Lesson 9
God’s Will for You‐ PROSPERITY Just What Do You Mean, THE KINGDOM OF GOD? –Part 1
AMBASSADOR CHRISTIAN COLLEGE‐ Dr. Keith Slough
INTRODUCTION
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ou now hold in your hands one of the most important pieces of information you have ever read! The truth of this doctrine is utterly different from the average person’s conception of prosperity. Yet it is proved from the very Word of God! It is sure! It
works! Many years ago I first heard of so‐called "prosperity preachers." My friend and I used to laugh when we were invited to come and hear them. The false prophets learned just enough truth to turn many of us away from the TRUE message of prosperity that really is in the Bible. I can remember my friend and I laughing about their message which sounded like "Give me all your money and you will get rich!" I wondered how any sane person could actually be deceived by such blatant deception from false prophets. Many Believers ‐perhaps you were one of them like me ‐were so ''turned off' by these false prophets that we lived in poverty conditions ourselves for many years and never listened even when the true message of prosperity may have been taught. Eventually I came to see something I had never realized before. If the false prophets were promulgating a COUNTERFEIT message concerning prosperity, then could not the Bible contain a genuine message on the subject? Counterfeit dollar bills only suggest that there must be genuine currency out there if we look for it. False prophets preaching a counterfeit "gospel message" indicate there must also be true ministers of God with a genuine Gospel Message! The same thing is true of the "Prosperity Message." You and I have been exposed to the charlatans, the religious mercenaries who are only out to get your money. And then the deluded people themselves who believed the lies of the devil don't get rich as was promised by the false prophets with their counterfeit gospel of prosperity, but rather end up in worse poverty than before. After not prospering myself for many years I finally woke up to realize that the Bible ‐the Word of God ‐must indeed contain a real prosperity message, but like a vaccination where you get just enough of the "bug" to make you immune to the real thing when it comes along, so the "prosperity preachers" with the "get rich quick schemes" had only inoculated us for the time when the true message of prosperity was discovered in the Bible, to insure our rejection of the true message! For many of you, this will be the first exposure you have ever had to the TRUE Prosperity MESSAGE found in the Holy Bible! It can be life‐changing if you decide to obey its message, applying it in your own life (James 1:22). Get ready now with your King James Bible to learn one of the most profound truths EVER TAUGHT to Christians ‐the true Biblical message of how God's people can enjoy the abundant life of prosperity, having all their needs supplied supernaturally!
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Just What Do You Mean,
‘The Kingdom of God”? Is the Kingdom of God merely an earthly, physical, bureaucratic, worldruling "government" that will be set up at Christ's return? OR IS IT MORE? This article explores the TRUE MEANING of the Kingdom of God. We cannot fully understand the Gospel until we understand, just what do we mean, "The KINGDOM of God"!
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ESUS CAME IN TO GALILEE preaching ‘‘the Gospel of the Kingdom of God" (Mark 1:14). Many have been mystified by this expression. It is time you saw the TRUTH of the Bible on this topic. For until you understand the Kingdom of God you will NOT be able to get your needs met! Jesus said if we seek first the Kingdom Of God and His righteousness then the things we need will be "added" to us (Matthew 6:33). It is imperative therefore that we truly understand what the Kingdom of God is from Jesus’ own perspective and lay aside the traditions of men, believing only the Bible! Are you willing to look into this topic with an open mind? Are you willing to repent of misunderstanding, wrong information, and false doctrine? Now we look to the Word of God itself for a clear understanding of the term, “Kingdom of God” as explained by Jesus Himself. The Gospel of the Kingdom of God First we see the Gospel Jesus preached about the Kingdom of God. He commands us to believe His Gospel and to repent! (Mark 1:15). To do this we first must understand what the Kingdom that Jesus preached actually IS and what it is not! The Gospel message – involves God’s “Kingdom.” The Greek word translated, "kingdom" here is Basileia. The Greek lexicon defines this word as “royal power, kingship, dominion, and rule." A secondary definition given is “a kingdom.” A third definition given is "the rule of God, the theocracy" (Thayer's Lexicon, under Βασιλεια or "BasiIeia"‐ Pages 96‐97). Notice a "kingdom" is the rule, the reign, or the government of God. It can also apply to a literal kingdom in the sense of a bureaucracy, but is certainly not limited to a physical government as some have mistakenly assumed. The best way to determine a Biblical meaning of a term is to see how it is used in the context of Scripture. Every word has both a denotation based upon etymology and a connotation based upon common usage and understanding. Both definitions must be understood when trying to correctly identify the true meaning of any word. The Moffat Bible
