Bill Johnson - Live With an Abundance for Every Good Work
Thank you, thanks, thanks, thanks. Well, good morning! Nice to see you, always good to see you. I haven’t read this one for a little while, so I thought I’d bless you with it today. You can thank me later. As a bagpiper, I play many gigs. Recently, I was asked by a funeral director to play at a graveside service for a homeless man. He had no family or friends, so the service was to be at a pauper cemetery in the Kentucky backcountry. As I was not familiar with the backwoods, I got lost. Being a typical man, I didn’t stop and ask for directions. I finally arrived an hour late. I saw that the funeral guy had evidently gone; the hearse was nowhere in sight.
There were only the diggers and the crew left, and they were eating lunch. I felt badly and apologized to the men for being late. I went to the graveside, looked down— the vault lid was already in place. I didn’t know what else to do, so I started to play. The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around. I played with all my heart and soul for this man with no family or friends. I played like I had never played before for this homeless man. As I played «Amazing Grace,» the workers began to weep. They wept, I wept, we all wept together. When I finished, I packed up my bagpipes and started for my car. Though my head hung low, my heart was full. As I was opening the door to my car, I heard one of the workers say, «Sweet mother of Jesus, I ain’t never seen nothing like that before! I’ve been putting in septic tanks for 20 years!» That’s funny! That is funny.
Before we get into the Word, I want to pray for a particular group of people. We’re dealing with abundance, dealing with prosperity of soul, this aspect of life. There are a number of folks in the room who really struggle with the fear of man, and all of us have dealt with that at one time or another. We could easily pray for each other on this one, but what I felt this morning was that the enemy has spotted a gift of compassion in you, an ability to be moved by the thoughts, feelings, and needs of people around you.
However, he has worked to distort that gift so that you actually fear people instead of being able to respond to them and serve them. For example, Peter had this great boldness, but outside of the Lordship of Jesus, he put his foot in his mouth time after time. You find a person who is very sensitive to the Holy Spirit, with a quiet spirit, who is led by the Lord and speaks at just the right time, saying profound things. But not under the Lordship of Jesus, they can become very introverted, introspective, and self-absorbed. I feel that for many in this room, you have a God-given gift to excel in compassion, but the enemy has persuaded you to fear people’s opinions rather than to serve them according to what you discern and feel. Does that make sense to anyone? So if that fits you, put a hand up because we’re going to pray for you right now. You don’t have to stand, just put your hand up.
Alright, if you’re close to someone with their hand up, pray for them, because this is the day. I don’t think the Lord would highlight this if He didn’t plan on freeing each individual who struggles with this area. So put your hand on somebody. If there are a bunch of you together, lay hands on one another. Let’s not let anyone be skipped; just pray for them. We just say, «Lord, that the Lordship of Jesus would be seen over their thoughts and emotions, and that they would be used by the Lord to display compassion, bringing people into health and deliverance. No trick or tactic from the enemy will work from this point on; instead, they will be freed to excel in compassion and to bring deliverance and healing to people they might have withdrawn from.» We declare this liberty over your life. You were born for this freedom; it is God’s design for you. From this point on, you’ll be aware of the enemy’s tricks, so you’ll be able to expose his tactics and move in compassion toward these people. We declare the heart of the Lord and the gift that God has given you in Jesus' name. Everybody said, «Amen.» Amen. Alright, beautiful! You did good.
Open your Bibles, if you would, please, to Luke chapter 16. I have two verses to read before we actually get into Luke 16. I’m taking three weeks to talk to you about the kingdom of abundance and, for several years now, I’ve had a burning desire—not just a desire but a burden—an awareness of the heart of God regarding something that I think, for the most part, the church has missed for various reasons: the subject of money. When it’s talked about in church, it receives all kinds of different reactions, often because of past abuses—abuses of people who have taught that God wants everybody to be rich and that your spirituality is measured by your income or by how many possessions you have.
