SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Global Harvest Calgaries Podcast, where faith becomes real and purpose comes alive. We pray that today's message helps you recognize the hand of God in your everyday life and discover the unique purpose he has placed inside you. Our heart is that you don't just hear a sermon, but truly experience his presence, his guidance, and his love in a personal way. Whether you're in a season of searching, rebuilding, or stepping into something new, you're not here by accident. God is closer than you think, and your purpose is greater than you imagine. Enjoy the message.

SPEAKER_01 0:52

Occupying with influence. Shall we pray? Father, we thank you this morning because the entrance of your word brings life and it brings understanding unto the simple. Lord, this morning we submit ourselves unto you so that you can speak in us, through us, and with us. And this morning I pray and I submit myself unto you that you speak through me this morning, that the words which come out will bring life and understanding to everyone who listens and also to me in Jesus' name. Father, we thank you and we appreciate you for in Jesus' mighty name we have prayed. And the people of God says, Amen. So this morning, Occupying with influence. And as a church, we know that we've been doing a series on Occupy. It started some like four weeks ago when we did um the anniversary, and we know that the team was occupy. And for that particular anniversary, it was about the father's business. It was about the father's business that was being spoken about the commission that God gave Jesus. And at age 12, you can imagine if you have somebody who is not yet a teenager, is able to define his purpose. Jesus was able to define his purpose when he was asked by his parents that we've been looking for you. And they asked him, Where have you been? And he looked at them and he answered them two short answers, and he gave them. He said, Why are you guys looking for me? Don't you guys know that I must be about my father's business? And that was during the anniversary. And when we left the anniversary, we went into financial series of still occupying, occupying, having this financial wealth mentality, and it's for the purpose of the kingdom. And after which, when we finished that, we went into um influen um occupying with authority, our authority as a believer, the authority that Christ has given unto me and to you, the authority which was lost in the beginning. The authority was lost when we were in Genesis 2. But when Jesus came, because of the father's business, he had to take care of the business and he had to win back the authority, and he had to delegate the authority back to me and you. And it's the authority that me and you use today to influence the world. But this morning, we will now be looking at what is score because it's a series, it's like understanding the mandate which Jesus had. And me and you, we are trying to be like Christ. We are the Christ that people look at in the world today. So this morning, I would like to take us through three case studies in the scripture, and it's from the master himself. So let's open our Bible to the book of Luke, chapter 13, from verse 6 to 9, and we will jump to 18 to see the third case study. Amen. Amen. Okay, so Luke 13, 6 to 9. Can we read together this morning? One to go. He also spoke. Are we good? Okay, let's go. One to go. He also spoke this parable. A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, Look for the three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down. Why does it use up the ground? But he answered and said to him, Sir, let it alone this year, also until I dig around it and fertilize it. Amen. Yes, the last one. And if it bears fruit, well, but if not, after that you can cut it down. Amen. Let's now go to verse 18 to go and see the third case study that is there. Okay, I'm going to read this one. Then he said, What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? So there are two things here. What is it like? What will I compare it with? Let's go to the next verse. It is like a mustard seed which a man took and put in his garden, and it grew and became a large tree, and the beds of the head nested in its branches. And again he said, To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? Which is part two. It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened. May the Lord bless the reading and the sharing of his word. Amen. Amen. There are three things that we have seen this morning, three different case studies. It was still in the same chapter. There were things that were happening in this particular chapter. Actually, if you read it, you you might be confused if you just read the whole chapter. Because you'll be like, What is Jesus doing? Because he was just saying different things at different points in time. But as God will have us look at it this morning, what happened in the book of Luke 13 is that people were asking him questions. Something tragedic just happened. Some people were just destroyed. There was a place where people were, and a war fell on them. And they asked Jesus, was it the sin of the people that make the wall just fell on them and kill all of