okay haha
I've got Kleenex
because I've had menopause for 2 months
haha
I was gonna be prepared well
it is it's a privilege to be here and um
so thank you for those so kind words
obviously
this place wouldn't be here without you and your wife
and I'll just like
would you can we just honor the founders of this place
it takes a lot of courage to um
start something from nothing
and obviously it takes a lot of faith
and we know
none of us would be here if it wasn't for Jesus Christ
so we want to make sure that we
we keep Jesus at the center
as one of my one of my staff tell me all the times
Jesus at the center I'm like hey
is he is he off the bubble a little bit
and we move him back
but none of us would be here if it wasn't for Jesus
but it does take pioneers and
and the hails have been pioneers
and we're we're
we're here today because of their
their obedience to god
and their ability to make sacrifices
and what a beautiful place
and isn't this a beautiful place
like the setting is just amazing
this whole thing is just beautiful
well once you grab a hand we're gonna pray
again you can get a date this way
Holy Spirit thank you for what you're doing today
we pray god for your anointing to be on us
you said that you it's the
your anointing that teaches us
and so we pray for that anointing to be on us
and I also pray Holy Spirit
that you would feel the freedom
to do whatever you want to do
please tell me first but
but feel free to do what you want here Lord
and heal people and deliver people
and transform people and open our ears and our eyes
father in Jesus name amen
I I wrestled a little about uh
what to share this morning
um I don't know if I've ever shared this here before
probably I have
I've been here a lot of times
but I uh
and I've changed the message three or four times
just because of the season we're in
and it feels like it feels like I'm
I'm gonna share something that's like
opposite of this season I would be sharing in
but um I
I felt this morning last night I went to bed and like
I think I'm supposed to share on
developing a wealth mentality
and I
I sort of realized that that's running against the
the current grain of what maybe what we should share
but um
and two or three times I've
I've kind of I've been sharing this message on humility
and I I said well
maybe I should just do that
and I felt so strongly
that I'm supposed to talk about
developing a wealth mentality
so I'll tell you a little bit
um you may know my story because um
most of you are here because of uh
because you've heard our story or my story but um
Bill's story
um so I
I grew up my father drowned when I was three years old
and so we when I was
from the time I was uh
three to I don't know
maybe seven or eight we lived on welfare
and
I'm so thankful for our government system of welfare
I just want to say that like I
I don't think it was uh
meant to be a lifestyle but it certainly is
it's beautiful that um
when you're in a crisis that there is
that your government helps to take care of you
and um
in welfare in those days was a very um
I I
I remember it as being very humbling
because we were on and off welfare
so my mom was on welfare for a while
and then we she went through a uh
divorce when I was 13
and then we were back on welfare for a while and
and um
the welfare lady would come to our house
and she would look through our cupboards
and if we had any like
sweets or anything like that
then they would withdraw the welfare and
and then uh
also I couldn't have friends stay overnight at my house
and so my friends would often
the welfare lady would show up unannounced
so my friends would have to hide
or go out the back door and so it was a
it was it was pretty intense time in the season
and I and I remember um
and and so I
I remember that um
my my parents
my my
I had two stepfathers uh
eventually I had a second stepfather when I was 15
and my my parents and my uncles and aunts
my whole family they
they literally they
they hated wealthy people
now I don't know if they actually hated them
but that's the impression I had as a young man
I remember sit
I remember my parents sitting at the dinner table and
and I was sitting with my uncles and aunts
when they would gather
and they would just talk about how people like
obviously there wasn't a Bill Gates in those days
but the Bill Gates kind of people
they were evil and
and how they abused people and how they
they they
they hoarded wealth to themselves
and my my
my parents you know
taught me that wealthy people had
took the money that should have belonged to us and uh
we voted for people uh
my parents voted for people that um
would that
that increase government entitlements and um
wrong or right I'm just telling you the way I grew up
I grew up just and I remember um
I didn't know I was poor until I went
I went to school um
I think it was around eighth grade
and I remember seventh or eighth grade
and I remember we were back on welfare
and I remember standing in line
uh
with about five kids for lunch
and we all had vouchers
and that was the first time I
I thought oh
these guys have money and we
we have vouchers
and and so
and and I
and I and I hated
I hated the feeling of being broke
and I started working uh
cutting lawns when I was uh
12 years old and I would
and then I would give my the money to my
my mom because we were
we're on welfare
and that's the way we got to do extra things and like
have
you know food we weren't allowed to have and
and I started working full time when I was 15
I went to school and I worked at a shoe store and
and later on it had several service stations
and I I just
part of my work ethic came from
I hated the idea of being in poverty
um and then I got saved at 18
and it was
