Integrity- People of God

Jesus’ Gospel – The Kingdom of Heaven

JESUS’ GOSPEL – THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

The schemes the enemy plays on humanity remain the same. His strategy has not changed from the time he questioned God’s love and His word to Eve to cause Eve to doubt God. He still tries to imply God’s motives are wrong and he want to get us to question God’s word and His love for us and our identity as children of God. Eve was deceived in the garden and Satan tried to beguile Jesus in the wilderness by questioning if He was the Son of God. The enemy has always tried to attack God’s Word and our identity in God, to keep us confused or blind to the fact we were created for greatness as sons of God to be His glory in the earth.

Our created purpose is to have dominion over our circumstances, situations and to reflect the image of God in the earth. Satan is the master of deception, the father of lies and he tries to change what man believes about himself and his created purpose. If we are confused and deluded about who we are and the purpose of our being sons of God, then we may end up living our entire lives not knowing the truth of who we are. Jesus came that we might know this truth.

John 18:37     Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” NKJV

It is surprising to see the differences in what Jesus taught and what is taught by religion today. Jesus spoke on the Kingdom of God and He mentioned it over 50 times. Jesus also spoke of the Kingdom of Heaven over 30 times and He spoke of being born again in one conversation as an answer to a question. Jesus’ message was of the kingdom and how it operates this is not the message we hear most religious meetings. We normally hear on message, the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Important as this is, believing in Jesus is the way we enter into the kingdom of God. Now we must learn how to live and operate in the Kingdom of God.

We are told how to get into the kingdom of God, through faith in Jesus, which takes only sections to profess a belief in Christ. Then most will spend a lifetime not knowing how to operate in the kingdom of God that we are now part as citizens.

We must strive to learn more about how to operate in the kingdom God on earth. This will bring glory to God. Jesus called Himself the door; the means by which men would enter into this kingdom and be saved. Jesus came and paid the debt for sin that owed and now we can be saved and enter into the kingdom of God. Jesus main message was how we are to live in this kingdom while on earth.

John10:9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

Luke 4: 17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Matthew 11:11 Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. NKJV

Jesus spoke of John the Baptist as the greatest one born of women, which is the first birth into this world. However, those who are born again of both spirit and water will enter into the kingdom of heaven that is present on this earth. Jesus was not speaking of life after death but a life after we receive the Holy Spirit.

Jesus spoke of the kingdom of heaven having return back to God’s people. Jesus died and He was resurrected for the purpose of restoring us back into the family and kingdom of God. So His kingdom and glory would be reflected in the earth that God created. God’s purpose for man did not change when man fell in the garden; it was only delayed by man’s choice to follow a different king (Satan). Jesus came to restore us back to our original purpose and now man can once again choose life and enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Some people think Satan won the battle in the Garden of Eden by tempting man to fall from his created position. It was this deceptive act of Satan that God used to position us in an even higher position; we are sons of God in the family and household of God, which He had ordained before the foundation of the world. We are no longer just another of God’s creations we are now children of the Most High King. This would not have happen had not mankind fallen. What the enemy meant for evil God us for our greater good and His glory.

Had the enemy known killing Jesus would redeemed mankind he probably would not have made that move. The same situation applies to mankind; we are now God’s children in the family of God. Yet, so many people are deceived to think they are less that that they were created to be. Even those who have come to a saving knowledge of Christ are still living below their positions as sons of God joint heirs with Christ.

Luke 4:43   but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.”

Matthew 6:9-11     Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread.

Jesus taught us to pray and ask God to let His kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven and give us this day our daily bread…” Jesus is speaking in present time because we need daily bread today while we are living on earth, we need God’s kingdom to come today and His will be done today while we are living on the earth. We will not need this when we are dead.

The enemy would have us defer God’s will and the kingdom of heaven to some future time. We cannot appropriate or take possession of what we do not know we have. We have been blind to the knowledge of the kingdom of God we did not know we were or what we received. This is the reason Jesus came, that we may know the truth. The kingdom of God is now at hand and available to us.

The kingdom of heaven is available is the good news, the truth Jesus taught. We are to expect it, appropriate it and possess it today, now in the earth as a witness of God’s kingdom in the earth. The message of the kingdom of God on earth has become a lost phrases in the “the Good News of the Gospel.” The Good News is the God’s kingdom on earth has returned but the message has been distorted into a different message that is does not focus on transforming this life but to wait until you die and go to heaven to be saved.

