Developing A Kingdom Mentality, Part II

Developing a Kingdom mentality takes time. For the most part, those of us in the west have been programed with a 'church mentality'. Here's what I mean. When we meet another Christian, we'll ask questions like these:

"where do you attend church?"

"what church are you affiliated with?"

"do you attend church?"

Once we've attained this church mentality, we'll make statements like these:

"lets go to church this Sunday."

or

"I'm not happy at this church, lets find another church to go to."

The list could go on and on. I'm not anti-church, far from it. In the New Testament, the Greek word for church is 'ekklesia' and it means, 'a calling out'. In reality, the church is a many membered body with Jesus Christ the Head. It is not an institution or organization, rather it is a living organism, consisting of all the saints on earth and in Heaven. There is one church and its definitely not a man-made entity. Anyone who says their organization or fellowship is the 'real church' is sadly mistaken, perhaps even deceived because the church is universal and spans through time to include all 'the called out' ones.

The church's mission is to equip the saints for the work of ministry, Ephesians 4:11-12. Ministry that is correct builds and expands the Kingdom of God. And it is not confined to the meeting place or behind a pulpit. Ministry is to happen every day, in your world, wherever your world is. I'm a businessman and my world is commerce. Am I looking for someone to pray for in the business world? No, although once in a while, it does happen. My ministry is conducting business according to Kingdom principles, spreading the influence of God throughout my sphere of influence.

I know musicians who are doing the same in the world of art and entertainment, politicians in the political realm, teachers in the educational realm, etc. etc. Where ever your passion and talents are, your field of ministry is very close by. When you are ministering at this level, you are expanding the Kingdom of God.

Many years ago, I heard it put this way: A kingdom is the realm in which a king rules. So given this simple definition, the Kingdom of God is where ever the King is ruling. The Bible says in II Corinthians 5:20 that we are ambassadors of Christ. So that means King Jesus rules through each of us from our hearts. This fits nicely with the fact that WE are Kings and Priests of God and shall reign on this earth, Revelation 1:6 and 5:10.

Like most, I was taught in my early years as a Christian that I must crucify the 'selfish desires of my heart' and submit to the will of God. I tried this for a season and then what? My desires have been discarded for the will of God but no one could direct me to God's will for my life. I tried Sunday School teacher, youth leader and finally, we pastored a church. All to no avail, there was only a little satisfaction and a lot of very hard work with little fruit to show for it. I realized this was a long way from the abundant life promised by Jesus.

Fortunately, for lack of a better term, I stumbled into my calling. In 1991 my father and I started a travel agency for the main purpose of providing wholesale airline tickets to missionaries. I love sales and I really loved selling airline tickets for this purpose. In 1995, I was invited to Ukraine with a short term mission team. God put a love in my heart for the Ukrainian people and we began to return with short trips on a regular basis. I saw scriptures that pointed out our responsibility for taking care of widows, orphans and the poor. So we formed a legal entity that allowed us to legally provide aid to government controlled orphanages. We also helped feed poor families in several cities with the permission of local and regional governments.

To make a long story short, I would raise funds from friends, relatives and my own business to purchase this aid for these projects in Ukraine. After a couple years, I was tired of being a fund raiser so in 2001 I began teaching Ukrainian business people their responsibility to help the poor, the widows and the orphans. In the process, I naturally began to share from my experience how to operate a business more profitably using Kingdom principles.

Because of these actions, hundreds of Ukrainians have started profitable businesses. Many of these business people have in turn started their own mercy type ministries to the less fortunate. Every pastor who has sponsored our business seminars have thanked me for raising up their business people. The pastors indicate these businesses were generous and support the work of the church.

I work with churches but I don't have a traditional ministry within a church. My paradigm goes beyond the four walls of a building to the world around me. I am spreading my affluence and influence in my world. I'm pursuing the desires of my heart and God and I are on the same page. This is Kingdom mentality.

Hopefully, sharing my experience has triggered some desires deep in your heart. So let me ask you, "What is the desire of your heart?"

