01 May 2022 Honour Seed Pastor John Bendixen (WTB)
Scripture Reference: 2 Kings 4:10, 15-17 (KJV); 1 Kings 19:19-21 (AMPC); 2 Kings 5:10-27 (AMPC); 2 Kings 6:8-23 (AMPC); 2 Timothy 4:3-18, 22(AMPC)
Praise You, Jesus. Praise You, Lord. Praise You, Jesus. We bless Your name, Lord. We glorify Your name. Thank You, thank You, thank You, thank You, Lord. Praise You, Jesus. Father, it is my prayer that this week in conversations that You and I had, and things that happened around me and my world this week, I became increasingly aware of spiritual activity, things that happen in the spirit realm. Father, as I touch those things, I became much, much more aware of eternity and much more the power, the power of the kingdom of God, and the power of the church on the earth. It is my desire, Lord, that as I minister the word that You have given me to speak today, that it will be a word that once again has a dramatic impact on the hearers. I thank You, Lord, that it will grow in their hearts and become fruitful in their lives. And this is, as always, not just another Sunday message but I pray more than ever, that this message will become something that is big and strong in the hearts of Your people – a plumb line, a foundation block, something that is immovable in their lives. No flood, no storm, no rain, no spiritual activity can move them. Hallelujah. That is my request today, Father, as I stand as Your servant to minister the Word of God today. In Jesus’ name. Hallelujah. Amen. Amen.
Praise the Lord. Thank you. Praise Jesus. Glory to God. It’s always good to be in church, right? Praise the Lord. I’m always most happy when I’m in church. Glory to God. I’m most happy when I’m around people that love God, that want to serve God, that want to give God their best. Amen. Before I get into the message today, I would like you to just celebrate with us and in turn, let me start by saying thank you to all of the people that were involved in yesterday’s activity. The walk and the run, the trial run, and what we did yesterday was really outstanding, truly outstanding event. We had three Mpumalanga appointed referees that came to the event yesterday and all of them said that they’re going to make a plan, that the next time we run the event, they’re going to come and participate in the event. Because they said this is one of the best organised events they’ve ever witnessed and or been to. So that’s good. Praise the Lord.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, we’re going to show you some slides here. Just to show you what happened yesterday. It’s the start, right before the start. And you can keep going. I’m just going to talk you through who these people are. If you don’t know some of them at least anyway. This man on the left hand side is Dan Cronje and he is the head of Slipstream cycling. All cycling events and activities are under his leadership And then I think we have, Lekeleka. I think her name is Lekeleka. She is an assistant to the manager of local economic development in Witbank. Next to her is the head ranger of the whole reserve there, the game reserve that’s along the road. And then with the white hat standing next to me, he wants to be known as Vusi. I think the way you spell his name is Nhlapho. I think, maybe others can correct me. He’s the currently acting mayor, but he is from the mayoral committee, and he’s part of the mayoral committee. And so he is the acting mayor because you know the Witbank mayor was killed tragically. So he’s the acting mayor at the moment. And he was here yesterday, just to come and talk to us. He is a born again Christian and we had some really wonderful conversations and things and how we can work together. There’s me and there is Empie, who’s the general secretary of the Slipstream club. So praise the Lord. I think those are all the pictures we’ve got. Yes? For now, for now.
So it was really a marvellous event. Part of the reason I wanted to show you the picture of the guys there at the end is that Matthew who’s kind of overseeing the running component. So slipstream is certified and recognised by Athletics South Africa. Wwe have a club licence to put on these events. We are licensed with Cycling South Africa and Triathlon South Africa. So these are the major activities that we participate in and there are other things that we do within the club, but it’s known as Slipstream Athletic Club. So we named it like that because it’s important. It’s important because we have a bigger vision than that. Anyway, that was our first day and all the other clubs had a meeting with Matt a couple of days before and they all wanted to know how it’s possible that we get to run an event in the nature reserve. Because all these other athletic clubs have been around in Witbank for many, many years. Some of them are as long as 40 years and in 40 years they’ve never, not one club has been able to get permission from the council to hold an event in the nature reserve. So they want to know how we get it right. How did we get it right? Who do we know? You know, who’s your contact? I’m telling you, who’s your connection? Well, it’s God. It’s favour. It’s truly just favour. There is no Cyril Ramaphosa on the line that we phone, who phones the town manager and says, “You know that nature reserve there, you must let the guys use it for their running. Slipstream, that club, you must let them know.” I mean that’s possible if God intervenes, but it is just favour. And I don’t mean to belittle favour. I mean to say it’s because of favour. Money can’t buy you stuff that favour can get you. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. It’s a glorious thing.
So, I am going to use this as a segue – if you don’t know what segue means, it means a channel into. I am going to use this as a channel into my breaking news announcement, my special announcement. The special announcement is that there will be no church service here next Sunday. The church will be closed. We are doing a live digital service from Sun City because on Saturday we are, I am, a couple of us are riding a160 km on our mountain bikes. It is called the Race to the Sun. I’ll race anybody to the Son of God, but we are racing to the sun. On Sunday, there are a number of our athletes that are taking part in different levels of triathlon activities that are specifically hosted on Sunday. It is an unfortunate thing that triathlons are run on Sundays and this is not something that we will do on an ongoing basis, but it has been something that has been a big focus and that has helped a lot of the young people that are working in the ministry and the people in the ministry to have something to focus on and to get fit and to use it as a benchmark and a goal to go for. So, what we want to do is we want everybody to be involved in what is going on there. So, we will have cut-aways, we’ll have pictures, we’ll have everything going on there, and I will minister to you from there. Hallelujah. And so, you might say, “Well, this is not how church is done.” Well, who says how it must get done? Who’s the boss of who says how church must get done, hey? Jesus – only God. So if He says it is ok, then I’m ok. Listen, we sat at home watching church for months, so please don’t complain to me because we want to do it for good reasons. Amen. So, if you come here to church next Sunday, it’s closed. Please don’t knock on and rattle the cages, then we’ll think we might need to take you somewhere else with cages. Hallelujah. So, I trust that you will enjoy this with us. We are activated, we are motivated, and we’ve been training for a long time. Some of the young people have been swimming in the Witbank dam very early in the morning, and it’s very cold, and very, very cold in the morning and this is a significant thing that has been happening in our group of people and so, here we go. Amen. Praise the Lord. Glory to God.
The Sunday after that, Pastor Sharon will be ministering and I will be with Brother Jerry and having a wonderful time with him and more importantly, I believe one of the biggest reasons I am going is for us to take an honour seed. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. You’re ready for the Word? Have I left something out that I should have said? Anybody? Oh yes, thank you. We have a new app and we are going to put the QR code on the screen. My understanding, Caitlin, is that they can take a picture of the QR Code right now on the screen, right now and it will connect them to the app? So, let’s take five minutes and connect you to the new app of HOFMI. Shall I get out of the way? I think they take a photograph of it? They must just scan their camera over the QR code? And if you can’t get it fixed, we will have it up after the service and you can come and stand close and we can get it done but we have a new ministry app. Hallelujah. There are still some features that we want to add to it, but this is an Apple approved app, and you can also download it if you have an Android phone. The reason I say it is an Apple approved app is because on Android phones you can just post as app and anybody can load it down whether it is a good app or a bad app. But, on Apple you have to have certain standards in place before they approve it so that you can download it and so if you’re Apple approved, then you know you’ve got it. Hallelujah.
