The Call of the Kingdom:

We often make our duties harder
by thinking them hard.
We dwell on the things we do not like
till they grow before our eyes,
and, at last, perhaps shut out heaven itself.
But this is not following our Master,
and He, we may be sure,
will value little the obedience of a discontented heart.
The moment we see
that anything to be done is a plain duty,
we must resolutely trample out
every rising impulse of discontent.
We must not merely prevent our discontent
from interfering with the duty itself;
we must not merely prevent it from
breaking out into murmuring;
we must get rid of the discontent itself.
Cheerfulness in the service of Christ
is one of the first requisites to make that service Christian.
Frederick Temple

The Call of the Kingdom:

As children in the kingdom of God
we need to be committed to one another
as we walk our journey with the LORD,
committed to stand beside one another

in kingdom pursuits,

committed to seeing each another finishing well.

As we look through church history
or look at the contemporary church
we see that the number of people who are in ministry
who finish the race well are statistically only about twenty percent.

This should grieve our hearts,
as it does the heart of God…

Two of the keys to running well and finishing well
are having a solid foundation (the pursuit of God’s Word)
and having a ministry that grows
only out of intimacy with the LORD.

Our walk in the kingdom
is not just about gaining information
but must be about experience transformation.

We must be diligent to evaluate and determine
if we are truly experiencing
transformation in our journey with God.

Understanding that our transformation is a progression over time
we should pause at times in our walk
to allow the LORD and His Holy Spirit
to examine our hearts with this regard.

God desires to build in us
foundations and communion with Him
that will transform us
so that we might become transformers in the world.

We understand that as we examine these parameters
of walking with God,
none of us have arrived…
but we are seeking together to help one another
on a course in life that we continue to go pursue these things
and to continue to grow in these things.

We need to evaluate our walk periodically
examining these areas:

1. Do we exhibit a consistent growing relationship
with the LORD
that is built on intimacy with Him

One of the prime reasons
people in the kingdom and in ministry do not finish well
is because in the interest in their view of success
they stop pursuing intimacy with the LORD.
Their ministry begins to take the place
of intimacy with the LORD

We need to establish a lifestyle
that will that will continue throughout our days
that will assure that we will continue to grow
in our intimacy with the LORD.

We need to identify our position
as a son or daughter of God.

We dare not fall into the trap
of trying to earn
that which has been freely given to us in Christ.

We need to recognize if we are performance driven
or driven by eternal Love
that comes our of intimacy with the LORD

We have been adopted
not because of anything we have done
we have been adopted
because of the Love of God
because of choices that He made
because of His nature…

When we have become established in that,
when we are settled in that
and we are not trying to earn something…
then we become free.
to move and flow in the grace of God
and the anointing of God.

Ministry to others is the icing on the cake…
it is not the cake itself…
it is the fun stuff we get to do with Jesus
for we are co-laborers with Him.

9For we are God's fellow workers;

you are God's field, God's building.
1 Corinthians 3:9 NAS

2. Are we demonstrating a consistent
growing relationship with the Body of Christ
built of transparency.

It is wonderful to be intimate with the LORD
But some people have this attitude like…
‘You know I love Jesus, I just can’t stand Christians’

The reality is we are put together
with the Body of Christ

to stretch us, grow us, challenge us.

God works through those relationships
that at times can be challenging.

We are not meant to walk this walk in isolation.

We need to be in relationship
and if you look at so many people in ministry
who ultimately do fall and do not finish well
often there is a pattern of isolation
that begins to develop somewhere along the line.

They no longer allow themselves
to be in transparent covenant relationships
with other people.

These people are quick to take offense at other’s suggestions.
They are quick to misinterpret the intentions of others.

We should make certain
that we establish and maintain
healthy relationships with the body of Christ.

We sometimes wrongly think that

our relationships with each other

do not affect our relationship with the LORD.

Scripture tells us quite the opposite.

The Word challenges us in saying,

“How can you say that you love God

whom you don’t see,

if you don’t love your brother who you do see.”

Our every horizontal relationship
has an impact upon our vertical relationship with God.

