The way to Prosperity

A reflection on the situation of the Poverty of the church in Africa

Poverty, a fact Poverty is a fact in Africa today Poverty is evident in the church What kind of poverty?1. Mental poverty2. Physical poverty3. Spiritual poverty2. Material poverty3. Financial poverty4 Environmental poverty

Mental poverty Lack of mental resources Poverty starts from within You become what you think you are Confusion between Poverty and Humility Fear of limitations Lack of self-esteem Laziness Fatality Hatred, jealousy, envy Injustice, tribalism, nepotism, favoritism

Mental Poverty Spirit of dependence I can’t solve my problem The solution will come from my brother, my

neighbor, from Europe, USA Official begging Parasitism is not hospitality or solidarity Self-slavery and imprisonment

Why poverty The church is made of more than 75% of

young people Most of them do not have employment A big number of them did not go to school Some of them never finished their studies Income comes from the minority A small percentage in the minority gets

income

Spiritual Poverty Unbelief Disobedience Life of sin Spiritual dependence Rejection of the word of God Lack of prayer life

Physical Poverty Mens sana in sana corpore Poor health Disrespect of health principles Poor eating

Financial Poverty Unemployment Inertia Lack of financial resources Poverty Instability Lack of hope

Material Poverty Lack of material resources Lack of food Lack of clothes Lack of accommodation Lack of the “Minimum vital” Inanition

Environmental Poverty Disrespect of nature Destruction of nature Pollution Living in dirt Phenomenon sachets Litting

What to do to solve the problem Study the problem Understand it Propose solutions Choose the best solutions Act quickly

Seven Ts: A Wholistic Solution Man is a whole All aspects of his life are affected (mental,

physical, spiritual, material, financial and environmental)

Man must recognize the fact All these aspects have to be corrected A correction plan has to be put in place The correction plan has to be implemented

The seven Ts 1. T as Temple (body and Mind) 2. T as Talents 3. T as Toil 4. T as Time 5. T as Temperance 6. T as Treasures 7. T as Testimony

1. T as Temple We exist through the body God created the body The body became a living soul The body represents God (1 Cor.3:16) The body represents Jesus (Heb.3:6) The body represents the Holy Spirit (1 Cor.6:19) The body is therefore very important

How to care for the body-1 Taking care of the Physical part of the Body 1. Clean the body

2. Clean the clothes

3. Give good food to the body

How to clean the body Israelites asked to wash their body and clothes

before appearing before God. Bathe two times a day Complete bathing, wash the mouth Good soap Perfume is not prohibited Wash clothes Change underwear Change cloths at most every 24 hours

Give good food to the body Original food: Nuts, grains, and vegetables Avoid spices Variety of food Good combination Good cooking Drink water Avoid mineral drinks Avoid tea, coffee, and other narcotics Ovo-lacto-vegetarism

How to care for the body-2 Taking care of the Spiritual part of the body 1.Mens sana in corpore sano 2.Guard the avenues of our soul 3.The five senses and their impact 4.How reading, movies, music,

conversation and thoughts corrupt 5.Phil.4:8 6.Avoid sin: the body is not for corruption(1

Cor.6:12-20)

Clothing, part of cleanliness and decency. Dress according to the Spirit of Prophecy. Dress modestly. Dress neatly. Dress comfortably. Dress decently. Dressing should not lead others into temptation. Dressing should be acceptable and presentable. Dressing quality wears Dressing should also take the social setting.

Politeness and respect To polite is to be polished The way we talk shows the kind of Education –

open your mouth, I will tell you who you are. The way you greet Humility and mutual respect Privacy Patience and tolerance Understanding each other.