I don’t know anything that could be further from the truth than that, except the opposite, which is also taught by much of the church: that lack and poverty is actually a sign of spirituality. Neither is true. I’d like us to find the heart of the Lord; He tells us to pray that on earth as it is in heaven. Heaven is not a place of lack. Heaven is not a place of worry. It is not about ringing your hands to figure out where the next meal will come from; it’s simply not the Lord. If my children are poorly clothed, if my wife is poorly clothed and they haven’t eaten in a long time while I’m feasting and nicely dressed, then you have reason to question what kind of husband I am and what kind of father I am. Oftentimes, we represent the Lord through our lack, thinking that’s God’s will, when in fact His desire is for us to abound. That’s what I’m doing this series for.
Last week, I talked to you about another aspect of that this morning, but I want to read the theme verse for this series, which is out of 2 Corinthians 9:8: «God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you always, having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.» I love that verse so much. I love the thought of having an abundance for every good work! Many of you were able to respond last week to the need of our missionaries from our own house, who were sent to a very dangerous place in the world, unable to mention their location. Their vehicle was blown up, and everybody is safe; we’re thankful for that. But you responded with radical generosity, and they were able to buy a much better vehicle than they ever thought was possible.
It’s because of the abounding unto every good work. I personally love the stories of the missionary family or the young couple that prays over a meal when they have no food in the house. They ask the Lord to provide, and soon there’s a knock on the door, and someone has brought groceries because they were led by the Lord to supply them with food. I love that story, and I have been on the receiving end of that kind of story, but I’m tired of being on the receiving end. I want to be the one knocking on the door. I want to be abounding unto all good works—that’s where we thrive! We have been assigned and designed to thrive in the abundance of God’s good work to touch and impact people’s lives.
So here it is again: «God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you always, having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.» Verse 10 says, «Now may He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness.» One more thing that we’ll probably deal with next week is the concept of bread and seed. The Lord provides bread to be consumed; He provides seed to be sown or planted. The church has typically done well, and I have too, in modeling and teaching on generosity, but not always teaching what it looks like to be a good steward of bread.
If you plant bread, it doesn’t grow; it’s foolish to plant your bread. It’s equally foolish to eat your seed. Discerning when the Lord has given you something that is going to increase your future harvest—that is seed. But bread is for personal consumption to the glory of God. If I buy a gift for my wife, like a nice beautiful purse, and she carries it when we go out to dinner, I’m gratified that she would want to carry that purse that I bought to honor her. She thinks it’s beautiful, and that’s what I want for her. If I give a special gift to my children, I’m always honored and gratified when they recognize that it’s bread, not seed, and I’m encouraged when they use something that I sacrificed for so they can enjoy. Our Heavenly Father is the same way; He delights in abundance for you. He delights in abundance, and He provides bread for consumption. It is not selfish to consume what God has given you; it’s selfish to eat your seed, and it’s also pretty foolish. We’ll deal with that probably a bit more next week.
But one more verse I want to read to you today is out of Matthew chapter 22. If you’re writing references down, some Pharisees came to Jesus with these words of praise, but they were setting Him up with a tricky question, trying to deceive Him. They said, «Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God in truth, nor do you care about anyone, for you do not regard the person of men.» In other words, you’re not manipulated by the fear of man, which was absolutely true. «Tell us therefore what you think: Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?» They thought this would be a hard question for Jesus, but Jesus perceived their wickedness and said, «Why do you test me, you hypocrites?» I love how tender Jesus is in these moments; he says it like he thinks it. «Why do you test me, you hypocrites? Show me the tax money.» They brought Him a denarius and He said to them, «Whose image and inscription is this?» They said to Him, «Caesar’s.» He said, «Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.» The word here is actually «pay.» Pay, therefore, to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.
This first of all legitimizes the concept of taxes. You should be thankful when you have to pay taxes because it means you made more money. You can look at either reality, and if you don’t like the way the money is spent, which I totally understand as it’s not always spent well or wisely, just go to a third world country—it’ll help heal that part of your heart. Just go somewhere where it’s a mess, and you’ll come back rejoicing at how put together this one is. Honestly, taxes are something we should give thanks for; we have the privilege to pay them. If you complain, it’s because you have a poverty spirit. You have a self-absorbed—see, a poverty spirit is self-absorbed; it only measures what I pay, not what I make. What I want is the abundance for every good work, but the abundance for every good work is released to a people who know how to steward promotion, favor, and resource. They know when it’s bread and when it’s seed, and they’re willing to do both for the glory of God.
