Genesis chapter 1
Today we are walking in: Understanding Garden Influence
Job 34:16
If now thou hast understanding, hear H8085 this: hearken to the voice of my words.
UNDERSTAND
Today we look to the word-UNDERSTAND- H8085 shama`--to hear with attention or interest, listen to understand (language)
The Torah testifies...............
Genesis 11:7
Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand H8085 one another's speech.
The prophets proclaim..................
Nehemiah 8:2
And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear H8085 with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month.
The writings bear witness...........................
1 Kings 3:9
Give therefore thy servant an understanding H8085 heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?
Chapter Six
UNDERSTANDING GARDEN INFLUENCE
BY now it should be abundantly clear that the Kingdom of
Heaven is not a religion and has nothing at all to do with religion. In Eden, the original Kingdom Garden on Earth, there was no religion. There was no worship in the sense that we usually understand the word. Adam and Eve enjoyed full, open, and transparent fellowship and interaction with their Creator in a mutual relationship of pure love with absolutely no guilt, shame, or fear. Their disobedience broke that relationship, and humanity’s efforts to restore it on their own without divine assistance gave rise to religion.
The Kingdom of Heaven is the sovereign rulership of the King (Yah) over a territory (Earth). He impacts it with His will, purposes, and intent, producing a citizenry of people (ekklesia —the Church) who express a culture reflecting the nature and lifestyle of the King. Therefore, as we have seen, the Kingdom of Heaven is a real, literal country, although invisible to physical eyes because it is spiritual in nature. As King of Heaven, Yah’s big idea was to extend the influence of His heavenly country over and throughout the Earth. So we are really talking about two things here: Yah’s country and its influence.
In reading the four Gospels of the New Testament— Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—it becomes immediately clear that Yahusha used two similar but different phrases to refer to the country of the King and the influence of the King. Sometimes He referred to the “Kingdom of Heaven,” and at other times to the “Kingdom of Yah.” Although it is common to use these phrases interchangeably, there is an important difference in focus. The phrase “Kingdom of Heaven” refers to the literal place, the “headquarters” country of Yah. “Kingdom of Yah,” on the other hand, refers to the King’s influence wherever it extends, but especially its extension into the earthly realm. Another way to explain the distinction is to say that while we can go to the Kingdom of Heaven, we can bring the Kingdom of Yah to the Earth. Heaven is the place; the Kingdom of Yah is the influence. That is why Yahusha said, “The kingdom of Yah is within you” (Luke 17:21b). Wherever the Kingdom of Yah is, the Kingdom of Heaven has influence. So wherever we go as Kingdom citizens, the influence of the King should go along.
The most powerful expression of any nation is its culture: its values, morals, customs, codes of conduct, standards of living, modes of dress, food, and dietary practices, etc. A strong and rich culture can wield an influence far beyond its geographical boundaries. France is a good example. Historically, French culture has a high and proud heritage with truly worldwide influence, particularly in the areas of language and the culinary arts. Many English words—“croissant” for example—either were borrowed directly from the French or are of French origin or derivation. French cooking is deservedly famous around the world and so influential that even to this day most of the terminology used in Western cooking is French (such as sauté). One reason French culture has had such tremendous influence is because Louis XIV, the “Sun King,” was the most powerful monarch in European history. The culture of his kingdom spread not only throughout Europe, but also to all nations worldwide that were originally colonized by European nations. So, even though the kingdom of Louis XIVis long gone, the influence of its culture remains.
Yah is after the same result for His Kingdom culture and influence on the Earth. He wants people all over the world to see the evidence of His Kingdom in the values and lifestyles of His citizens and to be drawn to that influence.