I had a beautiful experience with the Jesus people that
anyone old enough in here
you got saved in the Jesus people movement
I I love the Jesus People movement and
and uh
they they taught me how to love Jesus and how to I I
I was immediately given a
a spiritual father that's a story for another day
he was a beautiful man
I actually did his funeral some 17 years ago and um
he he um
he taught me how to be a disciple and um
but the the
the challenge with a lot of the Jesus movement
at least the part I was in
obviously it's a big movement
but the part I was in is that they
they also had a poverty mentality
and they they um
frankly the people I were with love Jesus
but they didn't really know the Bible very well
and uh
and I was so excited like
I had such a powerful experience when I was 18
receiving Christ it changed my entire life
like I've never turned around since that day and uh
and my my girlfriend
and I my
my girlfriend was uh Kathy
still is my girlfriend
51 years of marriage this year
I met Kathy when she was 12
we got engaged when she was 13
cover your children's ears
I'm glad they're all out of here now
we got married when she was 17 and um
I we
we found the Lord together
I was 18 and she was 15
and we received Christ together that day
and we've never turned back
and we're radical Christians
from the day we received Christ
when our kids were little we uh
you know young
and people would wrap presents in Santa Claus
gift wrapping
we would unwrap them and put Jesus paper on them
and if someone send our kids Christmas cards with Santa
Claus on them we throw the Christmas cards away
and we call her parents and say
don't send anything with Santa Claus
and we are upset
let me just say it was a rough few years
I have a little bit more wisdom now
the Easter Bunny we shot that sucker right away
didn't celebrate Halloween
now we are now we are
we are we're still radicals
but we are radicals raising our children
you know
I I hear of some famous singers like
I was raised in a in a religious home
my parents forced Jesus on us
and I'm like that was us
we weren't we weren't religious
but we loved Jesus and
and
our kids watched deliverances happen in our front room
and they knew there was a devil
and they prayed there was a god
oh yeah
I could tell you a lot of stories
and um
and all all my kids love god
all my kids are pastors
and um
I'm very proud of them but uh
we we grew up um
in in the Jesus movement
and the primary
one of the primary scriptures that I Learned
it was kind of like the like
the motto over the door metaphorically speaking
is it's harder for a rich man to get into the kingdom
than it is for a camel
to go through the eye of a needle
and uh
I didn't realize it but I I
I Learned right away that I was a child of the king
and I remember reading this book
The King's Kid and I'm like
I remember like
you know growing up with such low self esteem
and two fathers who didn't like me
and then I I
I meet the Jesus people and they just love Jesus
and they they had this deep sense that we were
we were you were
we were kids of the king and and
and I Learned uh
from the Jesus people that we were a royal priesthood
and it was and and
and there but there was this really weird contrast
that I never understood for more than 10 years
that we are royal people but
but we embraced poverty
as if it was a sign of loving god
and it was really a shame to have things
and people who were in our movement
that had really nice things
they always had to apologize for those things
when they came into our presence
and so I was really was really a
a kind of a a strange um
thing and I didn't understand that
that that mentality was uh
actually it
it actually hurt my relationship with god
and uh
and so I'm I'm gonna share now
I wanna I
in the Bible in the old and New Testament
there's a one word for riches and wealth
there's not a word riches and a word wealth
are you with me but I'd like to say that I I
I but I but
but the context sometimes dictates the definition
and I'd like to point out
that there really is a concept of wealth
and there really is a concept of riches
and I'd like to point out that you can be rich
and not wealthy
and that you can be wealthy and have no money
so I'm not primarily talking about money
although there are more parables in the
in the New Testament about money
there's more conversations about money
in the New Testament than about heaven or hell
so Jesus talked a lot about money
and so and I
I also think I should say this um
I I understand that when we start talk like
talking about poverty riches and wealth
that that subject has been really abused in the church
and we have what we call the prosperity gospel
and I know I'm on the
the list of those prosperity teachers
let's not even go there
and and and
and I'm like and uh
and this is what I think
that they mean by the prosperity gospel
in the negative sense
is that you're measuring your spirituality
by what you have and
and just to be clear like
that's not what I'm saying at all
and I I want you to understand that I've known many
many people who were very
had lots of money and were
as far as I'm concerned were very poor
I don't mean poor in spirit
I mean poor poor
and I've known lots of people who have
don't have hardly any anything
any material wealth
and yet they are incredibly wealthy people
so um
but I'm gonna do what Jesus did
and I'm gonna illustrate a lot of things with money
and I although I'm not primarily talking about money in
um so in Deuteronomy 8:18
the Lord tells Moses this
you shall you shall
he says
tell the people they shall remember the Lord their god
for is he who's giving you power to make wealth
say this power to make wealth
listen to the rest of this
and then you're gonna repeat it in a minute
