Scripture reference: 2 Corinthians 6:16 (TPT); Hebrews 4:12 (AMPC); 2 Corinthians 8:9 (KJV); Exodus 35:4-5 (AMPC); Exodus 35:22 (AMPC); Exodus 35:29-34 (AMPC); 1 Chronicles 29:2-3 (AMPC); 1 Chronicles 29:1-6 (AMPC); Zechariah 6:15 (AMPC); Haggai 1:2-14 (AMPC)
Pastor John:
Good morning. What a wonderful day to be in Church today. The praise and worship was just awesome.
Pastor Sharon:
Isn’t it wonderful?
Pastor John:
It’s such an amazing experience every time you go into the presence of God with praise and worship, Sharon. Sound and song.
Pastor Sharon:
Sound and song, music and song. Music and instruments and voices. Yes.
Pastor John:
I thank God, I really thank God for the instrument of singing and making a noise to the Lord. Because sometimes in your soul you just want to express love for Him that way.
Pastor Sharon:
That’s right.
Pastor John:
You know? Yes. And shouting is not enough. And sometimes shouting is enough. But sometimes singing and just letting it flow from your heart really makes a difference to your everyday life.
Pastor Sharon:
That’s right. And He’s given us that capability.
Pastor John:
I have to confess something.
Pastor Sharon:
Yes.
Pastor John:
That is that I watch and sing to the music that we do on Sundays. I sing to it through the week.
Pastor Sharon:
I hear you. Yes.
Pastor John:
You hear me?
Pastor Sharon:
You have such a wonderful voice.
Pastor John:
[Laughter] Thank you. So welcome. We’re going to dive straight into the Word today and got lots to share with you. Pastor Sharon and I have already prayed in the pastor’s lounge, that the anointing of God is present, that His Word is going to affect the change in you that it needs to. We have entered into a supernatural space in terms of our ministry. God is requiring us to speak prophetically and to execute apostolically.
So that’s what we’re busy doing. There’s a lot of new things that God is requiring of us to do Big and Bold and wonderful things that God has got planned for us. So together with the prophetic and the apostolic. If you want to put it into those words, that’s what it is, but it’s really what God speaks, and we do. God says something and then we obey it and that is really what we were all about.
So I’m going to just jump off by using the scripture we’ve used every Sunday, Pastor Sharon, and just remind you that in first Corinthians, first Corinthians 6, sorry, I got the numbers mixed here. Second Corinthians 6 verse 16, in the Passion Translation. We’re going to go to the end of verse 16 and it says, 16I will make my home in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be My people (II Corinthians 6:16 TPT). So before there’s a lot that you, that we have agreed in the spirit that you must start to share in an order fashion, Sharon, but everything that we are speaking about and everything that we’re doing is because God walks with us.
Pastor Sharon:
Yes.
Pastor John:
God lives in us and we are His people. So to be clear, Jesus never needed a temple, a structure, a synagogue, He never needed a building to preach the Gospel, and to teach people. In fact, in those days, the synagogues were rather religious places where all of Israel would go to the synagogues, but Jesus was bringing a new message. Pastor Sharon and I are clear that the body of Christ is much more than buildings. It’s much more than structure and organization and things that go into making church. We are sure that the church of the Lord Jesus Christ is about people. It’s about relationship. It’s about developing people and relationship. But we do need buildings and we do need structure to prevent hailstones from falling on our heads.
Pastor Sharon:
And Jesus did go into the synagogues, Pastor John.
Pastor John:
He does sometimes. He did.
Pastor Sharon:
He did go into the synagogue, to bring His new message.
Pastor John:
And He went there to pray.
Pastor Sharon:
Yes.
Pastor John:
Every day or as often as He could.
Pastor Sharon:
That’s right. Yes.
Pastor John:
As did the disciples. So it is, it is a place of gathering. It is a place of God’s presence being there when we speak the Word. And I thank God that when I walk out of this building, He’s still walking with me. He’s still living in me. He still dwells with me in everything that I do. When we go home, and we do partner things, marriage things we live in the home together, He’s with us. He walks with us, He’s amongst us and in our conversations, and makes our lives rich and full. Hallelujah. We are the local church. We are His body.
Pastor Sharon, you got some things you want to read.
Pastor Sharon:
Thank you, Pastor John. Well, before we start, I want to read you a key scripture from Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 12 from the Amplified Bible and it says this, 12For the word that God speaks. I’m reminding the people today because just as songs and sounds pierce and penetrate, the Word of God, pierces and penetrates.
12For the Word that God speaks today to you and I, is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12 AMPC).
This is what the sharp two-edged sword which comes to us every Sunday, is capable of doing, piercing and penetrating to the dividing line of spirit and soul.
Pastor John
If I can jump in with this scripture for a short moment here, Pastor Sharon. That sword of the spirit that divides between the spirit and the soul. If you take a butcher’s analogy of using a knife, and he’s cutting along a fine line to separate a sinew from the piece of meat, or a joint it’s a fine cut, you know.
Oftentimes when the Word of God is spoken, and it is spoken with authority, and with power, as the Apostle Paul says, “I’ve brought the Word of God to you, it not just in human speech, but by the power of the Holy Spirit.” When the Word of God is preached, like that sometimes in your soul, you may become very uncomfortable.
That’s the whole point, is to make the parts of your soul that are not lined up with the life of God, and the Spirit of God, is to make you think, and to separate those bad thoughts or those unaligned thoughts, those twisted thoughts that are influenced and impacted by a system, that is not God’s system. It’s designed to actually bring a bit of discomfort.