them? Or was it their mothers or their fathers? You know, people were throwing different questions to him that when they get to heaven, how will they be judged? Because they didn't know about that tragedy, you know, accident that happened. And rather than Jesus asking them, Jesus knew their intention, and Jesus was just looking at them that I know these people very well. So he gave them some analogy and he did some miracles. So instead of Jesus answering them the way they would have wanted him to answer, because the question they were asking was that will those people make heaven? And Jesus saw their heart. Then he started all these different parables and he gave the three of them. So if we go back to the first parable that Jesus um shared with them, the first parable in yes, thank you so much. He also spoke this parable. A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Let's stay here. Let's just stay here for a while. Let me just explain some things about this particular parable. If you look at it on the surface, nice story. You can just take, you know, move on to the next verse. But there is a lot of things that were happening here. A certain man had a fig tree. There was a certain man who possesses something. He has ownership of a particular vineyard and he planted a fig tree there. There's something also about this fig tree that you are saying. Normally, for a fig tree to fruit, it takes about four to six years before you can get the fruit on the fig tree, scientifically, agriculturally. Okay, I studied agreed, so I love each time they talk about fig trees. I will go and look what is it about this particular fig tree? One to six years before it can fruit, and the expectation is that by fourth year it should start fruiting. But this man, the owner of the vineyard, has been going there from you know annually, he will go and check the fig tree, expecting a fruit. Don't you feel that the man is mean? Expectation is that you should start seeding at three years minimum. But this man goes every year to go and check his fig tree. Yeah, one, he went. This thing has not yet fruit. But remember, it can't fruit until the third year. Yeah, two, the man still went. This thing has not yet fruit. I need fruit on this thing. Then year three, he went again. Then this year he called the divine yard dresser, the person that is in charge of the place. And he had to talk to him that this year is just occupying this place. This tree is not yielding the way we have projected. If you have done business before, there are some financial analysis that you will do. You will project that at a certain point, this particular business that I'm doing will start generating money. I will break even maybe at third year, and at fourth year, I will be talking about profit. But this person is looking at it that it doesn't look like we are going to break even here because this particular tree is not seeding, is not producing fruit. And the so he said he went to his vineyard to go and check, and he came seeking for fruit. So he was particularly looking for fruit on this fig tree, on this fig tree, and he found none. At third year, he found none, and the fig tree was just occupying the space. Let's move to the next. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, Look, for three years I have come seeking fruits on this fig tree and find none. Then he just gave him a verdict. Cut it down. Why does it use up the ground? Why does it, if you go to another translation, he says, Why does it occupy? In the season when we are occupying, when I was reading it, I was so scared because I was like, hmm, we've just entered into our third year. And this owner of the vine dresser is taking a look, is coming every year to see whether we are fruiting. He's seeing whether Kunley, wherever is seated, is yielding fruit. I hope he's not just sitting down, wasting time, wasting all the talent and gifts that I've deposited in him. Because the honor is so much into what the person is using. I've planted you in the city of Calgary. I've planted you in a place called Canada. You've moved from one place, I've put you here, and you have been here. You are hoccupying. And the master is asking, I hope I can find fruit on this seed. This morning it's a challenge because it's about repentance. It's about me and you introspecting into our life and asking ourselves, what has the master deposited in us over years that is expecting me and you to see to fruit so that it can take advantage of the fruit that is on us? Let's move to the next. But thank God, thank God, thank God for this keeper. Then he said to the keeper, we can stay in seven, sir. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down. Why does it use up the ground? Next. But he answered and said to him, sir, let it alone this year also. Let us just give him one more chance. Let's give him 365 days just to study. Because even scientifically, fig tree should fruit by fourth year. Even though the master is saying, once I plant you, I'm expecting fruit. The master is so expectant about what we become from the very moment that he has planted us. But even humanly speaking, it is expected of us that after a while we will give you, we will, we will manage. Let's say first year you are still trying to acclimatize with Calgary and Canada. Let's say the second year you are still trying to settle down. Everything has not yet, you know, the job has just come and everything. But by the third year and fourth year, we will start asking questions. What is the talent and the skill that the master has deposited in you that you need to blow out? And if you look at the story of this fig tree, fig tree is also an annual thing. The master was checking annually. So he said, But he answered and said to him, Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fatalize it. So he's saying, I'm going to work on it again one more time. By the second year anniversary, and with all the messages and things that came to us, oh, we are being fatalized right now. We have been we are experiencing fatalization. Let me see, let me fatalize them. Once I finish this, then I will watch whether they are going to use it. Whether they are going to use it. But there was also another condition. And if it bears fruit well, but if not, after that, you can cut it down. And this was the vine dresser telling the master that I'm not the one that will cut it down. If you feel like it has not seeded, you can cut it yourself. And that place was very scary when I saw it. I saw the owner of that particular vineyard as God. And I saw the vine dresser as Jesus. And me and you are the seeds that they are being they are watering and they want to fertilize. And Jesus is saying, I'm pleading on your behalf one more time. I'm going to tell God, give them more space. Let them let let's watch them for this season. Let's let's watch them for a time like this. After which, God, you can do whatever you want to do. Amen. Amen. It's a challenge this morning. Let's move to verse 18. Let's now jump to the two other case studies that was there. So before this, Jesus healed the woman. The woman was held down by the devil, and she has bended halfway. And it was on a Sabbath, and Jesus healed the woman. And people started questioning, why did you heal this woman? And Jesus looked at them. What is more important? Is it that this woman received the healing, or that because today is a Sabbath day, which one is more important? That somebody gets delivered after 18 years. You can imagine if somebody is 18 years, but you've been bent into two. The Bible described it. He said she folded into two. You can imagine somebody bending like a book for 18 solid years. What the bone and the spines and everything will look like, what the skeleton of that woman will look like if it was come out coming out from an x-tray. It's a bad situation. But what happened? Jesus healed the woman. He cast the devil out of her, and the woman was healed. The whole people around him celebrated, but some people still came. Those same guys that were asking question in the first place, they still asked him question again. Why did you do it on a Sunday? And he looked at them and he was like, Okay, this is the way he now answered. Then he said, What is the kingdom of God like? And what shall I compare it to? Two things. What is it like? Then what can I compare it to? He was telling them two case studies. So let's now answer what it's like. So the first one is this is what the kingdom of God is like. It's like a mustard seed which a man took. Remember, the first one was a fig tree. Now it's another one mustard seed. It's like a mustard seed which a man took and put in his garden and it grew and it became a large tree, and the beds of the head nested in its branches. That is what the kingdom of God is like. Now, let's do what we did the first time with this one, too. Mustard seed also have its own characteristics. Within three to four months, it grows and it starts seeding. Fig tree, remember, four to six years. That's when you start seeing it seeding. But God is pointing our attention. There are some people that he created that is annually is expecting results. And there are some people that he created is monthly that is expecting results. Because this one seeds within three and four months. By that time, birds are the people. Did I say people? Birds will make us understand that this particular mustard seed is already seeding. When you start seeing birds in that farm, you will know that something great is about to happen because mustard seed has started producing, and it has a nice fruit that comes out of it. So it's like a mustard seed which a man took and put in his garden and it grew and became a large tree. What it's saying here is that it grew and it became an orchard, it became a place where birds of the hair they noticed, and the scripture says, and the birds of the here nested in its branches. So you you know when birds see fruits, and if you are if you are a student of science, they will tell you that if people fight in a particular house, you won't see birds around that house. Most especially doves. If people fight a lot, husband and wife, they are fighting. Doves will never inhabit that house because they are they are birds of natural peace and love. Wherever you find them, there is peace and love inside the house. And that's why, even if a house is burning and a dove is in that house, that's where he's going to die. He's not going