that he may confirm his covenant
which he swore to your fathers
as it is to this day say this that he may
that he may confirm his covenant
confirm his which he swore to your fathers
so so god says to Moses listen
tell the people
that I'm gonna give them the power to make wealth
and here's the reason
I'm gonna give them the power to make wealth
so that it will be a confirmation
to the covenant I have with them
I call it jealousy evangelism
and listen you know the story
you may not like the story
but here's the story god says to the Jewish people
I'm gonna give you the power
make wealth and all the and
and it's gonna confirm that I
that you have a relationship with me
and the nations around you are going to look at you
and they're gonna go how do we get that
and god said I'm gonna so bless you
that the nations around you will be jealous
and they will say our gods don't do that for us
maybe we should serve your god
and so god was saying I'm gonna give you wealth
but it's not for your sake
it's for the that the people will know
that you have a covenant with me
and they'll want me
because of the kindness I show towards you
now here's the interesting thing
the word wealth I'm gonna give you power to make wealth
not the word power but the word wealth is
is actually translated uh
in the New American Standard
it's translated 82 times army
I don't know if you know what I just said
the Hebrew word for wealth is only translated wealth
25 times
it's translated 82 times army
it's translated elite army
1 times forces
12 times capability
one time
uh strength
10 times
valiant 41 times
wow
okay I'd like to propose to you
that poverty and wealth are both a power
that poverty no
remember I'm not talk like if you cannot react to
he's preaching the prosperity gospel
cause I'm gonna show you that that's not what I'm doing
but I'm also trying to say that wealth is a power
and so is poverty
somebody once said
if you took all the money in the world
and you and you and you
and you gave everybody equal amounts of money
divided it equally among all population of the world
that in 10 years the poor
the poor would be poor again
the middle class would be middle class again
and the wealthy would be wealthy again
now it's hard to prove that
except for this we do know
we do know that there's been many documentaries done
on people who have won a lottery
of $1 million or more and they go back five years later
and nearly in every case and I don't know what the
the the reports I read were 15 years old
so there may be some differences now
but in nearly every case those people were more broke
after they won the lottery than before
I point out that the environment you have within you
becomes the environment around you
if you take a hopper and you put him in a palace
he'll make the palace a prison
but if you take a prince and you put him in a prison
story of Joseph he'll make the prison of palace
I'm pointing out that the
the environment you cultivate within you becomes the
the environment around you
okay good point Chris
so um
can I can I say this
if wealth was inherently evil
remember this is the
this is the this is the
this is the mindset I grew up with
with the Jesus people
that wealth is something you avoid
like you should avoid this because then you get money
then you can't get into the kingdom
well you might scoot your way in
but you're definitely like
barely welcome
so I'd like to point out that if wealth was in
inherently evil
could it confirm a covenant god had with his people
are you with me like if
if I'm talking about if wealth was inherently evil
right right
like
I'm trying to point out for people that grew up like me
like if
if I was taught like
you gotta be really like wealth listen
the love of money is the root of everything
if you get that you're gonna barely get in
if you get in
if wealth was inherently evil
would god say I'm going to give my people wealth
so to confirm I have a covenant with you wow
okay here we go
I want to give you five definitions of wealth
these are Chris Vallentine's definitions of wealth
but I I think they're they're true
a number one
wealth is the ability resources
strength and wisdom
to create positive outcomes in the midst of lack
poverty and or emptiness
want me to read it one more time
yes wealth is the ability
the resources the strength
wisdom and etcetera
to create positive outcomes in the midst of lack
poverty or emptiness
I I
I'd point out it it's
it's kind of like the expanded version of Joseph's
in prison there's lack
there's there's
there's emptiness but he creates prosperity
because he has it in him are you with me
number two wealth is light in darkness
it's healing in sickness it's prosperity in poverty
it's wholeness in brokenness
it's favor in obscurity it's love for the unlovely
beauty for ashes and victors among victims
you want me to give you that one more time
wealth is light and darkness
in other words it can be dark
arise and shine for your light has come
the glory of the Lord has risen upon you
behold deep darkness covers the earth
but but the Lord will rise upon you
his glory be
I'd point out that if we're the light of the world
that we actually gain influence when it's dark
okay good point
Chris and I'm pointing out that that is part of wealth
when it's dark I show up
can I say more accurately
he shows up in me
so wealth is light in darkness
healing in sickness prosperity in poverty
wholeness in brokenness favor in obscurity
love for the unlovely
beauty for ashes victors among victims
when you love someone who's unlovely
when you love someone who's not lovable
that is wealth
you just gave someone something
that they didn't give back to you
how many know Jesus said
if you love people who love you
