In this lesson we study when the bible says the kingdom will come. Is the kingdom now? Where is the kingdom? We also take a look at the prodigal son parable. Who are you? Are you the prodigal son who has returned and received gladly what your father has given you? Or are you the religious elder son who has been saved a long time but never takes on the purpose your father meant for you to have?
North Korea’s leader has a destructive mindset. What is it? It’s the ideology of ‘Juche‘.
Juche is the idea that teaches “man is the master of everything and decides everything”. (Taken from Wikipedia.org)
There is a small truth in this ideology. Man does decide about a lot of things in the earth. After all the Father has put us here to exercise dominion over the earth. God expects us to manage what He has given to us. However, man’s decisions do not impact everything. Thank God. Man’s decisions impact his own life, his future, his ending. Man’s decisions impact other people, touch families, organizations, tribes, government’s. The decision of a few radical Muslims impacted the entire global community on September 11th, 2001. So man’s decisions have a HUGE impact on earth.
However the Juche ideology states something completely different… incorrect… dangerous. It teaches man decides ‘everything’. This is simply not true.
I am a careful examiner of words, motto’s, phrases, cliches, and sayings. After all words are powerful. The Lord got my attention a few weeks ago- I was talking to myself (yes- to myself) and I was going over a situation in my head. The outcome of this situation could go either way but I was weighing all of the possibilities. And I had a saying go through my mind, that all of us have said- “I doubt it”.
It’s such a common thing we say. We think about how we would ‘like’ someone’s reaction to be and we quickly disregard that possibility by saying or thinking- I doubt it. It’s so easy for us to do. Think about it… you have probably said that this week. Remember ‘so as a man thinketh, so is he’; And God got my attention to what I had just thought. (See He’s teaching me, training me to be just like Him) Sometimes we fix thing’s in our mind so that they cannot change and then we wonder why thing’s don’t turn out the way we ‘want’ them too. It may be God’s will for a situation to turn in our favor but we don’t give God access to move in our life because of doubt, unbelief.
God hears, sees and knows everything. There is not a vain word that is spoken that God does not know about. So I am very careful about what I say or how I think. I’m constantly working on my belief system. North Korea’s juche ideology is broken because it is a rebellion against the natural order of things. Juche says ‘man decides everything’. Man does not decide-‘everything’. God has an idea… a purpose- and if man decides to rebel against God for too long- God will move them out of the way. He did it with Jonah- He made David flee his own kingdom from his own flesh and blood, Absalom.
The other teaching of this ideology is the first part which is very dangerous which states- ‘man is the master of everything’. This is to say you are the owner and controller of “EVERYTHING”. Man? Really? It’s this mindset that gets us in so much trouble. Thinking we can rule ourselves. We discover great medicines to help, but we also discover great chemicals to kill. We discover awesome technologies to make life better, but then we discover awesome technologies to be able to destroy ourselves. How can we be master’s over everything- if we have not even mastered our own bodies, our own lives, our own countries, our own businesses? This mindset is dangerous because it rebels against the Lord- the true owner of all the earth. This ideology rebels against the kingdom of God- and God will only put up with it for so long.
God humbles us with problems and trials so that we will realize that He is the creator and true Master of everything.
Who are you supposed to be?
What’s keeping you from becoming?
What’s stopping you from being?
Sometimes we think people decide who we are, or at least we act that way. We don’t take risk because of the fear of criticism. Because if we fail at trying, then maybe it would mean we are not who we thought we were. But that’s not true.
The enemy doesn’t want you to realize who you are. If you realize then you might discover something that would save millions of lives and that would be more purposes that could be fulfilled. You might discover some new way to grow crops that is healthy and causes people to live longer lives and the devil would have to deal with them on the earth that much longer. But being successful is the product of many failures. It’s diligence and perseverance that brings the fruit. Look at this scripture the Lord brought to me this morning.
1 Corinthians 2:8
Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
If they had known who He was they would not have treated Him the way they did.
So don’t worry about those around you- what they say, or how they treat you. If they knew what you were going to become they wouldn’t do it. If they knew who you were they’d follow you for the leader that you are going to become. Jesus didn’t let them persuade Him. He knew who He was and what He was here to do. Find out your purpose- you have one! We all do.
So I challenge you- seek purpose everyday until you find it. Then once you have vision, TAKE IT! You might have to hear some things you don’t want to hear, you may have to push on even though the balance is tipped against you- but be diligent.
When the odds seems against you, your coworkers are negative, or even if family and friends seem doubtful, just remind yourself with this saying-
“It’s OK, If they only knew who I was… -But they’ll find out”
It can be easy sometimes to let the fluctuations of life’s events and circumstances determine our mood. But you need to make up your mind to stop that today. It’s your mind.
