1164-God Hopes You Prosper in All Things 2#
1164-God Hopes You Prosper in All Things 2
(JP Text Group - Organized by Life Like an Eagle)
Colossians 1:13-20:
13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. 19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise You. We believe that the praise just offered has reached Your presence, and You delight in our worship because we share in this joy with You. Through today’s words, renew my thoughts and intentions. Help me to know more of the truth of Christ, to live by Your words, and I pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen! Hallelujah!
Since last week, we have been discussing the series on "Prospering in All Things."
Prospering refers not only to financial prosperity but to every aspect of your life being prosperous! God created this world and gave Adam the authority to govern it. He said, "You shall manage the birds of the air, the animals on the ground, and the fish in the sea; all are given to you." God gave him the authority to manage all things, so humans have the authority to govern the world.
At that time, managing all things was easy. Adam would say, "Come down, crow!" and the crow had to obey. Because he had authority in his mouth, God let Adam manage this world, unlike us training birds by putting them in cages. Back then, just speaking was enough to manage everything. Because man was created in the image and likeness of God, Amen!
In Genesis 1:27-28:
27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them…
God blessed them, and they possessed God's authority and power, and He said to them: "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it." He also gave them authority to govern the earth. He further said, "And have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Everything that runs on the ground, as well as plants, was under man's management.
However, many of God's children have not exercised this authority and continue to live in poverty and weakness. When people think of Christians, they often assume they are a group of poor, weak, elderly individuals. Many young people say, "I don’t want to go to church now because I’m doing fine." People often think they will believe when they have problems or after they retire.
God is our giver of blessings; people of all ages and statuses need the blessings of this Lord. If you want your family to be blessed, come before Jesus Christ; if you are in business and want it to go smoothly, you need to come before God; if you want your children to succeed, you need to come before God and ask for His wisdom.
Because what we just read mentioned that God has given all these rights and powers to man, many people misunderstand. We see that the world can do business, make money, and decorate houses beautifully, but many believers are taught that they should not do this, thinking it will make them weak and fall.
There are many kinds of musical instruments in this world, such as drums and bass, and the world can use rock music to praise themselves. But many churches say these things should not appear in church because they are too noisy and not pleasing to God. Brothers and sisters, do you know what David said? To praise God with all kinds of instruments. Instruments themselves are neither righteous nor evil; it depends on who holds them. They can all be used to praise the Lord. Amen!
When I first believed in the Lord, our church pastor said that computers are very evil, and the internet is very evil; do not play on computers or go online because it is full of bad things. The key lies in the human heart. Unbelievers use these things very well; why can’t God’s children use them? Because many believers have wrong concepts, leading people to be unable to prosper in all things.
Look at those concerts; fans can cheer loudly for their idols. But you know, many pastors say when you come here, you must be quiet and worship God quietly! Can’t we shout and jump to praise God? Some say the noise is too loud, and the Holy Spirit will be scared away!
Many times, because of wrong human concepts, they reject God’s prosperity. Many people say, "Lord, bless me," while also saying, "This is not allowed, that is not allowed," rejecting many opportunities given by God. The devil deceives some people into thinking that believing in Jesus is boring and merely a spiritual crutch. A group of old ladies singing off-key songs. Christ is full of vitality. When God created Adam and breathed into him, he became a living being. Let us not allow our church to become a lifeless place as imagined by the world; let it be a vibrant church because God hopes we prosper in all things, Hallelujah!
The first point to share is that God gave the authority of the world to Adam, but Adam handed it over to the devil.
God blessed Adam, hoping he would prosper in all things. When God gave to Adam, there was no sickness, no death. Everything was prosperous. God’s intention was for Adam to prosper in all things, meaning everything was good. After God created the world, He said, "This is good"; after creating man, He said, "This is very good; all of this is good."
When Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s words, they handed their rights over to the devil, and problems began to arise. The earth was cursed, producing thorns and thistles, and many issues emerged. Disasters and diseases do not come from God; they come from the devil. When the devil governs this world, many things happen that we do not wish to see.
Let me give you a very realistic example, and you will understand. When you go out to travel, what do you see more of at famous landmarks, churches or idol worship places? The whole world lies under the power of the evil one.
