How to Become First When You Are Among the Last

Introduction

Take an honest look at your life. You may not be among those who get mentioned first, who get noticed, who get considered. Not necessarily "the last," but not "the first" either. The visible world doesn't know you very well, and the invisible world doesn't either. This sermon by Apostle Yvan Castanou doesn't leave you there. He announces that there is a divine wisdom, a protocol from Heaven, for a last to supernaturally become a first, and to also understand how firsts end up last.

The central text comes from Mark 10: "Many who are first will be last, and the last first." This isn't a poetic slogan. It's a concrete promise tied to a very specific condition: making the gospel and the salvation of souls your priority, whatever your job, your comfort zone, or your circle may be.

Outline of the Teaching

1. Nothing is set in stone: the last can become first

The first thing you need to hear is that your position is not permanent. Today's first can become tomorrow's last, and today's last can become tomorrow's first. Look at the world: Renault has existed since the end of the nineteenth century; Tesla launched its first car in 2008. Within a few years, Tesla overtook Renault in the automaker rankings. Why? Because Western governments made the energy transition a priority, and Tesla aligned itself with that priority.

Pastor Yvan puts it this way: "You can be first yesterday and become obsolete today because you didn't follow the line, the government's priority." What is true in the economy is even truer in the Kingdom.

2. The forgotten divine model: the temple and the houses

How did the early church go from a hundred and twenty people to reaching the ends of the earth, without the internet, without social media, without digital platforms? Through a model given by the Spirit from the very beginning: the temple and the houses.

"Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts." (Acts 2:46)

"Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah." (Acts 5:42)

At ICC these houses are called impact families. Elsewhere they are called house cells, or house churches. It's the same principle. This isn't a human idea: it's the strategy God gave so that a church that starts with a small core can reach the ends of the earth, in every circumstance, including a time when persecution or big tech eventually excludes faithful churches from their platforms.

The pastor admits: "I had never preached a message on impact families, never. We practiced it, but I hadn't yet heard God speak to me about it like this." As long as you are not connected to a house, to a small group where people pray, share, and carry one another's burdens, you are missing a pillar of God's wisdom.

3. The priorities of the heavenly government

On earth, whoever isn't aligned with the government's priorities gets shut out: no subsidy, no support, no open door. A country that shifts toward electric vehicles financially backs the players in that industry. Yvan applies this image to Heaven: "The heavenly government doesn't give its attention to those who don't make His priorities their own priorities."

That is why Jesus declares:

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:33)

And that is also why a proverb resonates differently when you hear it addressed to you:

"Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered." (Proverbs 21:13)

The Spirit paraphrases it: whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the Father will cry out and get no answer. The cry of the Father is the salvation of souls and their establishment in the faith. As long as your heart isn't aligned with that cry, even your pastor's prayers for you will lack impact.

4. The double reward promised in Mark 10:28-31

Peter says to Jesus, "We have left everything to follow you!" Jesus answers:

"Truly I tell you," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields, along with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first." (Mark 10:29-31)

Here Jesus announces two kinds of rewards.

a. The present hundredfold reward. Whoever detaches (first in the soul, and sometimes later physically) from home, loved ones, land, and comfort in order to preach the gospel and establish disciples receives, in this present age, homes, brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, children, and fields. Yvan testifies: "God has given me fathers, mothers, brothers, covenant partners, spiritual children; my family in the faith is bigger than my biological family."

Fields, in that time, were a means of livelihood. Today, that means wealth. Jesus promised a hundred times as much, persecutions included. The world is fine with you having "crowds"; it bristles when prosperity comes. But the worker deserves his wages: God rewards those who suffer for his Name, just as a government rewards those who give everything for it.

b. The final reversal. The word rendered "but" in some translations corresponds in the Greek to "and / also / furthermore": verse 31 is directly linked to the preceding promise. Those who make the gospel their priority will supernaturally become first, in places where they were last.

5. The price to pay and the divine reward

Jesus isn't asking you to quit your job tomorrow. He's asking you to be willing to leave everything, to stop using your work, your family, or your comfort as an excuse. Paul made tents while he preached. A pastor cited as an example was a full-time engineer, held online meetings in the evening, and drove to Brussels every weekend.

There is a time for labor, for watering, for waiting. Then comes the harvest. God pays his debts; he pays his ministers; he owes no one anything. But he expects faithfulness, consistency, steadiness, and sometimes suffering. "What government doesn't make people suffer? Everyone suffers."

6. When Heaven shines its light on an unknown

Look at history. Charles Finney (1792-1875), Billy Graham, Kathryn Kuhlman (1907-1976): who remembers today the finance ministers of their era? No one. But their names have crossed borders and decades. It wasn't their diplomas or their prominent family that raised them up. It was God, because they paid the price to win souls and establish them.

"When God decides to raise someone up, no earthly government can keep them down." The Kingdom of God rules over the kingdoms of this world.

Key Takeaways

• Nothing is set in stone. The first can become last, and the last first. Your current position is not a life sentence.
• The divine model is the temple and the houses. Without commitment to an impact family, you're missing a pillar of God's wisdom.
• Align yourself with the cry of the Father. Salvation of souls plus the establishment of disciples: that is the priority of the heavenly government.
• The reward is twofold: a hundredfold here on earth, then a final reversal. Homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, children, fields, persecutions included.
• God rewards those who pay the price. Not through religious merit, but because the worker deserves his wages.

Personal Application

1. Today, which impact family (house cell, local group) are you truly connected to? If you don't have one, what step will you take this week?
2. What excuse usually keeps you from preaching, inviting, or caring for someone around you: work, tiredness, shyness, family?
3. In your neighborhood, who is going through a hardship you're ignoring? What concrete thing can you do this week, a meal, a visit, a shared prayer?
4. When was the last time you accepted discomfort for the sake of the gospel? If never, what are you willing to give up now?
5. Do you truly believe God rewards? Does that conviction change how you invest your time and finances in the Kingdom?

Scriptures Cited

• Mark 10:28-31 - read
• Acts 2:46 - read
• Acts 5:42 - read
• Matthew 6:33 - read
• Proverbs 21:13 - read
• 2 Samuel 7:10 - read

FAQ

Does this message mean I have to quit my job?

No. Pastor Yvan is explicit: he isn't asking you to give up your job. He's asking you to be willing to leave everything, to stop letting your work, your family, or your comfort serve as an excuse for not winning souls or establishing your brothers and sisters. Paul made tents while he preached.

What is an "impact family"?

This is the name ICC gives to house churches or cells: a small group that meets regularly during the week, in homes, to pray, share the Word, carry one another's burdens, invite neighbors, and evangelize locally. The model comes from Acts 2:46 and 5:42.

How should we understand the "hundredfold" promise in Mark 10:30?

Jesus really promises, even in this present age, a multiplication of spiritual relationships (brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, children in the faith), access to open homes, and a reward that also touches "fields," meaning livelihood and wealth. All of it with persecutions. The final reward, eternal life, is added on top of that.