LION OF JUDAH ROARS KINGDOM WEALTH STEWARDSHIP

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1 Welcome to this month s edition of Lion of Judah Roars. VISION Our vision is to empower, equip, connect, and unify God s people for the great move of God that is already flowing in our community. Kingdom Wealth Stewardship Sounds of the Night (Joke) Do You Know Who Jesus Is? Published 2012 by Gospel Tramway, Georgetown, TX Copyright 2012, Bruce Koch Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Bible. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. Scripture(s) marked AMP are from The Amplified Bible. Copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation and The Zondervan Corporation. Used by permission. Scripture(s) marked NIV are from The Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. Bibliography Granderton, Answers How_much_food_did_it_take_to_sustain _the_israelites_in_the_desert Strong, Dr. James The New Strong s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, Copyright 1995, 1996 Walk to Emmaus, The Upper Room jokes.html Visit our Web site at To God be all honor, glory, and praise. 6 NEW MAGAZINE COMING EARLY 2013 The new Lion of Judah Roars magazine will include such things as: Teaching and Preaching Messages Apostolic Messages Testimonials Prophetic Messages Upcoming Events Health Articles Inspirational Poems and Stories Family Articles Feature Articles Jokes Book and CD/DVD Promotions and more... Need Partners We are looking for qualified writers, editors, prayer partners, and donations to help make the magazine a reality. This is a great opportunity for writers to share the messages God has given them and promote their books and CDs/DVDs to the masses. If you would like to partner with us then please contact Bruce Koch at gospeltramway@gmail.com or call Bruce at THE LION OF JUDAH Title Like a lion, He roars a mighty roar to His church to call them together in unity to listen to Him. In Him we may rest in confidence, behind His mighty and everlasting strength. The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. (Joel 3:16) KINGDOM WEALTH STEWARDSHIP T wo main ingredients of kingdom wealth stewardship is faithfulness and a willing attitude. Isaiah 1:19 teaches us that the willing and obedient will eat the good of the land. I believe the kind of willingness God wants us to employ is eagerness and delight in Him. Psalm 37:4 confirms the importance of attitude by stating, Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. As the body of Christ enters a season where the Holy Spirit will be poured out like never before, we cannot 1

2 KINGDOM WEALTH STEWARDSHIP (continued...) afford to be ignorant of kingdom principles for stewarding wealth. I believe God has stored up immense wealth for His people in these final days to accomplish His good purposes. To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. (Eccles 2:26a NIV) Psalm 84:11b reads, No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. It is God s good pleasure to entrust us with the greater things of the kingdom. God delights to give His children the reigns. But like any loving father He insists on His children operating in maturity of faithfulness and attitude with the wealth He entrusts to them. Whether or not we have or do not have wealth in our physical possession does not mean God hasn t stored it up for us. For some, I believe He releases financial wealth more on an as-needed basis and for others He gives it to them directly to invest. To ensure we operate in maturity, God brings us through times of testing and refining. This is not to defeat and discourage us, but to position us for receiving a higher level of entrustment and management of His resources and His affairs. Our security and identity should never be in our financial standing. Our security and identity should continually remain in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. If God is giving you money on an as-needed basis or taking you through times of testing and refinement remember He is forming in you something of more value than the wealth of this world that will perish. He is teaching you to trust Him. He is teaching you to be patient and persistent. He is teaching you to seek His heart, His will and to listen to Him. He is giving you an opportunity to prove yourself willing to do even those uncomfortable things He asks with a good attitude. Attitude impacts not only the choices we make, but the atmosphere we create for gaining wealth. Cast down blaming and accusing thoughts and insecurity regarding your financial state in the name of Jesus Christ. The devil would like to use those thoughts to divide relationships and gain ground in our lives and hinder our prayer lives. In the name of Jesus Christ, demolish those thought patterns that associate your security and identity to your financial state. In Christ you are more than a conqueror (Rom 8:37), you are a blood-bought child of God (1 Cor 7:23, Gal 3:26), you are the righteousness of God (2 Cor 5:21), you are joint heirs with Christ (Rom 8:17) and God will supply all your needs in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:19). These are God s promises to you and I. God has provision set aside for His people even before they ask for it. The problem is His people often don t take the time to ask God where and how to go about getting that provision. We would rather someone come to our doorstep with what we need. God is very capable of doing that, but that won t necessarily help us face any lack of promptness on our part, any fears, laziness, pride, doubts, and insecurities. Sometimes God will call us out of our comfort zone and ask us to do things that go against our self imposed boundaries and do things out of the box. Sometimes he will have us get counsel from someone else. Even if you hear God quite well, that doesn t mean He won t have you ask the guidance and help of others. It is part of God s plan that we work together. No one of us is an expert at everything. God intentionally made it so that we have to work together to accomplish the greatest benefits. Don t fight this. Just be willing to submit to it. Pride and fear often stand in the way of people accessing their greatest blessings. Be brave, be humble and willing enough to go and do whatever God asks when He says to do it. Don t be consumed with what others will think or hold on to boundaries that God never established. Submit to God s will and be prompt to follow it. We are to serve God, not man. Now for those of you who have a healthy savings plan, don t be surprised if God changes your 2