The Marketplace, The Storehouse and the Tithe

I have a thought today that I want to throw out and let you chew on. Those of you who've known me for any length of time know that I take a pretty strong stand against the controversial and un-scriptural teaching the tithe belongs to the local church you attend.

Pastors who promote this teaching use Malachi 3:10-12 to prove their point of view. They say the local church is equal to the "storehouse" in this passage. Aside from the fact I believe this is an extreme stretch of interpretation of scripture, let me add this thought to debunk their theory.

If the local church is the storehouse, funded by your tithe, why is it the flow into the storehouse is only one-way? Why is it the storehouse won't help you fund a business venture? Or invest in a proven Christian business that wants to expand?

I'll tell you why. Because the church today is outdated. They continue to hold onto the old tradition that came from the Dark Ages that separates the sacred from the secular. Hand in hand with that tradition is a separation from the clergy and the laity. The "full time" ministers, those who are paid by the people's tithes and offerings, do not consider anyone who is not in their elite club as true ministers. Furthermore, their concept and ideology of ministry is it's behind a pulpit within the four walls of the church.

This is wrong and not New Testament Christianity as revealed in the Book of Acts and forward to the end of the Book. Ministry takes place everyday, everywhere. Not just on Sunday. Ministry is supposed to be accomplished by everyone in the Body of Christ.

Ephesians 4:11-12 "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ"

Ministry is a whole lot more than preparing a sermon or acting as an usher for a church service. A whole lot more.

If you can accept the fact your job, your business is a ministry, it will change the way you think and it will enrich your faith from just a Sunday thing to an everyday, life-changing fact!

More than 99% of the Body of Christ spend a better portion of their day, whether its in an office, on a job site or in the home raising children, "on the job". That's where our ministry is, "on the job" and "in the marketplace".

The storehouse, in ancient Jewish culture, was a place to help people from. If the pastors of today want to call their churches a "storehouse", perhaps they should begin to help people with more than just a sermon and a handshake.

Why Men Hate Going to Church

It's Sunday morning. Where are all the men? Golfing? Playing softball? Watching the tube? Mowing the lawn? Sleeping? One place you won't find them is in church. Less than 40 percent of adults in most churches are men, and 20 to 25 percent of married churchgoing women attend without their husbands. And why are the men who do go to church so bored? Why won't they let God change their hearts?

David Murrow's groundbreaking new book reveals why men are the world's largest unreached people group. With eye-opening research and a persuasive grasp on the facts, Murrow explains the problem and offers hope and encouragement to women, pastors, and men. Why Men Hate Going to Church does not call men back to the church-it calls the church back to men.

Book Review
According to the author, American men hate going to church, as evidenced by a wealth of statistics that point to an ever-widening gap between female and male churchgoers. Regardless of denomination, it appears that most Christian churches are unintentionally designed to appeal to women and children. How to solve the growing gender gap in congregations of every type? Murrow advocates injecting a strong shot of testosterone into the proceedings to restore the masculine spirit to the church. Churches need to provide a more challenging and confrontational approach to religion and spiritual issues instead of concentrating on more traditional-- and female-oriented--calls for conformity, control, and ceremony. Whether or not you fully buy into his somewhat simplistic hypothesis and solution, Murrow does provide some provocative food for thought on a hot-button topic. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

The Kingdom of God and Marketplace Ministry

An integral component of the advancement of the Kingdom is Marketplace Ministry. Why? Because the expansion of the Kingdom of God into all areas of society includes the marketplace, the economic sphere of society. Perhaps one of the most influential spheres, yet the least understood by Christians.

John Garfield has written two unique and highly targeted books, Releasing Kings for Ministry in the Marketplace and From Desire to Destiny: Seven Keys to Your Marketplace Ministry.

Garfield says, "Marketplace ministry is the passion that starts when God connects your job, business, ministry, and life purpose into one package."

