The Culture of Stars

             

     

                                             KINGDOM CULTURE
Kings and Priests

As believers we have been washed from our sins by the blood of Jesus, and He has made us kings and priests to our God (Revelation 1:5,6). There is a present-tense application of us being kings and
priests to our God. In the present, as kings, we represent God’s rule and reign here on the earth. We are here to see His Kingdom come into our earthly realm. As priests, we glorify our God in
worship and we take the matters of the earth to heaven, to seek God’s heart and to bring in heavenly intervention in the affairs of this life. And there is also a future-tense application of being kings
and priests when we will reign on the earth in His literal Kingdom (Revelation 5:9,10).
As a royal priesthood, kingly priests or kings and priests, we are a holy nation (1 Peter 2:9). The word “nation” is the Greek “ethnos” which can also mean race or tribe. A nation, race or tribe
of people, are in essence people of the same habit, customs or culture. As kings and priest, we are people of a common Kingdom Culture. We have a set of shared attitudes, values, goals and
practices that characterize us. We share a common system of beliefs and behavior. When we as a community of believers follow Kingdom Thinking and Kingdom Living, we are able to create a Kingdom Culture in our environment.

A Prevailing Culture

When a community of believers, have truly established Kingdom Culture amongst them, they will find that it is a prevailing culture. KINGDOM CULTURE will overpower the evils of any culture around it. When people come into a Kingdom Culture environment, bringing with them the evils of their existing culture, the only thing that will change is the culture with which they once walked in.
The challenge then is to establish such a culture amongst a community of believers who truly function as kings and priests of the Kingdom. If we can get believers to understand Kingdom teaching and begin to think and live from Kingdom perspective, we can then truly establish a strong Kingdom Culture in any community, in any part of the world. Such a community will become a prevailing force for advancing the Kingdom of God. They will truly be salt and light
in their world. Here are just a few facets of Kingdom Culture:

A Culture of Honor

Kingdom Culture is a culture where we practice giving honor, reverence and respect. We honor our King, our Lord and our God who is the Head of the Kingdom. We also bestow honor on those
who have been appointed by God to serve in specific functions in the Kingdom. Those who lead God’s people well and those who labor in Word and doctrine are to be given “double honor” (1
Timothy 5:17). When you honor someone, you are expressing the value you place on who they are and what they mean to you personally. You give honor through what you say and what you do.
When you speak highly of someone, you are giving honor. When you refuse to defame someone, you are giving honor. When you stand up in the presence of the person, applaud, give financially or
serve in any way, you show honor to that person. When you honor someone, you are able to receive through their life. When you receive or honor a prophet, a righteous man or a disciple for who they are in the Kingdom, you receive a reward that represents who they are (Matthew 10:41,42).
I like what I heard pastor Bill Johnson of Bethel Church (Redding, CA) share. Elisha was trained by Elijah and carried a double portion of anointing and power, and produced twice as many miracles. Yet, John the Baptist, Jesus’ forerunner, came in the spirit and power of Elijah, not Elisha. Why was that? Pastor Bill explains that God honors the fathers of a movement. He places the honor on the one who paid the price and sowed the seeds, to pioneer a fresh move of God in a place.

A Culture of Selfless Giving

A Kingdom Culture is described by its selfless giving. There is joy in the process of giving. It could be the giving of time, efforts, comfort, encouragement, support, finances and many other things.
Whatever form of giving it might be, people do so cheerfully. People sacrifice gladly. It is spontaneous, without coercion or compulsion.
It emanates from the heart. Selfless giving is seen in Kingdom men and women who serve behind the scenes unnoticed and often unappreciated. Selfless giving is seen in Kingdom men and women
who forsake their earthly opportunities and successes and invest their time and energies for serving people, and the furtherance of the Kingdom. This is not a kind of giving that takes place only if the
recipient is able to give back to the giver. Rather, it is a kind of giving, where we expect nothing back from those who have received from us, knowing that God will reward us in due time. It is a kind of
giving that is motivated by the Words of the King when He said “in as much as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25:40). It is a kind of giving that is motivated by love for God and love for people.