3 KINGDOM WEALTH STEWARDSHIP (continued...) investment strategies in this last end time move of God. Savings can be important, but the word of God gives a strong priority towards building the kingdom of God. The emphasis needs to be on God s will. God s principles on sowing and reaping are quite clear. Second Corinthians 9:6 states, He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Jesus stated in Luke 6:38, Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you. This is a kingdom principle we can count on. God s priority teaches us to put emphasis on such things as the Lord s house, the kingdom of God, the poor and oppressed, and preparing our fields (Hag 1, Matt 6:33, Isa 58:10-11, Prov 24:27). Your field is where you invest your gifts, talents, and finances. Seek God for what s on God s heart and where He wants you to invest. He is just waiting for you to ask Him. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. In 539 BC, King Cyrus released the Jews from their captivity. Under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest, many of the Jewish people returned to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem they built an altar and sacrificed burnt offerings to God. God provided for them to return to a life of ministering to Him and being blessed (Ezra 3:3-6). They began rebuilding the temple, but the forces of darkness ensnared them with opposition and excuses so they abandoned the Lord s timetable for completing the temple. Enhancing and glorifying their own homes became a priority over rebuilding the temple. So God s temple was left in ruins. Because of their actions, they worked hard and received very little in return. It was as if they had holes in their pockets. What income they did have drained out quickly (Haggai 1). In this hour we must keep our focus on God s plan and not miss what He wants us to do. Now this doesn t mean you should go ahead and sell the family farm. You and your family having a roof over your heads and food on the table is high priority to God. Where we fail is putting an over emphasis on glorifying our own personal lives at the expense of completing the work of God on His timetable. What has God entrusted you to do and by when? The only way to know is to seek God and be consistently faithful. God encourages us to give wisely and not on emotional impulse. Obedience is better than sacrifice. Consider king Saul who was commanded by God to destroy all the Amalekites and all their oxen, sheep, camels and donkeys. King Saul disobeyed God. He spared the king of Amalek, spared many of their livestock, and spared the best of the sheep and the oxen for a sacrifice never authorized by God (1 Samuel 15:3-9). Samuel s response to Saul was, Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams (1 Samuel 15:22). Seeking God for His direction on what and how much to give above your tithe is key. But, be assured, that the tithe remains the Lord s (Malachi 3:8-12). High on the Lord s priority list is the poor and oppressed. Isaiah 58:6-9a instructs us, Is this not the fast that I have chosen: Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, Here I am. I am sure most of you reading this know that it is not money that is evil, but it s the love of money that is the root of all kinds of evil. What exactly does that mean and how does that apply to us? First Timothy 6:10 AMP reads, For the love of money is a root of all 3

4 KINGDOM WEALTH STEWARDSHIP (continued...) evils; it is through this craving that some have been led astray and have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves through with many acute [mental] pangs. In this context, the phrase the love of money in the Greek is philarguira. 1 Translated, it means an obsessive or addictive love that serves to control. Unfortunately, in many circles money has become a type of idol they have let control them. First Timothy 6:9 AMP reveals that those men who allow themselves to be controlled by such cravings fall into temptation and into many foolish (useless, godless) and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction and miserable perishing. It is a stark warning of the dangers of greed. I believe we are entering a season where God is calling many to invest more in kingdom of God affairs. The time is short and the good work of the kingdom of God must be completed in God s timetable. In this world of financial turmoil many are thinking along the lines of socking away funds into savings. While saving is important, I believe trusting in God s economic plan of sowing and reaping is imperative. God is well capable of multiplying our seed and taking care of us. Consider the great outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the early church represented in the book of Acts. The people gave in an unprecedented fashion. They sold land, houses, and they distributed to each as anyone had need (Acts 4:35). Am I suggesting that we sell all we have? No. I am suggesting that we make ourselves available and open to act according to the Lord s direction to complete the work of the kingdom in His timing. Paul stated to the Corinthians, And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago; but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have (2 Cor 8:10-11). God teaches us not only to give, but to not delay in offering up the first of our fruits to God (see Exodus 22:29). This is a reference to tithing (10%) to your local church. God teaches us to give cheerfully and willingly (2 Cor 9:7). Jesus said, it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). History has taught us not to rely on the world s system of economics. God s system of sowing and reaping is worth trusting in. Give with a positive faith and rejoicing. Speak to God such words as, I give with rejoicing! Praise you God! I trust you God to take care of all my needs. This is positive faith in action. This is worship! Be careful on how you respond to unplanned hits on your expenses. Don t respond by blaming or saying such things as, now I won t be able to take care of this, that and the other (see Isaiah 58:9). That s fear and negative faith in action. Repent on where you might have missed it, but don t add negative faith confessions to your circumstances. Rather confess, God is well able to meet my needs. God loves you. God supplied the Israelites in the wilderness over a 40 year period with roughly 33 million tons of food and 18 billion gallons of water. 2 No matter what, God is well able to take care of His own. Obedience and a rejoicing and willing attitude helps to position us to receive God s best. - Bruce Koch Note: 1 Strong, Dr. James, The New Strong s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee, Copyright 1995, Granderton, Answers How_much_food_did_it_take_to_sustain_the _Israelites_in_the_desert SOUNDS OF THE NIGHT (Joke) A man is driving down the road and breaks down near a monastery. He goes to the monastery, knocks on the door, and says, My car broke down. Do you think I could stay the night? The monks graciously accept him, feed him dinner, and even fix his car. As the man tries to fall asleep, he hears a strange sound. The next morning, he asks the monks what the sound was, but they say, We can't tell you. You're not a monk. The man is disappointed but thanks them anyway and goes about his merry way. Some years later, the same man breaks down in front of 4