Pastor Sharon
That’s right, and to get you, flip you out of your soul into your spirit man. That’s what the Word of God is capable of doing.
Pastor John
The discomfort only lasts as long as you kick against the truth. The minute you let the truth in, and you say, “I receive that as truth, and I will believe this truth,” then the discomfort ends. Because now you’ve received then the sharp Word of God has done its job. Exposed in your life, that soul stuff, that comes from other people that come from the world system, it comes from everything that’s influenced, that’s not God. So, yes.
Pastor Sharon
The Word of God is powerful as it comes to the people of God today, and to us. We receive this word for ourselves, too. I’m just thinking about the Scripture in James when it says, where it says, “If you reason contrary to the truth.” So some people will not kick against the truth, but they’ll reason contrary to it. And so that they can just dismiss the truth, like that, because they’re so used to reasoning against the truth.
Pastor John
They do that to justify what they want to do, rather than what God wants them to do.
Pastor Sharon
Exactly.
Pastor John
Good Word, good Word to start with.
Pastor Sharon
This is a wonderful start, wonderful, energetic start for us today. So, in July 2020, the Lord spoke to Brother Jerry, and part of the word said this; Understand this, there is no lack of money in the body of Christ, only a lack of obedience, but I am changing that. I am moving upon numerous people right now, and they will follow through with what I am instructing them to do. Please can I read that again, for it to impact? Understand this, this is what the Lord says. There is no lack of money in the body of Christ. There is only a lack of obedience, but I am changing that. I am moving upon numerous people right now and they will follow through with what I’m instructing them to do.
So as I normally do, I take the prophetic word and I begin to pray, and I begin to take it before the Lord, and I begin to pray it out as I’ve been taught to pray it out in the spirit for Pastor John. As I was praying and saying this, the Lord began to speak to me with great boldness and clarity in my heart. He made it clear that He wants to speak to Heritage of Faith people about this word that He spoke to Brother Jerry.
He also told me to regularly remind you from scripture, just clearly what it is He expects for Pastor John and I, to be doing constantly, our commission from Him, to you, our commission from Him, our motivation from Him within and our purpose in the church. So what the Lord expects of Pastor John and I. Let scripture speak. That’s what He’s been saying to me since last year, let My Scriptures speak. Okay, we’re going to look at Colossians 1 verse 28, and 29 in the Amplified Bible.
So this is Pastor John and I, that’s what we have to do. 28Him we preach and proclaim, so this is our part before God towards you…
Pastor John
This is our responsibility. God requires that we do this.
Pastor Sharon
Yes. The Word tells us we must preach and proclaim warning and admonishing everyone and instructing everyone in all wisdom. Look at this in the Amplified.
Pastor John:
All wisdom.
Pastor Sharon:
(comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God), that we may present every person mature… God holds Pastor John and I responsible to hear from Him, to preach and proclaim, to warn and admonish so that we may present each one of you mature, full-grown, fully initiated, complete and perfect in Christ, the Anointed One.
29For this I labour [unto weariness], striving with all the superhuman energy which He so mightily enkindles and works within us (Colossians 1:28-19 AMPC).
Pastor John:
This is not something that we have (Pastor Sharon: An option.) an option to do, this is something that we are required to do. If I may just focus for a moment on this, that we may present every person mature. In fact, there’s a doing word there, Sharon. It’s something that we must keep giving God, we must present people. It’s not just a matter, we must teach people, but we must present them.
You know, there is a relational component to that, there is a growth component to that and it’s almost as though the Lord, and it is, the Lord requires us in our walk with Him, that we say, “Look at Your people, Father, how they are growing, look at the maturity that is developing, look at what’s changing in them.” Because we are doing our job. We are preaching and proclaiming…
Pastor Sharon:
And warning and admonishing and training in wisdom.
Pastor John:
If we actually can’t go to the Father and say, “Look at the change in the people.” Then actually, we’re not doing our job. So God’s not interested, essentially, in saying, “Lord, look how much better the building looks and how much better everything else is going in the ministry.” That’s not what He’s saying. We understand that what’s going on in the church is a facility, a facilitation of making this happen.
Pastor Sharon:
Exactly. We’re going to go to two Corinthians, chapter two, verse 17, from the New Living Translation, 17You see, and the Lord permits Pastor John and I to bring this scripture to you about us, because He knows our hearts, whether the people see us like this or not. He sees us like this. We know we are like this.
In our pursuit of God. 17You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us (2 Corinthians 2:17 NLT). So, you may have had experiences elsewhere, where the ministers don’t do that, that’s not our business. It’s actually not your business.
You need to be believing God to be set in and planted in a place where you have spiritual leaders that are this to you. But this is what our responsibility is, and this is what we know we do. We preach the Word of God, with sincerity, and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us. So we can’t bring you messages that you want to hear. We have to bring you the Word that God wants you to hear.
Pastor John:
And part of that sincerity, with Christ’s authority, Pastor Sharon, is that if we believe what God is telling us to preach, then we must live it and if we live it, then we can preach it with all sincerity.
Pastor Sharon:
That’s why we do preach it with all, so courageous, because we know we live it.
Pastor John
That Christ’s authority comes through living what He tells us. Then when you speak with that authority, then there is no one that can actually question your authority, because it’s not your authority that you’re walking in. It’s like the Word says, with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us. Amen.
Pastor Sharon:
So now, we are going to go into, so He said this to me, bring brother Jerry’s words to light again, from words he brought from Me, the Lord, on the subject of wealth and prosperity in a divine visitation from Me in February 2018. So that was amazing to me that the Lord used those words with me, Pastor John, He calls brother Jerry’s visit to us in 2018, a divine visitation from Him.