IRRESISTIBLE INFLUENCE
There are two kinds of influence: the influence of the moment, which spreads rapidly and then disappears just as quickly; and lasting influence, which grows more slowly, but succeeds through persistence and permeation. Momentary or fleeting influence includes such fads as fashion, hairstyles, and the latest “popular” books, which are here today and gone tomorrow. These superficial influences, and others like them, may make a big stir in society for a time, but they generally lack the depth and substance to effect any significant changes in the culture. Influence that lasts operates more subtly and works from the inside out, altering external appearances and behavior by changing internal values, beliefs, and mindsets.
Kingdom influence is of the second type. It operates gradually, based on eternal, unchanging principles of Yah and according to a timetable that encompasses millennia. Yah literally has all the time in the universe to fulfill His plan. Consider this: at least 4,000 years passed from the time Adam and Eve lost the kingdom in Eden until Hamachiach announced its return. More than 2,000 years have elapsed since Yahusha walked the Earth, and Yah’s ultimate plan has still not yet reached completion. But throughout all that time, His influence has been growing and expanding gradually and sometimes almost invisibly, permeating human culture. And none of the efforts of either humans or the pretender can stop it.
Ultimately, the influence of Yah’s Kingdom is irresistible. This does not mean that everyone eventually will enter the Kingdom, but it does mean that someday everyone will acknowledge the reality, authority, and absolute supremacy of the Kingdom of Heaven. The apostle Paul stated plainly that the day will come when:
That at the name of Yahusha every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Yahuah is Yahusha Ha'Mashiach, to the glory of Elohiym the Father. PHILIPPIYM (PHILIPPIANS) 2:10-11 את CEPHER.
The word Lord means “owner” and is a term properly applied to a king. Hamachiach is the King of an eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing, omnipresent Kingdom, and one day everyone will confess that this is so, even those who have rejected His Kingdom.
The subtle yet irresistible nature of the Kingdom was the subject of several of Yahusha’ parables, or teaching stories:
And he said, So is the Kingdom of Elohiym, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knows not how. For the earth brings forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the grain, after that the full head of grain. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest is come. MARQUS (MARK) 4:26-29 את CEPHER.
As with the mysterious way of seeds in the Earth, the Kingdom of Yah grows silently and invisibly, until one day, like the harvest-ready grain, the evidence of its presence is there for all to see.
Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The Kingdom of Heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. MATTITHYAHU (MATTHEW) 13:31-32 את CEPHER.
The Kingdom of Heaven is so subtle and unassuming in its growth that many people ignore it or dismiss it altogether as completely inconsequential. Eventually, however, it will grow to be revealed to everyone as it really is: the greatest Kingdom of all, next to which the kingdoms of man are nothing.
Another parable spoke he unto them; The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. MATTITHYAHU (MATTHEW) 13:33 את CEPHER.
Anyone who spends any amount of time in the kitchen knows what yeast is and what it does (knowing how it does what it does is another matter). Yeast is one of the most powerful influencing agents in the world, and it exists for one reason: to infect whatever it is mixed into with its presence and influence. Yahusha’ comparison of the Kingdom of Heaven to yeast makes us think right away about impact.
While people caught up in religion think about leaving the Earth, Kingdom citizens focus on transforming it the way yeast transforms a batch of dough. Yeast is not about giving up or giving in. It is about taking over. Yeast does not abandon dough; it affects it. Yeast never becomes dough. Instead, dough becomes what bakers call “yeast dough.” Dough is weaker than yeast, and as the yeast works its way through, the dough gradually but irresistibly takes on characteristics created by the yeast.
Yeast has not finished its job until it has “worked all through the dough.” In the same way, Hamachiach is not coming back to an Earth that is not “worked all through” with the influence of His Kingdom. He wants our courts, our parliaments, our congresses, our legislatures, and our executive mansions at all levels to be thoroughly overtaken by His government influence. He wants our schools and our workplaces to be totally infected by Kingdom culture. He wants every home, every marriage, and every family to be completely possessed by Kingdom impact. The King is not interested in partial measures; He is coming to take back the entire planet. In fact, Yahusha specifically stated, “And this Besorah of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. MATTITHYAHU (MATTHEW) 24:14 את CEPHER. Kingdom business, therefore, has nothing to do with abandoning Earth. We are in the business of influencing the Earth, of spreading gardens of Kingdom culture and government throughout the world. Hamachiach has promised that if we preach the Gospel of the Kingdom, He will make sure that the whole world hears the message.