5 SOUNDS OF THE NIGHT (continued...) the same monastery. The monks accept him, feed him, and fix his car. That night, he hears the same strange noise that he had heard years earlier. The next morning, he asks what it is, but the monks reply, We can't tell you. You're not a monk. The man says, All right, all right. I'm dying to know. If the only way I can find out what that sound was is to become a monk, how do I become a monk? The monks reply, You must travel the earth and tell us how many blades of grass there are and the exact number of sand pebbles. When you find these numbers, you will become a monk. The man sets about his task. Fortyfive years later, he returns and knocks on the door of the monastery. He says, I have traveled the earth and have found what you have asked for. He tells the number of blades of grass and number of sand pebbles on the earth to the monks. The monks reply, Congratulations. You are now a monk. We shall now show you the way to the sound. The monks lead the man to a wooden door, where the head monk says, The sound is right behind that door. The man reaches for the knob, but the door is locked. He says, Real funny, may I have the key? The monks give him the key, and he opens the door. Behind the wooden door is another door made of stone. The man demands the key to the stone door. The monks give him the key, and he opens it, only to find a door made of ruby. He demands another key from the monks, who provide it. Behind that door is another door, this one made of sapphire. So it went until the man had gone through doors of emerald, silver, topaz, amethyst... Finally, the monks say, This is the last key to the last door. The man is relieved to no end. He unlocks the door, turns the knob, and behind that door he is amazed to find the source of that strange sound. But I can't tell you what it is because you're not a monk. - Anonymous Note: Walk to Emmaus, The Upper Room 5

6 DO YOU KNOW WHO JESUS IS? A certain group of men were constructing a building across the street from a convent of nuns. The nuns became very disturbed upon hearing foul language come from the construction workers. One of the sisters volunteered to handle the matter. She packed a lunch and went over to visit with the men. Sitting amidst the men she asked, Do any of you know Jesus? Each man looked to each other admitting that they didn t know Jesus. One of the men called above to the other workers, Do any of you know Jesus? Your wife has come to give you your lunch! This story illustrates the state many people are in today. They have heard of the name of Jesus, but they don t know who He is. The name Jesus means savior. Yeshua is His Hebrew name. He desires to be the savior of each person s soul. He is the Truth, the Way, and the Life. He paid the price for our sins by dying on the cross and rising again. I used to think Jesus was made up until God divinely revealed to me that Jesus was real and the Bible was the inspired word of God. If you are in any way questioning if God is real, ask God in sincerity to reveal the truth about Himself to you. What you have to gain is priceless. Greatness of God s Love For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 NIV) The Bible Is Inspired By God All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16 NIV) God Loves You Despite... But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8 NIV) God s Extraordinary Love For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39 NIV) All Have Sinned For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23 NIV) Salvation Through Faith For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV) It is through faith in prayer that you will need to ask for the forgiveness of your sins and request Jesus Christ to come into your life as Lord and Savior. This does not mean you will need to join a specific denominational church, but rather you will need to enter into a love relationship with our Lord. The following is a salvation prayer you can pray. Salvation Prayer Father God, I have sinned. I ve fallen short by going my own way instead of following after you. Please forgive me for all my sins and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Jesus, I believe you died on the cross and rose again paying the price for all my sins. I receive you Jesus Christ, now come into my heart and life as my Lord and Savior. I believe that I am saved! Thank you Lord, Amen! 6