The Trap of Transactional Grace: Reclaiming True Abundance

• Abundance vs. Wealth [00:00:18 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor distinguishes between having 'commas' in a bank account and having a fulfilled life, asserting that God wants abundance, not just money.
• Mindset and Stewardship [00:13:33 ▶️ 📄]
  > He defines abundance as spiritual fullness and proper management rather than endless pursuit, stating that 'having a lot' often leads to being overwhelmed, while stewardship leads to abundance.
• Cultural Constructs on Money [00:04:18 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor challenges the cultural obsession with 'six figures,' noting that many wealthy individuals are not fulfilled, and aims to reshape the congregation's faith around God's definition of abundance.
• Theological Definition of Abundance [00:13:33 ▶️ 📄]
  > He provides a specific theological definition: 'Abundantly is spiritual fullness, material provision, generosity and God's overflowing grace.'
• Stewardship vs. Accumulation [00:13:45 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor distinguishes between having 'a lot' (which leads to being overwhelmed) and living in 'abundance' through proper stewardship of what one already has.
• Proper Order of Priorities [00:15:07 ▶️ 📄]
  > He corrects the common cultural mix-up of priorities, asserting the biblical order: Love God, love people, and use money as a tool rather than an idol.
• Cultural Hijacking of 'Prosperity' [00:21:54 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that the word 'prosperity' has been weaponized and hijacked by culture to mean manipulation and greed, causing believers to reject a biblical promise due to bad connotations.
• Biblical Definition of Prosperity [00:26:34 ▶️ 📄]
  > He asserts that prosperity is biblical, citing Deuteronomy 28 and Proverbs 11, defining it as a result of obedience and generosity, attached to the work of one's hands and business.
• Obedience and Abundance [00:28:24 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor asserts that obedience is attached to abundance, citing Deuteronomy that those who follow God's commands will be the head and not the tail.
• Prosperity vs. Skepticism [00:28:42 ▶️ 📄]
  > He addresses the cultural stigma around the word 'prosper,' comparing it to a 'cuss word,' and argues that God, as a good Father, desires His children to prosper.
• Old vs. New Covenant [00:30:00 ▶️ 📄]
  > He clarifies that while believers are under a new covenant, God's character remains the same, so He who provided in the Old Testament still provides in the New.
• Holistic Prosperity (Soul vs. Material) [00:35:14 ▶️ 📄]
  > He distinguishes between material gain and spiritual health, citing 3 John to argue that true prosperity is when one prospers 'in all things' to the level that 'your soul prospers.'
• Semantic Definitions and Spiritual Warfare [00:37:39 ▶️ 📄]
  > He uses a matrix (Term, Truth, Twist, Trick) to explain how the enemy twists good words like 'prosperity' to make them powerless, using examples like 'cold' and 'hot' to illustrate context-dependent meanings.
• Church Reputation and Generosity [00:44:33 ▶️ 📄]
  > He defends the church against accusations of being a 'prosperity church' by highlighting their history of giving away millions, arguing that their abundance is for kingdom generosity, not self-aggrandizement.
• Abundance vs. Prosperity Mindset [00:43:51 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor distinguishes between a 'poverty mindset' characterized by hoarding and fear, and a 'life of abundance' characterized by generosity and trust in God's promises, clarifying that prosperity is not the gospel itself but a result of it.
• Clarification of Theological Claims [00:53:25 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explicitly debunks the 'prosperity gospel' by listing specific theological boundaries: money is not proof of blessing, faith does not guarantee wealth, and God does not promise riches, but He does promise to meet needs and use resources for blessing.
• The Gospel as Giving [00:56:13 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor redefines the core message of the gospel not as receiving material wealth, but as a cycle of giving: God gave Jesus, Jesus gave His life, and believers give their lives back to Him, leading to spiritual prosperity.

• Sermon Illustration [00:12:23 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares his personal testimony of starting out in poverty with a 'poverty mindset' that the Holy Spirit had to break off him, illustrating that abundance is a mindset shift rather than just a financial state.
• Sermon Illustration [00:14:23 ▶️ 📄]
  > He uses a relatable analogy of people who have 'more clothes and more shoes than we know what to do with' and 'storages for our storage' to illustrate that having 'a lot' does not equal abundance, but rather often equals being overwhelmed.
• Sermon Illustration [00:02:10 ▶️ 📄]
  > He describes the cultural phenomenon of checking bank account notifications and the emotional 'pep in a step' when payday hits, contrasting it with the sorrow of payments, to highlight the emotional volatility of tying joy to money.
• Sermon Illustration [00:16:35 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about turning 40 and receiving a compliment ('you're handsome') from a younger man, only to be told by others that he was 'paused' (insinuating inappropriate intent). He uses this to illustrate how cultural ignorance twists innocent meanings.
• Sermon Illustration [00:20:26 ▶️ 📄]
  > He compares believing online TikTok clips to ordering products from TikTok Shop without ever having used them, illustrating the danger of forming theological conclusions based on unverified, high-quality but potentially deceptive sources.
• Sermon Illustration [00:24:10 ▶️ 📄]
  > He describes the 'prosperity gospel' caricature as a pyramid scheme or lottery living where people exploit the vulnerable with promises of tenfold returns for money given, contrasting this with the biblical view.
• Sermon Illustration [00:32:46 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal story about his seven-year-old daughter, Ava, who baked Rice Krispies treats, packaged them with pink bowls, and sold them to the church congregation using 'nepotism' to raise money, which he uses to illustrate encouraging children to use their gifts to prosper.
• Sermon Illustration [00:39:39 ▶️ 📄]
  > He references a biblical story where a man went into a prostitution house to retrieve his wife, speaking words of life to restore their relationship, to illustrate that God can restore marriages if people believe it.
• Sermon Illustration [00:40:16 ▶️ 📄]
  > He uses the word 'cold' to explain how context changes meaning: 'cold' as in temperature, 'cold' as in looking good, and 'cold' as in a compliment that could be an insult in the wrong context.
