11.860
You never sow fruit.

00:36:11.860 --> 00:36:13.860
You sow seed.

00:36:13.860 --> 00:36:18.860
And a seed in the Greek is sperma.

00:36:18.860 --> 00:36:25.860
A seed is something that has within it the ability to produce plants and fruit.

00:36:25.860 --> 00:36:35.860
A seed is something that has within it the ability to plant, the ability to produce future plants and fruit.

00:36:35.860 --> 00:36:37.860
Future plants and fruit.

00:36:37.860 --> 00:36:39.860
And you never sow bread.

00:36:39.860 --> 00:36:40.860
You never sow fruit.

00:36:40.860 --> 00:36:42.860
You sow seed.

00:36:42.860 --> 00:36:48.860
So now let's apply 1 Corinthians 16, 2.

00:36:48.860 --> 00:36:50.860
Let's apply 1 Corinthians 16, 2.

00:36:50.860 --> 00:36:52.860
And here's what 1 Corinthians 16, 2 says.

00:36:52.860 --> 00:37:02.860
It says, guys, in the beginning of the week or the month or whenever you're paid, set aside that which you want to give to the church.

00:37:02.860 --> 00:37:04.860
That's what it says in 1 Corinthians 16, 2.

00:37:04.860 --> 00:37:08.860
So let's elaborate that a little more.

00:37:09.860 --> 00:37:20.860
Guys, at the beginning of the month, at the beginning of the week or whenever you get paid, I'd suggest to you divide your money into bread and into seed.

00:37:20.860 --> 00:37:22.860
Do you hear me?

00:37:22.860 --> 00:37:26.860
Divide your money into bread and into seed.

00:37:26.860 --> 00:37:29.860
Bread is for consumption and eating.

00:37:29.860 --> 00:37:33.860
Seed is for sowing.

00:37:33.860 --> 00:37:36.860
So try practicing this.

00:37:36.860 --> 00:37:48.860
When you get your monies, whenever, decide intentionally without guilt, without obligation, without necessity, without compulsion.

00:37:48.860 --> 00:37:51.860
Decide, I've got 100 bucks.

00:37:51.860 --> 00:37:56.860
I'm going to use 98 for bread and $2 for seed.

00:37:56.860 --> 00:38:02.860
Or decide that you are going to use $40 for bread and $60 for seed.

00:38:02.860 --> 00:38:08.860
Do it according to the decision that you make with your heart.

00:38:08.860 --> 00:38:11.860
Divide it into bread and seed.

00:38:11.860 --> 00:38:18.860
And then, bread is for consumption, seed is for sowing.

00:38:18.860 --> 00:38:22.860
You know, for far too long, and look at this, guys, look at the mind shift we need here.

00:38:22.860 --> 00:38:27.860
For far too long, we've been working for bread.

00:38:27.860 --> 00:38:30.860
We've got to be working for seed.

00:38:30.860 --> 00:38:31.860
That's the secret.

00:38:31.860 --> 00:38:33.860
We are working for bread.

00:38:33.860 --> 00:38:37.860
When we work, we think, oh, got to meet this friend, got to meet that friend, got to meet...

00:38:37.860 --> 00:38:39.860
We are working for bread.

00:38:39.860 --> 00:38:45.860
But all along, God has wanted us to work for seed.

00:38:45.860 --> 00:38:47.860
He established us ages ago.

00:38:47.860 --> 00:38:50.860
Genesis chapter 1, verse 11.

00:38:50.860 --> 00:38:51.860
What did he do?

00:38:51.860 --> 00:38:57.860
He created herbs and trees that were seed bearing.

00:38:57.860 --> 00:39:02.860
I mean, read it in Genesis 1, 11.

00:39:02.860 --> 00:39:09.860
1, 11, I think.

00:39:09.860 --> 00:39:14.860
Then God said, let the land produce vegetation, seed bearing plants and trees on the land,

00:39:14.860 --> 00:39:19.860
and that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.

00:39:19.860 --> 00:39:22.860
The land produce vegetation, plants bearing seed, according to their kinds,

00:39:22.860 --> 00:39:25.860
and the fruit bearing seeds, according to their kinds.

00:39:25.860 --> 00:39:31.860
And the trees bearing fruit with seed, according to their kinds, and God saw that it was good.

00:39:31.860 --> 00:39:36.860
And then go to Genesis 47, 19.

00:39:36.860 --> 00:39:39.860
Genesis 47, 19.

00:39:39.860 --> 00:39:47.860
Genesis 47, 19.

00:39:47.860 --> 00:39:49.860
Everything okay, Joan?

00:39:49.860 --> 00:39:51.860
It's just that we smoke.

00:39:59.860 --> 00:40:01.860
Cigarette smoke.

00:40:01.860 --> 00:40:05.860
Oh, then someone knows we're trying to smoke in secret.

00:40:05.860 --> 00:40:09.860
And just for the sake of the CD, it's not from Acts 29.

00:40:09.860 --> 00:40:12.860
Genesis 47.

00:40:12.860 --> 00:40:15.860
It's just a group downstairs looking for Genesis.

00:40:15.860 --> 00:40:17.860
Okay.

00:40:17.860 --> 00:40:21.860
Genesis 47, 19.

00:40:21.860 --> 00:40:23.860
I still don't smell it, but that's fine.

00:40:23.860 --> 00:40:25.860
Genesis 47, 19.

00:40:25.860 --> 00:40:27.860
Why should we perish before your eyes?

00:40:27.860 --> 00:40:29.860
Jacob's, Joseph's brother's asking.

00:40:29.860 --> 00:40:31.860
We and our land as well.

00:40:31.860 --> 00:40:37.860
Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh.

00:40:37.860 --> 00:40:43.860
Give us seed so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate.

00:40:43.860 --> 00:40:48.860
Guys, God knew how precious seed is.

00:40:48.860 --> 00:40:52.860
And the whole, here is another mind shift that we have to make.

00:40:52.860 --> 00:40:56.860
We are not going to be working for our bread anymore.

00:40:56.860 --> 00:41:00.860
We are going to understand that we work for seed.

00:41:00.860 --> 00:41:06.860
Because it is seed that produces bread and more seed.

00:41:06.860 --> 00:41:10.860
So we've got to make this mind shift.

00:41:10.860 --> 00:41:14.860
We've got to work for seed, not bread.

00:41:14.860 --> 00:41:16.860
Bread is for eating, seed is for sowing.

00:41:16.860 --> 00:41:19.860
Seed when it's sown produces more bread.

00:41:19.860 --> 00:41:21.860
It produces more seed.

00:41:21.860 --> 00:41:23.860
This is how it works.

00:41:23.860 --> 00:41:29.860
How does it look?

00:41:29.860 --> 00:41:39.860
Now I'm excited about work because, I mean I'm excited about work regardless, but I'm saying, man I can smell it too.

00:41:39.860 --> 00:41:47.860
I'm excited about work because I suddenly realized that my wages are no longer going to be bread.

00:41:47.860 --> 00:41:54.860
My wages now have the added potential, the added life of seed in it.

00:41:54.860 --> 00:41:59.860
It is not bread that I will consume and go into my stomach and go out the next day.

00:41:59.860 --> 00:42:00.860
No, no, no, no, no.

00:42:00.860 --> 00:42:03.860
Now what I earn is seed.

00:42:03.860 --> 00:42:09.860
I have within me, I have in my hand now the ability to produce more bread and more seed.

00:42:09.860 --> 00:42:12.860
And we'll talk about what we use seed for.

00:42:12.860 --> 00:42:15.860
But it's a mind shift guys.

00:42:15.860 --> 00:42:21.860
You know that saving is just questions that are supposed to be seed.

00:42:21.860 --> 00:42:24.860
Which is my next point.

00:42:24.860 --> 00:42:30.860
Guys, even after we have decided how much seed we want to sow, release it because it's very hard to release.

00:42:30.860 --> 00:42:38.860
This message is very nice to pump us up, but it is another thing to actually practice it.

00:42:38.860 --> 00:42:43.860
Because it is one thing to say, okay, this is for bread and this is for seed.

00:42:43.860 --> 00:42:46.860
But after we get that seed, it's still hard to release.

00:42:46.860 --> 00:42:50.860
Because what if you could change that into bread?

00:42:50.860 --> 00:42:51.860
You don't want to release the seed.

00:42:51.860 --> 00:42:55.860
You want to hold on to it.

00:42:55.860 --> 00:42:57.860
I have held back seed quite a few times.

00:42:57.860 --> 00:43:01.860
I know people have held back seed that they have said they would pour into my life.

00:43:01.860 --> 00:43:02.860
They haven't. Why?

00:43:02.860 --> 00:43:09.860
Because the seed suddenly became bread.

00:43:09.860 --> 00:43:10.860
Because of fear.

00:43:10.860 --> 00:43:15.860
And therefore, now that I have the seed I want to release, I need willingness and faith to release it.

00:43:15.860 --> 00:43:16.860
Willingness and faith.

00:43:16.860 --> 00:43:23.860
Because trust me, money is the only thing that humans think they have earned by their own toil.

00:43:23.860 --> 00:43:24.860
They can't do that with air.

00:43:24.860 --> 00:43:26.860
Didn't do anything to produce it.

00:43:26.860 --> 00:43:27.860
Can't do that with water.

00:43:27.860 --> 00:43:29.860
Can't do that with most things.

00:43:29.860 --> 00:43:30.860
Can't do that with your children.

00:43:30.860 --> 00:43:31.860
Can't do that with your wife.

00:43:31.860 --> 00:43:39.860
But the one thing that you think you have absolute ownership over is the vagus of the toil of your brow.

00:43:39.860 --> 00:43:45.860
Therefore, there is a degree of ownership that is intense and therefore it is hard to release.

00:43:45.860 --> 00:43:51.860
As a farmer, they don't eat the seed even though they don't have bread.

00:43:51.860 --> 00:43:54.860
They will never eat the seed because they have to sow.

00:43:54.860 --> 00:43:55.860
Just imagine that.

00:43:55.860 --> 00:44:03.860
A farmer will not eat what he has set aside as seed because he knows how foolish that would be.

00:44:03.860 --> 00:44:09.860
If necessary, he will go and ask someone else for bread, but he will never take up the seed.

00:44:09.860 --> 00:44:16.860
You know when they plant vineyards, you know how precious a root of the vine is?

00:44:16.860 --> 00:44:21.860
I mean, they got it like the crown jewels.

00:44:21.860 --> 00:44:28.860
When fires come, these owners of vineyards run not to save the plant.

00:44:28.860 --> 00:44:30.860
They don't care if the grapes burn.

00:44:30.860 --> 00:44:33.860
They do care, but they're not so worried about the grapes burning.

00:44:33.860 --> 00:44:42.860
They want to get the fire done before it destroys the roots because in the root lies more bread, more wine, more bread, more wine.

00:44:42.860 --> 00:44:46.860
People in the world know this.

00:44:46.860 --> 00:44:49.860
We got to know it now.

00:44:49.860 --> 00:44:51.860
We got to know it.

00:45:01.860 --> 00:45:08.860
And once you release the seed, guys, as soon as you release the seed, it destroys the love of money.

00:45:08.860 --> 00:45:17.860
John 12, 24, Jesus said, as soon as a grain of wheat hits the ground and dies.

