Our Ambidextrous Calling

Our Ambidextrous Calling!

Francis E. Madojemu

Friday, April 19, 13

God at work!• Exodus 17:8-9 • Then came Amalek,

and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses said

unto Joshua, Choose us out men,

and go out, fight with Amalek:

tomorrow I will stand on the top of

the hill with the rod of God in mine

hand. Friday, April 19, 13

God at Work!• Exodus 17:10-11 • So Joshua did as Moses

had said to him, and fought with Amalek:

and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top

of the hill. 11 And it came to pass, when

held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his

hand, Amalek prevailed


God at Work!• Exodus 17:12-13 • But Moses' hands were

heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under

him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur

stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other

side; and his hands were steady until the

going down of the sun. 13 And Joshua

discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge

of the sword.


Genesis 26:12-14• 12 Then Isaac sowed

in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold;

and the Lord blessed him. 13 The man

began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; 14 for he

had possessions of flocks and possessions

of herds and a great number of servants.

So the Philistines envied him.


The Tension• We must remember that in

life as well as ministry, people who were rich and successful in the sixties

were not necessarily rich and successful in the

seventies and the eighties.• As the world changes,

anyone who is serious about doing ministry, not

just theorizing about it must live with the tension

of what Bruce and Marshal Shelly call “our

ambidextrous calling.”Friday, April 19, 13

The Tension• On the other hand we

must minister in an ever changing World.

• Sadly, many Christians unwilling to live with this tension retreat to one of two extremes.

• Stay in the Middle of the Road!

• On one hand we are obligated to remain

faithful to the unchanging Word of

God. Friday, April 19, 13

Definition• am·bi·dex·trous • 1. using either hand: able

to use either the right or the left hand with equal

skill • 2. skillful in many ways:

very skillful and versatile • Perspectives that will

enable us rethink the many dimensions of church – its

parts and process – and how best to configure those

components in order to fulfill the mission Jesus

has given us.Friday, April 19, 13

God Plans• God’s plan is to restore

His original design to rule the visible earthly

realm from the invisible heavenly realm.

• This plan is accomplished through

human beings who properly execute

dominion over the earth.

• From a spiritual standpoint, this has already happened

through the death and resurrection of Jesus

Christ:Friday, April 19, 13

God Plans• The reason the Son of

God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. [1 John 3:8]

• In a practical sense, from the beachhead

established at Calvary we move forth in an all out

attack to free mankind from

bondage to the devil and his evil kingdom.

• Wars are fought like this


Example• Psalm 78:72 So he

shepherded them according to the

integrity of his heart, And guided them by the

skillfulness of his hands.

• Acts 13:36 "For when David had served God's

purpose in his own generation, he fell

asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his

body decayed. (NIV)Friday, April 19, 13

David’s Epitaph• Rick Warren author of The

Purpose Driven Church said, “I cannot think of a

greater epitaph. He served Gods purpose in his own

generation.• David’s ministry was both

relevant and timely.• He served Gods purpose

[which is eternal and unchanging] in his

generation [which was current and changing] He

served the timeless in a timely way. He was both

orthodox and contemporary, biblical and

relevant.”[6 o clock Christian]


Joseph Gifts• He only had two gifts• Managing Households.

[Administration] & Interpreting dreams

[Spiritual]• Everywhere he went

that's what he used from getting food for his

brothers in the field to managing Potiphars

House, the Prison and the Economy of Egypt.

• He also was interpreting dreams in the same places

but at different levels.


Joseph: Spiritual• Dreams and the

Interpretation of dreams

• His Own• Genesis 37:5-11• The Baker’s and the

Butler’s• Genesis 40:5-8• Pharaoh and Egypt’s• Genesis 41:15-32


Joseph: Skilful• Egypt’s Resources• Genesis 41:32-49 • 34 “Let Pharaoh do this, and

let him appoint officers over the land, to collect one-fifth of

the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful

years.• We today would have prayed

and said Lord Remove the 7 years of famine if we had

interpreted the dream right in the first place!

• His ambidextrous calling manifested in 20% savings

and investment plan.Friday, April 19, 13

Joseph: Skilful• With His Brothers• Genesis 45:1-11• Joseph realized that his

personal suffering had preserved the family as an instrument of God’s will and was aware that his rise to power was for

the good of his family, not for his own glory.