to live because the house is burning, it's going to die with that burning house. If you read a lot about them, you will know a you know some characteristics of those birds. But in this case, it was about the mustard seed, it attracts birds. The fruit attracts birds. Once it starts fruiting, birds start looking for it. And there is something the Bible says, it said the birds of the here nested in it. They don't just come for the fruit alone, they nested, they pitched their tent where this mustard seed can be found. Where this particular tree can be found, they pitched their tent there, they stayed there. The first one is such that the first the master was looking for something that he can hit. Resourcefulness of that particular fig tree is what the master was looking for. But in this case, the what the master is looking for is that can I shelter there? Can people shelter there? Can it grow to the point where people can shelter in it? As believers, this is the story of me and you. We are in the kingdom, and the master has planted us, thinking that once I plant us, once he plants us, within three to four months, we start producing fruits so that others, so that others can come close to us and they can benefit from what he has deposited inside of us. What he has deposited inside of us. The mustard seed is a small seed, but it grows so quickly that within four months it starts producing fruit. Let's now go to the third case study this morning that Jesus was showing them. Just the next verse. The next verse. And he said, To what shall I liken the kingdom of God to? What can I what can I tell you in terms of parable that will look like the kingdom of God? Next 21. So he now said this it is like leaven, which a woman took in our Modern day we will say it is like a flour, flour that we use for bread. So it's like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, and three measures today is about 40 to 50 grams of flour. So we can read it back. It's like flour, which a woman took and hid in 50 to 40 to 50 grams of meal till it was all leavened. What it means is can we use that? Can can we go to NIV? NIV, maybe it can help us. Thank you, sir. It's like it is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about six pounds of flour. So it's six pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough. So that's what he likened to. It's like a yeast. And in the holding days, it's not like the yeast we have these days. These days we have instant yeast. That one, you just put a little in your flour, you put hot water, then you just cover it. After two hours, the thing would have filled up your bowl if you are making puff-poff or if you are making a bread, or sometimes you leave it overnight. But those days, there was nothing like that kind of yeast. What their yeast was is that they will mix the flour today, then they will cut out of it, then they will go and keep it, they will cover it and keep it so that microbial activities can work on it. Once it works on it, it will ferment. Once it ferments, it's going to it will become a natural yeast. So if I want to make bread today, it is yesterday's dough that I kept that has fermented that I'm going to mix with today's flour. Once I do that, then I'm going to keep it for about 18 minutes. Because their bread is not like our bread, they don't keep it for long. It's always flat during Jesus' time. There was an instruction on how they should make those bread. So for their own, it's about 18 minutes that they will make that bread. Now, where am I going with it? They will take the yeast. Remember, it's still the same flour they kept from yesterday. So if you if you don't keep your flour yesterday, what will happen is you have to go to Mama Toluanimi to go and collect some yeasts because you want to make bread today. And that's how they recycle it. So the yeast comes from generations of. Do you get what I'm trying to say? It's coming from yesterday, of yesterday, of yesterday, because every day you have to keep a certain portion because of the next bread you want to make. The yeast joined today's flour, worked in it, made it to blow up. And what the master was saying in this place is that me and you, we are like that catalyst. We are the yeast. We were kept for a while so that we can affect what is going to happen in the future. We can affect what is going to happen today. He kept us for a reason. He kept us because of increase. That when I had you to order flowers that are not yet processed, once I had you, you will change the characteristics of everything that I combine you with. So if we watch the three case studies, we will see how each one of them was influencing the fig tree, it was an annual thing, annual influence. After three years, the master was expecting it to grow, to give fruits back so that people can eat, can take advantage. The master can benefit from it. After three years, he was expecting an annual return. Then we went to a mustard seed every three to four months. The master was also expecting that after three to four months, birds of the hears they must find shelter, nest within it. They must enjoy, have their abode inside that place. It must be a protector, shield them away from all harms. And we came to a