3. Are we growing in Christ-like character
with evidence Christ -like qualities e.g.:
integrity
the fruits of the Spirit
excellence
love for the lost
being teachable

This again emphasizes the fact
that our walk is about
being transformed into the image of Jesus Christ,
and not simply acquiring information.

All of us have the great honor
of being on a journey
of becoming more and more like Jesus Christ.

Our destiny is to be conformed exactly to His image
So that in every respect we will be like Him.

11And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets,
and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,
12for the equipping of the saints
for the work of service,
to the building up of the body of Christ;
13until we all attain to the unity of the faith,
and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
to a mature man,
to the measure of the stature
which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
Ephesians 4:11-14 NAS

This process of becoming like Jesus
is not meant for us to wait to be in heaven
it is a process that is meant to fill our lives now.

So things like
manifesting the fruits of the Spirit
integrity,
excellence,
love for the lost,
and having a teachable spirit
are things that are to be growing in us
and there should be evidence of that in our lives.

We need to apply scriptural truth accurately

We can know the Word of God,
but if we are not applying it to our lives
then it is still just words on a page,
not the word becoming flesh.

We need the Word of God
to become flesh in our lives.

4. Do we demonstrate a priority
for reading and studying the Word of God regularly.

Throughout our spiritual walk
we need to love the scriptures
and to love our time in the Word of God.

Some people think
that because they have set aside a season
for studying the Word of God
that they have no need to continue
the discipline of being in the Word.

They feel they no longer need
to feed daily on the Word.

These saints are fooling themselves.

It would be like saying,
‘I’m going to eat enough food in the next year
so that I won’t have to eat for the rest of my life.’

You can’t survive that way

In the same way
we need daily spiritual sustenance
from the scriptures.

The picture of manna in the wilderness
It needed to be gathered each day.

We need to allow the LORD
to instill in us
a love for the Living Word within us.

A love for the interaction through the Holy Spirit
with the Word of God.

Maintaining a progressive comprehension of the Word
and being a self-feeder.

We have all been given
a lot of spiritual food to grow on.

As time goes on, however,
we are expected to become givers of the Word,
expected to do more
with what the LORD has placed in us.

The whole goal is that we become mature in Christ
to the point that we are able to feed ourselves
and to feed others –
that’s what being a leader is all about.
Readily makes practical application to life
through study of the Word.

Transformation comes
only when the truth is applied.

Truth on its own doesn’t change anything,
it’s the application of the truth
that brings transformation.

James reminds us that faith without works is dead.

Do we understand our purpose…
what are our core values…
what is our mission …
what is our vision…

It is important for us to know specifically
who we are and why we are here.

There are at any point in time
a ‘million’ good things
We could be doing….
But there is only ‘one’ thing
that you should be doing…
That which the LORD has called you to do.
(That ‘one’ thing of course may have multiple expressions.)

In the early part of Jesus’ ministry
He is healing; and crowds of people are coming to Him,
they pursue, Him they follow after Him –
because they see Him as a healer.

His disciples get caught up in this.

When He announces to them
that He is going to leave their response was
‘The crowds are coming.’
‘They need to be healed; the sick are coming.’

Jesus response was
‘That wasn’t why I was sent.’
‘I need to go to these other cities
I must preach that the kingdom is at hand.’

Jesus knew why He was sent,
and need and necessity
was not able to move Him from His purpose.

It is not enough to be anointed…
it is not enough to be in a place of intimacy with the LORD…
but we need to know
“What is your assignment?”

This is the thing that we must focus on
as we walk with the LORD.

5. Are we actively engaged in advancing the Kingdom
in our God Ordained Sphere(s) of Influence.

Wherever we go, the outflow of what is happening inside of us
should be the manifestation of the kingdom.

Jesus could say wherever He went,
“The kingdom of God is at hand.”
‘You can reach out and touch it.’

That is because wherever He went,
He manifested the kingdom.

That is what we are supposed to be doing as well.

It is a progression of sorts,
we begin with intimacy
which causes a transformation within us
that then flows out of us.

Each of us should have a spiritual Mother, Father or mentor…
We should press into that relationship,
so that they can breath life, counsel and correction
into our spiritual walk.

We need to continually allow the LORD

to examine our hearts and examine our spiritual walk

that He may encourage us in areas of strength

and strengthen us in areas where we are weak or struggling.

