The Kingdom of God is real
It is not just an opinion to consider
It is an ideology to live by
It is a reality to be manifest
A culture we ought to imbibe
A perspective we see through
A lifestyle we ought to adopt

The Kingdom of God is near
It is not in some ancient records
It is not a myth to be locked away
It is not a story to entertain
It is not some tale to give hope
It is the end of all things — time
It is the hope of all things — Christ manifested
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The Kingdom of God is here
It is not far away in the future
We cannot put it off for later
Jesus already laid the foundation
God’s awaiting us — the living stones
Our acts of obedience raise the walls
Acts of worship release the fragrance.

​You are a royal priesthood!

Fashion affects the culture aspects of life. According to Luciana Zegheanu, fashion causes changes in social, economic and political landscapes. Thus fashion benefits and stimulates culture in the process promoting creativity. Fashion also has negative impacts. For instance, it diverts peoples' attention from other important activities and affects the self-esteem of people who cannot afford certain clothing.


When fashion distracts people, especially youth, from more productive activities, they focus more on acquiring the latest and the most fashionable wear rather than on education or work. People who cannot afford certain fashionable items sometimes have diminished self-esteem and do not feel adequate among their peers. At times people are bullied for not having the latest fashions. Some people believe fashion is harmful since it creates a society in which appearance is often valued more than character.


This is beginning to shift from the invent of personalized styles, no more are the days of the only latest designer (some circles this can be seen) But with the internet and reduction of labor cost to produce personalized clothing, this is more and more becoming a norm or a fashion statement.  So when you mother in the mid 1900’s would make your clothing and alter your style to fit you they were on to something!


On the positive side, fashion is an art, which stimulates and inspires people to express themselves. People often show off their personal identity, talent and culture through their fashion choices. Often people use what they see on fashion runways and in the stores to create their own unique looks, expressing their creativity. Fashion also promotes creativity as designers endeavor to outdo one another through their unique and intricate designs.


My encouragement is that we create fashion as a statement of our belief and faith as kingdom ambassadors, let it be the leading and cutting edge of style.  As believers we have the greatest inventor and creator known to man, “The Holy Spirit!”  Now lets create some fashion.


Share with us some of your work or ideas, by commenting below. 

  
Thoughts on the message

The parable of the mustard seed is my favorite parable of Jesus. Something small and insignificant becomes something big, fruitful and blesses in ways we do not expect. All because there is life inside of that tiny seed. It is not the shell, not the size, not what people see or expect. It is the presence of life that makes the difference. 

The parable of the yeast. This is both wonderful and scary. It only takes something small like yeast to “infect” the whole bowl of flour. This is the impact that we can have—both for good and for evil. Be careful. Let God use us to release blessing that touches and blesses our world.




Prayer

Father, we get so caught up with seeing the impact of great people. You show us here that the ability to impact our world is not based on the opportunity life gives to us. It is based on the presence of life inside us. With that life, You can do amazing things in us and through us. Father, grow this life inside me until it touches my world—all of it. Let it touch my marriage, my children, the church, our neighbors, our city and yes even this country. It is not me—it is the life inside me that matters. Release it, grow it, bless it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Do you want to receive from God?

​“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”(see Matthew 6:33)
What do you want? Help with your finances? Patience? A bit more energy? To forgive or be forgiven? Everything you need, God can give you. He knows your needs sometimes even better than you do, and He will never fail to provide!
The Bible boldly declares, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)
All your need! According to His divine riches! And in glory!
“Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures. Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you.” (see Psalm 119:90-91)
Yes, all things serve Him. And when we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, He makes all things work together for our good to fulfill us.
“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (see 2 Corinthians 9:8)
Never be afraid of “annoying” God with the details of your life. Often, we don’t involve God in every aspect of our lives for fear of bothering Him...yet He is our loving Father who takes pleasure in meeting each of our needs.
Don’t be afraid of involving the Creator of all things...in everything!
Be blessed!