• Sermon Illustration [00:41:21 ▶️ 📄]
  > He uses the word 'hot' to explain slang vs. literal meaning: 'hot' as in temperature, 'hot' as in attractive, and 'hot' as in the police ('popo') watching the block.
• Sermon Illustration [00:49:20 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about his past 'poverty mindset,' describing how he would take to-go plates before eating his own meal, and how he used to wear clothes for parties and then return them to the store, realizing this behavior was akin to stealing and rooted in a lack of trust in God's provision.
• Sermon Illustration [00:48:03 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the analogy of Acts 2:42, where early believers shared everything they had, to illustrate a lifestyle of radical generosity where one might buy a car for someone in need or pay their mortgage, contrasting this with the modern tendency to hoard or worry about personal loss.

• Pastoral Charge [00:00:42 ▶️ 📄]
  > Prepare to take notes and receive the message.
• Pastoral Charge [00:13:11 ▶️ 📄]
  > Verbally affirm the concept of living abundantly.
• Pastoral Charge [00:15:07 ▶️ 📄]
  > Write down the specific point that God desires an abundant life for the believer.
• Pastoral Charge [00:13:45 ▶️ 📄]
  > Write down the principle that abundance is fueled by proper management.
• Pastoral Charge [00:15:07 ▶️ 📄]
  > Write down the point that God desires an abundant life.
• Pastoral Charge [00:16:30 ▶️ 📄]
  > Respond with 'Amen' to affirm the belief that God wants the congregation to live an abundant life.
• Pastoral Charge [00:15:38 ▶️ 📄]
  > Verbally affirm the correct order of loving God, loving people, and using money.
• Pastoral Charge [00:21:54 ▶️ 📄]
  > Prepare to hear the word 'prosperity' and pause to consider its true meaning.
• Pastoral Charge [00:31:57 ▶️ 📄]
  > To accept God's permission and design for personal prosperity in all areas of life.
• Pastoral Charge [00:35:45 ▶️ 📄]
  > To actively pursue prosperity in financial and relational spheres.
• Pastoral Charge [00:36:35 ▶️ 📄]
  > To strive for excellence and top performance in their professional vocations.
• Pastoral Charge [00:58:09 ▶️ 📄]
  > Surrender one's life to Jesus as Lord to experience true prosperity in all areas of life.
• Pastoral Charge [00:57:12 ▶️ 📄]
  > Non-believers are called to give their lives to Jesus to establish a relationship with God.

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:00:00] What's going on Transformation Nation? I'm so glad that you joined us here today and you are in for a good one because we're starting a brand new series called Six Figures, Living a Life of Abundance. And the truth of the matter is all of us want to make six figures, maybe seven figures,
[00:00:18] maybe you're making eight figures. I don't care what it is. Having commas doesn't mean you have a fulfilled life. And I believe that God wants us all to live an abundant life. And this message
[00:00:30] today is going to help you down that journey because we got to get some new definitions.
[00:00:36] Today, this message is called A Good Word Gone Bad, The Problem With Prosperity. This is going to bless your life. If you could, would you get out your notepad and your smartphone or dumb phone
[00:00:50] and get ready to receive God's word.
[00:00:53] I want to pray.
[00:00:53] Father, anything I say does not matter if we don't have hearts to receive it.
[00:00:59] So today, give us hearts that are soft enough for the right seeds to be planted.
[00:01:06] We've had hard weeks.
[00:01:07] Some of us have been disappointed.
[00:01:09] Some of us have been confused about what's going on.
[00:01:12] But right now in your presence, I thank you that peace is here.
[00:01:17] It's the peace that passes all understanding.
[00:01:20] And so Father, would you speak to us so that we can actually live an abundant life.
[00:01:27] Have your way in this place, is my prayer.
[00:01:29] And all God's children in this place say, amen.
[00:01:33] All right, let's do this thing.
[00:01:35] Well, we're starting a brand new series today.
[00:01:39] And I get excited about a brand new series because I've been holding this one.
[00:01:44] Because the truth of the matter is, this series has the opportunity to transform your mind around something that all of us are thinking about. Everybody's thinking about money. Oh no, not me. Liar. Some of you have checked your account three times today. Some of us get
[00:02:10] notifications every time something shifts in our account balance. Many of us right now are planning our lives around what the decimals say in our bank account. Some of us have joy right now because of how much we have. And some of us are in sorrow. Okay. Y'all come on because of how much
[00:02:35] we don't have. Many of us feel great on payday. Come on. Let's be honest. How many people get an extra little pep in a step when that little cha-ching hits you like, ah, and as soon as that
[00:02:49] first payment comes out for the house you live in. You're like, God. Today, I want to let you know very clearly, we are going to talk about money, but it's not the focus. A lot of people
[00:03:07] don't understand and realize how important it is to be able to bring God's truth around things that we all deal with. But because there's been people who have done wrong around the topic, people stay
[00:03:20] away from it my job as your pastor i'm not everybody's shepherd but i'm yours is to make sure you understand the things that god says that you are supposed to have and how you're supposed
[00:03:33] to interact and connect with them so today this new series is called six figures everybody say six figures how many people in here would love to make six figures consistently monthly oh come on I'm talking to somebody. Six figures weekly. Huh? Huh? Somebody had the crazy faith that I'd make
[00:03:54] it daily. No. Okay. Everybody wants to make six figures. It's like last 10 years, it's been like a culturally coined phrase. Like I'm just trying to get six figures or what type of man do you
[00:04:08] want? He got to make six figures. Come on. Let's, let's talk about it. Let's think about many of us are trying to raise to a certain level, but I started to think about this cultural phrase and
[00:04:18] I was like, I know a lot of people that make six figures who aren't fulfilled. I counsel plenty of people that have not just six figures, seven figures, eight figures. And you were like, I wish
[00:04:32] I could see what they talking about. We can trade places. But the truth of the matter is the number or the figure you have in your account does not mean you will be fulfilled. And I thought,
[00:04:47] what are the six figures that God wants to expand and shape our faith around and so for the next few weeks I'm going to be talking about six figures that shape your faith to live an abundant
[00:05:03] life see because God doesn't want you to just have money he wants you to have an abundant life he wants you to be able to walk in a lifestyle that doesn't add sorrow with it and so in this
[00:05:21] series i want you to be able to listen because i'm gonna have to challenge watch this some of your cultural constructs i'm coming for some of your family ideas i'm coming for spirits that have been on you that have been borrowed from people you didn't even find out the source they
[00:05:42] got it from okay and today I want you to understand the six figures God cares about so that you can live a life of abundance so these are the six figures we're going to talk about that are going
[00:05:56] to shape your faith we're going to talk about work three amens but the truth of the matter is most of you think your job and your work are synonymous and God gave Adam work even though all his needs
