The Process of a Seed: How God Brings Fruit Through His Word | Pastor Bonnie Bahati

0:00 Now let's look at the process of change for a seed. Number uno, we just read the scripture. Unless the grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it produces much grain. Number uno, what is the first process? There is a falling down to the ground. There's a falling down to the ground. Falling into the ground speaks of the period in which you are unknown and hidden from the view of the general public. It also speaks of the season and the time of rejection and negative response, refusal,

0:46 denial and denunciation in your life. Falling into the ground speaks of the period in your life in which you are unknown. You are hidden from the view of the general public. It speaks of the time of rejection. How many are going through the time of rejection? You are receiving rejection letters. Reject. Someone told me today, "Pastor, imagine I've been applying for jobs. Then they decided to send me rejects. One day I felt very bad." You are in the season of the seed falling down to the ground. It's not like God will not do it. But you need to understand the word of God works as a seed. It works as what? Talk to me. It works as what? So you're going through the period of rejection, the

1:33 period of negative response, the period of refusal, the period of denial, the period of denunciation in this life. Remember the story of John the Baptist. The Bible says that he was hidden in the wilderness until the time of his showing. Put out that scripture. He was hidden until the time of his showing. So, every disciple must realize that God has a time in his life when he must be hidden. And don't be in a hurry to be exposed. Don't be in a hurry to be exposed. Until so, the child grew and became strong in spirit and was in the desert till the day of his manifestation to Israel. It is interesting. The child is growing and the child is strong in spirit but is hidden in the wilderness

2:21 because the process of the word works like a seed. The seed has a season for it being hidden. You can start a business and nobody is noticing it. Nobody is buying from you. It doesn't mean it's a wrong business. You are in the season of the business being hidden but the business growing in secrecy. And how is the business growing in secret without without you making sales? You as the businessman, you are growing in character. You are learning to do to go to that same shop every day even though you're not making any sale. You're growing in character. You're growing in spirit. You must understand everybody has that season of being hidden. Everybody has that season including yours truly. Like I feel like we are

3:08 still in the season of being hidden. You're still being in the season of being hidden. Our time of manifestation has not come. A time will come when if you want to see me, you book an appointment and you are told he can only see you 4 weeks from now unless you will lay him by the road because the calendar is full. Not like he doesn't want to see you or on Monday morning he plays at the golf course. So go and wait for him at the gate because his calendar is full. Maybe on Monday when he's relaxing. The time of your showing. The time of your showing. The time of your showing. Hidden. You can be hidden and still strong

3:55 and mighty but hidden. Strong and mighty. But so every disciple must understand that Jesus Christ himself was hidden for how many years? 30 years. It is after 30 years that he was exposed to public ministry. All this time they knew him as the son of Joseph. At 30 he his appearance in ministry surprised many. Those who did not realize that a seed was in the ground for that years. Moses himself he experienced a falling into the ground. Moses was rejected by his brethren when he first tried to become a savior in Egypt and he ended up in the wilderness for how many years? 40 years. But after the after the years of rejection and isolation, he was ready to

4:42 minister. It was in the wilderness that he was taught by his father-in-law how to be a leader. While he was learning how to take care of sheep, he was learning how to lead. Because the first time he thought he can just show up and start leading people. And that's how many disciplers show up. You just show up and start giving people instructions. Why are you fighting? You should not be fighting. Don't you know your brethren? Who are you? Who made you leader over me? You just show up and start giving people instruction over their life. Who are you? Don't marry that person. Who are you? they will turn and beat you and they will start accusing you like they accuse Moses because you don't just show up. So Moses had to go and learn for 40 years

5:28 that you don't just show up. You show up number one at the right time and number two you first gain influence. That's why he he when the when when how did he gain influence? When God called him the people did not just go. Pharaoh did not just let people go. What did Pharaoh do? He refused. while he was refusing to let people go, people were seeing that Moses is fighting for them and they could see actually Moses is not the problem. Pharaoh is the problem. So what was what were they what what was happening to their hearts? Their hearts were beginning to trust Moses. So he was gaining influence. That's why he was able to lead them out. But you are just showing up lately and you want to lead the people. You want them to treat you the way they treat Pastor Bony. Jonica come lightly.

