Scripture Reference: Proverbs 2:6 (TPT); Matthew 16:18 (AMPC, TLB); 1 Corinthians 2:4-10 (AMPC); Proverbs 4:7 (TPT); Genesis 4:3-7 (NKJV); Exodus 35:4-5 (NKJV); 2 Corinthians 9:9 (AMPC); Acts 4:34-37 (AMPC); Acts 5:1-2 (AMPC)
Pastor Sharon:
Good morning, everybody.
Pastor Christi:
Good morning.
Pastor Sharon:
We are coming to you live from the auditorium and it’s wonderful to be with you. Even though we can’t see you, we know you are there, and you can see us and it’s so wonderful to be with you today. I want to say; a wonderful Father’s Day. Happy Father’s Day to all of the fathers of Heritage of Faith everywhere, all of you. And may you have such a blessed day with your family and maybe some food and, you know, wonderful conversations, and just happy Father’s Day to you all.
Pastor Christi:
Oh yes to all of them. And to Pastor John, we want to say happy Father’s Day from all of us. We love you so much. And I want to say this, Pastor John, as we say happy Father’s Day here, I can hear all the ‘yes’ in all the different families, in the households going ‘yes.’ Praise the Lord. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for Pastor John. Pastor John, we love you so much and we pray God’s peace and wisdom and great courage for you to walk in the fullness of what God has for you. We just want to say to you today with great joy in our hearts and great love in our hearts; we love you. We love you, Pastor John, happy Father’s Day from all of us.
Pastor Sharon:
Yes, we do celebrate that we can have a spiritual father like Pastor John.
Pastor Christi:
And every day, Pastor Sharon. Now today much more but every single day we are so grateful that we can have a spiritual father like this, into eternity we will celebrate. We will say, “Thank You, Father. Thank You, Lord Jesus, Head of the church, for giving us this gift, for blessing us with Pastor John.” Absolutely, Pastor Sharon, a great joy in our hearts.
Pastor Sharon:
Great joy in our hearts and honour.
Pastor Christi:
Honour, such an honour, such an honour. Yes.
Pastor Sharon:
So Heritage of Faith family, blood-bought family, we are going to just jump in immediately now. Continuing with the revelations that are coming to our local churches, from the Lord Jesus, who is the Head of the local churches. And I wanted to start off with quite a strong introduction before we continue in the revelations that God is bringing to us right now. Brother Jerry calls it; present truth. So, Brother Jerry said this in 2016; there is a breaking loose of revelation knowledge that will take the church to levels of victorious living like never before. That’s why God is telling us to come out of Babylon because He is wanting to take us to victory because there is no victory in Babylon. There is no victory to be gotten in the world system. So He used a scripture in Proverbs two verse six. I don’t have the translation here. But this is what the scripture says. 6Every word that he (God) speaks is full of revelation. If you do what it says you will reign in life (Proverbs 2:6 TPT). Continuing with what Brother Jerry said; revelation knowledge takes you to higher levels and causes you to rule and reign like never before. And then he used this scripture from Matthew 16 and verse 18. Jesus said this, 18On this rock of revelation knowledge, on the rock of revelation knowledge, I will build My church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18 AMPC, TLB). He said, When you build your life on revelation, it will cause you to be impervious to all hell and superior to your adversary. They will not be able to overcome and conquer you. Revelation is the foundation for reigning in your life. Revelation knowledge takes you higher still into another and another realm. And this reminds me, Pastor Christi, of the revelations that we received about the apostle that he brings revelations that will take the church into deeper spiritual realms with the Lord. This is why when we get to the revelations that we are getting now, they’re coming from the Lord Jesus Christ to us to the church now.
So this is what he says here; revelation, knowledge takes you higher still into another and another realm and He will not be able to hold out against you. All the things He has prepared for you, you will have; a great breaking loose of revelation knowledge which we have never experienced before. Only victory from now onwards. The above and beyond in the realm you will live in with revelation knowledge. Knowledge shall increase in the last days. Revelation knowledge is increasing in our days because if the Apostle Paul said that he was living in the last days, we are living in the last of the last days.
And then he used this scripture in Daniel chapter 12, verse four that revelation knowledge of God’s purposes, as revealed by His prophets – excuse me – shall be increased and become great. Again he says; there is a great breaking loose of revelation knowledge. What we are headed for will surpass what Dad Hagin knew and he impacted the world. The increase of the spirit of seeing and knowing. This is spiritual seeing and spiritual knowing. I want to add here and hearing. An increase of the Spirit of hearing, seeing and knowing. Hallelujah. The church is going further and ahead because of what He did, we can now move ahead. The Lord is in a hurry. Jesus said there are many things that He wanted to say then and He couldn’t say it yet because it has been reserved for us for now.
