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Enlarging Our Hearts - Part 4
Zac Poonen

Zac Poonen (1939 - ). Christian preacher, Bible teacher, and author based in Bangalore, India. A former Indian Naval officer, he resigned in 1966 after converting to Christianity, later founding the Christian Fellowship Centre (CFC) in 1975, which grew into a network of churches. He has written over 30 books, including "The Pursuit of Godliness," and shares thousands of free sermons, emphasizing holiness and New Testament teachings. Married to Annie since 1968, they have four sons in ministry. Poonen supports himself through "tent-making," accepting no salary or royalties. After stepping down as CFC elder in 1999, he focused on global preaching and mentoring. His teachings prioritize spiritual maturity, humility, and living free from materialism. He remains active, with his work widely accessible online in multiple languages. Poonen’s ministry avoids institutional structures, advocating for simple, Spirit-led fellowships. His influence spans decades, inspiring Christians to pursue a deeper relationship with God.
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This sermon emphasizes the importance of breaking down prejudices and expanding our hearts to see people as God sees them, regardless of their wealth, education, background, or past mistakes. It challenges believers to overcome tunnel vision and judgmental attitudes, highlighting how God values the heart above external factors and uses unlikely individuals to bring about revival and transformation.
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But what I want to show you is here in the book of Job. This man was not only a very spiritual man. He was a very rich man. And that's what bothers a lot of believers. When somebody is not only spiritual, but he's also rich. Have you noticed that in your heart? I don't know. I mean, you'd be happy if somebody is very spiritual and he was very poor living in a hut. Oh, you could really love him. But when you see that he's a thousand times more spiritual than you, and probably ten times richer than you as well, that really bugs you. Well, you're like Job's preacher friends. Does that bother you that somebody is not only spiritual, but he's rich? I think that was the thing that bothered these three preacher friends of us. They would have loved Job more if he was a poor man living in a hut. But they couldn't stand the fact that this man had not only a house, but he had built ten houses for his ten children. Oh, I found something to find fault in. Can such a man be spiritual, they would say. Well, God said he was the most spiritual man on earth. Even though he was so rich. Teaching me one thing that God doesn't care whether a man is poor or rich. It's just like saying, I mean, we can believe that God doesn't care whether a man is white or yellow or black. That we all understand. But I don't think we all understand that God doesn't care whether a man is poor or rich. Whether he's got a very high job in society or a low job. You know, I'll tell you, I've met many, many believers, even in our churches, who think that if someone who's very high up in this world would come to that church, they say, oh, he can't be spiritual. They're like Job's preacher friends, but they don't realize it themselves. They think they're being like Jesus. No, they say Zacchaeus, he's a rich man. He can't have any interest in anything spiritual. They were wrong. Jesus went and accepted him. The same prejudice that many white people have against black people. Much more, 100 years ago. Many believers in our churches have against someone who is maybe very highly educated. They think, oh, he can't be spiritual. He has a PhD. How can a PhD person be spiritual? I've seen PhD people who are 10 times more spiritual than people who never went to school. Is that possible? See, it's because we've got a prejudice. We don't realize that prejudice. Some people have a prejudice against black people. Some people have a prejudice against poor people. Some people have a prejudice against rich people. Some people have a prejudice against, oh, those uneducated people. Some people have a prejudice, oh, these highly educated people. Why? Because they themselves are not highly educated. These are the things that give us tunnel vision. I'm just pointing it out to you. It could be something else in your life. But I want to tell you this. If you have a prejudice against somebody else because of the color of his skin or his wealth or his education or something else, you won't affect him at all. But you will live with trickles coming out of your tap. Paul said to the Corinthians, enlarge your heart. I really believe our hearts need to be enlarged. One of the things I have prayed is to God. I prayed many, many years. And I'll tell you, it doesn't happen overnight. It does not happen overnight. His Lord, help me to see people as you see them. I would really encourage all of you to pray that prayer. It will enlarge your heart. You know, think of this. You know, the easy part is this. All of us agree that