6:16 This one has been here for years. They have they have grown to trust him. They have grown to believe him. They have grown to they have grown to believe. They don't know your voice. And you want them to listen to you as who? You want them to bring offerings to honor you. Ah honor your shepherd. Yay. It takes time. Don't just show up. Moses had to learn that quality of disciplehip 40 years in the wilderness. But you don't just show up. And he did not learn leading people. He learned it leading sheep. That means perhaps maybe even when he

7:02 first started leading the ship, they were not listening to him. They were stubborn. But after some time, they started seeing him. They started smelling him. They got his scent. And eventually they knew his voice. Now he would say go this way and they would go. So when he went he said don't just go and tell them get out of Egypt. No I will want to take you out of Egypt but let me go and talk to Pharaoh. So he goes and talk to Pharaoh and then he refuses. He comes and tell the people I have tried to talk to Pharaoh and he has refused. Aski. So they would say let's pray and go again. They would pray and he would go again. What what was happening? He was gaining trust. He was now beginning to lead them by influence. He learned that Alicia by leading them leading sheep for 40 years.

7:51 40 years leading sheep. And that wisdom was being taught by his father-in-law. Some of you girls, do you know why you're not yet married? You've not learned how to be a wife in your heart yet. In your heart. The Bible says he that finds a wife finds a good thing. Meaning a wife is a post posture of the heart. So until you learn how to be a wife in your heart, you will not get a husband. You'll just get boyfriends because your heart has the disposition of boyfriends. So they will come, my sweet girl. They will come. Boyfriends will come. Many of them. But the day your heart becomes wiflike, you just you wonder, hey all of a sudden why is everybody telling me they want to

8:37 marry me? Because the heart has changed in the fullness of time. The seed goes through the first stage of falling down. Second stage, are you learning something? >> Then there is the dying stage. In the dying state, this is where the seed falls to the ground and disintegrates and decomposes. The seed falls to the ground, disintegrates and decomposes. It changes its in it utterly changes in its character and appearance. It utterly changes in its character and

9:25 appearance. This why your character is fully refined like Mr. Mosaur. Come down along Lilo. Hello Zetu. The seed falls to the ground and disintegrates and decomposes and then your character it actually changed in your appearance. Now the seed changes in character and appearance and

10:11 by the time God is finished with you in this stage your appearance is different. Now you are forgiving. Yes. Now you are patient. Now you are kind. Now you are considerate. Now he if you hear someone has fornicated, you don't tell them how could you fornicate? Who does that? If you hear someone has become pregnant out of wedlock, you don't start saying I knew it. Even you shepherd shepherd [Applause] shepherd, you don't know how to possess your vessel.

10:58 Wow. You are yet to go through the dying phase. By the time God is done with you in the dying phase, you hear someone is saying someone is someone has done that. You say, "Oh Lord, forgive him for he doesn't know what he is doing. Have mercy on him. Save him while you save me because you've gone through it. You have been humbled. You've been humbled. You've been brought to base. Your character is changed. You are decomposed. You have decomposed and disintegrated. We tell you, do you know you can preach?" You say, "Me?" Hey me

11:43 and you're not saying me because you are doubting. You're wondering. No, you don't understand. You don't understand. Eloquence, I'm out. Scripture, I'm out. Composure. I'm out. Confidence. I'm out. Looking the part in Morocco. [Music] It is a face, the second face of the seed. And that's how the word works. It first falls down and then it begins to die. Begins to die. It's going through decomposition. Eh, it's not an easy phase. It's

12:28 decomposition. The first stage, nobody's noticing you. The second stage now you know I am finished completely now you're not even minding who is noticing me. No you are wondering what is going through me. You can't even be cooked. You are disintegrated and decomposed. Now it is not about what are they thinking about me. It is what is God doing in me? What is going through me? What am I becoming? That's what I went through last year. I went through a dying phase. A dying phase. Now I was not minding what you mind. I was minding what is God taking me

13:14 through? What what does God want to kill in me that I'm refusing to go to die? What was I still What am I still holding on to? My appearance was changing. Compassion was coming, repositioning was happening, rep prioritization was happening. Now my priorities are changed. But all that was happening where? In the dying phase until the word until his word came, the word of God tried him, tested him. Yep. Susanna, until the word of God comes, it's going to try you. It's going to try

14:00 you. It's going to try you. It's going to try you. You must go through the dying face. Your character will be utterly transformed and you must allow the dying face to continue or the dying process to continue. The Bible says, "Except the seed dies, it abides alone." And unless these qualities are are allowed to to develop your ministry and your life will not develop during this period of alienation. Many important spiritual traits are birthed in your life. A personal relationship with God is one of the most important things that you will learn when people reject you and

14:47 when you go through death. Now the Bible becomes something you treasure. Your quiet time becomes something you enjoy. Everybody, every true Christian, every true minister derives their strength directly from the Lord. Therefore, everybody must get a place where they are becoming intimate with God. You see, rejection stops the horizontal relationship. Rejection stops the horizontal relationships and leaves you to develop the vertical relationship.