The issue at hand when we talk about dollars and cents is the Lordship of Jesus. Jesus here says, «Who’s on the coin?» They said «Caesar.» He says, «Well then give to Caesar what belongs to him, and give to God what belongs to Him.» The word is actually «pay.» Pay God what belongs to Him. In the culture Jesus is ministering in, the Jewish culture, there’s only one part of their income that is not theirs, and that’s called the tithe. The paying of the tithe. Everything else belonged to them. Now I know you could say, «Well, everything we own belongs to God.» That’s true, but in this illustration, that would allow someone to say, «Don’t give Caesar what belongs to him because it belongs to God.» In this case, the Lord is trying to teach the difference between bread and seed, and He specifically says, «Pay to God what belongs to God.»
The misconception that has cycled through the church in the last 20 years is the thought that the tithe is from the law, but it actually isn’t. The tithe isn’t from the law. You hear people say, «Well, we’re free from the law.» That’s true; you are free from the law—the Mosaic law of sacrifices, rituals of cleansing, and those kinds of practices that made you righteous before the Lord. Jesus fulfilled the demands of all of those, but that is not the law we are talking about. How many of you know the law of sowing and reaping is still in effect in the grace of God? If you show mercy, what do you receive? You receive mercy! Jesus is actually teaching His disciples that much of what they want from the Father, they have to initiate through radical obedience. «Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.» Who gave it first in that illustration? A person gave it! I realize we are alive because of the mercy of God, but the illustration Jesus is giving is that a person extended mercy, and because of that, they will receive it. Much of our life is actually linked to this concept of sowing and reaping.
In this passage, He says, «Pay to God what belongs to God.» In the Jewish culture, in their thinking, that was the 10 percent of their income. My grandfather—my mom’s dad—was fun to eat with. If we ever went to a restaurant, he liked salt. I do too; I like coffee, and I like salt. Chris and I have to sit next to each other in any restaurant because we both use it. My grandfather would get the salt shaker in the restaurant, pour it over his food, and shake it. I remember sitting there one day, and he said, «Ah, it’s a tither!» He put it down, and I didn’t know what he meant, so I asked, «What do you mean, Grandpa, 'tither'?» He said, «Ah, it only gives what it has to.» We were raised in an atmosphere where 10 percent of my income is not giving; it’s a payment. Dick Joyce taught us years ago, «Your tithe is your rent payment for living on His planet, breathing His air, and you don’t want to be evicted.»
Right? I’m trying to keep this humorous, not legalistic, but listen carefully. Stewarding this part of our life is huge because it has everything to do with the Lordship of Jesus. It is giving to Him what actually belongs to Him, and that hasn’t even started generosity yet—it’s just returning what belongs to Him. Generosity starts after that point. Luke chapter 16—are you there? Good, me too! Luke 16. I want you to go right down to verse 10. Jesus has already been dealing with the subject of money—mammon.
In verse 10, He says, «He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore, if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?» Now stop right there for a moment—mammon is a Syrian term for the god of riches. So when He talks about mammon, or the spirit of mammon, He’s talking about a spiritual entity that influences the economies of the world. He’s dealing with it as a personality, not just about the dollars in your pocket. How many understand that neither the dollars you have in your pocket are inherently evil or righteous? What I do with it determines its righteousness or unrighteousness. If I give it to a missionary or buy lunch for my wife, it’s righteously used. Unrighteous mammon—who will entrust the true riches to you?
Verse 12: «If you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?» Now we’re going to read one more verse, but let me stop on this one. If I’m not faithful with what is another man’s, what is that in my world? It’s the tithe. I’ve been given something; it’s in my stewardship. Now, I have the privilege to demonstrate who my Lord is, and in lordship, I return to Him what belongs to Him. Why does He want that to happen? Because He wants me to have my own. He’s actually interested in increasing what the abundance unto every good work in my life is. He’s desiring to increase my capacity to make a difference with resources.
