Expand your capacity
Some years ago I attended secondary school at a remote mission school called Thekwane, 12km from Plumtree town, which is in the southwestern part of Zimbabwe, Africa. At this school we had a world that consisted of teachers, administration workers, boarding master, a nurse and us students. These people around us defined our world. More than 15 years now, most of my fellow students either grew up to be teachers in the surrounding schools or became nurses and nothing more. For me, my life took a radical turn during one chemistry class lesson, conducted by my late role model teacher David Vundla, when he introduced the mining and mineral processing world through the practical use of principles of Chemistry. The man’s thinking was so broad and objective full of life and enthusiasm. It was then that I started studying Maths and other subjects with an applicable mind in view of my pending destiny. I later graduated as a metallurgist from University and to date I still practice in the mineral processing industry. I owe my professional growth to a man who increased my capacity to think outside the box, David Vundla.
I read a book entitled “The dream giver” by William Wilkinson and it encouraged and challenged my life. When you were born, God had in you a seed of greatness, which Habakkuk calls “a vision” and William calls it a dream. Whatever name is given to it, it is in you and should propel you to your destiny. It is up to you to ensure that seed finds good fertile soil and is frequently watered to ensure its healthy germination. It is up to you to weed out any weeds to avoid suffocation, deprivation of oxygen and unnecessary competition for water and other resources. It is up to you to protect the seed, that has grown up to be a tree from ‘predators’ who may want to cut it down and use it for firewood and other cheap uses…. That seed of greatness that God laid in your life before you were born should come out and be counted.
Everyone has a dream, but not everyone accomplishes his or her dreams and visions. Accomplishment of a dream is not dependant on friends and colleagues, who may or may not stand with you, but it is dependant on you building a capacity by expanding your viewpoint of the ultimate on the expense of the immediate. As a schoolboy, my world was limited to the school boundary, but David transformed it to be global without limits. Resources, be they human, financial or any other, will chase the dream and not the dream chasing the resources. Every dream requires immediate sacrifice to attain ultimate satisfaction. Dreamers are overwhelmed by their dreams to the extent that everything in their lives should be building up to their dreams.
Dreams are interconnected and affected by the following factors: Spiritual, Social, economic and political factors. Take the example of Joseph in the bible. His spiritual right standing with God enabled him to receive unmatched revelation of where God was taking him. His spiritual uprightness mattered everywhere he went. It gave him inner strength when he was sold by his brothers, pitted, blackmailed by Potipher’s wife and when he was in prison. Your dream is heavily dependant on your spiritual connection with God. Your dream could be in politics, business, entertainment industry, profession etc but it is heavily dependent on your spiritual health for it to be fully accomplished as intended.
The social framework is very critical too. Society has values and standards. Your dream does not succeed in a vacuum. Respect and recognition of society yet advancing your dream is a must ingredient. Joseph found favor in the eyes of Pharaoh but maintained his integrity in the ‘office of the president’ by his people skills. The bible says Jesus found favor with God (spiritual) and with man (social). There is need to develop your ideology and understanding of the complex societies of today so that you can find favor with them without compromising your integrity as a believer. Expand your capacity from backyard thinking to cooperate thinking. God gave you a mind to use, use it and think. Do not allow the geographic boundaries set up by man, tribal and race limitations, family and friends to obscure your thinking. Think hard and balance your thinking with the support of the infallible word of God.
Joseph became a strong economic powerhouse in the world because of a combination of factors. He was a spiritual man who received revelation from God on what was to come to pass. He had social skills, people skills that enabled him to lead Egyptians when he was a Hebrew – strange hey. He also was an economic strategic thinker. He understood the power and operations of the economy. He understood trade partnerships in strengthening his position. He believed in investments and eliminated any form of debts. During time of famine he sold food to his own brothers for a profit… in short he had an understanding of world economy. Every dream, whatever it may be, needs increased capacity in economic factors. Take for instance, God will not allow any church to grow beyond its capacity to handle and account for its finances. He is a jealous God, his reputation is important to him. His love for you is greater than his love for your dream. He would rather have you lose the dream than for Him to lose you. So for you to reach your full potential, you need to increase your capacity in issues of finances. Understand the functions of the economy. Even Jesus had a treasurer, Judas. Even Jesus and his disciples paid taxes.