00:45:17.860 --> 00:45:19.860
It's literally that principle.

00:45:19.860 --> 00:45:28.860
When I release the seed I've set aside, the love of money that I have takes a depth blow.

00:45:28.860 --> 00:45:31.860
Because I've released it, I'm not holding it back.

00:45:31.860 --> 00:45:33.860
I have decided that this is going to be seed.

00:45:33.860 --> 00:45:35.860
This is going to be bread.

00:45:35.860 --> 00:45:37.860
Church, we have to practice this.

00:45:37.860 --> 00:45:47.860
I do not know whether we will practice it, but you will not be able to claim the Fifth Amendment.

00:45:47.860 --> 00:45:52.860
So releasing the seed destroys the love of money and it builds dependence on God.

00:45:52.860 --> 00:45:55.860
It builds dependence on God.

00:45:55.860 --> 00:46:06.860
And you can stand on his word, Isaiah 55, 10, as the rain and the snow come and pour upon the earth.

00:46:06.860 --> 00:46:08.860
And then you know what it says?

00:46:08.860 --> 00:46:16.860
Providing bread for the eater and seed for the sewer.

00:46:16.860 --> 00:46:20.860
Isaiah 55, 10, said it there.

00:46:20.860 --> 00:46:23.860
Isaiah 55, 10, said it there.

00:46:23.860 --> 00:46:29.860
I know it's in the context of, that shall be my word that goes forth and does not come back, void.

00:46:29.860 --> 00:46:34.860
But he starts off with, just as the rain and snow come and water the earth,

00:46:34.860 --> 00:46:41.860
and it brings forth bread for the eater and seed for the sewer.

00:46:41.860 --> 00:46:43.860
Isaiah 55, 10.

00:46:43.860 --> 00:46:45.860
God will multiply it, guys.

00:46:45.860 --> 00:46:51.860
You are planting the seed, and it is true, and you will reap harvest.

00:46:51.860 --> 00:46:53.860
Huge, yeah.

00:46:53.860 --> 00:46:57.860
And guys, this is how God will supply all our needs according to his riches.

00:46:57.860 --> 00:47:00.860
The key is sowing.

00:47:00.860 --> 00:47:01.860
Let me say that again.

00:47:01.860 --> 00:47:04.860
We quote that scripture often, Philippians 4, 19.

00:47:04.860 --> 00:47:10.860
And my God shall supply all my needs according to his riches and glory.

00:47:10.860 --> 00:47:15.860
But we do not look at the verses on top, and you'll see how connected it is to sowing.

00:47:15.860 --> 00:47:18.860
Turn to Philippians 4.

00:47:18.860 --> 00:47:20.860
It's fascinating what I don't know.

00:47:20.860 --> 00:47:23.860
Philippians 4.

00:47:23.860 --> 00:47:25.860
It's fascinating what I don't know for 17 years.

00:47:25.860 --> 00:47:29.860
Philippians 4, 14 onwards.

00:47:29.860 --> 00:47:32.860
Philippians 4, 14 onwards.

00:47:32.860 --> 00:47:34.860
Philippians 4, 14.

00:47:34.860 --> 00:47:36.860
And here's what it says.

00:47:36.860 --> 00:47:39.860
Yet it was good for you to share in my troubles.

00:47:39.860 --> 00:47:43.860
Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel,

00:47:43.860 --> 00:47:49.860
when I set out for Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving,

00:47:49.860 --> 00:47:55.860
or for, as you said, sowing and reaping, except you only.

00:47:55.860 --> 00:47:59.860
For even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need.

00:47:59.860 --> 00:48:04.860
Not that I'm looking for a gift, but I'm looking for what may be credited to your account.

00:48:04.860 --> 00:48:06.860
I have received full payment and even more.

00:48:06.860 --> 00:48:11.860
I'm amply supplied now that I have received from Epiphroth, it is the gifts you sent.

00:48:11.860 --> 00:48:15.860
They are a fragrant offering and an acceptable sacrifice pleasing to God.

00:48:15.860 --> 00:48:21.860
And my God will meet all your needs, according to the riches of Glorion Christ.

00:48:21.860 --> 00:48:27.860
The principles preceding this verse that we quote so often is, again,

00:48:27.860 --> 00:48:34.860
the whole principle of giving and receiving, or to use our terminology for today, sowing and reaping.

00:48:36.860 --> 00:48:46.860
And just so you know, guys, the word God uses for multiplying is this fascinating theatrical word in Greek called

00:48:46.860 --> 00:48:49.860
koregio, C-H-O-R-E-G-E-O.

00:48:49.860 --> 00:48:56.860
Koregio means, sometimes when you had a theatrical company after a show,

00:48:56.860 --> 00:49:00.860
you would furnish food for the entire chorus.

00:49:00.860 --> 00:49:06.860
So it would be like what James has done, like what Sue has done, like what Uma is going to do,

00:49:06.860 --> 00:49:09.860
where you supply for the entire chorus.

00:49:09.860 --> 00:49:13.860
You don't pick up the main singers and say, okay, I'll feed two of the chorus.

00:49:13.860 --> 00:49:16.860
No, you feed the entire chorus.

00:49:16.860 --> 00:49:22.860
And the word God uses for I will supply is I will feed the entire chorus line.

00:49:22.860 --> 00:49:24.860
Koregio.

00:49:24.860 --> 00:49:25.860
It's a beautiful word.

00:49:25.860 --> 00:49:32.860
So in his supply, it's not going to be penny-pinching.

00:49:32.860 --> 00:49:41.860
So at the end of the day, I'd suggest when it comes to sowing, first ask the Holy Spirit to direct you.

00:49:41.860 --> 00:49:45.780
Ask the Holy Spirit to direct you, because I'm going to play on the

00:49:45.780 --> 00:49:46.780
name that he calls himself.

00:49:46.780 --> 00:49:50.780
He's the Lord of the Harvest.

00:49:50.780 --> 00:49:52.780
But it's in a completely different context that's used.

00:49:52.780 --> 00:49:55.780
But the Holy Spirit is the Lord of the Harvest.

00:49:55.780 --> 00:50:04.780
So if I were to play on that, you ask the Holy Spirit, ask the Holy Spirit to direct your sowing,

00:50:04.780 --> 00:50:07.780
to direct your sowing, to direct your sowing.

00:50:07.780 --> 00:50:12.780
Next, you respond.

00:50:12.780 --> 00:50:17.780
You let your generosity respond.

00:50:17.780 --> 00:50:24.780
You let your generosity respond.

00:50:24.780 --> 00:50:29.780
You let your generosity respond.

00:50:29.780 --> 00:50:34.780
You let your generosity respond.

00:50:34.780 --> 00:50:43.780
Next, let your hands sow.

00:50:43.780 --> 00:50:53.780
Next, let your heart water the ground.

00:50:53.780 --> 00:50:55.780
And we'll talk about that later.

00:50:55.780 --> 00:51:02.780
Let your heart water the ground.

00:51:02.780 --> 00:51:11.780
Next, let the earth produce.

00:51:11.780 --> 00:51:17.780
Next, let your soul reap abundantly.

00:51:17.780 --> 00:51:24.780
Let your soul reap abundantly.

00:51:24.780 --> 00:51:30.780
And then you go back all the way to the start, and you say, okay, Holy Spirit, I'll reap.

00:51:30.780 --> 00:51:33.780
And then I ask the Holy Spirit, please direct my sowing.

00:51:33.780 --> 00:51:36.780
And then you go, let your generosity respond.

00:51:36.780 --> 00:51:40.780
As the Holy Spirit directs you, your generosity will respond or not respond.

00:51:40.780 --> 00:51:43.780
You may have the faith for it and the willingness or may not have it.

00:51:43.780 --> 00:51:45.780
That's something you can cultivate.

00:51:45.780 --> 00:51:47.780
Let your hands sow it, release it.

00:51:47.780 --> 00:51:48.780
Let your heart water it.

00:51:48.780 --> 00:51:50.780
We'll talk about that.

00:51:50.780 --> 00:51:51.780
Let the earth produce.

00:51:51.780 --> 00:51:53.780
If it takes nine months, so be it.

00:51:53.780 --> 00:51:55.780
If it takes nine years, so be it.

00:51:55.780 --> 00:51:56.780
But it will produce.

00:51:56.780 --> 00:51:58.780
A farmer doesn't go every day and look at the seed.

00:51:58.780 --> 00:51:59.780
Done it. Where are you?

00:51:59.780 --> 00:52:00.780
I planted it yesterday.

00:52:00.780 --> 00:52:02.780
Come out. Come out in the name of Jesus Christ.

00:52:02.780 --> 00:52:03.780
No, doesn't work.

00:52:03.780 --> 00:52:06.780
That blooming seed will stay there till it wants to bloom.

00:52:06.780 --> 00:52:10.780
And then let your soul reap abundantly.

00:52:15.780 --> 00:52:17.780
Many do that.

00:52:17.780 --> 00:52:18.780
We do that.

00:52:20.780 --> 00:52:21.780
We do that.

00:52:21.780 --> 00:52:22.780
We're in a hurry.

00:52:22.780 --> 00:52:25.780
So we pull it out and then we wonder why it hasn't grown in the given time.

00:52:27.780 --> 00:52:30.780
So this is how we work it.

00:52:36.780 --> 00:52:41.780
It took 30 years of prayer until the fruit was born.

00:52:41.780 --> 00:52:42.780
The results were born.

00:52:42.780 --> 00:52:45.780
And because I'm a gardener, I know that.

00:52:45.780 --> 00:52:50.780
Like the radishes, they grow up in three days.

00:52:50.780 --> 00:52:55.780
But partly it takes leaves and greens to bring the color to come out.

00:52:55.780 --> 00:53:00.780
The Lord taught me that because I'm a gardener, a part,

00:53:00.780 --> 00:53:04.780
so He teaches me in a spiritual way, the gardening tools.

00:53:04.780 --> 00:53:05.780
Yep.

00:53:05.780 --> 00:53:08.780
That's why I like fast food.

00:53:08.780 --> 00:53:10.780
You just go up to the window.

00:53:10.780 --> 00:53:17.780
You speak into a round thing and say, Junior Whopper with cheese, no pickles.

00:53:17.780 --> 00:53:19.780
And you drive just about.

00:53:19.780 --> 00:53:21.780
And there it is.

00:53:21.780 --> 00:53:22.780
It's instant.

00:53:25.780 --> 00:53:26.780
Pardon?

00:53:26.780 --> 00:53:28.780
Impatience kills your harvest.

00:53:28.780 --> 00:53:31.780
So on that note, let's go to hindrances of the harvest.

00:53:31.780 --> 00:53:32.780
You OK, Joan?

00:53:32.780 --> 00:53:34.780
Is it the smoke?

00:53:34.780 --> 00:53:36.780
Is it the smoke?

00:53:36.780 --> 00:53:38.780
OK.

00:53:38.780 --> 00:53:39.780
OK.

00:53:39.780 --> 00:53:40.780
OK.

00:53:40.780 --> 00:53:41.780
OK.

00:53:41.780 --> 00:53:43.780
Hindrances to harvest.

00:53:43.780 --> 00:53:48.780
Guys, when you sow, we said we will reap and we will harvest.