So someone might ask, since God created Adam and gave him everything, and Adam was originally the manager of this world with all its resources and authority, why didn’t God come out to stop the devil when he deceived Eve into eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? Why didn’t God give her a warning when she was about to eat? Why didn’t God stop her? It is precisely because God loves us.
When God created man, He gave us the right to independent and free choice. This means that today our God is different from evil spirits. When a person is possessed by a demon, can they have their own will? You see in the Bible, there was a man possessed by a demon who lived in the tombs and would cut himself with stones every day. Do you think he really wanted to do that? He had no choice because the evil spirit was controlling him.
The Holy Spirit never forces you to do anything; that is our God. After He gave this world to Adam, it became his. It was entirely up to them to manage.
Let me give you an example that might make it clearer. For instance, if this sister in front bought a phone for three thousand dollars for her daughter, does her daughter have the right to handle it independently? Yes. After you give it to her, if she says, "I don’t like this; I want to give it to someone else," she can. If you see her giving it to someone else and say, "No, wait, you can’t give it to others," it shows you didn’t truly give it to her because you are still controlling her choice.
When God gave this authority to Adam, Adam had the right to handle it himself. So when Adam willingly handed it over to the devil, God could not interfere with Adam because He gave him the right to be free! He does not force His thoughts upon him; He simply tells him that if he chooses this tree (the tree of the knowledge of good and evil), the consequences will be like this; if he chooses this tree (the tree of life), the result will be eternal life!
If you read the entire Bible, you will find that God has always led us this way. God said, "I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses, but I desire that you choose life." Today, Jesus Christ is the same; Jesus said, "Come to me, and I will give you rest." But He never forces anyone to come to Him. Just like our gathering today, God says, "Do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together." When you come here, you will receive His grace, and you will gain faith; His words will give us faith, but Jesus did not say, "If you do not gather, you will be cursed."
Revelation 22:17 says, "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!' And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely."
If you are willing to come, God is willing to give. This is our Jesus Christ; He never forces us to do anything. So when Adam was willing to give this authority to the devil, God did not interfere. How would He take it back? He must do it again through man’s way, legally reclaiming everything from the devil. This is why Jesus had to become flesh.
Before we believed in Jesus, where were we?
Ephesians 2:2 tells us: "In which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience."
Brothers and sisters, the reason we have thoughts and can walk is because there is a spirit within us; if not, it is either an evil spirit or the Holy Spirit. When you do not accept Jesus, what controls you is the lustful thoughts of man, thinking only of oneself.
You see, in today’s world, unbelievers say, "If a man does not take care of himself, heaven and earth will punish him." They think only of themselves. But when a person has the Holy Spirit in their heart, they realize that all of this is given by God. God wants us to love one another because God will supply all my needs; I do not need to live by myself. That is too exhausting. Our Lord Jesus is willing to supply all that we need. This is completely different. You will live in rest, peace, and joy. The Holy Spirit tells you how much God loves you; but the evil spirit will tell you that you must gather more for yourself, that you must plan more for yourself, that this world is unreliable, and that no one can be trusted. These are all personal choices.
Many people are now under the control of evil spirits because of Adam’s rebellion; he sold the rights of this world to Satan. Therefore, today, God can only reclaim it through Jesus Christ. How did Jesus reclaim this authority? Because the wages of sin is death; someone must be punished. Jesus Christ was punished for our sins and bore the cost of our sins; He died and rose from the dead three days later.
When He did this, He freed us from the curse of the law, bringing us out of it. When Jesus paid the price for our sins on the cross, all our authority was legally returned to us through Jesus Christ, Hallelujah! Thank the Lord!
So in Luke 4, it records an event where Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, and the devil said to Him:
"All this authority and glory I will give you, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. If you will worship before me, all will be yours." [Luke 4:6-7]
Is what the devil said true? Does the devil have the right to give authority to people in this world? Does he have that right? Yes! Because Adam gave his rights to the devil, the devil now has the authority to manage this world. However, he will not truly give all authority to Jesus because he is a liar.
Jesus will use God’s way to completely reclaim what Adam lost. The devil can indeed give some things to people; otherwise, no one would believe in the religions of this world. Because they still have some demonic power. For example, many people have worshiped the god of wealth and have received some benefits. But the devil takes more in return. This is not grace, nor is it a benefit.
