The Kingdom theme

It has been successfully argued that the concept of the Kingdom of God is the single unifying theme of the Bible. It runs obviously and deeply through Genesis to Revelation. “But seek ye first the Kingdom of God...” Matt 6:33. “..Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come..” Matt 6:9-10. I personally love this from The Message Matt 4:23-25, “…God’s Kingdom was His theme – that beginning right now they were under God’s government…” Through the lenses of Kingdom, the Bible weaves a consistent vibrant life. A life not just barely free; Abundantly free! Without these lenses, the bible has valuable inspirational stories, but it doesn’t engage like Kingdom does.

Yet for so many of us Kingdom concept and Kingdom teaching did not appear until later in our lives. Dr Jack Taylor speaks of the same lack of Kingdom teaching in seminary as well. So why?

We in the Western society have at least 2 strikes against us:

• No visible evidence in our lifetimes of a Kingdom style of governance.
• We live in a Mad-Hatter society – you may recall the Mad Hatter telling Alice "..words mean what I say they mean".

Let's break each of these 2 strikes down just a bit.

The lack of visible evidence of Kingdom

A Republic. Democracy. Rule of Law. Elections. A President. An opposition party, and on and on. We simply have no concept of a Kingdom. A quick story. My wife Kathy and I have been blessed. About 9 months after September 2001 we traveled to London to be part of a conference. Taking a tour on the famous ‘hackney’ as they are referred to in London. Amazing. Fish and Chips; Westminster Abbey; weird accents (theirs not my redneck and Kathy’s Tennessee blend…what accent?). Finally – Buckingham Palace.

Then it happened. Out of nowhere armed guards with automatic weapons converged around our hackney cab. Every direction covered, any escape hopeless. Remember, this was 9 months after 911. So, I just about had a laundry problem if you get my drift. Our driver exclaimed “Ooh..a Royal, a ROYAL!!” Then a really sweet Bentley comes out of the ‘nowhere’ that the guards had poofed from. Blacked out windows, riding low on its wheels due to the armor plating. Kathy and I look at each other like - ”A what?” Our hackney driver – “a Royal; right in front of us! A ROYAL!” Our driver was probably thinking. “Dumb American” or whatever.

Neither Kathy nor I were dumb, just ignorant of a culture with ‘Royals’. No concept of a society with a King. Yet our ignorance of this disruption had zero impact on this fact: "a Royal" had disrupted our lives.

Now years later I better understand Kingdom thinking - but still long ways to go. So, I try and ask myself regularly; am I still not adequately realizing that I live each day in a Kingdom – with a King? More importantly: Am I willfully seeking the King to disrupt my life? How about you?

The Mad Hatter society versus a Timeless God

Secondly, this Mad Hatter society in which we live.  Dr. Mark Rutland coined this label.  Potentially few more dangerous trajectories than the enemy’s reductive attack on our words.  A familiar example is the word ‘love’.  Greek language uses 4 words to deepen and clarify Love, yet our English world just uses 1 word.

Here’s a truth: Our timeless God chose to reveal Himself in a Kingdom culture.  Words are spiritual containers of power; they mean something.  In the Kingdom culture and languages in use when God wrote His Word, there are deep, rich names of God; attributes of God that are described in His names.  I love how Rick Betenbough clarified this: “You must be spending time with the King”.  Only with that time investment will the King shed clarity on His personal mission for His Sons/Daughters.

The result of these Mad Hatter times is that we live almost completely immersed in a Post-Genesis 3 mindset.  For me, it was this simple:  I think the position of King is available!  It should be me!!  After all, you're not the boss of me!

We question and lack clarity of our identity.  We lack clarity of our Inheritance.  The net result: we orbit around a system – Worldliness - when we are designed and commanded to orbit around King and His Kingdom.  Seek ye First…

When a Kingdom Business Leader…

There is a great awakening happening within the realm of the Biz leadership community - an abnormally high occurrence of Leaders who have a growing, burning awareness of The Kingdom.  Businesses tend to operate in a form of a ‘realm’ and thus arguably business leaders and their businesses are closer in operational detail to some kingdom-like processes. 

Business leaders are “smelling” the scent of the King in the realm of their business lives and they are welcoming the disruption of the King!  So as per Cornerstone/Betenbough: “When a Kingdom Leader, implements Kingdom Processes, a Kingdom Culture is the result”.  The King and His Kingdom advance.

Cornerstone/Betenbough have a ‘map’ - a DNA of how to put meat and bones on the ‘how to’ of Kingdom Processes & Culture.  Every time I am blessed to be around the Cornerstone/Betenbough Leadership I’m reminded of this quote from the mini-series, Band of Brothers.  Captain Nixon says to Major Winters: “...turns out that map you found may do some good!”

With Kingdom Culture, our identity as Sons/Daughters of The King crystallizes.  Razor sharp Clarity is shed on our true Kingdom Inheritance. 

The Bottom Line

Dr Jack Taylor spoke so eloquently at the Kingdom Business Workshop, "You are seeking something first".  So, if not seeking first the Kingdom, then automatically we are seeking something of the world i.e. Worldliness.  But here again the Mad Hatter society has ruined that word Worldliness. 

My point is this; what we seek first will place us in a very real type of orbit.  Orbit around something in the world and you’ll wind up following only worldly rules.  You will be relegated only to watch worldly rules play out.  All we’ll have is the ability to ask God to bless elements of a system – the World – that he's not a part of.  It doesn’t work.

Prior to Genesis 3, the King describes His realities preparing for an intimate relationship with Man.  Post Genesis 3, lost intimacy with King and they become his decreed rules.  The Kingdom IS order.  The Kingdom has a vocabulary.  Words matter deeply to the King.  The Kings Words contain The Kings power and authority.  All the world can and will ever be able to do is suspend Kingdom realties for moments in time.  The world cannot change one bit of The Kings realties or His rules.  Flying will temporarily suspend gravity, but it doesn't stop the reality or the rule of gravity.

Life in the Kingdom is an Overrule life

The King can overrule anything, anytime, anywhere.  Orbit around the King and you orbit around the only One who can decree the Overrule!!  So orbit around the King and live the overrule life!  Seek first the Kingdom of God…and open a Life that can overrule anything the world comes up with!

I’d like to dialogue in more detail about this PostGenesis-3 thinking.  For now, I simply pray that both you and I are daily and even multiple times daily; willfully, joyfully, expectantly having our lives disrupted by The King!!  Ooh…it’s The Royal, it’s The King!!

References: (detailed references available upon request)

Dr. Tony Evans

Dr. Jack Taylor

Dr. Mark Rutland

Kingdom Business Gathering – 2017

Bob Hamp