Do you know how powerful your mind is? You were made in the image of God. (Genesis 1:26)
Let’s look at something interesting- Mass Hysteria. Mass Hysteria is a very interesting phenomenon. It is a display of the power of the mind. It happens when a group of people form similar symptoms of another individual because they believe it is contagious. It occurs mostly with disease or sickness but has occurred with other triggering events. There have been times when a mysterious substance has been found (chemical, or powder) and one person thought they were getting sick from it and then an entire staff was hospitalized because they all thought they had exposure to what was later found out to be non-toxic. People suffering from mass hysteria have formed all symptoms up to strange spots on their body of similar nature and even loss of consciousness. The mind is a powerful thing. You are what you believe!
What does the bible say about this?
Proverbs 23:7
“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…”
So if you believe you’re supposed to be poor, you will be poor. If you believe you are supposed to be an employee, you will never run a business. If you believe you are to follow, you will never be a leader. If you believe you are where you deserve, you will never have better.
If you believe how others define you, you will never discover who you are!
So as a man thinks… so he is. It’s time to change- but you first have to convince someone, yourself. You can make up your ‘mind’. You can decide to be different. You can decide to change your family tree. You can decide to do the opposite of what you normally would do. You just have to change your mind. Once you get your mind set to something, nothing can stop you. People can define you all they want to- but they will not be able to stop you from becoming who you were born to be unless you allow them to. It’s your mind, make it up. Don’t look at your surroundings, or current position in life, or on a job- that’s temporary.
I was listening to Myles Munroe speak recently about President Abraham Lincoln. Before he became president he was in an insane asylum. Who knew? The next president of the United States of America would come out of the insane asylum, and he was a good one! Paul was a murderer, David was a sheppard boy- but one would write virtually the entire new testament and the other would become king of Israel. What if they had let their positions in life define them. Joshua arose from the prisons of Egypt to become the second in command of the superpower of his day. What a difference when we don’t believe our circumstances but have a vision of something greater.
Remember your current place in life may not be what you want it to be, but it’s only seasonal. Seasons come and seasons go. Nothing stays the same. The only thing that is constant is God and His word.
Do you ever hear anyone say this?
Rarely. In today’s society it’s a badge of honor to hate your boss, hate your job, get aggravated in traffic, complain about your wages, and to “just get by” in life. It means your ‘normal’. You fit in with everyone else- well most people. Since elementary school you were reformed into believing if you could be like everyone else you would be alright.
But the truth is being like everyone else is horrible. Being like everyone else is easy. It’s the path of least resistance. It means you’ve settled. Settling is boring and gives nothing in life. What really stands out are the ones who challenge. Challenge themselves, the system, the normal ways, and standard convention. These are the ones who do something worth remembering, who make things exciting, who improve the standard, and who get the most attacks. That’s right… attacks. After all you’re not in line with the rest of the lemmings.
What would life be without these kinds of people. If it wasn’t for these kinds of thinkers, America would still be a colony of Britain. Anyone can fit in- it takes risk to achieve great results.
I like to start off any project or implementation of an idea with the thought of “What is the absolute worst thing that could happen?” When I face these realities, it doesn’t sound as bad as if I didn’t say it out loud and I let it loom in my mind as ‘the end of the world’. It’s not. It can’t be.
I love Mondays! See for me, it’s just another day in the kingdom, and everyday in the kingdom is a good day. So what can I change today, who can I encourage, what can I influence, what area can I impact? Ask yourself these questions. Do you like your life? If not, then change it! Change it all up. You are in control of your life and where you are. Think about this statement…
You are in the position you thought you were worth.
You either need to be where you think you should be in life, moving towards the place you should be in life, or making a change of your direction to go where your purpose is. That’s where true self worth is- fulfilling your calling, exercising your gift, and loving every minute of it.
That’s Kingdom!
Did you hear the weather this morning? If you hear them say it’s going to rain- do you get an umbrella or a coat?
Have you been praying for something for your ministry, or in your life that you need finances for? What’s your plan? God got my attention on this the other day. He asked me “If I gave you $100,000 dollars what would you do with it?”
I couldn’t answer. I didn’t know. I had not got that far. I was waiting for the funds then I would think what to do. But, this is out of order. God is a God of order. You have to have a plan if you go to a bank for a loan for a business venture. You have to have a business plan. God ‘is’ order- so why would He give funds to someone who doesn’t have enough faith to plan what to do with the funds. “We ask God for things but we don’t have enough faith to plan what to do with the answer.”
What great faith to show, by planning your operation, ministry, or business before you have the resources to implement. Without faith it’s impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6)
Show God how much you believe that He is Provider. If you have prayed, and you ask according to His will and not your own- then ‘Act’! Do something! Put some actions to your faith. Show you know Him as Abba! Source and Sustainer! Get a strategy! Start a plan! Do something visible for the invisible that’s coming!
