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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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Zac Poonen emphasizes that through Christ's sacrifice, we are freed from the curses of the Law and can instead receive the blessing of Abraham, which enables us to be a blessing to others. He explains that the Holy Spirit is the key to this transformation, allowing us to flow with blessings rather than curses. Poonen encourages believers to come to Jesus in their unworthiness, receive the Holy Spirit by faith, and become instruments of healing and blessing in the lives of others. He reassures that even those who have been a curse in the past can now be a blessing, as God desires to use them for good. The sermon calls for a shift in mindset, urging believers to claim their birthright in Christ and bless others, even those who may have wronged them.
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Have Faith That God Will Make You a Blessing to Many
"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us - in order that the blessing of Abraham might come to us, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith" (Gal.3:13,14). Christ became a curse for us, so that we might receive the blessing of Abraham - that is, the promise of the Holy Spirit. The curse for not keeping the Law is described in Deut.28:15-68 as confusion, incurable sicknesses, plagues, constant failure, blindness, madness, no rest or peace of mind, being exploited by others, children being captured by the enemy (Satan), abject poverty etc. The good news of the gospel is that because Jesus has already become a curse for us, none of these curses of the Law need touch us any more. That itself would have been good news. But there is more. We can have instead, the blessing with which God blessed Abraham. Note that the blessing we are promised in that verse, is NOT the blessing of the Law (described in Deut.28:1-14), which consists mainly of material prosperity and many children. No. We are promised something better - the blessing of Abraham. The blessing with which God blessed Abraham is described thus in Genesis 12:2, 3: "I will bless you...so you shall be a blessing......and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed". This is the blessing that Christ has purchased for us on the cross through His becoming a curse for us. He wants to bless us and make us a blessing to every person that we come across on earth, all our life. This blessing (the verse tells us) comes to us through receiving the Holy Spirit. Jesus described the Holy Spirit as a well of water springing up within us and BLESSING US (John 4:14), and then as rivers of water flowing out through us and BLESSING OTHERS (John 7:37-39). If you seek to receive the Holy Spirit by trying to make yourself worthy, you will never receive Him. There is no difference between that and Simon the magician offering money to Peter to receive the Spirit's power (Acts 8:18-23). Peter told Simon to repent. And you must repent too - for imagining that you can buy the Holy Spirit with your good works. Come to Jesus as you are and confess your unworthiness, and receive the Spirit by faith, JUST BECAUSE JESUS BECAME A CURSE FOR YOU - and not because you are worthy. How has your own life been in the past? Have you found that whatever you have put your hand to has been a failure? Have you found that the words that you have spoken to others have only brought confusion and chaos? Have you found frustration and depression and gloom and loss everywhere you have turned? Here is the good news of the gospel, dear brother and sister. You can be free from all of that permanently. Christ has taken the curse of the Law so that you might never receive it. Not only can you be free from those curses, you can now be a blessing to others. The Lord's promise to even the worst sinner living in sin and failure today is: "Even as you have been a CURSE in times past, you can be a BLESSING to others in times to come" (Zech.8:13). Perhaps you have been a curse to others in the past, by polluting everyone you've met, with your criticisms, your gossiping and your backbiting. Have you been a spreader of spiritual plague everywhere you have gone? Things can be different from now on. You can be a spreader of spiritual healing and blessing to others now. God can make rivers of living water flow through you, so that wherever you go, others are healed and blessed through the Holy Spirit working through you (Ezek.47:8,9). This is the will of God that we should be a BLESSING to every family we meet on the face of the earth. But you must believe God's Word and claim your birthright in Christ. Satan has robbed you of this for so long. You must now believe that since Jesus has already become a curse for you, no curse can touch you henceforth. You are going to be a blessing to your family, to your neighbours and to the church. Hallelujah! When people curse us, Jesus told us to bless them in return (Lk.6:28). This is our calling - to be a blessing even to those who are evil towards us (See 1 Pet.3:9). This is why we are anointed with the Holy Spirit - so that as Jesus "went about doing good" (Acts 10:38), we too can go around doing good and blessing people everywhere. No-one who comes in touch with you in future, will be polluted or hurt by your words, as in past days. Instead, they will be blessed - and blessed abundantly.
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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.