00:53:48.780 --> 00:53:52.780
But there can be hindrances to harvest that affect the output of the harvest.

00:53:52.780 --> 00:53:54.780
And here are some of the hindrances.

00:53:54.780 --> 00:53:58.780
If you are a Buddhist, if you are a Muslim, if you were anything,

00:53:58.780 --> 00:54:00.780
but a Christian, this would not affect you.

00:54:00.780 --> 00:54:04.780
But if you're a Christian, then your lifestyle affects your harvest.

00:54:04.780 --> 00:54:09.780
If you're a Christian, your lifestyle affects your harvest.

00:54:09.780 --> 00:54:13.780
Your rebellion will affect your harvest.

00:54:13.780 --> 00:54:16.780
Your disobedience will affect your harvest.

00:54:16.780 --> 00:54:18.780
Your unforgiveness will affect your harvest.

00:54:18.780 --> 00:54:20.780
We've talked about this.

00:54:20.780 --> 00:54:24.780
But just as one cannot be, and I'm going to say this,

00:54:24.780 --> 00:54:27.780
a homosexual and a passionate believer,

00:54:27.780 --> 00:54:31.780
so you can't be unforgiving and a passionate believer.

00:54:31.780 --> 00:54:38.780
Unforgiveness is an essential part of being a Christian.

00:54:38.780 --> 00:54:40.780
I cannot be an unforgiving Christian.

00:54:40.780 --> 00:54:44.780
It's oxymoron.

00:54:44.780 --> 00:54:48.780
So unforgiveness, rebellion, disobedience,

00:54:48.780 --> 00:54:51.780
will affect your harvest, will affect your harvest.

00:54:51.780 --> 00:54:54.780
Just as righteousness will bless your harvest.

00:54:54.780 --> 00:54:56.780
Many scriptures, Psalm 112 you read,

00:54:56.780 --> 00:54:59.780
it will talk about how a righteous man will be blessed.

00:54:59.780 --> 00:55:03.780
And it's talking about wealth and blessings.

00:55:03.780 --> 00:55:06.780
Other places where it talks about it is in Isaiah 310.

00:55:06.780 --> 00:55:08.780
Also talks about how righteousness,

00:55:08.780 --> 00:55:11.780
which is practicing God's moral standards,

00:55:11.780 --> 00:55:14.780
is a very important part of being a Christian.

00:55:14.780 --> 00:55:16.780
So we're talking about how righteousness,

00:55:16.780 --> 00:55:19.780
which is practicing God's moral standards,

00:55:19.780 --> 00:55:24.780
will bless you in terms of a harvest of resources.

00:55:24.780 --> 00:55:26.780
And I'm talking about harvest right now.

00:55:26.780 --> 00:55:29.780
We are only talking about economy as in resources.

00:55:29.780 --> 00:55:32.780
We are not talking about other sources of sowing and reaping.

00:55:32.780 --> 00:55:36.780
So your lifestyle affects your harvest.

00:55:36.780 --> 00:55:41.780
A rebellious, disobedient, unforgiving lifestyle.

00:55:41.780 --> 00:55:44.780
And by rebellious I cover a whole lot of things that are habitual.

00:55:44.780 --> 00:55:47.780
Will affect your harvest.

00:55:47.780 --> 00:55:51.780
Just as righteousness or right walk and moral standards of God in your life

00:55:51.780 --> 00:55:54.780
will bless your harvest.

00:55:54.780 --> 00:55:56.780
If you were any other religion it wouldn't matter.

00:55:56.780 --> 00:56:00.780
But as a Christian, you set yourself up.

00:56:00.780 --> 00:56:04.780
Secondly, the type of ground you sow in affects your harvest.

00:56:04.780 --> 00:56:10.780
The type of ground that you sow in unfortunately affects your harvest.

00:56:10.780 --> 00:56:13.780
If you sow into bottomless pits,

00:56:13.780 --> 00:56:16.780
what do I mean by bottomless pits?

00:56:16.780 --> 00:56:19.780
If you sow into people who don't give,

00:56:24.780 --> 00:56:28.780
if you sow into people who don't give,

00:56:28.780 --> 00:56:31.780
and you keep sowing into people who don't give,

00:56:31.780 --> 00:56:35.780
eventually guys, you should stop because that is ground,

00:56:35.780 --> 00:56:37.780
that is a bottomless pit.

00:56:37.780 --> 00:56:41.780
Your harvest will not come.

00:56:41.780 --> 00:56:45.780
Proverbs 11.24 I think talks about it.

00:56:45.780 --> 00:56:48.780
Actually we should read Proverbs 11.24 onwards.

00:56:48.780 --> 00:56:51.780
There's quite a few things about giving.

00:56:51.780 --> 00:56:54.780
Pardon?

00:56:54.780 --> 00:56:59.780
Yeah, it just keeps sucking, sucking, sucking.

00:56:59.780 --> 00:57:01.780
Nothing is given.

00:57:01.780 --> 00:57:06.780
Like I said, this is about resources and economy,

00:57:06.780 --> 00:57:10.780
so I wouldn't go to other areas right now.

00:57:10.780 --> 00:57:14.780
Because no one knows the heart of man when it comes to prayer.

00:57:14.780 --> 00:57:16.780
It might take many years.

00:57:16.780 --> 00:57:18.780
Look how long it took you and me.

00:57:18.780 --> 00:57:22.780
Proverbs 11.23 onwards.

00:57:22.780 --> 00:57:25.780
Proverbs 11.23 onwards.

00:57:25.780 --> 00:57:28.780
The desire of the righteous ends only in good,

00:57:28.780 --> 00:57:31.780
but the hope of the wicked only in wrath.

00:57:31.780 --> 00:57:34.780
One man gives freely yet gains even more.

00:57:34.780 --> 00:57:38.780
Another withholds unduly but comes to poverty.

00:57:38.780 --> 00:57:42.780
Bottomless pits are people that you can keep giving to,

00:57:42.780 --> 00:57:45.780
but they don't give themselves.

00:57:45.780 --> 00:57:47.780
So you're throwing money into a pit,

00:57:47.780 --> 00:57:50.780
and they never sow, so they will never reap.

00:57:50.780 --> 00:57:54.780
So your sowing is now into a bottomless pit.

00:57:54.780 --> 00:57:56.780
Yeah, unless the Lord tells you to give.

00:57:56.780 --> 00:57:59.780
But I'm saying these are hindrances.

00:57:59.780 --> 00:58:02.780
Yeah, these are hindrances.

00:58:02.780 --> 00:58:06.780
Because I was listening to a testimony of a doctor

00:58:06.780 --> 00:58:08.780
who said that when people would come to him

00:58:08.780 --> 00:58:09.780
and they would ask him,

00:58:09.780 --> 00:58:11.780
could you either treat us free

00:58:11.780 --> 00:58:14.780
or could you put us on an account payment,

00:58:14.780 --> 00:58:15.780
the first question he would ask,

00:58:15.780 --> 00:58:18.780
because he was a believer, was, do you tithe?

00:58:18.780 --> 00:58:19.780
And they would say,

00:58:19.780 --> 00:58:22.780
what does tithing have to do with the money?

00:58:22.780 --> 00:58:23.780
And he would say,

00:58:23.780 --> 00:58:26.780
what does tithing have to do with you treating us?

00:58:26.780 --> 00:58:27.780
And he said, do you tithe?

00:58:27.780 --> 00:58:28.780
And they'd say, not really.

00:58:28.780 --> 00:58:31.780
He said, well, then if you rob God,

00:58:31.780 --> 00:58:33.780
how can I be sure that you won't rob me?

00:58:33.780 --> 00:58:36.780
You pay up now and I'll treat you, otherwise I won't.

00:58:36.780 --> 00:58:39.780
He said, if you have the guts to rob God,

00:58:39.780 --> 00:58:43.780
then what will stop you from robbing me?

00:58:43.780 --> 00:58:47.780
So he said he's given a lot away free,

00:58:47.780 --> 00:58:50.780
but he said he would only give it free

00:58:50.780 --> 00:58:52.780
because he knew that the person was a giver.

00:58:52.780 --> 00:58:54.780
Not that you're promoting tithing.

00:58:54.780 --> 00:58:56.780
No, not that I'm promoting tithing.

00:58:56.780 --> 00:59:00.780
An interesting point.

00:59:00.780 --> 00:59:02.780
In this or that?

00:59:02.780 --> 00:59:05.780
Proverbs 11, 24.

00:59:05.780 --> 00:59:07.780
One man gives freely, yet gains even more.

00:59:07.780 --> 00:59:09.780
Another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.

00:59:09.780 --> 00:59:11.780
A generous man will prosper.

00:59:11.780 --> 00:59:14.780
He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

00:59:14.780 --> 00:59:16.780
People curse the man who hoards grain,

00:59:16.780 --> 00:59:19.780
but blessing crowns him who is willing to sell.

00:59:19.780 --> 00:59:21.780
He who seeks good finds good,

00:59:21.780 --> 00:59:23.780
but evil comes to him who searches for it.

00:59:23.780 --> 00:59:25.780
Whoever trusts in his riches will fall,

00:59:25.780 --> 00:59:30.780
but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.

00:59:30.780 --> 00:59:35.780
Okay, so the other place we shouldn't sow into is shallow ground.

00:59:35.780 --> 00:59:42.780
Don't sow into rocky or shallow ground.

00:59:42.780 --> 00:59:47.780
Guys, don't sow into rocky or shallow ministries.

00:59:47.780 --> 00:59:50.780
Don't sow into shallow ministries.

00:59:50.780 --> 00:59:54.780
Shallow ministries are ministries that have a lot of jazz and flash

00:59:54.780 --> 00:59:57.780
on stage and television,

00:59:57.780 --> 01:00:03.780
but in terms of actual substance it is shallow.

01:00:03.780 --> 01:00:06.780
Don't sow into them.

01:00:06.780 --> 01:00:08.780
It's not that you won't be blessed.

01:00:08.780 --> 01:00:14.780
It is that it is not an optimal harvest.

01:00:14.780 --> 01:00:18.780
A farmer will not sow into shallow ground.

01:00:18.780 --> 01:00:21.780
He won't sow into a bottomless pit.

01:00:21.780 --> 01:00:22.780
His seed is precious.

01:00:22.780 --> 01:00:24.780
He will starve to keep the seed alive.

01:00:24.780 --> 01:00:26.780
And so he will use this seed.

01:00:26.780 --> 01:00:27.780
Seed is precious guys.

01:00:27.780 --> 01:00:29.780
Understand, we need to understand that.

01:00:29.780 --> 01:00:30.780
I need to understand that.

01:00:30.780 --> 01:00:33.780
What I set apart as seed is precious.

01:00:33.780 --> 01:00:35.780
It's precious.

01:00:35.780 --> 01:00:37.780
It's very important.

01:00:37.780 --> 01:00:39.780
It's not to be fooled around with.

01:00:39.780 --> 01:00:42.780
Thirdly, don't sow into infested ground.

01:00:42.780 --> 01:00:45.780
Infested ground is carnal ground.

01:00:45.780 --> 01:00:46.780
Carnal ground.

01:00:46.780 --> 01:00:49.780
Infested ground is carnal ground.

