This week I watched a YouTube Video at John Hagee’s church by Derek titled Orphans, Widows, the Poor and Oppressed. https://youtu.be/vXa0O3KMnPs James calls it "pure and undefiled religion," but care for the needy is identified as one of God's highest priorities throughout the entire Bible. As Derek Prince shares, take a fresh look at an issue that goes much deeper than simply social concern.
The Lord has placed a burden on my heart that He expects us, His servants, to invest His tithes in the Kingdom of God. Okay, isn’t paying our tithes to the local church we attend investing in the Kingdom? In what way does Jesus expect us to invest in the Kingdom? He expects us to invest in areas where He will earn a positive return on His investment because after all the income we have received in our lifetime is His money. And, He expects us, as stewards, to manage His money with His best interest in mind. It is true the tithes and offerings are for the support of the church ministry, but in my opinion, He expects His money also be used for helping the Orphans, Widows, the Poor, and the Oppressed?
In a moment I will do my best to explain where I believe Jesus expects us to invest time, talents, and income the Lord has provided. But first I want to take a break here to give you an example of what I believe Jesus wants us to understand. The following is a parable the Lord reminded me of - It's about the Master giving three men different amounts of money to invest. He gave each man according to their individual ability to manage. Only two of those men invested the Master's money in such as to earn a positive return on His investments.
Matthew 25:14-29New King James Version (NKJV)
The Parable of the Talents
14 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’
26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.
29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away."
The key to this parable sowing seed is Jesus’ way of explaining how He expects us to invest. Notice the last verse uses the words, “ . . . produces some a hundredfold, some, sixty, some thirty.” This parable is all about our investing the word in people’s hearts and the word producing a return on the investment of one hundredfold, sometimes sixty, and sometimes thirty. I believe these three numbers are percentages of return on the investment and I also see a parallel between The Parable of the Talents and the three men that were given money by the Master to invest. The Master gave each man according to each man’s own ability - The first man had the ability to gain a return of a hundredfold, the second man had the ability to gain a return of sixty, and the third man had the ability to gain a return of thirty. The first two men were obedient to the Master, but the third man was a lazy and unprofitable servant. What happens to the lazy and unprofitable servants of Jesus?
Verse 30 answers the question: 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ The unprofitable servant will be cast into hell.
Did you think that sowing the word is just the church and pastor’s job and not yours? It is true the church and the pastors are to minister the word to the church, but it is also the job of each individual believer to sow the word and do the works that Jesus called each of us individually to do. Whoever told you that it is the church’s job to do all the work and the rest of us don’t have to do anything except pay our tithes? The devil, that’s who. The devil wants churchgoers to be lazy and unprofitable servants for the Kingdom. Why? He hates you and wants you to go to hell with him.
What is another way the believer can invest in the kingdom? The answer is found in the next section of the same chapter 25 of Matthew’s Gospel:
The Son of Man Will Judge the Nations
31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy[c] angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
44 “Then they also will answer Him,[d] saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
What do you think Jesus is saying in this passage? To me, He is saying He will judge each of us according to how we have treated one another. He will judge if we have loved our neighbor or if we have ignored those in need.
What do I believe the Holy Spirit is saying to us, the body of Christ, in this message? I believe He's a desire for us if to invest in the Kingdom the way Jesus did? What was Jesus’ method of investing? He feed people’s hearts by sowing the word in people’s hearts everywhere He went. He delivered those that possessed and oppressed by demons. He healed the sick. He healed the lepers. He opened blind eyes. He feeds thousands of people at a time. He cast out demons and He even raised the dead.
How can we do these things? On our own, we cannot do these things, but Jesus gave us tools to work with. Jesus gave us the authority to use Jesus’ name and He gave us the Holy Spirit to help us. In our earthly body, we do not have the supernatural power to do the above things. Our job is to speak out loud, in faith, the promises of God as Jesus told us to do. And then trust in the power of the Holy Spirit to do the supernatural manifestations according to the promises.
Investing in the Kingdom is not just about investing money. It is investing your time and your talents as well. I feel the Lord called me for the expressed purpose of writing this blog. My heart's desire is to train and educate my readers in such a way that they grow in spiritual maturity. I know this blog is not a great ministry, but I believe it is the ministry that called me to do. No matter how small or insignificant it may be I do it for His sake and not mine. I pray that He gets all the glory and that you are blessed and encouraged. In Jesus' Name Amen.
One final thought - whatever Jesus has called you to do everything you have done in service of others is building up treasures in your account in heaven. We do not serve the Lord for what we can get on this earth, but the Lord has established heavenly rewards for those of us who trust Him and do the work He has called us to do no matter how large or small. The good news is this; when He comes to get us He will be bringing His rewards with Him.
Jesus Testifies to the Churches
12 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”[b]
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