THe Church and the Kingdom Part 2 #20

The Kingdom Cowboy

Summary:

There are so many people who have accepted Christ into their hearts, but don’t attend church. Sometimes it is because of past bad experiences with church people. You can be a part of the Kingdom and not go to church, but if it is true that we are all compared to body parts, like Paul talked about in 1 Corinthians 12:12, aren’t we robbing the body of it’s wholeness if we don’t come together? Relationships become one of the focal points of His Kingdom because relationships are the adhesive that helps hold it all together. It’s so important to do all we can to maintain these relationships and not run away or break oneness when things get a little challenging at times. This holds true for both personal and church relationships.

Show Notes:

• Do you have to be in the church to get into the Kingdom of God? You don’t have to attend a church, or do anything. For leaders, to say that a person has to attend church automatically puts people who are doing fine into a bad place.

• We are encouraged in Hebrews to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. It’s important that we do come together, because there’s an exponential thing that happens.

• There’s a mindset out there that says, “I can find the Lord out in my deer blind, or at the fishing hole. I don’t need to go to church to do that”. I totally agree with that. You can. He’s everywhere. But some people just use that as an excuse for not showing up and going to church.

• If you get right down to that mindset, it’s selfish, because Christ refers to all of us as body parts. So, if you are a body part that’s not present when the body comes together, the body can’t totally function properly.

• How does the church and the kingdom relate to one another?

  • The church is a facilitator: It’s the church’s responsibility to teach the Bible, the Word of God, and what it is saying. Its also responsible for presenting what God is still speaking in this present day. It’s to carry out the elements of the Kingdom, to teach and bring out the mysteries of the Kingdom.

  • It’s a purveyor: It brings the good news about grace, the peace of God, the joy of the Lord, the power to overcome, and the intimacy of being in a relationship with the Lord

  • It’s a distributor: The elements of the Kingdom are distributed to the people, to make the Gospel of the Kingdom simple and understandable, so that people who hear it can take it, understand it, sink their teeth into it, and find out how to work it into their lives, so that they can go teach it to others, as well.

• The Kingdom of God is relationships; first with the Father Himself, and then with one another. The more time you spend together, the more relational equity we have. If we trust one another, we are able to get down to the heart stuff. To help advance the Kingdom of God, give attention, time and prioritize your relationships.

• In relationships, problems usually arise at some point. So, we must make the relationship more important than the problem. It’s so important to submit to the process and, if necessary, get a mediator to help.

• To enter the Kingdom of God, you must be born again. That’s what Jesus told Nicodemus. If you are born again, you can see the kingdom through spiritual eyes, with the help of the Holy Spirit. When our hearts genuinely, authentically, want the will of God, it attracts the elements of God, His grace, and His favor.

Quotes:

• Most of the time, people have been hurt by church people.

• I don’t hear enough leaders talking about the body of Christ and their care, concern, and love for the whole body. That’s one of those things that has kind of been at the front of my mind all these years.

• People are looking for the perfect church. There is the perfect church for you, but when you get there, it’s not perfect, because it’s still full of imperfect people, myself included. But we are being perfected and conformed into the image of Jesus.

• Find somewhere that feels like home, where they’re teaching the Word. I think they need to be talking about the Kingdom some, and learning about the Kingdom. Some place where you’re encouraged to not just know about the Lord, but to actually know Him. That’s the key. That’s where the magic happens. That’s where you find your significance and your purpose in life. It’s in the relationship.

• If you make it a priority to hear Him, He will make sure that you do. He speaks through the still small voice, words of wisdom and knowledge, the prophetic word, tongues and interpretations, the elements, colors, and animals.

• I’m embarrassed that not enough believers, Christians, people in our own family here, that people will have a problem and they will turn and walk away and leave the relationship.

• God not only restores the relationship, but He makes it better and stronger.

References:

Hebrews 10:25

Matthew 18:19-20

John 5:39

John 10:27

2 Timothy 2;2

John 3:1-21

John 6:44

Revelation 3:20

Takeaways:

The Kingdom of God encompasses so much, and the church is an integral part of it. The church is a facilitator, a purveyor, and a distributor of all that God wants the world to have. Relationships are one of the main keys of what the kingdom is. They work like a glue to hold everything that God wants to do all together. Because relationships are so important, we shouldn’t cut and run when they get a little challenging, but rather do all we can do to maintain the relationships that God has given to us.