Benjamin Generation (5 page)

God Blessed Me With A BMW

When Jacob saw the wagons, his spirit was revived.

Now, let’s relate this to the 21st century. What is a modern-day wagon? It’s a car, of course. Can you believe it? God wants to give us wagons!

I first received this revelation from God one day when I went to buy a car. At the time, I didn’t have the money to buy the car that I finally bought. I wanted to buy a BMW, but I only had enough money for a 3 Series or 5 Series, not for a 7 Series.

But because it was a time of recession, car prices had dropped drastically. On top of that, the Government was giving a special rebate. In the end, it worked out that with the money I had, I could actually buy a 7

Series BMW.

One of my pastors went with me to view the car. He looked at it and told me to buy the car. He called it “a very good buy”. So I bought it and I remember the manager remarked to me that I was very smart to buy it. Now, do you think I am smart? I must admit to you that I don’t know much about cars. I have no idea about the market value of cars. But two months later, the price of my car shot right up. In fact, if I had sold it then, I would have made more than $30,000! Now, that was the blessing of God!

Actually, I got cold feet when I thought of driving a 7

Series BMW. At that time, no pastor in Singapore was driving such a car. I looked at that car. It was so beautiful and yet, I began to imagine myself driving it and hearing people say, “Oh, that pastor must have taken money from the church to buy that car!” But I didn’t and I don’t now. I never take an offering for my personal needs.

I went home and prayed, “Lord, people are going to talk. Please show me if this miracle is from you.” I was concerned about my testimony because as a pastor, I have a responsibility to the people. I didn’t want my actions to affect people’s attitude towards God or to damage their personal relationship with God. I knew the Lord could bless me with this car, but I didn’t want my decision to cause people to stumble in their faith. I wanted to honour the Lord.

That was when God showed me how the Holy Spirit used the name Israel after Jacob saw the wagons. He made me realize that many times, people find it hard to believe mere words. Words are often not enough.

They need to first see and then they will say, “God is good.”

Let me tell you that God really has a sense of humor.

After He showed me the scripture about Jacob seeing the wagons, He told me what BMW means — “Behold, My Wagon”!

I knew that when I started driving the car, there would be a few people who would criticize me. But I went ahead and bought the car for the sake of the many. I wanted to let them see that God is good. I wanted them to know that He can give His servant a dream car. And I didn’t even start out with enough money! I didn’t have to take up an offering for it. God simply provided.

My family and I enjoy the car, but I know it’s just a car. I’m more captured by the love of God for me. He gave me a dream car! He really loves me!

Awed By His Grace

Sometimes, when God shows His people grace, they cannot believe it. Sometimes, they even reject it.

They say “No!” to His blessings. Singaporeans understand this attitude. We don’t believe in a free lunch. We think a free gift with no strings attached is just not possible. It’s strange, but people find it hard to receive grace. They are not comfortable receiving anything for free. They think that there must be a catch.

You don’t need the Holy Spirit to understand

the law. But you do need the Holy Spirit

to understand grace.

Joseph’s brothers were very fearful when they found that the money they had paid for the grain was returned to their sacks. (Genesis 42:27–28) Grace is not normal. It’s not natural. In fact, it’s supernatural!

People understand law, but they don’t understand grace. If you were to walk down Orchard Road in Singapore’s main shopping belt and ask people, “How do you get to heaven?” they will tell you, “Do good… Don’t do evil… Don’t kill… Don’t steal… ” They will basically tell you to obey the Ten Commandments.

No one would tell you, “We go to heaven by grace.”

That proves that the law is natural to people. Grace is not natural. You don’t need the Holy Spirit to understand the law. But you do need the Holy Spirit to understand grace. You need the Holy Spirit to understand that it is by grace, not by the law, that we are saved. It takes the Holy Spirit to reveal to us that Jesus took our beating so that today, we can have His blessings.

Benjamin did nothing to deserve any of the blessings.

He just received. And just because Joseph loved him, he received five times more than any of his brothers.

Prosperity With A Purpose
Do you realize that Joseph instructed his servants to pack his brothers’ sacks with grain, but in Benjamin’s sack, the servants were also told to plant a silver cup? The sacks represent financial blessing.

What Joseph did for Benjamin, our heavenly Joseph wants to do for us in these last days. He wants to prosper His people.

But look at what happened to Benjamin. Joseph instructed the servants to plant a silver cup in Benjamin’s sack. That silver cup represents redemption. In Luke 22:42, Jesus prayed, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” The depiction of silver to represent redemption is very consistent in the Bible. In the Old Testament, people used silver to pay the redemption price. Look at Leviticus 5:15:

15“If a person commits a trespass, and sins unintentionally in regard to the holy things of the Lord, then he shall bring to the Lord as his trespass offering a ram without blemish from the flocks, with your valuation in shekels of silver according to the shekel of the sanctuary, as a trespass offering.

The silver cup which represents redemption was planted in Benjamin’s sack. Today, that silver cup represents the sum total of all our sins. And do you know why the cup is empty? Because Jesus drank every drop of the filth of our sins so that today, we can experience the fullness of His blessings! The cup is empty so we can receive the fullness of His blessings!

We have prosperity with a purpose,

and the purpose is to reveal Jesus to

a lost and dying world.

Isn’t it amazing that God didn’t plant the silver cup of redemption in the sacks of the other brothers, only in Benjamin’s? He is blessing us, the Benjamin Generation, to be a blessing and to proclaim Jesus’

finished work at the cross.

Now, here is another amazing truth: The grain in the sack was wheat, which is used to make bread. Now, bread also represents the Word of God. So this means that the sack not only represents prosperity, it also represents the Word of God. Which means that every time we, the Benjamin Generation, peek into the sack (in other words, every time we read the Word), what we see in the sack (the Word) is the silver cup (Jesus’

redemption, the finished work of Jesus on the cross).

Every time we read the Word, we see His redemption! We no longer see His judgment, we see the amazing grace of God! And that is what we will proclaim — His finished, complete and perfect work on the cross for us.

Jesus our heavenly Joseph loves us. And He wants to give the Benjamin Generation five times more blessings than any other generation. We are being given prosperity with a purpose, and the purpose is to reveal Jesus to a lost and dying world.

Don’t let anyone preach the blessings of God out of your life. Don’t let anyone rob you of the sense of grace that you have. All that you have is based on the finished work of Jesus.

Right now, God is raising up the Benjamin Generation. We are the last generation. And during these end times, there will be a famine. But fear not, for He will provide the good things of Egypt. He will load us with food, wagons and clothing, and we will receive five times more. But we must always remember this: We receive it not because we deserve it, but because Jesus paid for it!

Salvation Prayer

If you would like to receive all that Jesus has done for you and make Him your Lord and Saviour, please pray this prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for loving me and dying for me
on the cross. Your precious blood washes me clean of
every sin. You are my Lord and my Savior, now and
forever. I believe that You rose from the dead and that
You are alive today. Because of Your finished work, I
am now a beloved child of God and heaven is my
home. Thank You for giving me eternal life, and filling
my heart with Your peace and joy. Amen.

Contact Information

We Would Like To Hear From You If you have prayed the salvation prayer, or if you have a testimony to share after reading this book, please send us an email at [email protected] Other Materials By Joseph Prince We trust that you have been blessed reading this book. For more books and other resources such as message CDs and DVDs by Joseph Prince, or for more information, please visit our website at www.josephprinceonline.com