[00:06:15] were supplied. We'll talk about it later. We're going to talk about rest. How many people could use some more rest? We're going to talk about it. We're going to talk about motives. We're going to
[00:06:25] talk about multiplication. We're going to talk about priority and we're going to talk about generosity. And yes, we're going to talk about money. And the reason I say this is because one third of all of the message that Jesus gave publicly were about money, generosity,
[00:06:40] and possessions. And the reason why Jesus talked about it so much is not because he cares a lot about money. He knows you do. He knows we do. He knows it's the reason why I can or cannot be a
[00:06:56] blessing on all occasions. He knows that it changes my attitude. There are people I don't like because I think they have more money than me. You don't even know. And God's saying your heart and resources
[00:07:10] are connected and what i want is to correct the thing that no one can see this series is an inside job it's going to challenge the things that you think and your neighbor ain't gonna know what's
[00:07:25] going on on the inside of you the tension that's going on the wrestle and god wants to reveal these things because i believe he wants you to live in abundance but the thing that can mess up the money
[00:07:35] the influence the platform he gives you is the mindset and today I'm coming to change and challenge the mindset of God's people around this idea of living an abundant life John 10 10 the thief the enemy our adversary does not come except to do what steal kill and destroy
[00:08:02] it but Jesus is talking and he said but I've come that you may have life and that you have may have life more watch this word abundantly Jesus is saying my whole reason for coming there's gonna
[00:08:17] be a lot of details that come but my whole reason if I could sum it up in one thing I want you to live an abundant life what like that's what you want for me yep what about grace and mercy and
[00:08:31] It's all wrapped up in a abundant life.
[00:08:34] What about resources and blessing others and being able to walk in the fruits of the spirit?
[00:08:40] It's all wrapped up in an abundant life.
[00:08:43] And God wants your life to be, watch this, full.
[00:08:49] Some of us have lived the most empty, barely making it at the bottom, just enough to get by lives.
[00:08:57] That's not why God gave up his only son.
[00:09:03] It's so you could survive.
[00:09:05] he wants your life to be just somebody say abundant say it like it's a big word abundant what if every area of your life was more than enough oh y'all didn't hear me think about your
[00:09:20] marriage been like girl stop kissing me dang our love is so abundant it's more than enough think about every time you get ready to bless somebody you got to tell yourself I don't know if they
[00:09:30] ready for that that might be too much for them to handle what if every time you looked at your health you'd be like man i've never been more healthy have more energy i don't even need those
[00:09:46] things to stay up no more i'm i'm living and uh what if when you prayed you were praying to see who god wanted you to answer their prayer not just that god would answer their prayer abundance
[00:10:05] what if you didn't have to be seen and you were still fulfilled oh i'm talking about abundance i'm talking about i'm not on the gram i'm not showing you what i'm doing on facebook and i'm
[00:10:18] actually happy. And this is what I want everybody listening to me to know because I'm reversing some of the lies that you have believed. God desires for his children to live an abundant life. Why, Pastor Mike? Because it's a reflection of him. If you read all the characteristics of
[00:10:48] God, he's the God that owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He's the God that pours out his grace unending there's no sin you can do where the grace is not great he is abundant
[00:11:00] and then you look at his kids okay y'all ever met somebody who got it all Gucci Louis down got got all the things got all the Lululemon got all the aloe got everything and then the kids
[00:11:15] walk up oh y'all know what I'm talking about it changes the way you looking at them because oh them your kids why because the reflection many times is the way people get to understand who
[00:11:36] the person is i believe that this is an area that needs to be represented that's why in this church during this series we're not taking any offerings that are outside of what we normally do there will
[00:11:53] be no second offerings there's no building campaign as in fact during the series we're going to give money away pastor mike why are you saying this because most people who have an aversion to resources they like the church just want my money you ain't gave it no way so first
[00:12:08] off let's let's let's be clear we've been able to survive without your money and number two the enemy is trying to keep you from a principle that will change your legacy and today i i have the
[00:12:23] authority i live this i started out in poverty i started out with a poverty mindset oh you couldn't tell about what i had on but but i had a poverty mindset not because it's what i was exposed to
[00:12:40] not because it was because of what i adopted and the holy spirit after salvation had to break off of me a mindset that was keeping me watch this from his best for me and i'm believing through
[00:12:54] this series by faith that many people are about to walk out of the idea of poverty. I'm not just talking about money. Some of you are poor relationally. Some of you do not have enough
[00:13:11] emotionally. God's going to allow you to live. Say it with me one more time. Abundantly. Let me help you understand what abundantly is. Abundantly is spiritual fullness, material provision, generosity and God's overflowing grace when God says I want you to live abundantly he says I want
[00:13:33] you to be spiritually full I want you to have whatever material provision you need I want you to have generosity to be able to be a blessing to others and I want you to experience God's
[00:13:45] overflowing grace write this down because I believe it's going to be an anchor in this entire series. Abundance is fueled by the principle of proper management, not from endlessly pursuing more. I need to give this to you very clear right now, because a lot of you think abundance is a
[00:14:07] lot. Having a lot does not mean you're in abundance. Most of the time, having a lot means you're overwhelmed. Come on, let's be honest. God says, I want you to properly steward over what you
[00:14:23] have. When you become a good steward, you live in abundance. Right now, some of us have more clothes and more shoes than we know what to do with. Right now, we can't even get to our bathroom
[00:14:35] because we got to step over mountains, hills, and valleys. Come on, let's be honest. Some of us got storages for our storage. Y'all got what I'm saying? What I'm telling you is a lot does not
[00:14:49] equal abundance. Proper stewardship does. And we're going to talk about that as we go. Today is just a foundation because I believe that God wants you to live a life of abundance. So just write this point down very clearly, very simple. I've said it several times, but God desires for me
[00:15:07] to live an abundant life. That's what he desires for you. A lot of people I've heard it said like this, love God, love people, use money. But a lot of people mix those up. They use God, love people,
[00:15:23] and love money. Or they love God, use people, and love money. Oh, come on, y'all. But the proper order for everything that we have to do when it comes to resources is we love God. Somebody say,
[00:15:38] love God, love people, use money. It's a tool. It's just a tool. This is not the thing I live and die for. It's the thing that I use to live. Okay. I'm going to walk you through this.
