For some time now, messages preached on Sunday have been available on our web site (theabundantlifetoday.org) a day or two later. They’re still there, but you can now subscribe to a podcast and have them delivered automatically when you open iTunes on your computer.
The podcast is known on iTunes as The Abundant Life Today. In iTunes, you can search for “abundant life today,” and look for a little picture of me (you might have to click on “see all” to find it). When you find it, click on “subscribe.” When you sync your iPod with iTunes, the podcast will be loaded onto your iPod. How cool is that? God’s word in a portable audio format.
Wouldn’t it be great if God had a podcast? Each time I’ve read the accounts of God’s giving the engineering instructions to Noah for building the ark, and of His giving the instructions for building the temple, I’ve thought how overwhelming that would have been to remember all the details. Or think what it would have been like to be one of the prophets who had to deliver a precise word from the Lord. In any of those accounts, wouldn’t it have been great to sync your iPod and be able to listen to the instructions or the word all over again?
Michael Phelps is amazing. He’s amazing not just because he won eight gold medals at the Olympic games. He’s amazing because of his intense focus and hard work. His mantra was “eat, sleep, swim.” That’s virtually all he did. But he determined that doing everything necessary to win eight gold medals was more important than parties, television, or anything else his friends were doing.
Jesus taught that the Kingdom of God is like a man who finds buried treasure in a field and sells all he has to buy the field, or like a merchant who sells all he has to buy a beautiful expensive pearl. (Matthew 13:44-46). Living in the fullness of the Kingdom of God always has a cost. But Jesus also taught that every time we pay the cost, there’s a payoff - and that’s living in the fullness of the Kingdom of God. (Mark 10:29-30).
How many of us are willing to pay the cost? We get great teaching about the benefits of Kingdom living. God really does want us to be healthy in our bodies, prosperous in our finances, and fulfilled in our families. He wants us to grow daily in our fellowship with Him, to live free from sin and bondage, and to have peace in our minds.
But to enjoy Kingdom living, we have to pay the cost. Are we willing to conform our lives to the Bible instead of trying to twist the Bible to conform to our lifestyle? Are we willing to tithe and sow, and to forsake the world’s way of hoarding and going into debt? Are we willing to forgive and love instead of holding grudges and taking offense? Are we willing to spend time each day meditating on the Word of God and resting in the presence of the Lord?
Jesus told us to seek diligently the Kingdom of God, and that as a result of that diligent seeking, the Lord would supply all the stuff we need - and the desires of our hearts! (Matthew 6:33; Psalm 37:4). Are we willing to seek the Kingdom of God with as much fervor as Michael Phelps sought his gold medals? If so, the payoff is huge! It’s way bigger than Olympic medals - and it’s eternal.
Make a quality decision to pay the cost. You’ll always be glad you did.
The following prophecy was given by Kenneth Copeland on August 9, 2008, at the Southwest Believer’s Convention:
“Hallelujah, understand,” saith the Lord, “My name is your name. I have given you My name, not only the authority to use it, but heaven knows you by that name. All of heaven recognizes that you are family. That you are spirit of My Spirit, one spirit with Me, bone of My bone, and flesh of My flesh. My blood has been reckoned to you. Praise the name of the Father because His way is that way. His way is the reason that, that was brought to pass. I have given you every thing I have. Do you not remember in My Word when I said all that the Father has is Mine. And the Holy Spirit when He would come would take what is Mine and show unto you. I say again all that the Father has is Mine and He will take what’s Mine and show it unto you. Because all that I have is yours. Fear not little flock. It gives your Father great pleasure to give you the kingdom, it is yours, walk in it. Sojourn in it and know who you are for your name is My name and My name is your name and when you speak the devils tremble. When you speak it knowing in whom you have trusted and believe.” Give the Lord praise hallelujah.
Brother Copeland delivered this word on Friday night:
Nothing - no thing - in the world order can overcome praise and worship in My name. For this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. The problem in the past has been an attempt at praise and worship with no faith. But when faith, which cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, is released and encompassed in praise and worship, when My Word says that I inhabit the praises of My people, then I inhabit the praises of My people! And when My people expect me to inhabit your praise, then when you exercise your faith in praise and worship, then no thing in the world order can overcome faith, praise, and worship. So lift your voice and rejoice. Lift your voice and rejoice! Lift your voice and rejoice!
Senator Charles Grassley, though not here, has been mentioned in several of the messages preached here. For those of you who aren’t aware, Sen. Grassley (R-IA) sent letters to six pentecostal, Word of Faith churches asking very intrusive questions. Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, Creflo and Taffy Dollar, Joyce Meyers, Benny Hinn, Paula White, and Bishop Eddie Long all received letters, each with a different set of questions. The bottom line in each, though, was the prosperity message each preaches from God’s Word. Senator Grassley snidely commented that Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, and he didn’t understand why all of these ministries needed jets.