I want to go to this scripture, it has been reserved for us for now. There’s that scripture in Corinthians that says eye has not seen – actually let’s just go there. I think this is it. Yes. It is 1 Corinthians but I want to read from 1 Corinthians chapter 2 and I am reading out of the Amplified Bible, but I would like to read from verse 4. And when you listen to these scriptures out of the Amplified Bible, please see it in context, Heritage of Faith Family, of what is happening right now, what began to happen on another level with I will take the Children. Revelations knowledge has so increased, please see that it is God that is increasing and giving us abundant overflow of revelation knowledge. Right? To take us as a church and His Ecclesia higher and higher. Put Pastor John and I and Pastor Christi in this context, 4And my language, or our language. My language and my message were not set forth in persuasive (enticing and plausible) words of wisdom, but they were in demonstration of the [Holy] Spirit and power [a proof by the Spirit and power of God, operating on us, in us, in Pastor John and stirring in the minds of my hearers – and that is what you’ve got to permit today, Heritage of Faith people. Stirring in the minds of our hearers the most holy emotions and thus persuading them], 5So that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men (human philosophy), but in the power of God. 6Yet when we are among the full-grown (spiritually mature Christians who are ripe in understanding), we do impart a [higher] wisdom (the knowledge of the divine plan previously hidden); but it is indeed not a wisdom of this present age or of this world nor of the leaders and rulers of this age, who are being brought to nothing … 7But rather what we are setting forth, Pastor John included here, is a wisdom of God once hidden [from the human understanding] and now revealed to us by God. Very important here, the Amplified says here, which God devised and decreed before the ages for our glorification. Revelation is for our glorification. It’s so that we can have more of the power of God, more of the presence of God and more of the goodness – experience more of the goodness of God. So God gives revelation knowledge for our glorification 7[to lift us into the glory of His presence]. Revelation knowledge lifts us into the glory of His presence. 8None of the rulers of this age or world perceived and recognized and understood this, for if they had, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory. 9But, on the contrary, as the Scripture says, this is for us now. Here’s revelation knowledge again – What our eye has not seen and our ear has not heard and has not entered into our hearts [all that] God has prepared (made and keeps ready) for those who love Him [who hold Him in affectionate reverence, promptly obeying Him] … Verse 10, 10Yet to us, this is talking about revelation knowledge, God has unveiled and revealed them by and through His Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:4-10 AMPC).
So, revelation knowledge is something, he brought this scripture too. He says here, Proverbs 4:7 also from a translation, 7Revelation-knowledge is what you need—so invest in it! (Proverbs 4:7 TPT). Completely saturate your Spirit with revelation knowledge. Limitless revelation knowledge is what we have available to us right now. I am continuing with Brother Jerry’s speakings by the Spirit. Every revelation takes me to another level. That’s why he spoke the scripture in 2 Corinthians 5. Continue in My Word. Continue in My Word. And I think that is all I am going to say now. Enlarge your capacity to receive revelation knowledge, go beyond your previous limits. Glory, glory to God. So, what we are experiencing is a great breaking loose of revelation knowledge. Every day I can’t stop thanking God for this kind of revelation knowledge that He is bringing us. It is lifting me up into – higher and higher into the glory of His presence.
Pastor Christi:
Yes, yes, higher and new dimensions.
Pastor Sharon:
Keeping and putting my feet, planting them firmly into all the messages. So it is taking me to higher levels of victory. And these messages on Kingdom finances, Pastor Christi, is exactly what God is bringing to us right now. It’s hot off the press. Hot off the heavenly press. And so we press into these messages now. And so we come right now and we go to this principle that you ministered about Pastor Christi that God established the principle that He would be first.
Pastor Christi:
Yes, always. He will always be first.
Pastor Sharon:
Ja, and He has no apologetics that He makes when He says, “I’m first. I’m first. I’m last. I’m beginning. I’m end. I’m Alpha. I’m Omega. I’m first and last.” He makes no apologies that the fact that He’s established that He is first. So even if He’s not your first, He still is first. That doesn’t take Him away from who He is. He is first.
Pastor Christi:
He’s not trying to explain Himself. Oh, no, no, no. He makes that statement for us to understand 100% that He is first and second to nothing in our lives. Second, to nothing, Pastor Sharon, not answered prayer, not something that we come to Him to ask Him because many people do that. They come to God to ask Him something and when they receive it, they walk away from God. And that’s part of motives. That’s part of our heart. That’s not right in coming to God, but He must be first and second to nothing in our lives.
