DADDY'S HEARTBEAT (7) - HIS PLEASURES - THE PROSPERITY GOSPEL

This song is not a new release from the 'Bee Gees', it is one of the first few songs I wrote when I was a young Christian called 'The Dew of the Morning' Be Blessed.

http://www.soundclick.com/util/getplayer.m3u?id=5488252&q=lo
http://www.soundclick.com/util/getplayer.m3u?id=5488252&q=hi


EL- SHADDAI - THE ALMIGHTY GOD - THE BREASTED ONE

Gen. 17:1-2 (KJV), ‘And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God (El-Shaddai); walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between Me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.’

God appeared to Abram and introduced Himself as ‘El-Shaddai’, the Almighty God. And then He continued to tell Abram and his wife how He would manifest that name in their lives and current situations; He provided for all their needs, and also gave them a promised Son at a very old age; God never fails, El signifies the Almighty ‘Strong One’ and Shaddai in Hebrew literally means, ‘The Breasted One’. This pictures God as the Strong Nourisher, Strength Giver, Satisfier, and All Bountiful, the supplier of the needs of His people.

Don’t you think it’s strange to call God, ‘The Breasted One’ when we have all along known Him as a Male and the Father to His children? It is actually symbolic to His nature as also the Mother, who nourishes His children, who nurses us and watches over us with that tender loving care of a mother to the spiritual babies who need mother’s milk.

1Peter2:2, ‘Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.’

At this early stage of knowing Him, He is the Father and Mother to all His Spiritual babies. As in Gen. 17:1-2, Abram at this early stage of finding Him, God already revealed Himself as El-Shaddai, the Provider ‘and will multiply thee exceedingly’. Abram was a Spiritual baby then.

Compared to this modern day New Testament Church, the sheep that are ‘Born Again’ and come into the church at the outer court as also Spiritual babies, need to be nourished with spiritual milk in the word of God; what El-Shaddai is to Abram, is also like Jesus to the believers and of course introducing Jesus to the non-believers. The New Testament Five Folds Ministry (Eph.4:11-13) with their Spiritual gifting by the Holy Spirit, will take over the work in the Body of Christ in feeding the babies.

I have to explain here that in the Spiritual realm there is only one gender and we are all created in God’s image. Man and woman are created for the ordained purpose of procreation only on earth, so that humanity will continue and fulfill God’s plans. There is no procreation in heaven. I remember Jesus says in Matthew 22:30, ‘At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage, they will be like the angels in heaven.’ There will be no need of sex in heaven; Apostle Paul also says that heaven’s pleasure will be infinitely better than the best this life offers (2Cor 12:1-4).

El - Shaddai is only one name out of the arrays of names He revealed Himself to His children. Just like a big diamond that has various facets, His names that have been revealed in the Bible are synonymous to His characters. What is your need my beloved, He will be to you what you want Him to be; He is the great ‘I AM.’

Jeremiah 33:2-3 (KJV), ‘ Thus saith the Lord the maker thereof, the Lord that formed it; to establish it, the Lord is His name, call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.’

His character is truly like the facets of the diamond, from the Awesome Almighty, Holy God of judgment, Holy anger, Holy jealous God (Ex 5:20), as described in the Old Testament, where His Glory thunders (Psalm 29:3), to the New Testament passionate, graceful, loving, joyful, peaceful., patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle and self control (Gal 5:22) characters; of which people on earth called feminine.

In the New Testament, Jesus is the Bridegroom and the Church is the Bride (Rev. 19:7). So therefore, ‘The Breasted One’ is the introductory manifestation of the Almighty as the Strong Provider to the Spiritual babes.

But Praise be to God, Philippians 4:19, ‘And my God will meet all my needs according to the His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.’ In the New Testament church all the promises of the Bible and Names are fulfilled and come under the Name of Jesus. Because of the work of the cross, God sees us through the blood of Jesus and reverse the curse on Adam (Gen. 3:17-19) concerning prosperity and bearing fruits for those who receive Jesus in their lives.

