He Gave Men To Us – Ps Melusi Ngcobo (JHB)

Scripture Reference: Ephesians 4:7-15 (AMPC); 1 Corinthians 14:20; Hebrews 5:14; Ephesians 4:13; Galatians 1:7-9 (NKJV); 1 Corinthians 4:22-26 (AMPC); 2 Corinthians 11:3-4; John 17:6-20 (AMPC); Matthew 20:6-9

  

We thank You Lord and we praise You this afternoon Lord. In spite of Lord, we still sing Your praises Lord. We say You are great. There is none like You, Lord. We magnify Your name Lord. We praise You Jesus. We praise only You Lord. Because You are faithful Lord. You are faithful Jesus. You are faithful in our midst Lord. You are great in our midst Lord. We magnify Your name Lord Jesus. Praise You Jesus. Praise You Jesus. Praise You Jesus. Praise You Jesus. Praise You Lord. We praise You Lord. We give You the highest praise Lord. We say – Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Glory to Your Name. Praise You Jesus. Hallelujah. Thank You Jesus.

Lord we thank You for Your Word this afternoon. We thank You that You speak to us Lord. We thank You Lord that You give us the capacity Lord, and the ability Lord, to receive Your Word. Because Your Word Lord, is our lifeline Lord. Your Word put us over Lord. We want Your Word Lord. And we prepare Lord, so that You can come Lord. Lord we thank You that everything that is going to be said and done in this place Father, will give glory to the Name of Jesus. And everybody says – Amen. Please be seated. Hallelujah. (Can I have the Bible there please.? Thank you. Thank you my love).

Well, I like to greet you all in the wonderful Name of Jesus. Amen. I’m quite privileged to be standing in front of you this afternoon. Like Pastor John said last time when we were here, he said you will have to put up with me. Hallelujah. So, thank you so much. It’s an honour that I can be able to tap into the anointing of the house, Amen. You know like I said this morning at Witbank, that really, really, I don’t have a message. Amen. But the message is in the house. Amen. You know, I haven’t even given the, the title of the message, because it’s not my message. You know, it will sound as my message because it will come out differently, because it’s me who is saying it through the supply of the Spirit, but it’s the message of the house. Hallelujah.

So, I would like us to just go right in and go to Ephesians chapter 4. Ephesians 4. I’ll read from verse 7; 7Yet, [Can you put it down a little bit because I, I can get loud. I’m African, so uh. You know, I used to fight with my people at work. You know they would be making noise and shouting and talking. And I guess whether it’s the Lord who was dealing with me, because I would get so furious and say, “Please become professional”, you know. And the Lord said to me, “This is Africa, Melusi. Get over it”, you know.  People are loud in Africa. Amen. So, ja, we come out like that, you know. Diversity, we’re just loud, you know. And I know my white brothers will like, “Why these people, can’t they speak softly.” We are loud. Amen. Hallelujah. So, because I’m actually white, you know. So, I’m not black, so and uh, and uh, so, so, I, I would understand when people are loud you know, say, “Guys, (you know) what’s wrong with you”, you know. So, Amen. You know, and that thing when you at the queue, you find an African brother would be sticking on you, just right at the back here, you know. Feel like he’s … no but we are relational like that, you know. Your space is my space, you know. So, he’s not like maybe he’s up to mischief or anything, it’s just that your space is my space. You will move, he moves with you. You know (laughing). Hallelujah. (laughing). Okay, I didn’t start like this in Witbank (laughing). There’s something here in Joburg. Maybe it’s this water.

7Yet grace (God’s unmerited favor) was given to each of us individually [not indiscriminately, but in different ways] in proportion to the measure of Christ’s [rich and bounteous] gift. 8Therefore it is said, When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive [He led a train of vanquished foes] and He bestowed gifts on men. 9[But He ascended?] Now what can this, He ascended, mean but that He had previously descended from [the heights of] heaven into [the depths], the lower parts of the earth? 10He Who descended is the [very] same as He Who also has ascended high above all the heavens, that He [His presence] might fill all things (the whole universe, from the lowest to the highest). 11And His gifts were [varied; He Himself appointed and gave men to us] (Ephesians 4:7-11, AMPC).

Can you please say after me, “He gave men to us”? Now this Scripture is clear that Jesus, when He ascended, He did not give miracles, He did not give anything else. But this is what in particularly, based on this Scripture, that He gave men to us. 11some to be apostles (special messengers), some prophets (inspired preachers and expounders), some evangelists (preachers of the Gospel, traveling missionaries), some pastors (shepherds of His flock) and teachers. 12His intention was the perfecting and the full equipping of the saints (His consecrated people), [that they should do] the work of ministering toward building up Christ’s body (the church), 13[That it might develop] until we all attain oneness in the faith and in the comprehension of the [full and accurate] knowledge of the Son of God. (Ephesians 4:11-13, AMPC).

So that there should be oneness in the faith and there should be that oneness and comprehension, understanding. We must understand in the same way. We must have the same knowledge about the fullness of Christ. 13The knowledge of the Son of God, that [we might arrive] at really mature manhood (the completeness of personality which is nothing less than the standard height of Christ’s own perfection), the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ and the completeness found in Him. 14So then, we may no longer be children, tossed [like ships] to and fro between chance gusts of teaching and wavering with every changing wind of doctrine (Ephesians 4:13-14, AMPC). Hallelujah. That we might be rooted in the doctrine of Christ. 14[the prey of] the cunning and cleverness of unscrupulous men. There are unscrupulous men out there. There are men who are not a gift to men. They are not, there are men that are not given by Christ. There are men who are unscrupulous. There are men who are not teaching according to the ways of Christ. But we are glad that Jesus has given us a man, that is Pastor John, in this house. 14unscrupulous men [gamblers engaged] in every shifting form of trickery in inventing errors to mislead. There are those kind of men. And Paul is not talking about men in the world. He’s talking about men that are in the church. 15Rather, let our lives lovingly express truth (Amen) [in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly]. Enfolded in love, let us grow up in every way and in all things into Him Who is the Head, [even] Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). (Ephesians 4:15, AMPC).

