2024-04-21_Sunday 2nd Service: Stewartship of God's Abundance. By PBC Associate Pastor, Rev. Dr. Simon Mwangi

Our scripture reading comes from the book of Matthew, chapter 25, and I'm reading from verse 14, verse 14 up to verse 25.

Matthew 25 · chapter mention

Matthew, chapter 25, verse 14 to 25.

Matthew 25:14–25

I want to believe I can be heard clearly, especially the people right at the back.

In case it's not clear, just raise a hand.

We shall work on these microphones.

Matthew, chapter 25, verse 14 up to verse 25.

Matthew 25:14

Again, it will be like a man going on a journey who called his servants and entrusted his world to them.

To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags and to another one bag each according to his ability.

Then he went on his journey.

The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more.

So also the one with two bags of gold gained two more.

But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.

After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.

The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five.

Master, he said you entrusted me with five bags of gold.

See, I have gained five more.

His master replied well done, good and faithful servant.

You have been faithful with a few things.

I'll put you in charge of many things.

Come and share your master's happiness.

The man with two bags of gold also came, master.

He said you entrusted me with two bags of gold.

See, I have gained two more.

His master replied well done, good and faithful servant.

You have been faithful with a few things.

I will put you in charge of many things.

Come and share your master's happiness.

Then the man who had received one bag of gold came, master.

He said I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.

So I was afraid and went out and hid your.

This is God's word.

Let's pray, father in heaven, we thank you so much that we can gather around your word, and we thank you that we have your word, your word, and we thank you that we have your word.

And, father, as I share this word, I pray that Holy Spirit would open our hearts to receive it and that this word would inspire us, bring life and also light into our paths.

So we thank you so much for your word.

And as I'm praying, lord, I remember those who are in the pavilion, those following the service online around the world.

Lord, as you bless us here, bless them as well.

In Jesus' name, we pray and God's people say Amen.

We may have our seats as I come to share the word.

We have some people who had gone to Kisumu to stand with Pastor Ambrose and Martha during a season when their son Caleb has gone to find a spouse and we appreciate that Pastor Ambrose's son Caleb has already found a rib let's give a hand to the Lord.

And so there was a meeting in Kisumu and we had a number of our people going.

There are those who came back last night and there are those traveling today to the city, including Pastor Ambrose and his family.

Again, let me remind us about the funeral service memorial on Thursday here, pastor Washira's late wife, joy Rugano-Washira, who passed on.

We are having a service here at 10 am on Thursday and then Friday we go to Karatina to do the final interment in Karatina, where their village home is Now.

The word I bring to us I have divided into three parts One, the gift of abundance, the purpose of abundance and the reward of abundance.

The title is Stewardship of God's Abundance and the text is Matthew 25, verse 14, up to verse 25.

Matthew 25:14

We have been going through a month now focusing on open door, generosity, uplifted kingdom, supply, and that theme has inspired me to pick this text and bring these thoughts we have on the screen across to us.

The first one, of course, is the gift of abundance.

The gift of abundance.

So let me say that abundance is available In terms of what I need and what you need.

It's actually available and it is available in the format of much more.

God has already put in place everything, everything we need and everything we ever will need, and therefore the gift of abundance is intact.

It is intact, it is in place.

And so, whatever right now you're going through, what you need, I can safely say, and even speak prophetically, that what you have is not beyond God to actually provide.

It is not beyond God to actually provide.

It is not beyond God to meet that need.

And so our God is very wealthy.

He is very, very wealthy and he owns silver cattle over a thousand hills, and this is very motivating, especially when you know that he's only a prayer away and especially with the understanding of our season, the open door.

When you talk about the open door, you know the God of generosity and his open door and the uplifted door of supply.

It's very, very motivating and comforting, especially when you come to the place of prayer with the understanding that the gift of abundance is intact, it is in place.

It is God who created everything we see and it's God who created things we do not see.

And I said in the first service that God put together this abundance not for angels Right from Genesis.

When you study the Bible and you look, adam being created and also Eve being created and God creating the rest of the created order, that God put everything together with man in mind, and therefore the abundance of God we can actually say is our abundance.

It is possible for someone to stand and say that my father in heaven owns everything and what my father owns is mine and my inheritance is in his hands.

Other owns is mine and my inheritance is in his hands, and you can say my inheritance, his resources, are my portion.

And so, throughout biblical history, those men and women who have had this kind of conviction that I'm speaking about and this kind of belief, have walked with peace that is beyond understanding.

And let me say your peace and your joy is equal to the faith that you walk with.

And so the gift of abundance, stewardship of God's abundance.

So God has what we need.

The ball is on our court to ask for it and to work with it.

You know, the ball is in our court and I'm encouraging somebody here today to trust God and, with the faith that is in this sanctuary now and the anointing that is flowing as I speak, to just simply talk to God and speak, you know, plug into his abundance and ask him to actually provide.

And I know, I know, I know, because I know this God, that he will do it.

He has done it yesterday, he is doing it now and he will do it tomorrow.

He did it for Elijah when he had to be fed by ravens.

Remember the birds and God's supernatural supply when the brook ran dry and he had nothing, but God found a way of figuring out.

He's very creative in terms of meeting our need and supply the need of Elijah those days and that time.

So the gift of abundance is there, abundance is available.

Our God another name I would give him is actually abundance and he is not stingy.