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translates this work Basileia at the “reign” of God. It is God’s reign, dominion, control or rule of living. God’s “Way of Life.” When Christ Returns Daniel 2:36‐44 speaks of four literal man‐made world‐ruling kingdoms or governments. In the time of this fourth kingdom “shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom” –a literal government no less literal than the ones described here. The four kingdoms or world‐ruling governments described in the book of Daniel have been defined and agreed upon by all historians as 1) Babylon, 2).Medo‐Persiai, 3) Greece and finally, 4) Rome. The fourth kingdom which historians know to be Rome was to receive a "deadly wound" (compare Revelation 13:12) which occurred in A.D. 476 when the Roman Empire was destroyed by the Vandals, the Hureli, and the Ostrogoths. However, that was not the end of the Roman Empire. In A.D. 554 this fourth kingdom was revived ‐its "deadly wound" was healed by Justinian who raised up the Roman Empire and made the Roman Catholic Church the official state religion of Europe. Later Justinian's revival fell, but others in succeeding generations’ revived it repeatedly. Men such as Otto the Great, Charlemagne, Charles the Great, Napoleon, and the Mussolini Hitler axis revived the ancient Roman Empire to prominence once again. Prophecy shows there is to be yet one more revival of this ancient empire. This will be the "ten horns" we read about in Daniel 7:7 which are the same as the "ten kings" mentioned in Revelation 17:12. It is in the days of this seventh and final revival of the fourth kingdom (Rome) that Christ will return and set up a literal kingdom – a world ruling government of God (Daniel 2:44 "and 7:13‐14,27). The setting up of this literal kingdom will be at the first resurrection from the dead when the saints will be raised at Christ’s coming! (See Daniel 12:2‐3). However is the "Kingdom of God" LIMITED to only the physical, "observable" literal kingdom that Christ will set up at His return? The answer is clear from Scripture. NO! Not at all as we will see. The Spiritual Kingdom Exists Now! The Apostle Paul showed the Kingdom of God was more than a physical, observable, bureaucratic government. He wrote that "the kingdom of God is not meat and drink but RIGHTEOUSNESS, and PEACE, and JOY in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17). Jesus primarily preached a spiritual kingdom or government‐that was even then, in the first century, "at hand." It was something they could enter into then, in that day, without waiting for His second coming! Notice Colossians 1:13 where Paul says that God has already "translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son"! He did not write that we will be translated but that we HAVE been translated into that Kingdom! That is a past action!
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Even Jesus explained to the Pharisees (who only expected a physical, literal, “observable” kingdom to be brought by the Messiah that when the kingdom comes it will not come with "observation"! Rather He explained, “Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold; the kingdom of God is WITHIN you” (Luke 11:21). This Greek word translated "within" is indeed translated correctly. One interlinear even translates this word as "inside" you. Jesus did not say that God's kingdom His rule, reign, government ‐was inside the sinful hearts of those men. Rather "He was demanded of the Pharisees, WHEN the kingdom of God should come" (verse 20). Jesus was merely answering their question. "When" the kingdom comes it will not be "observable." But when it comes, it will be inside the believer not merely an outward physical "observable" kingdom or government at all. In addition to the physical and very literal kingdom or government that Jesus will indeed set up at His second coming is the spiritual KINGDOM OF GOD that exists right now in the heart of every believer through the Holy Spirit! Thus we see God's 'Kingdom" is His government in our lives ‐His rule in our way of life. It is THIS "Kingdom" we must ‘seek first” along with God's righteousness before we can expect to have all our needs supplied (Matthew 6:33). Thus we see the Bible's own definition of the term, "Kingdom of God." It refers to God's governing rule over us ‐His system of operating and living in the Earth. Jesus explained what that "rule" (or “way of life” we could call it) is! The parables were given by Christ to explain the meaning of the Kingdom of God! Just What Do We Mean "The Kingdom of God?" Jesus defined the meaning of the "Kingdom of God" in His many parables. Notice Jesus' own definition of God's Kingdom (God's rule or System of life) as given in Mark 4:26‐29. Notice especially the definition given in verse 26: “And He said, ‘So is the KINGDOM OF GOD, as if a man should cast seed into the ground.’” Over and over again, Jesus said in the parables, "the Kingdom of God is like unto ...." But the main reference is to casting seed into the ground ‐the principle of SEEDTIME and HARVEST. This simile is given in this same chapter in verses 13‐20 again. It is also given in verses 30‐33 again. In the Sermon on the Mount (which was really a “sit down” Bible Study, Matthew 5:1) the entire 6th chapter is about seedtime and harvest. Jesus came preaching "the gospel of the kingdom" (Matthew 4:23). The word "gospel" means good news. We have already seen from the Greek that the word 'kingdom" means the rule, system of government, etc. Such "government, rule, dominion, etc" constitutes a WAY OF LIFE. God's Kingdom or rule "His way of doing" (see the Amplified Bible, Matthew 6:33) is to cast seed into the ground to produce the harvest we need!