Now the question is, does this oneness in the faith, does this full comprehension, does it exist now? Can we achieve it now? Can it be achieved in this local assembly? Or is it something that we are still waiting for? Does this maturity and development, is it something that we can attain today, or it’s something that we can set it off and put it off for the future?

Now, does this unity in the faith, does it mean the whole global church, that it must reach unity in the faith? Yes, it is intention that we will reach that. But in this local assembly, Jesus is expecting us to reach the whole unity in the faith that we might comprehend the same things about Christ. He’s not, we’re not going to put it off and say, “This is not for us, maturity is not for this church, the full measure of the Son of God, the full measure, the full stature, the full development that Christ, that whom He is, we can become today. Hallelujah.

Now Ephesians, now here the examples to show that God is not putting off maturity. He is expecting the church of the Lord Jesus Christ today to be a mature church. Amen. But speaking the truth in love we are to grow up in all aspects. Speaking the truth in love we are to grow up in all aspects. There need not to be an area in our lives where it’s not growing. Where it’s dormant. Where it is not developing. God expects us that in all aspects of our lives, there should be maturity. He says, 15into Him Who is the Head, [even] Christ. Now, it’s not in the future, it’s current.

I would like us to go to 1 Corinthians 13. 1 Corinthians 13. I’ll start with 1 Corinthians 14. Praise You Lord. So, this afternoon you’re going to help me to preach. Hallelujah. Fourteen, verse 20. 1 Corinthians 14:20. Now this is another example that the Lord wants us to be, to grow up. He says, 20Brethren, do not be children in understanding; (1 Corinthians 14:20, NKJV). So, in our comprehension, the way we understand things, we did not to be children. We need to grow up in our understanding. There are certain things that they are entrenched in our thinking, but that type of a thinking it is not of a fully developed and matured Christian. The way we think; and the Bible says as the man thinketh, so is he. So, your actions will be determined by the way you think. So now in our understanding with what we are doing in this house, we’re not trying to elevate man.

If you think that we are trying to elevate Pastor John, then your understanding is still childish, according to the Word. Hallelujah. And it’s expected that some of us are still grappling with this issue that says, “But now what is this thing that eh, you need to put your, your foot in the message. You need to bury yourself in the Word. You need to listen to the messages of Pastor John. Why can’t I go and listen to somebody else?” Hallelujah. But now we need to understand this truth that we preaching to in this house. And we need to be matured about it, that, that we are not putting Pastor John on the pedestal. He himself doesn’t want to be put on the pedestal. He himself he stood before us and he said, “I don’t want to be called the man of God.” Because he knows what does man of God mean in other circles. So, he does not want to be mixed up with those type of people just because he has a television channel and he has got a few churches, and he has a name behind his name. And therefore, now he is the man of God. Then everybody, everything is centred around him.

But Pastor John what he wants, he wants us to walk together. He wants us to grow together. He wants us to do things together; yes, as a leader of this ministry. But Pastor John wants to, wants us, because he cannot attain the things that he wants to attain alone. Amen.

So, it says here, 20Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature. (1 Corinthians 14:20, NKJV). In evil be babes, but it in understanding, be mature. What is it that we need to understand? Let’s also read 1 Corinthians 13:11. So maturity is expected now from me and you.

Verse 11 says, 11When I was a child, I spoke as a child, (1 Corinthians 13:11, NKJV). Hallelujah. You know the baby talk, you know maturity. The difference between a matured Christian and a baby Christian – a baby Christian will always magnify their circumstances, will always want to be the center of attraction based on how tough things are. But a matured Christian will know that I need to speak the Word of God, I need to release the Word by faith, I need to engage in the Word and no matter what, the Word will overcome. Amen.

So, it says, 11When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I understood as a child; there it is again. In the understanding that things that are understood, you know, it’s very important that we must realize that not every one of us here are matured Christians, however we are not helping the childlike Christians if we’re going to talk like that. If we are matured Christians, your language should distinguish you, should set you apart. When you want your child to be fully developed in their speech, you don’t address them with baby language, you give them speech as an adult because you expect them to be able to eventually speak, hallelujah. So, when you are still thinking like a child and speaking like a child and somebody comes, and he speaks in a matured language, do not think that they are not sympathizing with you. It’s just that they are becoming adults, they are setting an example to you, hallelujah. So, they want to bring you and elevate you to another level to say, “No, that’s not how we speak. There’s no da da da da da.” Otherwise you would know what I mean if I say da da da, but you speak to a child with the language that you expect them to understand, hallelujah. 

So, it says, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, that is the full stature, that is maturity, I put away childish things.

Say after me: It’s time to put away my childish things. Hallelujah praise the Lord. So now these are the levels of maturity that we can attain as individuals on our own that we do not need anybody, we can do it at home. Like for instance, Hebrews 5:14 says, 14But solid food is for the matured who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. (Hebrews 5:14).