God is not holding stuff with, you know, both hands close to himself and really waiting for somebody who prays like an expert and says, okay, it's a reserve of a few spiritual people or clergy to be able to access this.

God is not holding stuff like a stingy person.

God has open arms and his door is open, and that is why we have taken Revelation 3, verse 8, as our scripture this year, where God is saying I have opened a door before you that no man can shut.

Revelation 3:8

And if you believe in this, just give a hand.

Clap to the Lord that God has opened a door for me and for you, for my family and generations.

From me, God has opened a door, let me say that the yoke of poverty shall be broken and the yoke of scarcity shall be broken.

And it is broken because all we need is a download of God's abundance.

That is all that we need, and God is more ready to give than we are to receive.

And in the text that I just read, in the two verses of verse 14 and verse 15.

Now listen to this Again.

It will be like a man going on a journey who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.

That is the nature of God.

He wants to entrust his wealth to somebody.

Let me say he has entrusted his everything to somebody.

To one, he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags and to another one bag each according to his ability.

Then he went on a journey.

The gifts of God are not for a special group of people.

The gifts of God are for all men and women in Kenya, across Africa and around the world.

The gifts of God are for every man and every woman.

And let me add something further and say God has given everyone a gift or gifts.

We talked about the five-fold gifting, the two-fold gifting and the singular monogifting.

God has already given gifts to his people, and I know Parklands Baptist, you know all of the people I'm seeing here today and those following online that you are gifted.

And let me put it this way For us, we have been given the five-fold kind of gifting.

Do you believe you are multi-gifted?

Many gifts we have been given, we have all been given, and there is no one who has not been given a gift, and therefore experience of the abundance of God is not for some families.

They are no children of a lesser God.

The experience of the abundance of God is supposed to be for everybody.

It's supposed to be for everybody and God has actually given.

Let's give a hand to the Lord.

Yeah, thank you, my sister.

It's correct theology to say that everyone is experiencing God's abundance and it is correct theology to say that everyone is actually gifted.

We are all gifted.

And may I encourage us now to say I am gifted, just try it.

Let's say it again.

And may I encourage us now to say I am gifted, just try it.

Let's say it again.

God has heard, and you know when you say that God feels very, very good.

John 1, verse 16 says that we benefit from the abundance of the grace, of the fullness of the grace that is in God.

John 1:16

Let me just read it Out of his fullness, we have all received all Underline the word all Out of his fullness.

We have all received grace in place of grace already given.

God has chosen in his own wisdom to make everybody special and unique by endowing them with a gift, and this master or this man here decided to give to his wealth.

One was given five, another one was given two, another one was given one.

And I know that the gifts God has given us are amazing.

Some of the gifts are material gifts, others are spiritual gifts.

In fact, when you read the Bible, you will discover over 18 spiritual gifts recorded in 1 Corinthians 12, romans 12, 1 Peter 4, and Ephesians 4.

Not just in the realm of the material God has given us enablement.

They are called gracelets, or they are called again charis, which is the gifting of God, and when you say charismatic you say a people who are expressing their giftings, and so that is charismatic, and so God has invested in everybody.

Everybody is special and everyone is actually gifted.

These gifts have been distributed Material gifts, spiritual gifts, gifts we can see and gifts we cannot see.

They are the gifts which are in the unseen, but they are lined up along the path of your life and somewhere there will be milestones and moments of celebration as God actually comes through and you begin to see the manifestation of your life.

And somewhere there'll be milestones and moments of celebration as God actually comes through and you begin to see the manifestation of these gifts.

Here in Africa, we are very, very gifted and we are very, very blessed.

I think a season has come to a mission, a season of saying we are gifted and what we need God has already provided.

It is here in Africa, it is under the soil.

Did you know that Africa is the most gifted continent in the world.

I don't know whether you know that, but we are actually standing on soils and we are standing on things that are under the ground, and this continent is the most gifted continent of all continents.

Not only are we gifted underground, we are also gifted on ground.

That you look at the trees, you look at the mountains and you look at the rivers and you look at the oceans and you look at everything God has given us on the surface of the of the earth we have been gifted, and not only on the surface.

When you rise above, you have the atmosphere, the ionosphere, the stratosphere, and we have all these things God has given us above us.

I want to say that we are very blessed.

For example, the weather in Kenya is among the finest in the world.

Did you know that?

My daughter sent me a video?

She's in Toronto, canada, and yesterday she was traveling from one side of Toronto to another and there were snowflakes beating on the screen, the front screen and so she took a video and I could see the wipers moving and, of course, the snowflakes coming.

And she was saying, daddy, it's pretty cold, it's about 6, 7 degrees right now.

And I said, my girl, the Lord sent you there.

Stick it out, hallelujah, just simply stick it up.

It's a different setting, but stick it up.

And I said may God do exploits through you in that land, far from home.

Yes, hallelujah, and we, we have good weather and we don't have to struggle with some of these things Like today it's cool and it's nice.

It rained the whole of last night and you know, god has given us good weather.

We are very, very gifted and that's why I said five bags of gold.

I could outline one gift after another, after another, after another, and you'll quickly list five and probably more.

And oftentimes we think the mindset of the one gift and we feel I have nothing, I know nothing and I am not gifted.

I want to say to you now that that's a lie of the devil and it's a lie we must reverse here in Africa, in the name of Jesus Christ.

We are gifted, we are blessed, and God knows us by name, and his abundance is not just for Europe, it's not just for America, it's not just for South America, it's not just for Asia and Australia and New Zealand.