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Now with that understanding of Jesus' message of the "kingdom," read the whole 6th chapter of Matthew. The whole chapter deals with sowing "seeds" to get the harvest you want! Matthew 6:1 speaks of “alms” ‐charity to the poor. When Paul took up an offering for the poor saints at Jerusalem, these alms were likened to sowing, or planting seeds. Read the whole passage in II Corinthians 9:1 and 6‐11 for yourself. Giving to the poor, Jesus said, is how we lay up treasure in heaven! (See Matthew 6:19‐21 and Mark 10:21). If we "sow" into the‐lives of the poor then we can expect to reap a harvest! For we "reap" what we "sow" (See Galatians 6:7‐8). What kind of harvest? We will reap the SUPPLY of our needs (Phil. 4:19). Food, clothing, and shelter will be "added" to us, if we "seek first the kingdom of God" ‐which remember, is like unto a man casting seed into the ground! (Mark 4:26). Sowing and Reaping is God's Kingdom System for getting your needs met. It is God's method of blessing His servants, the members of His kingdom! Yet this aspect of the gospel has not been understood. The Gospel of the Kingdom of God is the good news of God's government, His rule and way of living. God's way of life is different than the worlds. The world teaches us that if we want to have, we must try to "get" more. But God's way of life is to sow seed toward your need and then expect a harvest! Can we truly expect one? Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man SOWETH, that shall he also REAP.... he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well‐doing [SOWING SEED!]; for we shall reap, if we faint not"! (Galatians 6:7‐9). It is time now to learn how to properly sow into God's Kingdom!
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God’s Will for YOU:
PROSPERITY There is a Scriptural method that will, when used consistently, guarantee prosperity and material blessing! Learn how to tap into this Kingdom System to get ALL your needs supplied every time! It is time YOU came out of poverty and into the Blessing God has wanted you to have all along! This may be the most important article you will read all year!
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OU CAN HAVE ALL YOUR needs met supernaturally! The Bible says it is God's will to bless His people! Yet why are so many Christians poor? Why are so many churches struggling to do any kind of Work for God? Why are some of you in debt and barely able to even pay your bills? Why are some of you not living in the PROSPERITY that the Bible promises that, but are living on the edge of poverty? Something is drastically wrong with this picture! It is God's will for every Christian to prosper! Jesus promised that if we did what He prescribed, all our needs would be supplied! Yet how many Christians do you know ‐in some cases whole church congregations ‐who are poor and deeply in debt? If poverty and financial struggle are not God’s will, then obviously there is something that most Christians do not know and therefore they must be doing something wrong. Hosea 4:6 states, “My people are destroyed for a LACK OF KNOWLEDGE.” Poverty destroys morale, it destroys marriages and families. It destroys health and sometimes life! Yet if we had proper knowledge, of how to receive the blessings and prosperity God promises, we would not be living in the curse of poverty! If you or someone you know is in debt, does not have enough blessings and prosperity to live the good life, or has needs that are not being met, then you need to really seriously study this information you are now reading! It can change your life!! How Can We Receive from God? For nearly 100 percent of our readers, what you are about to read will be new information! It is something generally not taught, not understood by the majority of our churches! But once a single individual Believer in Christ genuinely understands and puts this new knowledge into practice, it will change his life for the better! God cannot break a promise. Prosperity IS promised! And once an entire congregation of Believers begins obeying this new truth in their lives, the entire church will be prospered beyond what they could ask, or even think! Notice: God “is able to do exceeding abundantly above ALL that we ask or think according to the power that worketh in us.” (Ephesians 3:20).
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Notice the condition! God is indeed able to answer our prayers and even bless us ABOVE what we have asked Him to do, or have even thought to ask Him to do. But, it is "according to" the POWER that works in US! What is that power? How do we get it to work for us? God certainly has the Power to do anything He wants to do. He created the entire vast universe! Then each of us must ask the question, how can we get God to bless us financially according to all we ask Him to do? How can we get God to bless and prosper us even above what we have prayed for? How can we get God to prosper us abundantly above all that we have asked Him for? How can we get God to do EXCEEDINGLY abundantly above all that we ask Him for or even think? The answer is given in the same verse. God is able to do FAR above all we can ask of Him or even think to ask, "according to" the power that works in us! Obviously then, the answer is in learning how to get that power to work for us! Why Aren't More Christians PROSPERING? Let's start at the beginning! First, how can we know if it is really GOD'S WILL to bless us financially? No real Christian doubts God's ability. God would make us all millionaires tomorrow if He wanted to. It is easy to believe God could do it, but apparently He either doesn't want to prosper us or there is some knowledge we are lacking! How many genuine Christians have to work two jobs just to make ends meet? How many believers are really struggling; living in poor conditions, having sometimes to depend on government handouts and other charity just "to get by"? How many of you are working a hard job with which you are unhappy and still find there is too little money at the end of the month? Many true Believers cannot afford needed medical care due to lack of money. Many genuine Christians, while they love God and attend church regularly, cannot afford to have really nice things in life. They cannot afford to pay for their children's education nor even afford to get a