Now God is releasing solid food in this house, and solid food is for the matured and we cannot remain as babes forever, because it will bypass us, solid food will bypass us if we insist on becoming babies. How do you become a baby? You insist in your own way. You want to pray when you feel like praying, you want to listen to whom you choose to listen. You don’t want to be told what to do, you know babies don’t want to be told what to do. But a matured Christian has enlisted in the army of the Lord Jesus Christ and when he receives instruction, he just says, “Yes sir, I will follow the instructions.” But whenever you choose to become a child, you want to do things your way and the Bible says, that is why these messages that are preached in this church, they are solid food and therefore what’s going to happen? They going to just, you know, bypass you, you’re not going to get anything out of them – you’re not going to understand, amen.

You know, I believe that the Holy Spirit, He climatizes a certain atmosphere, a spiritual atmosphere and for us to attain to that spiritual atmosphere, to be able to flow in that atmosphere we need to change our language. It’s very important when we are working together you know as I’ve said, as I started to say, South Africa is quite a diverse country, we’ve got eleven languages now you know. Especially my white brothers like me when you get to, when you get next to Africans when they speak their language you wish that they will speak something that you understand, you want to become the part of…so it goes for anybody else you go to people with a foreign language you, you, you can never feel part of those people if you don’t understand what they say, hallelujah. But now we cannot walk together unless we speak the same language, because language gives us identity, language separates us from the rest, hallelujah.

This is what Pastor Sharon says about when if she compares personal maturity in her message “We want, we prepare, He comes”, so you are not going to become that fullness unless we walk together. Unless we walk together the fullness will not be attained. And how do we walk together? We get into the same message, we speak the same language. How do we walk together? We come to PCG. How do we walk together? We engage in the Word. That’s how we walk together, hallelujah. And today I’m believing God and I’m trusting God, that those who are not able to engage, those who are not yet activated, they will receive help, because I have received help myself, hallelujah. I’ve been helped myself to say, “Lord, I want to engage, I want to be part of this,” it’s not a competition, hallelujah. It’s not a competition, it’s not performance, but it’s because we want the very same unity so that nobody will be able to tell a difference from us and Christ. Our dominance and the way we become powerful here on the earth, people will not be able to tell a difference when we go that way people will not be able to tell a difference whether it’s Pastor John who’s going that way, because we will be so unified that there will not be any separation.

This is what she says, because here Jesus, I have given some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and some teachers so that you may become matured. That is the intention of Jesus, He wants us to become matured, and there is no other way of maturity. You cannot become matured by reading the Bible as a church, you cannot become matured by reading the Bible you become matured by receiving the gift, because Jesus as the Pastor, Apostle, Evangelist, He gave this gift and conferred them, and He gave the orders to them so that they can bring the church to maturity.

So, when you read the Bible, it’s good to read the Bible. As it says, the Christians in that period they went home, and they were checking if what the apostles were saying. What’s the use of going checking – if I’m reading 1 Corinthians 14:20, you have your Bibles there, why would you want to go home and go read it again? But the interpretation and what Pastor John declares the mysteries that he speaks then you hear him, then you take that word and then you go and search the Scriptures and then you prove whether it is according to the Scripture or not. Hallelujah.

There is a measure of growth you can experience with God all by yourself, but there is a measure that where He won’t – she says, “He won’t bypass His Word precious ones, He won’t bypass His Word. He said, “You are supposed to be with the people where I can mature you together, walking together in this way. God has placed a pattern, Jesus has given us a pattern to say, I can no longer be with you physically, I can no longer become what I was with you, but I want to make sure that the ones that are going to be appointed and the ones that are going to be ordained by Me, I’m gonna give them to you. So, our responsibility is how do we receive the gift that we have received from Jesus Christ? How do we honor the gift, because Jesus the Bible tells us that He gave gifts, to who? To us.

Ephesians 4:13 says, 13Until we all come to the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:13)

This is what I wrote here: The Jesus revealed to Pastor John, the Jesus revealed to Pastor Sharon must be the Jesus we know. But what do you mean Pastor Melusi, do you mean can I not know Jesus on my personal capacity? Yes, you can. But now, you’ll see as we read on that there are certain Jesus’ that are being preached by others. It says here in Galatians chapter one, Galatians 1:7 says, 7Which is not even a gospel; there are so (Galatians 1:7) They are not even good news that God is trying to teach you something by that sickness, that whatever you are going through, God doesn’t want you to have money now because you will misuse it. God is teaching me something, that is why I’m under so much pressure, hallelujah. But the Bible is clear that by His stripes you were healed. Now it is a miscarriage of justice that people who as a Christian, a child of God, you will accept sicknesses upon yourself that you’ll accept poverty upon your life, because the Bible says we know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich He became poor for our sake so that we can become rich. The Bible is clear, so now there are some things that are preached by other men that are not a gospel at all.

It says, Evidently some people are troubling you and trying to distort the gospel of Christ. You Know, now this is very important, verse 8, 8But even if we, (that is Paul and those that he works with, that he teaches and edifies the church with) or an angel from Heaven, should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preach to you.

Now, there’s a gospel that I love that Pastor John preaches, that I can have the best marriage ever here on earth, amen. But now when Pastor John preaches something else and he says, you know, “No, you can’t have marriage like that, you cannot have it so good”, then I will understand to say, “Pastor John, you’re not preaching the Gospel that I heard from you.” Now Paul is saying, even if it’s the angels will come and preach the gospel that is contrary, listen to what he says, Let him be put under a divine curse.

