The Test of Giving

You're listening to a message to go from axt church.

We hope this message will light up your tea.

Just let go and trust. God is a very very

powerful thing. God loves it. In fact, some place that

the ritual we get the hardest to let go. Well,

when does it become a test. It becomes a test

when we start to give God what he wants and

not what you want.

I want to say that every giving is a test.

I've lived by faith now, by the grace of God.

Someone told me many years ago, don't say live by

faith pass the kenadeth, because all of us are called

to live by faith. And he taught me many years

a goal says, I think it's better you say you

live by the gospel. Uh. And I think there is

a you know, sort of a term understanding to that

that those of us who live preaching the Gospel live

full time serving the law without a salary. Not just

to say that we live by faith, but we live

just you know, being provided for by the living God.

But as I've been doing this without a salary for

thirty years, I just got a few thoughts to share

with you, because I am, by the grace of God

very blessed in many ways. And I'm saying that with humility. Okay,

it's okay to say you're blessed, all right, just don't

be proud about it. Just say thank you Lord. Because

of you, I'm blessed. I'm blessed with a great wife

who is who is not unequally yoke with me, but

she loves the Lord like I love the Lord.

She's on fire for God, like on fire for God.

And you know she.

She's submitted to me, although she's a very very strong woman,

and those of you who work under her care or

know how she works will know it.

But she loves the Lord. She loves the Lord.

And we have a house which I bought without money,

and it would take too long to share the testimony

with you again I think I share with you before.

But the Lord says, I'll give you this house. It

costs about a million ring it at that time, and

I didn't have any money, not even for the ten

percent deposit, not close to it. Not even one percent

deposit did I have at that time. And the Lord

just moved people's hearts and the deposit came, and then

you know, the money came, and then the banker was Christian,

and the banker said, you know, let's pray and it

was approved. The bank approved my loan the end of

ninety percent of the loan without any collateral. So God

has been just very very good to me. A nice,

beautiful house. Barssendra and I have a car each and

we find ourselves very blessed. Sometimes I might take it

as a curse, you know, because I don't get to

spend as much time with my wife. Last time, when

we were poor and only one car, the cow same

age with me, you know, that old at that time,

at least it was twenty seven years old when I

was twenty seven years old. And we call it the

most annointed car because it left oil everywhere when and

it shook, you know, every time he ran above one

hundred kilometers an hour. So there's a lot of shaking, allelujah,

and a lot of oil. But you know, it was

our car, and it was beautiful in the sense that

I got to spend a lot of a lot of

time with my wife. You know, sometimes in life you

get so affluent and get so blessed that you lose

the very simplicity, uh and the blessing of once upon

a time when you had nothing but each other.

Uh.

And so there are days where I purposely go back

to that. I say no, saying you're not driving your car.

Other day we're going say no so inconvenient, you know,

because of convenience, sometimes we lose the closeness. And so

I said, no, no, no, I need us to be

in the same car. I need to be talking to

you for an hour in the car. I need to

be like old times. Okay, I get what you're trying

to do. So we get into a car, then we

talk right and last time, you know, it was automatic year.

So you know, uh, I put my hand on the gear,

she can put her hand on my hand.

And well, all right, So uh, it's okay to be blessed.

It's okay to be affluent in the sands, but just

don't don't forget the simple things that God has blessed

us with, you know. And sometimes just go back to

those those things, you know, because sometimes being rich can

have its own problems.

Okay. Anyway, So I'm blessed and and and and.

The the way I want to share with you today,

you know, I even even church, we are blessed, right,

We've got fifty five churches now in eleven nations, coming

from the place where by twenty five years ago we

started with only three people myself and two others.

And so how does three three people a three member

church become what we are?

So I just want to say to God be all

the glory. But there are secrets that you can also

take and apply in your own life and giving, giving

not just off your money, but of your time, of

your service, of your talents, yes, also of your treasure

usually usually the treatise right time treasure talent. Uh, you know,

the giving, the spirit of giving, the spirit of generosity,

the spirit of being able to let go, just let

go and trust God is a very very powerful thing.

God loves it.

And no matter how rich we get, in fact, some

places that the richer we get, the harder we let go,

harder to let go you with me, the rituer we get,

or the more we have. That's why the rich young

rulers already know just very hard, right, very hard, we

just we just love the fact that the balance in

our bank is you know, ten digits, so to give

that he goes back to nine, down to nine. And

for rich people, you need to understand that we love

looking at our bank balance.

He says, it just just causes wow, you know now

one hundred thousand more? Wow.

We just love looking at the numbers there. And then

sometimes the Lord just tests us. He will test us.

Who is God? Right is your bank account?

God?

Is your houses and your cars? God?

Or is the Lord truly the God of our lives?

So I called it a test? And as the Lord

tested Abraham, he will test us. And every giving is

a test? When is it really a test? Because you

see pass Actually, I just gave a bad girl yesterday.

I didn't feel anything. I just gave it touring it.