better education themselves. You know of genuine Holy Spirit begotten children of God, ‐real Christians who live in run down houses and drive unsafe vehicles, and can barely afford to pay for the basic necessities for their family. Is this God’s will for His children? Does God, who lives in a heavenly city of splendiferous opulence where even the streets are paved with gold, not want the best for His children? Does He not care that their needs go unsupplied? Does He not care that they cannot afford the medical and dental bills to amply take care of themselves and their children? Does He either not know or not care that His own children are living in poverty conditions? Yes He cares. He does love us for He has already proven that by sending the best He had for mankind ‐His Son! (John 3:16). Then why does He allow Christians to go without their needs being met? After all, the Apostle Paul wrote that since God had given us His Son that He would also freely give us all
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things! (Romans 8:32). Then why don't we see this being fulfilled? This is a serious question that DEMANDS an answer! The BIBLE Definition of "The Will of God" First let's see a Bible definition of the will of God. Let's be careful not to lean upon our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5) of what we think the will of God is, or to be misled in following the ideas and traditions of men in our doctrine in which many contradict the plain teaching of the Word of God (Mark 7:79, 13). No, we must have a Bible answer for everything we believe. Now then, what is the Bible definition of the "will of God"? Since the Bible is the Word of God and therefore cannot contradict itself, we will find a comparison of Mark 3:35 and Luke 8:21 instructive. Mark and Luke record the same event where Jesus is teaching at the temple and asks the question, “Who is my mother and my brother and sister?” Mark quotes Jesus as answering this question “whosoever shall do the WILL of God" is his spiritual mother, and brethren (Mark 3:35). But the Holy Spirit inspired Luke to quote Jesus differently. Luke writes that Jesus said His mother and brethren (spiritually speaking) are those “which hear the WORD of God and do it!” Is this a contradiction? By no means! Rather, Luke supplements Jesus' statement in Mark 3:35 showing us that the will of God, is equivalent to the Word of God! Thus to know what God's will is in any given area we need only to find out what God has said in His Word! For many years I have used Psalm 127:2 as an example of knowing God's will. Is it God's will for you to get a good night's sleep? God answers that "He giveth His beloved sleep"! There, is God's Word on the subject. That is therefore His will! First John 5:14‐15 states that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us and that we therefore know we have the petitions (or requests) we desired of Him! Now God does not want us ignorant of His will. To be unsure of God's will when making a request in prayer to God is considered unwise! (Ephesians 5:17). Rather God wants us to be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding (Colossians 1:9). Since it is God's will for us to be filled with the knowledge of His will, therefore we should pray in confidence (I John 5:14) according to Colossians 1:9 that God will show us His will by giving us understanding of His Word! Jesus DESIRES to Feed His Sheep Now then, is it God's will to bless us financially and to prosper us in every area of life? We only need to look to the Word of God to learn the Will of God! ‐for they are one and the same!! What does God tell us is His will for His children? Jesus makes the answer clear in Matthew 7:7‐11 where He says that if we, as sinners know how to supply the needs of our children, how much more will our Heavenly Father give good
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things to those who ask Him! Furthermore, we have a Bible promise that "all these things" (and here Jesus mentioned food and clothing etc., the basic necessities of life) "shall be added" to us in Matthew 6:33. Also Paul even said that God will supply all our needs according to His riches IN GLORY (and that is incalculable!!!) as promised in Philippians 4:19! John 10 compares Jesus to a GOOD SHEPHERD who takes care of His sheep. David called the Lord his Shepherd and confidently predicted that because of this he would "not want or not suffer "want" or need. A truly good shepherd would not allow his sheep to go hungry or sick. If you saw a shepherd herding sheep that were hungry and sickly and therefore not provided for by their shepherd, would you not report such an abuser of sheep to the Humane Society? Abusing a dumb animal by not feeding them or providing them medical attention from a veterinarian is against the law and considered inhumane! Is Christ a good shepherd? All Men are made in God's IMAGE! As you are reading these words thousands of people in various countries around the world are suffering from deep poverty and malnourishment. At the date of this writing, many thousands in Sudan are starving to death. You and I have seen the pictures of little children with extended stomachs due to malnutrition, little babies with flies surrounding their faces, children eating dirt for hunger! Does God not know? DOES GOD NOT CARE??? These precious human souls are made in the very image of God! Yet God allows them to suffer need! Does this mean God does not love those for whom Christ gave His life in sacrifice? Of course not! No, God loves all mankind and has told us in His Word that He is not a respecter of persons (Romans 2:11). Why then do some prosper while others live in dire poverty? Is it God's will for us to live in prosperity, or poverty? Believe it or not, God’s will is for his children to be healthy, to be blessed and to prosper! God's Will for You is PROSPERITY! Jesus compared God to a loving Father who wants to bless His children. "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?" (Matthew 7: 11). Remember God’s Word is His Will. Notice 3 John 2, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy should prospereth.” Notice it is God's will for us to prosper and to be in good health! There we have clearly the will of God. For God's Word is His Will! Notice also John 10:10. Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it MORE ABUNDANTLY”!