How to fight sin Rom.7:14-25 Reading of the word of God (Ps.119:9) Formal Communication Informal communication: walking with Jesus Calling upon Jesus Our heart is like the palm of the hand Dealing with causes rather than consequences Forgive yourself Trust in God’s forgiveness

Environmental cleanliness

Restore the garden of Eden Where we live In the house (bedroom, living room, kitchen, toilet) Outside, in the car… In the street In the office Wherever Pollution: smoke, smoking, industries, garbage…

Choose Your Friends Our destiny is made up with the choices we

make. It is better to be alone than in the wrong company. Tell me your best friends are, and I will tell you

who you are. If you run with wolves you will learn how to howl.

But if you associate with eagles, you will learn how to soar to great heights.

Friends make the difference in your life, either for the good or the bad. Proverbs says, “ A mirror reflects a man’s face,

but what he is really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses”.

The true fact is that you become like those with whom you closely associate.

Almost all of our sorrows spring out of relationships with the wrong people.

Keep out of the suction caused by those who drift backwards (E.K. Piper)

Choose Your Association Carefully The less you associate with some people, the

more your life will improve. Any time you tolerate mediocrity in others, it

increases your mediocrity. If you find yourself taking two steps forward and

one step backwards, invariably it’s because you have mixed associations in your life (Bulgarian Proverb).

An important attribute in successful people is their impatience with negative thinking and negative acting people.

Who is a true friend? A true friend is there to care They remain your friends even if you don’t

deserve to have a friend. They come in when others walk out. They will see through when others think

you’re through. A true friend is more than a brother, says the

Bible.

Your Greatest Resources Money is the least important resource in life. The greatest resources are the people you know. Mike Murdock says: “Someone is always

observing you who is capable of greatly blessing you”

A true friend sees beyond you to what you can be.

Consequences of Cleanliness 1. Physical health 2. Mental health 3. Spiritual health 4. Environmental health 5. Talents appear

2. T as Talents

Talent, a gift from God Everyone has at least one talent Recognize your talent Be useful and active: learning by doing Love your talent Develop your talent Don’t let yourself be diverted from your talent

Dare To Be What You Are Most people try to be something they are not or

try something they’re not supposed to do. A Congolese proverb says, ”A piece of wood may

remain ten years in the water, but it will never become a crocodile”.

Jeremiah says,” Can an Ethiopian change his skin or a leopard his spot?”

Be what you are, then you become better than what you are. This will be the first step toward big changes in your life.

Accept yourself with your inner capabilities When I accept myself just as I am, then I can

change ( Carol Rogers). He who has no opinion of his own, but depends

on the opinion of others is a slave ( Frederic Klopstock)

Don’t persecute yourself. Nobody is so disappointed and so unhappy as the

person who longs all of his life to be somebody other than who he really is.

A person who trims himself to suit everybody will soon whittle himself away (John mason)

Make Peace With Yourself The person who walks in someone else’s tracks

never leaves his own footprints. Until you make peace with who you are, you will

never be content with what you are, you will never be content with what you have (Doris Mortman).

Most of our challenges- and even failures- in life come from not knowing ourselves and ignoring our best, real virtues.

Don’t Be Stranger to Yourself Most People live their lives as complete

strangers to themselves. Don’t let that happens to you. The best thing to be in the world is YOU. The most difficult thing to be is what others

want you to be (Leo Buscaglia). Don’t let anybody put you in that position.

Don’t Conform to Others’ Pattern The opposite of courage is not fear, it is

conformity. The most exhausting and frustrating thing in life

is to live it trying to be someone else. Talent cannot be expressed in the same way. No one never become great by imitation. Imitation is limitation. Don’t be a copy of something. Make your own impression.

Be Proud of What You are You can’t carry two faces under one hat Never wish to be anything but what you are. It is better to be hated for what you are than to be

loved for what you are not (Andre Gide). All good things which exist are the fruit of

originality (John Mills) There is only one life for you – your own.