You were born for a purpose. You were created in the image and likeness of the Father in heaven for a reason. God created you with the intent on making you a ruler on earth. You were born to dominate the earth. So why are we letting life dominate us? Why do we continue to live in sin? We are out of order. It’s time to return to the natural order of things. The way God originally made it. The way He originally intended for things to be. Ruling under His authority. Carrying out His will. Return to the Creator’s natural order for your life!
What if we were concerned more about our relationship with God than our relationship with people? We seem to have this backward most of the time. We spend hours with people and very little with God.
If we looked at the kingdom for what it is, the government of Heaven, than we would want to stay in right standing with our home government. We would want to keep our relationship with the government healthy. After all if you are not getting your intelligence daily from the government- what do you know?
We are after all ambassadors for Christ…
Who are we? Why do we exist? What is our purpose?
We have all asked ourselves these questions or something similar. Sometimes we feel like nothing. We feel like we can’t be anything because of our background, family history, or what we were born into. But that is simply not true. Our lineage goes back to the beginning of time- when we were created- man (male and female) were created. We were made with a purpose in mind. In the mind of God we were designed. He thought it good to create us in His image and in His likeness. You were made for a divine purpose. It’s time to realize who you are, where you come from, and carryout your Father’s heavenly mandate!
So what does the word “gospel” mean?
Religion would explain the gospel as this: “Jesus coming to die on the cross.” That’s what you have heard, yeah?
But, let’s quit listening to tradition and actually study the word.
Gospel comes from the Greek word “euaggelion” pronounced
‘yu-ahn-ge-le-on’ . It literally means ‘good tidings’ or ‘good news’. Please read the above again… make sure you understand this definition for gospel. It’s important to understand because if we use a word incorrectly then the message can be marred from it’s original meaning.
[Quick-Thought]
You ever had someone you knew, who used a word in a sentence where it didn’t belong? You knew what word or meaning they were trying to get across but they didn’t use the correct word.
Example: Someone is explaining to you how much money they have made in their stocks and they say “I’m making a lot of money because of this comparable interest thing.” Then you quickly add “…you mean compound interest?”
You would only know what they meant because you had previous ‘correct’ knowledge. But if you had no idea about stocks or investing- you would think they were right and ignorance would have been passed on to you. Now we have two people using an incorrect term. How dangerous a “well delivered error” can be. Think about it… many religions, with some having only slight differences in their beliefs; But even slight deviations can be absolutely wrong.
So, gospel means “good news”. What good news?… What is the good news?…
Can it be that religion has misunderstood, misrepresented, miscommunicated the “good news”? Well if gospel means good news- then there are a lot of things that can be good news. Right? Remember what the meaning of ‘gospel’ is, not what religion has taught. Jesus used this word when He was on earth based on our definition of the word. He would not have used a word for some brand new meaning that no one would understand. So let’s look at the scripture containing this word.
Matthew 4
23) And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
I have purposely emphasized what we usually read from this verse. And then everyone says “I go about preaching the GOSPEL!”.
Well… what is it? You have stated you preach the good news, so what is the good news? Come on, Come on- tell us the good news.
Can you imagine reading the newspaper and seeing these headlines.
“A TERRIBLE THING HAS HAPPENED”
“A NEW THING HAS HAPPENED”
“WE HAVE A GREAT STORY”
That would make no sense, because you have told us nothing in this headline. So the fix to these above would be this.
“TITANIC SINKS”
“HUBBLE TELESCOPE TAKES FIRST PICTURES”
“MAN RISKS OWN LIFE TO SAVE NEIGHBOR”
Now we have the headline defined and not just a declaration.
So, what is the good news? If we say, without the understanding, “I preach the gospel!” then we have left off the definition for our declaration of good news. So let’s look at what Christ says is the “good news”.
Matthew 4
23) And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
Ahhhhh! There it is! Jesus went about teaching and preaching the “good news”… of the kingdom! That was the good news he was preaching! If I got a job making twice as much as I make now- that would be gospel (good news). If my son was accepted for a full scholarship to any college in America paid in full; That would be gospel!
So the important thing to remember is to read the bible carefully. We have allowed some words to be defined for us by tradition. We have made the word ‘gospel’ mean all of these other things. Just because a word becomes synonymous by tradition, does not make it correct. Study the word, then get knowledge of the words. Make sure you understand the definition for a word. Check several reparable sources. An incorrect definition of a word can be detrimental to your understanding of the rest of the book, its meaning, and its message. So with all thy getting get understanding. (Proverbs 4:7)
So if you preach the gospel- preach the gospel Jesus Christ preached… the gospel of the kingdom.