15:34 So rejection takes out human relationships and leaves you with spiritual God relationship. And ladies and gentlemen, it is in this faith that the development of humility is happening. The more humble a disciple is, the higher his standing before God. And God wants you to have a high standing. So you must go through humility. You will be humbled with things you never thought you could do. Zako,

16:20 you will be humbled. You will say things you never thought you could say Kevin. That's the second stage, the third stage. Now, this is where we all want to be. It's called the producing much fruit. The Bible says unless of corn of wheat falls down to the ground and dies, it abides alone. But when it dies, it produces much grain. But if it dies, it produces much grain. Ladies and gentlemen, bearing fruit is a very spiritual thing. However, I want you to know you don't just bear fruit. You must go through the

17:07 process of dying. You must go through a process of experiencing God. And then when you experience God, Jesus says of you, "This is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased." In whom I'm well I'm well pleased. So for the word of God to come to pass, there must be a dying. There must be actually a falling down, a dying and a producing much fruit because the word of God is what? A seed. The word of God is what? A seed. So if that's the case, then you will be patient. You will want to be planted. You'll want to be planted. You will not

17:53 be moving from church to church. You will stay some because you understand how the word works. The word is a seed. So if the seed keeps on being uprooted, how will the seed grow? How will the seed grow? So you will want to be planted in one place. Nobody will tell you be planted. No, no, no, no. You realize there's a word over my life. I have to stay in one place. I do not want to go and start again the process of falling down. The process of dying. The process of dying. The process of falling down. What can we not solve? What can we not talk about? What can I not say sorry about? There's nothing.

18:41 And that is where we are now. We in the process of dying. There's nothing you cannot say sorry. Actually, I'm sorry. Why? I go and start another relationship just because of saying sorry. >> I'm sorry. Talking stage said I'm sorry. Forgive again. Midnight. >> Midnight call center. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Forgive me. Forgive me. I think we can work it out. I'll be a better I'll be a better man for you. Don't go looking for a better man. I'll be a better man for you. >> Mercy forgive. Because you understand for the seed to grow. There's a falling down. There's a

19:26 dying. And then there's a producing much fruit. Remember the word of God works as a seed. Number four. Is it number four or number five? Number four. The word of God works through relationship. Is it five? I think it's five. The word of God works through relationship. The word of God work through relationship. The word of God work through. That is why God seeks for a relationship first. Do you know why God seeks for a relationship first? Because the word is a person. The word is a person. So if the word is a person, what should come first? Relationship.

20:13 John 1:1. In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. So the word is a person. So if the word is a person, he wants relationship. So the word of God works through what? Relationship. That's why you cannot just take the Bible and start reading and say I believe in the name of Jesus. Many years ago, first put this scripture up so that I come down here. Revelation 19 from verse 11. So many years ago I had a teaching about faith s. So me in my ignorance of not knowing how the word of God works, I had wherever the souls of your feet shall step, you shall possess.

21:01 So when we left church, I went to the parking. I started touching people's car and saying I possess it. I possess it. I possess it. Up to now, I've never possessed any of those cars. I've never possessed any of those cars. Because I was deprived of the knowledge that the word works through what? relationship not just reading and then you go. It's relationship. That's why meditation is important because meditation is you being jailed is you having communion with the word who is a person. It's like you consummating with a person. So you become one. The word becomes flesh. So when you say where the souls of my feet shall step, you shall possess. It's not actually you saying it's the word in you saying. So

21:48 you actually possess it works through what? Relationship. Are you understanding what I'm saying? Like you've come into consumation. You become one. You have been joined. So now when you speak is actually the word himself speaking. And who is the word? Jesus. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, then you can ask. You cannot ask before you abide in me. Before we come into consumation, you are asking. That is why the word of God does not work for some people. Not because the word of God is powerless. Is because they have refused to have a relationship with the word, to gel with the word, to consumate with the word,