01:00:49.780 --> 01:00:52.780
Carnal ground is ground where you're sowing into a ministry

01:00:52.780 --> 01:00:56.780
or a person or a church that lives carnaly.

01:00:56.780 --> 01:00:59.780
That lives carnaly.

01:00:59.780 --> 01:01:02.780
Don't.

01:01:02.780 --> 01:01:06.780
Carnal is sinful.

01:01:06.780 --> 01:01:09.780
Don't sow into infested ground

01:01:09.780 --> 01:01:14.780
because it will not bear a harvest for the person.

01:01:14.780 --> 01:01:18.780
Isn't that potentially leading to thinking and choosing

01:01:18.780 --> 01:01:21.780
who is going to get to these poor people

01:01:21.780 --> 01:01:24.780
because they're poor?

01:01:24.780 --> 01:01:27.780
If you noticed, the word poor didn't come up.

01:01:27.780 --> 01:01:30.780
And secondly, Matt, a poor man can give out of his poverty.

01:01:30.780 --> 01:01:32.780
We talked about that last week.

01:01:32.780 --> 01:01:36.780
No, but I mean like if you don't sow into infested ground,

01:01:36.780 --> 01:01:40.780
don't give to people who are either going to plant their own seeds.

01:01:40.780 --> 01:01:42.780
Like if you go downtown Eastside and you could say,

01:01:42.780 --> 01:01:45.780
well, they're going to get the money and why give them food?

01:01:45.780 --> 01:01:48.780
Why not give it to immigrants that are trying to get a job, right?

01:01:48.780 --> 01:01:50.780
So then...

01:01:50.780 --> 01:01:52.780
Okay, good question.

01:01:52.780 --> 01:01:57.780
I'd say the first principle is ask the Holy Spirit to direct your giving.

01:01:57.780 --> 01:02:01.780
But if I...many of...

01:02:01.780 --> 01:02:05.780
What I'm saying matters more where we are giving

01:02:05.780 --> 01:02:07.780
in situations where God hasn't directed us,

01:02:07.780 --> 01:02:11.780
but we keep giving into it because we made one donation long ago.

01:02:11.780 --> 01:02:13.780
And the letters keep coming and we keep giving.

01:02:13.780 --> 01:02:15.780
We know the character of the person.

01:02:15.780 --> 01:02:18.780
We know the character of the organization, the church.

01:02:18.780 --> 01:02:19.780
We know sometimes it's infested.

01:02:19.780 --> 01:02:23.780
Sometimes we know it's shallow, but we will keep giving there.

01:02:23.780 --> 01:02:25.780
There is a degree of loyalty.

01:02:25.780 --> 01:02:29.780
There's a partnership.

01:02:29.780 --> 01:02:31.780
It becomes...yeah.

01:02:31.780 --> 01:02:34.780
There is so much giving in Christianity today

01:02:34.780 --> 01:02:38.780
that is into infested ground, that is into rocky ground.

01:02:38.780 --> 01:02:42.780
If God directs, I'd say to you that

01:02:42.780 --> 01:02:44.780
when He directs you to pour into a bottomless pit,

01:02:44.780 --> 01:02:46.780
it is because He knows that that bottomless pit is going to

01:02:46.780 --> 01:02:49.780
soon develop a bottom and come out right.

01:02:49.780 --> 01:02:52.780
Or He may still ask you to give into a bottomless pit.

01:02:52.780 --> 01:02:55.780
But the reason I'm talking about these grounds

01:02:55.780 --> 01:02:59.780
is because so much money in Christendom today

01:02:59.780 --> 01:03:03.780
is going into shallow, shallow ground

01:03:03.780 --> 01:03:05.780
so that you can get a plaque in an aircraft

01:03:05.780 --> 01:03:07.780
that the person flies around the world.

01:03:07.780 --> 01:03:11.780
I mean, how ridiculous can it get?

01:03:11.780 --> 01:03:13.780
And many times it's emotional giving.

01:03:13.780 --> 01:03:17.780
Yeah, so much of it is impulsive emotional giving.

01:03:23.780 --> 01:03:26.780
Other ground I would suggest you don't sow into

01:03:26.780 --> 01:03:29.780
is farasacal or self-serving ministries.

01:03:29.780 --> 01:03:33.780
Farasacal or farasy-like self-serving ministries

01:03:33.780 --> 01:03:35.780
where all the money...

01:03:35.780 --> 01:03:38.780
Should I repeat anything?

01:03:38.780 --> 01:03:41.780
The other ground that you should not sow into

01:03:41.780 --> 01:03:44.780
is farasacal ground.

01:03:44.780 --> 01:03:46.780
That is ground that is self-serving.

01:03:46.780 --> 01:03:50.780
Matt, can you turn me the volume up a little more?

01:03:50.780 --> 01:03:54.780
Farasacal serving or farasy-like...

01:03:54.780 --> 01:03:58.780
Farasy-like ground where it's self-serving.

01:03:58.780 --> 01:04:00.780
Lots of ministries like that.

01:04:00.780 --> 01:04:07.780
Growing on the back of widows and the poor.

01:04:10.780 --> 01:04:12.780
Too many.

01:04:12.780 --> 01:04:15.780
Empires built on the back of people.

01:04:24.780 --> 01:04:27.780
I'm not going to give examples, though.

01:04:27.780 --> 01:04:29.780
I know some ministries like that

01:04:29.780 --> 01:04:31.780
where the money comes in and the money doesn't go out.

01:04:31.780 --> 01:04:35.780
The money just keeps building houses and...

01:04:35.780 --> 01:04:37.780
They don't target the poor.

01:04:37.780 --> 01:04:38.780
No, they don't target the poor.

01:04:38.780 --> 01:04:41.780
There's a loyalty that comes and people just give.

01:04:41.780 --> 01:04:44.780
And they are promised a hundred million things

01:04:44.780 --> 01:04:46.780
right from your children will get saved

01:04:46.780 --> 01:04:48.780
to your breakthrough will come tomorrow

01:04:48.780 --> 01:04:52.780
to send us this much money and you will be healed the day after.

01:04:52.780 --> 01:04:57.780
It's a perversion of everything that God is in terms of giving.

01:04:57.780 --> 01:05:00.780
I fear for them.

01:05:04.780 --> 01:05:06.780
Another hindrance to harvest, guys.

01:05:06.780 --> 01:05:10.780
The volume of your seed affects your harvest.

01:05:10.780 --> 01:05:13.780
The volume of your seed...

01:05:13.780 --> 01:05:14.780
Thanks, Matt.

01:05:14.780 --> 01:05:18.780
The volume of your seed affects your harvest.

01:05:18.780 --> 01:05:20.780
It goes back to what Gisela was saying.

01:05:20.780 --> 01:05:23.780
Sow sparingly, reap sparingly.

01:05:23.780 --> 01:05:27.780
The volume of your seed affects your harvest.

01:05:27.780 --> 01:05:31.780
The less seed you sow, the less you reap,

01:05:31.780 --> 01:05:34.780
the less bread you have, and the less seed you have.

01:05:34.780 --> 01:05:36.780
Imagine that, guys.

01:05:36.780 --> 01:05:38.780
The less seed you sow.

01:05:38.780 --> 01:05:40.780
When we decide that we are not going to sow much,

01:05:40.780 --> 01:05:41.780
you know what our thinking is?

01:05:41.780 --> 01:05:45.780
Now I will have more for consumption and bread and eating.

01:05:45.780 --> 01:05:48.780
But you may have more that month.

01:05:48.780 --> 01:05:53.780
But the less seed you sow, the less you reap,

01:05:53.780 --> 01:05:55.780
the less the bread the next time around,

01:05:55.780 --> 01:05:58.780
and the less the seed for next planting.

01:06:06.780 --> 01:06:07.780
Yep.

01:06:07.780 --> 01:06:08.780
Different ways.

01:06:08.780 --> 01:06:11.780
This is why, guys, tithing can be limiting.

01:06:11.780 --> 01:06:14.780
Do you see now why tithing doesn't work?

01:06:14.780 --> 01:06:18.780
Tithing makes it a standard practice for the farmer

01:06:18.780 --> 01:06:21.780
that regardless of how much you get,

01:06:21.780 --> 01:06:25.780
make sure that you only sow 10%.

01:06:25.780 --> 01:06:26.780
What a shame.

01:06:29.780 --> 01:06:31.780
The volume of your seed affects your harvest.

01:06:31.780 --> 01:06:34.780
Therefore, if we stick to 10%,

01:06:34.780 --> 01:06:39.780
you will always get a harvest only for the 10.

01:06:39.780 --> 01:06:40.780
It is limiting.

01:06:40.780 --> 01:06:43.780
It is not wrong, but it is limiting.

01:06:50.780 --> 01:06:51.780
No.

01:06:51.780 --> 01:06:52.780
No.

01:06:55.780 --> 01:06:57.780
Here's another thing that affects your harvest.

01:06:57.780 --> 01:07:03.780
Reluctant sowing affects the quality of the seed.

01:07:03.780 --> 01:07:08.780
Reluctant sowing affects the quality of the seed.

01:07:08.780 --> 01:07:15.780
Reluctant sowing affects the quality of the seed.

01:07:15.780 --> 01:07:16.780
You know why?

01:07:16.780 --> 01:07:18.780
That's...

01:07:18.780 --> 01:07:19.780
Sorry?

01:07:19.780 --> 01:07:21.780
Yeah.

01:07:21.780 --> 01:07:23.780
And you see, if this is seed,

01:07:23.780 --> 01:07:26.780
and if I'm tight-fisted,

01:07:26.780 --> 01:07:29.780
you should see what happens to the seed after a while.

01:07:29.780 --> 01:07:31.780
Gets damaged.

01:07:31.780 --> 01:07:36.780
Damaged seed does not produce high-yield crops.

01:07:36.780 --> 01:07:39.780
Reluctant giving damages the seed,

01:07:39.780 --> 01:07:43.780
and therefore the quality of the seed is destroyed.

01:07:43.780 --> 01:07:44.780
May not be even any crop,

01:07:44.780 --> 01:07:46.780
because the seed is damaged.

01:07:46.780 --> 01:07:51.780
This is why I would rather that we give $2 tearfully

01:07:51.780 --> 01:07:53.780
than $20 reluctantly.

01:07:57.780 --> 01:08:02.780
Because you will get less from $20 given reluctantly

01:08:02.780 --> 01:08:05.780
than you will get from $20 given reluctantly.

01:08:05.780 --> 01:08:07.780
Than $2 given tearfully.

01:08:09.780 --> 01:08:11.780
Next principle.

01:08:11.780 --> 01:08:14.780
When the seed becomes more important than God,

01:08:14.780 --> 01:08:16.780
harvest is affected.

01:08:16.780 --> 01:08:18.780
And I'll give you examples.

01:08:18.780 --> 01:08:22.780
When the seed becomes more important than God,

01:08:22.780 --> 01:08:24.780
the supplier,

01:08:24.780 --> 01:08:27.780
when the seed becomes more important than God,

01:08:27.780 --> 01:08:29.780
then the harvest gets affected.

01:08:29.780 --> 01:08:30.780
How does that happen?

01:08:30.780 --> 01:08:32.780
That usually happens out of

01:08:32.780 --> 01:08:35.780
impulsive, pride-motivated

01:08:38.780 --> 01:08:39.780
giving.

