We Need Anointed Shepherds — Zac Poonen

Multiplying Churches That Resemble the Original Church

You know when God made Adam and Eve he said I want you to multiply and populate the earth and whenever God plants a new covenant church like he did with CFC 41 years ago I think his word is the same I want you to multiply and there should be such churches in different parts of the earth and you know how when you have children you see the resemblance of a child in the parent and that should be how our churches should be.

I thank God for different churches in Tamil Nadu and all where they're reproducing. I don't go there they're doing it themselves but you can see the the image of the original church there reproduce in your in Adam had a son who looked like him and you have children who look like you.

And so CFC's desires to plant churches around the world not we ourselves but through others members that look like them. I've been to this church which Santosh is an elder in Colorado I can say I've really seen there the spirit of a family they really care for one another and they seek to glorify God and they seek to reach out to others.

So we want to be we want to see that in many parts of the world and we thank God that God has begun to do that in a little way in distant countries local churches and we pray there'll be many more. So if you want to hear more of Santosh's messages you can go to the internet and either put his name Santosh Poonen or go to YouTube and the name of that church is River of Life Christian Fellowship and they got a website RLCF which stands for River of Life Christian Fellowship dot org RLCF dot org and there are a whole lot of messages there by him and the other elder and some of the other brothers there.

So we thank God for many other churches like that that are also having an internet presence where they spread the same message. And this is our been our great longing. I often think of Simeon who was an old man who was praying and praying for the Messiah to come.

You read about in Luke chapter 2 and the Holy Spirit told him don't worry you won't die till you see the Messiah. And it's interesting that how he one day came into the temple in that spirit of prayer so many babies are being brought every day to be dedicated in the temple and the Holy Spirit said to him you see that in the midst of all those mothers with babies see that one there that's the Messiah.

Jesus didn't Mary's arm. Jesus didn't arms. Jesus didn't look like any different from any other baby. The Spirit of God led him there and he saw that baby and he said now I can depart in peace. For my eyes have seen the body of Jesus Christ.

The Body of Christ Built Through Sacrificial Shepherds

I've seen the body of Christ too. I thank God for that in different places the actual body of Jesus Christ built by people who you just who were shepherds like you just heard who are gripped by the calling to give and not to receive.

That's one reason why we don't collect an offering in our churches. Because we say that's between you and God. And that's why if you see all these offering boxes in different places we have some conditions there you're not born again.

If you're in debt things are not right between you and others. Don't give. We don't want anything. We believe in sacrifice being willing to be inconvenient all those things you heard. And also to have authority over Satan.

Every shepherd must have authority over Satan. His life must be so clean because it's cleansed in the blood of Jesus. The spirit of never wanting to receive but wanting to give. Not stretching out a hand to receive but stretching out a hand to give to serve others around us in need.

And if you think that who will meet your need I'll tell you you stretch out your hand to serve others and God will meet your need. Proverbs 11 25 says if you water other people God will water you. That's the type of shepherd we want.

Not shepherds who look for getting something or even expecting anything from anyone. Not expecting not getting but wanting to serve and serve. And serve and serve. Do you know in one place it says about Jesus that they were serving so he was serving so much that he didn't have time to eat.

You read that in Mark's Gospel. And it's chapter 2 or 3 and it says not just one meal one meal many of us may miss. But he was missing so many meals serving others that his relatives thought he's gone off his head.

This man must be insane that he's missing so many meals as everybody. Anybody any of your relatives thought you're insane to be serving Jesus Christ like this without any money and without receiving anything and just day and night going out and exhausted.

And we have some brothers like that here in Bangalore as well and in different places I praise God. I can say well like Simeon Lord I can depart in peace. My eyes have seen the body of Jesus Christ. I praise God for that.

Failure, Humility, and Letting Christ Build the Church

I started praying in 1965 1965 before many of you were born 51 years ago when I was still in the Navy I'd read the Bible and I saw how the church is a body of Christ. And I said Lord I want to see it.

And I tried building it and it failed. It was an Ishmael. And then in 1972 I tried again when I came to Bangalore and it failed another Ishmael. Abraham had only one. I had two total failure and the Lord had to do that.