And finally, it is critical to be politically wise to advance your vision. It is possible to be wise politically without supporting any political party of any nation. Politics speaks of leadership and influence. It speaks of integrity, accountability and principles. As a leader of your own dream, you need to develop yourself to be able to speak to anyone at any level to advance your dreams. You may even need to speak to leaders of nations on various issues. Samuel was a great man living a great dream yet he advised kings. Pharaoh could not resist the integrity and wisdom of Joseph, resulting in his promotion. Nebuchadnezzar recognized the God of Daniel because Daniel was a principled, focused visionary who could not be swayed by anything else. He ended up being a great leader, a Hebrew boy, in Babylon. Solomon is an excellent example of a man whose influence affected all political powers that surrounded him.
In conclusion, this short encouragement is here to push you to increase your capacity so that you can be what God intended you to be. As a believer, you need to understand the world around you and beyond to advance your dream to the next level. Read the word of God, yes the bible, it will give you a strong spiritual heritage you need for this life and that to come. Pray, for prayer will keep you close to God. Read, yes read again, but this time newspapers, economic and political publications, listen to the news! Upgrade yourself through beneficial courses to your dream. Drop some old friends that are a liability to your dream and pick up new friends that will add value to your dream. Increase your capacity to handle pressure and challenges without compromising your uprightness. Do not negotiate your integrity. No one can destroy a dream. Joseph went to prison but his dream got him out. Your dream will save you! Jesus was 3 days in the tomb, but his dream got him out! As we step into the season of open heavens, I challenge you to step into your dream by increasing your capacity. There is nothing as powerful as a dream.
The extent in which one can accomplish his or her dream is dependant on how much they are prepared to increase their capacity to handle success and challenges in the next level of their dream. Stop playing with chickens; increase your capacity and start flying with eagles. Sky is not the limit, but your extent of willingness to increase your capacity is the only limit to your dream. Stand up and be counted as a genuine dreamer in this season of open heavens.
Dream big.
Pastor Sbanga
The Blessing of Giving
Faith to walk on impossibilities
Faith to walk on impossibilities
Peter is faced with a daunting task that no one had ever done. This task is a classic because even the laws of nature are in denial on the possibility of any form of success. In his mind he knows that if he doesn’t make it its still alright because no one expected him to, but if he makes it then his name will go into the history books as one who did the absolute impossible. Outside the winds, the raging sea, his friends and the environment in general suggest that he quits, but deep on the inside of him is a thirst to succeed, a craving to do it. The reason is because Jesus said it and that settles it! When He thinks that it’s Jesus who said it and not only that, also that Jesus was walking on water Himself, he chooses to believe the report of the Lord which says ‘I will not die but live’, which “Come”. As this thought gains ground, the events taking place around him cease to make any significance. The silent waters of faith are stirred up in his belly and immediately the excitement propels him to take the first step. He chooses never to look at the water but rather on Christ, the solid rock.
This becomes the most difficult and decisive step he has ever taken in his lifetime. Every second seems to be a thousand years. Possible he was sweating but still he chose to step forth. To his amazement, that first step landed on solid ground yet it was water! What? Yes, its water but its solid. Hey, I don’t understand…. You don’t have to, but you just need to believe liquid water has just become solid because you stepped out. Peter took another second step into what would be historic, a third one….ladies and gentleman, Peter is walking on water! What a miracle! Please read Matthew 14 below:
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Matthew 14:24-31
24but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. 25During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. 27But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I, Don't be afraid." 28"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." 29"Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" 31Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" 32And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."
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Every Christian should have the faith to walk on impossibilities. I want you to look at the conditions that the disciples were in.
- Considerable distance from the land (away from a place of safety)
- Buffeted by the waves (In danger with a lot of instability)
- During the fourth watch of the night (A time when it is darkest)
- They were terrified (Overwhelmed by their situation)
- Cried out in fear (An expression of surrender or defeat)
One time or the other in everyone’s life, there comes a time when the 5 above become the true definition of your situation. The circumstance may be a challenge in your faith in Jesus (I went through this when I was growing up), your calling, in health, in finances, relationships, marriage, business, work or professional… the list is endless. It could be an identity crisis, national crisis, and political and or socio-economic instabilities. It is usually you only who understands the extent of the impossibility of your set up.
Many people are living a life of defeat full of instability, fear and danger. They are totally overwhelmed by their challenges that they just sit down and chose to die. Look at these 4 leprous men in 2Kings 7:3.
“Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate. They said to each other, "Why stay here until we die?” They were dying of disease and hunger, but look, they asked themselves a dynamic question that only faith people ask ‘Why stay here until we die?’ They recognized sitting down has a guaranteed result, sure death but stepping out had a possible result of salvation enough food to eat. They decided to arise and walk towards their destiny. Guess what, a miracle happened to them.