So, Pastor Sharon last week, of course, again it was a wonderful session. We talked about Matthew chapter five. If you want to take your offering and you know that there’s something in your heart that’s not right, leave your gift. It has to do with motives. We talked about Job. Job had fear in his heart. And we talked about motives. We talked about Malachi. God says, “If you bring your gift in a righteous way, My way, then I will be very pleased.” We’re talking about motives.
So we’re going to look at that today. So if you will please open your Bibles in Genesis chapter four this morning with us. We’re going to go there today. Genesis chapter four, I’m going to read from the New King James. And we want to continue about everything that God started to open up – the bigger picture, Pastor Sharon, that your money has a voice. We’ll be looking more at the details today about the motives of your heart. But it ties, all of it is tying together and we will just go a bit deeper here today.
So we’re going to read from Genesis chapter four, from the third verse, from the third verse. The Word of God says that 3In the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Verse 4, 4Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, 5but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell (Genesis 4:3-5 NKJV).
Now, Pastor Sharon, in the past you ministered very powerfully on that. And wherever God is reminding you about messages that Pastor John and Pastor Sharon brought – and there are many – please go back to them. Please listen to them again. Go and put your foot there again, there’s even more for you to hear because you explained so beautifully to us, Pastor Sharon, when his countenance fell, he was depressed. And we know it’s because of the motives of the heart. We’re going to read from verse six. 6So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? Verse 7, 7If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” (Genesis 4:6-7 NKJV).
So Pastor Sharon, right here in the beginning of Genesis, Cain and Abel through Adam and Eve knew that God, they taught their children, they knew, Cain and Abel, through their parents that God must be first. So God, there’s a law in the nature of God that He has designed Himself to be first. First in creation, first in your life, first in the lives of your children, and first, of course, in your finances, in all areas of your life.
Now, what’s very important for us to go into that flow today. Pastor Sharon, we see very clearly here from the Word of God that when we look at a gift, just maybe we can say this when you bring a gift to the Lord – an offering is also another word for gift – you offer it up, you bring it to God. But just because you offer it up to God does not mean He’s going to accept it. God does not accept all offerings. He’s very clear. 4The Lord, in verse four, the Lord respected Abel and his offering. Verse five, 5but God did not respect Cain and his offering (Genesis 4:4-5 NKJV). All gifts, Pastor Sharon, will not be received by the Lord. No, it will not.
Pastor Sharon:
Well, Abel brought first, he brought his first, which means his best, his highest, his choicest. Whereas Cain brought what he felt like and what he thought he would give God, eventhough he had been taught too about bringing your choicest and your highest and your best to God.
Pastor Christi:
Yes. He was taught the same thing and he knew the same thing. And you know, Pastor Sharon, Abel gave, like you said, his first lamb. Now, we will talk if it’s God’s will, in another session in detail about this. To bring the first lamb means you don’t have 10. You bring the first. It is absolutely like all the other offerings; a gift of faith. God had one Son, not 10. He gave His first and His best. Abraham had one son, not 10. He gave his first and his best. So Abel gave his first lamb, just like Pastor Sharon said. And this offering was accepted by the Lord because it’s the first in the best. But Cain gave from his leftovers, not his first fruits, and it was not as accepted by God. That’s very important.
And Pastor Sharon, now that we are talking about motives, for all of us to understand how important motives are in our hearts, Cain killed Abel because of the first lamb. He killed, he killed him that’s the whole situation happening here in Genesis four because Abel honoured God with his first and his best.
Now we know today that we are not killing one another physically. But that murder, that killing happens with the tongue and what is in our hearts when it comes to other people’s giving, and the motives in our hearts, Pastor Sharon. So this is what Cain did because he killed Abel because of that first lamb that he brought.
Pastor Sharon:
His heart was so dark. Because I’m thinking of that scripture now in the New Testament and I don’t know if it was Jesus that said it that murdering is in your heart. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Murder starts in your heart.
And so he had murder in his heart towards his brother.
Pastor Christi:
That’s right, that’s right, Pastor Sharon. And one thing that I’m grateful because, Pastor Sharon, when we want to set things right in our lives, we come to repent. God did not leave Cain alone. God gave Cain His Word like He is bringing His messages to us. God says about Cain, number one, we need to understand that God is a jealous God. He loves us. He will not leave us up to our own devices. He will not stop watching over us to secure for Himself our lives and our assignment, Pastor Sharon. That’s why he said to Cain, “Come on, Cain, sin is crouching at your door. But you know like Abel, you know what to do, you know what to do.” And you know, Pastor Sharon, this for us in our collective greatness, that’s why when we see people doing the right thing, Cain could’ve said, “Abel, please show me. Please, tell me what you are doing.” But he did not want …
Pastor Sharon:
If he forgot what his parents already taught him.