Now be very careful about what you say about the messages that come from the pulpit. Be extra careful, maybe you can say it on your own private place, but be very careful who, what you say to the next Christian whom God wants to mature and build up with this message, be very careful because you will be preaching a contrary gospel, you will be troubling the body of Christ. He says, As we have said before (he repeats it again. I’m sure that emphasis, they mean, they show us something very important, it needs our attention) As we have said before (I’ve said it and I’m saying it again) so now I say again, if anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be put under a curse. That’s what Paul is saying. If people are saying, “There is no such thing as prosperity. There’s no such a thing as wonders and marvels, there’s no such a thing as miracles and healing.” Those people are preaching the gospel that is contrary to the Gospel that is preached by our fathers.

Now this is what the Lord gave me: If the Jesus that Pastor John and Pastor Sharon comes to, be the Jesus that we attest to, then we are more closer to Him manifesting Himself among us, because that’s where the unity of the faith is – engaging in these messages, changing our languages, teaching one another these languages. You know, helping one another to speak the same language, amen. It will take time, you cannot learn the language overnight, but you need an effort. You need to put in some work. You need to be serious about it, to say, “Lord, I just want to speak like that brother. I want to, I don’t want to speak like a child anymore, you know, and I want to achieve this and this, but I know that everything, it’s in Your Word. Help me Lord, amen.” He says here, the unity of the faith, in other words we believe how they believe.

1 Corinthians 14:22, 22Thus [unknown] tongues are meant for a [supernatural] sign, not for believers but for unbelievers [on the point of believing], while prophecy… listen to this 22while prophecy (inspired preaching and teaching, now tongues, they are foreign in our understanding, but they are meant as a sign to unbelievers. Now prophecy, Paul says, 22while prophecy (inspired preaching and teaching, interpreting the divine will and purpose) is not for unbelievers [on the point of believing] but for believers (1 Corinthians 14:22, AMPC). Now, Pastor John and Pastor Sharon, they are the ones in this House to bring inspired teaching. They are the ones in this House to bring interpretation of the divine will and purpose of God, because God has a purpose about this Church. God is taking this Church to a full stature of maturity and therefore it’s not going to be everybody who’s going to bring that divine purpose. God is going to give it to Pastor John. Pastor John is going to hear what, how God is leading the Church, and what we do, we just join in and align ourselves and follow what God is saying we must follow. He gave gifts to us. He loves us so much, that He doesn’t leave us alone, hallelujah.

You know, the Bible says I’m just reminded that Jesus could not do many miracles because of their unbelief. Because there was no unity of the faith. It was not revealed to them truly who Jesus was. It was not, because you see, as I’ve said that in the fivefold ministry – Jesus was all of that. Now He says, the Church cannot become and function, because as Pastor Garth said the other day, to say, “It’s not… God is not calling one man. It’s no longer a ‘one man show’-thing, because God wants a mature Church. It’s not going to be easy to walk together, but that’s where He wants us at last to get to that point, and the sooner we recognize those whom have been given from Him and we receive, you see, it’s very important how you receive a gift from someone. So, I choose not to be rude to Jesus and honour the gift that He has given me. I choose to take it as a precious gift to me, hallelujah.

He says here, 23Therefore, if the whole church assembles and all of you speak in [unknown] tongues, I just want to deviate a little bit from the inspired tongues and speaking in the Holy Ghost – if the Church comes together and we speak different language, and this one tells you about that book that he read, this one tells you about that revelation and this one tells you about that person he’s watching on TV, how can we become edified? How can we understand? How can we attain and become matured in our understanding? There is only confusion 23…and the ungifted, now these are the categorized people. It says here, if the assembly, you know, coming together 23…all of you speak in [unknown] tongues, and the ungifted, there will be those who are ungifted in tongues – that they have not… they have not received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and by the evidence of speaking in other tongues. They are those who are 23…ungifted and uninitiated and unbelievers come in. Now there will be unbelievers who come in our midst. 23will they not say that you are demented? They are just… they will see that you know, “Where is this Church going? But what is this thing that is Christianity?” “If Christianity looks like this, I don’t want it.” If Christianity cannot transform and impact my life and people are still living the same way and I’m complaining, they are also complaining with me? “But where is this God that they have been talking about?”

When unbelievers come they want to see God manifest in our midst, and it will take this. Now it says, 24But if all prophesy… if all prophesy. Say I can prophesy. It says, 24…if all prophesy, that is [giving inspired testimony…] Now you will come and say, “You know, I was taking the Word praying. I was engaging in the message. I put my foot in the message. I buried myself in the message. And this is what has happened. Look what the Lord has done because of engaging in this message.” Because 24 if all prophesy, this is what is says [giving inspired testimony and interpreting the divine will and purpose] and an unbeliever… Now the unbeliever – the untaught outsider, there are people who want to come into our midst. They are not taught according to what we do in this House. They are going to come to our midst and the unbelievers will come into our midst, and this is what is going to happen, the 24…untaught outsider… he is told…  his sin.

We don’t have to bash people with the Bible, but because of the language and how we conduct ourselves in the House of God, the unbeliever will come in and they will be convicted. The unbeliever will come in, and they will recognize that there is a better way to live. The unbeliever, a person who is untaught, a person who has rejected the Gospel and prosperity, will start to see this thing works – and this is what will happen – they will be 24reproved and convicted, and convinced by all, and his defects and his needs are examined (estimated and determined), and he is called to account by all, 25The secret of his heart are laid bare; and so, falling on [his] face, he will worship God, declaring that God is among you in very truth (1 Corinthians 14:23-25, AMPC).