Listen friends, there is a faith to walk on impossibilities. Regardless of your deficiencies God wants to take you to your dream destiny in life. Life is good and you should taste the goodness of it. Peter, against all odds, broke the rules of physics and material science to reach out to his destiny. He could have erred on the way but he was better than those that remained in the boat. In life people will laugh at you when you take a bold step of faith, do not let that detour you. You are anointed for success.
Let me give you 7 non exhaustive but pivotal steps towards accomplishing your goals by walking in “faith for impossibilities”
- Recognize that you are wrongly positioned for success and need to change position
- Have a clear cut vision of where you want to go
- Allow that vision to consume you so much that nothing else matter apart from that vision
- Take the first most crucial step. The graves are rich of people who had enormous potential of making it great, but died without trying because they failed to take the crucial step.
- Do not arrive, take another step and keep your focus on Jesus. At this point many obstacles come, but keep your focus on Jesus. Nothing else
- Don’t feel the ground. Don’t try to hear what other people are saying, Keep moving forward with your eyes fixed on Jesus. Hebrews 12:2 says “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right handof the throne of God.”
- Work as a team with those who believe in what you are doing just like the 4 leprous men. They carried each other to destiny
The above 7 keys to walking in faith for the impossible coupled with prayer, worship and living according to the Word of God will take you to your destiny.
As a church we started morning services a few weeks ago, which was a great step of faith. I need you to start walking on faith for impossibilities because God is taking us to greater levels week by week. These levels are not only growth inclined in terms of numbers but they are also in terms of the presence of His glory in our services and lives! In the coming weeks and months God will begin to do wonderful things that have not been seen in many churches here in Brisbane. It will take men with hearts that are hungry and thirsty for the impossibilities to see these things happen.
- Step out into faith for impossibilities now!
- Radical faith that wants results
- Stubborn faith that can’t be intimidated
- Adventurous faith that seeks new territories
- Unstoppable faith that keeps going even if all hell breaks loose
- Hungry faith that can’t be filled
- Thirsty faith that can’t be quenched
Faith that removes mountains and faith that causes the Jericho walls to sink!
Hebrews chapter 11 chronicles a number of men and women in scripture who ventured into this kind of faith. If the church is going to make it in this season, there is need for her to step into ‘Impossibilities Faith’. What is the impossibilities faith? This is a firm belief that God will do the impossible things regardless of the contrary.
Have a blessed festive season and a wonderful 2008. Remember, you are anointed to function with unction! Walk in faith!
Pastor Sbanga
When the clock rewinds...
When the clock rewinds
The bible is the most misunderstood, yet most simple, best selling book of all time. It can not be classified as a historical book because it carries a diverse approach to various professions. It reveals accounting and management and strategic management in a unique way in the lives of Joseph and Solomon and others across the whole divide of the book. We see great leadership principles that are used in spearheading businesses and successful governments of today. Business growth strategies are spelt out with case studies included.
Its focus on precious stones in the book of revelation and the smelting of copper, production of bronze which is an alloy of copper with additives of zinc, silver, gold and other stones best describes it as a great journal for mining and metallurgy. This great book has excellent references on wood technology with highlights of wood such as the acacia wood. What a book it is! Building can not be ignored. It has building principles that still blow the minds of professors to date, for example the building of the Egyptian pyramids. The engineering design involved with accurate balancing of forces factored as well as the insight in building such a building is still confounding to say the least.
Mathematics in this great book can not be ignored too. We see a dance of numbers in the book of Numbers. Principles of prosperity are also outlined in a unique fashion across the divide of the book. Accountancy and book keeping is also seen to play a major role in the life of Jesus Christ when He employed Judas Iscariot to be the treasurer. He kept the books and financially planned journeys to ensure that their finances were enough. He also made sure rentals and taxes were paid on time. This book is also a fountain of political will and mileage. David, Solomon and Moses were one of the most renowned freedom fighters and politicians to come out of the chronicles of the bible. Their political career stood the test of time.
Army strategy is also seen in a peculiar fashion in this great book again. Needless to say, the importance of wisdom and knowledge finds a special emphasis in the book of Proverbs. Love, the most sought after ‘thing’ by humans, is beautifully laid out in the Songs of Solomon and generally across that book. Today there is professional counseling, but this book had it all since generations back! It is also a history book, containing stories that are being proven by scientists today through discoveries of ancient cities and buried scripts.
This is a book that has been banned! People have been killed, murdered, hated, despised and secluded from communities because of this book, or rather the contents of the book! Many have lost their professions and sources of livelihood because of it. Surprisingly, yet not so surprising, many have excelled and reached their destinies by applying the wealth of information and wisdom contained therein. This book has the necessary tools of life now and beyond. Those that read it and practice it are very wise.