What impresses me is that both the Copelands and Pastor Dollar have acted with such integrity and kept in the love of God throughout all of this. While we’ve had a few laughs at Sen. Grassley’s expense (come on - Jesus didn’t have the option of using a jet, but he did ride a donkey that had never been ridden before), everyone has been very respectful.
Sen. Grassley says he’s exercising his authority to set tax policy and to oversee the tax code and the benefits it confers on non-profit organizations. But the First Amendment to the Constitution confers rights on houses of worship, like churches, that do not extend to the Red Cross, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, or other 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations.
Don’t believe what the news media feed you. Kenneth Copeland Ministries is the “dba” (doing business as) of Eagle Mountain International Church. The church gave extensive, respectful responses to Sen. Grassley’s questions. However, some of the questions stepped over the rights of the church. The church and its very experienced legal counsel devised a very fair way to get information to the Senator while still protecting the privacy of the ministry’s information. In an unprecedented step, John Copeland, the ministry’s CEO, asked the Internal Revenue Service to conduct a church tax inquiry. Who would do that if they had something to hide? Only a ministry of integrity would do that. All of the information Sen. Grassley has requested would be provided to the IRS in a church tax inquiry. Under a section of the Internal Revenue Code, Sen. Grassley and his committee could get the information from the IRS, review it, and do their tax code oversight and policy functions.
What’s the difference between turning information over to the IRS and turning it over directly to Sen. Grassley’s committee? Privacy. If the information goes directly to the committee, it will be made public. If the committee has to access it from the IRS, the information must be kept private.
Sen. Grassley apparently wants to make the information public. He’s a politician. Politicians like to bask in the media limelight. He wants to try to embarrass a ministry of high integrity. (Who do you suppose is behind this? Who steals, kills, and destroys?)
Brother Copeland has made it clear he will go to jail rather than to turn over private information,. All religious organizations have a stake in this matter, and all should be backing Brother Copeland. If the Senator can force these churches to disgorge private information, it can do it to any other religious organization - and the constitution will be trampled.
Here’s another thing you won’t read in the media. This ministry has sown at least 21 airplanes into other ministries. For those of you who don’t understand the concept of sowing and reaping, that means the ministry gave (and didn’t sell) the airplanes into the other ministries. The ministry has sown millions of dollars into orphanages, disaster relief, buying people homes and food. It has supported other ministries that have led millions of people to salvation. Kenneth Copeland Ministries is an awesome testimony to the goodness of God and the love of God.
Cherie and I sowed into the purchase of the Citation X the Copelands fly around the world preaching the gospel. We’re thrilled they have it! When we became aware they were believing for that particular aircraft, our regret was not that they wanted a jet, but that we couldn’t just write a check and buy it for them.
If you want more information, go to www.believersstandunited.com. And pray! Pray for the Copelands, the Dollars, and the other ministries affected. Pray for Senator Grassley, the other members of his committee, and the committee staff.
Even though the Copelands don’t know us from the man in the moon, Cherie and I consider them our spiritual parents, and we love them more than we can express. We’re so blessed to be their partners, and we’re blessed to have the example they’re setting about how to walk through an attack from the devil. In this, as in all circumstances, Jesus is Lord!
Brother Copeland has been developing a really eye-opening theme: Jesus needs us. He needs us to be healthy. He needs us to be strong. He needs us to be rich. He needs us to keep the commandment of love.
As a priest after the order of Melchizadek, Jesus takes tithes and administers the Blessing. As those He has sent, we also need to administer the Blessing. The Lord supplies seed for the sower and bread for the eater (2 Corinthians 9:10), and we have a role to play in that. I am going to download the podcast of the SWBC when I return to Athens and go through this part over and over until I “get it.” My mind soaked it up while I was listening, but this part hasn’t yet sunk deeply enough into my spirit for me to have all the revelation the Lord is endeavoring to give us through Brother Copeland. I encourage you to do the same.
Both yesterday and today, Brother Copeland discussed the healing of the leper in Mark 1:40-45. He emphasized how crucial our obedience is to the operation of the ministry of Jesus. We know from verse 38 that Jesus intended to minister in other towns. Before He could get to the other towns, though, the leper made his need known. The anointing on Jesus linked to the leper’s faith, and the leper was healed. Jesus told him to tell the priests what the Lord had done for him so this healing would be a testimony. Other than the priests, he wasn’t to tell anyone else. Instead, the guy told everyone he could see. As a result, the priests never got the guy’s testimony, and Jesus couldn’t minister openly in the other towns because of all the crowds.