• How many of us can see the practicality of the

sufferings we are going through particularly in the hands of family and

close friends?Friday, April 19, 13

God given Wisdom• Another phrase to describe

this is the impact of the kingdom or government of

God on a Nation through His Subjects application of our ambidextrous calling.

• Savings and investment!• It is interesting to note how

following God’s kingdom principles provided

everything in life we seem to chase after hence Jesus

said “seek ye first the kingdom’ and all the things

the Gentile seek after would be added unto you.



The Poorest People in the World

• Generally speaking are black. In America,

Australia Europe and Africa

• Why? • A study recently said,

that in addition to other factors, when money comes into a

black person it is quickly spent but in comparison to the

Asians it stays with them 7 times longer.


The Poorest People in the World

• If a black person gets money it is likely its

going to be spent quickly but with other races the money is more likely to

be invested, grown, increase and process the money before it is spent.

• How can you tell the difference between a rich

man and a poor man? What he wears, the car he drives, the house he lives and what he buys!



Question to Consider• We determine riches by what people spend,

yet when you spend, you do not have. For a lot of people all their wealth is on their body or in what they drive or the place they live.

• For the truly rich their wealth cannot be

perceived on them, because they don’t eat or kill what they hunt

for but the roast or process what they

have.• Proverbs 21:20There

is desirable treasure, And oil in the dwelling of the wise, But a foolish man squanders

it.Friday, April 19, 13

Money• Dave Ramsey says

there are only three uses of Money:

• 1. FUN• 2. INVESTING• 3. GIVING• Money is a medium &

we really do not need money but what it can

do for us.• Dave Ramsey is the

author of the book, Total Money

MakeoverFriday, April 19, 13

Do all three• You cannot claim

success until you do all three

• Someone who never has fun with money

misses the point. • Someone who never

invests money will never have any.

• Someone who never gives is a monkey

with his hand in the bottle.

• Do some of Each.Friday, April 19, 13

Giving is the biggest reward of all.

• The most mature part of who you are will meet the

kid inside of you as you learn to involve yourself in

the last use of money, which is to GIVE it away.

• GIVING is possibly the most fun you will ever have with

money.• FUN is good, but you will

tire of golf and travel, if you eat enough, lobster starts

tasting like soap.• INVESTING is good, but

going around that Monopoly board eventually

loses its appeal.Friday, April 19, 13


• Every mentally and spiritually healthy

person I have ever met has been turned on by giving as long as it did

not mean his own lights got cut off.

• I can promise you from meeting with literally

thousands of millionaires that the

thing the healthy ones share in common is the

love of GIVING.Friday, April 19, 13


• Bill Gates & Warren Buffet the world’s

richest men recently the largest charitable

contributions in history & Bill Gates gave up his position as his company

head to manage his charities with his wife

on a full time basis!• We have had the

privilege to know this from scripture


Scripture• 2 Corinthians 9:10 Now may

He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food,

supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase

the fruits of your righteousness

• Isaiah 55:10-11“For as the rain comes down, and the

snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the

earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the

eater,• Duality of God seed to us is

evident! -Don’t eat your seedFriday, April 19, 13

Principles• Notice two broad

investment categories, seed to the sower and bread for food, notice also the word,

multiply!• Seed for sowing into the

kingdom and sowing seeds for your own bread.

• The purpose of money is to bring Glory to the house of God because we really do

not own the money since the silver is HIS and the gold,

even the cattle on a thousand hills are His. –

• We are just custodians!Friday, April 19, 13

Rule 1 [ The Only Rule]• “If you want to be rich,

you’ve got to read and understand numbers.”

• “The rich acquire assets and the poor and middle

class and acquire liabilities.

• An asset is something that puts money in my pocket. [Feed Me] SEED

• A liability is something that takes money out of

my pocket. [Eat Me] BREAD


God given Wisdom• The strength of any nation is

not in the wealth of its natural resources, but in the wisdom

of its people – Dr Mensah Otabil

• Deuteronomy 4:5-6 “Surely I have taught you statutes and

judgments, just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should act according to them

in the land which you go to possess.6 “Therefore be

careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all

these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and

understanding people.’• Japan & Singapore for

example!Friday, April 19, 13

Trading• Genesis 41:53-57• 56 The famine was over

all the face of the earth, and Joseph opened all the

storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. And the

famine became severe in the land of Egypt….57 So

all countries came to Joseph in Egypt to buy

grain, because the famine was severe in all lands.