So we know, we know that there are features you’re immediately going to ask for. And I can tell you already, I know which feature you’re going to ask for. You’re going to say ‘please can we download the messages so we can listen to them offline when we’re not on the internet and the answer is; it’s coming. It’s coming. And as we keep going through the app we will get more and more things that will make it an app. But I’ve been wanting to release this app for a while, and so we got it this far and I said, “Well, let’s launch it,” and then we can keep moving along. We’d actually like to engage your help and you can send us messages as to what you’re finding good about the app, what you think we should add about the app. We can’t promise that you are the ultimate adjudicator of what a good app is but nevertheless, we would like your feedback as to how the app works for you and how we can improve it. Amen. Check it out. Looks pretty good. But now I don’t want you watching the app all morning while I’m preaching. So now you’re all going to switch off your phones, or switch off the WiFi portion, let’s switch off the WiFi so that they can’t watch their phones anymore, so even if they’re making notes on their phones that I know the WiFi is off. Amen.
So are you ready for the word? Hallelujah. Do you remember the last time, do you remember that the last time that I took an honour seed to Brother Jerry? If you were not in the church at the time when that happened, the Lord led me to preach from Second Kings, chapter four, verse 18, where the Shunammite woman recognised this man of God, this prophet that was coming in and out of the city. She and her husband were without children and they were wealthy and well recognised and had positions of influence in the city. And so she asked her husband if it would be okay, 10Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither (2 Kings 4:10 KJV) and come and going as he pleases. And so when that all happened, Elijah asked the servant, “They’ve prepared this, they have honoured us by preparing this place for us. What do they need?” And she actually said, “We need nothing. We have everything we need. We are well regarded in the city. We have all the finances. My husband, I live well together. We have nothing. We don’t need anything.” And so then Elijah asked and said, “Well, does she have a child?” And she says, “No.” But obviously she’s at that stage of life where perhaps she was unable to have a child because of the age of her body. And any way, he prophecies and he says, verse 15, 15And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door. 16And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my Lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid. 17And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life.” (2 Kings 4:15-17 KJV).
So, that’s the word that the Lord gave me for us, that as we go, because we have made room and we honour Brother Jerry in our ministry, God is going to make miracles happen for us and God is going to do supernatural things for us because it’s an irrational honour seed. There was no reason for us to give him a seed. As you know, he was supposed to be here, he couldn’t be here, he had to go to a funeral or family funeral and so we decided to sow money into his life whether he came or he didn’t come. Oh, ja, that happened later, anyway, the matter of it is, that the honour seed is something that God placed on our heart, that we were going to give. And so our seed had a big impact on his life. We believe that we had a lot to do with his recovery – the seed had – and it has had a big impact on our lives, on our ministry.
So when Brother Jerry started making a pull on me to come back after three weeks of being in the States and then come back three weeks later to be with him another two weeks, I really began to sense that God had something much bigger in mind than just for me to go and be with him and the Lord began to then say, “I’m making this time available to you, John, so that you go and if you and your people will place an honour seed, there will be other things that will be unlocked.” Praise the Lord. Do you remember that? Do you remember how powerful that was? I really don’t want to spend too much time on that but the way you’re responding to me, it’s like you don’t remember that we gave him the seed the day before he was going to go have an operation. And he said, “When I come to South Africa, you tell your people that I will lay hands on them and that this seed is unlocking miracles, it’s going to unlock healings, it’s going to unlock many things and when I come.” He kept saying, “When I come to South Africa, I will talk about this.” And then he had that operation and he had a stroke. But then he came back to South Africa and then he came back again to South Africa and the seed has unlocked things that I believe our ministry hasn’t yet seen the fullness of what’s coming. But when I look at the last five years or so and I see what God has done in our ministry in the last five years, it’s quite remarkable that God has truly made up the time and He’s done in one year what would have taken 10 years. And that’s what honour does. That’s what honour does. Hallelujah.
So I want to just, there are a few things I’m going to show you out of the Word of God today and it’s got to do with relationships and it’s got to do with honour. And I’m going to go to 1 Kings chapter 19, verse 19. 19So Elijah left there. So now we’ve been talking about Elisha. So this is when Elisha was in the fullness. The previous seed that we sowed was about Elisha coming and going. Now this is when Elijah calls Elisha. I’m just talking to you about relationships and about how we respond to the things of God. 19So Elijah left there and found Elisha, son of Shaphat, whose ploughing was being done with twelve yoke of oxen and he drove the twelth. Elijah crossed over to him and cast his mantle upon him (1 Kings 19:19 AMPC). So the Prophet who was known in Israel, comes up to Elisha who is busy ploughing with 12 oxen and he just, as he’s ploughing, he doesn’t stop him, he doesn’t, you know, tell them to bring me coffee, bring me tea, come and let’s have a, you know, kill the fatted calf for me. He just takes his mantle and he throws it over Elisha. 20He left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Let me kiss my father and mother, and then I will follow you. And he [testing Elisha] said, Go on back. What have I done to you? (1 Kings 19:20 AMPC). So he just threw his mantle. So he was questioning, “Do you understand what happens when I throw my mantle on someone?” Because Elisha is saying, “Let me just go and kiss my mom and dad and then I’ll follow you.” Do you see anywhere where he said, “Come follow me?” No, he said nothing. He just took his mantle and he threw it over him and he left him. And Elisha runs after him and he says, “Let me go and kiss my mom and dad goodbye and then I’ll follow you.” So, “What have I got to do with you? I just threw a mantle over you.”
21So Elisha went back from him. Then he took a yoke of oxen, and cut them, slew them, killed them, boiled their flesh with the oxen’s yoke. In other words, he took the yoke, he cut it up, used it as firewood [as fuel], and gave to the people, and they ate. Then he arose, followed Elijah, and served him (1 Kings 19:20-21 AMPC). There were no words that were spoken here. There were no promises that were made here. Elijah didn’t walk up to Elisha and say, “Come serve me, and I’ll give you the best medical aid plan and you’ll have a pension someday soon. And don’t worry, I’ll take all of the big hits, politically for you when we go and confront Ahab and Jezebel and all that, you know, things, don’t worry about that”, or, you know, “Whatever we got to do, don’t worry about it. I’ll take the hits. But you just hold my coat.” There were no words that were spoken. There was an immediate recognition, spiritually, that Elisha understood, the prophet had put his mantle on me and so he’s called me to work with him. He didn’t put himself and say “Well, if he’s called me, I must have the same gift and the same prophecy and I must immediately start to function this way.” He came to serve. Are you all still with me here? This is an important story because how you leave one thing and enter into another thing is a very big deal. If you recognise, and today I’m going to talk a little bit about the law of recognition. If you recognise what God is doing to you, and what God is doing for you, the law of recognition will immediately begin to unlock other avenues, that if you don’t have the law of recognition available, or you’re not seeing what you need to see, you will not experience the things that God has for you.
For example, I mean, that whole irrational honour seed began 2014. Because when Brother Jerry gave a word, and I took a whole bunch of people with me to America, and Brother Jerry gave us a word of manifestations, demonstrations and visitations of the Spirit. When he gave us that word, I asked the Lord, “What must I do with it?” And He said, “Four by four by 40.” For me, that means I had to do my first 40 days of dedicating myself, devoting myself to God, to press for things in my life, then give you an opportunity to do at least one 40 days. But if you would do 3, 40 days, there would be a greater level of growth that would happen for you. Because three is a significant number from life to death. Anyway, that happened all in 2015; the 4x4x40.
I want you to see that if I had not recognised where God had given a word, and I responded to the apostle and prophet of God, to say, “This is the word, I must obey this word,” then we would not be in the place that we are in today. I don’t believe God would have said to me to go and spend five weeks with Brother Jerry, go spend seven weeks with Brother Jerry the following year because when I separated myself, God said, after a couple of days, He said, “I want you to pray for Jerry Savelle. Forget yourself.” Because I thought, here I’ve got to press for myself. And He said, “Forget yourself. Pray for Brother Jerry, I want you to pray for Brother Jerry.” And so I thought, I mean this, I’m just being honest with you. I went before the Lord and I said, “Lord, I didn’t come here to separate myself and be away from my wife and my kids and my church and everything, you know, to pray for Brother Jerry. I mean, that’s not on my agenda. I need to fix some things in me, so You can bless me. So you know, where’s the blessing blocker in my life?” Right/ But the Lord said, “No no, don’t worry about the blessing blockers, I need you to pray for Jerry Savelle.”