01:08:39.780 --> 01:08:43.780
Or giving that trust in its plenty.

01:08:43.780 --> 01:08:45.780
Giving that is proud.

01:08:45.780 --> 01:08:46.780
Giving that is

01:08:49.780 --> 01:08:51.780
so that you get a name for yourself.

01:08:51.780 --> 01:08:52.780
That kind of giving

01:08:53.780 --> 01:08:54.780
is an ugly kind of giving.

01:08:54.780 --> 01:08:57.780
And when your seed becomes more important than God,

01:08:57.780 --> 01:08:59.780
then your harvest goes

01:09:00.780 --> 01:09:01.780
really rotten.

01:09:01.780 --> 01:09:04.780
Acts chapter 5 verses 1 and 2.

01:09:04.780 --> 01:09:07.780
And then there was a man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira.

01:09:07.780 --> 01:09:10.780
And they decided that they would sell their land

01:09:10.780 --> 01:09:12.780
and they got a certain amount of money.

01:09:12.780 --> 01:09:14.780
And they decided that they would bring their money

01:09:14.780 --> 01:09:16.780
and lay it in front of the apostles' feet.

01:09:16.780 --> 01:09:17.780
But before they did,

01:09:17.780 --> 01:09:20.780
they took away a part of it and brought it and laid it there.

01:09:20.780 --> 01:09:23.780
Their giving, their seed became more important than the God they served.

01:09:23.780 --> 01:09:25.780
They wanted to be known

01:09:25.780 --> 01:09:28.780
in the church as ones who sold

01:09:28.780 --> 01:09:30.780
what they had and brought all of it to the

01:09:31.780 --> 01:09:32.780
church.

01:09:33.780 --> 01:09:35.780
They wanted to be known for their giving.

01:09:35.780 --> 01:09:37.780
And you saw what happened.

01:09:40.780 --> 01:09:41.780
Pardon?

01:09:42.780 --> 01:09:43.780
Vanity. Pride.

01:09:44.780 --> 01:09:45.780
Pride is a better word.

01:09:45.780 --> 01:09:47.780
Vanity somehow still makes it sound acceptable.

01:09:48.780 --> 01:09:50.780
Pride, impulsive, benefactor-like sowing.

01:09:51.780 --> 01:09:52.780
Because I have my...

01:09:53.780 --> 01:09:56.780
One of the things that I've seen happen in my life is when I have plenty,

01:09:56.780 --> 01:09:57.780
I'm an impulsive sower.

01:10:00.780 --> 01:10:01.780
And that's not good.

01:10:03.780 --> 01:10:05.780
Holy Spirit should direct my sowing.

01:10:07.780 --> 01:10:08.780
I don't want to be an impulsive sower.

01:10:08.780 --> 01:10:10.780
A farmer is very determined.

01:10:10.780 --> 01:10:11.780
He sows in furrows.

01:10:12.780 --> 01:10:13.780
He doesn't scatter.

01:10:13.780 --> 01:10:16.780
When you scatter, you get a quarter of your returns,

01:10:16.780 --> 01:10:18.780
as with the sower parable.

01:10:18.780 --> 01:10:19.780
Next, timing.

01:10:22.780 --> 01:10:24.780
Guys, when giving is delayed,

01:10:25.780 --> 01:10:26.780
your harvest is affected.

01:10:27.780 --> 01:10:30.780
When giving is delayed, your harvest is affected because

01:10:30.780 --> 01:10:31.780
your season is missed.

01:10:33.780 --> 01:10:34.780
Your season is missed.

01:10:35.780 --> 01:10:39.780
In Ecclesiastes 11, verses 3 to 6, it says this.

01:10:39.780 --> 01:10:40.780
It says,

01:10:40.780 --> 01:10:42.780
You are the harvest of the harvest.

01:10:42.780 --> 01:10:44.780
You are the harvest of the harvest.

01:10:44.780 --> 01:10:46.780
You are the harvest of the harvest.

01:10:46.780 --> 01:10:47.780
It says this.

01:10:47.780 --> 01:10:48.780
It says,

01:10:48.780 --> 01:10:50.780
Do not look at the clouds to see whether it's going to rain.

01:10:50.780 --> 01:10:53.780
Do not look at the winds to see if the conditions are right.

01:10:53.780 --> 01:10:55.780
Do not go and look at a tree and say,

01:10:55.780 --> 01:10:57.780
If I chop it down, where will it fall? This way or that way?

01:10:58.780 --> 01:11:00.780
Do not wait till all the conditions are right.

01:11:00.780 --> 01:11:03.780
Set your heart to do something and go do it.

01:11:03.780 --> 01:11:06.780
And let what needs to happen take care of itself.

01:11:07.780 --> 01:11:11.780
Very often we delay our sowing because not all the conditions are right.

01:11:12.780 --> 01:11:15.780
But this month I'm not going to sow because such and such a thing happened.

01:11:15.780 --> 01:11:17.780
That person came and then it just happened.

01:11:17.780 --> 01:11:18.780
You know what happened?

01:11:18.780 --> 01:11:19.780
So I'll sow it next month.

01:11:19.780 --> 01:11:20.780
No!

01:11:21.780 --> 01:11:22.780
No!

01:11:23.780 --> 01:11:27.780
Sow in time because once the season is passed,

01:11:27.780 --> 01:11:30.780
you'll have to wait for the next season before that crop will.

01:11:31.780 --> 01:11:33.780
So, do you get corn right now?

01:11:34.780 --> 01:11:35.780
No.

01:11:36.780 --> 01:11:40.780
Also, in the natural world, if you delay a season,

01:11:40.780 --> 01:11:43.780
it will not be as potent as if it has been there in the right season.

01:11:43.780 --> 01:11:45.780
Got to sow in the right season.

01:11:45.780 --> 01:11:49.780
Meaning, when you have decided you're going to release a seed, release it.

01:11:49.780 --> 01:11:56.780
I had to speak to someone yesterday who had told me that they would release seed and hadn't.

01:11:56.780 --> 01:11:59.780
And it was money that was collected to release to me.

01:12:00.780 --> 01:12:02.780
And so yesterday I told the person,

01:12:02.780 --> 01:12:04.780
Listen, I do not need the money.

01:12:06.780 --> 01:12:07.780
I do not need the money.

01:12:07.780 --> 01:12:12.780
But I need to tell you that you have collected it to be given to me

01:12:12.780 --> 01:12:14.780
and that was what you said.

01:12:14.780 --> 01:12:16.780
And it's been three and a half months now.

01:12:16.780 --> 01:12:18.780
For your own sake, release it.

01:12:19.780 --> 01:12:23.780
As you go into 2010, let that not be something that...

01:12:26.780 --> 01:12:28.780
And the guy said, I'm so sorry.

01:12:28.780 --> 01:12:33.780
You're so right and thank you for telling me and correcting me.

01:12:34.780 --> 01:12:35.780
It's not a large amount.

01:12:36.780 --> 01:12:41.780
So relatively small amounts and it's a principle.

01:12:43.780 --> 01:12:46.780
The other thing is guys, like Wayne was saying,

01:12:46.780 --> 01:12:51.780
can't pull out a crop before harvest time either.

01:12:52.780 --> 01:12:54.780
It causes you to miss the harvest.

01:12:55.780 --> 01:12:56.780
Causes you to miss the harvest.

01:12:56.780 --> 01:13:00.780
Timing in terms of waiting for the harvest, there's nothing you can do to hurry your reaping.

01:13:00.780 --> 01:13:05.780
It will come when the supplier from above says it's time.

01:13:05.780 --> 01:13:07.780
It will not come a second before that.

01:13:07.780 --> 01:13:10.780
No point pulling the crop out and looking at it like Wendy used to.

01:13:10.780 --> 01:13:14.780
It will have to stay in the ground till it bears fruit.

01:13:16.780 --> 01:13:17.780
There's nothing you can do.

01:13:17.780 --> 01:13:22.780
I mean, I heard this crazy story about a man who had sown

01:13:22.780 --> 01:13:24.780
and he was waiting to reap in a church.

01:13:24.780 --> 01:13:32.780
And one day another man in the church feels like he needs to give about $21,000 to this guy.

01:13:33.780 --> 01:13:37.780
And so he comes to church with this $21,000 and the guy is not there.

01:13:37.780 --> 01:13:40.780
So he goes up to the pastor and the pastor says,

01:13:40.780 --> 01:13:42.780
Oh, I got a letter from him.

01:13:42.780 --> 01:13:44.780
And in the letter the guy had written,

01:13:44.780 --> 01:13:48.780
I've been waiting on God to bless me and I have been a faithful sower

01:13:48.780 --> 01:13:52.780
and God has not honored my sowing.

01:13:52.780 --> 01:13:56.780
And this letter is to just let you know that I'm leaving the church

01:13:56.780 --> 01:13:58.780
and I do not want to be part of this church anymore.

01:14:00.780 --> 01:14:01.780
And he didn't turn up in church.

01:14:02.780 --> 01:14:06.780
Here was this man waiting with $21,000 and he was waiting for the harvest.

01:14:06.780 --> 01:14:10.780
He was waiting with $21,000 because the Lord had told him that you need to go give this guy.

01:14:10.780 --> 01:14:12.780
And the guy had sent a letter of resignation.

01:14:14.780 --> 01:14:18.780
So many of us quit the harvest before it is time.

01:14:19.780 --> 01:14:26.780
I've heard of women running down the hospital maternity ward saying

01:14:26.780 --> 01:14:29.780
that I don't want to give birth or I want to give birth now.

01:14:29.780 --> 01:14:31.780
The thing is, there's nothing you can do about it.

01:14:32.780 --> 01:14:33.780
I'm glad I'm a man.

01:14:33.780 --> 01:14:35.780
But that's a whole different thing.

01:14:36.780 --> 01:14:47.780
Here's another principle that is very important guys.

01:14:47.780 --> 01:14:49.780
And I suggest to you that we don't do this.

01:14:49.780 --> 01:14:57.780
If you don't irrigate the fields you've sown in with the water of declaration and prayer,

01:14:57.780 --> 01:15:01.780
when you sow into lives, when you sow into people, when you sow into situations,

01:15:01.780 --> 01:15:03.780
when you sow into a house,

01:15:03.780 --> 01:15:14.780
if you don't irrigate the field that you've sown into with the water of declarations of prayer,

01:15:14.780 --> 01:15:20.780
then your harvest may not be as healthy or as abundant as it should be.

01:15:20.780 --> 01:15:22.780
What does the scripture say?

01:15:22.780 --> 01:15:27.780
The Bible is literally like that. I'll tell you why.

01:15:27.780 --> 01:15:33.780
Guys, this is why there are times when you may come and give me $20.

01:15:33.780 --> 01:15:36.780
I remember a time when I was leaving for a trip.

01:15:36.780 --> 01:15:43.780
I met Maurice at McDonald's and Maurice pulled out an envelope and in the envelope $150

01:15:43.780 --> 01:15:47.780
and he gave me the $150 and I received the $150

01:15:47.780 --> 01:15:49.780
and Maurice wanted to keep talking about other things and I said,

01:15:49.780 --> 01:15:50.780
Maurice, I said, wait.

01:15:50.780 --> 01:15:53.780
And then I said, Maurice, I received it.