We want, we prepare, He comes. If we begin to prophecy, if we begin to change our language, day-by-day and try and make an effort to learn this new language. If you have not been speaking according to the messages of Pastor John, but if we begin to do that, God says in His Word, “Draw nigh to Me and I will draw nigh to you.” He will not reject us. He will accelerate us. Let me not jump the gun. We believe what they believe – that’s Pastor John and Sharon. There is no other way. We believe what they believe. They tell us what they’ve had. The Bible says believe in the Lord your God and believe His prophets. Now it doesn’t say believe in the prophet. It says believe in the Lord your God and believe His prophets and you shall prosper. There is no other way that God has set it in place. There is no other pattern. This is the only pattern. The only pattern that He gives us a man and we receive the man. Pastor Sharon says, “We are gifts and gifts are given to the gifts.” So, He gives us a gift, in a form of a man, so that we can receive that maturity and development. We believe what they believe. We say what they say, hallelujah. We speak like they speak. Yes, it’s not easy, but that’s the pattern of God, hallelujah.

2 Corinthians 11:3, it says, 3…I am afraid however that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent cunning, your minds… remember the minds, that in our thinking we must be mature, 3…your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ (2 Corinthians 11:3). Now Paul recognizes the devotion. Paul recognizes your love for the Lord. He recognized that even if you don’t agree with what is being preached in this House, he knows that there is a certainty, otherwise you wouldn’t be coming here, amen.

Now this is what he says – he says, 4For someone comes and proclaim a Jesus other than the One we proclaimed (2 Corinthians 11:4). What? A Jesus other than the One that we proclaimed? Now, the Jesus… there are some people who preach another Jesus that we do not know nothing of. A Jesus that has not called people to repentance. They preach that type of a Jesus – that, “It’s okay, you can live your life as you please. You don’t have to change a single thing, just come to Church. Come to the Sunday services, we have so much fun during the praise and worship. The praise and worship is so good. Just come. Come as you are.” Hallelujah.

But the Gospel that we preach, is full of life-transforming power. You cannot become a mature Christian and you still struggle and continue. You can. You can struggle with some addictions and struggle with some habits, but that habit must not have a last say. Hallelujah. It will not have the last say, as long as you engage in the Word, that habit must pack and go. He says, 4…a different Jesus other than the One we proclaim… (2 Corinthians 11:4).

Let’s look at Jesus. Here is the pattern of Jesus in John 17. John 17 from The Amplified. I’m going to read from verse 6. Now, we all know, and if you don’t know, then today understand, that Jesus was a full man when He was walking on here on Earth – just like you and me. Especially as a born-again Christian. He was just like you and me. He did not have any advantage beyond what you have the advantage that you have currently, amen. Now this is what He prays, this is what He says, 6I have manifested Your Name [I have revealed Your very Self, Your real Self] to the people whom You have given Me out of the world. Hallelujah. You need to know that you came out of the world. No matter where you came from. No matter which church you came from before you came to this Church, but you came, and you are given to Pastor John and Sharon. Hallelujah. We are also gifts to them. God has, because this is what Jesus is saying, they were Yours Father, and You gave them to Me. He acknowledges that these people I shall handle with care. They do not belong to Me. I must honour these people. If I say I honour God as His representative here on Earth, I must honour His sheep. 6…They were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have obeyed and kept Your Word. Where does this Word come from?

Now every gift that comes from God, is grappling with this thing to say, put your foot in the message, bury yourselves into the Word, engage, get into the PCG, catch the messages of Pastor John. Listen to them. He says, 6…they have obeyed and kept Your Word. Now this is what Jesus say in verse 7 and, 7Now [at last] that is the burden that Pastor John and Pastor Sharon have, to come before God, and they need to rejoice before God, and they say, “At last, at last they’ve got it now.” That is their burden, because this is the very same burden that Jesus had. He says, 7Now [at last] they know and understand that all You have given Me, belongs to You (John 17:6-7, AMPC).

Now Jesus was not talking… the ministry of Jesus was not based on His miracles. He said, “Only believe”. He preached the Word and He wanted them to believe the Word and receive the Word. And there is where He said, “At least believe because of the miracles that I have performed, but if you don’t want to base and anyone wants to affirm Who He was based on the miracles, but based on what He preached.

Now this is what – Jesus is not talking about to say, “You have given Me an ability to walk upon the water.” He did not talk about, “You have given Me the ability to heal the sick.” But He said, “Now they understand that what I have received from You…” Now this is what He tell us what is it that He received from God. 7All You have given Me belongs to You [is really and truly Yours]. 8For the [uttered] words… Now it’s telling us, the uttered words… Who utters these words? The gift that was given to the disciples, which was Jesus Christ, in a form of an apostle, in a form of a pastor, in a form of an evangelist, in a form of a teacher. Hallelujah. Now He says 8For the [uttered] words that You have given Me I have given them… (John 17:7-8 AMPC). Now Jesus gets before God, He hears the messages from God. He listens to the messages and then after that He come and tells the disciples and the disciples – what do they do? They received a message and they believe that this truly – it is the Word of God. 8And they have received and accepted [them] and have come to know positively and in reality [to believe with absolute assurance] that I came forth from Your presence (John 17:8)

Now, maybe we are grappling, and you are struggling with the truth to say “Does really Pastor John come from God?  He’s a gift, as a man, given?” Yes, that is the level of understanding that is where we must get to. Because right now we are not arguing, we are not talking about trying to make an argument to say Pastor John is this superior being. You know he’s not, he’s just a man just like you and me. However, from the presence of Jesus Christ, before the foundations of the world, before he was even formed in his mother’s womb – Jesus has planned that He’s going to give him to us. Hallelujah. Don’t worry, Pastor John is coming back. If I’m preaching heresy, he will fix it. Hallelujah. He will just fix it. I’m a son and I will say, “Yes sir.” If you say, “Melusi, that was nonsense.” All right. So, don’t be alarmed, just receive the Word.  Amen. And this type of a Word you don’t have to go home because I’m reading Scripture. You don’t have to go home – there’s no divine inspiration here; there’s no interpretation here – just read the Word. Hallelujah.