In me saying you cannot build the body. Jesus said I build the body of Christ. I said thank you Lord. I take my dirty hands off your work. I will never again attempt to build the body of Christ because I'm a failure.

I had to come to that place. Peter had to fail so badly deny the Lord three times. Then only he was ready for Pentecost. Abraham had to fail produce an Ishmael. Then only he was ready to have Isaac. Jacob had to fail so badly that his hip had to be broken.

Then he became Israel. Moses had to fail and to run away for 40 years. Then he was ready. The trouble with a lot of shepherds is they think I'm capable. And all such shepherds are false shepherds. They produce Ishmael after Ishmael.

After Ishmael look at the quality of their church. Look at the you look at the condition of your church and you will see whether it's an Ishmael or an Isaac. It'll show you what type of shepherd you are.

Churches Become Like Their Shepherds

You read in Revelation chapter 2 the church became like the shepherd. If the shepherd lost its first love in Ephesus the church was like the shepherd had a name that he was alive but he was actually dead.

In Sardis the church was like that. And if in Pergamos the church leader loved money like Bellum the church was like that. Or in Teotihuacan the leader allowed his wife to be a Jezebel to control things from behind the scenes the church produced Jezebels like that.

But if there was an elder and humble godly man in Philadelphia was seeking to glorify God the church became like that. The church becomes like the shepherd. That's what we have preached. That's why every year I spend most of my in every conference we try to speak to the shepherds.

Because I can't speak to all the thousands themselves. But if I can reach the shepherds and what I tell the shepherds is be a father. Don't be a teacher be a father. Look at everyone in your church like your own children.

Shepherds as Fathers Who Correct and Sacrifice

They are your sons your daughters. Do you have to correct them. Yes like. But correct them. Like you correct your children. Do you have to take care of them. Sure. Like you take care of your children.

Do you sacrifice yourself to feed your children. You sacrifice yourself for the sake of the church. I've sometimes heard preachers scold a church as if there is enemies. You scold your children like that.

We have to rebuke our children correct them correct the church like that. But we care for them. We provide for them. You know if a church sees that that shepherd is willing to lay down his life and sacrifice and give and give and give.

You can correct them any amount they will love you. You know like your children sometimes we've all had that experience. We spanked them. And after they come and hug you and say daddy I love you. What it does to you after you just spank them.

They come and hug you and say daddy I love you. Because they have seen before you spank them. What a lot of effort you took to care for them and provide for them. That's the type of shepherd. You must be all of you elders who are sitting here that after you correct and rebuke people in your church they will come and hug you and say brother.

You say you want to go away. And they'll say where can we go. These are the words of eternal life. That's the type of church we want to build the body of Christ across this land and in many other lands.

Raising Up Prophetic and Godly Shepherds

I want you to pray that God will do that. Jesus said pray that God will raise up shepherds. I prayed for years Lord raise up apostles prophets shepherds teachers. We need many more of them in this land.

I once prayed and asked the Lord Lord why is it that in a land of 1 ,200 million people like India there are so few prophets. Where are the prophets preachers. You are so many people who can present clever messages.

But prophets. You love this country so little. In the Old Testament when God forsook Israel there were no prophets. The mark of God forsaking a people is that there are no prophet. They don't have a prophet.

You read that in the Psalms Lord we don't see any prophet. You're forsaken us. And the Lord told me there are many young men in this land whom I prepared to be prophets. But as they grew up they fell in love with somebody was unfit not the one I chose to be their wife.

They got married. And that was the end of one prophet. And then there was a someone else who wanted all the benefits he could get from being supported by some Western mission that would send money to India.

And I lost another prophet. You know the amount of damage that well-meaning good people in the West have done to the work in India by sending money to people who are not godly to people who love money.

I can go all across this country and tell you about that. That's why from the beginning we decided that we will never ask anybody for money. We will never say we never sent a report anywhere in 41 years.

We have thousands of people in our web circulation and we weekly circulation. And we've been sending that out for many many years maybe 15 -20 years. Never once did they ever see any report about our work.