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God wants you to have the abundant life! How can you have the ABUNDANT life when you are living in dire poverty? You cannot have an abundant life and be in poverty! Isn’t that plain common sense? Yet some Christians are deceived into thinking that poverty somehow honors God! INCREDIBLE! How can poverty be the will of God when God’s Word, which is His will, states: “Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the PROSPERITY of His servant”! (Psalm 35:27). See also Psalm 112:1‐3 and Psalm 115:14. Is God pleased when His servants live in abundance and prosperity? YES! Obviously so! That is what we just read from the Word of God! How then can some professing Christians say that God is pleased and honored when we live in poverty? If that is true then God must be thrilled by all the starving children in the Sudan, and those who have for decades starved to death daily in the streets of India! Does such terrible pain and untold suffering from disease which results from poverty really please God? WHAT SHEER IDIOCY IS THIS TYPE OF THINKING! Yet millions of professing Christians assume God prefers poverty over prosperity! They believe God prefers His faithful children to be poor rather than wealthy, that He wants us to live in want (or lack) rather than to have "good things" (Compare Matthew 7: 11 and Psalm 23:1). Satan has deceived the whole world! (Revelation 1:9). Isn’t it time to come out of the world and its false religious teachings and embrace the Truth, which Jesus said is the Word of God? (John 17:17). We clearly see that it is God's will to prosper His children. Obviously then when Christians suffer poverty or financial lack in their lives something is drastically wrong! But there is nothing wrong with God. He is perfect! (Matthew 5:48). The problem therefore must lie on our end. There is something you and I have been doing wrong. Even the world’s churches don’t understand the root of this problem of poverty and how to solve it. Some very few do. Most do not! Do you? Use "the Faith of God" Now that we know what God's will is concerning prosperity, how do we know God's Word is His will. Therefore we should pray according to the scriptures we have just read concerning prosperity. How do we attain it? First John 5:14‐15 tells us that, to have answered prayer we must pray according to God’s will. We know God’s Word is His will. Therefore we should pray according to the scriptures on the subject of prosperity. It would be wise to look up all the scriptures on the subject of prosperity using your Strong's Exhaustive Concordance. For example, looking up the word prosperity, we find a prayer for prosperity. Notice: "Save NOW, I beseech thee, O Lord: O Lord, I beseech thee, send NOW prosperity. (Psalm 118:25). Notice God's will. It is His will to send you prosperity NOW not way off in the future sometime when you are about ready to die! But now! Today!
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We are told in First John 5:14‐15 that we can have confidence that if we pray according to His will ‐His Word that we can expect to receive the petitions (or prayers) we made to God for our needs. Thank God we have that confidence ‐that faith! Jesus said, “What thing so ever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them and ye shall have them”! This is praying with "the faith of God" (verse 22, see margin for correction translation). So now we know how to pray. We can know it is God’s will to prosper us. We can know we can pray according to that will and believe we receive when we pray. Now we have confidence when we pray. But what about millions of professing Christians who have and prayed and prayed for prosperity and blessing and yet still have their needs unfulfilled? What about genuinely converted, Holy Spirit begotten children of God who have repeatedly prayed on their knees before God, sometimes in fasting, beseeching God to supply their needs, while getting other Christians to also pray and believe for them, who still go without employment, hills and debts left unpaid, needs that are not supplied? What about them? Jesus told us to pray and if we prayed in faith (that is, believing we receive when we pray) that our prayers would be answered. Yet millions of professing Christians do not see their needs being supplied. Most of you who now read these words have had many an unanswered prayer where your need was not met. Many of you now have lack in your life, insufficiency, inability to buy the things you need for your family, unable to get the medical and health care you need. Yet you attend church regularly. Where have we been "missing God"? There is obviously something we are doing wrong. Even pastors suffer from insufficiency in their lives their needs going unmet. Why? God's Word is true. Jesus cannot lie. Yet, most of YOU would admit that many of your needs have not been supplied by God. It's time to see the answer. It is long overdue that real Christians lean how to get God to meet their needs according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19) as He has promised! GOD'S METHOD of Supplying Your Needs Let's begin with the very first message given by Jesus Christ in the New Testament. In what is called the "Sermon on the Mount," Jesus Christ answers the question that all people have: "What can we do to get God to meet our needs?" Look at Matthew 6:7‐8. Jesus said those who don’t know God pray repeatedly for their needs to be met, “for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.” But He tells us not to do the same (verse 7). Isn't that what most Christians have done? You pray to God to supply a need. The prayer goes unanswered. So you pray again. But the need still has not been supplied. So then you pray again. And then again, over and over and over and over and over thinking that if you just keep
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praying eventually you will overcome this seeming insidious reluctance God seems to have to bless you. Maybe you can “twist His arm” and coerce God to meet your need, if you can just pray over and over long enough ‐seemingly repeating yourself endlessly! Sound familiar? We may not admit it to others, but most of us have prayed “fervently” thinking if we pray LOUD enough, add a few tears with it, get on our knees, go without food or flagellate ourselves in some manner, that just maybe, possibly perhaps, God might hear us! Such is the reasoning of the heathen! (verse 7). DON'T YOU PRACTICE THAT TYPE OF PRAYING! For Jesus added, “Be not ye therefore like unto them [the heathen]: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him.” (verse 8). What type of praying are we to do then? Jesus gives us a model prayer that we are to use when we have needs. What is called "the Lord's Prayer" was given to teach people how to pray who want to get God to meet their needs. Notice: “After this manner therefore…” Notice the word “therefore.” It has been said that every time you should back up to the previous verse to see what the “therefore” is there for! Jesus is saying, “Therefore, since you want to get your needs met, pray in this manner!” Verses 6‐8 show the wrong way people pray to get their needs met. They pray asking for God to supply their needs with "much speaking." But rather Jesus tells us