Remember, we have got all the messages, we have seven messages, bag of seeds, we’ve been sowing those words in our heart, we’re not letting go of it so that we can bear the fruit of the Word of God that he brought. That was a strategy The Lord gave us.
Pastor John:
Correct. We recognized and received him in his apostolic authority, that that bag of seeds would be there for us to actually live in the ministry.
Pastor Sharon:
Bag of seeds of the Word. The Word is seed.
Pastor Sharon:
That’s what we brought to you last week. Yes. So, message six on the 9th of February, Friday 2018, brother Jerry says that; most Christians can’t say wealth, it sticks in their throat because the church has been taught for centuries that God loves poverty. That God and poverty are linked together, and you know that it would be sinful for us to prosper and certainly God wouldn’t want us to be wealthy. That’s simply not true. That doesn’t line up with the bible at all. That is a religious tradition, it’s a lie of the devil to keep the church, to keep God’s people in poverty.
Is there something that you would like to say about that from this scripture, Pastor John? While we are about it. Just to prove from scripture, that they can see the scripture, that Jesus became poor so that we could and become rich.
Pastor John:
Second Corinthians chapter eight says, ⁹For we know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor, that we through His poverty might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9 KJV). I mean He left everything that is eternal, glorious, full of, I mean the Bible also says that the earth and the riches of the earth belong to Him too.
Pastor Sharon:
That’s right. The silver and the gold belong to Him. God says that.
Pastor John:
He became a man and lived amongst us. He left all of that and in His world He became poor. So that we can become rich. That rich is not spiritually rich; some people want to interpret that scripture that way because they don’t want to actually think that God has got something to say about money.
Pastor Sharon:
And about their money and about their wellbeing. If you go and study it for yourself in second Corinthians chapter eight verse nine, you will see that this verse is not taken out of context. It is so beautifully contextualized in that whole chapter.
This word rich, is a Greek word plousios; which means rich, it also comes from ploutio; to become rich, ploutizo; to make rich, ploutos; wealth and abundance, to be increased, to be made rich, to wax rich. I am not going to go into any more of that but that was actually the verse, like I shared with you last week. When I was at that church where God planted us and how offended I was when the message of prosperity came because I’ve grown up as an AFM girl, and you can’t tell me all the things wonderful, beautiful truths and doctrines out of the Word of God that I learned at the AFM. They never taught me that. It can’t be so. I was deeply offended, and this was the verse that actually the Holy Spirit spoke very strongly to me about because of the context of the verse in that chapter.
Pastor John:
Isn’t it interesting Sharon, that you grew up in an AFM church and you were offended by that word.
Pastor John:
I grew up in an Assemblies of God church, which were just as denominational and they were also against the wealth message but as a young man that was wanting to provide for my family, I immediately latched onto it as a hope message. You know, it’s just, I mean you came around and immediately
Pastor Sharon:
Oh yes, when the Holy Spirit speaks. When you fall on the rock of offence, you fall on that scripture. Let it break the rock of stubborn resistance in you. It happens like that. [Pastor Sharon snaps her fingers]
Pastor John:
I’m saying, doesn’t matter what your immediate reaction is to the Word of God that is spoken. Whether it’s a, I received it as hope, whether it is a message of; “This is offensive to me.” If you allow that sharp sword to actually penetrate and to divide what is soul and spirit, you’ll see the truth of God’s Word and it will change and it will bring life to you.
Pastor Sharon:
That’s right John. Hallelujah. Actually that’s something that the Lord spoke to me about, “Sharon, you cannot have what you speak against. Very careful, be very careful with your mouth here now, Sharon, with your offence in your heart because you will not have what you speak against. You’ll cut off your own inheritance which is in My Word for you. That is for you to prosper.” He says here, but this is putting it into perspective now.
“It’s not to be consumed on our lust and our own selfish desires. It’s not to be wasted on, you know, just the things that we are after. That we think we are going to die if we don’t have. No, God doesn’t mind us living well, God doesn’t mind us living blessed. God doesn’t mind us being rich and wealthy.”
“The dumbest thing you could ever say in your life”, brother Jerry’s words, is, “I’m a self-made man. You wouldn’t even have a brain if it wasn’t for God. You wouldn’t even have breath if it weren’t for God. You couldn’t even think straight if it wasn’t for God. You certainly couldn’t be creative if it wasn’t for God. All He asks is that you give Him honour with your wealth and give Him glory.”
He said this, “The purpose for prosperity is so that I can get to the place where I live to give.” Hallelujah. “that your heart is pure before God and that the reason that you wanting to prosper, is so that you can have seed to sow and God will multiply your seed sown.” Hallelujah. And he said this, “I’m not in this for the money, I don’t live for the money, I live to give. That’s the greatest motivation in my life.” That’s the greatest motivation in our lives too. “I want to prosper. I want to go to a higher level because that means I’ll have more to give.”
Then in January, Brother Jerry said this, January of 2021. He said this, “His main reason for blessing you and causing you to have abundant overflow is not so that you can store it up.” That’s interesting that God wanted us to bring Luke chapter 12, What will I do? I will store it up, I’ll build bigger barns for myself.
“It’s not so that you can store it up. But so that you can be a blessing and finance the work of God and be involved in this next great move of God.” He said, “Get this deep down in your spirit”, saints of God. This is what God is saying to us all together now at Heritage of Faith. “Get this deep down in your spirit now and decree it right now. ‘God is making me His vessel and He’ll use me to be a distributor of finances.’ In this next great move of God.” If you are in any way spiritual, people of God, you will already know that God is moving in a very powerful way in this new era.