You go to our website and you'll think CFC is the Bangalore is the only church. You'll never see any branches there. We don't talk about our work that's hidden before God. We don't report about our work because most prayer reports are begging for money indirectly begging.

We decided we'll never have that. There's a dignity about a servant of God. There's a dignity about a CFC elder. We don't need money from anyone. Our Heavenly Father owns billions. He's the richest billionaire trillionaire in the whole universe.

And if we are doing his work God's work done in God's way. We'll never lack God's supplies. It doesn't drop from heaven. But God moves people to give. We don't have to move them. We move them. We'll get money we shouldn't get when God moves them then we know that God moved them to give it to us.

So that's how we operate it. Every church becomes like it's elder. And if you're a self-denying elder brother who judges yourself every day. I do that every single day. God is my witness. I judge myself many many times from the time I get up in the morning till I go to bed at night.

I live in a self-judgment of myself. And when I see so many on Christ like things in different areas of my life and I cleanse myself I repent. I ask the blood of Christ to cleanse me. I keep my life pure because I want the water that flows through me through my mouth not to be corrupted with self.

And with that of Adam. It must be pure Jesus Christ. It can be for you too the anointing of God. I know times when I have laid on my bed and said Lord you can take away anything from my life. I don't want money.

I don't want my house. I don't want help but don't ever take the anointing of the Holy Spirit from me. When you're desperate like that like the businessman is desperate not to lose his money. You are desperate not to lose the anointing of God upon your life.

Anointed Preaching That Reaches the Heart

I tell you there'll be many more anointed people in CFC. We won't have all those boring sermons that we hear in so many churches. We will have anointed speakers who speak forth the Word of God that grips people.

We want many people like that not just one or two. That's our need. And Jesus said pray that God will send forth people not people who can present very intellectual clever thoughts and presentations. There's a lot of difference between a person who just preaches a clever thought and an anointed word.

A clever thought goes into your mind and say oh yeah. That's interesting. I never saw that. That's a very nice thought from that part of the Bible. What do you do. One week later you've forgotten the whole thing.

But if it's an anointed word to go to your heart and you'll never forget it. We want shepherds like that. We need many. We need many who will be anointed speakers of the word in every church. And who did.

Don't who. I'll tell you when an anointed man begins to speak even if he goes on for two hours you'll sit there and wish he didn't sit down. Oh why did he sit down. I wish he could gone on. The man's not anointed.

He goes on and on rambles on and on. And you sit there and say when is he going to sit down. You can make out a difference. You can make out. There's a lot of difference. And we want people with the anointing of God.

Your heart burns when you listen to them. Those are the shepherds we need. And if you say you're an elder in one a CFC church and you're not like that. I want to ask you to go and bury your head in the ground and say Lord.

Have mercy on me. Go before God and say Lord. I'm a boring preacher because I'm not seeking your anointing. I'm seeking honor from people. Forgive me. You repent. I'll tell you I judge myself after every sermon.

I preach many times. I sit and listen to myself on YouTube and listen to it and say Lord show me where. When I did I say something I shouldn't have said. Do you listen to yourself. You get a recording and listen to yourself at home.

Now we have these facilities. You can have these small things. You can record even on your cell phone. You can record your message. Judge yourself. Cleanse yourself. Purify yourself all the time. Even if you are speak for five minutes in a church judge yourself.

Prayer for Humble, Pure, and Anointed Shepherds

We want shepherds who got a heart for God's people. Let's pray Heavenly Father. You taught us to pray that you will trust for shepherds into the harvest. And any of us who have high thoughts about ourself we pray.

You'll humble us. We pray. You'll bring us down in our face. There are people who have high thoughts about themselves who think what they hear does not apply to them. It applies to somebody else. Have mercy on us Lord.

We want to fall before you. We want to live in a judgment of ourselves every single day. Purify ourselves as your pure. Have mercy on us. We pray. Give us grace to overcome getting offended. So many who claim to have known you.

So for so long. Get offended so easily. Help us never to get offended. You said blessed is he who is never offended in me. We want to be in that number. We want shepherds. Thank you for hearing us in Jesus name.