“Then Jesus began teaching them with stories: “A man planted a vineyard. He built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country. At the time of the grape harvest, he sent one of his servants to collect his share of the crop. But the farmers grabbed the servant, beat him up, and sent him back empty-handed. The owner then sent another servant, but they insulted him and beat him over the head. The next servant he sent was killed. Others he sent were either beaten or killed, until there was only one left—his son whom he loved dearly. The owner finally sent him, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’ “But the tenant farmers said to one another, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ So they grabbed him and murdered him and threw his body out of the vineyard. “What do you suppose the owner of the vineyard will do?” Jesus asked. “I’ll tell you—he will come and kill those farmers and lease the vineyard to others. Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures? ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the LORD’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.’ ”
Mark 12:1-11 NLT
When the Lord brought me to this passage, I didn’t realize that He was using it to bring me to a deeper commitment with Him. That He would use a situation in my life to bring me from an associate in my relationship with Him to becoming a partner in His plans for my life. I heard someone say, "we’ll never be God’s adults, but we’d always be His children." I’m so glad about that. What I’m about to share is my personal revelation of what the Lord told me and is not intended to tell you what you should do. We’re all at different levels in our walk with Jesus. Let Him alone instruct you to the changes He wants you to make.
I fully understand the meaning of Jesus’ parable, but He took it to a different perspective to mature me in receiving the change He was about to make in my life, in light of my relationship with Him. Let me start off by saying I’m a tither, I give over and above including offerings. This is not bragging, it’s just fact. I’m being led by the Spirit of God to share this. I’d prefer not to, but you’ll get it as I go along. Before I can teach any biblical truths, I have to experience it myself. I don’t like personal opinion or theories. I like facts. I don’t believe in taking you where I haven’t been. I’m a giver, always have been. Whatever the Lord instructs me to do in being a blessing I’ve done my utmost to obey. As the apostle Paul often said, I lie not. God is my witness.
When I first started getting my income tax checks in this country, I used to tithe off of it. A few years in, a very good friend, a minister who I had great respect for, told me I didn’t have to because I had already tithed on it when I did so on my gross income. She said what I was getting back was what I had overpaid to the government. Well, the Holy Spirit didn’t correct what she said, so I stopped tithing on that money. So once per year that money was considered “mine" to do with it whatever I chose. Fast forward to 2021. Since February, the Lord has had me sitting at the feet of a man of God that He wanted to use to mentor me. He does this from time to time, whenever He’s about to take me to another level. He’ll just turn my heart to want to listen to a particular teacher. Then when I’ve received what He wanted me to learn, He lifts the grace, and the desire for the individual’s teachings.
Most of the things I’ve been learning this time around has been focused on knowing beyond the shadow of a doubt, and believing literally, everything the Bible teaches. Taking God at His Word, even when it doesn’t make sense in the natural. Believing the impossible, achieving the incredible because it’s doable. Walking by faith in a realm where you know that it will only happen if God does it. If we can make it happen, then it isn’t God. The testimonies of this man are unbelievable, but you can’t argue with evidence. I hadn’t a clue why the Lord wanted me sitting here, listening to his teachings over and over every day, multiple times a day and night, until He had me read the text above. Not only does He want me to teach it in the Bible study, He wanted me to come from a different angle and share it in Morning Messages. That’s why you’re reading it. But most importantly He wants me living it. Everything God’s asking us to do, must be backed up by evidence.
Back to my taxes. So this year for the first time in a decade, the Lord asked for His share of my return. I’m not going to lie, I was upset. That’s “mine” I give Him His all year long, over and above. And, if He tells me to sow in someone’s life financially, I never hesitated. But this was mine! This entire conversation is being had with my mouth shut, it’s all happening where He lives, in my recreated spirit. He said so softly, "are you going to begrudge Me, My share?" That’s when I opened my mouth and said, "I will not!" He knew exactly how to get my attention. He knows I’d never knowingly do anything that would break His heart. I continued, "You have been too good to me. You didn’t ask for all of it, even though it all belongs to You. You’re being very kind, I will go home and write a check for Your share." I said, "this isn’t a tithe, it’s an offering in the amount of a tithe. But I will not allow disobedience over money to ruin our fellowship." I repented for even hesitating, asked for forgiveness, accepted His grace and moved on. There’s vulnerability in every sincere relationship. There’s no room for selfishness or lack of trust.