Thursday morning, it will be my first opening message to the people here in the ministry. I will be doing my first message before I go and I’ll talk about what happened, how I started to go through the book In the Footsteps of a Prophet in that first 40 day cycle. But because I was led supernaturally to that bookIn the Footsteps of a Prophet, but I began to pray for Brother Jerry. The burden for prayer for Brother Jerry got so strong on me that I didn’t want to have any contact with my wife or anything. I wanted to be completely separated. And I phoned her and I said, “Sharon, I want you to mobilise the church and mobilise all the prayer connect groups, everybody. We got to pray for Brother Jerry, this is urgent, this is serious. God is on my case. We must pray for him.” I said, “The time that you’ve been spending praying for me, half it, and pray and just keep praying for …” It was a time where I said, “Don’t even pray for me, just pray for Brother Jerry.” You know, that’s how strong it was. Little at that time, little did we know that as I was going to come out of that time, Brother Jerry was going to have a major heart surgery. And in that heart surgery, a piece of something happened.
They needed to do something on his neck and then he got a stroke from that. And so it’s obvious that the enemy was trying to cut short Brother Jerry’s life. And so he used my obedience to pray and get all of us to pray to keep him alive. I’m not saying we were the only people that kept him alive. He’s been living by faith, his own faith for 50 years, or whatever the time was at that 48 years. His own faith was there, standing there. You know, a strong faith to keep him alive. But we all need to be praying for each other, and we all need each other’s prayers. And we all need the strength of the Body of Christ to be standing by us to get us through some of the stuff that is very dangerous. Amen. And so Brother Jerry pulled through. Praise God. And then in years to come things began to happen and I spent more and more time travelling with Brother Jerry or went with him to Italy and Sicily. And you might say Sicily is in Italy. They don’t believe that. But anyway, you know, I went with him to many places – to Cuba, to different places to do outreaches, some other African countries. Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, we’ve been to, not with Brother Jerry but with Brother Joe. I mean, it was just things that we got to do together and spent a lot of time together. Sometimes it wasn’t all about ministry. Sometimes it was just being together. And once again, what God did with Pastor Sharon and I, when we went to America now, there was a special request by Brother Jerry that we stay an extra 10 days because of some things he wanted to do with us. I don’t believe any of that would have been possible without an irrational honour seed. Hey? Praise the Lord.
The law of recognition must be at work in your life. If you don’t have the law of recognition, where you don’t recognise what’s going on spiritually. Then you can’t receive what you don’t see. So let me give you an example. Second Kings, chapter five, verse 10, there’s a captain in the army, the Syrian army and he gets leprosy. There’s an Israeli young girl, slave, working in his wife’s chamber, serving his wife. And so there’s a conversation that happens and it turns out there’s a prophet in Israel that may be able to do something about Naaman’s leprosy. So he arrives at Elisha’s house, cabin, wherever he was staying. Elisha sends his messenger, his messenger’s name was Gehazi. 10Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean. 11But Naaman was angry and went away and said, Behold, I thought he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and heal the leper ( 2 Kings 5:10-11 AMPC). So here’s a man that’s got quite a lot of power. He’s got quite a lot of influence, authority, and he expects to be healed by the God of Israel the way that he expects to be healed. And when it doesn’t happen, the prophet doesn’t even come out and greet him. He sent his servant to go and tell him. You know, in most cultures that’s an insult because I’m coming as a high level dignitary and you send your servant to come and tell me. That’s why he was angry. Very self important.
12Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? May I not wash in them and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage. He didn’t recognise that the prophet of God had just said this is what you have to do to be healed. He didn’t keep the information away from Naaman, he told him exactly what to do to get healed. Healed, mind you, and restored, mind you. Full instruction given – healed and restored, just go and dip yourself seven times in the river Jordan. Are you all in agreement with me? What’s not at work here? The law of recognition. He has no recognition of the importance of the man who’s connected to the Most High God who speaks on His behalf. He’s full of his own self importance. And so, 12… he went away in a rage. 13And his servants came near and said to him… You got to have somebody near you that can talk to you in your life when you don’t have the law of recognition at work. Because if you don’t have somebody talking to you, when you don’t have the law of recognition at work, you will head for a disaster. Leprosy will consume your life and parts of your world begin to fall away and fall apart. I’m preaching very, very well today. You may say that if you wish. [Congregation: “You are preaching very well, Pastor John.”]
13And his servants came near and said to him, My father, giving him the highest honour, if the prophet had bid you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much rather, then, when he says to you, Wash and be clean? (2 Kings 5:12-13 AMPC). Law of recognition is in the servant, not in this great captain. The law of recognition is in the servant. 14Then he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, as the man of God had said, and his flesh was restored like that of a little child, and he was clean. 15Then Naaman returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and stood before him. He said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel. So now accept a gift from your servant. 16Elisha said, As the Lord lives, before Whom I stand, I will accept none. He urged him to take it, but Elisha refused. 17Naaman said, Then, I pray you, let there be given to me, your servant, two mules’ burden of earth. For your servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice to other gods, but only to the Lord (2 Kings 5:14-17 AMPC). Now the law of recognition and honour is kicking in. So now Naaman is saying, “You sent me to the river where I got clean, so everything that’s in your world is anointed. Everything in your world is anointed.” Now he gets it, he’s not going to make the same mistake twice. “Everything in your world is anointed, so please send me, give me your servant, two donkeys so that I may take them, and I may make a burnt offering with those donkeys because they come from your household, so that my future is connected to your God through these donkeys. It’s my way of saying, I recognise only your God is the living God. So please give me two donkeys that I may sacrifice those donkeys in honour to your God.”
18In this thing may the Lord pardon your servant. Now watch what he does. He has a recognition here. And if you’re watching this message by digital, or you are live in the service, if you have ears to hear, and the law of recognition working, this will answer a lot of questions for you. He continues his conversation with the person that has spiritual authority. And he says, 18In this thing may the Lord pardon your servant: when my master [the king] – so he’s a captain in the king’s army, he’s an important captain – goes into the house of [his god] Rimmon to worship. When he worships in that temple, there and he leans on my hand and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow down myself in the house of Rimmon, may the Lord pardon your servant in this thing (2 Kings 5:18 AMPC).
What’s he saying? He’s saying, “Now I know Who the living God is. I may not worship any other God than this living God. But I’m a captain, and I’m this close to the king.” If the king did it like, with this guy, and leant on his arm, then it meant he was the top general in his army and the one he trusted most because you’re vulnerable when you’re worshipping. So, he would take his hand, and he would put his hand on his captain’s hand, or whatever he put on his hand, and he would lean on his hand, and the two of them would then worship the god that the king chose as his god. And he’s saying, “I recognise your God as God, but I have to fulfil my duty to my king. Please forgive me if I had to fulfil my duty to my king. I’m not making that as part of my new worship. I’m still recognising the worship of the Most High God, but I must fulfil my duty to my king.” He’s connecting with spiritual authority and he’s saying, “In the detail of how I actually live my life when I’m moving around people that are actually, I’m supposed to be around, I can’t change that. You, man of God, protect me with your blessing that I number one, reject that god, and number two, I keep following your God, and number three, I’m not killed by my king because now I’m serving your God.” Now he’s got the law of recognition, and the law of honour is now at the highest level because he’s saying, “My future is with my king, but I recognise the living God.:
So, 19Elisha said to him, Go in peace. So Naaman departed from him a little way (2 Kings 5:19, AMPC). So what does Elisha say? Elijah says, “Because you have recognised who God is, because you’ve recognised who I am in God, because you recognised this dangerous thing you’re about to do, because you now have honour and recognition at work in your life. Go in peace.” The minute the prophet of God said, “Go in peace,” he said, “You go and live a life where there’s nothing missing, nothing broken, and nothing will happen to you to disturb your well-being, even if you have to go into the temple with your king because you recognise who the living God is, and who His servant is.: If he didn’t believe that, he would not walk back into the king’s court the next day, and go and worship with him because his heart was no longer worshipping a dead idol. He knew there’s no living idol here, no living god in this idol. But he learned a lesson because there was a servant in his household that spoke to his wife, who spoke to him and he took the little girl’s advice, and it saved him. So in his mind,”I will work for my king, perhaps one day I’ll be in a place where I can introduce him to the God of all gods in the way that a servant girl introduced me.” Praise the Lord.
