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Sometimes the Lord gives a verse number and lets me go look it up. This time I was praying about 2014 and went to Mt 20:14… the 11th hour disciples.
Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Matt 20:14
I’ve always imagined the Kingdom and the 7 mountains staffed with mature believers who have seen the Kingdom and chosen to inherit their land. What I was not expecting was that:
- Both saved and pre-saved people are being invited into the Kingdom.
- Some of the saved are saying “no thanks,” and some of the unsaved are saying “Yes, Lord.”
People are commonly attending business conferences, experiencing the presence of God, becoming Jesus followers and finding the joy of entering the Kingdom to do what their Father is doing. You can feel the invitation of God’s spirit on their lives and His blessing on their businesses. God is simply preparing people, and they come with a hunger in their hearts to find and fulfill their role in the Kingdom. God is way ahead of us! The Gospel of the Kingdom has an evangelistic ingredient. People are excited about changing cultures and nations, and getting involved in their communities. God has put it in their hearts, and they are not coming empty handed… they bring a wealth of practical business experience.
The transition – When we personally choose the Kingdom, we are usually leaving behind some religion and some friends. It’s very easy to get critical of the “old” and feel like part of our past was wasted. The flip side is that we are being allowed to save these new believers decades of frustration… if we can avoid bitterness and simply embrace the Kingdom. Others will come in their own timing and some will just stay in the box. Here’s what I heard the Lord say to me, “It’s none of your business!”
Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” John 21:22-23
The concept of railing against the beliefs, or lack of belief, in others is very unhealthy and produces zero fruit. People resent it, even if it’s not directed at them. Jesus gave multiple invitations to the religious spirit in His day and He summed it up this way:
“I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. Matt 21:31 NIV
Those who are entering the Kingdom are letting go of their religion or their sinful lifestyle for something much more exciting.
The Gospel of the Kingdom – Since the apple, the enticement of sin has always been, “You can do whatever feels good and it’s OK.” It’s not that God is restricting our fun. He’s just trying to keep us from the pain of hurting ourselves with destructive lifestyles. The real truth is that he did write His laws in our hearts, and the key feature of entering the Kingdom is pursuing the desire that God wrote in your heart. That space where my heart and God’s heart overlap with the same desires is exactly where the fun begins.
Evangelism for me is talking about the Kingdom (what God is doing) and talking to people about the desires of their heart. You can almost always find an area of overlap that is very prophetic and has a great drawing power. I’m not ashamed of this gospel at all. It is filled with the fruits of repentance, the Holy Spirit and the works for which God created us. It is fun and very powerful!
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes… Rom 1:16 NIV
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Eph 2:10 NIV
By contrast, religion is me pointing out another person’s sin and having a mental debate about whose religion is correct. People always have strong “religious” convictions which justify their behavior. They cannot be “talked or condemned” out of it even if you have a Bible verse.
2014 – There is a lot of fear in our culture, and a false prophetic spirit that wants to focus on the demise of our future and our nations. God is blessing the nations, not judging them. He’s building His Kingdom, not preparing for an economic collapse. As Kings, we have a “Kingdom responsibility” to exercise the faith that it takes to redirect the future and fill the earth with His Glory.
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Matt 21:21-22 NIV
This “bright future” is also true in our personal lives. Life is full of death and resurrections. It’s through many tribulations that we must enter the Kingdom of God (Acts 14:22). Our ability to triumph is rooted in our hope in the nature of God and our faith for the direction that he put in our hearts. We lead these 11thhour disciples to similar exploits from our confidence in God.
“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.” — Dale Carnegie
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Gal 6:9 NIV
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12 NIV
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phil 4:13 NKJV