Uh and uh I just gave somebody a cut what

I didn't feel like it was a test. Well, when

does it become a test? It becomes a test when

we start to give God what he wants and not

what we want. So this is, this is this is

very important to understand about giving. How many of you

in this rumor you like people to give you gifts

of what you want? Uh? Yeah, I see how's going out?

Halleyah Prayce got okay, kick off all the courses. I

was kidding, Uh, you know, and not just what they want?

Uh? This is very important now there is a statement.

Sometimes it's true, sometimes it can be taking for granted,

but it's the thought that counts, you know.

It's a very nice sentence, thought, the thought.

And and yes you're right, but listen, you cannot just

take it for grunted, you know you can. I remember

my my auntie in this a funny story. She received

a gift from my cousin. Uh, you know, cousin's lock

on the door. I was with her, and Auntie opens

the door and cousin gives her a present, and my

Auntie's face changed from smiling too sad. And I'm thinking

of myself, who actually becomes sad when you're you are

faced with a present. And uh, and she then says

hold on. She tells my cousin hold on, and she

goes inside.

She brings my cousin's president out, and my cousin's.

Presidence look really really good with bau and ribbon and

all that and beautiful rapper.

Okay, there only I realized.

Without my Auntie saying anything, she was disappointed because my

cousins gave had puckson written all over it, you know,

the free rapper. Now this this shouldn't be I thought

to myself. My auntie is too much, raha, too much,

your niece coming with a present. But then of course

I knew that it must have been last weeking my

auntie knew that he was a cheap rapper, you know.

But you know, for a lot of us, we.

Go like you just say thank you, right, and then

we go in there and we open the give and

go like, oh, you know, who do I give this to?

You know, someone's don't someone us, don't even bother at

wrapping it, because you gotta, we just give it to somebody,

change the name, right? How many of you have been

there before? Whereby you just recycle gifts? Come on, no, no, no,

don't put up hands.

Don't put their.

Hands because because you might head just we seen it

for your friend last Christmas.

Yeah, yeah, it's true. It's true. So the gifts just

get recycled.

Yeah it's okay, don't be so hard on people. Thank

you for the gift. But you understand what I'm trying

to say. And we can treat God like that or

so God here it is, you know, firing it and

God says fifty right here, God, you know I'm here

on time. When God says I want you to come earlier.

You know, here God, I'll finished your service what time

he finishes, because I was started looking a by watch

when this preacher is too long. You can give your

TikTok three hours, but you can't give church two hours,

you know. So it's not so much what we this is.

What we want to give, is what God wants to receive.

Many of you know the story because I've said it

so many times, even even around the country. When I

was young, seventeen years old, I was only two years

into Christianity, and I really wanted to hear God's voice,

you know.

At fifteen, I was here Got's voice and the Lord

spoke to me.

One morning I was in a church like this in

my old church, my first church actually FGA food Godspel's Emily,

and the chairperson came out. It was about giving time,

which we also had earlier giving offering time, and chairperson

said to pray, ask the Lord what what he wants

you to give now. I never usually pray one about giving,

because just give give whatever. I feel comfortable, all right.

The Bible says give hilarious lima. So I'm very hilarious

and very cheerful, and I give a little. You know

what I'm trying to say. Uh, let's less is mass,

you know, because we get very happy. Ma uh. And

so I thought the scripture was that give cherefully means

you know, give by your own convenience, give you know,

by your your own joy, your own freedom.

Okay.

So usually never ask the lord lord what you want?

We never asked a lot what Lord, what you want?

We say, uh, okay, here you go God, whatever I

have for you. And uh so the chaper said, uh, pray.

So I decided. I decided to pray because I wanted

to hear Gou's voice. But I really didn't know.

What he will say.

Okay, so I said, I just put my head down

and I said, okay, God, if you do speak.

Just tell me what you want. And I tell you what.

It was a beautiful thing, although at that time I

didn't think it was a lot immediately, but hindsight, walking

with a lot over th ty years now I realized that, wow,

you know, God did speak because you desire him to speak.

He spoke and all he said was he didn't even

put a mound. He said, give me your best, give

me your best. I heard that voice, give me your best,

an impression in my heart, give me your best.

It didn't come from my mind. It just gave me.

Give me your best. Okay.

So I took my wallet out, and some of you

have heard this story before. And in my wallet there's

only two notes. Two notes, okay, two are blue in color.

One is one ring git? Have you seen the one

ring kit is blue? What is the other blue color? Note?

Fifty ring? It both have the same algum, the same king.

Okay.

So I remember looking into my wallet and what of

all times I've only got two choices?

All right?

And I remember the loss? It give me your best.

So I began to pray God, which one is the best?

How many of you? How many of you as Christians

have ever prayed obvious?

Should I come early Lord to church? Should I serve

you when I go to church? You know you'll be

prayed obvious and we're expect an answer. So I went

which one is the best?