Watch what happens next.19Elisha said to him, Go in peace. So Naaman departed from him a little way. 20But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master spared this Naaman the Syrian, in not receiving from his hands what he brought. But as the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him (2 Kings 5:19-20 AMPC). So Elisha, I mean he’s got an open telephone with God. Gehazi, no law of recognition at work here. No honour here. What’s the thing that’s calling him here? Money, how much more money can I make?
21So Gehazi followed after Naaman. When Naaman saw one running after him, he lighted down from the chariot to meet him and said, Is all well? 22And he said, All is well. My master has sent me to say, There have just come to me from the hill country of Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets. I pray you, give them a talent of silver and two changes of garments. 23And Naaman said, Be pleased to take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags with two changes of garments and laid them upon two of his servants, and they bore them before Gehazi (2 Kings 5:21-23, AMPC). Those garments were so well made and they were so heavy, and they were so wealthy, that he actually had to send one man to carry one garment. This wasn’t like, take my shirt. My Nike tick, run for life kind of thing, you know, run for your life.
24When he came to the hill, he took them from their hands and put them in the house; and he sent the men away, and they left. 25He went in and stood before his master. Elisha said, Where have you been, Gehazi? He said, Your servant went nowhere. 26Elisha said to him, Did not my spirit go with you when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Was it a time to accept money, garments, olive orchards, vineyards, sheep, oxen, menservants, and maidservants? (2 Kings 5:24-26 AMPC). In other words, Elisha is saying, “The law of recognition and the law of honour is so missing in your life that you don’t know that God is doing something important here. And it’s no time for honour to be at work in the form of taking goods and taking sheep and oxen and all that kind of stuff. This is God at work because he wants to show himself great. You have just traded the anointing.” You have just traded the anointing in exchange for something. 27Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cleave to you and to your offspring forever. What a sentence. And Gehazi went from his presence a leper as white as snow. (2 Kings 5:27 AMPC)
Immediately Gehazi turned white with leprosy, and he said, “You and your children will have leprosy forever.” This is, you know, in our modern day world, we would say that’s a harsh sentence. How can anybody pass a sentence like that? The spiritual protocol that you broke open the way for the devil to come and destroy your whole future because you broke spiritual protocol. You broke the law of recognition, you broke the law of honour that was in someone else, you refused to see it at work and so because you didn’t have it, you broke the protocol and so then it came to destroy you. Hey, hey mense. This is big stuff this.
So, when Pastor Sharon and I were with Brother Jerry and Miss Carolyn, the very first day we were together after we’d done President’s Cabinet, in fact, we went out for lunch with Richard Roberts and a few people. I wanted to pay for – I don’t know if it was that lunch or the next day, I don’t remember but it was right at the beginning of our trip – I wanted to pay for something and Brother Jerry was quite firm and quite stern with me. He said to me, “John, this is not the time. When you are with me on this trip, I pay for everything.” Now listen, when your spiritual leader says that you say, “Yes, sir.” You don’t go to the next coffee place where you buy coffee and say, “Okay, I know what you said there but can I just at least pay for coffee?” He said, “On this trip, when you are with me, I pay for everything.” So, I didn’t offer to pay for another thing. I had the law of recognition that there was something happening inside of him where he wanted to bless us. This is not something I must interfere with. He’s activating a spiritual order here that I don’t see the fullness of yet. But at least I have a sense that I recognise the law of honour and the law of authority is at work. Right at the end of the trip, right at the end of the trip when all was said and done, I said, “So, Brother Jerry, is it okay now if I pay for something, please.” I said, “Can I please pay for this meal?” He said, “Okay, John.” He said, “I’ll let you get away with this one.” But I went with him in humility and I wasn’t pushy. I was just gentle because I wanted him to understand that I am ready. I’m here. I’m ready. I didn’t come for him to pay for everything but when I realised he wanted to pay for everything, then I had to accept it. Thankfully, graciously, and we had to respond and it was our business and we did, we responded with an appropriate thanks at the end. Protocol, law of recognition, the law of honour, they go together. If you break one of those, you’re in danger. Huge danger.
Sometimes these things are much more important than others. You know, I mean if I’m out, for example, cycling with the guys, and we stop at a coffee shop, and they want to buy me coffee. I mean, there’s no, I mean, the protocol levels are low. Because I’m a cyclist, they treat me well, they treat me as a pastor with respect always but we are cycling friends. And so we can banter with each other, we can talk, we can chat and, you know, “That coffee is not as good as this coffee. And let me buy you rather the best cup of coffee, Pastor John. You understand that the coffee you’re drinking is, ne. Let me.” You know, because the circumstances are different, so the protocols change. Hello.
What do you think I’m praying about when I take an offering to Brother Jerry. What do you think I’m praying about because I know how he will receive an irrational honour seed or an honour seed. I know how he will receive it. So what do you think I’m praying for? I’m praying for the correct opportunity, so the protocol can be correct, so the seed can be given at the right time. It’s not a matter of, “Hey, Brother Jerry, we took an offering, here it is.” This is an honour seed. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.
I’m going to read 2 Kings, chapter six, verse eight, 8When the king of Syria was warring against Israel, after counselling with his servants, he said, In such and such a place shall be my camp. The King of Syria is fighting against the King of Israel. Namaan’s army is fighting against the prophet’s army. 9Then the man of God, the prophet, sent to the king of Israel, and he said to him, Beware that you pass not such a place, for the Syrians are coming down there. 10Then the king of Israel sent to the place of which [Elisha] told and warned him; and thus he protected and saved himself there repeatedly (2 Kings 6:8-10 AMPC).
Repeatedly Elisha, the prophet, had a word for the king and the king recognised God speaking through the servant of God. If you want to take it like this, in modern day teaching, there is some merit to it. I don’t want to say that, that it should be a whole thing. But in this case, the king in the modern day world is someone who does business in the marketplace and the prophet of God is the priest of God. Broadly speaking, there’s some merit to that teaching. But I want to say that God can use anybody in the body of Christ to warn you about something, if they are in the same church, and they’re deeply rooted and planted in the church and they’re spiritual. God can use someone to warn you, “Don’t go there. There is danger.” In this case, He used the highest prophet in the land, to speak to the king of the land, and save the armies many times. Hello?
Okay. I need to clarify this. There are many things that will happen. When I’m preaching from this pulpit, you will get much counsel and advice about how to live your lives. And the Holy Spirit makes everything that I say, personal to you, and you receive it personally, and you live it out personally. But there are some decisions in your life that are very big decisions in your life, where sometimes you need to lean on the authority of the spiritual leader and the wisdom of God that comes with our mantle to help you through a significant moment. But you have to have the law of recognition at work. And you have to have the law of honour at work that God does talk through this person. Amen. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah.
