Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ Jesus,
Do you like to be blessed? Do we remember what “blessed” means? It means, “empowered to prosper.” Who empowers us? Yes, the One Who first blessed us, our Abba and Father God. When God blessed us, what did He say?
Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Genesis 1:28 is known as “The Blessing.” The blessings of The Blessing is found in Deuteronomy 28:1-14. Notice the first three things God blessed us with in Genesis 1:28: “be fruitful and multiply and replenish. For whom should we be fruitful and multiply and replenish? For God because He commanded it of us. For what are we to be fruitful and multiply and replenish? For the earth. God didn’t say Heaven. He said, “the earth.” The earth is the Hebrew word, “erets,” and it means “the ground or soil, a country or nation, and even the people inhabiting a land.” God meant for the land and the people of the earth to be fruitful and multiply and replenish. I just heard the religious hit the floor. We just killed another sacred cow. There is nothing about Heaven in this verse. And who is God speaking to in this verse? YOU.
The next question we should be asking The Holy Spirit is “how” are we to “be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth?” Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:33.
Matthew 6:33
But seek ye first The Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Yes, The Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Let’s understand something about God. He is precise, and everything He has thought, said, and done is with purpose. Notice the order of The Blessing. “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish.” Now, what things shall be added unto us if we “seek first The Kingdom of God, and His righteousness?” Yes, “fruitfulness, multiplication, and replenishing” as well as putting the earth under subjection and having dominion, or rule, over every living thing, natural and spiritual, that moveth upon the earth. For this message, we are focused on the “be fruitful and multiply and replenish.”
In two of the previous three weekly messages, entitled, “Are We Declaring God As Our Source I and II,” the tithe was addressed. Malachi 3:10-12 tells us the tithe is the gateway to the blessings of The Blessing. No tithe, then there will be no fruitfulness, no multiplication, and no replenishing. I’ve had some people tell me they don’t tithe, and they are fruitful, they multiply, and they replenish. I tell them, yes in your eyes you are, but you are not in God’s eyes. It’s God’s eyes that count. God sees no tithe as one not having a heart for Him no matter how much you might believe you have a heart for God. Not in God’s eyes. Your heart has put you first; not God.
Matthew 7:24-27
24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Jesus, in verse 24, states those that hear and do His Word are like a wise man whose foundation, The Word, is his rock. Notice in verse 25 that persecutions, afflictions, and the devourer may come against you, but your house will not fall because it is founded, or built, upon The Word of God. Just the opposite will happen to the foolish man or woman that refuses to put God first. The foolish man’s or woman’s house (read “their life and everything they do on earth”) will fall. God’s Word, not mine.
The man or woman that tithes and gives offerings enables God to legally bless them according to His Word. And The Blessing is incredible as God tells us in Proverbs 10:22.
Proverbs 10:22
The Blessing of The LORD, it maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow [labor, anxiety, toil] with it.
Did you notice something interesting about the verse? What makes a Believer rich? The Blessing. Oh yeah, for the religious, when you examine the Hebrew word for “rich” in Proverbs 10:22, it doesn’t mean “Spiritually” rich. Sorry. It is the word, “ashar” which means, “materially, greatly enrich.” We don’t need riches in Heaven. There is plenty there already – beyond your wildest imagination. We need it here to be a blessing to others as we’re called to be in Genesis 12:2-3.
Acts 20:35
I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of The Lord Jesus, how He said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
The Holy Spirit teaches us, through Paul recalling Jesus’ Words, there is a greater blessing in giving than in receiving. Giving what? Offerings. Let’s not get this wrong. The Scriptures did not say there is “no” blessing in receiving. Why, of course, there is. Receiving means your sown seed has multiplied just like The Holy Spirit, through Paul, said it would in II Corinthians 9:10. However, what causes the seed to multiply? The giving, or, in other words, the sowing. Remember, “blessing” means “empowered to prosper.” Until we let go of it, the offering, in faith, consecrated to God and the work of His Kingdom, it cannot be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish.
Let’s take a look at what The Holy Spirit, through Paul, had to say about offerings in the Book of Philippians.
Philippians 4:15-18
15 Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only.
16 For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity.
17 Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.
18 But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.
Look at Philippians 4:17. The Holy Spirit, through Paul, tells us that giving creates bountiful, abundant fruit to your account in Heaven. When we have needs or wants, we can make a claim and receive the claim from our account in Heaven into which we have been investing through our offerings.