[00:15:57] And many people have gotten that out of order. So as I teach you this series, I'm teaching from a place that I have walked out of poverty into a level of purpose that allows me
[00:16:09] to understand the concept. So I'm going to identify with every person in this room to be able to help us walk into a brand new mindset and get a revelation. And what is a revelation? It's just
[00:16:20] revealed truth. It's a truth that's already there, but we don't see it yet. And I believe God is going to allow so many people to see the truth that God wants you to live an abundant life.
[00:16:30] Can I get one big amen? All right. So there's this thing that's been happening to me lately.
[00:16:35] um as i'm getting a little older um i'll be 40 this year and uh yeah i'm excited about being 40 like it feels like my life is just beginning i mean i don't know what 75 feels like bishop but
[00:16:48] 40 feel good you know i'm saying i know what to and what to what not to do for me i understand how my body works now and i'm i'm figuring out what i like to do and what i don't like to do i sometimes
[00:17:00] get it wrong of how athletic I still am. I've had a nagging injury that has gone from my ankle to my knee, now to my brain. But I consider myself a pretty relevant person. And I give compliments.
[00:17:18] I'm an encourager. So if you know me, you're around me, I'm going to tell you, man, you look nicer, da, da, da, da. So I was talking to a guy the other day, and I said, man, you're handsome.
[00:17:28] and out of the blue I heard somebody say hey yo pause and I looked at him I was like hey yo pause what do you mean pause I've been getting paused a lot and I wasn't clear what pausing was until I
[00:17:46] asked my daughter I was like what is pause it's like it's like you know when you probably like what you said meant one thing but because of the cultural definition of it it now means something
[00:17:58] else. And so I was like, so I can't tell another man he handsome. It was like, Hey, yo pause.
[00:18:06] And I was like, what, hold on. What are you talking about? And I'm confused. I'm frustrated.
[00:18:10] Some of the older people are looking at me like, I still don't get it. What they're saying is if I tell another man, he's handsome, somebody might think that maybe I like him in a way that
[00:18:21] I don't like him. And it's not just a compliment. It's more than a compliment. And maybe this could escalate to something that and i was like shut up i said i'm gonna double down you're not just
[00:18:31] handsome you're god's masterpiece like whoa hey yo pause like why can't i get somebody else to come why can't i do it and what i what i i realized that that pause idea that pause perception is
[00:18:47] fueled by ignorance and many times immaturity i i just want to say i know the youth section y'all be pausing all day pause like what what i'm saying is um when something has a meaning but it
[00:19:01] gets twisted you can be saying one thing but somebody take it as something else and and what i've figured out is that um in 2026 there are some phrases that god gives us that have been hijacked
[00:19:20] because of ignorance. And today I just, I feel like it's part of my job in the beginning of this series to, to literally dismantle one of them. So you can receive what God has called you
[00:19:34] to receive in this series. And as a pastor, this is my job. So I stand flat footed, 10 toes down today to tell anybody and everybody that God has watching this, that we have to come out of
[00:19:48] ignorance ignorance translated in the greek actually um comes down to darkness wherever there is darkness in your life you're ignorant in that area you can't see it and when you begin to study out scripture i need everybody to understand that understanding actually means
[00:20:08] light so when you're ignorant you're in darkness when you get understanding you're in light that's why the bible says and all you're getting i need you to get an understanding that's why we can't take tiktok clips and create theologies around it because you didn't even get an understanding
[00:20:26] you didn't check the source you don't know who them people are just because the lighting was good and the video was high quality and the voice sounded convincing doesn't mean it's true this is why you can't believe everything you hear about me online well isn't he or isn't he you ain't never
[00:20:45] met me you ain't even been around me you think i'm short in real life i can't tell you how many people when they meet me in real life, they're like, dang, you're so tall. This screen lying to
[00:20:56] you. I'm almost six too. What I'm telling you is you cannot form things in your conscience off a clip. This is a dangerous time in church, in life. People are putting things in their body
[00:21:15] because of a clip. Y'all don't order stuff off of Amazon because somebody was selling something on TikTok shop. They ain't never take it. They just get paid for it. You want their results. They don't even do it. Okay. And today I have to go in and I believe it's part of my, my, my pastoral
[00:21:41] responsibility to help you be able to redeem a word that has been hijacked. That if I was to say it in Christianity, a lot of people would say, pause. Can I give you the word? Y'all ready for
[00:21:54] prosperity hey yo pause because right now in the world if i say the word prosperity and then i put the word gospel behind it there are people who have no idea what it actually means
[00:22:17] but they stay away from it prosperity pause oh that's a prosperity church oh they teaching a prosperity gospel oh they all they only about prosperity have you studied it have you checked the source do you know where it came from do you have any context around that phrase and right now
[00:22:44] it's being not just hijacked it's being weaponized and today I need us to pause or let me say say which actually means pause and you don't just need to pause you need to pause in because if
[00:23:02] you say law and get the understanding and then you come to the conclusion i don't want nothing to do with that cool but many of us have walked away watch this from a principle and a promise of
[00:23:12] god because it has bad cultural connotation the word gospel means good news but i have to acknowledge that people have gotten involved. So when somebody says, if you're new to church or you've never heard this idea or this theme, I'm going to help you because you're going to be so
[00:23:35] ahead of the game because you're not going to have to filter through a bunch of toxicity and all kinds of stuff. But I want to put everybody on the same playing field. When people say
[00:23:44] prosperity gospel, it is culturally complicated because what they mean by that is that this prosperity gospel is centered around manipulation around money, deceptive motives, an opulent lifestyle, lottery living. I'm going to give God something. He's going to change. Hit me back with
[00:24:10] tenfold selfish gain, a pyramid scheme, give 10, get 20, give 20, get a thousand. And it's been around exploiting vulnerable people and preying on people's ignorance you got a church that ain't got no air but the pastor has a private jet come on let's if we're gonna talk okay if we're gonna
[00:24:41] talk about it let's talk about it the building fund ain't nothing ever got built come on people then gave their life savings granny done dinner but no actual evidence and because people have gotten involved, I want to give you the title of my message today. A good word has gone bad today.