Second Kings, chapter six, verse 11, 11Therefore the mind of the king of Syria was greatly troubled by this thing. He called his servants and said, Will you show me who of us is for the king of Israel? 12 One of his servants said, None, my lord O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedchamber (2 Kings 6:11-12 AMPC). Now I’m asking you; do you think that God will reveal things that you speak in your most private places, do you think God hears it? Do you think He can tell it to a man of God if he’s on assignment? He can, and he will as he chooses. 13He said, Go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him. And it was told him, He is in Dothan (2 Kings 6:13 AMPC). So this king is a bit slow because everywhere he sends his armies, Israel’s armies are not there because Elisha, the prophet already knows where the armies are going to. So now he wants to send a whole bunch of guys there on capture, like he wouldn’t know that too. I guess you get desperate. 14So [the Syrian king] sent there horses, chariots, and a great army – for one man. They came by night and surrounded the city (2 Kings 6:14 AMPC). Like that would surprise God too. I’m trying to show you that when you are operating and you’re flowing with the way God wants you to do things. There are many things that might happen around you and start looking like things are ganging up against you, and may look like they’re about to defeat you, but God.
14…. They came by night and surrounded the city… 15When the servant of the man of God rose early and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was around the city. Elisha’s servant said to him, Alas, my master! What shall we do? 16[Elisha] answered, Fear not; for those with us are more than those with them (2 Kings 6:14-16 AMPC). Elisha had the law of recognition because he could see into the spirit realm. Please note, this is not the first thing that he’d seen in the spirit realm. There had already been evidence that his spirit went with his servant. He’s used to seeing things in the spirit realm, his servant sees nothing. He just sees horses, big army in front of him. So, Elisha says, 16… Fear not; for those with us are more than those with them. 17Then Elisha prayed, Lord, I pray You, open his eyes that he may see. And the Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. 18And when the Syrians came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, Smite this people with blindness, I pray You. And God smote them with blindness (2 Kings 6:16-18 AMPC). Now, let me just ask you; do you think Elisha is going to ask God to do something that he didn’t already know God was willing to do? The fact that he asked him is because God already showed him, “Ask Me this.”
So, smite them with blindness, as Elisha asked. 19Elisha said to the Syrians, This is not the way or the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek. And he led them to Samaria. 20And when they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, Lord, open the eyes of these men that they may see. And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw. Behold, they were in the midst of Samaria! 21When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, My father – giving him the greatest honour – shall I slay them? Shall I slay them? Because now they’re in my hands to take them. 22[Elisha] answered, You shall not slay them. Would you slay those you have taken captive with your sword and bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and return to their master. 23So [the king] prepared great provision for them, and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel (2 Kings 6:18-23 AMPC). It was not destruction of the enemy that saved Israel from any more war. It was the blessing that Israel gave to Syria that saved them from any more war. Hallelujah.
So, it’s time for me to say a few important things. I had a businessman come to me a while ago and he wanted to talk to me about some things happening in his corporate career and while we were talking the Spirit of the Lord came upon me, rose up inside of me and I had words to speak to him. And I said to him – he was frustrated because of the way that the corporate setup was. There wasn’t going to be any opportunity for promotion and it was all about who you knew and your biggest buddies and all that kind of stuff. So he was a bit frustrated. And so, the Word of the Lord came to me and said that I should tell him that he needs to sow a seed of significance and then he needs to begin to declare this word that I have spoken over him every day and he won’t have to do a thing. He doesn’t have to worry, he doesn’t have to do a thing. They’ll come to him and they’ll almost beg him to promote him. At that time that seemed almost impossible, but he had the law of recognition at work. You see, I wasn’t asking for a seed for the ministry. His seed needed a seed of his faith which God had already prepared in his heart, that he would sow a seed of his faith so that God could work on his behalf. And so he did, and God did. I believe it was within three months after waiting years and years and the prospect of promotion would be maybe in years and years to come. In three months, I believe, I may be wrong a month here or two, but it was a very short time. It was like they offered it to this person, they didn’t want it, so ok, we’ll change this. Ok, you’ve got it. And so then, he got a big promotion and has a lot more authority and a lot more scope in the business. God did it. God did it through the law of recognition, through the law of honour, through the law of divine connection, and through the law of timing. It wasn’t time for me to go and say, “Alright, here’s a word from the Lord if you’ll give me money.” It was a time for God to do a miracle in his life, so that from that moment onwards, everything that he touches is blessed because he had the law of recognition and the law of honour at work.
And so, now I have to say that recently in this week, I was speaking to a businessman, and I was led to ask him a question because I have been involved with him for quite some time. He has had a number of conflicts in his business, and I have been around helping him in his life, in his marriage, in many, many areas. I have invested a lot of time and love and ministry into his life. I asked this man, I said, “So, do you believe that this business, that is doing well, do you believe you could have done this by yourself?” So, he boldly proclaimed, “Yes, I could. I could do it all by myself.” So, between the time I had a meeting with him and today, the Lord began to deal with me. The Lord said to me, He said, “John, the law of recognition is not at work in this man. He does not recognise that you have saved his life over and over and over, and over again. You have put cords of strength into his life, you have placed people into his life for blessing and for protection, more than he will ever know and yet his answer is; yes, I could do this without you or without anybody else’s help.” He said that to me this week. Part of the reason I am speaking this out to you publicly is that number one; we have a lesson to learn here. The Bible says; beware lest you say, it is my strength, and my might, and my power that has gotten me this wealth. Because the minute you say it is me, that has gotten me this wealth, it is my power, my might, my ability, and all the good things that I do – just like that, it is going to be taken away from you. I am making this public statement because if that man does not get the law of recognition, the law of honour does not begin to walk in the things that God has for him, it’s not going to go well. And I’m trusting that he will hear this message or is hearing this message, and I trust that he will make it his priority to come and speak to Pastor Christi, because I got to go. I got things to do. I got Brother Jerry to see, I’ve got things to do. I’m trusting that he will make a decision to come and find out why he’s missing, and what can he do to get the law of recognition back. He needs a servant to tell him, “Go dip yourself in a dirty water seven times.” He’s raging because he can’t dip himself in a waterfall in a clean river, or some special recognition is given him.
So why is that coming out this morning? Because God will not have an honour seed that is going to be taken to a prophet of God, that we all respect and honour and it is tarnished. Don’t give an honour seed if you don’t have an honour for Brother Jerry. Don’t give an honour seed if you think it’s your power, your might, your ability that’s got you all this wealth – whatever how much money it is that you got to go and give it. You need to recognise that it is God who is before you, and you’re just taking God’s money and channelling it into an honour seed, and the blessing will flow. Let me tell you what power that gives you. That allows you to go into the altars of the kings, the worship places of the kings, the very marketplaces of the kings, and you will go there on behalf of God, you will be able to save other children of God, just like Esther did for the children of God. She came into the company of kings, she stood in front of kings, because there was a servant who was telling her what to do. His name was Mordecai. We all need a servant to tell us what to do. That doesn’t mean, you understand what I’m saying by that? A servant means a messenger, someone sent by God to tell you what the truth is. Because that servant took his life in his hands when he went to Naaman and said, “If he had asked you to do a hard thing like this and this, wouldn’t you have done that?” “Yes.” If he was just a little bit more out of line that captain could have just said, “Take this guy’s head off, I don’t want to hear about him anymore.” That was the amount of power he had. He took his life in his hands but he was a servant. Hallelujah.
And so I am taking a pure offering to Brother Jerry. I’m taking a pure offering to Brother Jerry. Yes? We as a ministry recognise who he is to us, do we not? We, as a ministry honour him, we recognise what his input is in our lives, and it doesn’t matter if he comes here once a year or once every three years, the very fact that it is he who covers us with his spiritual authority, we walk in a blessed place. Hallelujah.