Pastor John:
He is. He is. He is.
Pastor Sharon:
In this new period of time. He’s already moving. We are in a move of the Holy Spirit and where do you know He’s moving? It’s because He’s moving in your heart because you’ve got His Word in your heart and because you are connecting to His Holy Spirit. Hallelujah. “Don’t miss this move of God.” Hallelujah. So that’s what the Lord wanted me to bring is what Brother Jerry has to say before I go to the next part.
Pastor John:
Absolutely. You know, Pastor Sharon, the way that He’s talking there is that His prophetic word is coming to the body of Christ. Everywhere you read in the Bible from the Old Testament to the New Testament. Whenever God is honoured by His people. Whenever God is given, and the Word of God is given, priority amongst His people. The prosperity, I mean, anybody can read it for themselves from Genesis to Revelation. Everywhere where God’s people give honour to God, they love God, they worship God.
Pastor Sharon:
They obey His Word first place. Oftentimes, and I know we’ll go through it, it is in that great place where they are worshipping God, they bring heaps of money, they bring heaps of gold and silver. We are going to go there. They bring lots of money, not because there’s any pressure on them to do it.
In fact, the apostle Paul says in Second Corinthians, if you’re under compulsion if you feel like you’re under pressure to give then don’t. You know, so when you’re having that walk with God, and you’re in that relationship with God, He speaks, and He puts a desire for you to give and it just happens.
Pastor Sharon:
That’s right Pastor John. That’s right. So we are going to look at God’s Word, and let scripture speak again, on finances, wealth, houses, lands and the connection to His House. So from the beginning of time, like Pastor John just said, from Genesis, He established this, is that His people were to bring their offerings to Him, so He could build with them, and they could build with Him. That is what seeking first the Kingdom of God is.
Seeking first the Kingdom of God, when it comes to your life and His plans for your life. Seeking the kingdom of God first, when it comes to what God wants for your children, not what you want for your children. Seeking the kingdom of God first, and what God is speaking to you about, about your wealth, and your finances, and your money, what His Word is saying to you.
Speaking to, seeking first his kingdom, in your marriage. In your relationships. So, but here we are talking, God specifically talking to us about finances and wealth. So we’re going to go to Exodus chapter 35, verses four and five, we’re going to see principle and pattern here. 4And Moses said to all the congregation of the Israelites, actually, in Acts 7, 38, if you want to go and look at it, the people in the wilderness were called the church in the wilderness and that word is ecclesia too.
The church in the wilderness. 4And Moses said to all the congregation of the Israelites, This is what the Lord commanded: 5Take from among you this is God, he’s big and bold. 5Take from among you an offering to the Lord. Whoever is of a willing and generous heart, let him bring the Lord’s offering: gold, silver, and bronze (Exodus 35:5 AMPC).
Pastor John:
And there is the key Sharon, whoever is of a willing and generous heart. This is not. God demanding that His people do anything. He’s actually saying; “I want to see your heart, I want to see where your heart’s at.”
Pastor Sharon:
I want to see where your heart’s at, and then Exodus 35. We’re going to verse 20, and we’re going to read from verse 20, 21, and 22. 20Then all the congregation of the Israelites left Moses’ presence. This is after he gave the commandment of the Lord 21And they came, God wants us to see here the collective greatness and a people, what a people became what a people did. 21And they came, verse 21, each one whose heart stirred him up and whose spirit made him willing. Scripture is speaking here, John. What can we say when Scripture says it?
21And brought the Lord’s offering to be used for the [new] Tent of Meeting, to be used for the New Era, to be used for the things of God that He has got through the New Open Door, for all it’s service, and the holy garments. 22They came, both men and women, all who were willing hearted, and brought, well that’s what they could bring in their day; brooches, earrings or nose rings, signet rings, and armlets or necklaces, all jewels of gold, everyone bringing an offering of gold to the Lord (Exodus 35:20-22, AMPC).
Pastor John:
So, if I can just use this scripture for a moment. Again it’s those who are willing-hearted. It’s not… if anybody wants to hold onto their stuff, then they better. Because then they are always saying, “I’m not responding to the call of God, because my stuff is my stuff.” But it, but there’s no upside to that, you know?
The other thing that is very, you know, that you see very clearly here, they bought brooches, earrings, or nose rings, signet rings, armlets, and necklaces. All of these things are personal items, Sharon. You know, these are things that people would wear to improve their image, to show off their status, to show off their wealth on their personal body. So, they immediately in the new willing heart, they took those very personal things and they said, “We want to make this offering to the Lord.” And that is sure that’s all they had, you know, but it still was their most personal things that they brought to the Lord.
Pastor Sharon:
That’s right, John. Like the Wise Men who brought the gold, and the frankincense and the myrrh to Jesus. Yeah. Exodus 35, we’re going to read from 29 to 35. Just remember, again, God wants you to see the collective greatness of a people, a people, and that’s what He’s requiring of us to become now, more than we’ve ever been before Heritage of Faith people.
The Israelites, verse 29, 29The Israelites brought a freewill offering to the Lord, all men and women whose hearts made them willing and moved them to bring anything for any of the work which the Lord had commanded by Moses to be done. See that pattern there, God had commanded Moses to do certain things. I want to put this in context. The reason I was praying that prophecy over Pastor John because God has commanded Pastor John to do many things. The Lord said to Brother Jerry, there’s not a shortage of money in the Body of Christ, just a lack of obedience. It’s not a lack of money, but I’m changing that. And I’m moving on the hearts of men and women, and they will follow through with what I’m telling them to do. They will allow the Holy Spirit to make them willing-hearted, like these people. Yes, that’s right.