point where it's about the yeast. A yeast is a daily thing, actually, it's an hourly return. It only takes 18 minutes. One was annual, one was monthly, one was in minutes hourly. The master was telling us the kingdom of God has different degrees of assignment and different ways is trying to evaluate the return on his investment. Remember when we started the second year anniversary, I said it at the beginning, it was all about the father's business according to Luke 2.48. Luke 2.48 was when he answered and he told us about the mandate of the father's business. And after which, when we leave Luke 2.48, we can see. So you can see. So when they saw him, they were amazed. And his mother said to him, Son, why have you done this to us? Luke, your father and I have sought you anxiously. Next verse. And he said to them, Why did you seek me? Did you not know that I must be about my father's business? The business of occupying is the father's business. And for us to occupy, it's good when we have money, it's good when we have authority, it's good when we have every other thing pertaining to the father's business, is like me and you having them. But there is one thing when you have all those things, there is an expectation the father is looking for. And that's why when you go to the Luke 13 that we are dealing with, those expectations were spelt out for some people, annual. Actually, I can say for each one of us, annually, God expects a result. God expects us to bring forth something, and monthly, God expects us like a mustard seed to also yield something. And every day, God still expects us to be a catalyst in our workplace. When they throw you as a yeast inside your office, your office should feel your impact. And there is one thing funny about this yeast. If it's also stay too long, if a yeast stays too long on its own, not today's yeast, not those instant yeasts that we have, the holding days yeast, if it stays too long, it's going to spoil. If it stays more than that, 24 hours before you use it, it's going to start smelling. It will come out with an alcoholic, a fermented saint. If you've kept flour for the for like two or three days, you understand what I'm saying. Women in the house, you start seeing that the flower will start. If you try to make it to do puff-puff, the puff-puff will be tangy. You you feel it here that something is wrong with this, with this proving, with this puff-puff. And what God is trying to tell us is that if we do not apply ourselves to flower when we are supposed to, what you hold in your hand will become tangible. Instead of it to be a blessing to the house, it will be a problem to the house. Instead of people to benefit from it, you will start, it will stink. If it gives you a talent and you don't use it when we are supposed to use it, it will fade off. Who knows? One young chap is coming again, and once that chap comes in, what you have is obsolete because he's just been trained from both value. So you're in trouble with your knowledge. Then your knowledge becomes still, it's not useful for anybody because the guy has taken over. Every day when I do the service unto God in my heart, I always ask myself, let me just say it, I don't know how to play keyboard. But I believe this is my own time of doing or of yeasting. Because there is coming one day when some one super sweet chap is just going to walk in, and he will just, you know, it's like when Pastor Son came and he was playing. I was just like, Let him stay, let him, let him, don't let him go. You understand what I'm saying? Because it was different. One day they will come, but before that day, I will yeast all I can yeast. I will do all that I can do. It's a challenge to us this morning. What are you doing? What is it that you were called to do? What is it that what gifts do you have that we are yet to know? There are some of us, the kind of wisdom and understanding that God has given us, if they should give you a mic, you will blow everything, but nobody knows anything about your giftings. This morning I'm challenging us with humility. There is a gifting in you that is for annual returns, there's a gifting in you that is for monthly returns, and there's a gifting inside of you that is for daily returns. The master seeks for those returns. The master seeks for those returns. As we go this morning, there are five things that we should know. We must check the owner. If you look at all the story, there was a owner, there was a woman with the yeast, there was a master who planted the mustard. There is also a master who owns the vineyard for the fig tree. So there will always be owner. Do you know the person who sent you? I hope your office is not the owner of your life. Because many times the commitment we give to our offices, God is envying us. Like Kai, I just wish this person just gives me 10% of what is given this office. Just 10%. This church will know. Because at your at the office or in the marketplace, you are like, you know, you rock. Let me put it that way. Everybody knows that once you come, you can organize the whole city of Calgary. But in the church, you are just Mr. Gentle, Mrs. Gentle, praise the Lord, hallelujah. You just do your thing, you just walk out. We need to know, you need