So I got to tell you what happened to me on Wednesday. Wednesday, we went for a long ride, we rode a hundred kilometres on our mountain bikes. I got up that morning and as I was getting myself ready, it was early in the morning. I think we were scheduled to leave at six o’clock from Total, and we drove to a place and then we took our bicycles off so that we ride safely, you know. But when I woke up that morning, I was just praying in the Spirit. I’m just checking in my heart, what’s going on for the day, “Lord, what’s going on?” And the Lord just begins to say to me, “John, believe Me to feel the presence of your angel. That one, you’ve just asked me to, that one that you’ve just talked about – I thank You, Lord, that you give your angels charge over me, that You will not have my foot be caught by a hidden snare or dash my foot against the rock. That angel. Ask me, John, that you feel his presence.” So when I came to the guys, and we were all standing around, I said, ‘Hey, guys, I want to tell you something happened to me this morning and I want to tell you and I want you to all be with me in this, that I’m believing God that I will feel the presence of my angel today, my protecting angel. The Psalm 91 angel that the Lord has sent to protect me, I believe that I’m going to feel his presence, he’s going to be that close to me all day. So what do you all say?” I said to the riders, “What do you all say?” “Yes, Pastor John, we believe the same, our angels.” And so when we would stop and do stuff and have something to drink and just, you know .When you’re six or seven hours on the saddle, you have got to go and have a toilet break and drink some things and just take a break. Don’t look at me like I’m funny. And so when we would get off our bikes like that and we would talk about, you know, the angels. I’m still believing God for my angel. I haven’t felt him yet, but I’m believing God for my angel. The awareness of angels was about me the whole day.
So we were riding through some very, very challenging terrain because of all the rain,we went through some very horrible mud places, horrible sand places and then in some places, tracks in the road where the sand had hardened and caked and became like concrete. So, a couple of people started to fall. Mia decided to go swimming as a triathlete through the mud before the triathlon even started. So she had to change her clothes. No injury but she had to change your clothes. She fell in the mud. Nothing on her, the mud was very thick. So things started to happen. Empie fell off his back but no serious damage. He just hurt his nose and then another accident happened. One of the other riders had a tumble and so just sort of right before me, I tried to miss him, the front wheel of his bike came and hit the front wheel of my bike and I just almost missed him but didn’t and so then I came down off the bike. So you can’t see it now but I’ve got a nice roastie, all the way down on my elbow here. When we got to our finish place, I began to thank God that from the morning He had said, “Focus on your angels John, focus on your protective angels, John. Focus on your protective angels, John, focus on that.” Because I know that God saw that the enemy was going to use this day to try and take some of us out. As in, all I have to do is have a broken collarbone and I don’t fly to Brother Jerry anymore. Who knows what could have happened to me. I got a roastie.
The enemy of God was trying to use this opportunity to take us out. But I had the law of recognition because I know the voice of the Holy Spirit. “You keep speaking about your protective angel, John and you have everybody else do it.” And so you say but you had four people fall off bikes. That’s nothing. We’re all at church this morning. We’re all okay, we’re all a little bit sore but it’s not bad. I mean, listen, if you just boil the kettle or you’ve got something boiling in the water, and you put your hand on the water and the steam, you can burn yourself more and have more pain than I’ve got on my roastie. Come on, help me out here a little bit. Praise the Lord. You see, I have a recognition that the Word of God is the final say in my life. It’s the final say in my life, the Word of God is the final say and if He says He will give His angels charge over me and He will send His angels to protect me and then I wake up on one morning and He says, “Today you must focus on the angels that are there to protect you, John,” then I say, “Holy Spirit, you’ve put that in my heart, I thank you for that and now I declare the Word of God that my angels are working. I want them to work so hard that I will feel their presence with me all the time.” Hallelujah.
I’ve been preaching for weeks and weeks, if we don’t think that the spirit realm is real and take recognition, then we are in danger of always being taken out by the spirit realm and sometimes it will come through a seductress. Sometimes it will come through alcohol or it’ll come through some other things. Sometimes it might come through just an innocent thing of doing something, the next thing you’re taken out and it’s the devil that’s after your life. You have to stay closely connected to God. Amen.
I have one final scripture to read to you. Do you mind if I just read it? It’s in the Amplified Bible. This is about relationships. It’s about relationships. Okay, this is about honour. It’s about recognition. It’s about knowing where God’s working when He’s flowing and when things are not flowing; doing the right thing. Second Timothy fou, verse three says, 3For the time is coming when [people] will not tolerate (endure) sound and wholesome instruction, but, having ears itching [for something pleasing and gratifying], they will gather to themselves one teacher after another to a considerable number. Would you say there are considerable numbers of teachers even teaching on YouTube and internet and television? A considerable number of teachers. Chosen to satisfy their own liking and to foster the errors they hold, 4 And will turn aside from hearing the truth and wander off into myths and man-made fictions. 5As for you, be calm and cool and steady, accept and suffer unflinchingly every hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fully perform all the duties of your ministry. 6For I am already about to be sacrificed [my life is about to be poured out as a drink offering]; the time of my [spirit’s] release [from the body] is at hand and I will soon go free. 7I have fought the good (worthy, honorable, and noble) fight, I have finished the race, I have kept (firmly held) the faith. 8[As to what remains] henceforth there is laid up for me the [victor’s] crown of righteousness. If you read revelations, you will see there is a crown like that waiting for you. If you did what Paul did, [for being right with God and doing right thing], which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me and recompense me on that [great] day. He already knows, God’s already shown him, he’s getting the crown because he’s followed the ways of God all of his life. Even though he was in prison, even though it was in this; he had the law of recognition,at work all the time, the law of honour was always at work in his life.
But watch this; and not to me only, but also to all those who have loved and yearned for and welcomed His appearing (His return). 9Make every effort to come to me soon. Paul is writing to Timothy. 9Make every effort to come to me soon. What does that sound like? Come on. What does that sound like? Sounds like our apostle. “Make every effort to come back to me soon, John. I’m not taking no for an answer. When you get your ticket.” I don’t know this about Brother Jerry, this is not part of the conversation that I’m saying about Brother Jerry but, 10Demas has deserted me for love of this present world and has gone to Thessalonica; and on to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia (2 Timothy 4:3-10 AMPC). So in other words, he was close to someone, investing into someone, and that person said, “The love of this life and what’s in this world is too valuable to me. So my honour and my recognition for you, I don’t have it anymore. I’m giving my honour and my recognition to this life.” So you can’t honour and recognise this life’s ways and God’s ways at the same time. You’re either going to follow what God’s men have got to say, or God’s messengers or you’re going to listen to what the world’s messengers are going to say. You can’t do both. It puts it this way in the book of Mark; you can’t serve God and Mammon at the same time. You can’t serve God and money at the same time, or possessions, because they’re incompatible.