• Famine - the lack of a supply of food or water. Drought and conditions of war brought famine to besieged cities (1

Kin. 18:2; Ezek. 6:12)• Trading = Occupy till I come, do

business until I come! Exchange what you have for what you need!


Money• Genesis 47:13-14• 13 Now there was no bread in

all the land; for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because

of the famine. 14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of

Canaan, for the grain which they bought; and Joseph brought the money into

Pharaoh’s house.• When Joseph traded he

obviously was selling for a profit and was making

money!


Livestock• Genesis 47:15-17 • 15 So when the money

failed in the land of Egypt and in the land of

Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us bread, for why should we die in your

presence? For the money has failed.” 16

Then Joseph said, “Give your livestock, and I

will give you bread for your livestock, if the

money is gone.”• Note trading gives you money

but money is be invested in industry & production


Livestock• The wisdom of planning ahead!• Proverbs 27:23-27 23 Be diligent to know the state of

your flocks, And attend to your herds; 24 For riches are not forever, Nor does a crown endure to all generations. 25 When the

hay is removed, and the tender grass shows itself, And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in, 26 The lambs will provide

your clothing, And the goats the price of a field; 27 You shall have enough goats’ milk for your food, For the food of your

household, And the nourishment of your maidservants.• The “flock” was an important economic

factor in the ancient Near East. The animals were eaten (1 Sam. 14:32; cf. Ps. 44:11), shorn for their wool (Gen. 31:19), and

milked (Deut. 32:14). They were also offered as a sacrifice, as when Abel sacrificed a

firstling of his “flock” (Gen. 4:4).


Sunday Adelaja’s Notes• For the preachers of

prosperity, financial prosperity is much more

than a blessing—it is the right of every believer who claims it. In fact, God wills wealth

and riches to all His children. • The prosperity movement

presents an erroneous view on the Gospel of prosperity

by limiting wealth creation to the power of confession.

• You often hear them teach “what you say is what you

get”, or “confessing it means possessing it.”


Sunday Adelaja’s Notes• “Start speaking about it

and it will come into being as God creates what you

are speaking.” • This is the “Wheel of

Fortune” approach to faith, and it amounts to

extortion because it purports to teach people how to make God work at

their behest. • Most teachers of

prosperity teach an incomplete aspect of

financial empowerment. Friday, April 19, 13

Sunday Adelaja’s Notes• They emphasize faith and

belief, and never teach about the production of goods and services, and

often because they are not comfortable with having

to release their controlling grip on the congregation.

• They never tell their people that true

prosperity comes by getting involved in the process of production

because they themselves do not understand it.


Sunday Adelaja’s Notes• They emphasize faith, belief

and sowing a financial seed, and never teach about the

production of goods and services.

• Amazingly, the Donald Trumps of this world

profess no faith at all, and yet they sit on top of the

pile in the world of finances. It is high time we began

learning the importance of producing goods and

rendering services as a prerequisite to being

wealthy.


Sunday Adelaja’s Notes• It is not enough just to

bring money to the church or pastor; if we do not

produce goods and services, we are deceiving ourselves if we expect to gain or sustain wealth.

• Because of this kind of teaching, even in rich

western societies like the United States you often

find most people living in the clutch of persistent

need instead of living in the abundance they profess.



Money Failed• They requested for bread and

not for seed SEED — a fertilized and ripened egg cell of a plant,

capable of sprouting to produce a new plant. The word seed is also used figuratively in the Bible to

express several important truths. It refers to human

descendants or offspring (Gen. 21:12). The apostle Paul

explained that the seed of Abraham not only referred to his physical descendants, “but also to those who are of the faith of

Abraham” (Rom. 4:16). In Galatians 3:16, Paul went even further, stating that Abraham’s seed is Jesus Christ rather than

the nation of Israel.Friday, April 19, 13

Land and Servants• Genesis 47:18-22• 18 …“We will not hide

from my lord that our money is gone; my lord

also has our herds of livestock. There is

nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies

and our lands.• 19 “Why should we die

before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us

and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants of

Pharaoh; give us seed, that we may live and not die, that the land may not be desolate.”