[00:25:04] The title of the message is a good word gone bad. The problem with prosperity. I got to help you because if you don't get your own understanding from God about this word, you will let culture
[00:25:19] rob you of a promise that God gave before any of us was here. Okay. If you want to know the problem with prosperity it's three things let me tell you the problem with prosperity is people
[00:25:33] perception and perversion when you bring prosperity into it people have manipulated people in the name of a word that God gave us that have nothing to do with him and as long as there will
[00:25:50] be people on this earth somebody will try to twist what God says is good can I tell you all the way back in Genesis when when when God told Adam and Eve like hey you protected you good you can eat
[00:26:04] from any tree except this one what was the enemy's first conversation with with with man did God really say he was trying to pervert what God said was good into something that was bad so anytime
[00:26:21] you see the word prosperity think about the people who are talking about it and then you have to think about the perception what is the perception behind it and has it been perverted pastor mike
[00:26:34] why is this important because prosperity is biblical if i said prayer was biblical you'd be like amen glory to god pray for me pastor if i said healing is biblical everybody will want healing if i said love is biblical for god's love love the world oh my god that he gave
[00:26:58] prosperity is biblical let me prove it to you because y'all looking like give me scripture deuteronomy 28 11 listen to this the lord who will the lord who will do it the lord the lord
[00:27:14] will grant you abundant prosperity there's our two words the lord will grant you abundant prosperity stop think what would abundant prosperity from god look like the lord will grant you abundant prosperity in the fruit of your womb the young of your livestock and your
[00:27:42] crops of the ground he's saying your business will prosper in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you this is a promise that was started before you the lord will open up the heavens my
[00:27:53] god the storehouses of his bounty to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none of them the lord will make you
[00:28:09] the head and not the tail if you pay attention to the commands of the lord your god that i give you this day and carefully follow them that means there's obedience attached to abundance did you
[00:28:24] hear what i just said obedience is attached to a bun okay it says if you do what he says you will always be at the top never at the bottom that's not enough for some of you because you're a skeptic
[00:28:42] proverbs 11 25 a generous person will say the word with me prosper i know it's like a cuss word i don't want to say it. What if somebody sees me? What if God promised it to you? What, what if it's
[00:29:02] a benefit of being in the kingdom of God? Nobody, no good father would ever tell their child. I don't want you to prosper. Okay. I would never go to my children and be like, I hope you stay the
[00:29:16] same. I hope you really hit a like a loop in your life. Like real cyclic, real cycle, cycle, son, cycle child. No, I want you to prosper. I want you to prosper in your thinking. I want you to grow
[00:29:30] in your ability to perceive. I want you to understand your emotions. I want you to be able to manage things. I want you to, this is the same thing God's saying about you because you're
[00:29:40] his child. He said, if you're generous, you're going to prosper. Whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. Pastor Mike, both of those are old Testament examples. We are under a new covenant.
[00:30:00] Y'all want some new, you want some new Testament on that? I want you to understand we're under a new covenant, but we serve a God with the same character. Me and PC were talking about that,
[00:30:16] that, that the new covenant does not demolish God's old character. So if he was good, he's still gonna be good if he did provide he's still gonna provide if he did love you he's still
[00:30:30] gonna love third john new testament chapter one verse two beloved i pray that you y'all gotta say it with me y'all scared to cuss in church i pray that you prosper in no only some of them he says
[00:30:56] i pray that you prosper in your business your family your finances your health i want your hair growth to prosper i want your eyebrows to be on fleek i pray that you prosper in encouragement
[00:31:10] i pray that you prosper and some of y'all want to leave god's desire for us and his design for us on the table because of somebody else's definition you're gonna leave what god said on the table
[00:31:31] because of what gary said i'm gonna choose another name bishop it's your birthday uh because of what garrett said guys you cannot let culture define what god's already defined so pastor mike what's your whole point today today if you don't get nothing else i want you to know this one thing
[00:31:57] you have permission to prosper somebody should get excited about that you have permission by god's word not pastor mike's word by god's word to it's good news you have permission to prosper the todd family has permission to prosper transformation church has permission to the
[00:32:27] medcalf family though the heckenbach family the great family we have permission to i tell my kids you have permission to prosper you have permission to be everything god's called you to be my daughters today they they they brought a business to church other day my daughter's been into baking
[00:32:46] Ava been into baking and so she baked some rice crispy treats and and I don't know what kind of heaven that the holy spirit slipped into those rice crispy treats or it could just be I ain't
[00:33:00] been eating sugar like that but I bit into that thing and you know when you eat something and make your knees do a little ooh. So me and her mom was just hyping her up. Ava, these Rice Krispies
[00:33:13] is the bomb. You should sell them. You should sell them. And Ava's like me when I was little, she was like, hmm. So she employed her older sister and her, she has two employees, her,
[00:33:26] her older sister and Coco have baked up 60 Rice Krispies treats, packaged them, put pink bowls on them done all this other stuff and brought them to church to use their nepotism to make you buy them