Matthew chapter six, read it for yourself. I’m not trying to tell you just a story. It’s true. 10For Demas has deserted me for love of this present world … 11Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very helpful to me for the ministry. Come on now, talk to me for a minute. Does that sound like Paul is lonely? Does it sound like he needs spiritual strength around him? That’s what I mean by lonely. Does it sound like Dimas has forsaken me? Titus has gone here. Everybody’s good. Only Luke is with me. Send men that have the law of recognition and honour for me. Send them to me as quickly as you can. 12Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. 13[When] you come, bring the cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus, also the books, especially the parchments. 14Alexander the coppersmith did me great wrongs. The Lord will pay him back for his actions (2 Timothy 4:10-14 AMPC). What now? God’s deserted him and someone in his inner circle has done him great harm. Great wrongs. How do people do your great wrongs? They stop recognising who you are. They stop honouring you for who you represent. And they take whatever happens through you as, “You’re just another man. I can argue with you and I can debate with you. And if I’ve got more facts on my side, then I’ll show you, you’re just a man.” Well, God didn’t appoint people to lead people because they were the most intelligent, most well informed, and the smartest guys on the earth. Sometimes they were, but not always. I mean, for goodness sake, Pete was a fisherman and he kept disobeying God. He cuts a guy’s ear off, he speaks at the wrong times. And then when he does live by faith, he gets halfway and falls in the water. I mean, you talk about a guy that keeps on missing it all the time. But Jesus never had a problem with Peter missing it. He had a problem with a guy that said, “Thirty pieces of silver is more important to me than You are, Jesus.” “I can see the religious establishment is stronger than You, Jesus. They got more money than you. So the world system is more important to me than you. Business contacts I’ve had for ten, fifteen, twenty thirty years, business contacts that I’ve had, the honour of them is much more important than the honour of You.” Come on.
15Beware of him yourself, for he opposed and resisted our message very strongly and exceedingly. 16At my first trial no one acted in my defense [as my advocate] or took my part or [even] stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them! In other words, all the disciples, the minute He went on trial, that all left Him. 17But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the [Gospel] message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. Oh, not only Daniel? Also, the apostle Paul was given to lions for dinner. That’s what it says here. 18[And indeed] the Lord will certainly deliver and draw me to Himself from every assault of evil. He will preserve and bring me safe unto His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen (so be it). Hallelujah. Verse 22, 22The Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Grace (God’s favor and blessing) be with you. Amen (so be it) (2 Timothy 4:10-18, 22 AMPC).
So, I trust that you have received a message today that I know how strong this message is. I’ve said to a number of people in my life before, people have come to me and they’ve wanted to sow a significant seed into the ministry or into my life. And when they sow the seed to me, I always tell them this, I always say, “Your seed will begin to create a harvest for you that will bring you to a crossroad.” Because your seed will multiply and the multiplication will cause you to look at where it came from. And you can move your eyes from the person who gave it to you to the thing that it’s become to you. So everybody that sows a seed is going to walk through that crossroad. A significant seed to one man might be a 100,000, to someone else it might be 10,000. To someone else a significant seed might be half of the rent money, where they have to believe God for this month or the other half of the rent money. It’s not a number of how many naughts there are. It’s how important the money is to you. I mean, I know I’m in safe company because Jesus was watching the Pharisees putting big bags of money in and He said, “all those guys have got everything they wanted because all their financial sewing has been made known. But this lady, she’s bringing her best because she’s giving all she’s got and it’s only two pennies.” But God, that’s the faithful one, God recognises her because she’s only got two pennies, but she’s giving it all. She has a reward in heaven. All these other men that have given, they’ve got the reward already. Hallelujah.
I wanted you to be aware of how I’m going to Brother Jerry. And I wanted to use this whole conversation, this whole thing today, this whole message to you today to say; if your heart is, I want to be part of this honour seed. My relationship with Pastor John is good, plus I’m planted in this church, and I really want to give an honour seed – then you’re in a good place. If you’re in this church, and you say, “Well, I don’t really know what he’s talking about. And I don’t have a relationship with Pastor John. And I don’t know who Jerry Savelle is, so much. All I know is he’s got his own jet and so any minister that has his own jet must be misusing money somewhere.” If that’s the way you’re thinking, please keep your money. I mean it because you have no honour in your heart. And this is about an honouring heart for Brother Jerry. Hallelujah.
So I wanted you to understand, and I wanted you to see that I’ve been receiving peace from God about going. I began to receive the peace that God said, “He’s calling for you, John. It’s like the Apostle Paul, he’s calling for you. There’s a spiritual strength that you can bring to him as a son, that even though you’re half around the world, he’s just using an event for you to come back and minister to him.” So I’m going there to serve him, to minister to him, to be to him whatever he needs me to be. I don’t have to ride a motorbike, I can ride in a car. I can ride with him the whole way in the car, if I have to do whatever he wants me to do. If he wants me to go somewhere else for him, I’ll go somewhere else for him. I just want to tell you that I’m going there because he’s called for me. I am a son in the spirit to him and I go as a son. I go as a servant and I go with the honour and the great joy in my heart that if none of you gave, Pastor Sharon and I are taking our seed and we’re going to give him an honour seed. It’s already done. The money is already in the account from our side. Hallelujah.
But I’m also asking you to join your faith, your life precious faith and say, “May the honour seed do miraculous things that he already prophesied in the previous honour seed that miraculous things will happen in our ministry. And we combine what happened in the last honour seed to this honour seed.” He may or may not have nothing special or more significant to say to me, it’s not why I’m giving him the seed. That’s not why we’re giving him the seed. This is a seed of love. This is the seed of honour. This is a seed of you’ve been giving your life to God for 54 years, and we are honoured to be able to be under your spiritual leadership. He doesn’t have to say a thing. If he just says, “Thank you, and bless you, and bless your people, John.” That’s all. Right? I’m not giving it so that he can be on more digital things, or try and speed up his time to come and visit us here. I’ve learnt that everything in God’s time is perfect. Everything that we try to make happen in our time, it’s going to get messed up somewhere along the line. Hallelujah. Praise Jesus. Praise Jesus. Praise Jesus.
So I wanted you to know that as for me, I have searched my soul, and I’ve searched my heart, and I’ve said, “If there’s anything wrong in me, Father, in the way that I was reluctant to go, forgive me for that. If there’s anything inside of me that has put my flesh before my physical health, you know, well-being before going there, forgive me for that Father.” And on many other things I have gone before the Lord, and I said, “Father, I always want the law of recognition and I always want the law of honour to be the highest priorities in my life. Because then I know that whatever happens from here, You’ve got me covered. You’ve got me covered.” Hallelujah.
He had me covered on Wednesday. The devil wanted to take out a number of our people, yet He had us covered. And I go through life with confidence. I mean, listen, many things can happen in your life that can hurt you. You can just be walking down the stairs, swik, (sprain) your ankle, fall off another step, break your ankle and your knee just because you’ve slipped on a staircase. You don’t have to be riding a bike, or running, or doing something spectacular to hurt yourself. He gives His angels charge over you so that you don’t even dash your foot against a rock, that no weapon formed against you will prosper. Yes, they’ll be formed, but they’re not going to prosper. Hallelujah. Glory to Jesus.
So we’re going to take an offering for those people that want to put cash in the offering, we’re going to take up an offering. If you prefer to do and have already done an EFT transfer, please make sure that the EFT says ‘honour seed’ so that we know where to allocate it so that it all goes to Brother Jerry. Amen. Hallelujah.
Did you get something out of this message today? I know it was a little bit, you know, strong. But sometimes we’ve got to have, you’ve got to understand, there’s a spiritual thing out there, and I’m not breaking spiritual protocol, not for nobody. Not for… that sounds very American, hey. Not for nobody. I’m not breaking spiritual protocol for anything because I know that in some moments, you’ve got to be on the button. You just have to be on the money. You know? Hallelujah. Praise Jesus. Praise the Lord.
Are you ready to take up an offering? Are you ready to give an offering? Do you still love me? I won’t see you next Sunday, but I urge all of you to come and have a holiday on Sunday at Sun City and come and support all our kids, and you can come and join us on the online service out there in the veld. Wat sê julle? (What do you say?) I mean if all the Witbank, all the Heritage of Faith people end up at Sun City and we have a power service, who knows, maybe all the triathletes will fall out under the Spirit. While they’re standing there before they run into the water, boof, boof, boof, they all fall out. Everybody says, “What’s happening?” The power of God has arrived. I’ll tell you what, it will make headline news. “What happened to those triathletes?” There was a preacher there. There was a bunch of people who believed God there. Hallelujah. Glory to Jesus. I’ll tell you what, with these interns anything’s possible. I wouldn’t put it past them, “You’re okay for the swim?” Whoosh, fall over under the power. Hallelujah. Glory to God.