Pastor Christi:
And we know he did not. No, he did not. But if we want to repent and change, you can say, “Lord, Lord, I want to master this thing.” That is why God is bringing us these messages to purify our hearts.
Pastor Sharon:
Yes, God gave him a magnificent opportunity, speaking to him personally. You can do right. You know what’s right to do here. You know how to give a righteous offering.
Pastor Christi:
You know. That’s right. He said, “Come on Cain.” That is right, Pastor Sharon. And that’s what God is saying to us.
Pastor Sharon:
You can master it. And that’s what God is saying to us. You can master it.
Pastor Christi:
You can master these things. Come out of Babylon. Hear My Word. That’s why He says to Malachi, “I sent you the messenger with all these messages so that it will be clear.”
Pastor Sharon:
So that the sharp-two-edged-sword can expose the aims and motives and intents and purposes of your heart, so that you can then, purify your heart and do right. You can go from wrong or unrighteous to righteous with the help of the Holy Spirit, like that. (Snaps fingers) If you allow, the revelations and you allow yourself to saturate yourself with these revelations that God is bringing to us now. Everybody in Heritage of Faith will have every opportunity to master what is crouching at the door of your heart.
Pastor Christi:
Yes, absolutely Pastor Sharon. And I wrote here; these messages to purify our hearts, we must understand and welcome the Word of God and let Scripture speak to our hearts. Why? It is when all of us are hearing these things because it’s the words of God, then it is exposing and revealing the motives of our hearts. Pastor Sharon, we must expect this. He is shining the light.
Pastor Sharon:
Yes, we must want it because Hebrews chapter 4 says that the word that God speaks, the current present truth, the current revelation that God speaks is alive, active, operative, energizing, is able to divide in your heart, between soul and spirit, exposing and sifting the very thoughts, purposes and intents of your heart, so that we can get the unrighteous out and be righteous and bring righteous offerings so that God can then take a city, take your family, take a church, take a city, take a nation.
Pastor Christi:
Take a nation. Yes, that’s right, Pastor Sharon. We’ve been impacted by Babylon. We’ve been impacted, so God says, “Listen, see for yourself. I’m bringing the light more and more light but you have to check your own heart.” And not to run away, Pastor Sharon. This is not to judge us, to condemn us.
Pastor Sharon:
No, this is to cleanse and to purify and have that sharp-two-edges, it’s got two edges, to go into your heart and go, (makes cutting sounds). “You see that? You want it out? (makes cutting sounds) That’s what the Holy Spirit does with a sword of the Spirit. He wields it in our hearts.
Pastor Christi
Yes, He does. And that’s why we welcome it, and that’s why we continue, let Scripture speak. I do that every time and I say those words, how the Holy Spirit brought it to us, let Scripture speak. And I open my Bible and I go to the messages. And I thank the Lord that Scripture can speak to my heart and that I can choose to repent. I can choose to change and come like a little child. Because what is God after? He is taking us and He wants us to enter into the promises, the Promised Land, Pastor Sharon. That’s why He’s bringing us this revelation. The way you gave us that whole powerful introduction this morning because He’s taking us and we must be willing.
Pastor Sharon:
Yes, as an Ecclesia, what He has planned for us is His unprecedented goodness, abundant overflow. But it is His way, us walking in all of His ways.
Pastor Christi:
Yes, it is His ways, Pastor Sharon. Because Cain wanted to bring to God according to his ways.
Pastor Sharon:
And he wanted God to accept it and be impressed with it and he was upset when God didn’t.
Pastor Christi:
He was actually upset with God. “How can you not like me coming my own way?”
Pastor Sharon:
“And giving you what I want to give you?”
Pastor Christi:
That is right, Pastor Sharon. Knowing what Your word says, knowing what Your will is and knowing that God, You are first in my life. Pastor Sharon, that is the thing that we all have to check our hearts with. Where are we doing what we want to and coming to God, knowing that’s not what His Word is saying?
Pastor Sharon:
You know, Pastor Christi, you said this in your message in Joburg; it’s how Cain decided. God said, “I decided what you bring because I’m first.” And Cain said, “No Lord, I will put my own spin on it; I will bring it this way.”
Pastor Christi:
That’s right, that’s right. And then we justify, you know, Pastor Sharon. We as a people must remember that all the time, we know actually when we do things like this, and we try to justify it.
Pastor Sharon:
And we think God turns a blind eye and actually, He is so personal that He will accept one offering and not another.