He says, 8that I came forth from Your presence, and they have believed and are convinced that You did send Me. 9I am praying for them. I am not praying (requesting) for the world, but for those You have given Me, for they belong to You.  All [things that are] Mine are Yours, and all [things that are] Yours belong to Me; and 10I am glorified in (through) them. [They have done Me honor]. (John 17:8-10 AMPC);  The things that God – you see, Pastor John is honoured by having you in his life. Pastor John is honoured by being entrusted by God to have you as the one that is given to him by God. It’s such an honour that he can open his mouth and he can preach freely the messages and we take it as the Word of God. Hallelujah.

10in them My glory is achieved.] 11And [now] I am no more in the world, but these are [still] in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father keep in Your Name [in the knowledge of Yourself] those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We [are one]. The unity of faith. They’re walking together. 12While I was with them, I kept and preserved them in Your Name [in the knowledge and worship of You]. Those You have given Me I guarded and protected, and not one of them has perished or is lost except the son of perdition [Judas Iscariot–the one who is now doomed to destruction, destined to be lost], that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13And now I am coming to You; I say these things while I am still in the world, so that My joy may be made full and complete and perfect in them [that they may experience My delight fulfilled in them, that My enjoyment may be perfected in their own souls. (John 17:10-13 AMPC).

Now verse 14 says, 14I have given and delivered to them Your word (message). This is the task, this is the absolute task that Jesus came for – that He is giving an account of what He came to do. And He says, “Father, I have fulfilled My task, I have given them Your word (Your message). Now this is what they did, 14and the world has hated them. You cannot bury yourself in your Word. You cannot put your foot in the Word and you expect the world to like you. If the world is still liking you, if you are, you know, you don’t feel ‘out’ whenever you eat with the world – then you need to just check yourself. You need to check yourself really. Amen. And the world knows how Christians must behave. So, you might fit in for a while, but they will laugh at you at the end. To say, “You said you a Christian. Remember you’re doing ABC”, and you’re not going to lose your salvation, but you’re gonna start to lose your confidence in the presence of God and that’s priceless.

14I have given and delivered to them Your word (message) and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world [do not belong to the world], just as I am not of the world. I do not ask, let me read verse 17. It says, 17sanctify them. Yeah, and let me read verse 20 because we need to get closer to closing now. Neither, He says, now, let me read, okay from verse 19, 19And so for their sake and on their behalf, I sanctify (dedicate, consecrate) Myself. (John 17:14-19 AMPC). Now, Pastor John and Pastor Sharon – that is their duty, to separate themselves for our sake so that, He says, that day also may be sanctified, dedicated and consecrated and made holy in the truth, in the message, in the Word, not in this written.

You know, my struggle was that I could memorize Scripture. I considered myself as the Word man. I could confess healing, you know. I went to the Bible School, you know. I received Christ and I received the Gospel and I ran with it. I did not look back to my past life, I left everything. So, I thought of myself to say, “Wow, I’m the Word man and Pastor Sharon is busy telling me that I must engage with the Word. I must listen to the messages of Pastor John. But how do I do this because I know the Word? I know what it says. Now, I ended up listening to Pastor John with a mental assent. Agree with him in the mental assent, because he is the man that God has given to me as my pastor. I honour him; I respect him; but the Word that he preached – I never allowed it to get into my heart. Because the Word that he preaches is the Word that has anointing. Not the Word that I read for myself but, you see – I see ourselves as Heritage of Faith people as a nation. There are many things, when the enemy attacks you, Pastor Reagan, he’s not attacking you, he is attacking me. It’s just as he is attacking you with a different weapon. He might be attacking you with a javelin or whatever, but what he’s doing – he wants to attack this community of people. What needs to be done? A man that is sent by God to us must get with God and he must get the strategy on how to defeat the enemy because on my own I cannot defeat the enemy. Hallelujah.

So, I need, I got to understand that there is no way that on my own, on my self-development and the words that I confess – they are just powerless. But let me take what Pastor John teaches me. Let me take what Pastor Sharon says. And let me mix it with this Word. Let me take this Word praying and engage and put my foot in the message and I began to see victory in my life. Hallelujah. It’s not an overnight. I’m not talking like this because I am perfect. I do it every day – no! But this is my own conviction. Hallelujah. I wish it will be yours this afternoon if it has not become that.

Now verse 20 says, 20Neither for these alone do I pray [it is not for their sake only that I make this request], but also for all those who will ever come to believe in (trust in, cling to, rely on) Me through their word and teaching. (John 17:6-20 AMPC). So, the relying and the clinging to Jesus is good all right, but there is no way that He can bypass what He has prayed. This is the prayer that is generational. This is the prayer that was prayed by our Lord. He knows how to pray in faith and His prayer shall be answered. He said, “So that they will cling in Me, they will become one with me.” They can’t become one except through the messages. Hallelujah.