what are you doing different than the Gentiles
because you give me love I give it back
it's reciprocity
but when you give me nothing and I give you love
or you give me hate and I give you love
I just prove that I have wealth
because I don't need you to love me
so I can love you because I have a source
number three wealth is a can do attitude
I like this because now we're talking about how I think
wealth is a can do attitude
a more than enough mindset
and a nothing and is impossible belief system yeah
I love this I think Bill Coin this phrase
he said you know
your mind's renewed
when the impossible seems reasonable
can I say that's a wealth mentality
I step into a place where there's sickness
or I step into a place where there's chaos
and I
and I have the confidence my god can take care of this
not only can he he will
No.5 wealth is radical generosity
extraordinary compassion sacrificial giving
and profound humility
I'd like to point out that when you have a lot of money
it's a lot easier to give your money
than it is to give yourself
so when I'm talking about radical generosity
I'm not just talking about giving away money
in the state in the place I'm in right now
it's easier for me to give away money
than it is to give away time
it's easy to go let's give $1,000 that person
when actually they need a visit
so when I'm talking about sacrificial giving
I'm not just talking about giving your stuff
I'm talking about giving your heart
yeah
number five wealth is always thankful haha
never jealous
doesn't brag
celebrates others and looks for
looks to the future let me read it again
wealth is always thankful
can I point out when you stop being thankful
when I stop being thankful
I've lost wealth
it doesn't matter how much money I have
if I'm not thankful I am poor
and I'm not talking about good poor
that Jesus said blessed are the poor
I'm talking about bad poor
wealth is always thankful
never jealous does not brag
and celebrates others and looks to the future
I I look to the future
Proverbs 31 ladies
you you know this
this verse the Proverbs
look the Proverbs 31
woman looks to the future and smiles
she's excited about the future
how many you know that the scary
some of the scariest things in life are the unknown
I go get a a test for some health problem
and it's five days before I get the results back
and it and
and I've imagined the worst
but what happens when you have a prosperity mindset
your what ifs are positive
you're like that test is gonna come back negative
that doctor's gonna say
you're in better health than a 17 year old
you you just begin to think that god
all things work together for good
for me that's a wealth mentality
um I
I want to talk just for a minute
I don't know if we've all thought through this
but what is money
let's say that I'm a carpenter and you're a mechanic
and I need my car fixed
but you don't need carpentry work done
but you need your wiring fixed in your house
so I pay you with money
which is agreed upon note of worth for your work
and you use that note
to pay the electrician for the wiring that you need
so the value of the money is not in the paper
it's printed on
it's on the agreed upon value of the note
are you with me some are like
I hate money it's like that's stupid
because money is the way we exchange our labor
right it's primarily the way we exchange our labor
so you need something but that but
but what you do I don't need
so you give me a note for what I did for you
so that I can take that note
and exchange it for something I need
like that's what we're talking about right now
I understand that
it gets warped and weird when we have the love of money
and we're like how much of this I can get for myself
um so Jesus uh
has an encounter
the most famous encounter in the Jesus movement
and there's a ruler he said
good teacher how shall I inherit internal life
eternal life this is Luke
Chapter 18 verse eighteen
and Jesus said to him why do you call me good
no one's good except for the god alone
you know the commands don't commit adultery
don't murder don't steal
don't bear false witness honor your mother and father
and he said I've kept these for my youth
and when Jesus heard this
he said you have one thing you lack
sell all your possessions
distribute to the poor
and you shall have treasure in heaven
and then come and follow me
but when he heard this he became very sad
and he was extremely because he was extremely rich
and Jesus looked at him and said
how hard it is for the wealthy
to enter the kingdom of god
um
I'd like to point out if you
if you'd rather be rich than right with god
saved and have eternal life
then you're a spiritual prostitute
you've chosen the temporal pleasure
over the infinite paradise
so I just want to point out that
whenever we'd rather have money than god
that's an idol
I love it Jack Taylor said
he said an idol is something you have to check with
before you say yes to god
the problem isn't what you own
the problem is what owns you
it's called lordship
some people own houses and some houses own people
yeah yeah
haha
now let's just get
dive right into the Jesus people verse in 1st Timothy
6:10 the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil
and some by longing for it
have wandered away from the faith
and pierced themselves with many griefs
now I'd like to point out
that it's not money that's the root of all evil
it's the love of money and I'd like to point out
that it's not the root of all evil
it's the root of all sorts of evil
I'd like to point out there are lots of other evils
idolatry arrogance
we heard pride this week
the devil didn't fall because of money
he fell because of pride
infidelity immorality
I could go on and on and on
the money is not even
probably in the top 10 things that are evil