Pastor Christi:
That’s right Pastor Sharon. It’s actually offensive towards God. It’s very offensive towards Him. And you know, Pastor Sharon, we spoke about, actually, in our first and second session about Exodus 35, verse 4. I’m not going to read all of it. I do believe you’ve got your Bibles there and you might even see it on the screen. But this is where God said in verse 4. 4And Moses spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, “This is the thing which the Lord commanded (Exodus 35:4 NKJV). You see, and this is what God’s saying about all things in our lives. “This is the thing which I say.”
Pastor Sharon:
“Yes, I want it like this. In fact, I command it like this. Don’t try and put a spin on it and bring it any other way.”
Pastor Christi:
Correct, correct. And you know, Pastor Sharon, you and Pastor John ministered on this for years. Why is putting your foot in the message so important? Because when you receive the messages, the help of the Holy Spirit is there to self-correct. Because we hear what we’ve got to do, because it will come back to God saying, “This is the thing that I command you. This is the way you must bring it.” And then he said in verse five, 5Take from among you an offering to the Lord. Whoever is of a willing heart (Exodus 35:5 NKJV). Now we come back to Cain and Abel, Pastor Sharon, and to our lives. One thing that we need to understand here, that God is looking for a willing heart and He wants us to give on purpose. We know the Word of God says that. But God will not force us. He will not force us to give. Cain was not forced. And it would have been better not to bring anything than to bring an offensive, loathsome gift that’s against God.
Pastor Sharon:
That God wants to remove.
Pastor Christi:
That He wants to remove. He wants to remove that thing. Because, Pastor Sharon, you’ve mentioned it, and that’s why I’m just going there very quickly. The Holy Spirit leads us. Pastor John ministered on this and I mean, he’s still ministering on this. God initiates and motivates us to give. When we love God and we desire His ways, when we really do good by obeying the Word of God, it’s not even us, Pastor Sharon. It is always the leading of the Holy Spirit, always the Holy Spirit that’s initiating, because God will never be a point of frustration and contention in our lives. He wants us to desire Him and to come to Him with the right motives.
Pastor Sharon:
Actually, in a lot of that portion of Scripture, if you read more of it, which you should, in Exodus 35 it says, whom God made willing. God made their hearts willing. Because He could, because they gave Him their whole hearts to say, “Lord, You’re first.” There was some there that gave because God worked in their hearts to make them willing. Not everybody brought an offering after Moses said, “This is what the Lord commanded.” But those whom the Lord was able to make their hearts willing, they brought; and that’s the kind of offering that God…
Pastor Christi:
That’s what He’s after, that’s what He’s after.
Pastor Sharon:
9He loves … a cheerful (joyous, “prompt to do it”) giver. He is unwilling to abandon or to do without a cheerful (joyous, “prompt to do it”) giver [whose heart is in his giving] (2 Corinthians 9:9 AMPC). Hallelujah, hallelujah. And you said this Pastor Christi, at that time when you read that you said, because God says, all your giving, you can only do it and may only do it from a willing heart. Why is this such a big issue to God? Because everything touching Him must be internally motivated by your love for Him otherwise, it’s law. Otherwise, you will do it just because of obligation. Because God will not be a point of frustration or contention in your life. He will not. He will not do that. He will not be a point of contention or frustration in your life. He wants us to desire Him and come to Him with our right motives.
Pastor Christi: That’s right. That’s very right, Pastor Sharon. Because the Holy Spirit leads us. Because He takes us. He wants us to enter into the new era, the Promised Land. There’s an entering that God wants to bless us with, but He’s looking for those hearts.
Pastor Sharon:
Yes, He has to have an entering in your heart because if you don’t allow Him to enter to touch the things in your life that He might want, you’ve already said, “No entry, Lord.” Because I’ve ticked all those boxes, You may not touch that which means your heart is hard, which means you will not open up your heart to God for anything else.
Pastor Christi:
Correct. That’s correct, Pastor Sharon. And that’s what Pastor John said, when you love God, and you really abide in Him and you desire Him, that’s why the Holy Spirit like He could with those people with Moses when you give your heart like that, He can lead you. And then the desires of your heart are not you, it’s still by the Holy Spirit initiating and leading you but then according to His ways, not just because you’re chasing, and you want things for yourself, but you love Him, you abide in Him, and He wants to lead you and you let Him.
Pastor Sharon: And what gift can I bring? And you’re asking. And you’re inquiring. What gift can I bring? What can I give? What can I offer up to you, Lord? You have access to all, Lord. You are my first, Lord.