Verse 13: «No servant can serve two masters; either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.» The word «loyal» actually means «to hold to.» Let me illustrate this now—don’t get weird on me here, but this is going to represent mammon, alright? And this is going to represent God; it’s not God, it’s just an Apple product, but it’s the closest I could get. Alright, that’s so pitiful, isn’t it? But anyway, here we go—what does He say? «Either you will love the one and hate the other, or you will hold to the one and despise.» Whenever money is talked about in the church, once the issue is settled, every conversation about finances and resources is an invitation for breakthrough and increase. But until the issue is settled, it’s a point of aggravation, frustration, and wishing you weren’t here today. What the Lord does in these moments is reveal to us that we are serving mammon, and we didn’t even know it. How can we tell? Because of what you’re holding on to!
The way serving mammon is evidenced is in holding on to and despising. What about serving God instead of mammon? It’s illustrated by our love for God; our hatred for that which would defile our complete, absolute devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. Sometimes our love for God is measured by what we hate! It’s not people—don’t get weird on me here, but it’s measured by hating what He hates. He hates that demonic spirit that entangles us. Scripture teaches us that those with anxiety and the shifting in values over spiritual resources and blessings to natural resources cause greed and actually kill the seed of the Lord planted in their heart to bring an eternal harvest.
The whole story of the seed and the sower indicates that part of what brought great damage to the heart of the believer was so much shifting in their focus on material wealth and possessions. I want everybody in this church to own their own home; I want you to have a dream car. I really do! My greatest ambition is for breakthrough in the miraculous, for the breakthrough in the harvest of souls. But when it can be displayed by bountiful businesses and homes, man, I’m all over it! I want everyone to own their homes outright, not just be making monthly payments. I desire that because it frees us up to have abundance for every good work!
So good! Here He says, «If you have not been faithful in unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?» I remember as a younger pastor, I always thought—it’s strange but I always thought if I handle unrighteous mammon well, He’ll entrust me true riches. For some reason, I thought it was just more unrighteous mammon—it’s not! True riches are why we’re here; it’s why we do what we do. We are looking for the greater breakthroughs, the greater demonstrations of the love of God, the power of God, the deliverance, the healing, the salvation—all the stuff we ache for in our hearts—that’s the true riches.
It would be foolish to think I can buy those things with generosity, and it’s also foolish to think I can explore all the realms of true riches without faithfulness here. Jesus Himself links the breakthrough. I think I gave you the illustration last week. Natural riches—I can buy you all a steak dinner. With true riches, we can just buy one and multiply it!
This is not mammon any longer; this is now my water. The thought that the tithe comes from the law is a deep misunderstanding. Its roots are in the Old Testament, but the one who actually established the concept of the tithe was Abraham. Abraham is significant for us because he is called the father of faith—the father of our faith. He is the one that God gave a promise to, and it says he believed God and God considered him righteous because of that belief. A number of years ago, John Paul Jackson came to speak here; he’s at home with the Lord now. When he came, he brought such a great word to us, and he helped me personally with a dream that I had that really troubled me. I feel like I owe him a million bucks because of the interpretation he gave me. It brought a lot of peace and focus in my heart.
One of the things John Paul said when he was here was that Romans chapter 4 would be key for the next outpouring of the Spirit, for the next wave of revival. So I committed myself to reading Romans 4 every day for three years, except for five days due to international flights. I read it day after day and became increasingly impacted by this man, Abraham, and his courageous faith and bold faith. One of the things I noticed in Scripture is that the Bible tells us to study, learn, follow, and embrace the ways of Abraham. Abraham is called the father of faith; we are alive because of faith. We have been born again because of the gift of faith God gave us. Where did that come from? In testimony, it came from Abraham.