but the point is is that the love of money
is the root of all sorts of evil
now Paul's writing to Timothy
who's at Ephesus which uh
when you think of Ephesus
think of San Francisco a wealthy city
Greek city and so he's writing to Timothy
cause Timothy is an apostle in Ephesus
and they happen to have a lot of wealthy people
it's a wealthy city so what
so this so first uh
Timothy 6:10 which we just read
what is Paul's advice to Timothy's people
who are wealthy let me go on
verse 17
instruct those who are rich in this present world
to sell everything they have and give it to the poor
oh no
instruct those who are rich in this present world
not to be conceited
or fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches
but on god
who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy
so he said tell your wealthy people
to not put their hope in wealth
to fix their hope in Jesus
and to remind them that god gave them wealth to enjoy
and he goes on instruct them to do good
to be rich in good works
to be generous and ready to share
storing up for themselves treasures of good
of a good foundation for the future
that they may take hold of what is life indeed
so Paul says to Timothy
you have a bunch of wealthy people
remember that the
that the root of all sorts of evil is the love of money
he didn't tell them get rid of their money
he said get rid of their attitude
where they trust in their money
and then he said be generous
in 2nd Corinthians chapter 8
verse 9 Paul writes this
for know this for the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
that though he was rich yet he became poor
so that through your poverty
I'm sorry through
I'm sorry sorry
through his poverty you might become rich
for
know that through the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
that though he was rich yet he became poor
so that through his poverty you might become rich
listen if you don't like wealth
you're not gonna like heaven
because heaven is gold streets and pearl gates
you get the idea and I'm pointing out
can I say this again like
if wealth was inherently evil
would god entice you with heaven by describing it as
pearl gates and gold streets
can can
can you imagine like
if wealth was inherently evil
can you imagine Jesus saying well
heaven's gonna be like
marijuana gardens and opium fields
I'll tell you in California
you get a lot more people saved that way
I'll tell you that right now
do you see where I'm going
I'm pointing out that if wealth was inherently evil
if it was evil why would god say
your reward in heaven is gold streets and pearl gates
and I realized some people like
that's a metaphor I'm like okay
it's a metaphor maybe it's not
maybe it's not really gold streets
maybe Jesus is using a metaphor
for things we don't even understand
but would he use a metaphor of the of
of beauty of gold
of excellence of Pearl Gates
would he use that metaphor if it was inherently evil
when he's saying this is gonna be your reward yeah
I'm pointing out if you don't like wealth
you might want to try the other place
that was a joke of course
okay I'd like to ask one more question
was Jesus poor
cause haha
let me answer that question for you
because what was quoted
when I was growing up in the Jesus movement was
Jesus had no place to lay his head
like he was bait homeless vagabond
Poor Jesus he didn't have no place
Jesus doesn't he's homeless
he's couch surfing poor guy
and I'd like to point out that at Jesus's birth
or somewhere around 2 3 years old
that wise men came we say
you know these three kings
but we don't know how many there actually were
but we know this
that they were kings and they opened their treasures
they didn't go like okay I'll give him a 20
I challenge you to match it
I'd point out
so sorry man
these are all the visions I had for 10 years
I was in a Jesus movie poor Jesus is so poor
kings came and brought him wealth
many theologians believe
that the early part of his ministry
was funded by what the kings brought him
in fact prop
maybe through God's you know
divine wisdom he thought
I'm gonna fund this guy's ministry
I'm gonna fund my son's ministry
and I'm getting kings to come and honor him
and give them wealth
could it be Isaiah 60:11
your gates will be open continually
they'll not be closed day or night
that the wealth of nations will come to you
kings leading the procession
could it be that
that was part of the fulfillment of Isaiah 60
the gods like
kings are gonna come they're gonna give you wealth wow
was Jesus poor let me ask you a question
if Jesus could make wine out of water
in like
30 seconds
you know the story yeah
like he's at a wedding
and they run out of wine
now have you ever thought through this
they run out of wine and the Bible says
this is Jesus's first public miracle
okay how did Mary know that Jesus could make wine
no I
I mean we're laughing right now
but like
how would she have any idea
like why would like
like I've been to weddings
they've run out of things
they never go we're out of cake
so be it on to you
here's some devil food cake
no angel food
you know I
I don't know I'm just like
like you don't go places when they run out of food
and someone then your mama looks at you and goes
do something about this
I'd like to propose that the only way Mary
on a serious note could know that Jesus could make wine
is that he had been doing it at home
how else would she have any idea he could do one
this is his first public miracle
yeah
so you can imagine you know
there's a little bit of milk in the carton
and when Jesus growing up
he's like James leave that for Jesus
are you with me
I'm pointing out
that Jesus had to live in a prosperous home
he had to be doing those things at home
or Mary would have no consciousness
