(We are trading in God’s supermarket)
This is my heartfelt understanding of God’s Word. A message to the Penticostal Fellowship of Nigeria Njaba Chapter Imo State Nigeria.
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Preamble:
When God finished creating the things on earth , He said they were good.
“And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” (Genesis 1:31)
God evaluates all things in the spirit of a business person.
2:12 And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. (Genesis 2:12)
Going through scriptures we discover that God speaking through the prophets used business language very often. For example the following words were used in King James Version of the bible in the following frequences:
(i) loss (10 times), lost (38 times.)
(ii) gain (30 times) related to several things including money or souls. For example in 1 Corinthians:
9:19 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.
9:20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; (1 Corinthians 9 : 19-20).
This principle should guide our trading in God’s supermarket.
(iii) profit 45 times, profitable 13 times.
(iv) prosperity 17 times, prosper 49 times and prosperous 8 times.
(v) success 1 time
(vi) promotion 2 times, promote 5 times and promoted 6 times.
(vii) riches 98 times rich 81 times.
(viii) money 50 times.
(ix) buy 56 times, and
(x) sell 35 times.
These scriptural mention of words were used either in the negative or positive sense of the words, to illustrate caution, or reward as the case(s) may be. When you deal with the world of business, these words are recurrent in economics and accounting.
LET US GO INTO THE DISCUSSION.
While I am speaking to us as the the children of God, I want us to see the kingdom program in which we are, as a business, with eternity as the climax from the point of God. The kingdom business program often appear foolish from the point of view of men. From the way it appears, many who love money, may not preach the gospel. This is so because God’s way of gathering money, measuring profit, riches, prosperity and so on, are not the same as in the human sense, but they are real measurements.
Take these instances in (God’s) theomatics (or God’s mathematics):
“Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth”. (Ecclesiastes 11:1-2).
God’s business spirit is far away from human methods. When we give without receiving value, the ordinary business man is counting loss, but God’s word tells such people they will receive back in due course, so those who cast their bread upon the waters are counting profit.
If you cast your bread upon the waters you may have fed the fishes and you need to be a fisherman to catch the fishes, but not your bread.
Does frugality make sense in business?
Business success believes in being economical with money or food ( frugality). Thus giving without receiving good measure back will result in loss and closure of business. This is the thinking and practicality of world businesses all over. It is rooted in accounting and economics. God’s economics is different, because you gain through giving.
Therefore, God’s financial arithmetic does not make sense to the ordinary man. Can we cope with the burden to win souls, when we invest money without receiving money? God’s business, differs from the world of economics.
CAN YOU BUY WITHOUT MONEY?
Read this from the book of Isaiah:
“Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. (Isaiah 55:1-2).
Can we buy without money? God’s Word is like the waters offered free. And we can receive full satisfaction through the Living Word of God at no price. All human problems have their solution in the Word of God and God tells us we can have solutions free. Except the Word of God which is free, all other things on earth has cost.
There are great proofs of God’s supernatural power which has become the last bus stop for man. You may have your personal experiences.
GOD wins souls through His free offering of His Word, which has the capacity to turn the lives of men profitably to Him. How far can we physically buy our salvation be it material salvation or soul?
WE HAVE TO ACCOUNT FOR OUR TRADING
Reading from 1 Corinthians:
3:14, If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 3:15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. (1 Corinthians 3:14-15)
As God’s people on earth our work, which is our trading , will be tested by fire. Man’s life on earth is a business in the presence of God and it must be a gainful one, if it stands the test of God. Eternal life is the bottom line of our trading result on earth.
This can be achieved by trading according to the rules. We trade by obedience in God’s business, but the people of the world trade by economic rules. And God’s word warned the children of Israel thus:
“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. (Joshua 1:8).
Success and prosperity are achieved physically, if we live by the law of God.
Those who want to be rich on earth or earn eternal life, must trade faithfully in the “Obedience Supermarket” of God.
WE HAVE TO ACCOUNT FOR TALENTS RECEIVED.
Reading from the book of Matthew:
25:20 And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.25:21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.25:22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.25:23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.25:24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: (Matthew 25:20-24).