Vision and Hope in leadership

Jesus exemplifies that Kingdom-style leadership is about having a vision that centres on people. Vision is the response that flows from the question ‘How can I make the world better for others?’ Whether you consider Noah, Moses, David or Daniel, John the Baptist, Mary, Peter or Paul, all these biblical heroes had vision that aimed for cultural transformation. 

What’s the vision God has placed in your heart to make tomorrow a better place? Spend time with him and allow God to fill your heart with his plans for you until your heart feels like it will burst if you do not respond.

Vision creates vitality, focuses energy and clarifies purpose. It creates hope and hope creates and energises the vision. Hope brings a sense of expectation that something good will happen and builds a feeling of trust. Hope flows from our faith in God and the confidence and security he provides based upon his truths and promises. Hebrews 11:1 expresses such Kingdom Hope: ‘Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see’. How are you doing on your hope barometer and is it based on biblical truth or earthbound constraints?

A visionary, hope-filled leader is consumed with making tomorrow better than today and settles for nothing less. They refuse to be pessimistic and gloomy because they understand today’s challenges are one step closer to tomorrow’s solution and vision. Discontent breeds hopelessness that, left unchecked, turns into resignation; giving up and conceding defeat that the undesirable is inevitable. 

Living from your identity as a beloved child of God gives a sense of peace that you can lean into as the day unfolds. Let’s not allow the circumstances around us to dictate our stance on life and instead remain visionary and full of Kingdom Hope. 

Learning from Children

At the center of Luke 18 is a thought-provoking, countercultural lesson. As people crowded around Jesus that day, the disciples were shooing away the children, assuming that Jesus had more important people with whom to spend his time. However, Jesus encourages the children to come to him and he uses the opportunity to teach a lesson that is at the heart of the entire chapter. Jesus tells those gathered around: 

“You will never get into God’s kingdom unless you enter it like a child!” (Luke 18.17). 

What? Did they hear Jesus right? Jesus’s words were a complete reversal of what they believed. What, then, are some of the childlike qualities that we must possess? Early in life, we are trained to be independent. Each activity we learn is designed to make us less dependent on our parents or caregivers. Yet, Jesus used the example of children to teach us a different lesson. Consider these character traits of a child: humility, dependence, eagerness to learn, and expectant hopefulness—even in a world filled with grown-up pain and problems. 

There is no place in God’s kingdom for those who are self-sufficient, prideful, arrogant or cynical. To be assured of our place, we need to adopt a childlike faith as we humbly depend on God to lovingly take care of us and teach us how to be more like Jesus 

Reflect

Do you struggle with pride? In what ways can you adopt a childlike heart as you follow Jesus? 

Pray

Lord Jesus, help us to embrace the knowledge that all who humbly accept you are welcome in your kingdom. 

Respond 

Review decisions that you will make this week. Depend on God for guidance in these matters. 

Father, sometimes pride gets the best of me and I try to go it alone. Help me to depend on you only and grow in childlike faith and humility. ​

Large, high-end department stores will often have over-sized display windows that face the street. These windows are often filled with dummies, also known as mannequins. The mannequins are clothed in the most current trends and positioned in such a way so as to draw the attention of the passers-by on the street. Some of the very expensive stores will even go to great lengths in employing living-mannequins to stand in their windows, clothed in their fashions, in an effort to attract people into their stores. One time when my wife Lois and I were walking in New York City, we literally saw a living-mannequin sitting in a Ferrari in a display window!

Why do the owners of these department stores go to such efforts in filling the windows with such elaborate displays? The reason they do this is so that when people are walking down the street, they will be impressed by what they see and that will then draw them into the store to shop. These dressed-up-dummies draw potential customers into a kingdom of clothes and merchandise that has floor after floor after floor of so much more.

Friend, when God blesses you, He does so with the intention of putting you on display. He allows you to be successful, obtain your education, have the resources that you do, gain popularity or notoriety, so that you will be seen as a representative of His kingdom who has been touched by the favor and grace of God Himself. But don’t go and get the big head when He clothes you in such fine designer threads. Because if you start to think you got yourself to where you are now, you will forget that it was His providential leading and provision which made you into what you are today.

