Integrity- People of God

22           One World, Two Kingdoms

One major fact we must come to know is there are two world kingdoms vying for our time, attention and destiny. There is the fallen kingdom of this world that is influenced by the fall of mankind and sin. There is also the kingdom of God that Jesus returned to the earth and we must learn how to operate in the kingdom of God through His principles. God created mankind to be kings over His kingdom on earth and to bring Him Glory. The enemy deceived mankind and stole the authority that was given by God. With the fall, Satan began to reign in the earth with lies and deceptions. Jesus came and restored the kingdom of God back to humanity on the earth. This is what the New Testament is about, the restoration of the Kingdom of God on the earth and the adoption of mankind into the family of God.

Many people think God lost the battle in the garden and that Satan was the victor causing man to fall. Some people even blame God for not stopping Satan and allowing these bad things to happen to us. God was not surprised not was He defeated. What the enemy meant to be a destructive end to mankind the prize of God’s creation, God used to make man into an even more glorious design, man was not able to be children of God! As beautiful and magnificent as mankind was in his created state cannot compare to becoming a child of God. Though many of us do not operate in the understanding and knowledge of who we are in Christ, it does not negate the fact that we are more than conquers and we have the Spirit of the living God inside us, having accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. We are joint heirs with Christ and through many lack the knowledge of the power and authority it is there none the less.

Matthew 4:17,                  From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.       

Matthew 10:7                    As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’

 Ephesian 2:2              in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.

Colossians 1:13                 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,

To understand the kingdom we must know God’s original intent and purpose for all humanity. Then we can better understand our individual purpose in the world. We each have been given a life to bring glory to God and to establish His kingdom on the earth. The choice of what we do with our lives is ours to make. Jesus came and re-established God’s kingdom on the earth, a spiritual kingdom that man can now have access and operate in while living on the earth.

Jesus’ first message was Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent is from the Greek word, metanoeo that means, to think differently, to reconsider, or to change the way you think. It is important to understand the true message Jesus preached so we can share the same message. If we are confused with the message, we will be confused with our purpose and how to live in the Kingdom God, which He has given.

The enemy is an adversary he tries to keep people confused, in darkness, angry and to refuse to forgive so they will not operate in God’s kingdom life and His principles, which are love, peace, patience and forgiveness.

Genesis 1: 26- 28          Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”  So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

God created man to rule and to reign over all His creation for His pleasure to bring the glory of God in the earth. Jesus came to restore us from a fallen position that we may once again reign, to have dominion in the spiritual kingdom of God.  In the Word of God, we see we must not allow situations and circumstances dictate our action, only the word of God. This is how we bring glory to God; it is by living above our circumstances in life. This is not to say we will not go through some difficult times. Many people in the Bible had difficult times but overcame them through their belief in God’s promises. We too will come through difficult times and most times we become a better person, a more mature person after having gone through those life challenges. We learn how to operate in God’s kingdom principles and God receives the praise for His faithfulness.

There is a battle of two worlds and each is trying to dominate, to have dominion on the earth.  That is why we see such havoc in the world. There is a worldly system that Satan has influenced to deceive mankind and tricked people into committing treason against God. The enemy came to kill, steal and to destroy the highest of God’s creation, mankind, the one who was created to reflect God’s image. He will use anything he can to divided mankind, be it religion, culture or just the color of their skin.

It is satanic attack to have such hate rise in a person that it would cause them to kill a brother. This story is so familiar; Cain killed Able out of pride and jealousy wanting to be seen as the best. There are many people who are still destroying others because they look different, believe different and all this is because of a perverted since of self.  Self-preservation has become the first law of the fall of man rather than the commandment to love one another as Christ has loved us. We were created to be the love of God and to display this love in the earth.

The kingdom of God on earth has been established through the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus. The first message Jesus gave was about the kingdom of God, it is at hand, and you can touch it and receive it. He began describing what the kingdom of God was like and how to operate in it. When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, Jesus taught them to pray for God’s kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven. The world wants us to focus our actions on going to heaven after we die, while losing all hope for the present. God want us to bring heaven to earth by the way we live so our actions will reflect God’s kingdom principles on the earth changing the world into a kingdom that looks like God’s kingdom in heaven.

God’s original purpose for mankind was for the world to reflect the glory of God. God created mankind in His image and told man to multiply and increase in number so that the people who look like God will rule the earth as God rule the heavens.

These two different kingdoms are trying to establish their realm and domain in our lives, our homes, our families and society to extend their kingdom in the earth. We will make a choice consciously by accepting the kingdom of God through faith in Jesus or unconsciously by do nothing and therefore living in the kingdom of darkness. We are citizens of one of these two kingdoms, the kingdom of light or the kingdom of darkness. Our life choices will reflect which of these kingdoms will reign in our lives.

Genesis 2: 27-28               So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground

 Matthew 6:9-13                This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.