The bible remains the best seller of its time. It is the only book that has been destroyed and burnt with great fury. It is the only best seller book that has very few people who read it. Many people buy it but do not read it. Out of the minority that have had or made time to read it, a small percentage has actually practiced what it teaches. The bible is the only book with a paradox on authorship; it has multiple authors yet it has one author! Various men wrote it under the inspiration of the great author, the Holy Spirit. This is the only book that declares that all its contents are true and should not be edited. It is the only book that is understood by the inspiration of the Author, yet reading it without His inspiration can give a totally misleading meaning.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God! Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. My Words are true. My son, take my word and prosper; How can a young man keep his way pure, by living according to My Word…” (Scriptural quotes)
I have heart piercing, heart rending questions for you my friends. Have you read that book? Listen to this question again, Have you read that book? I know you are or have studied various professions and you have read various books written by men and women of different persuassions, but have you read that book? I know you may be loved in the circles or community but have you read that book! Hey, maybe you have a reputation as being a devoted Christian but have you read that book? You could be rich and seemingly successful but have you read that book? You could be experiencing a boom in your career or businesses but wait a minute; have you read that book. Possibly you hold a high office in the church but, have you read that book!
Have you really read that book? I understand your excuses. You do long shifts. You attend the kids. You have personal problems. You need to make quick money and save lots of it. You are a Uni student and you are reading hard! You have long and tiring business trips and meetings. Yes, the media is always on you. You have a very tight schedule. You really do not have time; you are a busy man/woman! But have you read that book? Your time is fast running out and you have not read that book at all.
God is waiting on you to read His incorruptible seed of His word. His word is rich with answers to your life and beyond. Why not open it today after reading this article. You can open it randomly, read a random chapter and you will be surprised what God has in store for you. Read it today and leap over to your next level. You are a champion with that book. You are a candidate of succes with that Book. You are positioned for greatness with that Book! Psalm 119 verses 49-50 says “Remember your Word to your servant, for you have given me hope. My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise (word) preserves my life”
- Read it now!
- Read it today
- Develop a passion for it today
- You need it more, especially today!
- One Word from God can change your life forever
- Read that book!!!
Have you read that book?
Remember you are AFU - Anointed to Function with Unction - Read that book!
In God’s vineyard
Pastor Sbanga
September issue - Desperation
Desperation
Have You read that Book?
Greetings everyone! It has been a very busy month for us as we prepare for our first service at our new venue on Sunday the 18th November. The fasting and prayer week was successful and we are happy with the doors that God continues to open. Please join us on the 18th for the big day.
This month’s newsletter should be credited to my wife, a message she briefly shared during one of our family alters this week. On Sunday the 4th November I taught on the significance of alters with particular reference to personal, family, congregational or church and national alters. The bible records that Joab, the reputable general of David’s armies, chose to die holding onto the horns of the alter (1Kings 2:28) after he had sided with Adonijah for kingship amongst his other past ‘sins’, when he killed Abner and Amasa during peace time. Adonijah had done the same earlier on (1Kings 1:50-53) and he was forgiven. An alter is a place of sacrifice, forgiveness, redemption, cleansing, fellowship and worship. Alters without a sacrifice are meaningless. Jesus became the most important sacrifice on that old rugged cross, butchered for the sake of a dying world, and the reason was to rewind the clock and give you and me another chance.
In Isaiah 38:1-10 Hezekiah had lived his years and God told him he was about to die. This was not good news to this man, but he knew he had an alter where all his issues were dealt with. He had an alter where things were changed.
2 Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, 3 "Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
He had an alter where history was made, destinies established and promises were guaranteed. It was his place of communion with God that guaranteed success and progress. It was that place where he knew God will definitely hear his cry. He turned to that place because he had history-making experiences there. He was an influential man and could press any button for things to move but when such a message came, a message of his death; he remembered that place of meeting with God. Wow! This is dynamic. Scripture records that God did hear his prayer and did not only answer it but gave a sign that he has answered. What was the sign? A clock rewind!
8 I will make the shadow cast by the sun go back the ten steps it has gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.' “So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had gone down.