In Philippians 4:18, Paul is spending the giving of the Macedonian Church. It is meeting his needs and wants, but the Macedonian Church didn’t lose it. Why? Because it is laid up in their Heavenly account. It was taken out of the world’s system where you could lose it and invested in the Wealth Management Group called The Kingdom of God. Three things happen in verse 18: Paul is spending it in the earth, it is in the Macedonian’s Heavenly account multiplying, and God is smelling a sweet odor of sacrifice, which is acceptable and well pleasing to God. God smells the sweet fragrance of offerings given with the right heart of love, joy, peace, happiness, and help to others.
Paul speaks of the Heavenly account in Philippians 4:17. Where did Paul learn this? Of course, from Jesus. Jesus teaches us in Matthew 6:19-21 to “lay up” treasures for whom? For ourselves. Where? In our Heavenly account. How do we invest in our Heavenly account? Through tithes and offerings.
Matthew 6:19-21
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
We lay up treasures in this Heavenly bank, in our account, where satan (the devourer), the world, corruption, and thieves cannot get to it, and it cannot depreciate, lose value, or be reduced. In fact, our account appreciates. How do we know our account grows and grows? What does Jesus teach us about our offerings? It is found in Mark 10:29-30.
Mark 10:29-30
29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily [truly] I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My sake, and The Gospel’s,
30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
Now, when we sow our money as offerings, for Jesus’ sake and The Gospels, after we’ve tithed, The Head of The Church, Jesus Christ, The King of The Kingdom of God, said, “NOW, IN THIS TIME HE SHALL RECEIVE.” When? Now – in this time. AND, in the world to come. We are helped both “now, in this time” and “in the world to come.” The question is do we believe Jesus’ Words? Or do we lean unto our own understanding and the knowledge and understanding of the world? Jesus told us we, as Believers, would have to fight the good fight of faith in this earth. It takes faith to let go and let God be your one and only Source. And it starts by being willing and obedient to bring the tithe as commanded and to give offerings as directed by the Holy Spirit.
I Timothy 6:12
Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
One of the most important things we can note about I Timothy 6:12 is The Holy Spirit’s instruction to “lay hold on eternal life.” Aren’t we already saved if we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior? Yes, we sure are. And don’t we already have eternal life? Absolutely! Then, why do we need to “lay hold on eternal life?” “Eternal life” is not just existing or living forever. It is a “quality of life.” And we don’t just get it after we die, we have it immediately upon salvation. We have it because of our faith in what Christ did for us.
We must understand why Paul and other Gospel writers speak about “laying hold on eternal life.” The people they were speaking to and writing to were already saved. They already had eternal life. However, this is not the only time in this earth you will “lay hold” on eternal life. You will lay hold on eternal life for healing. You will lay hold on eternal life for prosperity. You will lay hold on eternal life for protection. You will lay hold on eternal life for deliverance. You will lay hold on eternal life for the fruits of righteousness. Eternal life is the whole package Jesus purchased for us.
I Timothy 6:17-19
17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in The Living God, Who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;
19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
We need to believe in two things: laying up and laying hold. To “lay hold” and to “lay up,” we must “fight the good fight of faith.” Both require us understanding God is our source, El Shaddai. Our job is not our source of income. For us, as Believers, our source is God and only God.
In closing this message, satan wants us to do one of two things with money. The first is not believing or trusting The Word of God and His promises that God is El Shaddai, and He will not withhold any good thing from you. This will cause us to covetously hold onto our money. We will be like Cain. Cain gave when and what he wanted to give. God did not respect or honor his giving. Second, we give with no expectation of a return. Sadly, many Believers think this way because churches and denominations teach this. It is absolutely, flat out wrong. Jesus, Himself, makes this abundantly clear in Mark 10:29-30. Not expecting a harvest from our giving helps fulfill satan’s will for us in this earth. To have little or no money to be fruitful, to multiply, or to replenish as we were commanded in Genesis 1:28 and then in Genesis 12:2-3 is not God’s will.
In the next message we’ll continue to examine God’s attitude to money. Religion and wrong handling of The Word of God has produced a lot of anemic, unfruitful, and materially and Spiritually malnourished Believers. It is time to rip away the veil satan is using to blind our Sisters and Brothers in Christ. Imagine a Kingdom full of Believers in the earth believing God’s will as outlined in III John 2? Can you imagine the damage we could do to the kingdom of darkness and all the unsaved souls that would be ushered into The Kingdom of God and powerfully equipped with the full counsel of God? We could turn this earth upside down for Jesus and fulfill all of Genesis 1:28.
“A man’s life consists not in the abundance of what as man has, and it ok to have, but in the abundance of what a man sows.” Ken Copeland.
In Christ,
Larry