We must go back to the original message Jesus Himself taught and see what He said about the kingdom of God. Jesus message did not change even after His return from the death of the cross; He spoke of the kingdom of God on the earth. Jesus instructed His disciples to tell the world of the kingdom of God and make disciples to teach others about the kingdom of God.

Women True Identity and True Purpose

WOMAN: HER TRUE IDENTITY AND TRUE PURPOSE

A woman’s true identity is in her created divine purpose and that is to reflect the image of God in her character and life. We must understand the design of woman before we can understand her purpose. God as woman’s creator is the ultimate authority of her purpose and calling.

Just as the manufacturer of a product is the authority on the product’s purpose and design, we must look to God the One who created woman to communicate her true purpose. There are many men, people groups, cultures and religions communities who have tried to label women and define them as it suits them. Nevertheless, her true purpose and definition must come from her creator, God Himself.

We must start with the word of God and understand that all scripture is God breathed. God’s word is the authority and is Preeminent. It is above all others in importance and distinction regardless of culture or people group. The reason some women fall short in fulfilling God’s purpose is because they have allowed others to define them. They lack knowledge of the truth of God’s word and accurate information from The Creator.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God [ may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Hosea 4:6 my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge…. because you have ignored the law of your God …

Genesis 1:27-28a So God created man (human species) in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them “be fruitful, and multiply and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of sea…”

Genesis 2:18 – Then God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”

The word “helper” in the original language of Hebrew is “Ezer” which means to help, surround, protect.  The purpose of woman is to be an Ezer, to be someone who surrounds and protects, who is an essential counterpart to the man. She is to be a parallel an equivalent part of the revealed nature of God in the earth. Women were created in God’s image to reflect a specific part of His nature or character in the earth, His loving character, His desire to help and to partner with others.

Ezer- the female part of humanity is a vital and necessary part of the combined reflection of God’s glory that is revealed in both male and female. The female reflection or counterpart of God is not inferior or an afterthought of God. Women are the beautiful, intentional, counterpart to the male thus the two together make a complete Divine Likeness and the nature of God. Women primarily mirror or reflect what is called the Ezer nature of God, which is to invite, nurture, and partner or collaborate.

The male counterpart mirrors God’s likeness in the primary context of pursue, to provide and to protect. Both male and female reflect some or all of these qualities of God in some situations but for the purpose of highlighting God’s nature, we will emphasize the attributes that are seen in a large part in women.

Women were created to reflect God in the framework of relationships and there are so many relationships such as daughter, sister, aunt, niece, cousin, friend, mother, and wife. While women mostly focus on wife/mother roles, they are only part of who they are and their purpose to display God’s reflection in many roles and relationships in the earth.

Everything about being a woman and every relationship is essential and valuable because every woman reflects God in each of themselves. A woman’s value is not first in what she does but in the person God created her to be and it should reflect His glory on the earth. Our Purpose or calling as Ezer is to reflect God’s character in the context of our relationships. People should see the love of God, His tender mercy and His desire to help in time of need.

God said it was not good for man to be alone, but He gave man more than one relationship, not only a wife. God gave humanity multiple relationships father/ mother, sister/brother, uncle/aunt, niece and nephew, cousins, husband/wife all these are in the context of family. God even gave us friends those we can partner with outside of our families. God made multifaceted complex people like Himself. God is so complex – God is so vast – God is so awesome He cannot be contained in one form He is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

In our individuality- personality, gifts and passions, we are to display the Divine Portrait of God, which is reflected in both male and female. If either the man or the woman fails to reflect God in the earth then there will not be a true and accurate picture of God to the world.

God is inviting and inclusive as He has invited mankind to participate in the dominion and rule over the earth. Women are to invite and request the presence or participation of others in our lives to show them the love of God.
Genesis 22:18 through you (Abraham) all the nations of the earth will be blessed- God is inviting to all people and nations-

God is nurturing… Caring for and encouraging the development of another in a way that creates strength in them and enables them to flourish.
Hosea11:3-4 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arm, it was I who healed them… I bent down to feed them.

God Partners with us, He is a comforter, He is our companion, His is our advocate, He is an intercessor and He comes along side to help us. This is the helper God created woman to be in the earth, to show His qualities as a partner, a comforter, companion, advocate, intercessor and someone who will come along side and help those who are in \need.
John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Philippians 1:5-6 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 2:13    for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.