to pray, "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed by thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will he done in earth, as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:910). Notice Jesus said we are to pray placing God's interests first! And then, in the next part of the prayer, after hallowing the name of God and praying for His will to be done, we then petition God for our personal needs. But we pray this way, "Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" (verses 11‐12). Notice Jesus said we are to pray for our daily needs to be met and also to ask for forgiveness just as we GIVE OUT forgiveness to others. "What goes around comes around," as they say in America. Or, as the apostle Paul explained, we reap whatever we sow (Galatians 6:7). We can pray for our daily needs (including forgiveness) as long as we are doing something. In our translation of the Bible, a period was put after verse 11, yet verse 12 continues the statement with the word "and" completing the thought. We ask for our daily needs to be met in conjunction with how we have treated others! Do you see it? Laying Up Treasures in Heaven Then Jesus commands us to lay up treasures in heaven rather than upon the earth. Rather than attempt to “interpret” this expression, Jesus Himself provides us the meaning or interpretation of "laying up treasures in heaven" in Mark 10:21. Jesus said to “give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven”! There it is! ‐the Bible's own definition of laying up treasure in heaven! We are commanded by Christ to lay up
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treasures in heaven to give to the poor!! (Matthew 6:20). While some may assume this means to give to the church, Jesus said it means to give to the poor! Then Jesus instructed, "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore the eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light" (verse 22). What does it mean for your eye to be "single"? Look at the next verse which makes a contrast. “But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness" (verse 23). Being single eyed is different than having an evil eye. It is righteous compared to being evil. Where does the Bible use this term to explain what this means? The answer is found in Deuteronomy 15. Verses 7‐11 should be studied carefully. If there is a poor man among us we are to open our hand wide to him and are to surely lend him sufficient for his need in that which he lacks (verse 8). But then the Bible cautions us not to have an evil eye “against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought [nothing]” (verse 9). So not giving to the poor is having an “evil eye.” God calls this SIN! (same verse). Now notice God’s promise to those who pity the poor by giving to them: “Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: BECAUSE, that for THIS thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in ALL thy works and in ALL that thou put thine hand unto”! What a fantastic promise!!! If we give to the poor then God makes an ABSOLUTE PROMISE that He will supply our needs! We see therefore that practically the whole 6th chapter of Matthew is about giving to the poor as God’s method of getting Him to supply our own needs! Some people may think this sounds like we are “manipulating” God to do what we want Him to do. First, we all want –and need God to supply all our needs. He knows what they are (Matthew 6:8) and He can provide them sufficiently and on time! Secondly, if Jesus tells us to pray this way, then this is God's will! Let's admit the truth. Our way hasn’t worked! Sincere believers have prayed. They have fasted. They have asked their church to pray. They have wept before God. Yet still their needs go unmet! We must face the truth that our way has not worked! Now let’s try Jesus’ way! Don’t Work for Your Living When really understood, this sounds astonishing! It even contradicts what we assume the Bible has taught. After all doesn’t the Bible says, “If any would not work, neither should he eat”? Yes it does say that in II Thessalonians 3:10. However let’s understand this in context with Jesus’ teachings. In this famous “Sermon on the Mount,” as it is called, Jesus told His disciples not to take thought for our food, clothing, and basic necessities for life (Matthew 6:25). He added that the birds do not “gather into barns” as people who labored in that day. The lilies of the field do not
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toil or spin to make clothes. They don’t work for their living! Yet God so clothes them as the grass of the field (Matthew 6:28‐30). He then concluded in the next verse that we should not take anxious thought or concern about our basic necessities (verse 31). Like the birds that do not work for their living but whose needs are provided for by God, so we are to trust God to supply our needs. He adds again that our heavenly Father knows that we have need of these things, such as food, clothing, shelter, etc. (verse 32) and then tells us what to do. If we do what Jesus commands then ALL these needs will be supplied! Notice Matthew 6:33: “But seek ye first the KINGDOM OF GOD, and His righteousness; and ALL these things shall be added unto you”! Notice! He doesn’t say you will even have to pray to God any more as most of us have done over the years. Rather the things we need will simply be “added” to us! Now remember what Jesus’ definition of the “Kingdom of God” is. It is as if a man cast seed into the ground (Mark 4:26). In other words, the Kingdom of God –the “rule, reign, government” of God –His way of life –is like a sower who SOWS SEED into the ground! If we seek first to SOW SEED then we will begin to reap the harvest! (Galatians 6:7). This is what it means to seek the Kingdom of God. Seek to become a SOWER! For only those who sow can ever expect to reap. The blessing we read in Deuteronomy 15: 7‐11 are not mere “luck” that some get and some don’t. They are not some arbitrary blessing God gives to some and not others. Rather these blessings are sure promises to those who lay up treasures in heaven by GIVING TO THE POOR! These blessings therefore constitute the reaping of a harvest which results from our having SOWN into the lives of others! HOW PLAIN! WHY We Should Work But does this mean we should not work for our “living”? What did Paul mean in II Thessalonians 3:10 when he said that if we don’t work then we should not eat? Of course we should not eat if we don’t work! For only those who labor and work have the seed to sow For example, if you were approached by a poor man (as we read in Deuteronomy 15:7) you would not have anything to sow into his life if you had not been employed, earning wages. The Biblical reason for working is not to selfishly supply our own needs, but to have seed money to supply the needs of others! Notice Ephesians 4:28. “Let him that stole, steal no more: but rather let him labour”! Why? Notice! Paul writes that a man should work and labor but is it only to supply his own needs? No! Jesus commanded us to seek first the Kingdom –the way of living or system –of God first, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to us! God will add those things to us. God will supply the needs of His children. Why then should a man work? Notice the inspired answer.