His abundance is our abundance, because our God, our heavenly father, is our father, and what the created order and everything he put together, he put it with me in mind and therefore I'm able to say I am gifted.

So for you to understand the word stewardship, you need to understand receiving, and that's why I'm saying the gift of abundance, stewardship received At the core of, at the epicenter of stewardship, is a gift, because you know you cannot steward something you don't have.

And therefore the understanding and the knowledge that I'm gifted and I'm blessed is so critical.

And a lot of people are faltering in their stewardship because in the first place they have not understood that they are gifted.

And so this guy who had so much wealth comes and graciously gives one, five, another one, two, another, one one, by the love of God and the grace of God and out of the fullness his, he has showered Africa and he has showered his people with so much of gifts.

And let me just indulge a little and talk about the youth, because I believe in the young generation and these young people.

They are very gifted, they are very, very blessed and the gift in them, the Lord is unwrapping, it Hallelujah, and it's going to be explosive.

Now, young people, you need to understand that you're gifted.

That's where it all begins.

And let nobody whisper in your ears the devil, especially that you are just a statistic and that you are not gifted.

I am here this morning, in this month of open door generosity, to help us understand that we have a generous God who has opened his gates and doors and he has, by his own decision and discretion and wisdom, decided to release his gifts.

But the people of God need to understand that they are gifted.

So, whatever the devil lied to your ears, I recount it, I reverse it in Jesus' name and we must know, as Parklands Baptist Church, that we are very, very gifted.

But secondly, I must say the purpose of abundance, not only the gift at the epicenter of God's of stewardship, but also purpose and understanding the purpose of abundance, stewardship, invested.

You know what God gives you.

He gives you for a reason and he gives you for a purpose and my prayer is that in your generation you will utilize what God has actually given you and, when you are multi-gifted, that you will utilize every gift that God has released in your direction.

In Matthew 25, just to read from the text, the text verse 16, from verse, matthew 25, from verse 16.

The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more.

So also the one with two bags of gold gained two more.

But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.

Remember master's money, the gift God has given me.

I go put it in a hole.

After a long time the master of those servants returned and the master returned and settled accounts with them.

This kind of settling accounts is something that happens even when we walk through life, and if there are some areas of your life that are not well invested, you keep sensing there's something I need, there's a debt, I need to express myself better than I am.

And so settling of accounts happening every day, happening.

The Holy Spirit in us continues to remind us you are gifted, you are gifted, but this area of your gifting you're not growing, you're not expressing.

You know.

Servants returned and settled accounts with them.

The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five.

Master, he said you entrusted me with five bags of gold.

See, I have gained five more, a hundred percent fruitfulness.

His master replied well done, good and faithful servant, you have been faithful with a few things.

I'll put you in charge of many things.

Come and share in your master's happiness.

The man with two bags of gold also came, master.

He said you entrusted me with two bags of gold.

See, I have gained two more.

His master was so happy.

He replied well done.

Again, it's a hundred percent returns.

Good and faithful servant, you have been faithful with a few things.

I'll put you in charge of many things.

Come and share your master's happiness.

Then the man who had received one bag of gold came, Master, he said I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown, gathering where you have not scattered.

I think this gentleman is struggling here with a scarcity mindset, like a poverty mindset.

So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground.

See, here is what belongs to you.

What kind of eventuality in verse 25 that I was afraid and fear.

Fear is a dangerous thing and that's why I'm saying to young people be strong, be courageous.

And God had to tell Joshua be strong and courageous as they were going into the promised land.

I was afraid and because I was afraid the fear factor, I went out, I hid.

And there are many people who don't want to take risks.

They know risk taking risks.

A lot of people want to be in their comfort zone, but there's no way you can prosper from such a position.

Courage is needed.

I was afraid I went out and hid your gold in the ground.

See, here is what belongs to you.

The generosity of God has a reason and a purpose.

There's a reason why God is generous and God has been good to us.

He has given us rain.

We need to build dams as a country, because he has also given us knowledge.

And we need to build dams so that, when the rain is not there, we can continue growing food.

And one of the challenges of Africa is stewardship.

You know this kind of stewardship that is invested stewardship.

So we get rain coming, it's all flowing, destroying everything as we watch and we see it on our screens and that's all we see.

And we see day one, day two, one year, two years, five years, seven years same story.

You know, when God gives us abundance, when he sends abundance and gives us abundance, it's for a reason, and my prayer is this that the people of God will provide leadership where it's needed in terms of stewardship of God's abundance.

And you will find that if we take care of what God gives us that the poverty curse, or the yoke of poverty, will actually be broken.

And I think the church is the one to lead in this conversation because we know God.

He has given us wisdom and he's able to help us see things within his context.

And so this guy with five brings five more and, god you know, the master is very happy.

The one with two brings two more.

The master is very happy, 100% returns.

But the one with one actually kept it at status quo Comfort, no risk taking at all, and it just stayed there because it was buried.

Let me say a dream buried will not be fruitful.

You know A thought and an idea buried will never bear fruit.

You need to be able to invest in the right way.

Especially, buried will never bear fruit.

You need to be able to invest in the right way.

Especially, buried in the wrong soil, it can never really grow.

And that's what this guy is doing.

There is a gentleman called the prodigal son In Luke, chapter 15 from verse 11, very interesting story, luke, chapter 15 from verse 11.

Luke 15 · chapter mention Luke 15 · chapter mention

The prodigal son if I could have it on the screen, we all know it.