We must all remember that on our best day, we are sinners saved by grace.


Blessings Pastor Milton
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When it comes to being a business owner, you can be driven or led by a variety of things. Some business owners are driven by profits, accolades, power, passion, or freedom and flexibility, but the Bible shows us that to experience God’s best, we should be driven by the Kingdom of God and led by the Spirit of God.

As a Kingdom Driven Entrepreneur, your entrepreneurship is motivated by seeing an increase of the Kingdom of God on Earth, and it is propelled forward by seeking first the Kingdom of God. Isn’t it such an honor and a privilege to know that the Creator of the Universe, the only One who sees all and knows all is interested in partnering with you in your business? He desires to create with you, guide you, provide for you, and draw you (and others) closer to Him. 

When you are a Kingdom Driven Entrepreneur, it is certainly not business as usual. Your business is fully yielded to God (CEO and business partner) and led by the Holy Spirit (Chief Operating Officer). You allow Jesus to be Lord of your entrepreneurial journey. You align with God’s dream for your enterprise and seek His heart for the people you serve and cross paths with in the marketplace. Once you have made a decision to be Kingdom driven, you simply will not be able to imagine doing business without partnering with the presence of an awesome and limitless God. 

Do You want to learn more about building a business the kingdom way?

When a couple announces their engagement, most people want to hear “their story.” How did they meet? Was it love at first sight? Were they childhood sweethearts, or did they meet later in life? Whatever the case may be, a couple’s origin story intrigues us. 

Have you ever considered the origin story of marriage itself? If you want to have a healthy marriage, the first thing you must understand is that marriage is God’s idea. And because He created it, we must go to Him for its definition and understanding. This means that when your marriage, whatever its origin story, is brought under the rule of God, your relationship can flourish and become all that God intended it to be.

From Scripture, we discover that God created marriage to expand His kingdom in human history. A kingdom marriage is “a covenantal union between a man and a woman who commit themselves to function in unison under divine authority in order to replicate God’s image and expand His rule in the world through both their individual and joint callings.” That’s a mouthful, so you may want to go back and re-read it. But simply put, the mission of marriage is to replicate the image of God in history and to carry out His command to let mankind rule.

So, marriage is not merely a social construct. Nor is happiness its goal. This is one of the main problems that many marriages face today. Couples relate to marriage only through social and emotional terms. We must go back to the biblical understanding of marriage. God created it as a sacred covenant, with the responsibility to reflect His image and to advance His kingdom. Happiness is a benefit of marriage, but it is not the goal of marriage. The goal is to reflect God through advancing His kingdom on earth. Happiness occurs as an organic outgrowth when the biblical goal is pursued.

The bottom line is marriage is a kingdom concept, not just a social one.

How does making happiness the goal of marriage create problems in one’s marriage?  

If you listen closely, you can hear the cry for real men to stand up. It can be heard from single moms abandoned to raise their children alone. It can be heard from principals and teachers manning the front lines of our educational system. It can be heard from police officers and judges fighting to maintain order. It can be heard from pastors during counseling sessions. It be heard from employers wanting to maintain productivity in the workplace. Do you hear it? 

Where are you—the men? It’s like the abominable snowman. There are evidences all around. Footprints. Sightings. A cryptic photo here and there. But the man himself is nowhere to be found. 

In Ezekiel 22:30, God said, “I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one.” If God Himself couldn’t find a man, then a real man must be hard to come by. 

It seems the same is true for today. There are plenty of males around, and plenty of boys can be found, but there is a lack of men. Which leads to this conclusion—there’s a big difference between being a male and being a man. But let’s take that one step further. There’s still a big difference between being a man and being a realman—real men, according to God’s definition of Biblical manhood—kingdom men, who understand that God has created them to be great, to rule and to better all those under their influence. When men learn how to rule under God, we will see God fulfill His plan for our lives, and through our lives, we will impact our families, churches and communities.

If there is a difference between being a male and a man, how would you define manhood?