Let’s take up an offering please people. And so I love you. And while I will miss your faces, I’m on assignment with the Lord Jesus, an assignment that God wants me on, and I’d like to hand over the mic to my partner in the ministry, my beautiful, gorgeous, amazing minister of the Gospel, friend, just all-round best thing in my life – besides Jesus.
Pastor Sharon:
Hallelujah. We are going to pray for Pastor John, and I’m just going to call a few people that were on my heart. Christi if you could come, please. And is my son Garth here? Is Pastor G here? Thank you Pastor G. And just Ernest. Ernest, if you can come, please. And Brynn and Miranda, thank you. Hallelujah. Thank you. My son Ernest. So Pastor John, you know, I got so involved in this message that I have gone a bit blank.
Pastor John:
Let me help you, baby. Honour, recognition. I’m the guy…
Pastor Sharon:
… that’s going. That’s right. I had it all in my heart this morning when I was in the Lord and I just went, I just have drawn a blank.
Pastor John:
Baby, let them bless me.
Pastor Sharon:
Yes, that’s right. We’re going to bless Pastor John. We’re going to bless him. Thank You, Lord. Thank You Holy Spirit. Hallelujah. Praise You, Jesus. Praise You, praise You, praise You. Father, we thank You for this trip that you’re sending Pastor John on. Hallelujah. That it will be everything that You’ve foreordained it to be, everything. We send him with our love, Lord. Hallelujah. With blessing, with love, with honour, in Jesus’ name. Thank You, Lord. Pastor Christi, will you pray please? Will you pray for Pastor John?
Pastor Christi:
Father, we give You all the glory today. We bless Pastor John in the mighty Name of Jesus. Lord, we all hear the call as Brother Jerry is calling Pastor John. And we say today; let it be. Let it be. Every moment, Lord, let it be what is in your heart, Father. There is a great shift that came, Lord, for now in this new era, for Pastor John to be with Brother Jerry. We bless him, Lord and like Pastor Sharon said we send him with all of our love, our prayer, and faith behind him, Father. In the mighty Name of Jesus. Hallelujah. Thank You, Lord. Thank You, Lord. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
Pastor Garth:
Father, thank You for this wonderful moment that You have orchestrated that’s in Your heart, because You love these two precious men. You love Brother Jerry, and You love Pastor John. And Father, we ask that every moment that they are together would be sweet, would be filled with your presence. And that as Pastor John opens his mouth to speak in every situation that You would fill his mouth with Your words, and with Your love, and Your anointing and that every moment would be sweet and heavenly. In the precious Name of Jesus.
Pastor Sharon:
Ernest, would you speak words of blessing.
Ernest:
Thank You Father, thank You Father, for this Lord. We give you all the glory, Father. That you lead him, Father, as You go with him Father, in the name of Jesus, Father. That Father we know, Father, as he goes Father, he’s got peace Father with you Lord, in the Name of Jesus. You are behind him as we follow him, Father, as You lead him, Father in each and every direction, Father, in the Name of Jesus. So we thank You, Father, that he’s going to be blessed, as he is blessed, we are blessed too, Father. Each and everyone, Father. Thank You for leading, thank You for giving all the Good News, Father, in the Name of Jesus. And everybody say; Amen.
Brynn and Miranda:
Thank you, Father, for the great honour that Pastor John has for Brother Jerry. And we recognise there are those in this house that recognise and do see. And we participate and are actively engaged in this honour principle, this law of recognition that is at work by sowing this seed. It goes with him, with Pastor John to Brother Jerry, as a great support and strength to him and for him. And Father, I ask you that you would show Pastor John and Brother Jerry, Your glory. I have those words in my spirit, that You would show him Your glory on this trip. And our strength and our support goes with him in the spirit. There is no time or distance in the spirit, our strength and our support goes with him. Show him Your glory. Show him Your glory on this trip, Heavenly Father, in the Name of Jesus.
Pastor Sharon:
Thank You, Father. You have something specific in your heart? Just in agreement with Brynn. Hallelujah. Come Christi stand close here. We thank You, Father, we send him with all of our love. You want to all stretch your hands out, those of you that love Pastor John, that recognise him on assignment for all of us, on assignment for the Lord Jesus, on assignment for all of us as a congregation. Father, as a congregation, Lord, we bless Pastor John. We bless him, that this trip will be everything that is in Your heart. We speak Your heart now and we pray Your heart out, Father for Pastor John on this trip. We will be diligent and mindful to lift him up before You, Lord. As often as You put him on our heart, we will lift him up before You in prayer, Lord, and love. Thank You that he’s protected, he’s directed. He is protected, Lord, and all of what’s in Your heart will come to pass. We pray Your heart out Father, for this trip in Jesus’ name. Hallelujah. We send him with our love, all of us. We send him with our love, Lord. Hallelujah. We send him with all of our love in Jesus’ name. Amen. Amen. We bless all Your people today too, Father. Thank You that they’re blessed going out, blessed going into their cars, blessed wherever they go, Father, blessed back to Johannesburg, blessed here in Witbank. Blessed, just blessed. We call Your people blessed in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Pastor John Bendixen:
I just wanted to remind you that we’re having a Bible school graduation here. I think what date is it Pastor Christi? The 20th, 27th? The 20th. This is really significant because some of the senior guys in Ethiopia, we’ve had a lot of favour, to be chosen as the Bible School of choice for all Protestant Christians in Ethiopia, Pentecostal Christians in Ethiopia, that our Bible School has been chosen as the preferred bible school to be taught in Ethiopia. One of the senior leaders that has probably a 100,000 or more people that are in his congregation, he is coming to receive his doctorate here. So, it’s one of the reasons I’m racing back, getting back as quickly as I can, so that I can be here for that. But I do want to say, I understand spiritual order and I understand spiritual protocol. And if my leader says, “I want you to stay an extra week longer,” Then whatever is supposed to happen here is going to happen here without me. I’m just putting it out there. I don’t know. I don’t know. If he calls me for longer, I have to stay longer. Right? It’s just the way it works. Hallelujah.
I mean, he’s a man who understands I have a family and I have a church and all of that. But if there’s something going on inside of him that he needs me to be with him, I will be there for him. I will stay for what he needs. Amen. I’ve said this to him, and I’m saying it again, none of what he’s doing, what he’s asked for, is he paying for. He’s just lending me his motorbike. Everything else, God through you, has supernaturally taken care of the provision. Air tickets, expenses, everything else without us having to go into tithes and offerings and normal expenditure that we would have in the ministry. God has taken care of it and that’s the way I’ve always worked with Brother Jerry. When he invites me, I don’t expect him to pay. You know, I go to pay. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. Well, God’s doing amazing things here. So, you must make a plan to tune in for Sun City. Don’t just sit at home and say, “Agh it’s Sunday morning.” You must watch guys. Who are the guys that are going to do the marathon, doesn’t matter what level of tri you are doing? Who’s doing the tri? Come on you guys, stand up, stand up the guys that are doing the tri stuff. Look at all these people. Some of them are doing full half Ironman, some of them are doing sprints. Some are doing a medley sprint, some are doing Olympic level stuff. Come on, this is a cool thing. Look how many people are doing tri’s. You must support our people. [Congregation member shouting: “Go Grobbies.”] That’s what I want to hear, that’s what I want to hear. Hallelujah. I mean this is really something God is doing that’s amazing in the ministry. It is raising the level for us all to live healthier, stronger and blessed. So let’s support our people with our love and our voices and text messages and things that you can send if you can’t make it. Amen. Okay, bye.
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