Jesus continued there was a man who had two sons.

The younger one said to his father Father, give me my share of the estate.

So he divided it, His property, between them.

Not long after and this is what the consumer mindset instead of investing investing kind of stewardship it is let me have it, let me eat the seed.

There's not going to be a harvest.

Not long after that, the younger son got together.

All he had set off for a distant country, and there the word is squandered, that wealth in wild living.

After he had spent everything.

And this will happen.

Where there is no investment, where there is no fruit, where there is no expansion and growth.

Things just get less and less.

There was a severe famine in that whole country and it began to be so he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country who sent him to feed to his fields, to feed pigs.

He longed to fill his stomach with pots that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

When he came to his census and I thank God he did come to his senses he said how many of my father's hired servants have food to spare?

And here I am, starving to death.

And I want to clear among us here that the spirit of waste shall not rule over our situations, our families and everything that we have to do, even our children and grandchildren.

We chase that spirit of waste and wastefulness in the name of Jesus Christ and we invite the spirit of prudent investment that goes along lines of wisdom, but also very, very courageous.

God has released his abundance.

I just gave the example of rain a lot of rain.

The whole night we had a lot of rain.

The issue is not God's side, the matter is man's side, and that is why we need to walk away from the spirit of prodigality that somebody wastes everything your talent, your gift, your own health because of, maybe, the way you are living and God has given you a good body, a good everything but because of lifestyle and getting distracted, you find a person who was looking very good.

Suddenly they are wasting away and you know some of these things like drugs we don't need to get there Things like alcohol and that's why you hear me talk about these things, especially among the young generation, and pray over them, and I keep praying that clubs close along certain roads and some investors come to me and they say, pastor, you shouldn't say that from the pulpit.

I repeat it again Hallelujah, from this pulpit, in Jesus' name Because the thief comes to steal, to kill and to destroy.

But Jesus came that we might have life and have it abundantly.

How is it that some people are not having abundant life?

Because the thief is active, and the thief is inviting in the wrong direction and the outcome is just sheer waste.

You go to a neighborhood and you see sheer waste and you begin to pray and you say, god, this is not the portion of this nation, it is not the portion of this city.

And God, I pray the reversal of the spirit of waste.

And so the prodigal son enters prodigality because he failed in the area of stewardship, and he goes down the stairs and he ends up at a very, very needy place.

And I'm praying that the turnaround would come just by the waking up to the reality that God has given us what we need.

He has already relisted the ball is in our court and there is a purpose of abundance.

The Lord therefore gives us what he gives us so that, yeah, his kingdom can grow.

And the best way to steward abundance is to give and serve.

You know, the best way is to be a giver and to serve.

In other words, as it comes, give it out.

As it comes, release it.

Serve people with your voice.

And in the first service I shared and Fura is here, fura, you can stand.

Let's appreciate this girl.

Just stand up, fura.

Yeah, and you know this girl does.

You do the intro and outro and I know you're taking notes so that after this you can summarize my sermon and broadcast.

And you know, fura, when you do that, that voice reaches people all over the world.

Don't you see how it multiplies?

Yeah and fruitfulness From this great platform, you have an opportunity to multiply yourself.

These are five-dimensional gifting church and so you multiply yourself so many ways.

We are broadcasting the pictures, we are broadcasting the voice and it is going where you cannot go.

And for, among the young people, you have chosen to come to the front line and you have said I'm going to serve God with my voice, together with Alex and all the other voice ologists.

Let's appreciate these young people that we have.

Glory to God.

And the ones who led us in worship.

They are volunteers, they come here very early, they even come on Saturdays and they invest a lot of time in terms of practice and preparation.

And those people who play the equipment up there and these ones who are doing picture these machines here for picture and the ones who are picking voice, and there is a whole crew up there that is moderating and making sure everything is going the right direction and they are simply investing, release and give.

That is the only way that your abundance will grow and you become fruitful.

Grow and you become fruitful.

Let me say the miracle is in what is given.

In John, chapter 6, verse 11, there was a boy who had lunch.

John 6:11

There were 5,000 hungry people plus, in fact, 5,000 men could have been 10,000 if you put everybody and this boy came with lunch in this big meeting and that was his lunch.

And he got this lunch from home.

And I thank God for young men and young women who will not hold back their gift and they will release it to the nations, because when God gets what you are releasing in terms of investment, he is good enough to honor his word.

In Luke, chapter 6, verse 38, where it says Give and it shall given to you Good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over.

Luke 6:38

So if I was to walk in the running over, then I have to be a giver and also serve.

So go back to that verse, the one that I was talking about the boy.

This is one boy I celebrate in the Bible John, chapter 6 and verse 11.

John 6 · chapter mention

Let's go back there, john, chapter 6 and verse 11.

John 6 · chapter mention

Let's go back there, john, chapter 6 and verse 11.

John 6 · chapter mention

He came with lunch and he gave his lunch 100%.

He just simply released it.

And Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted.

He did the same with the fish.

In other words, they ate to their full.

When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples gather the pieces that are left.

This is stewardship.

Gather the pieces that are left.

The wastage spirit is gone.

Hallelujah, we are not wasting anything.

Gather the pieces that are left, let nothing be wasted.

So they gathered them and filled 12 baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves and left over by those who had eaten.

And I know this boy must have carried Deacon Wairago a whole basket home.