3. T as Toil A talent well used gives birth to a toil, a trade, a

work… Work is a God’s institution It goes along with the Sabbath Six days you will labor No work, no Sabbath The lazy does not deserve the Sabbath Do all your work: no mediocrity

What work is not

Work is not slavery

Work is not a punishment from God

Work is not alienation

Work is not annihilation

Work is not a waste of energy

What work is Work is a blessing, a gift from God Work is an institution created by God Work is the way to independence Work is a virtue Work is a way of participating in God’s

creation or re-creation. Work is love in action

The Value of Work There is no bad work No work is more important than the other Work brings respect Work assures trust No work, no food Work gives dignity Work delivers from poverty Work balances the functions of the body

Work can be created The work per excellence is manual God did not create offices He created a garden and gave it to man Agriculture is the original work Work can be created according to people’s need Small scale production units Co-operatives Self-employment

How to work With consecration With commitment As if we were going to die tomorrow With excellence With joy With determination In the respect of time

4. T as Time Time is a gift from God Time has to be well used Time belongs to God Time is money Six days you will labor Time is divided into years, months, weeks days

and hours. All are accountable

The value of Time To help us plan our activities 8 hours for work 8 hours for rest 8 hours for leisure and studies Time is short Time must be respected Our lifetime is short A life marked with good deeds

If You fail to Plan, You Plan to Fail Plan your activities meticulously Set your priorities Set your goals and objectives Set your strategies Set the time frame Implement your plans Good planning shows the way, and the way leads

to destination.

5. T as Temperance Temperance is a gift from God Temperance is moderation in everything Temperance is self-control Temperance is the faculty of choosing what

is good and avoid what is bad Temperance is a result of wisdom

Temperance covers all aspects of life Drinking Eating Thinking Behaving Talking Working Exercising Fasting Cleanliness Self-control

NEW STARTNutrition : vegetables, fruits, grains, cerealsExercise : good sports, jogging, swimming…Water : 75% of our body is made of water

Hydrotherapy, an antiseptic...Sunlight : Vitamins E & DTemperance : drinks mostly, coffee, tea, alcohol,

coca cola, pepper…Air: very important, antiseptic…Rest : regeneration of body cellsTrust in God: without Him. No hope in this world.

6. T as Treasures Consequence of the five preceding Physical treasures: good health Spiritual treasures: good moral standing Financial treasures: enough money Intellectual treasures: good education Environmental treasures: new Eden Social treasures: good family, good friends…good

relationship with others

How to use material and financial treasures To your own benefit To the benefit of the church To the benefit of the community Give tithe Mal.3:8-12 Prove me Goal: University of Kinshasa Church. I will prevent insects to devour your crops: Brazil Giving depends on the good will, not the amount If you sow less, you reap less. Give to God to God first: the woman of sarepta Good use of material and financial treasures. Our scales while selling

Saving for time of need Save for bad time Don’t spend everything Don’t eat as if you were going to die today Plan to save according to your need Familial Planning Educational Planning Good use of resources: soap, water, energy…

Enjoy good environment A clean place is a nice place to live Enjoy picnic Enjoy the beach Climb mountain and breath pure air Enjoy your comfortable living room, your

clean kitchen, toilet and bedroom.

Have Good Company Enjoy good family tidings Enjoy good friendship Enjoy good neighbors Enjoy good relationship Enjoy church fellowship Give and receive love Care for others Share others’ burdens. Serve the community.

Prosperity should be shared We are channels that carry blessings to others Apostolic plan of prosperity: putting everything together. Widows and orphans The poor and the needy Church needs are our responsibility To give is to spare, to save To give is to live Sharing brings balance in mankind Lesson from Manna The widow of Sarepta Acan’s lesson.

T as Testimony Tell others what Christ has done for you Tell them He can the same for them Share ideas on how to get out of poverty Create awareness Encourage and warn the young ones Be the guardian for your brother Be a blessing to others Be a model for others Help others change. Live for them.

Conclusion There is hope There is a solution to the problem of poverty Take part to the search of solutions Be determined to find solutions Collaborate Sacrifice Happiness must be shared totally Prosperity is the state of a global well-being. Towards the perfection, which is God. 3 John 2.