It was Abraham who, after a particular incident, had great resources and took a tenth of it to give as a tithe to bring honor to the man of God. The point I’m trying to make is that the whole idea of the tithe started with Abraham—it did not start with Moses and the law, which was like 400 years later. Here you have Abraham doing something before the Mosaic law. The Mosaic law was not the seedbed, if you will, of the concept of the tithe. It had all kinds of rituals and cleansing, washings, and animal sacrifices—these things had to be done to somehow obtain righteousness before God, and nobody could do it. Jesus came and fulfilled that demand.
How many understand that when the Bible says, «Do not murder,» you still don’t murder now that you’re under grace? Now maybe I should repeat this just in case some of you are struggling with that command. Being freed from the law doesn’t give you permission to murder. Being freed from the law doesn’t mean adultery is okay. It says to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Everything about you is to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus says, «You’ve been told that you’re to not commit murder, but I say to you, if you call a person a name, you’re guilty.»
I’ve been able to go my entire life without killing anyone; it’s not even been tempting, except for a few times on the highway. That’s a joke; don’t quote me! I’ve done quite well at it! I’ve not even aimed a gun at anyone. I’ve got that part down—don’t kill! But I’ve called a few people names. «Idiot» is the name that comes to mind the soonest—no one in here, you’re all safe! It was the guy in the car, and I will leave that alone.
Jesus says, «You heard you can’t commit murder.» I’m saying, «You can’t call someone names!» If you do, you’re guilty. So, which is easier to do—the law or grace? It’s a trick question! What’s the difference between law and grace? Law requires; grace enables! When Jesus says, «You shall not commit murder,» you are required. When the law says you’re to live this way, you’re to do such and such—it’s a requirement upon humanity. But when Jesus in grace says, «You’re not even to call someone a name,» He is not only raising the requirement far past the commands of the law but doing so because the Holy Spirit is given to you, enabling you to do exactly what Jesus would do if He were in your shoes.
Back to the subject of money—the concept of the tithe was born in the heart of Abraham. Our father of faith was ratified by the law. Jesus comes along in Matthew 23:23, and we find Jesus correcting the Pharisees again, which he seemed to have a full-time job doing. They were growing herbs, and they would chop up their dill, cumin, and various things, take one-tenth, and give that herb as their tithe. Jesus points to what they’re doing and says, «You should have done this.» In other words, the tithe is right, but you’ve done so at the expense of the weightier provisions of the law. What is He saying? He’s saying obeying here doesn’t excuse the wrong stuff you’re doing. Just because you did this right—tithing on your dill—you don’t get a pass on your judgment of other people; you don’t get a pass there. The weightier provisions of the law are relational in nature; it’s the way we treat each other. The way we give honors, values, and respects people.
Jesus went on and brought correction regarding their unwillingness to even take care of their own parents because they had dedicated their resources to God under the guise of dedication and wouldn’t move with compassion to take care of their family. He’s rebuking them for neglecting the weightier provisions that God required of their lives, but instead they were giving a tenth of their dill. What did Jesus do? He said this: «You should have done those things.» So we’ve got Abraham, we’ve got the law, we’ve got Jesus, and we have the early church fathers. The early church fathers, those who were alive during Jesus’s time and those who followed in the first 150 years, were strong proponents of the concept of the tithe and moving beyond that into offerings.
I remember Judson Cornwall, who was a great inspiration to me. He would have meetings with the businesspeople in his church. It was a common expectation, not a requirement, but there was this understanding with this group of businesspeople that they would start with at a minimum 20 percent of their income to the Lord. I never say anything of this nature to imprison anyone; all I want to do is say, number one, give Him what belongs to Him, period! For your sake, if you don’t belong to this church, wherever your church is, you need to put that into the storehouse, as Malachi 3 says, «Test me in this and see if I won’t open for you the windows of heaven.»
How many of you have been praying for open heavens? Sometimes money opens the window! It’s what He said; it’s actually what He said. «Will a man rob God?» Yet you have robbed me. But you say, «In what way have we robbed you?» In tithes and offerings. «You are cursed with a curse; you have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.» What is that? Is it in the pantry or is it the spirit of revelation that rests upon the church?