[00:33:46] they have fully taken advantage of their last name you already bought some more they already bought some hear me hear me and everything in me is saying prosper baby take the little that God's given you it may seem like nothing to anybody else but I want you to try you're only
[00:34:16] seven years old but you're gonna learn things right now that's gonna set you up to be in business and bless other people later on now we ain't just gonna take all that money and go spend it
[00:34:25] we're gonna honor God with it we're gonna teach them priority I want you to if me as a father with human sin running through my veins wants my child to prosper how much more you have permission i want you to feel that in your soul he said above all else i want above all
[00:34:56] else above above praying for 12 hours come on y'all we gonna do it but above that above spending all day in worship above above i want you to prosper in all things at the level watch this
[00:35:14] that your soul prospers mind will and emotion so he said i don't want you to just have all things that's why you can have all things and still not be fulfilled and that's why another scripture
[00:35:28] says what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his god says soul needs to be wealthy and at the level your soul prospers let your money prosper let your relationships prosper
[00:35:45] you have permission to prosper pastor mike for real yeah because the truth of the matter is this term was defined by god before we ever heard it and always check the source of the place you're
[00:36:09] finding out your information i only chose three scriptures so that we could get out on time today but through this whole series i'm gonna teach you that your right as a king's kid is to prosper in every you should be the best at your job okay i have the advantage i have the
[00:36:35] holy spirit i can know what the meeting's gonna be about for i walk into me y'all ain't y'all don't hear me you have somebody say i have the advantage there are things and wisdom and
[00:36:49] discernment and why would you leave the promises of god on the table just because somebody else doesn't understand it never experienced or can't define it do we just leave the holy spirit out of our christian walk because certain groups of people don't understand the holy spirit before
[00:37:09] any of us was here the bible tells us jesus says it's better that i leave because when i leave i'm sending another one he's the holy spirit the paraclete the one that will come alongside of
[00:37:21] you and help and he's gonna guide you in your day-to-day into all truth that's why the truth is important y'all he sets you free so so so anytime there's a a term in church that kind of
[00:37:39] gets twisted. It's a good word that goes bad. I want you to put it in this matrix. I want you to put the term in, and then I want you to define it by the truth of God's word. Then I want you to see
[00:37:53] where the enemy would try to twist it. And then I want you to see where he's trying to trick you.
[00:38:00] Okay. Just write that down. Term, truth, twist, trick. Because again, the enemy's plan is to turn everything that God says is good into something that you think is bad because the enemy doesn't need to kill you if he makes God's promises to you powerless remember his job is to steal
[00:38:27] kill and destroy pastor Charles said it a week ago he said he does not have to kill you if he actually steals the purpose and the use of the thing so your life will be destroyed if you don't
[00:38:41] think that you can be abundant. So all your prayers is about, God, could you just please me by needs? I know God, sometimes if it was me, he, but because of a mindset or a mind, you can be
[00:39:00] healed. You can be free. It's not just with the word prosperity. It's with many words that we have in the church and the enemy has tricked us to make us feel that we cannot fully believe in
[00:39:14] them so that they're powerless in our lives. This is why some people can come into a service and get healed because they actually believe God can heal. And there are other people that'll be in that same service and need the healing, but they feel nothing. It's not because God's not
[00:39:28] moving. It's because somewhere deep down, that thing has gotten to us where it's changed our mindset about what God can do. And so what I'm telling you is marriages can be restored.
[00:39:39] do you believe it there's a story in the bible where a man literally went into the prostitution house to get y'all don't y'all don't want to be there it's too real he god said go get her out of
[00:39:57] the place of perversion speak words of life over her restore her and their their relationship was reconciled. God can do these things. Question is, do you believe it? And has a good word gone bad?
[00:40:16] Okay. Right now, if I told somebody the term I'm about to use is cold. Amen. She cold. Oh man, that dude on the basketball court, he cold. Or if I said, man, it's cold in here. It's the same
[00:40:31] word. It's the same word, but depending on who's using it, how they using it, where they using it, it has totally different definitions term cold the truth it's a frigid temperature the twist could be oh dang she looked cold she looked good the trick is that in the wrong
[00:40:58] situation a compliment could be taken as an insult do y'all see if we're not working from the same definitions the right thing can mean the wrong thing and get a bad reaction let me use the inverse hot bro she's hot come on my wife's favorite one it's hot in here
[00:41:21] like like same word but depending on who's using it where the context it can be said if i'm in the hood and somebody says the block is hot some of y'all know some of y'all know if somebody say the
[00:41:40] block is hot the block some of y'all know cash money for the 99 2000 if i say the block is hot it doesn't mean we need a fan it means the popo is watching and you need to calm down whatever
[00:42:02] activities you're doing what i'm saying is if you don't define the term find the truth you can be tripped into compromise and when it comes to the term prosperity what's the truth that God says abundance is what God wants in every area of your life that's what the scripture
[00:42:33] says the twist is perversion of a godly principle to leave you powerless and the trick is to leave you compromised so anytime you hear the word prosperity or somebody saying that's a prosperity church or a prosperity gospel or a prosperity something you don't even investigate more you
[00:42:57] don't say god what is the truth you're trying to show me what is the thing there are people that have told me i can't go to your church because you're a prosperity church because we're big