It says here, for any of the work which the Lord had commanded by Moses to be done. 30And Moses said to the Israelites, See, the Lord called by name Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; 31And He has filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and wisdom, with intelligence and understanding, and with knowledge and all craftsmanship, 32To devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, 33In cutting of stones for setting, and in carving of wood, for work in every skilled craft.
This is what happens, everybody that comes to the House of the Lord, to boldly come and give their very own gift to serve the Lord Jesus in the House. Whether it’s in a song, or whether it’s in any area, this is what the Lord will do for those that are willing, hallelujah. He will grant ability, wisdom, intelligence, understanding, knowledge of all craftsmanship.
Verse 32To devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, 33In cutting of stones for setting, and in carving of wood, for work in every skilled craft. You see, that’s what happens in the House of the Lord. That’s what happens in our assembly. That’s how God has designed for us to all work together.
And God, verse 34, 34And God has put in Bezalel’s heart that he may teach, both he and Aholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. 35 He has filled them with wisdom of heart and ability to do all manner of craftsmanship, of the engraver, of the skilful workman, of the embroiderer in blue, purple, and scarlet [stuff] and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of those who do or design any skilled work (Exodus 35:29-34 AMPC). Hallelujah.
Pastor John:
So, I mean, we could preach just on the Scripture for a long time Pastor Sharon. But we’ve got to keep going in the direction that God wants us to go. But I just want to show you, just talk to the people for a minute and just say that whenever God is making a call like this, He puts it in people’s hearts. He puts it in, in people that are in the ministries hearts to be able to use the resources wisely, use the resources effectively, use the resources skillfully. He hasn’t put that anointing on me, He doesn’t put it on, Pastor Sharon. He puts it on others that are in the assembly in the work of the Lord to use those resources skillfully. Then a final point I want to make on this scripture Pastor Sharon, is that this is an offering, it is not their tithes.
Pastor Sharon:
No, it’s an offering
Pastor John:
A lot of people think, well, if I just tithe my 10%, that’s enough. God wasn’t talking about the tithe here; He was talking about a very special offering over and above that.
Pastor Sharon:
That is what Malachi 3, 10 confirms. You’ve robbed me with your tithes and offerings. You can see there, the collective greatness. God wants this to be imprinted in you as pattern and principle of how God works with a people. Now, we are actually going… Let me just see here.
Pastor John:
You want to go to Chronicles?
Pastor Sharon:
I think I want to go to Chronicles now Pastor John. 1 Chronicles 29. I’m just going to turn there. This is very powerful. I’ve got some things underlined here, thanks, Pastor John. Here is another example that God wants you to see, let scripture speak. Chapter 29, in the Amplified Bible, from verse 1.
1And King David said to all the assembly, Solomon my son, whom alone God has chosen, is yet young, tender, and inexperienced; and the work is great, that is what I wanted you to see here. The Lord wants us to see this. All of us. The work that the Lord has called Pastor John to do is very great. It’s great.
For the palace is not to be for man but for the Lord God (1 Chronicles 29:1 AMPC). There are other translations here that say because the house of the Lord is not for Man it is for God. The temple is not for man, but it is for God. Then; David says this. Look at the heart of David here. 2I have provided with all my might for the house of my God. David a man after His own heart. I have provided with all my might the gold for things to be of gold, silver for things of silver, bronze for things of bronze. But I want to go now to verse 3. 3Moreover because I have set my affection on the house of my God,
Pastor John:
My affection.
Pastor Sharon:
…my affection on the house of my God (1 Chronicles 29:2-3 AMPC).
Pastor John:
…and there it is, that willingness again.
Pastor Sharon:
It is the work that God has called you to do is very great. That willingness.
Pastor John:
It’s that willingness of heart. This is just another word affection, willingness, affection.
Pastor Sharon:
…because I have set my affection on the house of my God, in addition to all I have prepared for the holy house, I have a private treasure of gold and silver which I give for the house of my God: He has a private treasure, John. This is scripture Heritage of Faith People that God says; “If you will let this scripture breath and correct and bring instruction and discipline and training to you that you will change and you will become a son of God at this time and you will be given an opportunity of a lifetime to be investing into eternity. Your eternity.”
In verse 5 he carries on. Amplified Bible. 5Gold for the uses of gold, silver for the uses of silver, and for every work to be done by craftsmen. Now, who, he is saying to the people, now who will offer willingly to fill his hand [and consecrate it] today to the Lord. Look at verse 6. 6Then the chiefs of the fathers and princes of the tribes of Israel and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers of the king’s work, offered willingly… [Pastor John and Pastor Sharon say “Willingly” together]
7And gave for the service of the house of God – and gave for the service of the house of God. Why? Because in verse 1 David says the work is great. Because this work is not for man, but it is for God, it is for His presence, it is for everything that He wants to be to us on a level that we’ve never experienced Him before John. That’s what we are pressing for as a people to become. To become this. It says here, And they gave for the service of the house of God. Verse 8. 8And whoever had precious stones. See the precious things again. See David was giving precious things. The people were giving precious things.
Whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord. Verse 9. 9Then the people rejoiced because these had given willingly, they had a party, because of everybody’s spirit that had made them willing, and generosity. 9Then the people rejoiced because these had given willingly, for with a whole and blameless heart they had offered freely to the Lord. King David also rejoiced greatly. 10Therefore David blessed the Lord before all the assembly and said, Be praised, adored, and thanked, O Lord, the God of Israel our [forefather], forever and ever. 11Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and the earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and Yours it is to be exalted as Head overall. 12Both riches and honour come from You, and You reign overall. In Your hands are power and might. 13Now therefore, our God, we thank You and praise Your glorious name and those attributes which that name denotes. 14 But who am I, and what are my people, that we should retain strength and be able to offer this so willingly? For all things come from You, and out of Your own [hand] we have given You.
What an attitude towards his own personal wealth and as a people what attitude they had, they recognized, John, all things came from God is everything that they got, came from God. And out of His own hand, He God gave it.
15 For we are strangers before You, and sojourners, as all our fathers were; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope or expectation of remaining. 16 O Lord our God, all this store that we have prepared to build You a house for Your holy Name and the token of Your presence comes from Your hand and is all Your own (1 Chronicles 29:1-16 AMPC). Sho, John, it’s just pure power, this.
Pastor John:
I mean, just as we, you know, you and I have gone through this already in the week. You know, and, and as we’re going through it now live to the to our ministry and to our people, it’s actually, it’s really impacting me. It’s affecting me spiritually. Partly because the Lord has been just reverberating the spirit, this word in my spirit, when we read, moreover, because I have set my affection on the house of my God. Perhaps if one just thinks about it for a minute, how much affection do you have for your stuff?
Pastor Sharon:
Your house?
Pastor John:
How much affection do you have for your house? And so if you look at the house that you are affectionate about, and you want it to look great, and you want to repaint it, and you want to make it, the grass look good, and you want to have… And when people come and visit you, it’s like this thing, you know, please let us know when you come and visit so we can keep the house clean, and have a proper spring clean in the house so that when you walk into the house, you want people to see that you live in your house with affection. You know? This is the mindset that the Lord wants us to have about His house. That same, I won’t even say the same because, that… You know that affection is like that. I’m trying to say, how affectionate are you about your house? You should be so much more affectionate about God’s house.
Pastor Sharon:
Exactly
Pastor John:
Because what you invest in God’s house is eternal reward. It’s an eternal investment. It’s not even; “I’ll sell my house one day, and I’ll get a profit out of my house that I paid off”. In God’s kingdom, when you sow into His house, He says, “In this lifetime, and in the lifetime to come, you will receive a reward.” If you do it in His house.
I perhaps want to just say this, Pastor Sharon, that one of the great passions of my life, is the affection that I have for God’s people. Pastor Sharon and I have a great deal of affection for God’s people. I suppose one could say that, if you wanted to label me with a label, and say what kind of leadership do we have in our ministry? It would be, we are affectionate about God’s people. We are truly lovers of God’s people. We love the richness and the diversity, and the various gifts and the wonderment of what God has placed in people.
We love to present them to Jesus, as we read earlier on, we love to present them to Jesus and say, “Look, Lord, how they’re growing. Look, Lord, how they’re developing. Look, Lord, that which you’ve given us to preach and to proclaim, they are receiving it with joy. They’re making progress and we labour with all diligence amongst them Father.” We do that all the time, where we speak to the Lord and say, thank you, Father, that you’ve given us this calling, that we can labour amongst people, and that we can proclaim and preach and teach good news to them, and then present them to the Lord, that they are His handiwork.
Pastor Sharon:
Look at their changed lives, Lord.
Pastor John:
Look at their changed lives, and we are just vessels and messengers. I’m wanting to say this, Sharon, that, if we were not that kind of ministry, then it could be said that what we are preaching, is just to further the grandness of our ministry. But we are not doing this to further the grandness of our ministries.
Pastor Sharon:
We know that we are not doing that and I am glad the Lord knows.
Pastor John:
The Lord knows but I’m saying it publicly. Yes, we are not doing this to try and improve the grandness of our ministry. We are not trying to prove, to do this to show ourselves as more excellent or higher quality. We are doing this because God said; “There are things that I need you to do so that more people can be proclaimed to, more people can be taught, and more people can be preached to.” There are things that God is requiring us to do. That requires us to build the house of the Lord. Natural things that are required to do that.
I’m delighted and grateful that God impressed this message on Pastor Sharon to preach it in her prophetic mantle because you know that for me, the last thing that I want to ever give a hint of is that this ministry is about money. Because we were taught by Brother Kenneth Hagen, many, many years ago, the quickest way to bring a downfall to a ministry…
Pastor Sharon:
To the anointing.
Pastor John:
To the anointing.
Pastor Sharon:
To the presence of God.
Pastor John:
The presence of God is to be money-minded in the ministry. We are not money minded. We are God obedience minded. Based on the obedience that He placed on Pastor Sharon; we are bringing this message to you.
Pastor Sharon:
Yes, and so another scripture I just want to give to you as a witness is Zechariah 6, verse 15, from the Amplified Bible, about God building with His people, verse 15 says, 15And those who are far off shall come and help build the temple of the Lord,” What are we building it for? For the presence of the Lord. We are building in your hearts for the presence of the Lord. And [your part in this] shall come to pass if you will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God (Zechariah 6: 15 AMPC).
Pastor John:
So, if we can maybe pull it together today? Right now, Pastor Sharon. Perhaps we can say this. That it’s no coincidence that God began to impress upon my heart, the end of last year, that we must go big and go bold. He also began to speak through Brother Jerry, that this will be the year of abundant, abundance and overflow. Abundant overflow. He put it on brother Kenneth Copeland’s heart, that this will be the year of the local Church. So, if you put those things together, it’s quite clear that God is speaking into the earth right now. That there are things that He wants local churches to be doing, that are preaching and proclaiming, and wanting them to be more effective, and do more things for Him, in the Kingdom of God, and to further the Kingdom of God.