PETITIONING THE GOVERNMENT
In previous teachings we have already talked about the Kingdom prayer Yahusha taught His disciples to pray, but we need to keep returning to it because it is also His Garden expansion prayer:
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father who established yeshu`ah in the heavens, Exalted is your name. Your Kingdom come. Your will be done in earth, as in the heavens. MATTITHYAHU (MATTHEW) 6:9-10 את CEPHER.
“On earth as it is in heaven”: that is our number one prayer. We should not pray for rapture. We should not pray for retreat. We should not pray for rescue. We should pray for revolution. Every time we pray for Yah to take us out of the world, we are praying the wrong prayer. Instead, we should pray for Heaven to come to Earth—for His Garden to spread until it fills the planet.
One of the words for prayer in the New Testament also means “petition.” A petition is a legal act. It is used to address a government. Often, when we read the word prayer in the New Testament, it is talking about petitioning. You only petition government. For many believers, prayer does not work the way it should because they have made it a religious exercise of pleading for a favor rather than a legal act of asserting their rights and privileges as Kingdom citizens. Prayer is business with the government of Yah. It is where we bring a legal claim to legitimate government authority and demand the government’s response.
Becoming a Kingdom citizen through faith in Hamachiach and through the cleansing of our sins by His blood gives us complete access to all the rights, resources, and privileges of the Kingdom. When we petition the King properly (in the right spirit of humility and in accordance with His will), we are only asking for what He has already promised. This is why, even in humility, we can ask with boldness and confidence, which is what the writer of the Book of Hebrews had in mind when he wrote,
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. IVRIYM (HEBREWS) 4:16 את CEPHER.
Yahusha’ prayer shows us not only what we should ask for, but also the manner in which we should petition the government. First, He says we must address our petition to the right Person: “Our Father in heaven.” Yah the Father is the King who is ruling in Heaven, and we are His citizens in His Garden outpost on Earth who are petitioning for an audience.
Second, we must pay proper respect when addressing the King: “hallowed be Your name.” To hallow Yah’s name means to render utmost respect and reverence to His name, because His name is identified with His reputation. And because Yah is very jealous of His reputation, He is also jealous of His name. This is why He commanded the Israelites, “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your Yah, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name” (Exod. 20:7). This goes far beyond merely using Yah’s name as a curse word. It also includes such things as misrepresenting Him before others and claiming openly to be a believer while living like the devil. To hallow Yah’s name means to fear Him with a holy fear, to be so overwhelmed by Him that we constantly acknowledge the awesomeness of His power and want to make sure that He never thinks we take Him for granted. Why do you hallow the King? Because He holds the power of life and death. When we petition the government, we must first show proper respect to the government.
Third, our petition should always reflect not our own will, but the will of the King, for the will of the King is law: “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Remember, this is Yahusha instructing His disciples how to pray. In other words, the King Himself is telling us what to ask Him for. He says nothing about cars or clothes or food. Instead, He says, “Petition for My government influence to come to Earth, for My intentions, purposes, culture, lifestyle, and will to be done on Earth just as they are in Heaven.”
PRAYING FOR YEAST
When we focus our hearts and minds to pray for Heaven to come to Earth, then the next part of Yahusha’ Garden-expansion prayer makes more sense: “Give us this day our daily bread. MATTITHYAHU (MATTHEW) 6:11 את CEPHER.
The meaning should be clear: When we tend to Yah’s business, He will tend to ours. This connection between praying for Heaven to come to Earth and receiving our daily bread ties in directly to what Yahusha says a few verses later: “But seek ye first the Kingdom of Elohiym, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. MATTITHYAHU (MATTHEW) 6:33 את CEPHER.