I don’t know of any church in the country where there’s a continuous flow of the spirit of revelation and increased understanding that is not generous financially. Generosity in the natural releases a spiritual blessing that is unparalleled. Just smile now and then; it’ll encourage me! That there may be food in my house. «Try me now in this,» says the Lord, «if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing till there’s no more need.»
There’s this interesting thing that took place in Israel’s history. Israel was required of the Lord to rest the land every seven years. They’d grow crops for six years; in the seventh year, they wouldn’t plant anything. They would glean off of what grew naturally. Israel didn’t do it for 490 years—that’s some serious delayed obedience, putting off a yes to God for 490 years! What is one-seventieth of 490? 70! How long was Israel in exile? 70 years!
You never keep what you withhold. We never keep it! You can fight for it, grasp for it, or do whatever you want. «I’m going to control this; I’m going to discipline that.» We never keep what we withhold! So Israel ends up with 70 years in exile. I don’t believe it was the punishment of the Lord. I just think there’s this thing that we don’t always get: When we obey the laws of the kingdom, there’s this thing that just works for us that doesn’t work otherwise. When we violate the laws of that kingdom, you can’t get the blessing of one government by obeying the laws of another.
We all love the idea of the promised land. We love the idea of the promises of God coming to fruition in our lives. We love the ideas of living with more than enough so that we can abound unto every good work. But those realities are never tapped into by following the principles of an inferior kingdom. The Lord is actually inviting us into a journey with Him. The journey is demonstrating lordship by returning what belongs to Him.
I say this not out of harshness or rudeness—just know: if you don’t trust the house you’re in to do that, then find a place where you trust, because you need to be able to put that into the storehouse so that there will be food to feed your family and descendants on what’s happening in that local church. The tithe is something that belongs to God. I’ve encouraged people and challenged people for years. I’ve watched as brand-new believers take that huge step of faith and the Lord brings great return and great blessing time after time.
What I’ve noticed is that the older saint that does it doesn’t always get a quick breakthrough. The older saint that’s been doing it for a long time doesn’t always get the fastest breakthrough. Why? Because we are required to live off of the testimonies of the early days to keep ourselves encouraged. He has not changed! Faithful in little, faithful in much! Anytime you have a delayed answer, it’s never punishment; it’s always because He’s building something in you that will pay off later. Delayed answers bring answers with endurance; character is formed in the delay. The Lord is building in us the capacity for the long haul. He’s raising up world changers, people who know how to affect the course of history with their lifestyles.
Most believers I know are praying for just that daily provision so that we can pay the electric bill, the car payment, do this and that, and those things are fine. I never fault anyone for that approach, but I feel like we’re supposed to see what the Lord would be willing to do in our lifetime.
Here’s something that has been a very strong lesson for me personally. All of us have a limited number of days—wouldn’t you agree with that? The Bible says to display your heart of wisdom by numbering your days. Demonstrate that you have wisdom by realizing you’re not on this planet forever, so live with that kind of wisdom! Limited number of days, number one. Number two: We all have a limited amount of strength. If you don’t believe that, just try to stay up for seven nights in a row and see how good the quality of your work is on the seventh day. We just can’t do it!
We can’t pull this off; and yet, ministry after ministry experiences crazy burnout because of the unwillingness to take time off. «If I take time off, it’ll cost too much!» If I take time off, it’ll cost the ministry too much! So there are person after person experiencing burnout. The church celebrates the pastor who works seven days a week and never takes a vacation because he loves us so much. Yes, you’ve just lit his fuse! He’s offering to the Lord a blood sacrifice that is unacceptable. It is an unacceptable sacrifice! God Himself rested on the seventh day! To violate that—I don’t care how sincere you are—you drink poison, you die. Even if you’re sincere, you can’t violate the design of the Lord! The Lord designed us for rest and for work; we were designed that way.
So here’s the concept: limited number of days, limited strength—but we have access to unlimited resources. Would you agree? It wasn’t as much as I was hoping for, but I’ll work with it; it’s alright! Limited amount of days? Yes, yes! This is not a trick question for you! Limited amount of strength? Yes! Access to unlimited resources? Yes!