[00:43:03] you don't say that about amazon nobody says that about walmart or costco they don't say i can't come to you because you're big like but the truth of the matter is because of the term and how
[00:43:21] people's mindset has been preferred. I ain't never once that you have never heard me say we're a prosperity gospel church. You never heard me say that's not a claim on anything. What it is, is
[00:43:32] when you live God's principles, though, fruit starts happening. If there if if fruit is around me, it's a byproduct. This is what we say. It's not the focus. It's the fruit. This is what God
[00:43:51] promises in our lives you will be like a tree planted by the rivers of living water you will be producing fruit in every seat when everybody's in recession when everybody's fearful when everything God said fruit abundance more than enough more than enough more than enough and
[00:44:15] you want me to wither up do you want me to deny the fruit that God promises us now if at the moment you see some crooked manipulative jacked up we've given millions of dollars away one thing nobody
[00:44:33] has ever said is that the check we promised them did not clear you can say you can say a lot of things and you can assume a lot of things but one youtube video that has never been created
[00:44:48] is that they promised me an amount from the stage did the check and put it on the thing and we weren't able to cash it do you know we couldn't bless people if we didn't prosper oh god
[00:45:06] if i was still in a poverty mindset we would be building buildings and shrines to us we've given away over 38 million dollars why because we live a life of abundance it's not just for us it's for the whole kingdom it's not just for me it's for my neighborhood
[00:45:25] it's not just for my family it's for the generation and if prosperity is a promise of God where has it been perverted in you if it's just a semantic thing don't use the word prosperity
[00:45:48] use abundance that's why I titled the series six figures how to live a life of abundance but it could very well be titled six figures how to live a life of prosperity because it's what God
[00:46:03] desire i came that you might have and a life that prospers or a life that is you have permission to prosper out of 100 people i prayed at 62 of y'all get this this is gonna break the mindset
[00:46:28] that has kept you low i need to shrink back i need to not show nobody i need to not god says let me check your heart let me get your motives right because there's one thing he won't compete
[00:46:43] with money he says you can't serve both God and money he says I'm not competing with that and think think about it God compares himself to nobody else in the entire Bible except the idea
[00:46:59] of money because he knows it has the potential to take his place in our hearts so next week we got to deal with that but that doesn't mean you throw away the whole principle and you don't throw
[00:47:16] away the whole promise today you have permission to prosper envision your home being a place of peace with more than enough room to bring people in and host them a long table that you can feed
[00:47:35] and you don't got to ask everybody to chip in ten dollars to pay for the meal well no they're there there's but you still got a poverty mindset i'm not saying you don't do that why you have to
[00:47:48] but what if you could bring people to your home and it just be freely given to them so that you could do as the bible says in acts 242 they met together and ate together and shared
[00:48:03] together and they gave one to each other whatever the other person needed what if somebody came to you and said i need a car and all you had to do was like what kind mo they don't want to live
[00:48:18] they don't want to live in a pundit like and right now some of you greed just came up in you because what just happened when i talked about that level of abundance you started thinking
[00:48:30] about yourself well before i get them another car let me figure out what my car is doing because if i'll get in my car then i'll go get a new car what just triggered what just came up that's what
[00:48:43] we have to address what if god told you to stay in the apartment and help pay somebody's mortgage for a year. Oh, y'all don't want to live at Acts 242 church. They gave whatever somebody needed.
[00:49:05] Pastor Mike, why are you talking about this? Because I live it. I can't prove it to you. I won't. That would be futile. But there are people around me that know. I went from thinking about
[00:49:20] myself in every situation because that's what sin is. It's selfish. I used to be so poor in my mindset like i used to like you know you go to something and like you make a to-go plate before
[00:49:38] you eat the plate that you don't know what i'm talking about like oh there's plenty here so let me take it to the car didn't come in with a fresh face poverty because i was thinking oh this is
[00:49:59] this is free somebody provided this how do i take advantage of it how do i get more for myself how do I make sure I have food tonight and tomorrow and the next day I used to I used to
[00:50:14] wear stuff and place the tag gently and then take it back oh it's quiet in here some of y'all are convicted there's I just looked at somebody their eyes looked at me big use the stuff for the party
[00:50:35] and then take back everything that you can that's stealing no it ain't gone because they can resell it it's got your germs on it and the reason I'm saying that is some people can't divorce
[00:50:53] a lifestyle that that is somehow good stewardship instead of stealing and that God could bless you enough to where you could just buy it and use it and then give it away to somebody you ain't even
[00:51:11] thought about that you ain't even thought like oh you just take it back like yeah take it back if you don't use it take it back if it don't fit I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that but
[00:51:18] If you fully put your butt in it, wear it, pass gas in it, use the restroom.
[00:51:29] No, I'm serious.
[00:51:31] And then you and then you take it back.
[00:51:34] You're nasty.
[00:51:39] And you have a poverty mindset.
[00:51:41] And God's desire is for you to go into the store and see somebody looking at it and be like, let me get that for you.
[00:51:52] Drea, I'm talking about living an abundant life.
[00:51:57] I don't need this anymore.
[00:51:59] Well, it's exclusive.