Now in conclusion – there’s good news at the end. Hallelujah. Like Pastor Sharon says, we have been ‘good news’. Amen. Now, I want to bring the good news because you see, the enemy can lie to us. And even if the message is not condemning, the enemy can twist the message and trouble you and condemn you with the message. Even when Pastor Sharon or Pastor John is standing here, and he says, “Let’s engage with the Word”, you find that you feel condemned. So, oh my goodness, where do I start? How do I catch up with so-and-so? They are so far away. Will I be able to ever attain to the stature where they are? Listen to the eloquence in their speech, in their language. Their language is so full of faith, is so full of power. How can I get to that? Not me. But I’ve got good news for you.  Let’s, since you are able to hang ten, listen to this in Matthew chapter 20. I got so excited when Pastor John spoke about this Word and it dawned on me that Jesus is kind. Say, “Jesus is kind.” Say, “Jesus is kind.” O, Jesus is kind. He is not waiting with a big stick to come in and hit us.

No, you know, we used to maybe to take care of the cattle in KZN (Kwa-Zulu Natal) when I was a young boy. Should the elders see you hitting a cow – we were in for trouble. They will make you a nice whip and when you crack that whip it would sound, you know, that, what do you call that the replica of the sound? ’Echo’, yes, it will echo, you know, further and further in the mountains. But now, you want some skin, you know, to use for this whip you know, because what we are told to do you – you must only crack the whip for the cows. If it’s going in a wrong direction just crack the whip. You’ll see the cow will follow the path and follow other cows, you know.

So, when Jesus is cracking the whip, yes you might be, you know, unsettled. But it doesn’t mean that He wants to hit you or anything. Hallelujah. It’s just one to get in the right path. Amen. Ask Pastor Sharon. She can crack the whip. Is she here? (Imitating the sound of cracking a whip. Congregation laughs.) That must not get me. Remember, Pastor Garth said that his mother said, “There’s so much light, Garth, there’s so much light.” “Yes Ma, there’s so much light.” And he didn’t know what she was talking about. Come and sit here while she preaches. Behave, you know. Hallelujah. We honour them.

Verse six. Now about the eleventh hour. Oh, I need to go to my notes here. I don’t do iPads anymore, can’t trust these things. You come here with a message, you are prepared, and then it is as if you never prepared. So, you see, even now, I can’t see where’s my message now.  Better calm, here it is. Sure, I must crack the whip. It says here in Matthew 20, it says in verse six, 6And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’ 7They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.’ 8“So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’ 9And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius 11And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, 12saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’ 13But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? (Matthew 20:6-13, 

Now, I like the part where it says, you also go into the vineyard and whatever is right you will receive. You know what is right for your life. You know what you think you deserve. You know what is good for your life. I think a healthy marriage relationship and a healthy family relationship is right for you, and prosperity is right for you, and healing is right for you. Jesus says, “Come into the vineyard, come into the harvest and work and you will receive whatever is right.” Jesus knows what is right for you. Amen. He knows what is good for you. Now, you might be caught up and say, “But now it’s too late now. But Jesus, it’s too late. It’s the eleventh hour. I will not make the whole day’s wages. I will not be able to buy enough for my family.” And Jesus says, “Come”, because He knows what He has in store for you. Maybe you have not been engaging, maybe you have not been putting the Word (your foot?) into the message. Maybe you think it’s too late. Maybe you see it’s November now. How can I start and believe that 2019 is the year of the abundant harvest at the eleventh hour?

Now listen to what it says here about the eleventh hour. The eleventh-hour definition is the latest possible time before it’s too late. There is a possible time for every one of us and the Bible says, “Whatever is impossible with man is possible with God”. And we know that we are in the season of acceleration. God will be able to redeem your time. This is what Pastor John said. Let me see. He said, “You will be able to do so much in this hour, more than you could ever do in all these years that you’ve become a Christian, because God is redeeming your time”.

Now, the Bible says they were idle. Now the meaning of idle is inactive, not engaging. They were unfruitful. I want to submit to you this afternoon that God is going to reverse your time. Your natural clock is going to be reversed. Nothing will allude you. Everything that you were hoping for, because you see these men, they stayed until the eleventh hour. They stayed until the last hour. Because you know, maybe this thing of faith has not worked for you. Maybe you have been coming and tithing and tithing, but because you have stayed until the last hour, because you have stayed until this time, maybe you have been dragging yourself to come to church, maybe you have been dragging yourself to go to PCG, but at this last, maybe you think, uh. Don’t be moved by those who have been engaging all along. You know why? Jesus is kind. Jesus is good. Jesus is good. He wants to see you winning no matter what. No matter what people can say, it’s not time to classify. There’s no class in this church. We are all one and everything that we went through, those who have went ahead, those who have borne the heat of the day, they did it for us, those who are just starting to engage. Hallelujah.

This is what David said. This is what David said, now the Bible says in – you don’t have to go there, maybe you can show it in 1 Samuel 30:21, 21Now David came to the two hundred men who had been so weary that they could not follow David. Maybe you have been weary with this message. Bury yourself into the message. Put your foot in the message. Maybe you have come tired of hearing it again and again. Now listen to what Jesus is doing. Now David, he said, Whom they also had made to stay at the brook Besor. So they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near the people, he greeted them.

