i'm pastor stephen brooks and i'm so happy that you are here today and i believe that the lord has a word that will build you up and strengthen you and that god's word will empower you to do what he has called you to do and to be who he has called you to be praise the lord now before we get into today's message and before i share some exciting and wonderful news with you let's first honor the lord and bring the holy tides and offerings into the storehouse of the lord now malachi chapter 3 it says in verse 8 will a man rob god yet you have robbed me but you say in what way have we robbed you in tithes and offerings you are cursed with the curse for you have robbed me even this whole nation bring all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be food in my house and try me now on this says the lord of hosts if i will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it and of course then the lord begins to go into other tremendous benefits of being involved in a financial covenant with him now tithing does bring you into a financial covenant with the lord and let me just say this that all covenants have conditions or we could say it like this all covenants have requirements so the financial covenant is something that you have to meet the conditions in order for that covenant to be engaged not just on your part but it takes god to commit his part to it also let me get let me give you a key example probably the most important example would be the covenant of salvation that is the main thing in life that every person needs is the most important thing and you don't want to leave this world without it it's the covenant of salvation but even that covenant has conditions that you must be willing to meet for whoever calls on the name of the lord shall be saved well pastor stephen i'm not going to call well then you're going to forfeit something that has already been purchased for you but hey it's not going to be yours unless you possess it okay you have to call upon the name of the lord and we also know that in the book of acts when peter gave his classic message and the people cried out and said well what do we need what do we need to do to be saved and peter said believe on the lord jesus christ and so those are conditions well if you're not willing to do that then you cannot come into the covenant of salvation because it is a covenant that's given through grace by faith so you must believe well i don't want any part of that pastor stephen i want to i don't want to believe then the covenant god's not committed to it and you are still lost in your sins so every covenant has conditions now tithing brings you into a financial covenant with the lord this means that tithing is the act of giving 10 percent of all of your income and any increase to the lord when you do your part okay which is very important when you do your part of bringing the tithe into the storehouse of god then god fulfills his own part of the bargain and then when you do your part he comes in and then he releases his financial grace and abundance into your life i would highly encourage you to never get into a debate in your mind or with god or with anybody really don't ever debate about paying your tithe because technically from a biblical perspective the tithe is god's it's not it's not like we have an option to debate well i think i'll do it i think i won't i'll let me see what i'm going to do with your money or with my money well the tithe is not my money or your money the tithe is the lord's and it belongs to him so that's something please i would encourage you never to debate or to let that throw you off because another classic example i was reading a new book that's just come out i can't remember the exact title something about the moses of wall street we've all heard the the stories of the wolf of wall street or this or that or you know the the people on wall street that you know they just go for blood they're going to get that money no matter what they have to do to get it well this man is a christian man a businessman and the lord gave him biblical insights into investing into the stock market and he went from investing an initial small amount of a few thousand dollars and within three years turning that into several million dollars and his brother did the same thing because they were following uh following some biblical principles and also a key revelation that that god gave them and the revelation that's his story i won't get into that but what this dear man said is that he and his wife had always been tithers but when they got into the millions uh they didn't pay the tithe because it just seemed like too much money to be going towards god like you know does god really need that you know and so they didn't they didn't give the tithe and you know what he said because he didn't give the tithe he suddenly became vulnerable and he lost everything so the great success story that even uh secular writers were talking about this guy you know uh secular business people hey look what this guy did this is like unprecedented how fast he got into the millions you know how's he doing and stuff like that well uh he lost everything and he said you know what me and my wife determined to never ever make that mistake again see the tithe belongs to the lord it doesn't matter if you're making a thousand dollars a week two hundred dollars a week ten percent belongs to the lord and it also doesn't matter if you're making two million dollars a week 10 belongs to the lord see some people they'll they'll tithe but then suddenly if they get an inheritance from their parents of a million dollars they start thinking well you know a tithe out of that is a hundred thousand dollars does god really need a hundred thousand dollars that that's not debatable it already belongs to him anyhow it's god's it's holy it's holy and if you take it you take it the covenant's off you're on your own and the enemy the enemy in that financial arena he knows you're you're open territory he could he can now shoot at you he can get at you doesn't mean that you don't have a covenant of salvation but if you break the tithe the financial covenant is off it is a very dangerous world to be in right now uh with a lot of economic turmoil that's something that you certainly would never want to do sometimes people i'm talking about when i say people i'm talking about believers they maybe they decide to sell their home okay so they sell their home they make a profit of thirty thousand dollars well that that's increase anytime there's increase the tithe belongs to the lord so out of that thirty thousand dollars there should be a three thousand dollar tithe coming in well well pastor stephen i have to be honest i made i made a profit of eight hundred thousand dollars in my in on my home and i sold it because it just you know i lived in a very desirable neighborhood and the price kept going up on the house and i sold it at the peak of the market and i made eight hundred thousand dollars profit on that well praise the lord there should be a eighty thousand dollar tithe coming in and uh into the storehouse of god going to the ministry to the man and woman of god that that oversee that ministry that should be coming into the into the storehouse of god i'm not saying it goes to the man of god i'm saying it goes into the house of god praise of god praise god excuse me but my friends the tithe is holy and it belongs to the lord and so you should always bring it into the house of god where's the house of god it's where you get spiritually fed at it's just that simple praise the lord it's just that simple thank you lord jesus and there are many people around the world that consider this to be their house of the lord because this is where you're getting fed thank you lord jesus so please honor the lord with the tithe i want to encourage you if nothing else live a holy life and be a tither holy people when you go to heaven you have your head up because you know you've been living right walking with the lord walking in the spirit but those christians that flat out refused to honor the tithe no matter how much teaching they're going to get there's some they're they're never going to tithe even if 10 angels stood before them and sang a choir to saying an angelic choir and they sing a song about tithing to the per they're not going to tithe no matter what they're not going to tie the jesus dips them in hot lava they're not going to do it and you have people like that in the body of christ so i would encourage you if nothing else please be a tither because it allows you to walk in the fullness of a holy lifestyle that's pleasing to the lord no holy person wants to dishonor the lord and steal and take from god what rightfully belongs to him god wants to make you into a saint not an ain't okay so please honor the lord you will thank