A Culture of Daring Faith

Kingdom Culture is also characterized by a people of daring faith— people who stand strong in the face of adversity with a smile on their face and abounding joy in their hearts. This is a kind of faith
that enables one to take some risks—stepping out of the boat, so to speak, in everyday life. People of daring faith are risk takers.
They do not mind putting their reputation on the line in order to see God’s Kingdom come and His will be done. Their motivation is to see God glorified at all costs. It is this kind of faith that sees
the advancement of the Kingdom of God whether it be in the marketplace, in communities or unreached territories. It is this kind of faith that causes miracles, healings and deliverances to
take place.

A Culture of Joy

When Philip preached in Samaria the name of Jesus Christ and things concerning the Kingdom of God, there was great joy in that city. Unclean spirits left, the lame were made whole and the people
rejoiced. Righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit characterize a people who are living and experiencing the Kingdom of God in their midst. Nothing can steal this joy. No amount of
defamation, no amount of slander or persecution can cause them to lose the joy of the Lord. The joy of the Lord is expressed not only through cheerful laughter but also through a sense of calm
assurance and peace in the midst of any situation. It is the ability to be light even when the world seems to be weighing in on you. It is a joy that enables people in the community to “stick together”
even when things are pulling them apart. It is this joy that fosters unity and fellowship of the Spirit. A Kingdom Culture is an environment of such “joy inexpressible and full of glory” (1 Peter
1:8).

  A Culture of Heaven Invading Earth

A Kingdom Culture will not be complete without the manifestations of heaven on earth. We are told to pray His Kingdom come and His will be released here on earth, even as it is in heaven. His will is for the lost to be saved, the sick to be healed, demons to be cast out, the captives to be set free, the poor to hear the Good News, the homeless to have a shelter, the hungry to be fed, the naked to be
clothed, the widows and orphans to be cared for, the mistreated and abused to receive relief and hope—everything that represents heaven invading earth. A Kingdom Culture will be an environment
where these things are happening all the time.
                                       

                                                                        THE KINGDOM MANDATE
                                                                                       Matthew 6:9,10
9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Jesus came to introduce His Kingdom to us in its spiritual form. We are now living and sharing in that Kingdom. He did not intend for it to fade away but rather to be like the mustard seed that keeps growing or like the leaven that keeps permeating and infiltrating the environment in which it is placed. He expects that to continue today through us, the sons and daughters of the Kingdom that He has placed in the earth. There is a Kingdom mandate on
our lives to see His Kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
                                                                                 Kingdom Within You
Luke 17:20,21
20 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you. God’s Kingdom—His rule and reign—works out from within us, in us and through us. We must live with the consciousness of
the Kingdom of God within us. The righteousness, peace and joy of the Kingdom are within us. The power and authority of the Kingdom are within us. The prevailing force of the Kingdom of
God is within us, and wherever we go the Kingdom of God is being taken. There is an opportunity for Kingdom advancement wherever we are. There is an opportunity for manifestation of Kingdom
authority and dominion into every situation we enter.
                                                                     
                                                                   Pressing into the Kingdom
Matthew 11:12
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.
Luke 16:16
The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.
This seems to be a dichotomy. The Kingdom is within us, and yet we are to press into the Kingdom of God. The preaching and teaching of the Kingdom of God must spur us to press into it.
“Pressing into” means to forcefully or violently enter into. There is an element of ‘violence’ or ‘forcefulness’ with which we must take the things of the Kingdom.
Here is another paradox. We are called to be both Kingdom children and Kingdom-warriors. It takes wisdom to know the correct posture—to be childlike or to be warrior-like—to receive what
God has for us.
On the one hand there are things of the Kingdom that we must receive as a little child. Jesus said, “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).
God just gives it to us and we receive as little children. And yet on the other hand, we have to be warrior-like when we have to aggressively pursue what the King has made available
to us in His Kingdom. We are not fighting the King because He is not the One keeping it away from us. Rather we are fighting our the influences of the world, the tares— the sons of the wicked one—and demonic powers that hinder us from experiencing what is ours in the Kingdom of Heaven. There
are some things in the Kingdom that we will never experience, unless we are willing to contend for it with a violent aggressiveness that will not let go until we have it. As a community, we need to come
together and contend together to become a force for God in our city, our nation and in all the nations. We must contend together to become a Church that will overthrow the powers of hell and bring
the will of God into any situation.
Everything in Submission to the King As a first step in fulfilling our Kingdom mandate, everything in our lives must be in submission to the King. We must welcome the King’s domain into every area of our lives and allow it touch our everyday living. We must live and operate out of a “Kingdom of
God” perspective, where everything we do is an extension of the King’s domain here on earth—His rule being released in us and through us. As Jesus said we must seek first the Kingdom of God
and His righteousness. To us the pursuit of the Kingdom must become all-consuming. Like the pearl of great price and like the treasure hidden in the field, we must put everything we have—all
our dreams, our ambitions and our purposes into the “Kingdom basket.” The only thing that matters to us and the only thing that we live for—is to see His Kingdom come and His will be done on
earth as it is in heaven.
                                               