He went with five small barley loaves and two small fishes when he was going to the meeting that had so many people.

But I see this boy as one of the people who were given, you know, a whole basket.

And so he's coming back to his mother and back home and he's saying, mommy, I have this and mommy's asking where did it come from?

You know the lunch you gave me to go to that meeting.

It is the one that has fetched this harvest.

I seeded my miracle, I seeded my harvest and I gave it all without holding back.

And, mommy, I come back home and my baskets are full and my baskets are overflowing.

Let me say Kenya's destiny is great Hallelujah.

And Kenya's basket shall overflow, in Jesus' name, as we arise in the area of our gifting and as we graciously serve and graciously give, then that abundance, the Lord shall increase it and it shall run all the way to the overflow.

Right now in our country we are running on a small cake called the economy.

And you know, when you have a small cake and you have so many people to cut little pieces, it is really complicated.

And sometimes, as a pastor, you begin to pray and you say it's like being in a closed place and there's only this little that everybody must get.

And you begin to pray and you say, my God, something's like being in a closed place and there's only this little that everybody must get.

And you begin to pray and you say, my God, something's got to happen.

But let me say this the solution lies in growing the cake and that cake will grow because God has provided and because we shall exercise our gifts and the Lord will increase the abundance of this nation.

And the Lord will increase the abundance of this nation.

In the first service I said the gifts we have, we need to release them and deploy them and invest them.

I like going to national parks.

On Monday I was there and Nairobi National Park there's a safari walk and I pray as I walk around and I see the animals.

I like looking at nature.

I get you know, I find it very refreshing and I went to the corner.

There I found a rhino and I'm telling you that rhino is amazing.

I'm just appetizing you.

I leave the story there.

You go to Nairobi National Park and find out for yourself, because other people who are coming are also saying, wah, you know you get to the rhino.

You say wah, look at God's abundance.

God has given us what he has given us.

We have not broadcast it to the nations that the wealth of the nations may come to Kenya Because of a rhino, a lion, a monkey and things like that that I was looking at there.

I remember going to Switzerland and I went to Zurich and then I got a friend called Marcus.

He took me to Bugdorf and then he said hey, my friend, I must take you to some place, bern, a town called Bern, b-r town called Bern.

And we took the train between Bugdorf and Bern and I was really anticipating what is this the guy is going to show me.

It's called Marcus and you know we got to Bern and we went down this road after passing a number of cathedrals, we just went down the road and when we got down out there there was something like a man who you know, some big circle Nishimoimo, nishimo, imetengeneze wa simiti, I don't know how to put it in English.

And I could see people have buses were there, long cameras, people from Japan all over.

And, as you know, my heart was beating very anxious to see what is inside this hole.

And you know, when I got so close where those railings are and I looked inside, there was just one lazy animal, I mean it was kind of sleepy and draggy and I mean I looked and then I looked away.

Then Marcus said you didn't get excited.

I told my friend Marcus, I want you to come to Kenya, and he did.

Actually, he sat up here, then I took him out there.

I want you to come to Kenya, and he did Actually.

He sat up here, then I took him out there.

I want you to come to Kenya.

I show you the elephant, the giraffe.

It's a bear, it was a bear, a bear, you know.

And then when I went to Germany, berlin, I was taken to the body bear center, but those are inanimate, kind of like bears and animals that are inanimate, and I'm walking around I say all this is inanimate.

My country has all of this and much more.

Now this can bring us a world that God, the abundance of God, being downloaded, you know, being downloaded and suddenly all these issues that sometimes we talk about are here.

The Lord begins to sort them out and therefore, god has gifted us, he has gifted you and me, and God wants us.

Those gifts are not souvenirs.

Yeah, those gifts are not ornaments.

Gifts of God are not ornamental, they are not souvenirs.

Yeah, those gifts are not ornaments.

Gifts of God are not ornamental, they are not souvenirs.

They are not ornaments.

They are not for the museum, they are to be put to work.

That's why God gives us these gifts.

And the one who got five, five got five, two got two.

They were commended the same way and then the one who had won was thrown out, simply because he never traded in the gift that he had.

And God has blessed us, god has gifted us and God wants us to invest those gifts and he wants to return.

In fact, everyone, I say number one, is gifted.

Number two everyone can be fruitful.

The second statement for number two is everybody can be fruitful.

Fear must go and all the other things that come in the way.

Everyone can be, and I also add, will be, and you can connect with it and you say I am fruitful, I'll be fruitful.

You can declare that for yourself, right in your heart.

And God is going to orchestrate a scenario where all the roadblocks are removed, all the chains that hold you back, you know every pothole and stuff put along your path.

God can orchestrate things in such a way that as we go out of this service, suddenly that gift whether it's a business gift, you know, spiritual gift, whatever gift it is, suddenly can find its place.

And I said in the first service get wings like an eagle.

Isaiah 40, 31.

And in this church we say Arise and shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.

And so, africa, this is the hour of, this is your hour, this is our hour, this is our time.

And the young people of this continent who know who they are and know their gift and begin to courageously, like Joshua, invest their gifts, they shall come with a mighty harvest, and then our continent will rise and our nations will rise.

Those families you know will begin to rise and the struggle will be broken.

And so stewardship, this kind of stewardship, demands that kind of courage I'm talking about.

So five brings five, two brings two, but one ends up barring their.

You know their gift.

And I have a question, because we have many gifted people.

I really appreciate people, I really do.

