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Firstfruits Blessings

November 13, 2013 cm-admin News 0

13 Nov 2013 by Donna Uning CM-

For the three-days meeting, John Price, from New Jersey, joined the team from Glory of Zion International Ministries here at SIB Hosanna Sibu. On the second night of the meeting, Price spoke about firstfruits. He continued the session from Dr Robert Heidler.

Exodus 23:19,

The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the Lord thy God.

“That wasn’t a suggestion, that was a command,” he said, telling that this “positions you for the blessings God has for you.”

Proverbs 3:9-10,

⁹Honor the Lord with your possessions,
And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
¹⁰So your barns will be filled with plenty,
And your vats will overflow with new wine.

“You can choose an empty barn or a full overflowing barn,” he said.

Ezekiel 44:30,

The best of all firstfruits of any kind, and every sacrifice of any kind from all your sacrifices, shall be the priest’s; also you shall give to the priest the first of your ground meal, to cause a blessing to rest on your house.

Apostle Hii Mee Yieng and Bro John Price

“I don’t want the blessing to visit my house; but rest in my house,” he said to the church. You either have visitation or habitation.

“Firstfruits are different from the tithe,” he continued, “They are two distinct kinds of giving.”

Nehemiah 10:37,

to bring the firstfruits of our dough, our offerings, the fruit from all kinds of trees, the new wine and oil, to the priests, to the storerooms of the house of our God; and to bring the tithes of our land to the Levites, for the Levites should receive the tithes in all our farming communities (NKJV).

2 Chronicles 31:3,

The king also appointed a portion of his possessions for the burnt offerings: for the morning and evening burnt offerings, the burnt offerings for the Sabbaths and the New Moons and the set feasts, as it is written in the Law of the Lord (NKJV).

2 Chronicles 31:4,

Moreover he commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and the Levites, that they might be encouraged in the law of the Lord (NKJV).

“They are two separate things; with firstfruits there is also a prophetic dimension,” he said. “Part of the prophetic gift is encouragement.” He explained that tithing is like the bill that you owe. Tithing is building up, and firstfruits has an encouraging dynamic.

2 Chronicles 31:5,

As soon as the commandment was circulated, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of grain and wine, oil and honey, and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything (KJV).

2 Chronicles 31:20-21,

And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the Lord his God. And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.

“Firstfruits is designed to release blessings; it is different from the tithe,” he said, adding that it is “part of the restoration process.”

Acts 3:21,

Whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.

“All things, in Greek, mean all things! In other words, restoration of all things,” he said. Firstfruits is one of the all-things.

1 Samuel 1:22,

But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the Lord, and there abide forever.

Psalm 113:9,

He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord.

Romans 11:16,

For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches (KJV).

Praise and worship at SIB Hosanna. — Praise and Worship at SIB Hosanna.

“What it simply means is that it consecrates what you love to God and dedicates it to a sacred purpose,” he said. “You remember God through an act of worship.” That was what Hanna did with Samuel; and she had three boys and three girls after that. Firstfruits broke the spirit of barrenness over her life.

Deuteronomy 26: 1-3,

1 When you come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance and have taken possession of it and live in it,

2 you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from your land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket, and you shall go to the place that the LORD your God will choose, to make his name to dwell there.

3 And you shall go to the priest who is in office at that time and say to him, 'I declare today to the LORD your God that I have come into the land that the LORD swore to our fathers to give us.

How do we know we have a rich inheritance? “We have things stored up that we don’t even know about! Jesus paid for all of them!” he said on possessing the firstfruit of your inheritance.

Deuteronomy 26:10-11,

10 And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land which you, O Lord, have given me.’ Then you shall set it before the Lord your God, and worship before the Lord your God.

11 So you shall rejoice in every good thing which the Lord your God has given to you and your house, you and the Levite and the stranger who is among you (NKJV).

“Firstfruits is linked to worship,” he said. Price also shared about being saved for the last 40 years. John Price came with his wife, along with Dr Robert Heidler and Linda Heidler for the special meeting at SIB Hosanna, Sibu.