01:15:53.780 --> 01:15:56.780
And then after I received it, I began to bless him back

01:15:56.780 --> 01:15:59.780
and Maurice was saying, but it's only a small amount.

01:15:59.780 --> 01:16:01.780
It's not a large amount. It's only a small amount.

01:16:01.780 --> 01:16:04.780
It didn't matter whether there was $5,000 there or $50 there.

01:16:04.780 --> 01:16:09.780
It was important that one, I receive it into this ground with blessing

01:16:09.780 --> 01:16:13.780
and that I bless back his harvest.

01:16:13.780 --> 01:16:16.780
We don't often do this, guys.

01:16:16.780 --> 01:16:19.780
So it doesn't matter whether it's $2 or not.

01:16:19.780 --> 01:16:23.780
Some of you have given envelopes that I go home and find out there is money in it

01:16:23.780 --> 01:16:26.780
and you have no idea how I stand and face towards your house

01:16:26.780 --> 01:16:27.780
and I hope I'm facing the right way.

01:16:27.780 --> 01:16:30.780
It doesn't matter because I only know where Richmond is

01:16:30.780 --> 01:16:35.780
and I speak out and declare blessings on you from my balcony

01:16:35.780 --> 01:16:39.780
because one, I bless this ground that has been sown into

01:16:39.780 --> 01:16:43.780
and then I stand and bless your harvest.

01:16:43.780 --> 01:16:45.780
Vital that we irrigate the ground.

01:16:45.780 --> 01:16:47.780
This was a common practice in the Bible.

01:16:47.780 --> 01:16:51.780
When the priest would, when things would be brought before the priest,

01:16:51.780 --> 01:16:54.780
they would wave it before God.

01:16:54.780 --> 01:16:55.780
Harvest would be blessed.

01:16:55.780 --> 01:16:59.780
There were prayers for blessings of harvest.

01:16:59.780 --> 01:17:01.780
We got to do this.

01:17:01.780 --> 01:17:06.780
When you give into this house, you got to bless the ground that is being given into.

01:17:06.780 --> 01:17:18.780
Water it with declarations.

01:17:18.780 --> 01:17:21.780
Say thank you also, but then water it.

01:17:21.780 --> 01:17:23.780
That is why be $20 or $20,000.

01:17:23.780 --> 01:17:26.780
You have to declare when you give and when you receive

01:17:26.780 --> 01:17:34.780
what is sown by you or into your life.

01:17:34.780 --> 01:17:37.780
Last two bits.

01:17:37.780 --> 01:17:40.780
Attacking poverty in the house through sowing.

01:17:40.780 --> 01:17:44.780
Attacking poverty in the house through sowing.

01:17:44.780 --> 01:17:48.780
Guys, there are many different reasons why Christians are poor.

01:17:48.780 --> 01:17:52.780
Sometimes Christians are poor, especially in the New Testament,

01:17:52.780 --> 01:17:57.780
you find poverty among Christians because of persecution.

01:17:57.780 --> 01:18:02.780
Sometimes Christians are poor because of family background, family responsibilities.

01:18:02.780 --> 01:18:08.780
Sometimes Christians are poor because of tragic financial events that have happened to them

01:18:08.780 --> 01:18:13.780
that is sometimes not their fault, like the woman whose two sons were being taken into

01:18:13.780 --> 01:18:17.780
bondage because the husband had died and left a large debt.

01:18:17.780 --> 01:18:24.780
Sometimes poverty can be because of foolish spending or a lifestyle or a lack of a job

01:18:24.780 --> 01:18:27.780
or some other circumstances.

01:18:27.780 --> 01:18:31.780
I have been poor. I have been so poor it was crazy.

01:18:31.780 --> 01:18:33.780
It was not because of persecution.

01:18:33.780 --> 01:18:40.780
It was mostly because of not being responsible and because of being foolish in my spending.

01:18:40.780 --> 01:18:43.780
And occasionally because of a lack of a job.

01:18:43.780 --> 01:18:51.780
But why am I saying this? Because on one hand to equate poverty with unrighteousness or sinfulness is ridiculous.

01:18:51.780 --> 01:18:54.780
Just as you cannot equate wealth with righteousness.

01:18:54.780 --> 01:18:58.780
You have many fat cats who are wealthy and corrupt.

01:18:58.780 --> 01:19:03.780
Just as you have many poor who are not wealthy and corrupt.

01:19:04.780 --> 01:19:11.780
But the point I need to make is poverty should never find legitimacy within the house.

01:19:11.780 --> 01:19:17.780
Poverty should never find legitimacy within the house.

01:19:17.780 --> 01:19:19.780
Is that word, legitimacy?

01:19:19.780 --> 01:19:22.780
Legitimacy.

01:19:22.780 --> 01:19:27.780
Poverty should never find legitimacy within the house.

01:19:27.780 --> 01:19:31.780
Because if it does it is demonic and it has to be attacked.

01:19:31.780 --> 01:19:34.780
There are churches that exalt poverty.

01:19:34.780 --> 01:19:39.780
And I would suggest to you that it is one thing to help poor which is fine.

01:19:39.780 --> 01:19:44.780
But when you legitimize poverty as something that a house should be comfortable about.

01:19:44.780 --> 01:19:48.780
I would like to say it is demonic and it needs to be attacked.

01:19:53.780 --> 01:19:57.780
How do we attack it? Not by rebuking demons.

01:19:57.780 --> 01:20:00.780
We attack it by cheating and sowing.

01:20:00.780 --> 01:20:04.780
Some things are not, some demons don't have to be rebuked.

01:20:04.780 --> 01:20:11.780
Some demons just will leave or some systems will be dismantled when we do what is necessary.

01:20:15.780 --> 01:20:21.780
We need to attack it through sowing and through sowing and teaching.

01:20:21.780 --> 01:20:25.780
Teaching as in what we are doing now. Sowing as in giving to each other.

01:20:25.780 --> 01:20:30.780
If you read Acts chapter 2, verse 44, Acts 2, 44.

01:20:30.780 --> 01:20:33.780
Acts 2, 44.

01:20:33.780 --> 01:20:36.780
Let me turn to that.

01:20:39.780 --> 01:20:44.780
You have been very attentive today. I have looked at your faces and checked to see if you are sleeping and you haven't.

01:20:44.780 --> 01:20:49.780
And I am blessed by your attentiveness.

01:20:49.780 --> 01:20:52.780
Acts 2, 44.

01:20:53.780 --> 01:20:57.780
It says there, or 43, 44.

01:20:57.780 --> 01:21:02.780
All the believers were together and had...

01:21:02.780 --> 01:21:08.780
Oh shucks, okay. Sorry, I checked the hockey score by mistake.

01:21:08.780 --> 01:21:17.780
No, no, no. I was actually trying to open the message bible, but it opened to the hockey score.

01:21:17.780 --> 01:21:21.780
It's 3-1 second period, the blues are winning.

01:21:22.780 --> 01:21:26.780
Sorry about that. The Lord knows that I am being honest.

01:21:32.780 --> 01:21:34.780
Okay.

01:21:35.780 --> 01:21:38.780
And all that went on the CD also.

01:21:38.780 --> 01:21:44.780
Acts 2, 44 says, all the believers were together and had everything in common.

01:21:44.780 --> 01:21:50.780
Selling their possessions and goods they gave to anyone as he had need.

01:21:50.780 --> 01:21:55.780
Now listen to Acts 4, 32 onwards. I will just read it as I have it here.

01:21:55.780 --> 01:21:59.780
The whole congregation of believers, I am reading from the message.

01:21:59.780 --> 01:22:03.780
The whole congregation of believers was united as one. One heart, one mind.

01:22:03.780 --> 01:22:07.780
They didn't even claim ownership of their own possessions.

01:22:07.780 --> 01:22:10.780
No one said, that's mine, you can't have it.

01:22:10.780 --> 01:22:11.780
They shared everything.

01:22:11.780 --> 01:22:17.780
The apostles gave powerful witness to the resurrection of the Master Jesus and grace was on all of them.

01:22:17.780 --> 01:22:20.780
And it turned out that not a person among them was needy.

01:22:20.780 --> 01:22:27.780
Those who owned fields or houses, sold them and brought the price of the sale to the apostles and made an offering of it.

01:22:27.780 --> 01:22:31.780
The apostles then distributed it according to each person's need.

01:22:31.780 --> 01:22:34.780
Seems so radical, eh?

01:22:36.780 --> 01:22:40.780
Acts 4, 32-34 says, every now and then they would go and sell.

01:22:40.780 --> 01:22:44.780
From time to time, those who owned lands or houses, sold them.

01:22:44.780 --> 01:22:48.780
Brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet.

01:22:48.780 --> 01:22:52.780
So radical, we want to almost avoid it if we can.

01:22:55.780 --> 01:23:01.780
And yet, I mean I used to explain it away as, oh these believers were thinking the Lord was coming soon.

01:23:01.780 --> 01:23:05.780
So they were willing to sell everything away because they were going anywhere and didn't need it.

01:23:05.780 --> 01:23:09.780
I find that now as the justification for not doing it.

01:23:09.780 --> 01:23:12.780
I'm not, we cannot mandate this.

01:23:12.780 --> 01:23:20.780
But what I'm suggesting to this house in terms of attacking poverty in the house and in lives around us is

01:23:20.780 --> 01:23:26.780
guys, wherever you sense there is a need in this house, you don't have to necessarily go to the church.

01:23:26.780 --> 01:23:31.780
If you feel there is a need, you can go straight up and help the person out.

01:23:33.780 --> 01:23:34.780
We can do it within the house.

01:23:34.780 --> 01:23:40.780
This house does help every now and then when we see a need that is required.

01:23:40.780 --> 01:23:47.780
But I'm saying to you that in the concept of the house, if you see a need, go give anonymously or go give straight up.

01:23:47.780 --> 01:23:48.780
Go give.

01:23:50.780 --> 01:23:54.780
Because this way the needs within the house are taken care of.

01:23:56.780 --> 01:24:00.780
And so, again, I'm not being impulsive right now.

01:24:00.780 --> 01:24:01.780
We'll do something very simple.

01:24:01.780 --> 01:24:02.780
This is very intentional.

01:24:02.780 --> 01:24:03.780
I had a lot of time to think about it.

01:24:05.780 --> 01:24:14.780
Whenever you feel like you need to give to someone in the house and you do not know who and the Lord directs you,

01:24:14.780 --> 01:24:15.780
come and throw money into this box.

01:24:16.780 --> 01:24:17.780
It won't be receipted.

01:24:17.780 --> 01:24:19.780
You won't get a charitable receipt for it.

01:24:20.780 --> 01:24:23.780
But if you feel there is a need and then the house will distribute it, because I was thinking,

01:24:24.780 --> 01:24:26.780
do people just come and dip their hands into the box?

01:24:26.780 --> 01:24:28.780
But then when I read the scriptures, it says the house will take care of it.

01:24:28.780 --> 01:24:29.780
So let's begin.

01:24:30.780 --> 01:24:31.780
I'm not asking anyone else to do it.

01:24:31.780 --> 01:24:32.780
I'm doing it very intentionally.

01:24:34.780 --> 01:24:38.780
That is for anyone in this house who has a need.