Pastor Christi: You’re my first. You’re my first and that is what God is after, Pastor Sharon, And then, of course, that’s what we’re after – to go with God into the promises, into what He has for us with a heart like that. But we are grateful that He comes and shows us this that the light is shining on all of our hearts, that we can get to that place, that we can get to that place. Then, Pastor Sharon, of course, there is much more to say about motives and we have to go there. Still coming out of Genesis 4, talking about Cain and Abel. I want to take you back to the third verse where it says, 3And in the process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground, to the Lord (Genesis 4:3 NKJV). So, how God helped me regarding that, Pastor Sharon, the Lord said, “Stop talking that you are giving to the church.” And that hit me because I mean, I have been doing that. I’m giving, there’s a missions, there’s an outreach going there, I’m giving to missions. God says, “No, Christi, stop talking about giving to the church. You are giving your gift to the Lord, it’s about you and God, it’s about God and you.”
Pastor Sharon:
Yes, that’s right. This is what you said; we must stop talking and using the words that you are giving to the church. From today, we need to make a very big adjustment in the way we talk. We are giving to the Lord. You must say, “I’m giving to the Lord.”
Pastor Christi:
Ja, because that’s a very sneaky area, Pastor Sharon, where the enemy wants to come in because we know the attack and the reproach against the church and believers for years. “Pastors just want to talk about money.” You just want my money.” No, no. This is what Moses said to them, this is the thing the Lord commanded. We have to get these things in our house and our own speaking and the way we talk about these things, in order.
Pastor Sharon:
And we cannot also be so in that thing that every time we speak about giving to the Lord an offering, giving of our substance and our wealth and of our material things, is only one part of giving first fruits. We are to give the first fruit of our children to God, so the rest can be blessed. That scripture that you read in Ezekiel that says bring to the Lord, offer up to the Lord, the first fruits of all things. All things in our life. I give Him the choice, the best, I give him the first of my day, I give Him the first of my week by coming to assembling together. I give Him the first of my morning. That’s what David says; I’m awake, first thing in the morning I’m speaking to You. There are firsts of everything in our lives. Money is just a part of it.
Pastor Christi:
Just a part of it. First of all things in your life. God is second to nothing. We are about our Father’s busyness. It’s not our own busyness, chasing and running around because I want more and more. I’m already making a lot of money. And I want more. And I want more. So I’m part of my self-will, my busyness and not about my Father’s business and putting Him first in all things. So, Pastor Sharon, that is a very important aspect that we have to get into order that God brings the surges to Pastor John and leading him. It’s God. Just like Moses, Pastor John will come and say to us, “This is the thing that the Lord is commanding us.” And we as a congregation will go, “Yes, Lord. Yes, Pastor John. We know you are hearing from God. We are hearing what you are saying to us and we say, ‘Yes, Lord, we are giving to the Lord.’”
Pastor Sharon:
And that’s how it works. He surges in Pastor John and then He surges in us. We must let Him surge in us too, initiate and activate everything in us.
Pastor Christi: That’s right, Pastor Sharon. We’re going to touch on a big matter here, Pastor Sharon, a second thing that the Lord just highlighted for me. He said to me, “Christi, your offerings…” If someone else is bringing an offering to the Lord, it’s not my business, it’s their business. The leading of the Holy Spirit – it’s between God and them. And we have to mind our own business, Pastor Sharon, we have nothing to say about that.
Pastor Sharon:
Pastor Christi, that was such a big thing to me when you brought that point in Joburg that I’ve got it in emboldened here. Also very important, your offerings to the Lord, your offerings to the Lord is not my business. My offerings to the Lord is not your business. You know, Cain made it his business to not mind his own business and look what’s happening to my brother. He compared, he competed and he did not mind his own business.
Pastor Christi: No, he did not. He was angry, he got depressed.
Pastor Sharon: And I’m convinced, Christi, that Abel knew nothing about what was happening between Cain and God because his offering of his was so initiated and so private and so powerful and personal between him and God, bringing the first so grateful that he could be obedient to God and give the way God had commanded, you know, that he wasn’t even interested. He was so absorbed in God and so that is a really big deal to God that you compare, you compete, and you bring offerings because of what other people are doing. And I know, Pastor Christi, that the Lord showed you about how people get thrown by other people’s big giving. And this goes to the heart of all of us that I’m not to be thrown in my heart. Because I hear that Brother Jerry gives like that and Brother Copeland gives like that because I’m so confident in my own walk with God and my own openness of heart towards God, to speak to me, to initiate in me what He requires of me to do, that I don’t try and compare and compete. I mind my own business. Whenever my spiritual leaders tell us what they give, even if Pastor John has said in this congregation the amount that he gave, that God prompted him to give, that wasn’t your business. It was a thing God required Pastor John to say, “I too got a surge in me to give too at this time.” As David, everybody knew that David at that time gave that much. God made it public. It was public. It wasn’t for you to say, “Well, I’m going to match you then, Pastor John.” You are not minding your own business. You’ve got to have your business with God. And so, it works both ways because there’s going to be a lot of giving, big giving that’s going to happen now. And people that can only give like the widow woman – you’re not to be moved. Heritage of Faith family, you’re not to be moved; you’re not to compare and then come like this to bring what God, what’s in your heart to give by God and go, “It’s all I could give. It’s just like a little, it’s just a little.” How can you demean what the Holy Spirit has put in your heart to give as if your gift is less precious than someone else that’s given a lot? Jesus has already shown us how He views gifts. Because a lot of rich people don’t keep a lot back. A lot back. And God’s not impressed.