Brothers and sisters, what is the most the devil can give to people? The most he can give you is this world, which he deceived from Adam. He cannot give you anything beyond this world. Originally, God gave this world and the authority to manage it to Adam. After he deceived it from Adam, what he has is what you can eat, drink, and use in this life; beyond that, he cannot give you anything else.
But do you know what happens when people provoke the devil? He will not love people, so he gives them everything to control them. When people offer him incense and bow down, after he handles this matter, he will give you a more serious curse upon you.
If people do not listen to him, this curse will become heavier and heavier until they surrender and bow down to him! This is the devil. Only the love that Jesus gives us is truly unconditional and freely given grace. What God gives us is the blessing of abundant life! He does not require us to pay any price. He only desires that we believe in Him and follow Him.
God hopes we prosper in all things; how can we prosper?
God has already given us everything we need. You cannot just look up to heaven all day praying for God to give you everything you need without doing anything. That is wrong. Today, there are Christians who, after believing in Jesus, do not want to do anything and pray every day, believing that God will provide everything they need. Many people believe incorrectly in this regard.
There was a rural person who believed in Jesus; she prayed every day at home and did not plant any crops. When autumn came, her field grew more weeds than anyone else’s. Why was there no grain? Why was there no harvest? She had great faith! She prayed every day! She truly believed that God would make her field grow grain, but there was none, not a single one. Where did the problem lie?
In fact, she believed incorrectly. The Bible tells us that the earth should produce grains to supply all our needs. The blessings given in the Bible are grains, new wine, and oil, which should be the supply for your life.
Our spiritual blessings indeed come from looking to Jesus Christ. All these earthly blessings indeed come from the spiritual! But do not forget one thing; what the body needs must be produced from this earth. If Christians in this world do not work and do not plant food, will prayer produce food? No.
We say this based on biblical principles. When Jesus was on earth, did He have the power to create food? Yes. Did He ever do that? No. When He supplied the five loaves and two fish, it was a special circumstance; we cannot treat that as our everyday life!
Actually, do you know that those who followed Jesus were often very poor? But Jesus could have said, "From now on, I tell you, this broken house will disappear and turn into a magnificent house." Did Jesus have that ability? Did He ever do that? He could, but He did not.
If you read the Bible carefully, you will find that Jesus often went to Martha and Mary’s house, but Martha and Mary were actually very poor. The Bible mentions several times that after dinner, Jesus and His disciples went to Martha and Mary’s house. Why was this specifically mentioned? If you read the four Gospels, you will find that Jesus led twelve disciples, and these twelve had a large appetite. For this family, their supply was somewhat problematic, but Jesus could have made everything available to them like in the Old Testament.
In the Old Testament, the prophet Elisha made a widow pour oil from a jar into vessels, and it kept pouring until all the vessels were full. If Christians lived like this, there might emerge a large group of people unwilling to do anything, which would lead to great greed and be of no benefit to our lives. So God hopes we prosper in all things; He is willing to bless the work of our hands. In everything we do, He will grant us grace, allowing us to reap the blessings of the earth.
Let me read you a verse, Luke 8:3 says:
And Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.
What problem do you notice? Where did the money and food that Jesus needed while on earth come from? They were supplied to Him by many women. This is filled with God’s wonderful blessings. Because they willingly offered, God stored up eternal rewards for them in heaven.
Many people say, "Yes, I know that there are many blessings in the kingdom of heaven! The streets of the kingdom are made of gold, and the walls are made of precious stones, but my life is in shambles. Where did the problem lie? Why is there such a big gap between what I believe and my reality?" It lies right here.
They forget one thing: today when God supplies you and blesses you with everything you need in this world, you must have seeds in your hands. Do not underestimate the five loaves and two fish; Jesus can use them to feed five thousand men! Do not underestimate that jar of oil; it can fill all the vessels in the house. This is how Jesus blesses; do not underestimate those women who followed Jesus and supplied money to Him; God will make their homes abundant because of what they offered. Amen! This is the principle of God’s blessing, brothers and sisters!
So today, enjoy all the blessings in Christ, including financial prosperity, physical health, and prosperity in all areas of your life; you have already received them spiritually. Many people lack material, physical, and visible blessings.
After Jesus triumphed over the devil on the cross, what inheritance do we have?