22:34 a trusting relationship and an intimate relationship. And that takes time. Abiding takes time. Abiding takes time. Can I tell you something? I did not make my wife pregnant in one night. I'll be lying if I say that's the case. No, it is and I'm not a liar. It is continuous abiding. Continuous abiding. I don't know when it happened, but it was continuous abiding. They that t longer are the wine are the ones who become merry. I had to continue telling and all my stories are true. I had to do it. I had to abide over and over

23:22 until the seed fell to the ground. And that's why we now see much fruit called Judah. So we see much fruit called Judah. The Bible says in Revelation, "Now I saw heaven opened and behold a white horse and he who sat on him was called faithful and true. And in righteousness he judges and makes war." So first of all there's a person called faithful and there's a person called true and he's the one who was sitting on the white horse. Next verse. His eyes were like flames of fire and his head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except himself.

24:09 Look, his eyes were like a flame and his head were like many crowns. He had and his head had many crowns and he had a name that was written that no one else knew except himself. But he was called who? Faithful and true. And who is truth? Jesus. Continue. Continue. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood and his name is called. So the word of God is a person and the this scripture is describing who the word what the word looks like. Number one, the word rides on a horse, a white horse. Number two, he also has

24:55 another name, faithful and true. Maybe those are his nicknames. Number three, he judges in righteousness and he wages war. So truth, the word of God is a man of war. Now look at his appearance. He has appearance. His his eyes are like a flame. Flame of fire and his head there are many crowns. That is his appearance. That's why when you start relating with the word, because his eyes are fire, he begins to burn out things that you do not like. He doesn't like in you because he's fire. He is fire. Your word is fire. Your word is a hammer. Jeremiah

25:40 says he is a person. He's called the word of God. The word of God is a person. So the word works through what? Relationship. an intimacy. Do you know why right now when I'm preaching you can sense God? Eh, because I've been meditating on this word. Now we are in a relationship with him. That's why it sounds it's not something I've gone and picked there and come and given it to you. You could tell if it's something I've picked there. You could also tell story. Haven't you not had someone you said he's saying things that are very powerful but not convincing? Haven't you not had not experienced that? Why do you say he's saying powerful things that are not convincing? Because he has not have a relationship with the words he's speaking.

26:27 There's no synergy. He has not he there's no abiding. So you feel like I look there are some things I can't preach now. If I preach them lecture but if paps comes and preaches those things all of you are like oh my goodness oh my goodness there's power here because he has been in a relationship with the word for some time and that relationship has led him into several things right and those things that he has been led to have given him a certain authority from that relationship ship

27:13 with the word. Are you getting what I'm saying? There are things that if Victor, Pastor Victor or this man of God here preach, you will be like I they convincing. It's not like whatever they saying is not true. It's true. But there is a relationship I've been with with the word. All this it's not revelation only. No. Oh yeah. Yeah. Thank you. At that point, it's not yet a revelation to them. It's knowledge. It's knowledge. Not yet a revelation because all these people are a fruit of my ministry. Plus, the ones we've sent out, they all a fruit of my ministry. That means there is a

28:00 relationship I've been with with the word to allow me to produce this quality. So to them, they can take the message and preach, but to them is knowledge. But to me is a revelation that has come from what relationship. So they will not get the same results until I have that until you get that relationship. Eh yes until look there's a way I know my wife that nobody here knows. There's a way I know Alicia Keys that know that you don't know. There's the way I know her because I've been with her in a relationship for many years over 10 years. 10 or 11.

28:48 So you just know of her albums. You you can't even call her Alicia kiss the eyes she will give you. But there's a way I have known her. You know Jesus had a nickname for all his disciples. He had sons of thunder. He had Simon the zealot. He had Peter the rock. Simon the rock. One quality of a good disciple he gives nicknames to his because nicknames are intimacy. They are signs of intimacy. That was just a by the way I just remembered is a sign of intimacy. Not not if somebody who are not intimate with gives you a nickname, you're like,

29:37 but there are others who when they give you a nickname, you take it. Why? Don't call me Don't call me. He was angry. Someone called him. Yeah, but why was he not angry when I called him Kateka? intimacy. Intimacy that's why Jesus has a nickname. He's called faithful and true. And then the Bible says he has another name that no one knows apart himself and the one who gave him who is God. If anyone comes and claims they know that name, they are lying to you. No one knows it except him and himself

30:25 caretaker. except himself and he's saying at apart from him and himself no one can come and say they know that name only God and him. The word of God work through what relationship. Now are you understanding why the word of God has not been working in your life? Because you've not been relating with him because he is a person. Shout he is a person. >> He is a person. >> So he works through what? relationships and because he is a person what does he call us? He calls us sons and daughters. [Music] John 1:12 but as many as received him the word. He gave them the right to