that he could do anything
about them running out of wine
you know and I'm thinking
Jesus is like I always do
I see my father doing she's like
your mother told you do the wine
cause he says what's that have to do with me
like I haven't seen my father making wine
but you heard your mother
and then he makes wine right
and it and the
and the waiter brings the wine
and it's and he tastes it and he goes wow
most people serve the bad wine first
like the Gallo I mean
the good wine first
and then they serve the Gallo when people are so drunk
they could give a rip what they're drinking
right that's
that's the message
Bible sort of
but you save the best wine for last
and I point out not that only Jesus make wine
he made excellent wine
if you could make wine without planting a seed
growing a vine
trimming the vines picking the grapes
I don't know what they do after that
I think it takes a while
if you could do that in 30 seconds
without all that process you ain't poor
well listen
you might be poor
but you're drinking some good wine with the disciples
if you could take a boy's lunch
and feed at least 5,000 men
teenagers
women and children so what do you got
10,000 people easily
if you could take a boy's lunch and multiply it
so that people eat so much
and there's so much leftover
that the boy goes home with more than Jesus stole
from him
and tells him I don't know what it is about water
but it must be a prophetic thing
cause I've spilled it three times in three days
you ever see me walk on water
you've seen it right here first time
if you could take a boy's lunch
I can I just imagine the boy going
Jesus going home to his mom and going Jesus
I don't know why this thing wants to talk to me
while I'm preaching
when I was preaching yesterday
it said I'm sorry
I didn't get that like
I know that's why you were an iPhone
can you imagine the little boy goes home and go
Jesus stole my lunch
and as soon as his mom starts to get angry goes
but here's the baskets he left me with
I mean whatever you give Jesus
you're like oh okay
I'm gonna what
we heard a testimony today
like I'm gonna give him this money
it's like you know
it's like you gotta get out of that mode
because you all the fragments are more than you gave
wow
if you where was I
if you can pay your taxes
by fishing
you're like hey Peter
we're owed some taxes go fishing
how much money how many fish are we gonna have to catch
to pay our taxes one
he's gonna have money in his mouth
I mean is that not Genesis 1
you have dominion over the earth
over the fish of the of the sea
over the birds of the sky
I've been trying to work on the birds thing
you know cause they poop on my car
I'm like this is a no poop zone right here
hahaha I'm just practicing having
you know power over fish and I mean birds
you know Jesus
you know
we know that John the Baptist wore camel's hair
and ate grasshoppers
ain't nobody trying to divide John the Baptist garment
when they killed him
but Jesus wore a garment so expensive
that the soldiers gambled
instead of cutting it up in pieces
I'm pointing out that compared to where Jesus came from
heaven he was poor compared to you and me no
when your father provides everything you need
it don't matter how much money you have you ain't poor
now the
one of my favorite stories is in John chapter 21 I
I know you know the story I'll
I'll so I'll just repeat the story without reading it
but it's the Jesus has rose from the dead
and his disciples are just
you know they're
they're like
he's dead they haven't realized he's alive yet
and they're kind of depressed
and I thought and Jesus is like
I mean Peter's like
I don't know I'm going fishing
I'm just gonna go back to what I know
cause I thought this guy was gonna be like the Christ
and then didn't happen
and it's been three and a half year
I know what I'm doing I'm gonna go make some money
and so Peter and John in a boat
Jesus is on the shore
and uh
he does what fishermen do with each other right
cause my wife's a fisherman
she has a bass boat haha
I know my wife has Parkinson's
she shot a bear and a deer this year
two years ago she shot a bear with a bow
she has a bass boat I don't fish
she does I don't hunt she does
someone breaks into our house
I wake her up I'm like
check that out I wrote a book on powerful women
and goes show me your real
I'll call 9 1 1 while you get down there and
so you know
I've been fishing a few times
you know and I know when you come in the shore
the fisherman who are going out are like
have you caught anything
have you caught anything yeah
we caught these bass what were you using
that's kind of the fisherman thing right
so Jesus on the shore and they're fishing
and they fished all night
as you know and he yells out hey
have you caught anything
they're like no
we've been fishing all night
didn't catch a thing
and then he goes
cast your net on the other side of the boat
now listen
I'm not a fisherman
but I'm thinking if I fished all night
I'd tried both sides
do you know what I'm saying
I'm like I probably threw the net on both sides
I'm sure I don't know if
I don't know how they're feeling
cause they don't know yet it's Jesus
and they're like cast a net on the other side
you know I
I don't know I don't know how they did it
but they cast a net on the other side of the boat
and they catch so many fish
153 exactly and the mirror
they have two miracles they've caught the fish
and it says their nets didn't break
as a sign of supernatural power
that god actually held the nets together
cause you remember the first time this happened
their nets broke
and they had to call their friends to help them
this time not only do they catch so much fish
but the net they built did not break
and remember they're fishermen