Colossians 1:13 tells us: "He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love…"
Has this been accomplished? It has been completed.
Previously, the devil was the prince of the power of the air, but when Jesus on the cross paid the price for humanity's sins, making all our sins fall upon Him, He saved us from the power of darkness and transferred us into God’s kingdom.
We can receive strength from Jesus and live; you see how Jesus acted in this world, and you should understand that our lives should prosper in all things like His. Jesus was not a poor king; when He preached in this world, He lacked nothing and often supplied others, Hallelujah!
When Jesus died for us, what we received from Him was His righteousness, His holiness, and His redemption. If your child is sick, you should declare in the name of the Lord Jesus, commanding that sickness to leave because it has no right to stay here, for our Lord Jesus has already taken that sickness.
When you declare with such faith, everything will be different, Amen!
You come with victorious faith, the victory of Jesus Christ, and declare that this will surely come to pass; this matter has already been accomplished; you are just speaking what you possess. Hallelujah! So when there is no peace in your home, you should make a declaration over your home: In the name of the Lord Jesus, I command all disturbances to leave my home, Amen!
I remember many churches used to say at the beginning of gatherings, "Lord Jesus, please let Your precious blood flow down, surround us with a hedge, and do not let the evil one spy on Your children; when he comes, we will not have peace!"
Today, you only need to make a declaration: "In the name of the Lord Jesus, I declare that all the powers of the devil leave here immediately." Because we are children of light.
Light drives out darkness and does not require negotiation. When you turn on the lights in your home at night, after you connect the power, do you say, "Darkness, go away"? This does not require negotiation. When the switch is turned on, darkness must immediately disappear. So you must know that this is your prosperity.
In the past, there was a sister in our church who lived alone at home, so she was very afraid and often dreamed of something choking her neck or pressing her down at night, making it hard for her to breathe. Later, when we went to her house to pray, I told her, "Now you need to know what your true identity is; the victory of Jesus Christ is now upon you. You just need to declare in the name of the Lord Jesus." You say, "Devil, I now tell you that I know I am victorious; Jesus Christ is with me in this house. The owner of this house is not me; it is my Lord Jesus Christ. So in the name of the Lord Jesus, I command you to leave now!" When she made that declaration, nothing happened that night.
Colossians 2:13-15 tells us:
13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
What does this mean? Today the devil still deceives people, saying, "God does not delight in you; God will send sickness upon you." You should declare: "Jesus has borne my curse and all my trespasses. I can triumph through the cross." You should also tell the devil that he is a loser before the cross. Our Lord Jesus willingly laid down His life for me; this is the evidence of His victory and your evidence of defeat!
So you are not fighting against the devil; you are continually declaring how defeated he is. Do not let the devil declare how defeated you are all day! Because when your focus is on the cross, you will know that Christ's victory is your victory, Amen!
Some say, "I also know I have won; I knew many years ago that I was victorious in my heart, but I cannot win in life. My physical ailments and family relationships cannot improve. Where is the problem?" Is it that God does not love me? No, God does not love you based on your good or bad behavior; because you believe in Jesus Christ, He will love you to the end.
Jesus has already won. The Lord Jesus has redeemed us from the curse of the law. To be more specific, Jesus has redeemed you from poverty, sickness, and death. The Lord Jesus also tells us that in His name, you have the right to let the devil leave you and your family! We have the authority to declare that we prosper in all things! Hallelujah!
How can we make our lives completely consistent with the word we believe?
Hebrews 4:1-2 tells us:
1 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.
What does this mean? Many people only believe that Jesus has already won; they have never applied this word to their lives. This leads to having great faith but a reality that feels distant. Where is the problem? It is in the latter part. "But the word which they heard did not profit them" means that when I am full of faith while listening to the sermon, I return home and have no faith; this is because the word has not been applied to life.
Do you believe that God can use this word to turn your life around? If you believe so, you must declare it in your life. Can you declare: "Lord, today I believe that health is upon me and my children; I declare that what I do with my hands will prosper; I declare that in Christ, I am rich."
Do not declare, "My husband is so rebellious; he still does not believe in the Lord and keeps pressuring me." If you declare that, will he not pressure you? You should declare: "In the name of Jesus Christ, today Your words will enter my husband's heart and change his heart."