[00:52:00] this is tight on my feet some of y'all are in clothes right now that are hurting you they're digging into your sides digging into your pinkies digging into your head but because it's cool because it makes you feel you are in pain you stop listening 30 minutes and the truthful matter it
[00:52:30] didn't fit when you bought it but the truth is that there's there's something in your mind that says you can't get another one. And so instead of being a blessing to somebody, it could really be
[00:52:44] a blessing to add no sorrow to. You keep it, you hold it, you hoard it. I just believe by crazy faith. There are some people under the sound of my voice that this is about to unlock something in
[00:53:00] you, that you have permission to prosper. The abundant life is the fruit of focusing on Jesus and obeying what he says i just want to clear this up two minutes and we're out of here i want
[00:53:25] to take this good word prosperity that has gone bad in this culture and i want to just clarify some statements just for those who will watch this and clip it up and try to make uh something
[00:53:40] i didn't say be said let me just say it and i'm put on the screen for all of those that can't hear the words that I'm saying and you need a proof in letters. Here we go. Is having money proof
[00:53:55] you are blessed by God? No. Can having money be used to be a blessing? Yes. Does faith always lead to financial blessing? No. Do you need faith to live financially free, fulfilled and be a
[00:54:13] blessing does God promise you riches if you follow him no not one disciple got that promise but does God promise to meet all of your needs yes if you give are you guaranteed multiplied personal wealth no does God say that being generous has a direct impact on our lives yes
[00:54:41] should you spend life focused on material things no don't store up on this earth resources and treasure that's going to rust? He said, send it to the next life. Put your heart into things that
[00:54:57] matter. But are material things a tool to bless others and glorify God? Yes. Does God guarantee perfect health and wealth? No. But does God care about your health and wealth? Yes. Does the Bible teach the prosperity gospel? No, he doesn't preach the prosperity gospel in the definition that
[00:55:24] culture believes but is the story of the gospel god dying so that you can prosper in this life and the next yes you have permission to prosper standing all over this building if god doesn't
[00:55:52] give jesus and jesus doesn't give his life we don't get to prosper i'm gonna say it one more time. The whole gospel is that we was going to be jacked up. So God gave Jesus, Jesus gave his life
[00:56:13] so that then we could give our life back to him. The whole story of the gospel, the good news is about giving. God gave, Jesus gave, we give. Did y'all just see it that quick? God gave Jesus,
[00:56:30] Jesus gave his life so that we can give our life back to him. So if we don't want to talk about giving and generosity and prospering. How does our soul prosper? If we don't give our life to Jesus
[00:56:43] today, you don't just have permission to prosper in financial things or material things. That's low level. I want your soul to prosper today. If you don't know Jesus, I want to introduce you to the greatest gift that has ever been given you talking about giving money try giving your only
[00:57:12] that's what God did for a chance at a relationship with me and you and some of us are still holding on to our lives because we want to do it our way and we want it to be on our terms and we want to
[00:57:26] make the own rules when we were figuring out that don't work anyway I need a church to begin to pray because there are people right now that this message wasn't even about anything material for
[00:57:37] you it was for the one thing that God has been after your whole life your soul and today God wants your soul to prosper everything else will come everything else will come but he's saying
[00:57:53] my father gave and I gave my life would you give yours would you allow me to be the lord of your life so that you could prosper in all things, in your marriage, in your relationship, in your
[00:58:09] ideas, in your thoughts. I want to give you these six figures, but if you don't give me your heart first, you're not going to believe the things that I'm promising because they're good and they're
[00:58:22] scandalous. The gospel is scandalous. How in the world do I mess up and get the best reward?
[00:58:29] How in the world can I still have a habit and God looks beyond my faults and says, yeah, I'm not going to judge you on the habit. If you give me your heart, I'll help you change your habit.
[00:58:37] Who racks up a bill and then the person who owns the restaurant comes and say, I'll pay for it.
[00:58:44] To God, we, any God we serve.
[00:58:53] What a grace-filled God.
[00:58:55] What a prosperous God.
[00:58:56] What a God that abounds in love.
[00:59:00] Or an abundant God.
[00:59:04] He wants you to live an abundant life.
[00:59:07] But it starts with an action of surrender.
[00:59:10] If you're under the sound of my voice, in this building, watching online, watching in a prison cell, and you've been far from God or you've never given your life to him before, today is the day
[00:59:21] of salvation. This is the step you're about to make into an abundant life. Your soul is about to prosper. And I know their habits and cultural ideas and things that you've been taught. Let God
[00:59:34] renew you, refresh you, give you a brand new heart. Today is a day that you've been praying for and you didn't know it was going to come today. But do not think that this is an accident. Your whole
[00:59:43] life has been leading up to this moment and today all you have to do is receive the free gift of grace that God has given you for this abundant life John 10 10 says it's the whole reason he came
[00:59:57] that you could have life and life abundantly on the count of three if you want to make Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior and you want to start walking into this abundant life I just
[01:00:09] want you to slip your hand in the air or put a hand on the chat because this is saying I identify pastor I want to be added in that prayer church I need you to pray because somebody's life is in
[01:00:19] the balance right now and I believe they're about to make the right decision one you're making the greatest decision you could ever make two I'm proud of you but more than that your name is
[01:00:29] going to be written in the lamb's book of life and your eternity is going to be secure if you want to give your life to Jesus and walk in this abundant life three would you shoot your hand up
[01:00:39] all over this place i see you my brother i see you my brother i see you my sister i see you my brother i see you more than that god sees you can we give god praise right there glory to god
[01:00:49] well i feel the presence of god hey listen that transformation church everybody's a family we all been there i've been there and god is throwing a party in heaven over one person that gives their life to christ i mean it's a turn up going on y'all think the whom the sun sets free
[01:01:10] I want to end on a praise party. I know, I know people need prayer, but I need to end on a praise party because we're talking about being redeemed. We're redeeming the word prosperity. We're
[01:01:20] redeeming life back to people who have been dead. Today is the day something's about to change in you. And at transformation church, we're a family. So everybody lift your hands for the benefit of those who are coming to Christ. Say, God, thank you for sending Jesus just for me. Today, I give
[01:01:44] you my life and I repent from all sin and I turn to you. I believe you lived, you died, and you rose again so that i could live an abundant life change me renew me transform me i'm yours forever
[01:02:09] in jesus name amen can we celebrate oh come on tc let's celebrate all the new family welcome to the kingdom you have permission prosper i don't care what they said i don't care what it says. The Bible says you have permission to prosper. And I want you to believe
[01:02:36] that. I want you to live in that truth. I want you to have courage and I want you to walk in it because when you do, you embrace the promises of God. I'm so proud of you, church. I'm so proud
[01:02:48] of everybody that gave their life to Christ. And remember, if you did, I want you to text saved to 828282. And I'm telling you, this is just the beginning. This series is going to be so lit
[01:02:59] because people are going to come out of darkness into light. They're going to get understanding.
[01:03:05] And I believe you're going to live a life of abundance. Until next week, share this with somebody. I promise you, transformation starts with an invitation. So share this with somebody.
[01:03:16] And number two, if you've ever been blessed by this ministry, would you pray about partnering with us financially. This is not so we can get something. It's so we can give more to other prisons and other people and be able to meet needs. And so whatever God tells you, obey it.
[01:03:32] And we will continue to see transformation as it is in heaven. Let it be right here on earth.
[01:03:37] Until next week, go out and live a transformed life.