01:24:39.780 --> 01:24:40.780
And as needs develop, we will...

01:24:41.780 --> 01:24:42.780
Let's go this way.

01:24:42.780 --> 01:24:45.780
Is there anyone in this house right now who is not employed?

01:24:47.780 --> 01:24:48.780
Or needs a job?

01:24:50.780 --> 01:24:51.780
Needs a job.

01:24:51.780 --> 01:24:52.780
Needs a job.

01:24:52.780 --> 01:24:53.780
Needs a job.

01:24:53.780 --> 01:24:54.780
Anyone needs a job?

01:24:56.780 --> 01:24:57.780
Need a regular job.

01:24:59.780 --> 01:25:00.780
Anyone else?

01:25:03.780 --> 01:25:04.780
Wendy, anyone else?

01:25:06.780 --> 01:25:07.780
Okay.

01:25:07.780 --> 01:25:08.780
So let's begin right away.

01:25:09.780 --> 01:25:10.780
Wendy, bless you.

01:25:11.780 --> 01:25:12.780
May you prosper with this.

01:25:13.780 --> 01:25:15.780
May it increase as we sow into your lives.

01:25:16.780 --> 01:25:17.780
Thank you very much.

01:25:17.780 --> 01:25:18.780
Yeah.

01:25:18.780 --> 01:25:19.780
So we should give as in like...

01:25:20.780 --> 01:25:21.780
You know what?

01:25:21.780 --> 01:25:23.780
I never bring my wallet to church.

01:25:23.780 --> 01:25:24.780
And today I did.

01:25:25.780 --> 01:25:26.780
Guys, this is not mandated.

01:25:26.780 --> 01:25:27.780
Do not be impulsive.

01:25:27.780 --> 01:25:28.780
No, I'm not talking about you.

01:25:29.780 --> 01:25:30.780
Sorry.

01:25:30.780 --> 01:25:31.780
Yeah, I'm so sorry.

01:25:31.780 --> 01:25:32.780
Chris, give me one sec.

01:25:32.780 --> 01:25:33.780
I'll let you share it.

01:25:33.780 --> 01:25:35.780
Guys, what I did was not impulsive.

01:25:36.780 --> 01:25:37.780
It was not impulsive.

01:25:37.780 --> 01:25:38.780
I thought of it carefully.

01:25:39.780 --> 01:25:41.780
And I do it intentionally.

01:25:41.780 --> 01:25:43.780
So this is not emotional.

01:25:43.780 --> 01:25:44.780
It is not impulsive.

01:25:44.780 --> 01:25:46.780
Chris didn't do it emotionally either.

01:25:46.780 --> 01:25:47.780
She'll explain why.

01:25:47.780 --> 01:25:48.780
So please understand that.

01:25:48.780 --> 01:25:53.780
But the point is that you can go straight up to a person if you think there is a need

01:25:53.780 --> 01:25:54.780
and deal with it.

01:25:54.780 --> 01:25:55.780
Go ahead, Chris.

01:25:55.780 --> 01:25:56.780
You wanted to say something.

01:25:56.780 --> 01:25:59.780
I thought I should get some cash before the weekend to leave a bank at church.

01:26:00.780 --> 01:26:03.780
And I didn't end up needing to spend any money this weekend.

01:26:03.780 --> 01:26:06.780
And just as I was coming up the stairs, I thought, oh, I have my wallet.

01:26:06.780 --> 01:26:12.780
And I said to the Lord, whatever you took as a withdrawal, I want you to give that to

01:26:12.780 --> 01:26:13.780
the benevolent.

01:26:13.780 --> 01:26:14.780
There you go.

01:26:14.780 --> 01:26:15.780
Anyone else needs?

01:26:17.780 --> 01:26:18.780
I never have that purse with me.

01:26:20.780 --> 01:26:22.780
Today you brought your purse.

01:26:22.780 --> 01:26:23.780
Why don't you do that?

01:26:26.780 --> 01:26:27.780
What's your name?

01:26:27.780 --> 01:26:28.780
Anyone else has a need?

01:26:28.780 --> 01:26:29.780
Valentina.

01:26:29.780 --> 01:26:30.780
Valentina.

01:26:30.780 --> 01:26:32.780
Praise God, man.

01:26:32.780 --> 01:26:35.780
May you be blessed, Valentina, with this money.

01:26:38.780 --> 01:26:39.780
May you be blessed.

01:26:39.780 --> 01:26:40.780
And we've got some more.

01:26:40.780 --> 01:26:42.780
I know you do not present.

01:26:42.780 --> 01:26:43.780
You just lost your job.

01:26:46.780 --> 01:26:48.780
George, may you be blessed.

01:26:48.780 --> 01:26:49.780
So shall we go ahead?

01:26:51.780 --> 01:26:53.780
It came to me recently.

01:26:53.780 --> 01:26:54.780
Yeah.

01:26:54.780 --> 01:27:02.780
Like whatever happened to the grocery boxes we had because people within the school, they

01:27:02.780 --> 01:27:17.780
know, particularly at Christmas, need more than they, you know, what happened about that?

01:27:17.780 --> 01:27:21.780
Did it just dissipate and nobody would open the store?

01:27:21.780 --> 01:27:25.780
No, I actually saw a box full of stuff lying there, which I was going to deal with after.

01:27:25.780 --> 01:27:26.780
But we had one.

01:27:26.780 --> 01:27:27.780
Yeah.

01:27:27.780 --> 01:27:28.780
People wanted to win stuff.

01:27:28.780 --> 01:27:29.780
Yeah.

01:27:29.780 --> 01:27:30.780
They could do that.

01:27:30.780 --> 01:27:33.780
People could take it if they needed it.

01:27:33.780 --> 01:27:34.780
Yeah.

01:27:34.780 --> 01:27:35.780
And we will reconsider.

01:27:35.780 --> 01:27:37.780
We're meeting on Wednesday and we'll be talking about it.

01:27:37.780 --> 01:27:39.780
Thanks for bringing it up because I had forgotten about that.

01:27:39.780 --> 01:27:40.780
Oh, no.

01:27:40.780 --> 01:27:41.780
I just reminded of that.

01:27:41.780 --> 01:27:44.780
So this is a bit of an opportunity to mention that.

01:27:44.780 --> 01:27:45.780
Yeah.

01:27:45.780 --> 01:27:50.780
Guys, let me put it this way.

01:27:50.780 --> 01:27:53.780
This box will be somewhere here.

01:27:53.780 --> 01:28:01.780
Whenever you think God is directing you, put whatever it is in it and we'll give it away.

01:28:01.780 --> 01:28:04.780
Yeah.

01:28:04.780 --> 01:28:12.780
This is how your plenty will supply my lack and how my lack and how when I have my plenty

01:28:12.780 --> 01:28:13.780
will supply your lack.

01:28:13.780 --> 01:28:14.780
You have no idea.

01:28:14.780 --> 01:28:15.780
You know who you are.

01:28:15.780 --> 01:28:20.780
How many of you have supplied my lack in this house?

01:28:20.780 --> 01:28:21.780
You know.

01:28:21.780 --> 01:28:29.780
I mean, when I came back from the last trip, I was told by places that I went to that they

01:28:29.780 --> 01:28:34.780
would give me $4,300 towards my travel.

01:28:34.780 --> 01:28:38.780
And I come back and they had forgotten.

01:28:38.780 --> 01:28:41.780
And I was thinking, what do I do, Father?

01:28:41.780 --> 01:28:43.780
My date for payment of tickets.

01:28:43.780 --> 01:28:48.780
And then someone comes up, gives me an envelope and in the envelope was a thousand bucks.

01:28:48.780 --> 01:28:53.780
And then someone else came out of the blue because I didn't mention anything.

01:28:53.780 --> 01:28:56.780
And suddenly it was paid.

01:28:56.780 --> 01:29:00.780
And after it was paid, this person sent the money that was due.

01:29:00.780 --> 01:29:04.780
And suddenly there's an excess.

01:29:04.780 --> 01:29:08.780
There's no saving this surplus.

01:29:08.780 --> 01:29:11.780
Guys, your plenty has supplied my lack so many times.

01:29:11.780 --> 01:29:16.780
So now may my plenty supply your lack.

01:29:16.780 --> 01:29:17.780
This is how it works.

01:29:17.780 --> 01:29:21.780
Yeah.

01:29:21.780 --> 01:29:22.780
Yeah.

01:29:22.780 --> 01:29:25.780
And that is when anonymously you give.

01:29:25.780 --> 01:29:26.780
You give anonymously.

01:29:26.780 --> 01:29:30.780
Today I was thinking when I was going to do what I was doing that, Father, should I even

01:29:30.780 --> 01:29:32.780
look into my wallet to see how much there is?

01:29:32.780 --> 01:29:33.780
Because I don't want to.

01:29:33.780 --> 01:29:35.780
I just want to empty whatever is there in the wallet.

01:29:35.780 --> 01:29:38.780
I want to let the Lord say, no, I want you to be intentionally sewing today, given what

01:29:38.780 --> 01:29:39.780
you're teaching.

01:29:39.780 --> 01:29:41.780
So look what is in there and then throw it all in.

01:29:41.780 --> 01:29:42.780
This is a token.

01:29:42.780 --> 01:29:44.780
It's a token action.

01:29:44.780 --> 01:29:48.780
But guys, these are principles we are establishing so that we can move further with this.

01:29:48.780 --> 01:29:56.780
The last bit we'll deal with and then we're done.

01:29:56.780 --> 01:29:59.780
Harvest of righteousness and thanksgiving.

01:29:59.780 --> 01:30:04.780
2 Corinthians 9 and 11, which is what we should have started with.

01:30:04.780 --> 01:30:06.780
If you just want to turn there, we'll end with it.

01:30:06.780 --> 01:30:10.780
2 Corinthians 9 and 11.

01:30:10.780 --> 01:30:14.780
2 Corinthians 9 and 11.

01:30:14.780 --> 01:30:16.780
9, 6 onwards.

01:30:16.780 --> 01:30:21.780
6 to, let's see, 6 onwards.

01:30:21.780 --> 01:30:23.780
Remember this.

01:30:23.780 --> 01:30:27.780
Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly.

01:30:27.780 --> 01:30:29.780
So Paul uses the word sow.

01:30:29.780 --> 01:30:33.780
And whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

01:30:33.780 --> 01:30:38.780
Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under

01:30:38.780 --> 01:30:39.780
compulsion.

01:30:39.780 --> 01:30:41.780
The love of the Lord is not in the love of the Lord.

01:30:41.780 --> 01:30:46.780
It's in the love of the Lord, for God loves a cheerful giver.

01:30:46.780 --> 01:30:54.780
And God is able to make all grace abound to you so that in all things, at all times, having

01:30:54.780 --> 01:30:57.780
all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

01:30:57.780 --> 01:31:00.780
Does that not smell of surplus?

01:31:00.780 --> 01:31:06.780
As it is written, he has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures

01:31:06.780 --> 01:31:07.780
forever.

01:31:07.780 --> 01:31:15.540
will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.

01:31:15.540 --> 01:31:20.700
You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion

01:31:20.700 --> 01:31:24.500
and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

01:31:24.500 --> 01:31:29.020
This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people

01:31:29.020 --> 01:31:33.540
but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.