When I pray on Mondays, I drive around the city, I just look at people, people.

I go to the malls, the hospitals, all these population centers, and I look at people.

I am amazed.

This is the best country, it has the best people, it is just wonderful.

And let me say you are beautiful and you are handsome, hallelujah.

Yes, you can give a hand.

Let's give a better hand to the Lord, yeah.

And therefore, leaders who are here, ceos of organizations, those people are not just profiteers, they're not just objects.

Those are human beings and those are people that God has created.

And those people are gifted.

The wealth of God is inside them, but that abundance of God needs to be unleashed and released and then more abundance will begin to come.

And so we are positioned very well and let us pray.

I'm also introducing a prayer agenda.

Let us pray this prayer that causes us to function the way we should at government level and every level where roadblocks could be and somebody who is gifted cannot rise because there's a ceiling put over their head.

I remove those ceilings in the name of Jesus Christ, that they may be able to thrive and flourish.

And you know, for us pastors Pastor Ambrose and I when people come and share testimonies in our offices and we see what the Lord is doing, we get very excited.

I had a young person come to my office and he's going to Malaysia, came with the father, the mother and the siblings.

We get very excited.

I had a young person come to my office and he's going to Malaysia, came with the father, the mother and the siblings, and that young man waited outside my office after the first service and they were ushered into my office and the whole family was there and you know what they said.

You know God has come through for us and our son is going to study in Malaysia.

You remember, cliff, you're the one who ushered them into my office, that whole family, and the pastor was I better, I can't eat.

That's enough food for me.

That's enough food for me.

When a young man is brought to my office, a young girl, and they are testifying victory, I am telling you I don't need anything else, that is enough, hallelujah.

And so let's give a hand to the Lord.

So God is looking at Africa and he's saying my abundance is upon this continent.

Where is the problem?

And so the purpose of abundance is that it needs not to be consumed but be invested.

But finally, the reward of abundance, stewardship celebrated From verse 19,.

What does it say?

And I read from the text.

It's saying the following, and I read from the text it's saying the following After a long time and sometimes we become lukewarm because the master is not coming back all that quickly After a long time, the master of those servants returned unsettled accounts with them.

The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five.

Master, he said you entrusted me with five bags of gold.

See, I have gained five more.

His master replied well done, good and faithful servant.

You have been faithful with a few things.

I'll put you in charge of many things.

Come and share in your master's happiness.

I don't need to read the rest because it talks about the two who got two and the one who got one.

The one who hid his talent or bag of gold was thrown out, but the two four, five and two.

There is a special celebration, heaven's celebration and heaven's commendation, which is found, like I read earlier.

Listen to the master, or listen to God saying to me or you well done.

Well done, good and faithful servant.

You have been faithful with a few things.

I will put you in charge of many things.

Come and share in your master's happiness.

You don't need much to make a difference.

What you need is faithfulness.

To make a difference, what you need is faithfulness, and sometimes people will say I'll start making a difference when I become a billionaire or when I become a millionaire.

I'll start making a difference when I own a house with five bedrooms.

I'll start making a difference when I get a job where I get a salary of six digits or maybe seven digits.

I want to say to us.

God is saying good and faithful servant, you have been faithful in little.

I will make you ruler of a much.

Your gateway to much is a little, but also it is the faithfulness in the little, where you are, where God has put you and with the gifts that God has given you.

Start now, start today.

Keep at it, even when there seems to be no progress and even when nobody's cheering you.

It's just a matter of time.

Just keep at it, keep growing, keep doing.

If you are faithful with little, I will make you ruler of a march.

Parklands Baptist Church is a testimony of that statement.

We started in a small place, junction of Chiromo Lane or Jijo Road.

That's where we started.

If you drive there, you'll see a kind of semi-permanent prefab sort of building there.

That is where we started, on a very small piece of land, some corner, somewhere that was not very visible and Georgie will remember when we started in Ojijo Uko and a small congregation, and we continued the same way I'm preaching today.

Pastor Ambrose has preached for years, faithfully, coming back to this pulpit again and again and even when you don't seem to see the crowds.

I remember when we came here in the year 2000.

The congregation was so small yeah, those of you who are here I don't know how many were here year 2000.

It was really really small.

I remember the first service.

I never used to stand here.

We used to put a wooden pulpit here, yes, and the congregation was 60, 70 people around here.

That's the way it was.

And you can imagine you are there doing your whole sermon and preaching.

All these seats are empty and you're saying angels are sitting there.

You're kind of encouraging yourself.

Angels are sitting there.

I mean, it's so easy to call it quits.

But you know, slowly whoever is faithful with little shall be made ruler of a much.

Came from a small place started with a small service.

Now we have grown.

Some people are sitting in the pavilion as I'm talking, others are online and you know this piece of land here was two five-acre pieces of land, so it was amalgamated to make it one block.

I mean 10 acres, and you know we didn't have the money to purchase something like this, but we stayed faithful.

On the other side, then the former president, daniel Arap Moi, kept coming and somehow, as we were faithful in the ministry, he noticed these people might need a bigger place and that's how to cut the long story short.

This gift, the gift of God, abundance, abundance is there, hallelujah.

We just need to be faithful, just need to be faithful and finally we got this place.

We are here.

When we came, this parking lot was not like this, and we have seen things.

Cars used to get stuck, brother Ambogo.

Here we used to push vehicles and you people are blessed.

We had only a few cars.

Even the ones that were getting stuck were very, very few.