REWARDS:
God rewards us according to the efforts we put in his investment in us. The one given one talent was punished for not investing the one talent given to him. He buried his talent. Brethren let us be mindful never to bury our talents, without knowing. We may think we are using our talents well, but there is an optimum and low performance. May God help us in our weakness.
Are there not many who are already dead, but are not aware? This is so, because they buried their talent.
Jesus told the one that buried his talent ( Matt. 25:27), ” You should have put my money with the bankers, so on return I may earn interest”.
May God help us get up from our slumber in the world of evangelism and soul winning. May God help us sow in the fallow vineyards around our homes.
DO WE DESPISE GOD’S GIFT TO US?
Read 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, but specifically:
“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal”. (1 Corinthians 12:7).
Talents and spiritual gifts are given for the profit of the assembly. But more often some of us are not contented with what they have received.
FOR SOME THE GIFT IS FOR THEIR OWN PROFIT TO MAKE MONEY, SHAME!
Many worry about the gift of great people of God and their mega ministries, thereby putting at the background God’s endowment on them, which could be immesurable. Some have buried their talents or spiritual gifts. Some want to speak in tongues forgetting that tongue speaking is a gift. Some have gone to the school of tongues – speaking, but set aside the gift of faith or other which they have received. God is a businessman and will desire us to account for that small gift which we have received, but called it nothing and buried it.
WE MUST MAKE PROFIT IN IT AND NOT BURY IT NO MATTER HOW SMALL.
Are you waiting for a big gift to really function and command influence? The little you think you have, may have been given according to your ability and that is all you need to make the difference here. Let us use our so called little gifts for effective trading while the Master tarries.Now explore the boundries and trade with it for great harvest of souls.
A VERY IMPORTANT ATTENTION
You may be surprised that God is benevolent in His own way and not according to the rationalisation of men. Rewards for our labours may not be as we suppose in our thoughts. Read Matt. 20:10 -16, but specifically:
20:10 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.20:11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,20:13 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? (Matthew 20:10-16).
No child of God will prescribe the size of his reward for service rendered in God’s supermarket. The most important thing is that we should be rewarded. While we must never be indolent, we must recognise God’s magnamity in rewards.
SOME OF GOD’S CHILDREN , CALL THEM ELECTS, WHO ARE NOT KNOWN IN THE SCHEME OF GOD’S WORK HERE, MAY BE REWARDED MORE THAN SOME CELEBRATED MISSIONARIES, CALL THEM THE GENERALS, BECAUSE OF HOW GOD RANKED THEM IN HIS BUSINESS. LET US BEWARE OF CELEBRITY, IT IS FOR THE WORLD, OF NOLLYWOOD OR HOLYWOOD STARS.
THE VINEYARD OF THE LORD.
The Prodigal son
“And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. (Luke 15:12-13)
We must be mindful, not to be prodigal children of the King. We are asking for higher annointing to serve. God is also dishing that out severally to many, but we should not forget that God is a business Being and will ask us to account.
THE ANOINTING IS NOT TO PUFF US UP, BUT TO HUMBLE US TO TRADE WITH IT WITH DILIGENCE.
Some have been pushed down by circumstance on this earth to give account. Let the accounting be right oh Lord.
LET US NOT BRAG OF THE ANOINTING, BUT LET US SERVE WITH THE ANOINTING, ELSE HE TAKE IT AWAY FROM US AND GIVE IT TO THE MORE DESERVING.
He is a forgiving God, but we cannot fritter His gifts in frivolous living, because no one can rebuke us or that He will forgive us. The prodigal son was forgiven, but we should not have this as an example to neglect God’s scale of judgement.
We are in God’s supermarket and He is noting our transactions. May He grant us grace to make His designated ( God’s planned or expected) profit Amen.
Rev. Prof. P C Nnaocha.
MIRACLE VALLEY, NIGERIA.
JULY 9TH 2018, AT UMUAKA IMO STATE NIGERIA
+2348037179735.
outreach.mvgmng.com
WEBSITE: www.mvgmng.org