Jesus is our all in all, complete fullness. We call this initial period of provision in the New Testament, as the Abundance, Prosperity and Healing Season; a period of Mercy and Grace for the new converts who have just come to know Jesus and ask Him to be the Savior of their lives.

This is in the First Season of God in the Outer Court which we now called the ‘Prosperity Gospel’ Season a period of feasting in God’s abundance and restoration ( Deut.28:11). At this stage, God enjoys giving and gives gifts to His children (Eph.4:8)

The human spirit is dormant before the Holy Spirit of God comes and energizes it when we are ‘Born-Again’ after asking Jesus to come into our hearts as Lord and Savior. The heathens have been subjected to the abuse of this fallen world where their spirits, souls and bodies have been extensively damaged by sins and the systems of the world. They are crying out for attention and their souls hunger and thirst for God’s provision of restoration and healing. God will meet them at their needs at this point and He will reveal Himself as El-Shaddai – the more than enough God, when they come in.


I have watch young people coming into the youth church; they are barely 15-20 years old yet their spirits, souls and bodies have been damages so extensively. I cry every time I think of them. What have they gone through especially in their homes that have brought them into such a situation? Imperfect parents raising up imperfect children but ‘The Breasted One’ will nurse and nourish them back to normalcy if they are willing.

When presented with the Gospel of Provision by God in meeting all their needs, new souls will come into the Kingdom extensively. This has been the tool for Evangelism and millions have come into the sheep’s pen in this first Season of God. This is God’s purpose to woo the people of the world to join His Kingdom as the first step in the Spiritual Realm on the road to Spiritual maturity in the Spirit. Because of this reason some people call these Christians in this season of God, worldly and carnal; of the flesh. Even Apostle Paul calls them ‘infant in Christ’ (1Cor.3:1).That is what the world wants, is searching for and cannot get it.

At this point and for this reason this ‘Prosperity Gospel’ of God is Scriptural and is not from the devil. God creates but the devil only perverts. I have heard so much negative reports and discussions and bias opinions of this ‘Prosperity Gospel’ and I have asked the Lord to show me some truth. Even when I started this blog, I was still in agreement with the ‘Holier than Thou’ attitudes of the Pharisees over the ‘Prosperity Gospel’

As God begins to reveal to me about the truth and where it has all started, I begin to be convicted so much as to kneel before Him in repentance. It is the first season of our God of Prosperity!!! For now and for all eternity!!!

The fruit of this Prosperity Gospel has brought into the Kingdom of God millions by the millions of new souls. Whether they are genuine or not will depend on how they will respond with their faiths and also bear fruits in their lives when God draws them into the next step in their journey to fulfill God’s plans for them that has been predestined to be joint heirs with Jesus in heaven (Rom. 8:17). The choice belongs to them.

This is the season to be jolly and Christians would want to stay put for the rest of their lives even though the clouds that cover to protect them from the sun and the pillars of light at night have moved on. Then they will become overgrown Spiritual babies.

So it is with the Body of Christ today, many have overstayed but some have responded to the love of God that draws them into the Inner Court where the all consuming fires of purification will be waiting for them. Amen.

(As to the characteristics of these ‘Spiritual Babies’ or ‘Outer Court’ people please refer to my earlier messages on ‘The First Season of God’ and ‘The Outer Court Christians’)


ABUSES OF ‘THE PROSPERITY GOSPEL’

1Tim.6:10, ‘For the love of money is a root of all evil,’ but without money nothing can be accomplished. The people in the world need money to satisfy the cravings of their flesh.

Christians need money too and God will open doors for them to create wealth and He will provide all their needs and open the windows of heaven and pour down so much blessings in their lives that their storehouses would not be able to contain if they are obedient in giving back to God (Malachi 3:10).