Before I got up this morning,( March 12, 2021) I listened to my mentor again. The lesson was on “Faith refuses to live in the status quo.” At the end of the message I began to cry because the Lord began unfolding some things to me. It wasn’t about the money. He said "I’m stretching you to bring you to another level in Me. " I began reflecting on the scripture above and what I had underlined. When I teach it for the study, it will be a little different, but the audience here in morning messages, the ones who take the time to log in and not wait for me to spoon feed it to them, will receive the revelation of what Jesus desires to do in all of our lives.
As I began to talk through this entire situation with the Lord, He dropped a bombshell on me. He said "you no longer have yours and Mine. I’m taking you from an associate to partnership. We’re partners, what’s yours is Mine, what’s Mine is Yours." I said "Abba! I love the sound of that! I’ll give You whatever You want!" God wanted me to partner with Him. WOW! He’s asking me to be a partner with Him in my finances and every area of life. Associates make a decent living, but partners own things. Glory to God! Obedience and transparency are key in partnership. We must be willing to give up our “me and mine” for
“us and ours.” More can be accomplished together than apart. One can route a thousand, but two tens of thousands. Partnering with God is one of life’s greatest investments. Such a deal. I’m so grateful for the channels He chooses to use as object lessons. He used my tax return to introduce me to partnership.
In the text above, He owned the vineyard and everything on the land. He leased it out and moved far away. But at harvest He sent to ask for His share. The tenants had become comfortable on His land and wanted to keep the entire harvest. Notice that even though He owned the land, He took into account that they had worked the land and were deserving of most of the harvest. You’ll note that He didn’t ask for a specific amount, He just asked for His share, what was reasonable. But even that wasn’t agreeable to the tenants. As with my tax return, It didn’t matter that I had tithed on that money all year, it all belonged to Him. He was offering them partnership they wanted ownership. They wanted what wasn’t theirs in the first place. He tried multiple times to get them on board, they refused to the point of bodily injury and murder. The end result wasn’t and never will be good.
I praise Jesus for ears that hear and a heart that receives instruction. I could’ve kept my pittance and remained an associate or give Him His share and become a partner. I chose partnership. I can’t wait to see what becomes of this promotion-because it is a promotion. Obedience is always better than sacrifice. My mentor said these words:
“Be careful not to lose the Word before faith can make it fruitful.” In other words -and I’m sharing my revelation-before you share what the Lord has told you, settle it in your heart by faith, so doubters can’t disturb you. This is why I started out by saying this is what He told me to do. He may be saying something very different or nothing to you at all. Only those who have ears to hear, will.
God is looking for partners. He’s got a lot of associates, but He’s wanting partners in these last days. Partners who will believe for the impossible, do the incredible, believe the unbelievable, obeying without hesitation, saying what He says even if we get persecuted and criticized for it. We are in good company. He suffered and overcame every opposition to show us how it’s done. I’ve got a lot to learn about partnership. I’ve been an associate for a long time. But I’ve never been one to run from a challenge. So I’ll continue to sit at the feet of the mentor He has chosen for this season of growth, and as He leads me to, I’ll share what I’m learning. I’m on the ground floor of this new venture. I’ve got a lot to learn, but I have a great Teacher, the Spirit of Truth. I’m committed to the process. No promotion comes without challenges. But I’m yoked to the Founder. So why don’t you ask Him what He has in store for you? Jeremiah 29:11-12 applies to you too. It’s a great time to be alive and in the Kingdom of God’s dear Son.🙏
Don’t be a sluggish hearer, they neither remember or practice what they hear, because they’re not rooted in the Word. I learned that from my mentor. I don’t want the Lord to give what’s mine to someone else because of disobedience.
Written by permission of the Holy Spirit
W. Tennant
April 1, 2021
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