me for this message when you get to heaven one of the greatest services or let me say it like this one of the greatest disservices i could ever do to anybody that listens to my teaching would be to pull the wool over your eyes and tell you that you don't need the tithe it's a flat out lie i would be dishonoring the lord i would be shortchanging you i would be misrepresenting the office of christ the melchizedek of our faith the high priest over our faith who in hebrews chapter 7 which is very much a new covenant book we see that christ after the order of melchizedek is still today receiving the tithe so when you bring it into the storehouse in the eyes of jesus he is receiving it so please honor the lord with your tithe because it is god's covenant of financial prosperity with you and today i want to tell you well where god is taking you to but before we get into that and by the way it's going to be good before we get into that let's talk about the goodness of the lord and the lord has been very good to us and the lord works through his people i've said this before i'll say it again god doesn't write checks god doesn't write a check and reach his arm down from heaven and say here's stephen brooks here's a check now use this check use this money and go by air time god doesn't do that god works through his people god touches the heart of his people that would be you and you see a holy spirit need you sense the holy spirit is in on it you react to that and it allows us to do together extraordinary things because of your very gracious giving your sacrificial giving we have been empowered financially to sign five contracts to purchase airtime to proclaim the gospel through our half hour program the pure gold program now let me tell you about the various channels and networks that we're going on so that we can shout hallelujah for what god has done what he is doing as we are now moving forward into this and also i want you to be very excited because i'm telling you harvest is coming to you those of you that have sown into this project harvest is coming to you now first of all we will be going on a channel called harvest now and this primarily covers the area of augusta georgia and it also covers aiken south carolina the viewership audience here for harvest now it's 760 000 people okay we will be on harvest now saturday morning at 8 o'clock a.m and also sunday at 4 30 p.m anybody could watch harvest now on roku okay and also if you live in that area that would be channel 49 and of course this again is a large footprint within south carolina and also within the area of georgia now what i'm going to be sharing with you first is that we felt the wisdom of god to reach the local area north carolina south carolina and several of these channels that i'm talking sharing about i've already been on their programs as a guest so these are good networks these are good channels that are getting people saved that have well-established footholds within that uh tv footprint they're already well-established with with the communities are reaching the people and so we're coming on these networks to build up on that so 760 000 potential viewers right there on harvest now next we will be going on the watchmen broadcasting network wbpi and this covers 2.2 million viewers in south carolina and georgia now the times are really good sunday mornings every sunday morning at eight o'clock in the morning and also every monday night at 10 o'clock p.m we will be on the watchmen broadcasting channel okay so that's 2.2 million viewers there we add that together with also harvest now we are now reaching every week 2.9 million people this is because of your gracious giving that you sowed during our special pentecost offering now let's continue we will also be going on wggs and uh this is big this uh will be premiering june the 15th okay we will be on every monday at 9 30 p.m and this is big because this is on directv channel 16 and this covers a large area of north carolina this also covers a big area of south carolina and here we're going to be picking up 1.3 million homes okay so this again continues to cast a large footprint over south carolina north carolina and georgia this is wgs and we will be on there every let me take a look again here it is every monday at 9 30 p.m praise the lord that's very powerful okay so now we are at an accumulated weekly viewing audience of sharing these types of messages that i preach every sunday every wednesday we have a special recordings where i go to our charlotte studio and record these for pure gold okay so this quality of content is going out now to 4.2 million people weekly and we're not done yet now because of your gracious giving the lord has allowed us to continue to expand what we're going to be doing on a weekly basis we have also signed with world harvest television yes that phenomenal network founded by the great apostle of faith dr lester sumrall who's now in heaven but the network continues to reach multitudes and we will be on every monday morning this is big we will be on every monday morning at 6 a.m and world harvest television airs on directv channel 367 and i know those of you watching me even on the internet there's quite a few of you that watch world harvest television because it is on directv and this will allow us to reach 20 million homes praise the lord and that's nationally okay that's here in america so combined together we are now up to 24.2 million uh homes of viewership and of people that are able to tune in watch every single week so world harvest television and that will begin at the end of this month okay on 6 29 that will begin uh on 6 29 mondays at 6 o'clock in the morning can you shout hallelujah the lord is doing wonderful wonderful things so about 24 million people and really when you look at it uh with world harvest tv that's 20 million homes so you know usually in a home you've got more than one person so the numbers technically are much larger all right now the one network that we really wanted to get on and we fasted and we prayed and of course when you want to get on any of these networks it's not just about the money they also have to accept your content they have to review your program it has to go through the the channels of review and stuff like that and it has to get the thumbs up and with all of these networks uh you know they really love the content and they really wanted us to be on their program now there were other networks as well but as we prayed and sought the lord these are the ones we settled with but the one that we really wanted to reach for was the big one and god has done it and the lord has worked through you so we are all rejoicing together i want you to rejoice today because of what you have done this has allowed us to step through a tremendous door okay and i wanted to save this one for last on june 29th okay so at the end of this month we will be launching on god tv okay we will be on every monday so we're on weekly okay we've already signed contracts with all of these networks and channels okay so it's it's done we will be on every monday at 10 30 in the morning we will be reaching every week approximately 1 billion viewers now let that sink in i didn't say million we have we've gone way past okay we were sitting at 24 million and i just won't let that soak into your spirit for a moment because we're all in this together we are going to share in the rewards together hallelujah thank you jesus but every week because we are on every monday at 10 30 in the morning we will be reaching approximately 1 billion viewers okay now this includes viewership in the usa and the uk and god tv is very strong in the usa but they're very strong in the uk also and we're very happy about that because we're going to really uh we're gonna even do more to do all we can to reach the uk because god has a heart for the uk and there's a lot of darkness not only in uk but also through europe and there's going to be a great harvest and we've got to get prepared for that okay so this also with god tv reaches in heavily to europe into africa and asia and australia asia and we will be on monday again at 10 30 in the morning can be viewed in america on directv channel 365 okay you can watch every monday at 10 30. also in the uk you can watch it on sky also on freesat and virgin cable those in the middle east you can watch on ya live which is broadcast through the yah satellite those in sri lanka can watch on dialogue tv dish tv and potv those in scandinavia can watch on viasat those in india and there's a huge audience watching in india can watch on tata sky airtel video con d2h and undirect okay and those in barbados can watch on multi-choice tv as we have a lot of followers in barbados and also all throughout the caribbean there are many many people that uh follow the teaching programs so my