Pastor Christi:
He’s not. And actually, what we’ve said – what you give and what you keep testifies. So that’s why God is revealing this matter completely.
Pastor Sharon:
He’s opening it up completely.
Pastor Christi: He’s opening it up completely, Pastor Sharon. That someone that can only give like that widow woman, they give everything. God is so pleased.
Pastor Sharon:
Yes. So don’t let the enemy come to you and say, “Oh, but it’s so little.” You resist him and say, “This is an offering that comes from my willing heart. I’m giving like the widow woman gave.” She minded her own business. She was not looking at what the rich people were giving. She was not thrown by what the rich people were giving. No. She had her transaction between her and God.
Pastor Christi:
It was a holy transaction between her and God. That’s right. And she was minding her own business.
Pastor Sharon:
And Jesus knew the motive of her heart.
Pastor Christi:
I believe that’s why He wanted to highlight it to us. That’s right, Pastor Sharon. And that is still speaking to us. We know how important that is. And you know Pastor Sharon, what you just said about Cain – Abel was the baby brother. I really believe he knew nothing. I believe, just like you, he thought, “Well, my older brother, he knows what to do. He’s definitely doing the right thing.” I think he was not even thinking about that. I mean, Cain, with that murder in his heart and thoughts, killed his baby brother. Where I believe Abel thought, “Well, Cain knows – just like me – how to give and to bring to God.” I think he did not really know what was going on in the heart of his older brother.
Pastor Sharon:
He came like a little child.
Pastor Christi:
He came like a little child to give and to be with the Lord. So, Pastor Sharon, you’re right. This is a big thing for God. All my offerings and my giving is not your business. Do not judge someone else’s holy transaction, as Pastor John shared with us many years ago, because it’s Spirit-led. You do not know what’s going on there. You don’t know what’s going on there. And then, Pastor Sharon, a third big matter, you’re quite right. This thing in our church many, many years ago impacted me. When people wanted really to bless Pastor John, how many people were offended by big giving like that.
Pastor Sharon:
There are people in Heritage of Faith that have been offended by someone else’s big giving. And you know why they’re offended, Pastor Christi? Because “Don’t tell me God might require that of me because I will only give God what I want to give.” Oh, you know, really?
Pastor Christi:
Normally they are the ones not giving. So now the light is shining, it’s showing the motives of their hearts. And they don’t like it. And now that murder that ‘I don’t like it,” is in the heart. It’s immediately in the heart. Because it’s exposing them. It’s absolutely, if your heart is not there in love and in the leading and the abiding and in your own fellowship and walk with God, then that means that if someone can give like that and I got wrong motives in my heart, it’s going to trigger that and it’s going to come to the forefront.
Pastor Sharon:
And even if you’re a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, and you may see yourself as a disciple, you’ve been to Bible School, you’ve done this, you’re following the Lord. Those disciples of Jesus were furious because Mary took a whole year’s precious perfume over Jesus’ feet. They were indignant. They said, “This could have been sold and given to the poor and not to Jesus. Shouldn’t been given to Jesus.” So, even today, if people think that they are disciples that they can be – all the disciples were indignant and displeased that Mary could come and pour out lavish expense on the feet of Jesus. They made it their business and it was none of their business what Mary was doing with Jesus at that time. None of their business.
Pastor Christi:
It was a beautiful thing she did.
Pastor Sharon:
And that’s what He replied to them. He said, “This that she’s done, will be spoken off forever but you didn’t even give me anything. You’ve given me nothing.” Jesus was not happy with their response.
Pastor Christi:
And that one was a holy transaction, an offering between her and God. And not your business, twelve disciples. Not your business. Absolutely, Pastor Sharon.
Pastor Sharon:
This is a very big deal among us that you mind your own business. When you start hearing about what other people are giving that you mind your own business. Because there was a very, very dangerous thing that happened here with people that did not mind their own business. And I think I’d like to go there in the book of Acts.