so this ain't fish this is money
and John turns to Peter and goes it must be the Lord
and Peter gets so excited
I love Peter I
I am definitely Peter
just look on the internet anyway
I'm externally processing
trying to be funny I say things like
get behind me say
you know I'm like
the lord's like the the
the Father's the father revealed that to you
who am I you are the Christ
the son of living god
flesh and blood did not reveal this to you
but my father who's in heaven
three verses later
I'm gonna die on a cross no
that's not gonna happen get behind me Satan
that's my life
got a really good idea
then I just goes bad a few minutes later
OK I'm trying to be funny
some of you are being so serious
John says
I think that's the Lord
and Peter puts his coat on and jumps in the water
I don't know a lot about swimming
but I think
you usually take your clothes off when you swim
Peter puts his coat on swims to shore
and Jesus is obviously there
ready and cooking fish already
here here
here's my point and I'm getting close to being done
I think
can you imagine if they caught like three menows
like cast your net on the other side and they catch Lee
three little minnows
and John goes that must be the Lord
so frugal
that that's the people I grew up with
and I'm pointing out when John saw the abundance yes
of fish
okay listen
we're not we're not
we're using money but you understand
when you ask for something and the Lord gives you
pressed down shaken together
more than you need whether it's wisdom
whether it's friends whether it's whatever favor
and you're you you like
it must be the Lord
and I'm pointing out that abundance told John
that's god right
wow
okay I
I have five minutes
I can do this last thing cause I have to end with this
so I'd like you to just turn to Matthew 25
and I'll tell you most of the story
uh so for the sake of time
but it's the story of the talents
you remember the story of the talents
so a master came and he gave
he gave each uh
people three he gave 10 of them
but we only know about three of them
he gave them each talents
he gave one five by the way
a talent is about $30,000
so it's a significant amount of money
so he gives one guy $150,000
he gives another guy two talents $60,000
and he gives another guy $30,000 right
and it says he gave them the talents
according to their ability
are you with me so then he comes back and he says uh
later comes back later
a season later and he's like
okay you're you
you're steward of my money
tell me what you did with it
and the one guy comes and he says
you gave me five give me five thou
you gave me you gave me 150 thousand dollars
and I have made you 150,000 more
and the the
the master says that that's so good
well done good and faithful servant
I'll put you over many things
next I comes you gave me two
I think it was two or three
and he goes and I have made you two more
I gave you 60 grand I made another 60 grand for you
well done good and faithful servant
I will put you over many things
then he gets to the guy that has one
which I'd like to read
Jesus people never read this verse
and the one who had received one talent
came up and said master
I knew you were a hard man
reaping where you did not sow
and gathering where you scattered no seed
and I was afraid and I went away and hid your talent
your $30,000 in the ground
see you have what is yours
but his master answered him said
you wicked lazy slave
you knew I reap where I didn't sow
I gathered where I scattered no seed
then you ought to have put the money in the bank
and on my arrival you would have received money back
I would have received money back with interest
therefore take away the talent from him
and give it to the one who has 10 talents
for to everyone who has more shall be given
and even when he even if he has an abundance
I I'm sorry
but he who and he will have an abundance
but the one who does not have
even what he does not have shall be taken away
and listen how it ends
throw out the worthless slave into outer darkness
the place where there's weeping and gnashing of teeth
I know the Jesus people never read that
the guy who wasn't good with money went to hell
never told me that story
I I know it's a parable
I get the idea people are like
it's a parable I get the idea
thank god it's a parable cause I don't wanna think
that guy went to hell
for not taking care of his 30 grand
I heard the rich man can't get into the kingdom
but
I never heard a guy who didn't take care of his stuff
that god gave him actually was called lazy
was actually called wicked
and actually ended up in hell
that's a powerful statement
and it says
god cares about what you do with what he has
in fact in Luke
Luke records this Luke says
Luke says records Jesus saying
who who will entrust you with true riches
if you don't take care of unrighteous mammon
God's like if you don't take care of money
how am I gonna trust you with true riches
I I love this
the passage in of the talents
because it I said to the Lord one day Lord
it seems like the rich get richer
because we took the one away from the guy
who had one talent and gave it to the guy who had 10
in fact in one
one of the parables the guys arguing go
he already has 10 and the Lord says
whoever has more shall be given
and I said Lord
it seems like it's unfair that the rich get richer
he said the rich don't get richer
I said they did there
he said the faithful get wealthy
well done good and faithful servant wow
some things that don't look fair are god
not everything
just some things
I wanna pray for for us
because I I actually believe that
the Lord wants us to have a mentality of royalty
and that doesn't mean I have a lot of money
it means that I know that my daddy can do anything
that means that when I show up