friends because of your gracious giving we have moved we have moved from the lake now to the pacific ocean okay with potential viewer uh viewership of over 1 billion people and that is because my friends of your great giving and i want to say again you will share in the rewards the lives changed the souls one for the lord and we're going after the fish of course when you catch them you have to clean them right but we're all in this together and it's going to be really really good and i i would ask you to stand with us in prayer and of course continue to stand with us financially as we launch strongly okay with a strong running start but this is an ongoing faith project and the lord has said go begin to run and we have done so and i'm believing that we will not only continue strongly but i'm believing that we can increase i want to i want to move where we can double we can be on twice a week and double double the coverage on different days and different times and things like that we'll get to that where we can overlap the program some hallelujah as much as possible but right now what what a great work that you are involved in over 1 billion people weekly praise god let's give the lord a big shout of praise lord we praise you hallelujah thank you jesus hallelujah and lord i speak blessings over your people that are involved in covenant partnership with this ministry i thank you father god that great harvest is coming back into their lives and father god that when we reach the other side and we are all going to make it father that when we reach the other side there will be harvest there will be rewards beyond comprehension and we thank you for it and we're living our lives all out for you father bless your people may they be totally sold out for you hallelujah walking in your finest and richest blessings for your glory in jesus name amen praise god now let's continue to honor the lord let's bring the tides and offerings into the storehouse of god some of you have been on the fence with tithing jump in sell out and live all out for the lord and establish a covenant of financial empowerment with god by becoming a tither right now now those of you that are going to mail in your tithes and offerings please send them to stephen brooks international p.o box 717 moravian falls north carolina zip code 28654 those of you that would like to bring the tizen offerings in online you can do so at the ministry website stevenbrooks.org you can go to the home page there's a link that's called tides and offerings so and reap and you can click that and make your giving complete right there on that website safe and secure link praise the lord and let me say this also as the pastor of this online church and as the ceo of this ministry i'm on salary so the salary that is appropriated to me that's all i get and that's all i take and i do not take one dollar more praise the lord and so everything that comes into the ministry that's allocated for television it goes in the television hallelujah i want you to know that that we run things very tightly financially here we have one of the best accountants that money can hire matter of fact when i selected him to be our accountant for the ministry years back i was told uh pastor stephen he only does very large ministries and he's very expensive and i said is he really good they said oh he's the best and i said okay then we need to have him because of the trajectory of this ministry but also because we want everything to be done with the highest level of financial ethics that can be done so he has been our lead accountant now over the ministry for uh it's been almost 20 years now praise the lord and he is sharp as attack and all ministry taxes are filed on time if not early everything is done by the book every i dotted every t crossed and believe me with the place that the lord is lifting us into now i don't want any mistakes in that area so we will continue to use the greatest fiscal responsibility with all of your giving praise the lord thank you lord jesus hallelujah praise god the lord is good you know what i hear the angels rejoicing because of the seed that you've sown and i want you to be expecting a mighty harvest to be coming back in your life and there's some things i need to share now in today's message to prepare you for that because you do need preparation for where you're going and i want you to be open with your heart today because there are some things you need to be aware of as you're going into this new place god has for you okay so let's pray heavenly father as we jump into today's message we ask that your holy spirit would bring revelation like honey from heaven coming upon the understanding of the people thank you father god so that your word can be comprehended and it could be applied applied deep within our hearts so that we can stand in the place that you have called us to be now father we give you praise in jesus name we thank you amen see the lord is raising many of you up like daniel and daniel stood in the very court of the king of the greatest king on the earth at that time and he ministered in his presence and you you have to be very sharp in places like that and god had certainly touched their minds and he had given them an anointing and you have to you have to do things the right way praise the lord i see the lord lifting many of you up like daniel but my friends there must not be one area in your walk with god that you're willing to compromise there must not be one scripture that you're willing to bend on just to you know kind of just keep things going along you can't do that you must be sold out to the lord and when it's good it's good but if there's heat and at times there will be you must not be willing to compromise or to bow hallelujah praise god now let's go to the gospel of mark chapter 10. and i i feel like mark is as for me as a preacher mark will go down for me and my life story my life history as being one of the classic chapters in the bible i don't know how many sermons i've pulled out of mark chapter 10 i can't even begin to count them all some of my best ones have come out of this chapter but we find ourselves here today and of course anything having to do with the gospel of mark especially chapter 10 is water that i feel very comfortable swimming in so let's let's engage this heavyweight teaching of the lord today again jesus open our eyes to see it in your name we pray amen praise god mark chapter 10 and let's go to verse 28. then peter began to say to him that would be jesus see we have left all and followed you i like peter i think each of you have a little bit of peter on the inside of you where jesus talked about the challenge of trusting in your riches and how it it it blocks you from coming into the plan that god has for your life and into the workings of the things of god and peter realizing hey you know hey lord you know i walked away from my fishing business i i totally just walked away from the boat you know left the nets there my brother did the same thing it's lord you know hey we gave up everything for you and i like how peter brings that out he says see we have left all and followed you that's what it means my friends to completely sell out all the way with the lord and may i say this today that for a christian one of the most frustrating maybe i could even use the word disgusting one of the most frustrating disgusting most awful places to be is a christian with one foot in the world and one foot in the things of god why because you're flat out miserable and if you're living like that you know i'm telling you the 100 percent truth is miserable even jesus said hey i'd rather you be hot or cold because i can't stand this half-baked half-hearted way of living the lukewarm nature he said it just makes me want to spew that type of living out of my mouth my friends i'm not saying well then just go ahead and be cold-hearted and be dead to the things of god i'm not saying that at all i'm saying go all the way with the lord sell out for the lord thank you jesus and you'll finally find the peace that you're looking for but when you're trying to please god and you're trying to please the world system jesus said you can't serve two masters at the same time it's impossible you're gonna either hate the one love the other or you're cling to the one and you really look down on and despise and sneer at the other and you know you know you should never be treating the lord like that you should be treating him as your soul lord and master and so i like how peter put that in there see we have left all and followed you praise the lord now you have sown seed during passover hallelujah and all of the gate the fence all of the fence on the property is completely up now the only reason i haven't filmed it and have walked it and shown it to you is because um we made a we made