You must declare this because our faith-filled words say so.
You speak out what you want to see first. Some say, "I have declared it," but you need to continue doing this, and you will surely see results. Many people are too anxious; they plant seeds today and dig them up tomorrow to see if they have sprouted. Isn’t that a problem? Many people pray tonight and expect results tomorrow; if they do not see results, they stop believing that God will accomplish it.
Too anxious!
Even farmers do not plant seeds today and expect to see fruit tomorrow, do they? No. There is a process involved. We have been saying that God does not create bread out of thin air for you; He blesses you with what you have offered. We previously gave an example: Isaac sowed in a year of famine, and that year he reaped a hundredfold.
After Isaac sowed the seeds, did he expect to see a hundredfold the next day? He had a long summer waiting process, Amen! After this process, he saw the hundredfold harvest. In fact, when he sowed the seeds, that hundredfold harvest was already brewing; God was at work. This is the time we need to wait. After you pray, you must believe that God is already blessing me; one day I will see a hundredfold harvest, which is directly related to the previous declaration, Hallelujah!
Let us share the second point: Jesus has reclaimed the authority of the world; God hopes you prosper in all things.
1 John 4:4 tells us:
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
Brothers and sisters, who is in the world? The devil. Although the devil is the ruler of this world, do you know that He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world? You are of God; the one inside you has already overcome the world, overcoming what? The works of the devil and all evil spirits.
Some may say, "If I have already won, why do I still often fail? Why am I still in a terrible environment? Why has my situation not improved? Why am I still so poor?"
Because many people believe incorrectly; they only declare but do not harmonize what they believe with their lives. They do not act it out. Note that it does not say you must overcome him; it is Jesus Christ who has already overcome the devil! This is a completed past action, not something we strive to achieve today; it is about using Christ's victory. This statement is in the past tense, and He who is in your heart is present and will always be greater than he who is in the world, Amen!
The Holy Spirit now dwells in us; we are the body of Christ. Why are Christians still bound and failing? It is because many people believe incorrectly; they do not believe they have already won and still strive to fight against the devil. The more you strive, the more you fail because we cannot defeat the devil on our own. What you need to do is to strive to enter into rest, not to strive to defeat the devil. You must strive to believe that Jesus’ words are true; that is what we need to strive for. We should live every day in the rest of Jesus Christ; then you will see Christ’s words come to pass in your life.
Some say, "I want to prosper financially; what should I do? I have prayed! Why has it not been accomplished yet? It seems there is no progress?" As we mentioned earlier, you need to plant seeds, and when the time comes, there will be a harvest. When you plant one grain of wheat, will it still be one grain at harvest time? Isn’t it thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or a hundredfold? This blessing has changed; when you plant it, God has already begun to work. If you have great faith but do not plant, will there be a harvest? No. If you want to prosper financially, I suggest starting with tithing. When you give with faith, you will see results.
So what does Luke 6:38 say? If you want to prosper financially today, you must act according to this principle; besides praying, you also need to act.
"Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom; for with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."
Here it says you should give to others, and who will give to you? God will give to you. When God gives to us, how does He give? Good measure. Is it ten measures? No, it is according to the way you can imagine, poured into your bosom. His way is like the widow pouring oil into the vessels; the more vessels you prepare, the more He will fill them. This is called good measure, and God gives you in abundance, meaning He will absolutely bless you abundantly, overflowing. Amen!
Many women served Jesus from behind, supplying money and food to the disciples. God used this way to bring rich blessings to these people’s homes. Many people only believe and listen but have never acted, so their lives have not changed. Now that you know, you must act accordingly. You will surely see this blessing come upon you, Amen!
In Acts 20:34-35, Paul, who often supplied others, said:
34 Yes, you yourselves know these hands have provided for my necessities and for those who were with me. 35 I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"
Many people like this last sentence but forget that the previous words are also connected. "It is more blessed to give than to receive" means what? Paul means that Paul himself did not work; he was a full-time minister. Yet Paul often helped and supplied others. Where did his money come from? Was it from the offerings of the church members? He said, "You should remember my example and do the same, supporting the weak." He said you should remember the Lord Jesus; when you act this way, a saying will be fulfilled in you: "It is more blessed to give than to receive."