You know? I tell you? The Lord didn't aswer me

for about three minutes. I was asking for a sign

from heaven. Tell me one ring git fifty in gid

which one is the best? Lord?

Help me with this amazingly tough decision, and I tell

you what to make it worse. I was hungry. How

may you know that wondering kid cannot feed this body?

So of course, you know it's almost like one of

those d right, And so I pulled out the fifty, boy,

the fifty.

Do you want to come up my wallet? Some spiritual

attack was happening there, you know.

I was praying Ta Shanda, and as it came out,

I held the fifties. How many of you hold on

to the things in your life so tightly? I was

holding on to my fifty rings so tightly that I'm gone.

Was crying. I felt something like a drop of well

it wasn't tears. I was you know how you sweat

when you're holding up things so tightly. I'll go. Was crying,

please let me go.

And the bag was coming. You know, it's a big church.

It's a big church. Those of you ever been to

mg KL. You know, one sitting can sider about a thousand,

one hundred people. So the bag was coming, slowly but surely,

and finally I just in my spirity, God, I am

very hungry.

But I believe this is the best, and.

You deserved the best, not what I want to give

up what you want, right, it's the test is a

real test, and to make the test even more difficulties.

I was really hungry. Anyway, the fifty went in right,

and I decided to fast. I said, look, God, i've

never seen a miracle. I've never seen a miracle until

that time. And then as I said, okay, lord, I'll fast.

You know, I'll go back home quickly, right, and maybe

drink water in my house, ding as much water as

I can to get full. And then I get out

to the foyer. And as you know, after church, foyer

usually is packed.

Right. People don't may not like to be inside the church,

but they like to be outside. And so this packed

is packed.

They may not be sleeping outside, but you know they

was to be so so so outside.

The heavy while they come alive. Everybody comes alive with

the foyer.

And and uh, a guy at the end, he saw

my he saw my face, and you know, he shouted

my name across about two hundred people. Okay, maybe it

was three hundred because he was afraid that he'll miss me,

because he's been trying to look for me for two weeks.

Two weeks. He came to me. Actually, I went up

to him. I shook his head. Brother, well, no better,

better go to him quickly because he might continue shout

my name and he will be very embarrassing.

So I said, how are your brother? How are you?

I said? Good? He said, Kenneth, I've been trying to

look for I've been.

Looking for you for two weeks as I been here,

I have been Do you know that when your eyes

are closed, you know, the guy could be standing right

in front of you and you won't be able to

see it.

But I want to.

Tell you that giving that day, that the power of

that giving that day opened people's eyes because he's trying

to look for me for two weeks.

I'm saying, I've been here.

You know the power of giving, the power of the

kind of the kind of that is the test kind

of giving. You know, there's a lot of giving, but

there's some giving you can remember, and that some giving

you totally forget, and there's some giving you one to forget.

He says, I've been looking for you. I said, actually, brother,

why why have you? Why have you been looking for

me for two weeks? He said, I got a bonus,

I said, speak on. He got my attention. I've got

a bonus, and I asked the lord lord, wow, he's

a very good bonus. Who can I bless? And your

name came to my mind. I said, that's great, and

I've been wanting to invite you for lunch. You got

cool outside, but inside was holylujah. And then he says,

is it okay if you go for a really good

team sum buffet?

I said, let me pray.

No, no, no, no, no.

I already prayed inside. I already prayed inside.

You know what I'm saying, the kind of giving that

really makes a difference. So we went for a team

some buffet, and I think at that time, even at

the time, it was sixty ring it buffet. Okay, so

he's start dring it more. But listen, I didn't even

have to spend the one ringgit in my wallet. I

should have gone home and framed the one ringit and

tell the world. He doesn't even need your wondering it.

He doesn't even need Sometimes you think I've got so small.

He needs you, He needs your time, your that No, really, seriously, listen,

he needs our obedience, he needs our heart. He's testing

us because he loves us. You know how many of

you are I'm gonna go into another.

Point.

Let me get there as we get there, okay, but

let me just move on, okay, Luke twenty one one four.

You don't have to turn to it. Don't have to

turn to it, because I'm just gonna rush through it,

all right. This was the woman who put in two

copper coins, two mites. You know, the scripture looks any one,

and Jesus was looking all the people giving, and everyone

was giving out.

Of their plenty, so it didn't touch them, it didn't

test them.

It wasn't nothing to them, even though it was just okay,

donation to the church like donation to the car park attendant,

you know who says je by time you reach you know,

you open your window and give him. You know, one

dollar coin or two dollar coins is nothing to you.

And sometimes we go to church and it doesn't touch us,

it doesn't test us, it does nothing to us. And

then we go like a why I don't see miracles

in my life? And then Jesus is looking at this

woman who put so little, less than everyone, and yet

he says she's putting more. You're talking about that kind

of giving that has power to it.

We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more

information on our church, please visit Acts Church RG. We

are also acting on Facebook and Instagram. We're believing that

this week is going to be a good week, a

hit for you. God bless