Too many Christians are falling short in the economic arena. Either we live from paycheck-to-paycheck or we're behind on our bills and unable to make ends meet. What is the answer?

Here it is: God wants to bless you so you can bless others. Yes, God's plan for us is to literally bless the nations. For far too long the sacred calling has been separated from the secular workplace. Finally, Christian entrepreneurs are connecting vocation, ministry, and life purpose; marketplace ministry has started another reformation. Passion is fueling entrepreneurs in the workplace, they're full of optimism, dreams and hope of a better future. Moreover, Marketplace Ministers are helping others to achieve their dreams and impact their generation through mentoring and practical coaching.

Join the reformation!

North America Revivals

As to North American "revivals", I am not impressed at all. Toronto, Brownsville, Smithton and others have had no lasting effects. And what effects they did produce were rather dubious anyway.

Brownsville's crime rate was not effected positvely by the revival. Overall church attendance in the city did not rise during or after the revival.

In the revivals in America in the 1800's, these things DID happen. Crime rates went down, bars closed, overall church attendance rose dramatically.

Sadly, the results today's evangelists look for is how many people came to the alter, were slain in the spirit, got "touched" with holy laughter. You get the picture. Its all a sham, and a big part of today's charismatic/pentecostal leaders are in it for the money, living lavish lifestyles.

Todd Bently is leading another revival in Lakeland Florida. It would great if it would be different from the others, but reports indicate its following the same old pentecostal path as the Brownsville revival.

Really, we don't need another revival, we need a reformation. This wineskin of charismatic/pentecostalism is old and cracked.

Spiritual Arrogance, the Kiss of Death

Arrogance, for a leader, well, any Christian for that matter, is the kiss of death.

I read this story the other day on a blog. It's supposed to be a true story of a radio exchange that took place in October 1995 off the coast of Newfoundland between the American aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and Canadian authorities:

Americans: “Please divert your course 15 degrees to the north to avoid a collision.”

Canadians: “Recommend you divert YOUR course 15 degrees to the south to avoid collision.”

Americans: “This is the captain of a U.S. Navy ship. I say again, divert your course!”

Canadians: “No, I say again, you divert YOUR course.”

Americans: “This is the aircraft carrier USS Lincoln, the second-largest aircraft carrier in the Atlantic Fleet. We are accompanied by three destroyers, three cruisers and numerous support vessels.

“I DEMAND that you change your course 15 degrees north, or countermeasures will be undertaken to ensure the safety of this ship.”

Canadians: “This is a lighthouse. Your call."

I've known Christians who typically thought they were always right and a few who thought they were infallible. This is a recipe for shipwreck, ending up on the rocks. Humilty, especially in our opinion of ourselves is a must in this time we live.

I'd like to say to one impetious pastor I know. The gifts and callings of God are exactly that, gifts. Your title as pastor and your ordination are not badges to be worn on your puffed chest, rather graces of God to be a blessing to the body of Christ and build God's Kingdom, not your own.

Passover - a Celebration or a Legalistic Requirement?

Later this month, Jews and some Christians will be celebrating Passover, one of the seven feasts of ancient Israel. The question that comes to my mind is, "why would born again, believers in Jesus Christ be celebrating a religious holiday endorsed by non-believing Jews?"

A sect in mainstream Christianity is attracting the attention of some believers. This sect is called "messianics", lead by Jews who have received Jesus Christ as Messiah. These messianics are calling the church to return to their Jewish roots, mainly by celebrating the seven feasts ancient Israel was required to observe.

Any knowlegable Christian knows and understands that Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law (where the Jews are required to observe Passover). In fact, Jesus Christ is the Passover Lamb. Apostle Paul's writings in the New Testament indicate the Law and it's commandments were shadows and types of that which was to come, Christ.

There is no need to continue to celebrate Passover along with the non-believing Jews, why remain in the shadows when we have the Light Himself, Jesus?

The danger I see in Christians dabbling in Old Testament practices is a return to legalism and a departure from faith to works of the Law.