“All these things” refers to our everyday needs. “Daily bread” certainly refers to food, but it is also much more than that. The ancient Jews often used the word bread as an idiom that meant everything necessary for life. In essence, Yahusha was saying, “If you pray for My government to come to Earth in your job, in your business, in your home, in your community, in your government, in your schools—in every arena of life—I will meet every need you have.”
This promised provision of daily bread can be linked to yeast and its influence. As we pray for Yah’s Kingdom to come, He gives us daily bread—the yeast of His influence—to help us bring about His Kingdomexpansion on Earth.
If you are one of those people who have trouble praying because you never know what to pray for, I have just destroyed your last excuse. You don’t have to pray long as long as you pray right. Take the time every day—at your bedside when you first get up, while in the shower, while getting dressed, while driving to work, or whatever—to pray simply, “Lord, let Your Kingdom come and let Your will be done in my life today as it is in Heaven.” Start praying that prayer, and look for opportunities that Yah gives you for fulfilling it. Tend to Yah’s business this way, and watch how He starts tending to yours.
Even Yahusha’ prayer for His followers in John chapter 17 is a “yeast” prayer:
I pray not that you should take them out of the world, but that you should guard them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through your Truth: your Word is Truth. As you have sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. YOCHANON (JOHN) 17:15-18 את CEPHER.
Just as yeast is not of the dough but comes from outside and infects it, so Kingdom citizens are not of the world but of a Kingdom from outside the world, and they infect the world with that Kingdom’s culture. In effect, Yahusha was praying, “Father, don’t take My ‘yeast’ out of the dough. Protect them from the evil one so that they will be free to permeate the dough thoroughly.”
Whatever business, profession, or career you are in, you are the King’s yeast wherever you are, and if you set your heart and your prayers right, He will prosper you. But you must have the right attitude. Rather than saying, “I am in business for myself for my own profit,” learn to say, “I am in His business for His influence.”
Yahusha prayed that we not be taken out of the world system.
He wants us right in the middle of it: the economic system, the political system, the cultural system, the social system, the entertainment system, the sports system, the investment system, and the health system. We cannot “yeast” the dough if we are not in the dough.
Many believers say, “I want a Christian job with a Christian boss in a Christian workplace.” While there certainly are believers whom the Lord has called to such positions, He calls most of us to bloom and prosper right where we are, in the middle of the finance field, the hotel field, the food industry, education, or government, because there is a whole lot of dough out there with a whole lot of needs. He wants us to infect the hospitality industry, banking, business, politics, sports. We are not here to escape; we are here to reshape. Our prayer should be, “Lord, prosper me, not for my sake but for Yours, so I can infect my world with Your Kingdom. Let me be yeast for You.” If you pray that kind of prayer, and truly mean it, Yah will prosper your work.
MAGNETIC ATTRACTION
One of the reasons for the significant power of the Garden influence is its unmistakable appeal. The Kingdom message draws people like a magnet. Even people who have no idea of what they are looking for, or if they are even looking for anything, the moment they hear about the Kingdom they say, “That’s it!” Most people intuitively recognize true and priceless value when they see it. Yahusha emphasized the supreme value of the Kingdom in two brief parables:
Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man has found, he hides, and for joy thereof goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field. Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. MATTITHYAHU (MATTHEW) 13:44-46 את CEPHER.
These parables speak of two different types of people and their responses to the Kingdom. The man in the first parable is like most of the people in the world, either searching aimlessly for something they don’t know or simply going through life unaware of the priceless treasure at their feet until they stumble upon it (seemingly) by accident. This man may have heard a rumor of treasure in the field and gone looking for it, or he may simply have been crossing the field and came upon the treasure unexpectedly. Either way, the moment he found it, he knew it was what he had been seeking all his life. He immediately recognized its priceless value and that it was worth any price he had to pay to obtain it. Accordingly, he sold everything he had and bought the field. The Kingdom of Heaven is far more valuable than anything this world has to offer.