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“Let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have [in order] to GIVE to him that needeth”! (Ephesians 4:28). We work so we will have something to give! Why is giving so important? Because just like the harvest to a farmer comes through sowing seed, so also through our giving (which Paul likens to sowing seed –see Galatians 6:7‐10) our harvest will surely come – the blessings that God has promised that will supply all our needs! Our needs are supplied by God when we sow seeds into the lives of others who also have needs. To put that another way, when we bless others, God blesses us. When we give to others to supply their needs, God then gives to us to supply our needs. What we give comes back to us. Or as the old saying goes, “What goes around eventually comes around.” We reap what we sow. If we sow good things into the lives of others then God promises we will reap good things in our own lives! Of course “charity begins at home.” Before we give to strangers who have need we are commanded to supply the needs of our own family first (1 Timothy 5:8). Naturally we are to share in that. You and your family are to “eat” of your own labors (Luke 10:7, 1 Corinthians 9:9‐ 10). But then we must not eat all our “seed” or else we will have nothing to sow that God can bless. We must consistently be sowing seed –giving into the lives of others who have needs. In so doing we are laying up treasures in heaven. It is “More Blessed” to Give than to Receive Receiving tangible goods is certainly a blessing. A “blessing” is not merely a “feel good” feeling however. A blessing is the material supply to our need. But Jesus said it is “more blessed” to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). This means we will receive greater tangible blessing (in the way of food, clothing, money, etc) by giving –by sowing –than by trying to “get” for ourselves! It sounds impossible, yet by giving to others we tap into the supernatural supply of Almighty God and begin to have our own needs supplied by God rather than having to supply them ourselves! And God can supply every need! Nearly every professing Christian believes he is being “more blessed” because of the emotional feeling he gets from giving to the poor. However the term “more blessed” signifies more of the tangible blessing he himself needs. It is not the “feeling god feeling” that is a greater blessing to us when our own children are hungry or we need money for doctor bills. No, the emotional blessing from giving is not a greater blessing if our own needs have not been supplied. Rather Jesus is talking about a REAL blessing –our physical and material needs being supplied –not just a sentimental emotional “feeling” we get which lasts a few minutes and then immediately vanishes the moment we come home to a bill we have received which we cannot pay.
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Jesus is telling us that the physical, material blessings He wants to give us of food, clothing, and shelter, yes and financial blessings of income as well will be GREATER when we consistently give to the poor than by simply trying to supply our own need by constantly trying to “get” for ourselves. Giving even Through Your Employment Notice Ephesians 6:5‐9 carefully. Most Christians have assumed the Bible is teaching us to give an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. That is not what Paul was saying at all. Rather Paul is telling “servants” (whether it applies to “slaves” who worked without wages or “employees” who are servants to an employer) to change their attitude about work. Don’t work for the money! Don’t work to put food on your table. Don’t work merely to supply your own needs. Remember, if you seek first the kingdom of God the all your needs will be supplied by God! (Matthew 6:33). Why then should you work? We must work with the attitude that we are serving –giving –of our time and efforts to others. Eight hours a day we are working for Jesus Christ and serving the needs of others. Most companies provide a legitimate service to the customer. If you are selling any legitimate item then you are serving the customer by fulfilling a need he has. If you are selling merchandise in a retail store, or even insurance or real estate, you are serving someone’s needs. Now change you’re your attitude about your job. No longer work for the paycheck since God has promised to supply your needs. You work to give of your time to make someone else’s life better. Again, you are not serving your “boss.” Rather you are serving the needs of the customers which the company serves. Nearly all companies do “good will doing service” (Ephesians 6:7) –with the exception of the Mafias and cigarette manufacturers who kill people with their “services.” The Bible teaches us to find an occupation where we can provide a legitimate service doing “good will” for people and then gives us this promise: “Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive OF [from] THE LORD” (verse 8)! If you work for the XYZ Company, or the ABC or IBM Company or whoever you work for, then you expect to be paid from the one you’re working for. The Bible is teaching us that now we should begin working for Christ, using our jobs to serve Him –and other people. Once we no longer see ourselves working for a company, but for the Lord Jesus Christ, then He will pay us! The One we work for PAYS us! How PLAIN! Yet Jesus can pay us far better than your employer can! And He is far more willing than they are! Notice also verse 8 says whatsoever good thing any man does. It is not limited only to our jobs. Any good thing you do will reap a reward for you! So said Jesus Christ (Matthew 10:41‐ 42).