The local body of Christ needs money too and God will provide through the blessed sheep to bring provisions into storehouse of God; where the wool from the lambs will provide the servants of God with clothing and the milk to feed and nourish their families (Prov.27:27) and the left over, to do good work. This is the Spiritual Order of God concerning the flow of Divine Finance.

Unfortunately, this is not so, as young Christians who are worldly and whose souls are un-regenerated, full of selfishness, inwardness and of the flesh, will try to get as much for themselves within the body. They will give to God only for the many folds return. They will have the same attitude as the heathens who go for the gifts and not the Giver. They will think that they can manipulate God and other Christians too, using God’s name.

But there will be many who obey and they will go on to be blessed and the Body of Christ prospers.

The numbers of people in the congregation of the Church will draw and attract those who would want to make a fast buck on the sheep which at this stage are vulnerable and have tasted God and know that He is good. Salesmen from all walks of life will take the opportunity to close a sale using the name of God.

John 2:14-16, ‘In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!’’ This is the heartbeat of Jesus concerning these people, the first time I’ve read about His Holy Anger.

Although they are selling articles of worship and sacrifices for the convenience of the worshipers to worship God (opportunist), their hearts are to make money (their god) using God’s premise.

The hunger and thirst of the sheep for God will draw many un-regenerated so-called ministers of God into the rat’s race in fooling the new Christians . They come as wolves among the sheep and begin to challenge their faiths in giving and they will carry away chunks from the reserves of the sheep. The sheep will be thinking they have done great exploits for God in investing in His Kingdom. All these will go into the ministers’ personal accounts to satisfy their flesh in high living, instead of doing good.

Usually these ministers start well and when the Lord blesses their ministries, their lives and attitudes change and become greedy. They are responsible as stewards of the finances of God. This has given ‘The Prosperity Gospel’ a bad name

If these groups of people do not realize their wrongs and continue with their sins, they will be expose by God; I believe you have read of ministers and big ministries falling like ten pins, one by one in the US.

Perhaps this is the group of people mentioned in the Bible that Jesus says in Matt. 7:21-23, ‘Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!'

Money should not be the criteria in serving God; this is part and parcel for those who want to serve in God’s ministry that we will have to live by faith. God will not muzzle an ox while treading out grains (Deut. 25:4) and a worker is worthy of his wages (Luke 10:7).

At this stage, the sheep should now be thought to discern between good and evil, they need Spiritual meat now, no more milk, so that they can continue with their journey to maturity and fulfill their pilgrimage here on earth.

Hebrews 5: 13-14, ‘Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching of righteousness. But solid food is for the mature who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil’. This will be the skill develop by the Holy Spirit in all Christians through their faithful walk with God.

Christians whom being human, can do a lot of good (great exploits) for God but on the other side they still have their weaknesses and short comings (old man) in their characters; look at the life of King David in the Bible. To be able to do good and keep the bad in check, is a skill that has to be developed with the help of the Holy Spirit. Your maturity depends on your skill to discern between good and evil and to make the right choice for Jesus. Many Christians still lack in this area of character building.

This will be the next step God will lead His people into, in their pilgrimage to fulfill God’s plans for them on this earth and be victorious and be overcomers for God.

Will the journey in our next step be better, more glorious?

We are now so blessed by God, will we be given more?

We will be moving from the physical into the spiritual realm, will we be reaching A GREATER HIGH IN GOD in our spiritual worship to God?

Let me take you to the next series I will be sharing, called ‘Daddy’s Heartbeat – His Will - The Perfect Will of God’. KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED. AMEN!!!


Ministered in an AOG church, on the 27th Sept. 2009 during the Chinese Mooncake Festival in Tabernacle of Grace with Pastor Joseph Teh. It is a Hokkien service and I ministered my testimoney and sang some of my Hokkien Songs. Many souls have been touch and only the Lord knows the impact it has laid in the hearts of the non-believers. Amen. Praise the Lord!!!