God rewound the times that the devil had stolen. He rewound it ten times to give Hezekiah another chance. Fifteen years were added to his life! Hey, maybe your life has gone to that bitter end. That end where the most logical is to quit and throw in the towel. Everything that you can control is of no help but your fate is in the hands of things you can not control. Possibly your marriage is in the rocks, your life in tatters, your profession is at risk, about to lose your job, your health is deteriorating, your business empire is freefalling at an alarming rate…you are in a state that only you understands the magnitude of its detriment! I’ve written this letter this month to tell you that God is a bout to rewind your clock ten times to make you ten times better!
You are not hearing me. God will do it in style, in a way that no one has ever seen. The whole world will know God is on your case. For Hezekiah the sun went back, something that had never happened. For Elijah the sun stood still. For Paul he was blinded but when he received his sight he had tremendous insight to scripture and he saw revelation that still confound many today. In this month turn over to your alter and let God rewind. You’ve been in that religious game for long, God wants to change the course of things now. You may have bitten dust many times but its time for a rewind. A rewind to better things ahead! You may have failed but you are not a failure. You may be a surrogate child, born out of wedlock, born of homosexual “parents” but who says you are surrogate? God is on your case and is about to rewind your clock and give you a true start. You can’t pay your credit card, your mortgage, your bills, your car loan…and you think you are broke! C’mon, the best is yet to come. This time He will do it in style. Like Hezekiah you will write books and poems about what the Lord has done. That which the devil meant for bad, was actually a strategic flaw to be your ladder to your promotion.
In conclusion, do not shed defeated tears. Shed victorious tears of joy even if there is nothing in the natural to be excited about. Some years back I had no job and God spoke to me and said, I quote, “Your job has come, go and testify about it”. This was like a joke. I went out to testify at a prayer meeting. When people asked which company had employed me, I became a literal joke to everyone! Because in the natural there was no job then! Six months down the line the Lord started in style, and I’m still on that train today. You are a candidate for a clock rewind, yes it is another chance season!
Remember, you are anointed to function with unction! Get to your alter in prayer and worship and the Lord will grant you a clock rewind. Have a great November.
You are anointed to function with unction.
Pastor Sbanga
Dear Friend,
The 1st quarter of this year has been an extremely busy one for us coupled with significant growth in various aspects of the ministry and people’s lives. I take this time to apologize for not publishing the last 3 issues of the newsletter. We have been able to step up our evangelism efforts in the streets and we are seeing tremendous breakthroughs. Please keep praying for us and more so that the lost may come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. We were also blessed with a baby boy, Nkazimulo (God’s Glory) on the 22nd February 2008, who is healthy and only missed one church service since he was born! We believe he will grow to radiate God’s glory. Please take time to go through this month’s encouragement.
This month I want to challenge you on being focused. The past months I have been teaching a variety of subjects such as the power of words, the anointing, the presence, faith, Favor etc. All these subjects and many more are critically important in your Christian growth, but there is one subject that ensures success, and that subject is focus. History tells us that men and women that changed the world were men and women with focus. Men and women with focus can not be shaken; neither can they be persuaded otherwise.
Acts 7:55
But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God
Hebrews 12:1-2
1Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
These two scriptures give us excellent examples on focus, one of Stephen and the other of Jesus. Stephen is utterly convinced of the gospel of Jesus Christ such that he preaches it until the hearers closed their ears. He was totally consumed of this gospel that nothing could detour him. Earlier he was regarded as a man full of the spirit, wise and was appointed to serve tables (Acts 6:3). His life was so much glued to Jesus that even as he spoke the listeners could not take it any more. His focus on God was so strong that he was prepared to be stoned instead of denying what he believed. Even when he was stoned he remained a focused man “looking unto heaven and seeing Jesus standing…”! As the stones came, destroying his flesh, his natural vision, hearing and all his senses, his spirit man was being revived! His spiritual vision was being sharpened until he saw heaven open and Jesus standing! Scripture says Christ is seated on the right hand of the father, but Stephen remained convinced and focused enough to cause Christ to stand, Wow! God is looking for a Stephen generation, a convinced focused breed that is after God; Focused to the extent that they can lose their lives like Stephen. Jesus couldn’t stand the focus until he decided to stand in recognition of such an unraveled focus! Out of this, a man who later wrote two thirds of the New Testament – Paul (Saul then) - would soon be born again – all because Stephen was a focused man.