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Giving to the Poor is "Sowing" Notice the special offering to the poor the apostle Paul took up at Corinth in Second Corinthians 9. After Paul explains that this offering is a gift to minister to the poor saints (verse 1) he then reminds them that “He which SOWETH sparingly shall REAP also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give.” (verse 6‐7a). Many ministers have taken up offerings for the Gospel Ministry using this verse out of context. This passage is not talking about giving to those who preach the Gospel, but rather providing for the poor and needy. Paul refers to giving to the poor as “sowing” into their lives. How many evangelists and pastors have misused this passage, when it was never meant for offerings for the church, but to feed the hungry poor! And notice Paul commanded us to give to the poor “not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” (verse 7b). The word translated “cheerful” in this verse comes from the Greek word “hilarious”! – believe it or not! We are to be cheerful, to the point of laughing with hilarity, when we give to the poor. And why shouldn’t we? Read the very next verse to see why we should be so happy! “And God is able to make all grace [blessing] ABOUND toward you; that ye always having ALL SUFFICIENCY in all things may about to every good work.” (verse 9). Notice again verse 9 which proves this is giving to the poor! Verse 10 is a blessing on your seed sown that you will have an "increase" in the fruits of your harvest. “Being enriched in everything to ALL BOUNTIFULLNESS” (verse 11). Not "impoverished" as some Christians tend to be. But God wants to "enrich" His children who are always, consistently giving to the poor! God is able to make "all grace" or all favor and blessings "abound" toward us. Now notice Isaiah 58. Notice all the blessings with which God desires to "enrich" us, making "all grace abound toward you." Read this chapter in your own King James Bible! Study it carefully. God inspired the prophet Isaiah to write that even in fasting we must think of the poor. (Isaiah 58:6‐7). If we remember the poor then our “light" will break forth (divine guidance) and we will also enjoy good health. Verse 9 says that when we ourselves are in need God will answer us! (Think what that is worth to you!) God adds that we must also stop gossip by pointing the finger "and speaking vanity." We also must “draw out” ourselves to the hungry –go seek them out to give to them, to provide for their needs. Don’t wait for them to knock on your door. What will be the reward of those who do this? “Then shall thy light rise in obscurity and thy darkness be as the noon day: And the Lord shall GUIDE THEE CONTINUALLY and satisfy thy soul in drought and make fat thy bones”! (verses 10‐11).
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Divine Guidance is promised to those who give to the poor! Having divine guidance from the Creator God could literally make you rich! It did R.G. LeTourneay who became exceedingly wealthy who would generously give well over and above a mere 10 percent and then trust God for divine guidance. In doing so he became so wealthy he eventually ended up giving away 90 percent of the profits keeping only 10 percent for himself! The Bible is true! God's promises really work! Your Next Step It is now important that you read study and meditate on Isaiah 58. Make a prayerful study of it. Commit to God from this day forward that you will become a Giver as a way of life. Seek first the Kingdom of God ‐ which is "as if a man should cast seed into the ground" (Mark 4:26). Begin regularly sowing into the lives of the poor. But one thing is critical. It is imperative that the reader not "try" this out to see "if it will work. Such is not faith and we cannot please God without faith (Hebrews 115). Rather for these promises to work, we must make a LIFETIME COMMITMENT to become givers. Once you make this commitment to become a Sower ‐ a Giver ‐for the rest of your life, then God knows you are serious. Then God will begin blessing you with a harvest. In Isaiah 58 we see the harvest detailed. If you want to have your needs met supernaturally "always having ALL SUFFICIENCY" then make that commitment immediately. Become a giver. Look for the poor and needy to give to and give on a regular, consistent basis every month! Your life is about to change! You are now about to embark on the greatest most joyful experience of a lifetime! For now as you, perhaps for the first time, begin to correctly apply Mathew 6:33 in your life, you will see the supernatural supply of your need in your own life! This is why we can afford to give cheerfully and hilariously! Get ready now to begin a life of REAL JOY!
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Have You Received
The “Overflowing Blessing”? Have you received the Overflowing Blessing that God promised you? God promised that He would open the windows of heaven “and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it”! (The Revised Standard Version paraphrases this expression as “an overflow blessing”). Yet how many can say God has blessed them so abundantly that there is NO MORE ROOM to receive additional blessings? No more room to receive additional goods such as more TV’s and VCR’s, better and more modern appliances, or an additional, better, or more expensive automobile? Can we say that there is no room left in our savings account for more money (if God wanted to bless us with more)? Think about it! It is obvious that we have misunderstood this promise of God! What does that scripture really mean? Why hasn’t God blessed you with a blessing poured out from heaven where there is NOT ENOUGH ROOM for you to receive it –an overflowing blessing? Have we truly understood this promise? Do not be too sure you know! In the next issue you will see the plain truth about this enigmatic scriptural promise. And most importantly, you will learn just how to get this promise to work for you in your own life. For it is a promise. It is true. And it does work for those who understand it. Hosea 4:6 says that God’s people –His own people –are destroyed for lack of knowledge. It is now time to get the facts. Are we living at “the time of the End”? In the last days, “knowledge shall be increased.” (Daniel 12:4). The time has now come for this truth to be revealed to God’s people. You are one of the few people today who have been blessed to receive this truth. What you do with it can change your life forever! This important teaching will be continued in the next issue. Whatever you do, it is imperative that you do not neglect this Bible truth but begin studying it diligently so you too can enjoy the abundant life!
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