In the second parable, the merchant knew what he was looking for: fine pearls. Finding one of “great value,” he knew right away that in beauty and worth, it far outstripped any other pearl he had ever found, and he too sold everything he had in order to buy it.
Many people know they are searching for something, for some sense of meaning and purpose to life, and some even have at least a vague idea of what they want. They sample different religions, try out various philosophies, and comb through the world’s wisdom literature looking for answers and searching for truth. Upon discovering the Kingdom (or being discovered by it), they know intuitively that here, finally, is the answer to all their questions and the end of their long quest.
No matter who we are or where we are from, the Kingdom of Heaven is the only thing we are truly searching for and the only thing we truly need, because the Kingdom gives us access to all the riches of Heaven and all the resources of eternity.
The appeal of the Kingdom of Heaven is so magnetic, in fact, that it draws in people of every nation, culture, and language group, including many who, although attracted to the obvious benefits of Kingdom life, never understand the principles behind it or reach the place of true faith to embrace it. These, as in Yahusha’ parable of the wheat and the weeds, will in time be separated out from true Kingdom citizens. The King’s invitation is wide open, of truly global scope, but not everyone will accept it. As Yahusha made clear, many are called, but few are chosen.
Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. MATTITHYAHU (MATTHEW) 13:47-50 את CEPHER.
As with the wheat and weeds that grow together until the harvest, good “fish” and bad “fish” will mingle together in the “sea” of the world until the day when the Kingdom of Heaven draws them all in with its all-encompassing net. Then all who have responded to the King’s invitation will be welcomed into the fullness of Kingdom life, while those who have not will be separated out forever.
Yahusha told another parable with a similar point, but one which also reveals more of the abundance that awaits those who accept the King’s invitation:
The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then said he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he said unto him, Friend, how came you in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen. MATTITHYAHU (MATTHEW) 22:2-14 את CEPHER.
Entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven is open to all, for the King excludes no one from His invitation. Yahusha said,
In the last day, that great day of the feast, Yahusha stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believes on me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. YOCHANON (JOHN) 7:37-38 את CEPHER.
He also promised, “And he said unto me, It is done. I am the א (Aleph) and the ת (Tav), the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. CHIZAYON (REVELATION) 21:6 את CEPHER. The invigorating waters of Kingdom life are offered to all without cost or exclusion, yet many will exclude themselves by refusing to drink.
The drawing power of the Kingdom is so great and so all- encompassing that ultimately no one will be able to resist its attraction. Everyone will be drawn: either to liberation and life for those who believe, or to judgment and death for those who do not. Either way, no one will escape the magnetic attraction of the Kingdom of Heaven—or the just judgments of its righteous and holy King.
KINGDOM COMMUNITY AND CULTURE STOPPED
The ultimate power and goal of Garden influence is to develop a heavenly culture on Earth that produces a Kingdom community. Yah wants to invade Earth with Heaven, to infuse Earth with Heaven’s culture until Earth begins to look just like Heaven. His desire is to build a heavenly community on Earth through the cultivation of His Kingdom culture here. This is exemplified both in the prayer of Yahusha: “Your Kingdom come. Your will be done in earth, as in the heavens. MATTITHYAHU (MATTHEW) 6:10 את CEPHER, and in the plan of Yah from the beginning: “And Elohiym said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. BERE'SHIYTH (GENESIS) 1:26 את CEPHER.
Yah doesn’t want a religion. He doesn’t want a weekend ceremony. He isn’t looking for a group of weird people dressed in weird clothes saying weird things. Yah wants a holy community of whole and complete citizens, a community that represents and reflects Heaven on Earth, and He wants to do it through cultivating His Kingdom’s culture on Earth through the lives and influence of His people.
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