my daddy shows up with me
I'm not talking about arrogance
I'm talking about the humility
of knowing what family I was born into
that when I walk into the room
Jesus walks in the room with me
if it's darkness light has come
if it's sickness healing has come
not because of me but because who's on board
are you with me so why don't you stand
I'm gonna pray for you right now
you know this uh
honestly seems like an out of
um out of season word for where we're at right now
I really was not my plan to preach this
but I I feel like
the Lord wants to break a poverty mentality off of us
I feel like
the Lord wants to break a poverty mentality off of us
I remember that I I
I got a watch when I was really broke
and um
and I it was $150
is the year I came to Bethel
and the year my business crashed
and I and I had it
I bought it on a Friday and on a Sunday
I was in church and I had my arm over the chair
and the guy behind me said
oh that's a nice watch
let me see it and I showed it to him
he said take it off
I'm oh no
I've only had it today I took it off
he kept it through the whole service
I couldn't even think about worship
cause I was a poor man with a watch
anyway
instead of giving my watch back out of the service
he gave me his watch back
I don't want his watch I want my watch
but it was too small for me
so I had to take it to the jeweler
and he put uh
he gave me links for it and the jeweler goes wow
where did you get this watch
I said oh
a guy gave it to me he goes
a guy gave you he pulls another one out of the counter
out from under the counter it was like 16 dollars
then about two years later
I'm in his place and this guy says hey
I like your watch I said yeah
he goes you should give that to me
I said no god gave it to me
for five days he goes
god told me you're gonna give me that watch
I said god told me that I'm to keep it
and the night before I left
well actually the morning before I left
we were actually in Fiji
the Lord said I want you to give Dale your watch
I said I'm not doing that
you gave me this watch he said
if you give it to him I'll give you another one
I'll give you a better one
you will I said okay
that morning I gave it to Dale
he goes I can't take your watch
I said
you've been trying to get the watch for five days
you're taking this he goes
I can't take it I said
god told me he's gonna give me a better one
I gave him a watch within two days I had a nicer one
a two thousand dollar watch
I I go to Romania
that's one ten years after they come out of communism
everybody's poor
we're in this room with pastors
this room only holds like maybe 75 people
200 wywammers crammed in you know wywammers
youth without money
crammed in this room pastors dirt poor
the Lord said I want you to give
I want you I want you to give
I I forget his name Michael
I want you to give Michael
the pastor your watch
I said I'm
I'm OK I'm not gonna do that
I said to him are you gonna give me a better one
he said no
I said OK I'm not doing it then
I mean this watch is worth more than his year's wages
I go to bed that night at the hotel
and the lord's like you you need every hour
I wake up and the lord's like
give him your watch I said
are you gonna give me a better one
he said no
no no no
I wake up at six in the morning plagued
he's waiting for me cause
give him your watch I said
you're gonna give me a better one
he said no
I said OK
he said OK
then I know what level of wealth you can handle
I couldn't wait to get rid of that watch
I gave that guy my watch he
he must have known something about watches
he started sobbing
he's sobbing
the Lord was right he didn't give me another watch
he gave me hundreds of them
hundreds of watches
everywhere I go people give me
don't by by the way
don't give me watch
cause it'll feel like I'm manipulated to service
I'm just telling you I have
I have cabinets full of watches
I have one watch someone gave me
Bill loves watches
I don't even know anything about watches
he came over this is six months ago
he goes who gave you that watch
I said oh
some friends from Hong Kong
he goes you know what that watch is worth
I said I've no idea
I said I've only wore it once
I've had it for 10 years he goes
let's Google it we Google it it's worth $42,750
I'm just pointing out give and it shall be given to you
I just I
I I
I use that as an example to say
God's breaking the spirit of poverty off of us
and and and
and and I
I don't I just want to pray right now
that the Lord
would break the spirit of poverty off of us
and it wouldn't it wouldn't be primarily about money
it'd be about the fact that
your daddy has enough for whatever you need
and he's a good god if he doesn't give it to you yet
it's cause you're not ready for it yet
Lord I just pray right now that
that you would break the spirit of poverty off of this
off of this people off of this church
off of this community off of my mind
off of the mind of the global church
god and that we would be a royal
noble people and it would be
as it was in the days of the Jewish people
when they see the blessing on our house
they say the way
when they see the way our children behave
the way the joy that's in our marriages
the way that the
the the that
that we were generous the way that we are
are joyful even in trials
Lord they go
I don't know what that is
but I want that I want that god
I want that god that does that to them
I want that god that keeps them from worrying
even when they're in a bad situation
I want that god
that that makes them bright when it's dark outside
god I just release that to you
in Jesus name and would you just say
I receive that for myself
I receive it for my children
I receive I receive it for my children's children
in Jesus name
amen thank you so very much for listening