Every ministry I know of spends what’s limited to save what’s unlimited. Pushing the edge of burnout and exhaustion because we’ve got to save the dollars. I believe in wisdom and saving, but I’m just saying heaven looks at it differently. The world around you will applaud the person who burns out and dies at 35 because they just burned up with exhaustion, but think of how many more they could have won if they would have taken a day off and lasted another 35 years.
I don’t say that to point fingers or bring condemnation. I’m just saying heaven has a different perspective. When we pray, «On earth as it is in heaven,» we’re not praying for an environment of survival. We are saying, «God, change the way I think, the way I do life, so You could trust me with an abundance for every good work.»
I want to shape the course of history. I want to see specifically that people in this house, in this family, own a house outright—that’s what I want to see! I want to see every person a part of the house not only own a home but own it outright— not just making payments every month. I hunger for that; I desire that. Why? Because it frees us up to have an abundance for every good work!
So good! Here’s the last thing I want to say. In the Old Testament, the blessing of God was seen almost entirely in material wealth and blessing. Go ahead and put in concordance or your iPad or computer program to search for terms like «riches,» «wealth,» or any of these kinds of terms. Look at Abraham, David, Solomon…Hezekiah—just this morning, I was looking at Hezekiah, who abounded in extreme wealth.
At one point in the Old Testament, it was external blessing; God gave it to change their hearts. It was external to change this. In the New Testament, it’s internal prosperity that’s to change the external. The kingdom is within you! Above all else, 3 John 2 says: «Let your health prosper in all things and be in good health even as your soul prospers.» This is about tasting the bounty of the Lord! I’ve been forgiven, set free—I’m free to be a servant! I have resources that are unlimited; I can serve and love everybody around me!
Something is happening in here where I realize that God has given me extreme abundance, and what happens is that begins to shape health. It shapes my finances; it shapes everything around me. Old Testament: outside-in. New Testament: inside-out.
I have to have it here! That means we talk differently with the neighbor. It means that as we get help at the store and they tell us where in the store to find the product we need, the way we treat that person—the cashier, the waitress at the restaurant—all these things—our interactions with people.
I can tell those who have poverty of soul because everything is aimed toward them. But when you experience the blessing of Holy Spirit-inspired royalty, then you know you have limited time, limited strength, and unlimited resources.
I’m going to use my access to unlimited resources, whether dollars or kind words, to make someone else’s life better. Go ahead and let’s stand! I felt earlier this morning—I’m looking forward to today—that I was to pray something over you. I don’t remember ever praying before in my life. I don’t like talking about my personal finances or giving. I stay away from it! I did it one time only, only after a weird week with a newspaper article that prompted it.
I said, «Just in case there are young believers here, I don’t want them to be affected wrongly.» I went into specifics, but I never let media reproduce it; I just did it in-house. I love the thought of giving; I love the lifestyle of giving. Benny and I have never given less than 20 percent of our income; we learned early on, and we love to push the boundaries. We love to see what God will do!
If I can just receive—I’ve planted bread before, and it was depressing because it just didn’t grow a thing. It just got old and moldy! But I also know what it is to hold on to things loosely, and there’s a grace on my life for generosity—I know it’s true. I know it’s true! I hold on to things loosely; I want to be responsible, but I can give anything.
I feel like there’s a gift of generosity that the Lord would give you. I don’t know if you want it, but you’re going to get it, so I’m not going to have you raise your hands because some of you would raise just because your neighbor did, and the Lord knows better!
I want to pray for you, and I feel like there’s this grace for generosity that the Lord would release. Father, first, we recognize You’re the extreme One! You’re the generous one. Jesus, You gave all; You withheld nothing. We acknowledge that, and we give honor to You and praise.
I ask right now that You would impart a grace, a gift to as many who are even slightly open, release a gift of generosity, and help us break into something for this city—a city that would rise to its Geneva status—of excellence and increase of bounty to be a blessing to the state of California and to this nation. I pray this in honor of the name of Jesus. Amen!