Like we always say, if you take one message or one statement or one, one comment or one verse, out of context of everything else we’re saying, then you can always tear it apart, you can always have something else to say about it. That’s not the way that God is bringing it out.
I think anybody watching this and anybody hearing what we are saying, will recognize and know that we are, we are passionate about God. We are passionate and servants of the most High God and there is nothing about us that we want to do that is for us, it is for God’s benefit.
Pastor Sharon:
For His Kingdom. That’s right. John, there’s one scripture that I didn’t bring.
Pastor John:
I can see, you want to bring it?
Pastor Sharon:
Can I quickly bring it now? Yeah. It’s in Haggai. It’s in the, it’s in the book of Haggai. It’s also out of the Amplified Bible. It’s Haggai Chapter one. Again, this is pattern and principle of what’s in the heart of God and how He thinks. That’s why we forsake our thoughts because His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Yah, right. His ways are higher than our ways. So, in verse two, in the Amplified Bible, it says, 2Thus says the Lord of hosts: These people say, the time is not yet come that the Lord’s house should be rebuilt [although Cyrus had ordered it done eighteen years before].
3Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying,4Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your panelled houses while this house [of the Lord] lies in ruins? 5Now, therefore, says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways and set your mind on what has come to you. 6You have sown much, but you have reaped little; you eat, but you do not have enough; you drink, but you do not have your fill; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; you see, because what do I eat? What do I drink? What do I wear? I’m chasing, I’m chasing…
but no one is warm and he who earns wages has earned them to put them in a bag with holes in it. 7Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways (your previous and present conduct) and how you have fared.8Go up to the hill country and bring lumber and rebuild [My] house, and I will take pleasure in it and I will be glorified, says the Lord [by accepting it as done for My glory and by displaying My glory in it].9You looked for much [harvest], and behold, it came to little; and even when you brought that home, I blew it away. Why? says the Lord of hosts. Because of My house, which lies waste while you yourselves run each man to his own house [eager to build and adorn it] (Haggai 1: 2-9 AMPC).
Pastor John:
With much affection, you run to your own house
Pastor Sharon:
With much affection, you run to your own house. But look at this, Verse 12.
12Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Joshua son of Jehozadak… with all the remnant of the people, we could say then, Pastor John and Pastor Sharon, after bringing these messages to you, with all the people [who had returned from captivity], listened to and obeyed the voice of the Lord their God [not vaguely or partly, but completely, according to] the words of Pastor John and Pastor Sharon. We can put our names in there. Since the Lord their God had sent them, and the people [reverently] feared and [worshipfully] turned to the Lord (Haggai 1:12 AMPC).
That goes with your scripture that you brought when we were preaching I Will Take The Children – you brought that message of repentance; change of mind, change of heart, change of lifestyle. Hallelujah.
13Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, spoke the Lord’s message to the people saying, I am with you, says the Lord. 14And the Lord aroused the spirit, well the spirit of Pastor John and the spirit of Pastor Sharon and the spirit of all the people, the spirit of all the remnant of the people, so that they came and laboured on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God (Haggai 1:13-14 AMPC).
Pastor John:
And, Sharon, what God’s wanting to do is He wants to have abundant overflow in His Church.
Pastor Sharon:
Oh, no doubt about it.
Pastor John:
In this time of COVID, in this time when governments and economies are struggling, He’s wanting His people to be supplied by His power, not by the earth’s power.
If we obey what God is saying… And you know, we’ve talked about this; why would God bring this message now, right now at this time? I mean, surely God would bring this message to a group of people, a church, that was not in a time where economies were failing and businesses were closed and everything. It’s because of that, that God is bringing this message now and He’s saying if you want God’s energy in your life then don’t put your affection on the things that you can do and the things that you can achieve and the things that you want to hold onto affectionately because they’re your assets, God is saying; you must focus on what God is asking you to do because your abundance comes from that, your overflow comes from that, the blessing of God comes from that.
Many people think that just because you’re a Christian you’re automatically always going to be blessed. Well, you are in the blessed group of people, but God is always looking for the obedience to Him, the honour that you give to Him and the place that you give HIm in your heart, the affection that you give Him in your heart.
So, Pastor Sharon, I have great confidence and boldness, together with you, bringing this message to God’s people because it could be so misunderstood and certainly, there are many, many preachers that have misused this message, there’s been many churches over many decades, and especially in the modern day world, there are many churches that misuse these kinds of teachings and they appropriate it for whatever their motives are – that’s not for us to judge.
Pastor Sharon:
That’s not our business.
Pastor John:
That’s not for us to judge. But we can only speak for us and for God…
Pastor Sharon:
And what God wants to say.
Pastor John:
And our relationship that we have for God. I’m just reminded, you know, Sharon, I was standing in the Johannesburg church auditorium one day and there was a woman standing, she’s a disciple of our ministry, she’s a wonderful woman, a woman of God, and she was standing in the service and the Lord just came upon me and I prophesied to her and I said to her, I’m open to correction now, but I think it was something like this; within the next 30 days God is going to do a supernatural miracle in your finances. And so it was, Sharon. She did more business within that 30 day period than she would have, I think it was, for a whole year.
God just poured, just poured business into her hands.
Pastor Sharon:
Ja. She got a great harvest.