Hebrews 12:1-2 challenges us to run the race of Faith with perseverance, “focused on Jesus”. It gives us an example of Christ that he remained focused on the joy set before Him that He endured the cross and its scorn. Being focused allows you to develop thick skin. This walk of faith is full of so many weights and disturbances, sins and mistakes, habits and anger, strife and everything that contradicts the faith. Today Christians have become so cosmetic and professional such that they have become irrelevant. Today’s Christian does not want transformational messages but are eager to hear developmental messages only. Our message has ceased to be good news as it has just become like any news item on the media. Christians have stooped so low to ‘serve tables’ instead of upholding the core reasons Jesus died on the cross. Christians are entangled in everything else except Jesus! Their focus on Jesus is gone. They have sought other things except Jesus. Other topics have been very common in the Church except the topic of Jesus. Jesus has become a stranger in his own church because the church has focused on other things. Intellectualism has replaced revelation. Old rugged cross has been replaced by the new age religion. Lack of focus has led the church to sway away from the truth.
When Moses lifted the snake in the wilderness, the rule was, whosoever lifted his head and focused on the snake would be saved. This was a picture of the focus on Jesus. Salvation and healing of the nations will come when men focus on Jesus. I was challenged by the sermon preached by Martin Luther king Jnr before he was assassinated. He declared, I quote
“We’ve got some difficulties ahead, but it really don’t matter with me now because I’ve been to the mountain top, I don’t mind. Like anybody I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will, and He has allowed me to go up to the mountain. Now I’ve looked over, and I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know the night that we are the people will get to the Promised Land. So I’m happy tonight that I’m not worried about anything, I’m not fearing any man mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”
End of quote. Please listen to his live speech below at the end of this newsletter (source: youtube)
He was shot dead the next morning. He stood for racial equality and believed the gospel of Jesus Christ would make a difference, and it did. His life was terminated, just like Stephen and Jesus Himself, yet his legacy, his spirit and his message lives on to this day. His speech signifies a man who was focussed in what he believed.
Today man is focusing on so many things; their jobs, businesses, professions, school/education, prosperity and the like yet the bible challenges every man to “looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” and “seek His kingdom first so that all these other things follow” (Luke 12:31). I want to challenge you to remain focused on Jesus and His promises. Fix your eyes on Him. Be glued towards Him at all times. Be like Paul who said “I’m dead to sin but alive in Christ”. Let’s go back to first principles of being focused to Jesus, and in a little while your lives will never be the same again. We have already done a third of the year 2008, only those who remain focused will partake of the promises that God promised us beginning of the year. You might have started good, through prayer, fasting reading of the word etc, but the most important is to finish strong.
The difference between achievers and non achievers is not because non achievers do not have a vision, No! It’s because achievers remain focused on the vision through it all yet non achievers get swayed by useless things on the way. Be an achiever and remain focused. Just a few things to help you remain focussed:
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Eat the word of God daily (Psalm 119:105)
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Talk to Jesus daily in prayer (Jeremiah 33:3)
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Hang around with the right friends. Ungodly friends will lead you to do ungodly things (2Cor 6:14). What good is it to gain approval from your ungodly friends and yet lose your soul in hell?
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Tell others about Jesus - Witness for Christ (Acts 1:8)
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Attend church regularly / meet other believers for fellowship and worship regularly (Heb 10:25)
Destinies are achieved through focus. A focussed life is full of challenges, pain, rejection, accusations, loneliness, sacrifice, tears... but just for a moment.. yet the result can not be contained...its magnificent! In this generation, I chose to write my own piece of history by being focused unto Jesus...
Have a blessed focused season ahead.
Rich blessings
Pastor Sbanga
Season of new beginnings
January 2008
2008 has come and congratulations that you have made it through! God did wonderful things for us in 2007, which include starting Sunday morning services at a good venue, numerical and spiritual growth and a massive acquisition of assets among other things. We are excited and set for better things ahead!
2008 is a great year for us. It is the 8th year in the new millennium and according to biblical numerology the number eight has a dynamic prophetic significance. Coincidentally the Lord has spoken to us through its significance.
In Hebrew the number eight is Sh'moneh, from the root Shah'meyn that means:
- To make fat
- Cover with fat or
- To super abound
It can also be phrased as “One who abounds in strength” or “superabundant fertility”.
Fat or oil in the word of God signifies the anointing and or the thickness of the glory of God. Isaiah 10:27b says “The yoke shall be broken because you have grown fat” and other versions say, “…because of the anointing”. This year is a year of Sh’moneh! It is a year of new dimensions of God’s glory. We will experience different facets of the manifestation of his glory. Get ready!
Biblically the number 8 speaks of new beginnings, new seasons and a new order. When all has been completed (number 7) a new beginning becomes necessary! Look at the few examples of the significance of number 8 in scripture.
- 8 people survived the flood of Noah to mark a new beginning, a new order and a new earth.
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2 Peter 2:5 “ 5if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others”
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1Peter 3:20 20who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water,
- Circumcision was done on the 8th day according to the custom of Israel.