Share Holding• Genesis 47:23-26• 23 Then Joseph said to the

people, “Indeed I have bought you and your land

this day for Pharaoh. Look, here is seed for you, and you

shall sow the land.• 24 “And it shall come to

pass in the harvest that you shall give one-fifth to

Pharaoh. Four-fifths shall be your own, as seed for the

field and for your food, for those of your households and as food for your little

ones.”Friday, April 19, 13

Wealth Defined• At every point of history

there have always been resources by which the

current society defined its wealth –

• tools or hunting implements in the time of

our nomadic ancestors, • land and livestock in the

time of our agrarian great-grandparents

• and oil and other energy resources throughout most of this century.


Wealth Defined• And yet while we

call our past ages by critical resources of

their time – • the Stone Age, • the Bronze age, • the Iron age • – these very

resources that defined their wealth

were almost entirely man made

creations.Friday, April 19, 13

Wealth Defined• Land was not a

resource until human beings,

applying technology, first learned how to

farm it. • Live stock wasn’t a

resource until human beings developed the technology of

hunting dressing and domesticating

animals. Friday, April 19, 13

Wealth Defined• And certainly oil –

the black goo that (in ancient times) used to appear in pools

and pollute the fresh water supply wasn’t

a resource until humans developed the technology of

refining and burning it.

• Wealth is defined by Technology this is

why Joseph story is relevant to today and

we must apply it.Friday, April 19, 13

Paul was sent to……..• Acts 26:18 ‘• to open their eyes, in order

to turn them from darkness to light, and from the

power of Satan to God, that they may receive

forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith

in Me.’• Darkness or ignorance &

Light or Knowledge• Power of Satan & Power of

God (Kingdom)• Romans 1:16 • For I am not ashamed of the

gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes,

for the Jew first and also for the Greek.


Truth• Proverbs 6:6-8 • 6 Go to the ant, you

sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, 7 Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler,

8 Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her

food in the harvest.• The word of God commends

our diligent efforts to prepare for our future needs by directing our attention to

the prudent actions of the lowly ant.

• 2 Chronicles 15:7• 7 “But you, be strong and do

not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be

rewarded!”Friday, April 19, 13

Truth• Some Christians believe

that we should simply pray with faith and expect

the Lord to supply our every financial need,

whether or not we have acted as good stewards

through following biblical principles, diligent work,

planning and investments.• However the lord expects

each of us to work faithfully and to wisely invest the fruits of our

labour• 2 Corinthians 9:6 But

this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who

sows bountifully will also reap bountifully


Truth

• Once we have faithfully and diligently done our part we can then prayerfully and

confidently ask the lord to bless our efforts and give us wisdom regarding our

investments.• Psalm 37:25• 25 I have been young, and

now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his

descendants begging bread.

• If the opposite is happening something is

wrong!Friday, April 19, 13

Our Eyes Must be Opened• Proverbs 22:2• 2 The rich and the poor have

this in common, The Lord is the maker of them all.

• Are we saying it’s up to God who is poor and who is rich?

If this is so then we are doomed to destiny no matter

what. This does not tie in with scripture which says God is not a respecter of

persons.• To get the full import of this

scripture we must learn to interpret scripture with scripture or else we will

wrongly divide the Word of God.


Examples• John 21:25 And there are

also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose

that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.

• Well did God not make the computer and the storage CDs

and DVDs that can keep thousands of books? First note

this• John 20:30-31And truly

Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this

book;but these are written that you may believe that

Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.


Examples• Amos 7:10 Then Amaziah the

priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel,

saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the

house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words.

• Amos 7:10 Amaziah the priest at Bethel sent this message to

King Jeroboam of Israel, “Amos is plotting against you

in the very heart of Israel. Our nation cannot put up with his

message for very long. • It was not talking about

quantity it was speaking about the world will not

accept them or endure them.Friday, April 19, 13

Examples• In speaking about blessings

which come upon and overtake us many have

interpreted it to mean the blessings come running after

us and pass us by as in overtaking us.