to know the owner. Who planted me? Who planted you? Who ultimately requires an account of your stewardship? The second one is you need to check the space. You need to check the space and the environment. Remember, occupying with influence is about your domain, your environment, the space. That space, they can put another person there. I'm just opportune to be here right now. I don't take it for granted. There are several people that they could have sent that heaven could have worked their way to come and do this. But for now, heaven sent me. So I understand by purpose that I'm planted here right now and I'm giving everything that I can give inside of me. Whether people like it or people don't like it, whether they like my face or they don't like my face, but we thank God because this house is different, is a house of love. But one thing is I don't care, I just do the father's business. When I'm done with that one, we can go and settle the other things. But when it comes to the father's business, it's me and my household first. When they say jump, I say how high? Because it's about the father's business. The space where you are occupying, remember the master can hop root, the master can change the location, the master has the capacity. If we go to the book of John in 15, John 15 told us how the master behaves also. John 15. If we can go there quickly, John 15. Yeah, I am the true vine, and my father is the vine dresser. It's still the same. One thing Isaiah did very well was Isaiah showed us who God and Jesus is. And Isaiah showed us who Jesus will be and what his mandate will be. But by the time you get to the to the gospel, Jesus was revealed unto us, and that was what Luke did. Luke revealed the person of Jesus to us a lot. He made different analogies, he showed us how God was revealing the person of Jesus to me and you. So John also did the same. John, John, John understood love more than any other person. John understood the as a there's something about him and the love of Christ that John just understood. And he said a lot about it. John 15 now says, I am the true vine, and my father is the vine dresser. Let's move to the next. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, it takes away. Remember what we have been saying fig tree, mustard seed, um, and the yeast, the same thing, whatever happens, he has he said is like for those ones it was like, but here it's also likening it to the father being divine dresser. It's about a business, it's a business that Jesus and God is operating. And he's saying every branch in me that does not bear fruit, it takes away. Can you imagine if you fail to produce, to multiply, to be a catalyst to your generation, to affect the people around you, to affect your environment, to occupy with influence and make influence to people, is saying that I will take it away. And every branch that bears fruits. Now, if you now be either as a fig tree, you just show sign of fruiting, or as a mossa seed, birds can be found on you, nesting on you, or as a small yeast, you just join any flower and you turn the flower to something else. Oh, the father is happy and he's saying, and every branch that bears fruit, he proves, he's going to take care of you that it may bear more fruits. If the father tests you with small flower and you can make the flower rise, he will load you with more flower. Remember the message? The parable of the talent is still the same thing. All the talent to one, he gave one, another one, he gave three, another one, he gave five. And somebody multiply. If you it's it's we are in a kingdom of multiplication, you don't multiply, the father shuts down. The father will just shut you down, check the material you are made up of. I've spoken about this enough. Then check the workings annually, monthly, daily, what the father wants you to do. And lastly, the expectation of the father is that me and you will influence our world. So as we go tomorrow, as we go into our workplaces, as we go out, as we as we mingle with people, the father expects me and you to influence the world. He expects me and you to do that which he has committed into our hands. We've come to this place. Canada must feel us that we are here. For some of us, three your three years marking is almost over. Start fruiting. For some of us, our monthly, you are on your fourth month, start fruiting. And for some of us, your 18 minutes is over. Start multiplying that which God has deposited in your hand. I pray that when the Honor shall come, it shall find us worthy, it shall find us fruiting, it shall find us reproducing, and it shall find us increasing that which He has committed into our hands in Jesus' name. Shall we pray?

SPEAKER_00 39:20

Thank you for joining us today. We pray this message didn't just speak to your mind but truly ministered to your heart. May the word take root in your life, producing faith, clarity, and boldness as you walk out the purpose God has for you. If this message encouraged you, be sure to share it with someone who might need it. And we'd love to connect with you, join us in person, and become part of what God is doing here at Global Harvest Calgary. Until next time, keep experiencing God and walking confidently in your purpose.