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MEGA POWER
Acts 4.33a
And with great power the apostles gave
witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
1)MEGA POWER to witness
2)MEGA POWER to share
Acts
4:34,35
34 Nor was
there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands
or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were
sold,
35 and laid them at the apostles' feet; and they distributed
to each as anyone had need.
Beware
of a false sense of contentment.
Deuteronomy 8:18
18 "And you
shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power
to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore
your fathers, as it is this day.
3)MEGA POWER
to fulfill our new missions.
Luke
5:4,10 - Calling of the First Disciples.
Launch
into the deep ...
"Do not
be afraid. From now on you will catch men."
We are called to be blessed that we may be a blessing to others.
Genesis
12:2 - The LORD's first promise to Abram.
I will make you a great nation; I will bless
you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.
Three things
will come about in the last days
||.
MEGA GRACE.
Acts
4:33b - The believers share their property.
And with great power the apostles
gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
...
And great grace was upon them all.
1) The MEGA CRACE of abundance.
Acts
4:34 - The believers share their property.
34 There were no needy persons among them. For from time
to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money
from the sales.
There was mega givings, because there
are people with mega means. And they are willing to give.
God wants us to be prosperous.
Is it true
that we must be poor to be spiritual and humble?
Proverbs 1:32
... the prosperity of fools
shall destroy them.
1 Timothy 6:10 - Guidelines for living
a Godly life.
10 Certaintly,
the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some
people who have set their hearts on becoming rich have wandered away from
the Christian faith and have caused themselves a lot of grief.
3 John 2
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health,
just as your soul prospers.
Greek:
euodoo: Reaching our goal or destination and being successful in every
areas: physically, emotionally, spiritually and financially.
Jeremiah 29:11 - Jeremiah writes to the captives in Babylon.
11 I know
the plans I have for you, declares the LORD. They are plans for peace and
not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope.
Joel 2:26 - The LORD will give earthlyy
blessings to His people.
26 You will have plenty to eat, and you will be full.
You will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has performed miracles
for you. My people will never be ashamed again.
2 Corinthians 8:9 - The collection
for Christians in Jerusalem.
9 You know about the kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He was rich, yet for your sake he became poor in order to make you
rich through his poverty.
Psalms 35:27
27 "Let the LORD be magnified, who has pleasure in the
prosperity of His servant."
We are the servants of the Lord, thus
the Lord delights in making us prosper.
God wants us to have the best, live the best, and give the best.
The tithes and offerings are means of blessings for us.
Psalms
24:1
1 The earth is the LORD's, and it all contains, the world,
and those who dwell in it.
Malachi 3:10-12 - The coming of the
messenger of the promise.
10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there
may be food in My house and try Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts,
"If I will not open for you teh windows of heaven and pour out for
you such blessing that there will not be room enough to recieve it.
11 "And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so
that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail
to bear fruit for you in the field," says the LORD of hosts.
2 Corinthians 9:6-9 - The reason to
give to the Christians in Jerusalem.
6 Remember this: The farmer who plants a few seeds will
have a very small harvest. But the farmer who plants because he has recieved
God's blessings will recieve a harvest of God's blessings in return.
The Principle
of reaping what you sow. How much you get is in direct proportion to how
much you have given. The more you give, the more you shall recieve.
7 Each of you should
give whatever you have decided. You shouldn't be sorry that you have or
feel forced to give, since God loves a cheerful giver.
8 Besides, God will give you his constantly overflowing
kindness. Then, when you always have everything you need, you can do more
and more good things.
9 Scripture says, "The righteous person gives freely
to the poor. His righteousness continues forever."
We need to
live in the spirit of abundance.
The
spirit of abundance is not related to how much you have in the bank NOW.
We can have a big, fat bank account but yet still live in the spirit of
poverty.
What are some manifestations of the spirit of poverty?
Live
in the spirit of prosperity. We may not have a big, fat bank account NOW,
but we can still live with the attitude of rest in any circumstance.
Matthew 17:27 - Paying the temple tax.
27 However, so that we don't
create a scandal, go to the sea and throw in a hook. Take the first fish
that you catch. Open it's mouth, and you will find a coin. Give that coin
to them for you and me.
Our sacrificial giving will not diminish our capacity to enjoy
the blessings of God.
Mark
10:29-31 - Eternal Life in the kingdom.
29 Jesus said, "I can guarantee
this truth: Anyone who gave up his home, brothers, sisters, mother, father,
children, or fields because of me and the Good News
30 will certaintly receive a 100 times as much here in
life. They will certaintly receive homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children,
and fields, along with persecutions. But in the world to come they will
receive eternal life.
31 But many who are first will be last, and many who are last
will be first.
Before the mega giving, Barnabas was not living
accoring to his calling and his name. He owned fields! Old Testament laws
clearly forbid Levites from owning agricultural fields. They were called
to teach the Law and needed to focus all their concentration on it.
Joshua 13:14 - Tribes that received
land east of the Jordan river.
14 Moses did not give any
land as an inheritance to the tribe of Levi. The sacrifices offered to
the LORD God of Israel are what the Levites inherited, as the LORD promised
them.
Deuteronomy 10:8,9
8 At that time the LORD
seperated the tribe of Levi to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD,
to stand before the LORD to minister to Him and to bless in His name, to
this day.
They are however allowed to own houses in
the cities, and are given the best produce of the land.
Leviticus 25:32
32 "The Levites have always had the right to buy back
their property in the cities they own.
Ezekiel 44:30
30 The priests should have
the best of all the first ripened fruits. The best of every gift from all
your contributions must go to the priests. The best of your dough must
go to the priests. This will cause a blessing to rest on your home.
Barnabas should know this law. Contrary to
New Testament laws, he had owned a field. BUT what the law cannot do, the
spirit could. Touched by the Lord, he finally walked in full obedience
(Gave the land away) and consequently was able to fulfill his calling.
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