• Deuteronomy 28:1-2 • “Now it shall come to pass, if

you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I

command you today, that the Lord your God will set you

high above all nations of the earth.2 “And all these

blessings shall come upon you and overtake you,

because you obey the voice of the Lord your God:


Examples• But let’s look at how another

verse of scripture explains this to us concerning the

word “overtake”.• Zechariah 1:6 Yet surely My

words and My statutes, Which I commanded My

servants the prophets, Did they not overtake your

fathers? “So they returned and said: ‘Just as the Lord of hosts determined to do to us,

According to our ways and according to our deeds, So He

has dealt with us.’ ” ’ ”• This means for things to

overtake you they outlast you to the next generation of your family which explains the concept of curses also.Friday, April 19, 13

Examples• This clearly shows us why

God’s word says in the mouth of two or three witnesses let

your word be established.• 2 Corinthians 13:1This will

be the third time I am coming to you. “By the mouth of two

or three witnesses every word shall be established.”

• The key to Proverbs 22:2 must therefore be found in

scripture to answer our questions. This is found in

Proverbs 29:13• Proverbs 29:13The poor man

and the oppressor have this in common: The Lord gives

light to the eyes of both.Friday, April 19, 13

Examples• We call the rich

oppressors with there cars and houses with big generators etc but even then it does not

change Gods principle• Proverbs 28:16 • A ruler who lacks

understanding is a great oppressor, But he who hates covetousness

will prolong his days.• To lack understanding

is to be a great oppressor.


Conclusions• To get the import of this we

must put the scriptures together;

• The rich, the poor and the oppressors have this in common God gave light to both eyes and it is what they did with the light

or sight that made them rich, has kept them poor or made

them oppressors or whatever they are.

• In summary it seems that as much as you are a SPIRIT who has a SOUL and lives in Body,

• God wants us to prosper in Righteousness in our spirits, Knowledge in our Souls and

skill in our Bodies.


What are we doing with what God gave Us

• Have we become so heavenly conscious and no

earthly good?• Have we become so earthly

conscious that we are not heavenly good?

• What is missing either way?

• God wants His government over all of your life, thy

Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in

heaven.• Its only when His kingdom

comes that His will be done!


God wants You to be Rich!

• Most people believe they should achieve wealth primarily for their own

material comfort or that of their families.

• This is far too narrow a view. God does want each of us to be rich in every

possible way – health, love, and peace of mind, as well

as material possession. • God wants this, however,

not just for our own sake, but for the sake of

humankind. Friday, April 19, 13

God wants You to be Rich!• The reason is that an

increase in wealth for an individual almost always

represents an even larger increase in wealth

for society at large. • This is especially true in

our modern economy, where the largest

individual financial rewards are increasingly

reserved for those people making the

greatest positive impact on our society.


God wants You to be Rich!• In our economic world –

the world God promised to Abraham in the

covenant, a world in which the quantity of

our own wealth is directly proportional to

the number of people with whom we share

the rewards of our increased

specialization • –the particular ticket

may be different for each of us.Friday, April 19, 13

God wants You to be Rich!• Bill Gates did not go into

Microsoft business to make money he went in

to bring and develop computer software to

make life easier for many people.

• Henry Ford desire was to make cars available

to the average man and his family. Oprah, Dell, Cadbury, and Heinz etc

the list is endless.Friday, April 19, 13

Faith is an Act• Ken E Hagin says “Real

faith accompanies knowledge of the Word of

God.” • “It takes no effort what

so ever on the part of the intellect or the will of man to obtain faith. Faith accompanies

knowledge.” • As soon as the light of

knowledge comes, faith is there.

• As the psalmist of old said, “the entrance of your

word giveth light…..” Psalm 119:130


The Truth about Finance• Because personal

finance is 80 percent behavior and 20

percent knowledge, you will either make your

life over in the process, or you end up

miserable. • I see well rounded,

mature people who become all God designed

them to be when they get their money closets

cleaned out. • God has a plan for your

life, and that plan isn’t to harm you; it is a plan for your future to give you hope (Jeremiah,

29; 11).Friday, April 19, 13

The Truth about Success• Success is not a

destination thing-it’s a daily thing. The only way to achieve real

success is to do it one day at a time.

• To be successful, you don’t need to be lucky or rich. But you do need to know

this:• You are what you do daily.

You first form your habits; then your habits from you.

• It is just as easy to form habits of success as it is to

form habits of failure.• Successful people have

Habits they do everyday that ordinary people do

once in a while. -T D Jakes and Paula White

• Success – preparation meeting opportunity