some modifications on the gate and it was going to be one of the hydraulic gates that swings open but we decided it's better to have it like a rolling gate so we had to make that change because we actually had the the opening gate but there was a little bit of an incline as you pull onto the property and the gate would open and pump it would bump into the incline of the of the road so uh we definitely had to change it to a rolling gate which is good it will make it a little bit wider and that way you can come into the property easier but my friends you have sowed during passover very graciously you have sown during pentecost and you have given your best to the lord i've got to now speak to your heart because you are displaying before the lord sold out tendencies hey lord i'm all in and i'm proving it by my giving okay you have got to get ready now for what the lord is going to do watch this see we have left all and followed you what if jesus would have said that this way some people think jesus is well now that's what i was just expecting out of you and that's that's all you're going to get i want your total loyalty but uh all you're going to get is here peter here's our new writing pen it has jesus christ ministries of nazareth here's my gift to you peter receive and shut up no aren't you glad the lord's like that i mean who really uh would want to serve and follow a leader like that where you're willing to go all in but you're not really getting anything out of it so let's look at what he's bringing you into verse 29 so jesus answered and said assuredly i say to you there is no one and that includes you okay there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands for my sake and the gospels who shall not receive a hundred fold now in this time houses and brothers see i've told you about the territorial land anointing that many of you are going to step into okay in this lifetime okay now now in this time houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands with with persecutions and in the age to come eternal life oh i wouldn't even call that the icing on the cake i'd call that the cake i mean eternal life i mean hey uh regardless of everything else that we have to work our way through as we are on the journey towards the heavenly city my goodness at least we know that we have the assurance of eternal life my friends that's that's the steak and potatoes right there that's what it's all about but you have to understand that the lord needs you desires you want you yes but i would be stronger he needs you to step into this 100-fold return oh pastor stephen i it sounds wonderful but hey pastor steven that one word um i i i'm a little nervous about that one word oh you mean the word persecutions yes pastor stephen i i kind of pull my feet back uh and i kind of shiver a little bit when i hear that i'm here today to get you ready for the 100 fold return i'm here to get you ready for the powerful blessing of the lord but my friends we must today address this issue of the persecution now before i brought this message to you i sensed something strange from the lord that is going to transpire in your life and when i say strange i i don't mean like like some type of gray area or some type of uh you know area where maybe we're doing something no i'm not talking about something wrong i'm talking about something holy so sacred and holy that it may even seem strange to even some of god's own children as you initially begin to be taken into it but he is going to take you into the 100 fold and it may even seem strange because it's just going to happen and it's going to unfold right before your your very eyes as you walk out this life experience with the lord and here's a scripture deuteronomy chapter 28 look at this because you're going to taste it and you're going to eat it and you're going to experience it deuteronomy 28 verse 1 now it shall come to pass if you diligently obey the voice of the lord your god to observe carefully all his commandments which i command you today see god's blessing it's not accidental well it just all happened by luck pastor james no no this is not luck this is diligent obedience this is strictly keenly following all of the instructions and the commandments of god and really dialing in to them paying strict attention to them okay then he said he said that the lord your god will set you high above all nations of the earth and all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you because you obey the voice of the lord your god you're going to begin to experience this overtaking of you with the blessings and that's why i say there may be an initial strangeness to it you're like what's going on i need to explain it first of all i need to let you know very clearly that the blessing of god and remember the blessing in hebrew means that you are empowered to prosper okay but you have to understand that this whole thing is supernatural it's not because you're smart because look around there's a lot of smart christians i know and they're not doing too good they are they are defeated on all different angles so this is not about how smart you are this is not about how tall how short how whatever you are has nothing to do with that this has everything to do with your covenant walk and it is beginning to pay off for you rather profusely i would say and as this blessing overtakes it may seem strange oh but it's something that i'm sure you'll get uh comfortable with it rather quickly praise the lord it's a beautiful thing it overtakes you it's a wonderful thing oh and you'll notice oh others around you will notice too the joy the strength the the the anointing hallelujah and the blessing the blessing which can't be hidden and it's not supposed to be you don't take a lamp and put it underneath the bushel the the purpose of a of a lamp of a light is to illuminate and you are that light in the lord and this is the time of isaiah chapter 60 verse 1 the glory of the lord rising and it being seen upon you and that being seen upon you is more than you just shouting hallelujah there's proofs that come along with it it's the blessing and it's coming on you peter is like hey lord i mean lord and we gave up everything lord what's in it for us beyond the milkshake what's lord what's in it for us beyond you know shrimp scampi lord what is it a lot it's the 100 full return it's god's very best for your life the best place to live the best house for you to live in i'm not saying that something gigantic but it will be what makes you happy it will be what makes you tick the vehicle that you like to drive the work that you prefer to do strengthen your body clarity in your mind and the salvation of sinners upon your heart they may come to know christ and your your walking living epistle and when they ask you are equipped and prepared to tell them about christ who died for them and you are able to disciple them why because you have been discipled what is a disciple one under the discipline of god not discipline as you're getting spanked know the discipline of teaching and training of mentoring of learning the ways of god and now you're able to impart that and teach that to others hallelujah praise the lord let's continue on jesus speaks about receiving the 100 fold now in this time okay and he does say with persecutions why are there persecutions it's very easy because not everybody is going to walk in the spirit not even in the church you will find that often there can be a lot of persecution that's generated within the church well pastor stephen why would brothers and sisters in the lord do that to me because they're not walking in the spirit they're walking in the flesh and they see you living the way they know that they should be living but you know what happens oftentimes they're not willing to do the things that you did to walk in that blessing to connect with the goodness of god and so they see you walking in it and they see how you've changed your life you don't laugh at the dirty jokes they laugh at nor do you tell them they're still telling them i'm not saying that they're all doing that but i know a lot of christians that they do stuff like that i know a lot of christians that e they would go out and watch the most vulgar profane movie where god's name is profane 30 40 50 times in one movie and walk out and not think not think anything about it not think anything about it and then they look at you and they see you blessed they think that's not right that's not fair they got all those blessings that's not right i think i'm going to begin to believe in the doctrine of socialism socialism is theft in the eyes of god that's all that is and of course socialism is godless anything you get into these isms is going to take you into doing away with god and let somebody else the government or something other take care of you so