Pastor John:
She got a great harvest.
It is my spiritual recognition that what God’s doing now is not speaking to one person, He’s speaking to all the people at Heritage of Faith and anyone that will hear. This is your moment that as you obey God, God is going to deliver you from COVID-19 restrictions, economically, from government restrictions, economically, from economic destruction and weakness of this world system, God is about to bring abundant overflow to His people if they will obey Him. If they will obey Him.
If this Word brings faith to your heart, then you must obey it. If you are offended by this Word, then don’t act on it. Don’t give anything out of offence.
Pastor Sharon:
Fall on the rock of these scriptures.
Pastor John:
Fall on the rock of these scriptures and let these scriptures change your heart and then you be obedient. But don’t be obedient just because we said so. Be obedient because God ministers this to your heart and if your heart kicks against it and you say, “Well, you know, it’s just another one of those messages,” then let the Spirit of God actually change that in your heart. Because that thing that’s in your heart, it is that that will prevent prosperity forever for coming to you. Because you will always have to overcome that. At some point, you will have to overcome that offence that’s in your heart. And the longer you leave it, then the bigger it gets in your life.
Pastor John:
You know?
Pastor Sharon:
…the gap. Yah
Pastor John:
Yes, the gap widens. Yah.
Pastor Sharon:
You know, Pastor John, I just want to say this, that I make no apology for bringing this message of divine prosperity. Pastor John and I make no apology just because it has been abused and misused in the body of Christ. With wrong motives and wrong purposes makes me even more determined to bring…
Pastor John:
To bring the truth.
Pastor Sharon:
…the pure. Yeah, out of our true hearts because we live this stuff. It makes me more determined. Because the devil would love nothing more than for you and I to back off just because of the abuse that’s been happening in the body of Christ,
We will not. We will keep bringing you the truth. Because we were a young married couple, Brynn was two months old, John, when these kinds of messages came from pure ministers, that we had been set free by the same Word, and it changed our lives. I will not stop preaching these scriptures and these messages that set us free from poverty, set us free from the world system and their ways of doing things, and I will never stop till my last breath.
Pastor John and Pastor Sharon:
Hallelujah. Praise the Lord.
Pastor John:
And so our confidence comes in our obedience to God. We preach and proclaim in obedience to God this morning.
Pastor Sharon:
We warn and admonish.
Pastor John:
We warn and admonish. If you’re hearing this message, actually, I have to say this, if you’re hearing this message and you kick against it and you are offended in your heart, the authority of what we are commanded to bring right now will stand as a judgment against you. It will.
I have to say it, because God has spoken and if you are not hearing, and you are not obeying. Then the authority of God has spoken…and right now there’s a special grace.
Whenever God brings a message, whenever God asks His servants and us, as vessels, whenever God causes us as vessels, as servants, as messengers to bring a message. He brings a grace that if you have an offence in your heart, that now’s the time you can deal with it.
If you leave it longer and longer, and you let that offence grow, and you don’t deal with it, you’re likely to go past that special grace that’s available right now. Oftentimes, the religious spirits of ‘churchiness’ and things begin to have their say, in your mind and in your world.
Pastor Sharon:
The big thing to God about that is, you will remain trapped… in the world system.
Pastor John:
Chasing…
Pastor Sharon:
…chasing. You will never as His son experience the freedom on the other side of Kingdom seeking, first in your finances.
Pastor John:
Well, praise the Lord.
Pastor Sharon:
Praise the Lord
Pastor John:
God has said what He needed to say today, Pastor Sharon.
Pastor Sharon:
Yes, He has Pastor John. Pastor John, this is a prayer that I would like to pray, you know, I’ve got it out of different versions here.
Pastor John:
Yes. Let’s pray it together.
Pastor Sharon:
Have you put the bow on it?
Pastor John:
No, you go. Let’s do that and close with this now.
Pastor Sharon:
What I declare over you, precious people, that we’ve preached to, we’ve warned, we’ve admonished, we’ve instructed with the authority of God, so that we might present to you to the Father, in maturity. Now, Acts 20, 32 says; now, Pastor John and I are turning you over to God, our marvellous God, Whose gracious Word that we’ve just brought, can make you into what He wants you to be, and give you everything you could possibly need in this community of holy friends.
Pastor John:
Yes, hallelujah.
Pastor Sharon:
We turn you over to God and to His Word now.
Pastor John:
We turn you over to God and to His Word and let His Word have it’s say. Before we came into the service this morning, when we’re in the back room, we prayed, and we got into an agreement and we do it now with you.
As we hand you over to God into the Word that we have brought, not one of His Words that He has spoken through these vessels will return unto God void but will accomplish everything that He has set it out to accomplish. It will go and bear fruit and it will be productive, both in your life and in the lives of your families, and in those that will hear this message and receive it with joy and allow the Word of God to take root and become fruitful in their lives.
So we thank You, Father, that the hearts and ears of the people that have heard this message will hear it with truth and not hear it with sourness, they will hear it with an open heart, not with a hardened heart. They will hear it Father with a readiness and willingness to obey because of the multitude of abundant overflow that You have prepared for them in this season, to be free of the constraints that the world system has prepared for them. We thank You for it. We believe and trust that they will walk in peace in Jesus’ name. Thank You, Lord. Hallelujah.
Pastor Sharon:
Hallelujah.
Pastor John:
Amen. Thank you for joining us today. And may God bless you.
Pastor Sharon:
May God bless you.
Pastor John:
Bye-bye.
Pastor Sharon:
We love you all.
Pastor John:
Yes.
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