Today, I look through the window of my office I say hallelujah, my God, this is abundance.

And I tell you, there are so many cars out there, so many cars out there, and even some are on the roads there.

We didn't have sophisticated equipment, microphones like this and cameras like this.

God has honored faithfulness.

Whoever is faithful in little shall be trusted with much, and they shall be made ruler of a much.

And so, young people, this is wisdom I'm giving you, the young people of Africa what you have, begin to release it, just where you are and the way the Lord leads you, and if you faithfully continue to do it, favor will come from different directions.

Kings will like, start looking for you.

You'll be sought after, you'll be promoted, you shall rise to the next level.

And the next level you will be celebrated.

They will call you to the front.

Heaven will be speaking and saying that is my good and faithful servant.

And the people themselves will also be saying we have watched this person, we have seen the faithfulness, and this is the day of celebration.

Let's give a hand to the Lord.

Glory to God.

So the apostle Paul said I will spend and be spent for the souls of men.

And therefore he stuck there.

He started in a small place in Antioch.

He was prayed over, did his first missionary journey very faithfully.

People got saved, he came, he did his second missionary journey, he did his third missionary journey and all the way to the last breath, he is there saying I have kept the race, I have kept the faith, I have run the race, I have kept the faith, I have run the race, I have fought a good fight.

And now for me there is a crown of rejoicing that has actually been set apart.

God is looking not for people who are showing the gifts, just showing off their gifts, but people who will be faithful.

Begin with little, small beginnings, give it to and God grows it, expands it.

And Parklands Baptist Church where we are today is a testimony of what I'm exactly saying.

But if you don't apply your gift, nobody else will apply it for you.

And part of the judgment is where you see others thriving and yet you know you're gifted and some of them will be thriving in your area of gifting and you say I should have been there.

Now it's 10 years down the road.

I've lost 10 years.

I seem to be back here, but even if you have lost a couple of years, god is able to restore.

Hallelujah.

God can restore the years the conquerors have actually eaten.

And so by this proclamation of this message today, I'm encouraging someone that little you're doing to God is not little.

Just simply stay there, keep doing it, the rest shall fall.

Matthew 6.33 says Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, then all these things we chase and follow shall actually be added unto you.

And I'm sure if Pastor Ambrose was to give you his testimony, or if I had a chance I give my testimony, you would truly know that the text of the Bible is really true.

One was given five, another one two, another one.

One the one who had five made five.

Two made two, another one.

One the one who had five made five, two made two, 100%, great commendation and celebration.

The one who had one went and, just you know, buried it, entered what you call comfort zone, no risk-taking, just stayed there and you can see the judgment.

Even that one was taken, and it was even given to another one.

And so I know each one of us have come from somewhere.

If I would allow every one of you to come here and share the story of their lives and how they have applied their giftings over time, you'll be amazed, because this truth of scripture would actually be amplified, you know, or exegeted, by the testimonies of God's people.

So, as we leave this place today, I want to remind us again God has released his wealth.

Just like that man who went on a journey released his wealth, he must have released all of it Five, two, one According to the abilities.

God has already released his wealth.

Whatever you'll ever need, god has already from his end, the door is open, the gate is open.

Open door generosity.

God has given an okay Through Jesus Christ, his son.

Now God wants to bring a landing of this wealth that is his into our hands, but he's checking.

What will you do with it?

What kind of stewardship is going to come out of it, and I pray that today we shall commit ourselves to pursue the kingdom, to pursue his will to serve and to give, and as we do that, like Jesus, gave his all.

He gave his life.

And because he gave his life, look at nations, thousands, millions of people are following him.

What did he do?

He was only 33 years old.

He was a very young man and he gave his life.

He made a contribution and by sowing his seed, like that, people you know, the harvest is here and there are so many people who have come around because of that.

And so that gift that God has given you needs to be released and needs to be deployed.

And I'm praying in just a moment so that sometime along the way, a celebration moment, god speaking to your heart, you are somewhere in a supermarket and God is speaking to you and saying good and faithful servant, and you remember how you've deployed your gifts.

You also get happy.

In fact, true joy, true peace, true meaning in life comes out of giving and applying the gifts that God has given us.

And I say Parklands Baptist Church, we are blessed, we have a great capacity and in the days ahead, we can do much, much more, in fact.

I'm seeing Deacon Wambogo here.

I see us planting churches all over the world.

We have just scrapped the surface.

God has given us a capacity to do much more.

I see us and I've prophesied this before sending missionaries to the ends of the earth.

I see it.

I see it, it is very possible.

I see us supporting the young people move to the next level.

There is so much we can do.

God has given us five bags of gold.

He's expecting five and even much more.

That future I've described is actually in the now, and I believe that God is going to do it.

And so join me in this prayer.

It is a passionate prayer from my heart as I have driven around our city and around our country and around the continent and other places.

It's a prayer of my heart that God has done everything God can do.

The ball is in our court.

It is a question of stewardship.

Brother Ben Malingu, I thank God for you and the way the Lord is really using you.

And, by the way, tell your son, who had eighth birthday on Friday Is it Friday?

Yeah, christian, your son, christian.

Tell him that Pastor Simon has said let me stand here.

He'll look at this Now, christian Malingu, I'm saying to you on your eighth birthday that you are blessed.

I'm also saying you shall be heard and not tell Deuteronomy 28 and verse 13.

And I'm saying your future is shall be heard and not tell Deuteronomy 28 and verse 13.