people look people look that are in the flesh and of course there will be sinners that do it not all some look and think wow i'd like i'd like to be like they are but you know what the thing is is that oftentimes that persecution is nothing but jealousy oh they would never admit that they're jealous of you oh but that's exactly what they are they're jealous they're jealous that you are walking into something and living in something that actually also belongs to them but because of certain areas of disobedience or maybe just because of fear they're not willing they're not willing to sell out they're not willing to sell out if you want the 100 fold you could have it but you need to understand the persecutions it's not like they might come they will come and you need to be ready for that you need to know how to act you know what you need to know how to respond and we're going to talk about that in just a moment you know one very dear man of god that was just blessed still is greatly blessed the lord and really in many ways is anointed by the lord to teach along the lines of biblical increase and prosperity and he takes a lot of heat for it because there are even believers in the body of christ that think you know we're just all supposed to be poor and you know jesus was a barefoot preacher walking around begging with his 12 disciples and you know didn't have anywhere to sleep every night they're homeless and you know that they're taking all kinds of scriptures out of context to make those unbiblical statements and so they persecute those that are actually sent by god as deliverers to bring god's people out of poverty out of lack out of chains of ignorance but this one minister said that he got hit with the wave of persecution that was so fierce he said one day even in the midst of his prosperity one day he said it made him cry but you said but he said you know what he did he said he just cried as he drove to the bank and made another big deposit praise the lord and that's what you have to do keep walking with the lord you know recently i was talking with a very wonderful pastor very sweet man his wife also serving the lord in the ministry was close by and the pastor was kind of sharing with me his testimony and he said um he said pastor stephen he said before i became a pastor full-time i used to work for a certain car corporation and this was a corporation a vehicle corporation that made europe beautiful european vehicles i won't say which one it was and he said i worked there for years and years i said you did he said yes he said that's what i did before i went into the ministry as a pastor i said oh i said do you drive one of their vehicles he said oh no he said i would never drive one of those what would my church members think and you know what he was completely in fear about what his church members or about what others would think about a vehicle that he drove and i'm sure there probably would be some people in his church because of you know maybe what he has taught them or hasn't taught them that would think that to drive a vehicle like that would just be something awful so awful so awful but you know what let me say this and please let this go deep into your spirit you don't ever have to apologize for any blessing that jesus brings into your life oh i'm so sorry that i have this jesus gave it to me i wish he hadn't done it who who needs to apologize to god for what god has done as has god made a mistake my friends that's why some people will not come into the 100 fold because they are they're embarrassed of the blessings of god and if you're embarrassed you grieve the holy spirit who is the voice of god and when that voice is cut off doesn't mean you're not saved but those instructions stop the the empowerment of that oil remember because it's all the blessing is all the power of god working in your life and that power or the anointing is the holy spirit producing that golden oil and and the angels that go along with that that are causing you to flourish why in the world would you destroy all of that just because you're afraid of what somebody might think about you you're gonna have to get over that and you're gonna have to get a backbone hallelujah as if you have to apologize for anything god said i mean what are you going to do start start apologizing for next that that well i'm so sorry that uh that you're going to go to hell because you know you know jesus i just wish he would have done away with all of that he did he did through his shed blood but you know what this cowardly wimpy thing that that would strip you of the power of the gospel you need to you need to overcome that my friends and just say you know what i'm going to walk with the lord and if not everybody is happy about that well that's their own thing you know that they're going to have to face the lord concerning but as for me i'm going to go on and i'm going to serve the lord and if the lord gives me a blessing and i know he will i'm not going to hide it or act like i don't have it praise the lord now i'm going to be humble and i'm not going to be you know i'm not going to like morph into somebody with a prideful big head and you know become arrogant or something like that but i am going to walk in the blessings of the lord hallelujah praise god you know what it still takes money to build hospitals it still takes money to print bibles it still takes money to send missionaries it still takes money to do all of these things that we need to do to send the gospel around the world and if we pull back and we stay in a place of just mediocre lack because we want everybody to like us we are never going to get the great commission fulfilled and i'm here to tell you that the 100 fold is your inheritance for the seeds that you have sown it is your covenant right to expect a 100-fold harvest and god will do it but you have to be willing to not shrink back and say now lord uh stop that's too much lord what are people gonna think who in the world cares what they think what about what god thinks well i don't want to hurt their feelings well what about god's feelings as if he doesn't have any why would the bible say grieve not the holy spirit it says that because you can grieve him that word in the greek means that you can wound him you can hurt him and yes he will pull back he will pull back and he'll say well if you want to walk around with your wore out shoes for the rest of your life go ahead if you want to drive a clunker because you think that makes you holy go ahead go ahead if you want to be unempowered and you have no heart for you know for for missions or preaching the gospel through the airwaves stay in your little place but if you want to rise up and be strong and it says the righteous are as bold as a lion okay then receive the one hundredfold i can't believe she gave such a big offering to that church i can't believe she did that i can she must love the lord a whole lot she must not want sinners to go to hell i can't believe that he gave an offering like that to support pastor stephen to preach the gospel what was wrong with his mind what was right with his mind was that he does not want souls to go to hell he has a heart for god hallelujah and i'm talking to overcomers i'm talking to the remnant church i'm talking to those who live and dwell in zion i'm not talking to those who are out there floating around who who have no interest in the things of god i'm speaking to the overcomers and i'm speaking to a group of people that god is raising up as warriors and you will see the lord touch your finances so that you can do exploits yes pastor steven miracles yes but also in the financial arena to the glory of god i see strange things unfolding in your finances you will be carried into a new flow those of you that are in the thousands you will be carried into the million flow those of you that are a million flow you will be carried into the millions flow and those of you that are higher will go to levels beyond that well pastors even it seems a little strange i'm sure you'll get used to swimming in those new levels i hear the angels saying the waters are fine come on out and swim in the deeper glory we must be willing to bear the cross especially i don't know what people are going to think i would just say take up your cross and die to it take up your cross and walk in the 100 fold well pastor stephen what's my mother-in-law going to think i i don't know maybe maybe she'll support you think it's wonderful but who really cares serve god we need to get our eyes and our heart on what does god think are you really going to tell the lord to hold it back lord that's too much as if the lord doesn't know what he's doing mm-hmm thank you jesus thank you jesus hallelujah numbers chapter 12 verse 3 now the man moses was very humble more than all men who were on the face of the