Pastor Christi:
I just wanted to say, I know you’ve got important things to say because here it links up with what happened in Acts chapter four. And this is the thing in my heart, Pastor Sharon, that we’re going to talk a lot about going forward, and in these matters, and among our collective greatness. Acts, chapter four, God wants us to get used to, I mean, what is big giving to you and to any one of us, Pastor Sharon?
This giving, that giving by the leading of the Holy Spirit, that what you’re going to read to us now, will immediately expose all of our hearts when we see and hear things like that happening. It will expose all of our hearts because, Pastor Sharon, people are still, the enemy comes to say, “What will people say?” It’s not what people will say. Is God pleased? Are you obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit? It’s between you and God and the leading of the Holy Spirit. And that is so big what happened in Acts chapter four.
Pastor Sharon:
I should have nothing to think and say about anybody’s giving. Big, medium, or small. What have I got to say? I don’t even know if the Lord’s accepted their offering. What have I got to say? I might find myself being presumptuous, Pastor Christi, saying, “Oh, that one gave that, isn’t that wonderful?” And God may not have accepted it. What do I know about what’s going on personally between God in the heart of the person and the Lord? I’ve got nothing to say. I’ve got no judgment to make.
Look what happened here in Acts chapter four. We’re going to wrap up with this. We go to Acts chapter four, verse 36. Let’s go to verse 34. This was at a time, 34Nor was there a destitute or needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses proceeded to sell them, and one by one they brought back and gave the amount received from the sales 35And laid it at the feet of the apostles (special messengers). Then distribution was made according. Now here’s a guy with pure motives. 36Now Joseph, a Levite and native of Cyprus, God is initiating something in him, who was surnamed Barnabas by the apostles, which interpreted means Son of Encouragement, 37sold a field which belonged to him and brought the sum of money and laid it at the feet of the apostles(Acts 4:34-37 AMPC). Very next verse, 1 But, but here’s a but here, Pastor Christi. A big but that’s been put in there by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. 1But a certain man, in the same environment as Joseph, named Ananias with his wife Sapphira sold a piece of property. So they saw what Joseph did, 2And with his wife’s knowledge and connivance he kept back and wrongfully appropriated some of the proceeds, bringing only a part and putting it at the feet of the apostles (Acts 5:1-2 AMPC).
So, I’m not even going to go into the rest here. Because that was, loathsome to the Lord and God did not accept it. He accepted from Joseph. He accepted that offering. And so, Ananias and Sapphira, they’re in the same company now, and they’re watching to see what he did. So if he gave I can’t, the pastor, the apostles must see that I’m also giving something. I care what people think about it. So what I’m going to do is, I’m going to say this, but I’m actually only going to do that. God knows all about these things in our hearts, Pastor Christi.
Pastor Christi:
He knows about the motives, Pastor Sharon.
Pastor Sharon:
They didn’t, Ananias and Sapphira didn’t mind their own business and go to God for an activation and an initiation and allow God to make their heart willing. So they brought something and it was very costly. Because, why? It impacted all of the people there. It really did. It goes back to what God’s been showing you, Pastor Christi that our giving, our buying, our selling, our bringing, how we do it, what we do, when we do it does not just impact you. It impacts the whole collective greatness.
Just like Achan, what he kept and took for himself impacted everybody. God could not move forward now because…
Pastor Christi:
It jeopardised the collective greatness.
Pastor Sharon: It jeopardised their authority and their jurisdiction that they had and what God needed, for them to have together as a people moving forward into the Promised Land. We’re going to stop there? This was loaded again today, and let those who have ears to hear, hear what the Spirit of God is saying to our local churches at this time. And we pray for you.
We pray that this word that was ministered today, that by the power of the blood of Jesus, you will allow it to penetrate and to pierce your heart and to bring great changes to you, so that you may be one of the 10 righteous that God is saying that they will give me offerings in righteousness. They will bring to me offerings in righteousness.
And may the fruit come off this word to the glory of God our Father. And to the glory of the head of the church, the Lord Jesus Christ. So we speak protection of this word in your heart. We speak healing to your bodies, in the name of Jesus. We speak. We hold the Blood. We plead the Blood. We speak the Blood over every single Heritage of Faith person, in the precious and mighty name of Jesus.
We say goodbye to you for now. And we’ll see you again with a continuation, God will continue to bring more revelation. In Jesus’ name. Bye-bye everybody.
Pastor Christi:
Bye-bye, everyone.
Pastor Sharon:
We love you.
Pastor Christi:
Love you lots.
Pastor Sharon:
God loves you. And see you soon.
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