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It signified a true circumcision of the heart through Christ, which was for a new Creation – a new life
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Genesis 17:1212 For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring”
- 8 recorded resurrections from the dead in the entire bible (apart from Christ and the saints) – resurrection from physical death meant a new beginning on its on and the fact that in the entire bible we have 8 resurrections re-affirms the resurrection-new beginning significance of this number.
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1 Kings 17:17-25 – Zarephath - Elijah prayed for the boy, stretching himself on him
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Luke 7:11-18 – a town called Nain. Dead body raised by Jesus – son of a widow
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2 Kings 4:32-37 – Shunamite woman - Elisha prayed for the boy, stretching himself on him
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Mark 5:35 – daughter of Jairus – “Your daughter is dead, why bother the master anymore.”
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2 Kings 13:20,21 – In Elisha’s tomb – man thrown in and came back to life
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John 11 Lazarus – 4 days in the tomb – Jesus raised him from the dead
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Acts 9:36-40 – Tabitha, a widow who used to help others – Peter called her “Tabitha arise” and she rose from the dead.
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Acts 20:7-12 Eutychus - fell from the upper room while Paul preached – Paul raised him from the dead
- Prophetic of the revelation of the glory of God
Luke 9:28 – 36 “ 28About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. 29As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning
So this number 8 is associated with new beginnings, resurrections and the revelation of new dimensions of the glory of God. Friends, we perceive by the spirit of God that this year of 2008 will be a unique year. It shall be a year of:
- New beginnings – new pages shall be opened in people’s lives
- Superabundance of resources and an increase – God will abound his grace to step out of poverty. Abundance will be the norm in your life.
- New dimensions of the revelation of God’s glory – God will be ready to manifest himself in new dimensions to all those who are hungry and thirsty for him. Gifts of the spirit will become a norm.
- Tremendous growth – numerical and spiritual – new souls will come into the kingdom of God - a great harvest of souls will take place.
- Resurrection, regeneration and rejuvenation of dreams, visions, projects etc that were dead or lying dormant. It’s a season for sleeping giants to arise and be felt.
I need you to see something in Isaiah 43:18-19
Isaiah 43:18-19 (New International Version)
18 "Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland.
Isaiah 43:18-19 carries enormous wealth of information for what God will do in 2008. There are dynamic truths that need to be extracted and practised from those two verses. I have summarised them below. These are basic things you will have to do in this season for God to manifest Himself and ensure that you get hold of the anointing of the season.
In this new season
- Forget the former things (Totally remove from memory) – failures, sins, frustrations, misses, and defeat, depression, losses, abuses, and bondage. Do not allow former experiences affect your view of the future.
- Do not dwell on the past – Look to the future – avoid basing much on past failures or victories, etc. Dwelling in the past is establishing your future based on foundations of past experiences. Past experiences are good as a motivation for the future not a foundation. Let your foundation be God’s word and start moving forward. Dwelling on past failures will destroy you while dwelling on past victories will cause you to be redundant not to move forward. Have you ever heard of people that boast they healed the sick or did wonders 10 years ago but today they cant do anything? Lets heal them today not 10 years ago.
- Open your spiritual eyes to see what God is doing! God is at work and will be doing great things everyday for the next 366 days. Do not miss out because you are blind spiritually, sharpen yourself spiritually and participate in what God is doing.
- Recognize the giant that has been lying dormant in you – he springs up! Fear has kept great things in you from being manifested. In you is a seed of greatness, a seed to prosper. In this season you need to step out in faith and let that which is in you spring forth. You will be surprised at what has been lying dormant in you.
- God will cause life to spring forth where there was no life! Areas in your life that were lifeless will begin to live. Where there was no way God will make a way. In the wastelands of your life, streams of living water will begin to flow. Wherever the flow of the presence of God will take place in your life, whatever gets in touch will come to life!
Welcome to this great year and start get going because already the count down has started. We wish you the best the LORD can give you this year.
In His Service
Pastor Sbanga
Desperation
I feel indebted to write on giving this month. We just had a very successful giving Sunday service that edified a number of people! As the church continues to grow, with no signs of slowing down, the believers are positioning themselves for the great outpour of God’s presence that is about to come. We foresee a great release of God’s presence in its various dimensions. Of late we have experienced salvations, healings and baptism of the Holy Spirit in our services but God is about to do what will blow our minds. As we prepare for this visitation, one of the major issues to be tackled is giving. Christianity is about giving. When we worship we give to God. When we come to Church we give our time to God. Believers who know how to give are best positioned to handle the presence of God because it may demand a giving, even of your dignity!
