Kingdom Culture – A Review
“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2 NLT
Since August, I have been talking about Kingdom Culture. There is no doubt that God has been talking to FAITH as a church for the past four months.
His message has been CLEAR to us, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world.” “Be transformed by changing the way we think.” This will allow us to learn God’s will for us… a will “which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
As we close out this series, I want to take some highlights from these past several months to remind us of what God has been saying to this church about His Culture.
My prayer this morning that this is more than stirring up a memory, but this will help us solidify how we should live in His Culture!
REVIEW #1
If we are going to live in His Culture, then we MUST realize and come to the understanding that our fight is not physical…
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”
REVIEW #2
Kingdom Culture strives every single day to be more like Christ and live according to His Word. So, if you have to close a book that is taking you further away from Him, close it.
If you have to turn off media that is unpleasing to Him, turn it off.
If you have to change the station because of temptation, change the station.
If you have to unsubscribe or unfollow because your spirit is unsettled, do it and do it without hesitation.
Do Not Love This World
1 John 2:15-17 NLT “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.
For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.”
REVIEW #3
In this world’s culture, preparedness is not popular. Living by the seat of one’s pants seems like the most popular choice…But that is NOT Kingdom Culture.
The Bible is very clear from cover to cover about our need to be ready.
The Bible commands us:
- to strip off anything that will weigh us down
- cast off the works of darkness
- to be ready
- to be prepared
- to be watchful
Kingdom Culture means looking ahead and being prepared.
Because we know, He is coming when NO MAN thinks He is coming…like a thief in the night.
I have decided not to live my Christian life like the world lives their life.
REVIEW #4
We do NOT need to wait for a crisis to wake up. If we wait for a crisis, it might be too late for our souls.
Now is the time to shake of this world’s culture and do whatever it takes to defeat spiritual sleepiness!
Romans 13:11-14 “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.”
Today, you and I have an opportunity to make some decisions that we might not have an opportunity to make tomorrow.
Maybe they are decisions we should have made yesterday, but in God’s grace, He gave us another chance to make it right TODAY.
Some people work great under pressure. I am one of those people. We usually, for the most part, get things done. Some people call it procrastination…. but for those who excel under that type of pressure, they call it their strength! At work, waiting until the last minute might be OK. But in the spiritual world, waiting could be death to your soul.
Procrastination is a tool that is used by the enemy to push off our YES to God for today to convince you that waiting until tomorrow is OK.
Everything about Kingdom Culture is about TODAY.
REVIEW #5
How we view our purpose, our dreams, our goals, and our daily lives determines what Kingdom we belong to.
We have 24 hours in a day, 168 hours in a week, and approximately 720 hours in a month.
What we make the most important in those hours DETERMINES the kingdom that we serve.
The average American will spend at least 3 hours and 29 minutes on video content. Those that have social media, will spend an average of 2 hours and 24 minutes a day. The average American sleeps about 6.8 hours a night. If you add in an average work day of 8 hours (which for many it is much more) that leaves only a little over 3 hours left in your day. Most people have way less time leftover, if not ZERO time.
The BIG question is – what time have we have left for living out the purpose of the Kingdom of God?
REVIEW #6
We are all guilty of loving this fast-paced “luxury” of convenience….
But here is the problem – that is one of the customs and behaviors of this world.
We cannot bring this mindset into Kingdom Culture. God’s process is different.
Can God do things in an INSTANT? Of course, He can. We see that He does that in His Word and within our lives. But more than instant miracles, we see God moving over a period of time.
Why does He do that?
James 1:2-4 “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
He does it because there is a greater purpose. A purpose focused on the long-term and not the short-term.
We are impatient by nature and want things prematurely that are not intended for us until later. I understand NOT ALL things are for later, but we get in trouble when we want all things before God has planned us to have them.
Our lack of patience is a lack of trust and faith in the right timing that God has strategically planned for us.
Do we truly believe the scripture? Do we believe when it says, “All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose”? Not some things. ALL THINGS. For the good.
REVIEW #7
As believers, we are commanded by His Word – and we are shown example over example – to live and walk not according to our natural senses.
The quality of our lives doesn’t depend on if we have a “good day” or a “bad day.”
Our lives are lived to the fullest if the sun is shining down on us or if the winds are blowing and the rains are falling.
Psalm 34:1-4;8 “I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”
REVIEW #8
It is not too late. It is not over for you! You haven’t gone so far that you cannot be helped.
Isaiah 59:1 “Behold, the Lord‘s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:”
You have not wasted your time. Your effort, your faith, your willingness to take another step towards God will not be in vain.
CONCLUSION
The greatest thing about Kingdom Culture is the transformation process of being born again of the water and of the Spirit. When we’ve done that and experienced the Gospel of Christ, we’re new creatures. We’re no longer focused on the culture of this word but we’re a part of Kingdom Culture!