01:31:33.540 --> 01:31:37.140
Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves,

01:31:37.140 --> 01:31:43.260
men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ

01:31:43.260 --> 01:31:46.740
and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.

01:31:46.740 --> 01:31:52.220
And in their prayers for you, their hearts will go out to you because of the surpassing grace God has given you.

01:31:52.220 --> 01:31:56.020
Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift.

01:31:56.020 --> 01:32:00.900
So we'll end with what do you mean by harvest of righteousness and thanksgiving?

01:32:01.900 --> 01:32:04.900
Can I ask a question before we do that?

01:32:04.900 --> 01:32:12.900
So all of this teaching is it mainly in terms of sowing into believers in the body?

01:32:12.900 --> 01:32:15.900
Because this passage looks deliberately best.

01:32:15.900 --> 01:32:18.900
Yeah, this passage is about deliberately sowing.

01:32:18.900 --> 01:32:22.900
But I would say this is mainly about seed.

01:32:22.900 --> 01:32:29.900
And once we divide the seed we can go all those six or seven ways we talked about last time in terms of our sowing.

01:32:30.900 --> 01:32:33.900
So, harvest of righteousness and thanksgiving.

01:32:33.900 --> 01:32:40.900
Guys, 2 Corinthians 9, 11, we read that it says that this kind of sowing will result in a harvest of righteousness.

01:32:40.900 --> 01:32:41.900
How?

01:32:43.900 --> 01:32:47.900
Basically, sowing leads to increased kindness.

01:32:49.900 --> 01:32:56.900
Sowing, when you sow your seed into so many different ways we talked about.

01:32:56.900 --> 01:33:17.900
When you sow your seed, it always leads to increased kindness, active goodness, increased generosity.

01:33:17.900 --> 01:33:26.900
Basically, you suddenly begin to take on, as Eugene Peterson says, robust, full-formed lives.

01:33:26.900 --> 01:33:28.900
That's what he says.

01:33:28.900 --> 01:33:36.900
When you sow your seed, there is an increase in your kindness, there is an increase in your goodness, an increase in your generosity,

01:33:36.900 --> 01:33:40.900
and your lives begin to form into full, robust lives.

01:33:40.900 --> 01:33:52.900
Guys, all these characters, goodness, kindness and generosity, is part of the harvest of righteousness.

01:33:52.900 --> 01:34:02.900
Or the moral nature or character of God.

01:34:02.900 --> 01:34:06.900
Moses said, show me your glory, God said, I will show you my goodness.

01:34:06.900 --> 01:34:09.900
It is impossible to take seed of righteousness.

01:34:09.900 --> 01:34:15.900
So, what we are saying is that sowing is not just sowing, but sowing is sowing.

01:34:15.900 --> 01:34:19.900
Moses said, show me your glory, God said, I will show you my goodness.

01:34:19.900 --> 01:34:30.900
It is impossible to take seed and sow and not increase in your kindness, not increase in your generosity, not increase in your goodness.

01:34:30.900 --> 01:34:37.900
And goodness, kindness, generosity, is part of the moral nature of God.

01:34:37.900 --> 01:34:45.900
When you begin to walk in it, you are walking in the rightness or the moral nature or the righteousness of God.

01:34:45.900 --> 01:34:48.900
You begin to cultivate a harvest of righteousness.

01:34:48.900 --> 01:34:54.900
Not only that, you cultivate more seed.

01:34:54.900 --> 01:34:59.900
And when you cultivate more seed, you have more bread and you have more seed.

01:34:59.900 --> 01:35:06.900
And so you get even kinder, you get even more active in your goodness, you increase in your generosity,

01:35:06.900 --> 01:35:17.900
and you keep going, you keep going, you keep going, you keep going till you fall on Marcus.

01:35:17.900 --> 01:35:21.900
More seed is added to you so that you have all you need to abound in good work.

01:35:21.900 --> 01:35:23.900
Why do you think you will abound in good work?

01:35:23.900 --> 01:35:27.900
Because you got more seed, not because you got more bread.

01:35:27.900 --> 01:35:30.900
You got more seed.

01:35:30.900 --> 01:35:35.900
Seed can be cash and non-cash by the way.

01:35:35.900 --> 01:35:39.900
You got more seed.

01:35:39.900 --> 01:35:42.900
And so now when you got more seed, you can abound in more good work.

01:35:42.900 --> 01:35:45.900
Always.

01:35:45.900 --> 01:35:48.900
Always.

01:35:48.900 --> 01:35:51.900
Last point.

01:35:51.900 --> 01:36:00.900
Sowing generously results in, sowing generously, when you sow generously, it results in these three things guys.

01:36:00.900 --> 01:36:04.900
One, let's assume you sow into my life.

01:36:04.900 --> 01:36:10.900
When this person sowed a thousand dollars into my life when I was in dire need,

01:36:10.900 --> 01:36:12.900
you know the first thing that came out of my mouth?

01:36:12.900 --> 01:36:17.900
Aba, I don't know how you did this, but thank you Father.

01:36:17.900 --> 01:36:24.900
It was thanksgiving to God.

01:36:24.900 --> 01:36:32.900
So the first thing that happens to sowing generously is it results in thanksgiving from those who receive it.

01:36:32.900 --> 01:36:38.900
It results in thanksgiving at 1201 725 70th Avenue, Vancouver, my apartment.

01:36:38.900 --> 01:36:41.900
It results in thanksgiving in Chennai.

01:36:41.900 --> 01:36:50.900
Those two families, Sue and Heidi saw this couple who have been raised from poverty to now having their own livelihood.

01:36:50.900 --> 01:36:54.900
Through the little that Acts 29 gave, their lives have been completely revolutionized.

01:36:54.900 --> 01:36:59.900
We gave them an old sowing machine and it changed their lives, among other things.

01:36:59.900 --> 01:37:13.900
It results in thanksgiving in Kenya, where little kids now have nice Canada t-shirts to wear and they've got food to eat for one whole month, twice a day.

01:37:13.900 --> 01:37:20.900
It results in thanksgiving in Jaipur, where this poor pastor got 2500 rupees, which is 50 dollars for us,

01:37:20.900 --> 01:37:25.900
but which paid all his rent and other needs for a whole month.

01:37:25.900 --> 01:37:30.900
It results in thanksgiving in different parts of the world, man.

01:37:30.900 --> 01:37:32.900
So that's the first thing that happens.

01:37:32.900 --> 01:37:40.900
Secondly, sowing generously results in a recognition of the genuineness of the Christ life in you.

01:37:46.900 --> 01:37:54.900
Sowing generously results in a recognition of the genuineness of the gospel, the genuineness of the Christ life in you.

01:37:54.900 --> 01:38:01.900
James 2.15.16 says this, if a guy comes into you and he's cold and he doesn't have clothes, don't bless him.

01:38:01.900 --> 01:38:03.900
Give him warm clothes.

01:38:03.900 --> 01:38:06.900
That is faith with works.

01:38:06.900 --> 01:38:08.900
Otherwise it's faith without works.

01:38:08.900 --> 01:38:16.900
Sowing allows the world to recognize the genuineness of the gospel or the genuineness of the Christ life in you.

01:38:16.900 --> 01:38:23.900
And thirdly, sowing generously results in a recognition of the genuineness of the gospel, the genuineness of the Christ life in you.

01:38:23.900 --> 01:38:35.900
And thirdly, according to what we read in 2 Corinthians 9, sowing results in passionate intercession for you by those who have been blessed.

01:38:35.900 --> 01:38:46.900
Sowing results in passionate intercession for you by those who have been blessed.

01:38:46.900 --> 01:38:52.900
Passionate intercession for you by those who have been blessed.

01:38:52.900 --> 01:38:57.900
The church in Kenya prays for these 30-40 people every week sometimes.

01:38:57.900 --> 01:39:03.900
Passionate intercession.

01:39:03.900 --> 01:39:07.900
That's what Paul says, that they will realize, oh shucks, James gave.

01:39:07.900 --> 01:39:10.900
We will pray that his needs are met.

01:39:10.900 --> 01:39:13.900
This is why you irrigate sowing with water.

01:39:13.900 --> 01:39:19.900
This is the marvelous message of sowing, guys.

01:39:19.900 --> 01:39:21.900
Got to change it here.

01:39:21.900 --> 01:39:26.900
I know it requires a little bit of mind shifts, but I'm telling you, stop working for bread, guys.

01:39:26.900 --> 01:39:31.900
We're going to work for seed from now on.

01:39:31.900 --> 01:39:36.900
Do you think there's anything beyond sowing and reaping?

01:39:36.900 --> 01:39:41.900
Anything that you can think of?

01:39:41.900 --> 01:39:45.900
Because we'll be dealing with that next week.

01:39:45.900 --> 01:39:47.900
There's sowing and reaping, which is a wonderful thing.

01:39:47.900 --> 01:39:50.900
Isn't there something where you don't need to sow and reap?

01:39:50.900 --> 01:39:53.900
That's your inheritance.

01:39:53.900 --> 01:39:56.900
That's your inheritance.

01:39:56.900 --> 01:39:58.900
You never have to sow and reap for your inheritance.

01:39:58.900 --> 01:40:06.900
This guy will never have to sow and reap to get his inheritance of that $300,000 that we tell him about every week.

01:40:06.900 --> 01:40:09.900
Hope you're getting there.

01:40:09.900 --> 01:40:14.900
There is something called inheritance that you don't need to sow and reap for.

01:40:14.900 --> 01:40:17.900
We'll talk about that next week.

01:40:17.900 --> 01:40:19.900
What an anointing for wealth is.

01:40:19.900 --> 01:40:21.900
This is not about getting rich.

01:40:21.900 --> 01:40:25.900
It is about God having certain purposes for which he will provide like crazy.

01:40:25.900 --> 01:40:30.900
We'll deal with that, and then I think we'll kind of be done with the economy at Gilgal,

01:40:30.900 --> 01:40:35.900
and we'll move on to something else at Gilgal in the New Year.

01:40:35.900 --> 01:40:40.900
This last bit sort of reminded me of the verse in the Bible that says,

01:40:40.900 --> 01:40:48.900
I think it's good to those who persecute you because you end up leaving piles of burning coal for your inheritance.

01:40:48.900 --> 01:40:53.900
So I think the sowing is not necessarily coffee.

01:40:53.900 --> 01:40:56.900
It can also be for your enemies.

01:40:56.900 --> 01:41:01.900
Because my brother, when he was younger and he didn't get along,

01:41:01.900 --> 01:41:08.900
did something kind to me and it caught me so off guard that it changed the relationship dramatically.

01:41:08.900 --> 01:41:10.900
Like it really changed it.

01:41:10.900 --> 01:41:14.900
So there's a kind of sowing and reaping to even with your enemies.

01:41:14.900 --> 01:41:16.900
Yeah, I didn't think of that.

01:41:16.900 --> 01:41:21.900
But true, it blows them away when people who do you harm are blessed.

01:41:21.900 --> 01:41:24.900
Jesus talked about that often, bless those who do you harm.

01:41:24.900 --> 01:41:29.900
How good is it if you only give or lend to those that will return or give back to you?

01:41:29.900 --> 01:41:34.900
So next Saturday we meet it.

01:41:34.900 --> 01:41:37.900
Next Sunday we meet it.