earth you can be blessed and still be humble you can be a multi-millionaire and still be humble you can be a billionaire and still be humble well pastor steven all that money i don't know what if you ever feel any temptation you got too much you start unloading it start unloading it start giving it all away who said you have to keep it all praise the lord you can stay free all the time if any anytime you start feeling i'm starting lord i start i feel like i'm starting to drift lord i feel like i'm just starting to distract me just start unloading start unloading start unloading like crazy 10 here 10 more percent here 20 there 30 percent here hallelujah i'll assure you you'll feel free in no time because you can't take any of it with you be very careful jesus warned against the deceitfulness of riches if you ever start getting sticky fingers you're in trouble no i'm not talking about eating barbecue i'm talking about handling money just stay free with it keep it flowing keep it flowing i see some of you going into strange financial places of such prosperity that it totally perplexes those who knew you formally you will be a sign and a wonder to them praise god and you will be a humble sweet person who wrote the book of numbers moses did moses literally wrote the fact that he was the most humble man on the planet and he knew it well that's that's arrogant no it's not he it's it's the truth he knew he was humble and he knew also that this rebellion that was coming against him was not good hallelujah he was a very humble man and you could be the same walk close with the lord now are you ready are you ready for one of the greatest chapters in the bible to show you how to steward and handle the 100-fold return ready or not here we go let's do it one of the greatest deepest most profound chapters in the entire word of god i'm not saying it's it's it's the greatest because it's all the word of god but if you want heavyweight new testament living meet me right now in the book of romans chapter 12. that's where we're going i want to get you ready for the 100 fold return it's coming i have no doubt about it but i must get you ready i can't have you wilt wither melt and fall apart and the next thing we know that god's trying to bless you and you're pulling back because you don't want it because you're afraid what grandma's gonna think about you lord have mercy for such foolishness it is time to take up the cross and follow christ and he's going to lead you into prosperity because it is time for the great commission to be fulfilled i'm literally believing i'm believing that the exploits that we have accomplished to launch into these networks onto these channels i'm believing that we will become strong enough not only to be on there once a week which is a very honorable thing which is a mighty thing that we have done i'm believing that we can double it and that we can get the program on there twice a week so that we can catch those at other times that would not have seen it the previous time that it aired hallelujah rewards rewards we want souls souls souls hallelujah aren't you glad that you're on your way to heaven aren't you glad that you're not lost in your sins on your way to a flaming inferno called hell which of course hell is just a temporary holding place until the great white throne judgment and all of the sinners in hell will then be phoned into the lake of fire and even death and hell itself will then be thrown into the lake of fire and we will move on into eternity but aren't you glad that somebody presented the gospel to you [Music] thank you jesus romans chapter 12. pastor stephen when people persecute me because of the blessings of the lord what am i supposed to do you're supposed to do what god told us to do in romans chapter 12. let's start in verse 14. bless those who persecute you bless and do not curse you don't like my blessing i'll tell you one thing i'll give you a piece of my mind right now don't don't do that don't get it that's all flesh that's all the flesh but pastor street you wouldn't believe what they said about me don't worry about it that's going to happen remember jesus said you could have the hundredfold but there's going to be persecution it's okay it's all right not everybody's going to be happy it's okay that's just as the world turns that's just the way it is it just comes with the territory but don't pull back keep walking with the lord and the lord will just pour that blessing on bless those who persecute you bless and do not curse just say you know i bless you if you don't understand that's okay it's all right and let me say this also even if you tried to explain it to them even if you gave them a hundred verses and you even if you had gabriel the the the angel and michael the angel appear with you and tried to explain it to them there's still those out there they're still not going to get it they don't want to get it they don't care they just don't like it so go on with god would you sell out and go on with god make up your mind today sell out to the lord entirely like peter did and go on with god hallelujah and be concerned about what god thinks hallelujah be concerned about pleasing him and just bless those who persecute you bless them not in an angry way i bless you no no i bless you i bless you in the name of the lord and just keep on going hallelujah thank you lord bless and do not curse don't get into that that is not the spirit of the lord bless them maybe one day there will be some that see the light but i think a lot has to do with our reaction just keep on walking in love and walk in the lord and also keep your peace don't let any of that stuff ever pull you out of your peace just bless them and don't curse them ever don't ever do that just always bless them verse 17 repay no one evil for evil don't ever do that though well i don't like it how they did that they wrote they wrote an article about pastor stephen i'm going to get them back i'm going to write an article about them no no no don't repay evil for evil just don't even get into that uh dear man of god one of my former pastors is much much older than me but a wonderful man of god um he had a a person from the local newspaper a journalist call him call the office and say can i do an interview with the senior pastor he agreed to do it uh the the interview would be in the newspaper he said hey this is i'm not here to grill you or to investigate you i just want to find out i'm hearing you do i'm hearing that you're doing a lot of good stuff in the community i'd like to interview you and just you know you share what you're doing and he said i'll share it in the newspaper which has a large coverage and uh you know i'll just let people know all the good things you're doing and uh my pastor at that time said yes and he let him do it it was a 45 minute interview you know he's writing notes and taking quotes and everything like that and you know my pastor said he told me later he said it just seemed like a like a perfect interview that the guy was very nice everything was wonderful and i thought it was going to be a great article and it when it came out on the front page of the sunday paper it was a total setup that journalist ripped him mis took quotes out of context and tried his hardest to make it look like they had a cult which they weren't to make it look like uh they were doing bad things with money which they weren't to make i mean he just lied and it was just it was wicked it was not good i really believe this is my stance that ministers of the gospel really unless there's a rare exception should never do interviews with with media that's secular media because you're never going to win they have unless there's some kind of revival or there's an exception to this rule you're dealing with people that are spiritually unsaved that don't know god don't know the principles or the workings of god's kingdom and they're clueless to all of that so they're going to filter and see everything through the eyes of un as of unbelievers who are under the control of their father and we know who that is okay so i my personal method of operating is i never do interviews with secular newspaper secular media never never i just don't do that and i've learned that from other pastors that then it worked for them just don't do it i just don't do it oh but pastor stephen if you did it you would get more notoriety and publicity uh that usually backfires and you know that's not what we're after so um anyhow the whole thing was a setup my pastor it really hurt him it really wounded him and he said you know what after all the good i've done and all the labor i've done in the community for 20 years to be just slandered and lied about like that and see he can't defend himself in the sense like they're not gonna let him go on the newspaper and write his article and