31:12 become the children of God. That's why you have to journey with God. You cannot use him as a casino machine. You are his son. you are his daughter. And if you are his son or his daughter, then you must learn to be led of the spirit. For as many as are led of the spirit, they are the sons of God. That word sons there is the Greek word he think. I don't know how to pronounce it correct is he means a son not just by birth. A son by birth and maturity. There are two types of sons when the Bible uses the word son. When the Bible

31:57 says as many as received them, he gave them the power to be called sons. He's saying sons that are born. So you know they are your son by identity. Like Judah, how do you know he's my son? He looks like me. Okay, even if you don't agree, I know he looks like me. He smiles like me. So you can tell that is Pastor Bon's son by physical appearance. That is what happened. As many as received them, he gave them the power to be called sons by physical appearance. So you look like God. You are godly. So people can see that is the son of God because he behaves like the son of God. He looks rather not behave. He looks like the son of God. He looks like God. Then there is as many as are

32:46 led by the spirit they are the sons of God. Now these ones are sons who have become sons not just by physical features. Sons by understanding and coming to maturity. Right? Or what are you saying? Hughes. Yes. Or you are trying to explain to pronounce Hughes. Hughes. a Greek for sons by maturity, by behavior. So now they have learned the character of God. Now you don't need to be told they look like God. You just look at their character and you know that one behaves like God, he must be a son of God. That's those are the sons that God is talking about. As many as are led of

33:33 the spirit, these are the mature sons of God. So the others are still sons but not mature sons. So they are treated as slaves even though they are masters overall because they are yet to know how to become sons by maturity. They are yet to mature. And how do you know you've be matured? When you can be led of the spirit. When you can be led of the spirit. That's when you know you are actually maturing. Many of us are led by our senses, not by the spirit. Some of us are led by the soul. We are sensual. We don't even know how to separate between the sensual and the spiritual.

34:19 Sometimes when we are dancing here during present worship is a sensual moment, not a spiritual moment. Is our senses being percolated? But there's a time when there are tits, they shift from being sensual to being spiritual. You must design. That's a spiritual moment. We've moved from sensual realm to a spiritual realm. Many don't discern that. Very few people can actually say they are led of the spirit. Very few people can say that. That's why it is not good to always say the spirit told me because 90% are not led of the spirit because this takes time to mature. Takes time to mature. So you are a son by identity by birth but not a son by

35:04 maturity by character. By character by character and that takes time. One way you know you are becoming mature is when you can forgive. When you can forgive. One of the key characters of God is forgiveness. One of the key characters of God is forgiveness. That is why we are all here. That's why we are all here. How are we all here? He forgave our sins. So one of his main character is forgiveness. So if you have become like God, you learn to forgive like God.

35:52 So if you're still struggling with forgiveness, it means you are a son by birth, by physical features, but not yet a son by character. You not yet trained your senses now to become a son by character. It is those ones who are led of the spirit, the mature ones. The mature ones. The others are not led of spirit. They are still under tutors. They still under tutors. I think I'm speaking powerfully. So everybody must endeavor to grow to maturity where they can now be led of

36:39 the spirit. Cannot be led of the spirit. The Bible says, "If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land." Many years ago, I think I was 20 or 21, God spoke to me in the night. And he told me, "If you learn to follow my spirit, you'll be rich." An audible voice told me that if you learn to follow my spirit and all my life up to now, I'm still learning how to follow. There are days I miss it. There are days I hear it. There are days I hear it. There are days I know that was him. There are days I think that was him and it was my soul. There are days because I'm not yet fully mature, I just rely on the word. So me I do what the word of God says. I do not wait to say I was led of the spirit. No,

37:25 no, no. The word says be generous. I am generous. The word says give, I give. The word says forgive, I forgive. The word says go and make disciples. The word of God says he that wins souls is wise. Alicia, I just do exactly that. I do exactly that. I don't need to rely on revelation. No, no, no, no, no. I do the word. I do the word because I'm I cannot call myself fully mature. Maybe I'll say that when I'm 70. But as of now, what the word of God says is what I do. Ladies and gentlemen, the word works through what? Relationship. It works through what? >> It works through what? >> Relationship. By the way, this is going to become a book. I hope you're going to

38:11 buy it. [Music]