                                                                       
                                                             Unleashing Kingdom Influence

We must also be willing to position ourselves in this world. Jesus instructed us to do business till He comes, not hide in monasteries or church meetings till He comes. He has told us to engage the
world with the intent of becoming profitable. The only way we can unleash Kingdom influence in the world is by engaging the world. Step into your mountain or mountains. What is your mountain
or sphere of influence that God has called you to—arts and entertainment, media, education, business, government, family, religion? Position yourself on your mountain. Expect the mustard
seed of the Kingdom within you, the leaven of His Kingdom within you to begin permeating and penetrating your environment through you. You begin to influence your world through Kingdom thinking and Kingdom living. You do not conform to the ways of the kingdoms of this world. You operate from a different Kingdom Culture. Yours is a prevailing culture—the culture that is stronger and more powerful than the culture of the world around you.
     
                                                             Advancing Kingdom Invasion

Begin to pray, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” wherever you are. Pray this for your home, your neighborhood, your school or college, your workplace and wherever
you have a chance of bringing in the Kingdom. When you pray this way, you are expressing your desire to see God’s Kingdom advance through your life into your world. When you go to school, you are not only going there to receive an education, but you are there as a son or daughter of the Kingdom. In your workplace, you are not going just to earn a salary, but you are there for Kingdom
advancement. You have a message to proclaim—”The Kingdom of heaven is here!” You have a mandate to see God’s Kingdom come and His will be done in your school. So start praying. Even a simple whisper will get things started. Look for ways to see how His Kingdom can advance in that area. Keep your heart and mind open for ideas, strategies and things that God will want you to do to
advance His Kingdom in that place. He may want you to start something, perhaps a prayer meeting. He may want you to engage people in that place in some way. He may want you to address a
specific need in that place by serving the people there. He may want you to engage in intense prayer for a season and then step out in action. He may want you to stay and work your way into a place
of influence so that your life can be a testimony to many. He may want you to integrate Kingdom principles in what you do, so that like leaven working through a lump of dough, you can progressively influence the culture of that organization. You are there to see the  advancement of Kingdom invasion in that place.



                                                 Walking in Kingdom Power, Authority and Dominion
Luke 10:1,9
1 After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. 9 And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’
Remember that the Kingdom always comes with power. The Kingdom we represent and are part of, is more powerful than any demonic power. Whenever you get an opportunity, exercise Kingdom
authority that is vested in you. All of heaven backs you up, when you use the name of Jesus. Be forceful about exercising authority.
Sometimes, demonic forces are stubborn and do not give in easily. We have to be more persistent than the devil, knowing that we have greater authority and it is the devil who must retreat. We must desire to become a community of believers who manifest Kingdom power and authority everywhere we go. Works of power, destroying demonic works, miracles must become the norm for us as a believing community.
                                 
                                                                             It Is All About the King!

Finally, in our Kingdom mandate, we must remember that it is all about the King. It is not even about our local church, ourselves, our ministry and our reputation. None of these matter! At the end
of it all, it is all about Jesus! We are here to see Him exalted, glorified, worshiped and adored. Whatever we do, it is to see Jesus lifted high, a banner that flies across this land!
Matthew 6:13
                 For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.