Remember when Mary told the wine steward to do whatever Jesus told him to do? That should be our marching order, too. Whatever He tells us, let’s do it! He needs us!
We got a chance for a brief visit today with Marty Copeland today. She was preparing to meet people who were interested in the “From Faith to Fit Challenge.” That’s the product she debuted when she was with us in Ohio. (If you haven’t gotten involved in the Faith to Fit Challenge and you want to, either go to kcm.org or pick up a form on the downstairs bulletin board at the church).
Here’s a picture of us with Camille and Marty. It was great to see them again!
Today, Brother Jerry ministered again from his foundation scripture, Romans 15:29:
But I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.
Apparently, if the blessing can come in fullness, it can come in less than fullness. We can walk in different measures of the blessing.
In Psalm 3:8, David says “Your blessing is on your people.” It’s already there. Brother Jerry told us the story of a fellow he was sharing a room with in the early days of ministry. The guy awakened screaming, “There’s something on me! There’s something on me!” He’d had a dream he was covered with crawling spiders.
Brother Jerry had us shout, “The Blessing is on me! The Blessing is on me!” You would do well to do the same.
He taught us four steps to walking in the fullness of the Blessing:
- Value the Blessing. Esau didn’t value the blessing that was his birthright and sold it for a meal. We need to value it.
- Agree with God that the Blessing is already on you.
- Show God how grateful you are of the Blessing by keeping your life pure. He reminded us of Joseph in Genesis chapter 39.
- Look for every opportunity you can find to sow toward it.
The Blessing is on you NOW!!
In Romans 12:9-13, the Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Paul, exhorts believers everywhere:
Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.
Last year we checked in to the same hotel we’d stayed in comfortably several times before. The room we were assigned was noisy. Then we noticed a new Embassy Suites next door, a hotel chain we really enjoy. We stopped in to see whether any rooms were available. The first person we spoke with said the hotel was full. The hotel’s sales manager overheard us and asked if we’d like to see a room. We went with him and saw a beautiful room with flat screen televisions and a wonderful feel. He told us a room was available, and we could have it. We praised God the rest of the week.
We got to visit with him during that week and really enjoyed him. He was a big Texas football fan, and we discussed the wonderful two-year rivalry between two titans of college football, Texas and Ohio State.
This year, we decided to bring him an Ohio State Football tee shirt. I’m not sure he’s going to become a lifelong Buckeye fan, but he liked the tee shirt.
He talked about the philosophy of the hotel management company. Hospitality is their passion. He said there’s something “almost divine” about hospitality, creating a home for someone away from home. Little did he know he was being scriptural. (By the way, the employees here succeed at hospitality).
As people come to our church, let’s welcome them as if they’re at home. After all, hospitality is what we’re supposed to be “given to.” Think of hospitality as another way to give!
Every time Creflo Dollar ministers at the SWBC, the crowd is large, and the anointing is strong. Tuesday night was no exception.
He opened by giving us a Word he’d received from the Lord. I’m not sure I got it all verbatim, but here’s what I wrote in my notebook:
An avalanche of manifestation will be released on those who will stay in faith. It will bury your circumstances.
Now, don’t let that slide. Take it by faith. Say this: “I will stay in faith, and an avalanche of manifestation will be released on me. That avalanche will bury my current circumstances!”
Pastor Creflo exhorted us to be faithful to sow even while the world is experiencing recession. Don’t stop tithing and sowing. Absolutely not! Double up on your giving. This is the time when believers need to sow financial seed, praise, and confess the Word like never before. Dr. Dollar took us to Ecclesiastes 11:4. If we’re looking around at the circumstances in the world (wind and clouds), we won’t sow, and we won’t reap a harvest.
Next he directed us to Habakkuk 2:3-5 in the Amplified Bible and taught us that we need to be FAITHFUL to live by faith. He gave us keys to real Bible faith:
- Real Bible faith is faith in the love of God. Your and my “goody-goody” list of things we’ve done don’t qualify us for anything. “We’re one Jesus away from hell.” It’s God’s love we have to believe before we can believe anything else, and it’s only God’s love that allows us to be saved, blessed, etc. It’s also love that impelled God to save, heal, bless, and prosper us.
- Get the scripture that covers your situation.
- Meditate on/ponder/mutter your scripture until you can see yourself in it.
- Fight the good fight of faith - open your mouth and out of it will come what you’ve meditated.
He also told us we need to be faithful with the little so God can trust us with the great, to be faithful with money, and to be faithful with what belongs to another.