Transparency and humility before the LORD

are essential qualities that ensure our maturation in Him.

23Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
24And see if there be any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.
Psalm 139: 23-24 NAS

We need to be open to the opinions of others
about our spiritual walk,
and we need to allow the Holy Spirit
to point out any unforgiveness,
bitterness or judgment of others
that we may harbor in our hearts.

We dare not espouse Christ
and harbor bitterness one toward another,
even when an offense might be “justified”
by another person’s words or actions…
we must choose to walk with them
in love, grace, mercy and forgiveness.

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control;
against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23 NAS

We need to acknowledge the work of the Spirit of God in us.
We may, for example, demonstrate goodness everywhere we go;
that’s not pride, but rather simply
acknowledging the transforming power of God in our lives.

The scripture clearly emphasizes
that we are to be doers of the Word and not hearers only.

But prove yourselves doers of the word,
and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
James 1:22 NAS

We are called to make an impact in the world
for the kingdom of God.

We should be a witness
in the spheres of cultural influences
that the LORD has given us opportunity to impact.

There are seven mountains of cultural influence
that the church is called to “take or influence”
so that the kingdom of our God
can become the kingdom of this earth.

Now, O LORD our God, deliver us from his hand,
so that all kingdoms on earth may know
that you alone, O LORD, are God. "
Isaiah 37:20 NASB

These cultural areas of influence are:
The family:
It has long been said that
“the hand that rocks the cradle… controls the nation.”
We are engaged in a war over the mind control of our children.

The Church / Religion:
The Church is to equip for ministry
so that the world may embrace Christ

Education:
Education shapes the next generation of leaders
Most universities which were founded in Christ
have abandoned their spiritual call for secular humanism.

Government:
The founders of our Government stated that it would never work unless all who govern were Christians.

The Arts:
Spiritual truths were meant to be breathed by the arts.

Business, Science and Finance:
Look at the effect that Joseph and David had on government
Virtually all early scientific gain was birthed by believers
Media
Media has an enormous influence over people.

16For by Him all things were created,
both in the heavens and on earth,
visible and invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—
all things have been created through Him and for Him.
17He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
18He is also head of the body, the church;
and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.
19For it was the Father's good pleasure
for all the fullness to dwell in Him,
20and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself,
having made peace through the blood of His cross;
through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.
Colossians 1:16-20 NASB

We should be operating
in one or more of these spheres of influence right now.

The LORD clearly calls us to areas
so that we may be salt and light upon the earth.

The question is what has He called us to do
to invest in establishing His kingdom upon the earth.

It is important that we
are brought to maturity in Christ…
those who are mature do receive
from the ministry of God and His body;
but they are also an essential part
of establishing God’s kingdom
through ministry to others.

What we receive is not the Living Word
unless it transforms us
and we put it into action.

When we are able to articulate it
and minister it to someone else
that’s when it becomes transformational.

We have all heard the analogy
between the Jordan River and the Dead Sea.

The Jordan River has an in-flow
and an out-flow…
it sustains life.

The Dead Sea has an in-flow
but no out-flow
and is a stagnant death trap.
There is almost no life supported within its waters.

Often we think that we have little to share.
But most American Christians
have far more training and instruction
than the majority of pastors around the world,
particularly in third world nations.

Indeed we have become a consumption laden church,
one that is consumed in the process of learning
for the sake of learning.

That endeavor has become an idol within the church,
if-you-will an end within itself,
rather that a springboard for sharing the Gospel message.

Wherever we go,
the outflow of what is happening inside of us;
because of what we learn in the presence of the LORD
and through our pursuit of the truth of God’s Word,
should generate transformation within us
and we should become the manifestation of the kingdom
to the spheres of influence we inhabit.

The church is called to be an army of people
that are going to change the world.

Anything less that that
is a waste of your time.

The goal is to finish well and hear the words
Well done

23"His master said to him,
'Well done, good and faithful slave.
You were faithful with a few things,
I will put you in charge of many things;
enter into the joy of your master.'
Matthew 25:23 NAS

God wants us all to succeed in our assignments…
as we succeed in our assignments
we are looking at a world
that will be invaded and transformed
by the kingdom of God.


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