And I'm saying your future is bright.

Glory to God.

So may that investment prosper.

Yeah, may God's wealth be manifest through you.

And as you expand and grow, my brother Ben, may you not forget the Lord and may you raise others.

As you expand and grow, my brother Ben, may you not forget the Lord and may you raise others as you rise.

That is what God wants to do.

And as I look at Ben, I'm looking at each one of us, because opportunity and possibilities are here.

People are walking with these opportunities and possibilities and, like we say here, you're looking good, better than yesterday and then tomorrow, yes, that is going to be possible when we start engaging, like this Hallelujah, and we start blessing one another.

It's a passion of my heart and I know God has done his bit.

It is us who now need to come together and do our bit.

So, pastor, I could say a lot if I enter that space, because part of the tyranny of interests that are happening should not happen.

If believers came together, we put our monies together, we can determine interest and we can begin to shake foundations of fiscal issues.

We can do it overnight if we came together.

And I can say many other things the Lord has put in my heart and shown me.

Yet we continue to walk in lack and scarcity and poverty.

Yet the yoke of poverty and the yoke of scarcity is within our reach to break, and I decree it is breaking in Jesus' name, hallelujah, it is breaking.

It is breaking.

It is breaking.

It is breaking.

I don't see why somebody should sleep outside, I mean not having a house, a decent place to sleep.

I don't see why somebody should sleep without food.

I don't see why somebody, a child, should not go to school and they pass their exams.

I don't see why this should become issues.

God is saying I have come, I am intervening, but you have to connect, cooperate with me and do what you need to do for that abundance to become the experience of everybody and not just a few.

And God loves everybody.

There's nobody of a lesser God we are from, connected to the same God, and our God loves everybody.

There's nobody of a lesser God.

We are connected to the same God and our God is able.

May God's abundance come to your address in Jesus' name.

May God provide for you.

You know Philippians 4.19.

My God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory, by Christ Jesus.

Let's all stand up as we pray, father, in the name Christ Jesus.

Let's all stand up as we pray, Father, in the name of Jesus.

I thank you so much for this day and, lord, I thank you for the theme of this month.

Thank you for the parable of talents or the parable of gold bags that I just shared.

And, lord, thank you for the thoughts that I have poured out from my heart and from your heart.

Lord, with this great community, a leading, a leader church in Africa, a leader community in the continent, god, I know that the things I've shared has fallen into good soil and now rally us to pray together and rally us to do something about these things.

Father, thank you for the many gifts you've given us, and all of us are gifted.

Thank you for the opportunity for us to invest these gifts and I pray for an environment conducive to the investments of these gifts that you've given us.

And, lord, thank you for the celebrations that will happen along the year because, god, your abundance continues to be poured upon us and that abundance has gone to the overflow.

And therefore, father, I pray that you raise one, raise two, raise three, raise five.

With a passion and with a calling, we'll go out there and bring a change, the leadership question, bring a change within the terrain of Africa, and I thank you once again.

For our young people, I pray about their dreams, their vision, their ideas, their initiatives.

God, take them, lord, multiply them, like you did for the boy with five belly loaves and two fish.

God, the young generation, take what they have to bring to you, god, make it your own, cause it to multiply to the extent that they shall become global impact people.

They shall make a change, not just in Africa but around the world.

So, my God, I thank you so much for this opportunity to share this message.

And now I pray and we can raise our hands to God.

The Lord, your abundance may now be released into specific addresses.

God, I know you have everything we need now and we need for the days ahead.

We are making our appeal upwards, we are making our appeal to you because your cake is big, your cake is limitless.

My God, you are the one who ministered to the widow in 2 Kings, chapter 4, who just had a small jar of oil, and then they would finish what they had.

2 Kings 4 · chapter mention

Yet the creditors and the auctioneers were knocking at their door or at her door.

She was a widow, her two sons were going to be slaves, but, god, we are lifting our hands up like that lady looked up to you and that jar, little jar of oil was able to fill many, many jars.

The yoke of poverty and slavery, that heavy weight on her shoulders, was actually broken because, god, you released your abundance, and that's why I'm praying.

You have released rain.

We thank you, your abundance in God's people, the abundance of peace, the abundance of joy, the abundance of salvation, the abundance of healing, the abundance of financials, lord, the abundance of healing, the abundance of financials, lord, the abundance of good relationships.

We are asking for abundance, a harvest of abundance, and, god, we pray it is released upon every one of our addresses and, god, I pray as you do so.

Raise us to a place where we can serve and give and make a difference in our season and generation.

So, god, I thank you for these blessings that you've already released upon your people and I declare you're blessed on Monday, you're blessed on Tuesday, you're blessed on Wednesday, you're blessed on Thursday, you're blessed on Friday, you're blessed on Saturday, and this coming Sunday you're coming with a testimony.

You can give a hand clap to the Lord.

Glory to God.

Glory to God.

Glory to God.

I know we can give a better hand clap.

Let's just give it to the Lord.

Glory to God, amen.

Glory to his name.

Our God is able.

Six things in benediction.

Number one the Lord bless you.

Six things in benediction.

Number one the Lord bless you.

Number two the Lord keep you.

Number three the Lord cause his face to shine upon you.

Number four God be gracious to you.

Number five God turn his face toward you.

And number six may God give you peace.

Shalom, shalom, shalom, shalom.

And mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever and ever and ever.

Amen.

Have a great week.