You know, that word greet is very important there. David blessed them. He blessed them. As their king, he blessed them. He did not find fault with them, he did not accuse them when they came to meet him. This is what he said, So they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near the people, he greeted them. 22 Then all the wicked and worthless men of those who went with David answered and said, ‘Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except for every man’s wife and children that they may lead them away and depart.’ (1 Samuel 30:22)

Maybe you think that all that is good for you is your salvation and going to heaven, but God has more for you. No matter how late it is, there’s still a window of opportunity that is open for you. There’s still an opportunity to become a matured Christian. There’s still an opportunity to engage the Word, because there is the grace of the eleventh hour. This is what David answered them. Now these were the ones that were wicked. They did not recognize. Now David had to teach them. He had to instruct them in a different way. This is what he said, 23 But David said, ‘My brethren, you shall not do so with what the Lord has given us, who has preserved us and delivered into our hand the troop that came against us. 24 For who will heed you in this matter?’ (1 Samuel 30:23)

Now this is what Pastor John says, he says in his message, The abundant harvest, Faithful messenger, “I see some people haven’t got work yet. Well, come. Let us go work. He comes midday, there are still people standing in the square. Come, work for me. Still men standing there and goes back to the square at 5 o’clock. The day ends at six. 5 o’clock he goes back to the square and there are still men standing there. He says, ‘What are you guys doing here’? And they said, ‘Well, there is nobody to give us work so we waited here’. Who waits till 5 o’clock?” That is what Pastor John said. “Who waits till 5 o’clock whiles the opportunity of working is closing at six?”

Maybe there are some who were with them who have went away who had given up saying, “Now it is too late, now is not for me, now. It is too late now, you know? There are some who have left us. There are some who have went astray. There are some who have been deceived by other gospel, saying, “The things that are being taught here is not it”. Who waits till 5 o’clock? Someone who has an expectation, regardless of the time of the day, that they will get work. They were not moved by the time of the day.

You see, the biggest enemy of your faith is to set a timeline on what you’re believing in God for. That’s the biggest enemy. If you are willing, that’s what Dr Jerry said. “If you’re willing to wait as long as it takes, the devil will even give up on you, but if you put time lines on your faith project, then the devil will put pressure on you, because it’s not about you. It’s when now you remove the focus from you and focus on Him and you’ll know that the God that you serve is capable of taking care of you, not you taking care of yourself.

But now when you are looking, the focus is on your ability, then you put time lines. When you are looking at yourself and you are seeing this shame coming against you, “I’m about to lose my home”, “I’m about to lose my car”, “I’m about to lose this”, “I’m about to be chucked out”, and then now, you feel this pressure, you say, “Lord, I belong to you. I know that you are a good God, you know how to take care of me”, the pressure is off you. I don’t think God can be put under pressure. Hallelujah.

They were not moved by the time. They were not moved by the time of the day or by the circumstances, they were moved by their expectation. I am about to close. I am closing now. So they come work for an hour. So he tells the master, he tells the paymaster, “Take the guys, take the guys who came last and pay them first and you pay them for a full day’s wages”. And when he did that, all the other guys got upset because they got the same wages. So when he said to them, so then he says to them, “Did you not have a contract with me”? And they said. “Yes, we did”. “So is it not my farm? Can I not do what I want to do”? I am paraphrasing so that I can close.

“I have been serving God”, this is what Pastor John is saying. “I have been serving God all my life and I can get stuff by my faith and maybe, you are just at a place in the fifth hour. Maybe you are just at a place in the eleventh hour where you get to hear about this.” Pastor John has been serving God all his life. Maybe, the things that he tells us about, and he has been engaging God. He says, “I told myself when I was in the army that I am going to go after everything, I am going to press in and I am going to give God everything and in return, God infused me with His strength”.

So, Pastor John has been doing this in his own personal life, in the Church that he was in, he’s been doing it and maybe for us it is something new. Well, where was I? And you hear about it. You can get the same stuff, or so Pastor John is saying, “You can get the same stuff as me in one hour”. You can get the same stuff as me in one hour that I got my whole life that I have had to pray for. Well, what’s the fairness in that? That is what they were grumbling about.

Pastor John has defeated a lot of enemies. What he has defeated, we can claim, and we can get, and it can become a part of us and he is not withholding that. That’s what they were grumbling about. I don’t care about the fairness. Let God be God and let Him bless you with whatever. Get your houses, get your cars, get your helicopters. Hallelujah.

So, I want to submit and say to you, “There is that eleventh hour grace”. There is that time. You know, I get so excited when I read it again here, this definition. It says, “The latest possible time before it is too late”. Then I wrote, “They are still making changes at the eleventh hour”. Maybe the year has went and has passed, you never even bothered to engage with the prophecy that Dr Jerry has declared, with the prophecy that Kenneth Copeland has declared, with the message that comes from the pulpit. You can start tomorrow. There is that grace opened for us. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord.

Praise Jesus, praise Jesus, Thank you Jesus, thank you for your grace, Lord. Thank you for your mercy, Lord. Hallelujah. Well, my job is done. I will just pray for you all.

“Father, I pray for your people. I pray for your redemptive power to touch their lives. I pray, Father, that whatever is missing in their own faith, that You may perfect it with these Words, Father. That You may encourage them with these Words, Father, so that they can begin, Father, that they will not look at their circumstances, that they will not look at how late it is, that they will not look at their failures, that they will not look at their mistakes but that they will keep their eyes on the merciful and kind Jesus. That they may only see You, Jesus, because the harvest is Yours. You make everything grow. You are the master of the harvest. The harvest belongs to You. I pray that the faith that they have will not fail. The faith that they have about their lives being transformed, about their finances to change, about their marriages to change, about their ministry to grow, about their engaging with the Word, I pray that they will not give up, Father.

Father, bless your people, protect them with the blood of Jesus and the power of Your Word. Let them be protected from every weapon that is formed against them. That Word that has been spoken, Father, the unperishable seed of God that has been declared upon their lives, let it protect their future, in Jesus name. And everybody say, Amen.

Bless you. Thank you for listening to me. Thank you.