God doesn't look at a man and see whether he's black or brown or yellow. That part is easy. That's kindergarten stuff. We all get through the kindergarten pretty quickly. I don't think there's anybody here sitting here who thinks that God's got a preference for black people or brown people or yellow people or white people. None of us. But we do have. Don't just turn this word away and say, no, no, no, it doesn't apply to me. I want to say to you, it does apply to some of you. It does apply to some of you who've been here for many years. You can't see certain people the way God sees them. You feel that God, you feel a little, that person can't be spiritual, like I said, because like Job is rich or somebody else is highly educated. Or somebody else has 10 times the wealth you have. Can he be spiritual? Maybe he's a thousand times more spiritual than you. These are the prejudices we must break down. God looks at the heart, post-op. He doesn't look at the size of your house. You know, you can be so narrow-minded that you can see a sister wearing high heels. She can't be spiritual. This is tunnel vision. Do you think believers don't have it? I've seen lots of believers have it. You know, it's the way different people judge others. I've noticed in many Indian women who judge other, say, western sisters for the way they dress. I remember once a western brother who came here some years ago told me, he says, I'm absolutely amazed that these women in India who wear blouses expose their midriff. He says, in the West, no spiritually-minded sister would ever expose her midriff. But I've seen women with exposed midriffs who would judge somebody who's dressed in a western way because their legs are exposed. No, Indian women don't expose their legs. These are the type of things. Tunnel vision. What I'm used to in my culture, that's the way God is. I'm sorry to disappoint you. God doesn't fit into your culture. God is not an Indian. Do you know that? He's not an American either. I mean, we all know he's not American. But how many of you know he's not Indian? It's really true, you know. We have so much tunnel vision. And I've gone through this phase. I'm just telling you the things which God got out of my system. We're all the same, basically, when we start with prejudice. And I determined, I said, Lord, I may have been born with a narrow heart. But I'm not going to die with a narrow heart. That's for sure. I had a very narrow heart when I was born again. But I'm not going to end my life like that. That's for sure. You make that determination. Lord, I'm not going to be narrow hearted. I'm going to be large like Jesus was. I've ministered in a lot of churches where they won't allow a person who is divorced to, I mean, they would turn out such a person immediately. Now, I'm against divorce as much as God is. I'm against divorce and remarriage, just like Jesus spoke about it in Matthew chapter 5, Matthew chapter 19, et cetera. But I think of one woman who had, who was divorced five times. Let me tell you about one sister who was divorced five times. And not only that, she was now having divorced her fifth husband. She was now so immoral, she was living with another man whom she was not even married to. Nobody cared for her. No church, nobody would help her. But Jesus went to her, met with her, and used her to bring a revival in that whole city. I'm just telling you what I read in John chapter 4. Now, you can accept that in John chapter 4, but if you see a woman like that today, you say, no, no, no, God can't use that woman to bring a revival. He doesn't use you either. You've never divorced anybody, but God doesn't use you to bring anybody. Think of the unlikely people whom God uses. Can you accept that? Can you believe in John chapter 4, that the whole city came out to meet Jesus because of what this one woman said? I see the largeness of Jesus' heart. We think God cannot use that person. He cannot use this person. How can God use a person who's been divorced five times?
Enlarging Our Hearts - Part 4
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Zac Poonen (1939 - ). Christian preacher, Bible teacher, and author based in Bangalore, India. A former Indian Naval officer, he resigned in 1966 after converting to Christianity, later founding the Christian Fellowship Centre (CFC) in 1975, which grew into a network of churches. He has written over 30 books, including "The Pursuit of Godliness," and shares thousands of free sermons, emphasizing holiness and New Testament teachings. Married to Annie since 1968, they have four sons in ministry. Poonen supports himself through "tent-making," accepting no salary or royalties. After stepping down as CFC elder in 1999, he focused on global preaching and mentoring. His teachings prioritize spiritual maturity, humility, and living free from materialism. He remains active, with his work widely accessible online in multiple languages. Poonen’s ministry avoids institutional structures, advocating for simple, Spirit-led fellowships. His influence spans decades, inspiring Christians to pursue a deeper relationship with God.