Below are important lessons and reasons why we should give:
1.0 Giving is an act of worship. Honoring God with your possessions
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Acts 10:2-4 — “[Cornelius] and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, ‘Cornelius!’ Cornelius stared at him in fear. ‘What is it, Lord?’ he asked. The angel answered, ‘Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God...’
Philippians 4.10-20. 17 “Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.”
When we give to God, we recognize that God is the supply of all things. We recognize that He is worthy of appreciation hence our gifts to Him. Not that God demands gifts from us, but he wants to credit into our accounts. So when we give, we honor God and when we don’t we dishonor him. Solomon worshipped with thousands upon thousands of various gifts to the Lord and God honored that by coming down and glorifying the temple he had built for Him. The gifts of Cornelius were received as a memorial offering before God.
2.0 Giving is spiritual form of investment. We are expectant of receiving back or a return
Luke 6:38 — “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Proverbs 19:17 — “He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.”
When you plant a seed you should expect a return/harvest. When we give, we should expect to receive back a multiple fold. This is a natural law and a spiritual law too. When you put your money into investments, it gains interest, which is a return to you. That return is not safe in the case of a crush in the markets etc e.g. the current economic recession taking place in the US. The natural law of investment requires you to have a financial advisor who will keep an eye on the stock and other markets and ensure that you get a return. This is not always guaranteed. When we give to God we are guaranteed of a return. There is no need to keep following your investment because God does not shift or lose value or shares. He owns everything. He owns cattle in a thousand hills, gold and silver is His. Give with the understanding that it will be given back to you. It is a spiritual law of investment. Giving the best to God is the only way to guarantee a good return.
3.0 Support the work of God
Phil 4:15 Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only
Haggai 1:6-10 6 you have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it." 7 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. 8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored," says the LORD. 9"You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?" declares the LORD Almighty. "Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house. 10Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops.
As believers we are mandated by God to support His work. The work of God involves a number of activities that require resources and God will not send angels with money to support that work, he uses people. God expects believers to support His work on earth through their giving. In Haggai1 above He declares that he has not allowed us to prosper because we build ourselves mansions and yet forget His House. Our giving to God of tithes and offerings should be with excitement, knowing that doing so literally positions God to increase our blessing. God can trust you with more resources if He trusts that you will further support His work on earth without any grudges.
4.0 We love God – He loves us - He gave first
2 Corinthians 9:7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
John 3:16 16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
We give cheerfully because we love God. We don’t give religiously, but we put thought into it and give after having “decided in our hearts”. This means that we don’t give accidentally, we give because we plan to give. For example, Sunday service offering should be planned well before attending the service. It should never be a coincidence. We give because God loved us and He gave first, and He gave His best. There are different dimensions of giving such as spontaneous giving, sponge giving etc. But as of systematic giving and tithing, it has to be pre determined and known well before time as an expression of our love for God.
5.0 The Word of God says so
§ 1 Corinthians 16:2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.
We give because of our obedience to the Word of God. Giving is a biblical culture that dates back to creation. Adam taught his sons, Cain and Abel to give and they gave offerings to God. Abel gave a good acceptable offering while Cain brought an unfitting offering. Cain’s offering was possible begrudged, under compulsion etc and God was not happy with it. It is better not to give than giving while complaining. God will never be broke and His command of giving is for the good of the believers. Paul emphasizes in 1Corinthians above that everyone should set aside money to offer to God every first day of the week, in keeping with his income and saving so as to offer on the day collections are made. This is interesting because God expects those who are blessed to give in the measure of their blessing. So God does not look at the amount but rather at the percentage. Of late I have been encouraging believers to tithe every income. One of them said to me they don’t work and my reply was “If someone gives you a dollar, takes 10c (ten cents), put it in the tithe envelope and drop it in the offering basket and give to God, God will honor that”. And truly, God will increase you if you honor Him this way.
In conclusion, it is highly blessed to give than to receive. Different forms of giving carry different types of blessings. There is the general tithes and offerings, giving to orphans and widows, giving to the poor, giving to the work of God as well as pastoral giving. All these forms of giving as well as other forms carry with them grace and peculiar specific blessings. Stingy people do themselves dis-service, yet givers invest their resources into a life insurance in Jesus that never crashes or get liquidated.
By the way, stinginess is the highest form of investment into the poverty account, an account whose interest always increases. That's the only way to remain in the poverty circle.
In the coming season, position yourself to give the best you can.
In His service
Pastor Sbanga
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