counter it oh no that that was just like put it out there lie slander slime him and he's left to like you what she's supposed to do he doesn't have he doesn't own a newspaper that he can give a counter article so he was really wounded by it but he found comfort in romans chapter 12 don't return evil for evil bless those who persecute you don't curse those who've done that especially not just the newspaper but the guy that wrote the article and but you know what at a very low point when my pastor was standing at a bank a very large bank there in the area this is a big city too and he was standing in line in the bank he didn't know anybody in the line he didn't recognize anybody and nobody really knew him in the line that day although he's very well known in the city he's standing there in the line and the holy spirit allowed him to overhear a conversation that a couple of men were having just right in front of him in the line i don't think it was directly in front of him but just a few guys up in the line these men were having a conversation and he could hear it very easily very clearly and one man said to the other man in the line hey did you read that newspaper article about that preacher that's here in the town and the other guy said yeah i read it i read the whole article and uh the one guy said well what did you think about it and the one guy said well i don't know what to think about what that guy said in the paper all i know is that everybody around here tells me that he's just one h-e-l-l of a guy and in other words in the center's terminology he said i don't know who this guy is but he's an awesome guy then that that as a sinner was his way of saying he's a really good guy that's what everybody knows him as is a really good god and when my pastor heard that guy say that he was so overcome with the love of god he got out of the line i forgot all about his depositor check him he got out of the line and just went out to the parking lot in his car and sat down and began to praise the lord and the lord said i've got you covered because that paper is already in the trash papers today you know that's the thing about a newspaper it may come out but the very next day people have already thrown them away and uh it's gone so the lord just touched his heart and basically said just keep on going the people really do love you and the people really are behind you and his church did it just kept growing and growing and growing into the thousands now repay no one evil for evil verse 18 if it is possible as much as depends on you live peaceably with all men and some of that you can't control because you can control how you're going to live and you're going to try to live peacefully with all men but you really can't control them that they're going to live the way they want it's their life okay they have that right that that that choice but as far as is up to us and what depends on our part we are going to live peaceably with all men hallelujah now verse 19 is the is the the real clutch here it's the real weighty verse beloved do not avenge yourselves now other translations make it a little more clear do not take revenge don't ever ever ever taking take revenge any time you see anybody taking revenge whether it's a sinner or saint okay anytime you see anybody taking revenge they are out of god's will it is in the flesh why revenge belongs solely to god himself we were misrepresented pastor stephen and we're not getting the justice we deserve we're going to take matters into our own hands we're going to start a vigilante system no that that is totally evil it is wrong it is unbiblical and is it is extremely in the flesh do not ever take vengeance within your own power well i've got the ability i'm going to go out and do it no don't do that that's the devil setting you up don't ever do that beloved do not avenge yourselves but rather give place to wrath for it is written vengeance is mine i will repay pastor stephen i just want to enjoy the blessings of the lord they've said all kinds of things about me and it's not right i'm going to get mad i'm going to get a bad mood i'm going to i'm going to get a knife and i'm going to pastor steve i'm going to knife every one of their tires and they're going to wake up in the morning and all of their tires are going to be flat and i'm going to laugh no that no you will have a spirit come into you that's an evil spirit if you do that you take vengeance an evil spirit will come into you i'm not saying it comes into your spirit because your spirit belongs to god but even as a believer you touch that you are wide open for the enemy to hit you and he will hit you and by the time you're done poking tires or they're doing whatever you're going to do but you know and i don't want to give suggestions but if you do that an evil spirit will come into you and you'll have a real hard time getting that thing to leave and it's these evil spirits also they're unclean so you will defile yourself oh my friends these things are very important pastor stephen why were you talking about this because i know where you're going and i know where the holy spirit's leading you and i know what the lord wants to do for you he wants to bring the 100 fold into your life and when he does it there's going to be persecution and you must you must in your heart be set i will not retaliate against that i will not get caught up in fighting and quarreling and strife and bickering i will not do that i will walk in peace i will walk in love well no pastor stephen you need to jump in there and get even no no you don't need to do that god will cover you now paul concludes this amazing teaching by saying in verse 21 do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good turn right around and find a way to be a blessing see if your enemy is hungry feed him if he is thirsty give him a drink for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head and you know what you get you keep living like that you keep walking in love you keep walking in peace and you keep blessing and don't curse you bless eventually many people they do get one over they see they see there's a difference and you know what they are convicted in their heart they know the things they've done is wrong they know what sin is sinners that do these things of retaliation they know it's wrong they know that there is no justification you can't justify evil it doesn't work like that it doesn't work like that you have to do things the right way you have to allow god's protocol to unfold don't ever my friends do this thing of cursing and retaliating and repaying evil evil for evil praise god walk with the lord enjoy your blessing enjoy your blessing a great man of god it's it's in his book you can read it dr dgs dina karen talked about the time he found himself in the hospital sick real sick laid on his back so sick that it looked like he was probably going to die and people prayed for him he didn't get better and these were anointed people praying for him but he didn't get any better excuse me and he he just kept getting worse and worse and it looked like he was going to die jesus appeared to him in a vision he came into the hospital room and dr dennicarin later wrote about this and told about the experience jesus came into the hospital room and talked to dr dinner karen and he said the reason you are sick and you are in the situation you're in right now is because although there are millions who love you and are greatly impacted by your ministry and your teaching and you are loved by millions yet there are a few critics who speak and write criticism against you under the influence of the evil one and while you have millions that genuinely love you you chose to listen to the few critics that have criticized the beautiful work that i have anointed you to do and because you listen to their criticism their poison and their anger has come into your spirit and you have held that in there and that is why you are sick and you must now be willing to forgive them and release the persecution that they brought against your life through their words can you imagine millions love you but just a few and really it was only about the ones that were really vicious it was just really a handful that was it that were writing these nasty lies and slander let me say this often those that are very sweet and humble like moses like dr denicare and you really these are people that really do have a heart like a lamb they can be wounded so you have to be very careful if you're like that and so you have to be like jesus said wise as a serpent harmless as a dove and you have to be like like what an old pentecostal preacher told me years ago even before i was in the ministry he said stephen you're going into the ministry this is what you're going to need you're going to need a heart like a lamb but you're going to need skin like an elephant because sometimes the criticism is severe even within the body of christ from unbel from believers that don't know certain truths that we are privileged to know and walk in but my goodness my friends by all means keep walking in those truths but allow the lord to shield you stay in the secret place and don't ever harbor bitterness or resentment it'll make you sick it'll make you sick and so the lord raised up dr dinacarron when he forgave those who sinned against him now it's not like he forgave them and the critics came and said oh you know what we're so sorry we realize we've been writing things that are untrue oh no they never apologized there will be those that go to their grave doing stuff like that and some of them lord have mercy they probably think they're doing god a service they probably think they're doing good for the lord i mean jesus even said that there will be those that persecute you thinking they're doing a good thing that's what saul was doing before the lord really dealt with him and then he had the salvation conversion experience had name change in nepal but my friends keep walking in the blessing of the lord and realize a lot of it a lot of it is just nasty jealousy that's all of it is really they're they're jealous and in many ways in many ways they wish they could be like you they wish they could have what you have so my friends don't don't don't curse don't get pulled into that flesh walk in love walk in the blessing and just bless them and love them and keep on going keep on going god needs you i'm telling you i feel the heart of god god needs you yes he wants you god needs you to walk in the 100-fold blessing because we're going to do great things together we're going to touch multitudes together we already are now oh we're already doing that now we're there we're there but we're going to do more together and we're going to do things the world has never seen before together hallelujah but god's depending on you to allow him to flow through you with a mighty channel a blessing and you must not pull back you must not say lord that's enough lord that's enough please we're gonna we're gonna make people uh lord we're going to start the what are they going to think just let the lord pour now please settle this in your heart right now that you will sell out to the lord that even if you're roasted even if you are you know held up and crucified that you just say it's not my life to live it's the lord's i lay my life down lord flow your blessing through me we have a work to do praise god and you will see angels come and minister to you angels will come and hold you up and you will cross the finish line and the lord will say well done good and faithful servant i'll tell you i'll be honest there are there are members of the body of christ that the lord could not pour through they would be embarrassed of it that will not be your testimony you will not back off of the promises of god you will walk in the high places and though the enemy would scoff you will cling to the cross and will continue on with the lord and you will be blessed hallelujah and many will be blessed through you that is your destiny that is your portion that is your inheritance and that is where god's taking you now one final verse i must close with first corinthians chapter 16 verses 8 and 9 the apostles paul said but i will tarry in ephesus until pentecost see after pentecost then there comes movement new assignment new open door oh open door absolutely verse 9 for a great and effective door has opened to me same thing has happened to this ministry okay same things happening to you and there are many adversaries oh pastor steve i don't know no no whole city god's with you it comes with the territory but god will continue to take you forward from glory to glory from strength to strength god's going to build such strength in you you'll be so strong praise god and you'll walk in such love praise the lord and you will find yourself living in the secret place receiving that strength and continuing on in the gospel of the lord praise god for a great and effective door has opened to me and there are many many adversaries by all means go through the door well pastor stephen there's adversaries yes there's giants in the promised land go in and possess the land god's already given it to you the door is open go through it the adversaries are not the issue use your faith go through and possess hallelujah and that's what we're doing right now thank you for standing with us i ask that you would pray with us and continue to sow your best seeds that we might go through and increase to the glory of god hallelujah father i pray for your people today that you build backbone in them strengthen them and father we thank you that strength comes from the word it's the only source that comes from it's the anointed word backed by your spirit and i thank you father for strength in the lives of your people with the love the fruit of your spirit flowing out they're walking strong they will not compromise or back off the blessing the promised land that you put them in they will not yield or give it up not an inch and we thank you father god that we we will not be haughty but we will walk in love and we will bless even those that would curse us we will bless and at the same time we are possessing our land father we give you all the praise thank you thank you for the guidance and leading of your holy spirit in jesus name we pray and we shout all around the world today and say amen praise god amen we're going to get ready now to take communion if you are watching today's program and you don't know christ as your lord and savior you are lost in your sins and your sins have separated you from a holy god and there's only two destinations it's either heaven or it's hell my friends if your life were the end today where would you be if you know christ you would go home to be with him but if you don't know christ you would be consigned to that awful place of your choosing because of your your rebellion against god so right now if you're ready to get your heart and your life right with god don't wait another day don't wait another minute pray this prayer out loud right now say lord jesus i surrender my life to you jesus take all of my sins away i sell out to you now 100 percent jesus take ownership of my life write my name in your book of life thank you jesus save me now in your great name i pray amen and amen and my friends the lord has heard that prayer and he has saved you you now belong safely to him now serve him with all of your heart move forward in the things of god walk with him daily and live for him daily amen let's take holy communion please grab some unleavened bread and some grape juice let's pray over it heavenly father we bless the bread and the juice we set this apart as we thank you that it is holy and that as we receive it we will be receiving the flesh and the blood of our precious savior father thank you for jesus he's everything to us he is the bridge from from us to you and we thank you that because of him we crossed over into your heart thank you father thank you father thank you father for jesus um thank you lord for the open door thank you father that jesus is the open door hallelujah as we receive his body we go through the open door now into new levels of blessing increase and the hundred-fold return father we receive the body of jesus now let's partake thank you lord thank you for your body thank you for your flesh here is what i hear the holy spirit saying while many christians would say i would never be embarrassed of christ or or the name of christ yet the holy spirit would say would you be embarrassed though of his blessings see don't ever be embarrassed of jesus that you belong to him but don't ever be embarrassed of his blessing upon your life either because if you are embarrassed of that you are it's reflecting your embarrassment of him hallelujah hallelujah father we give you praise as we receive the blood of jesus we ask you for more grace for more grace for more grace to witness and to testify you fully thank you thank you father in jesus name thank you for the grace and the strength in jesus name we receive now let's receive his blood hallelujah hallelujah glory glory glory glory be praising the lord i'm telling you it's coming in it's coming in and it can't be stopped it's the 100 fold return you're going to see harvest on seeds you've sown seeds you've sown recently seeds you've sown even in times past it's turning to the harvest it's turning in the harvest hallelujah now stay close to the lord enjoy the blessing stay close to the lord and watch what king jesus is going to do in your life it's the anointing of royalty get ready in jesus name amen praise god thanks for watching today i'll see you back next time bye bye