Why is "it is more blessed to give than to receive"? Many people say, "No, in this world’s view, the more you give, the less you have; why is it more blessed to give?" It should be the receiver who is more blessed! It is indeed true; if you are poor and have nothing, what can you give to others? You know that the one who receives proves something: they are in need.
Today, if someone says, "I really need a bag of rice; I haven’t eaten for three days," that is their need. When you can supply them, it proves you have enough. It proves that God has given you; God must first give to you before you can supply others. This is the reason why it is more blessed to give than to receive; we are just a channel. God gives to us, and then we give to others.
Brothers and sisters, I am doing this. I pray before God every day, preparing sermons, receiving blessings from God to give to you. Then you act on this word, and blessings will come upon you, and then you give to others. This forms a very good channel of blessing. However, many times we block this channel; we just eat and eat and eat, and after we finish, we have nothing left to receive. We need to align ourselves with the words of the Bible, merging this word with our lives. You will surely see God’s blessings upon you.
In 2 Corinthians 9:6-13,
6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
Why does God add this sentence at the end? "He who sows bountifully will reap bountifully; he who sows sparingly will reap sparingly; this is true." Actually, it does not need to be said; it is true. Why does God say this? God wants to tell you that you must believe! You must believe that this is true. Amen!
What does "sow bountifully" and "reap bountifully" mean? Do not misunderstand this passage. The following verses from 7-13, let me read to you:
7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And 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.
God says do not give grudgingly or of necessity because the world is full of things that belong to God; He does not lack. God hopes we will willingly offer, acknowledging that God is our blessing.
"Sow bountifully" means you should give willingly. When you give to God in church, you should give willingly. For example, when you tithe, you should do it willingly; when you give in gratitude, you should do it willingly. When you do this, what kind of blessing does God have for you? God is able to make all grace abound toward you.
All grace includes not only material blessings on earth but also spiritual blessings. Because we support the gospel ministry with our tithes, the fruits of the gospel have our shared rewards. We supply full-time ministers, and their fruits of service have our shared rewards. This is a double blessing; thank the Lord!
After you go back, you can reflect on this passage from 2 Corinthians 9:6-13.
Even if you offer five loaves and two fish or a jar of oil, when you place it in God’s hands, He will multiply it and add more to you, making you always sufficient in all things.
You say you are lacking now; it is precisely because you are lacking that you need to plant seeds. You must act according to your faith; do not give grudgingly or of necessity. If you do not have that faith, do not act; pray until you have clarity before proceeding. Now, act according to God’s words, and one year, two years, or three years later, you can write down your current situation and look back to see how many blessings God has given you. You will know.
This is a special blessing from God. I truly wish for you to act this way, and we will witness this miracle together. Because God’s word is written this way, He will surely accomplish it: "He who sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will reap bountifully; this is true," Amen!
10 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, 11 while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.
In just a few short verses, "always sufficient" and "enriched in everything" appear twice. What you need is on this earth; you can pray, "Lord, through my tithes and every week’s gratitude offering, I plant seeds, and I believe You are my Lord; You will bless the work of my hands, making me sufficient in all things."
How much does God want to bless you? To the extent that you are willing to help others, overflowing with abundance. Hallelujah!
In verse 13, "While, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men."
I look forward to the day when many entrepreneurs and top salespeople will emerge from our church, and your monthly salary can exceed everyone in your company, making the people of this world envious of you. Because you are not relying on your own efforts to achieve all this; you are sowing seeds according to God’s way, and God will double the blessings on that seed. Amen! I look forward to seeing such testimonies in your lives.
Moreover, our church has already seen such testimonies. Some have seen beautiful results in less than a year. You must believe in God’s words; God hopes you prosper in all things!
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise Your grace. Lord, You have given this world to us, allowing us to manage it and enjoy everything You have blessed us with in this world. Gold and silver, as well as all the beautiful things in this world, are given to us by You.
Today, we know that Jesus Christ has already triumphed over this world; You have overcome the devil and all his powers. We are willing to act according to Your words, expecting Your blessings to come upon me and my family.
Lord, we believe that health belongs to me and my family, and prosperity also belongs to us; You will bless the work of my hands. I am willing to sow seeds in faith, expecting good things. Thank You, Lord; all glory belongs to You!
Bless every brother and sister who seeks You, and I pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen!