Psalm chapter 45
Today we are walking in: Living In Two Worlds In One Earth
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 Ten
LIVING IN TWO WORLDS ON ONE EARTH
KINGDOM citizens are people with their feet in two different worlds. One foot is planted squarely in the Kingdom community, where daily life is ordered by the righteous principles, standards, and culture of Yah Almighty, while the other stands securely in the society and culture of the world. At heart, the two worlds are incompatible because they operate according to principles and philosophies that are diametrically opposed to each other. Yet we live in both worlds simultaneously. This is the challenge of living in the Kingdom. In order to do so successfully, we have to understand the principles of Kingdom extension and influence and how they work in conjunction with the present culture we are in. How do we live in two worlds on one Earth? More importantly, how do we claim one world—the popular culture—and bring it under Kingdom government?
Attitude is the key, and attitude determines strategy.
To begin with, we must have the proper attitude with regard to the Kingdom of Heaven and the kingdom of this world. The first is eternal, while the second is temporal. In other words, though the Kingdom of Heaven will last forever, the kingdom of this world will someday pass away to be replaced by a new kingdom on a new Earth. Psalm 45:6 says, “Your throne, O Yah, will last forever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of Your kingdom.” A king’s scepter is the symbol of his power, authority, and favor. Whoever has the scepter acts in the king’s authority, and the one to whom the king holds out his scepter receives the king’s favor. So the scepter represents the character of the king and his rule. Justice, then, is the character of Yah and His Kingdom.
Psalm 103:19 says, “Yahuah has prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom rules over all. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 103:19 את CEPHER.” “All” means everything there is. There is nothing and no one anywhere over whom Yah does not rule. If justice is the character of Yah’s Kingdom, then the universe in its entirety is the scope of Yah’s Kingdom.
Psalm 145:13a says, “Your Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. Yahuah is true in his word, and holy in all his works. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 145:13 את CEPHER.” From eternity past to eternity future, Yah’s Kingdom endures. If justice is the character of Yah’s Kingdom, and the universe is its scope, then eternity is its duration.
Recognizing the just, universal, and eternal nature of the Kingdom of Heaven should inspire us to adjust our attitude to acknowledge that the kingdom of this world can never equal or compete with Yah’s eternal Kingdom. The knowledge that we are citizens of a just Kingdom that can never be overthrown and will never pass away should give us boldness as we engage the kingdom of this world and its culture.
Whenever we pray, “Your kingdom come, and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” we are praying for the celestial to transform the terrestrial. Celestial means heavenly, invisible, and spiritual. As children of Yah created in His image and likeness, we have firm connections to both worlds. On the one hand, we are celestial, spiritual beings who will live forever, while on the other hand, our beings are housed in terrestrial, physical bodies of clay that will die and decay, only to be replaced by new bodies that will not. No other creatures in the whole of Yah’s universal Kingdom have this dual celestial- terrestrial nature. So we are ideally suited by nature and design to be Yah’s instruments to transform the terrestrial realm into the likeness of the celestial.
NO COEXISTENCE
One of the first attitude adjustments we must make is to get rid of our “religious” thinking. As I have stressed over and over, Kingdom living has nothing to do with religion. For one thing, religious thinking believes in coexistence; it makes room for everybody: every sect, every denomination, every belief system, every philosophy; those with high values and those with no values at all; those who believe in many Yahs, one Yah, or no Yah. Coexistence says, “Let’s all try to get along. After all, there are many roads to the truth, and each road is just as valid as the next.” Coexistence makes room for Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Christian Science, Scientology, Unitarianism, Bahai, Hare Krishna, witchcraft, animism, atheism, and all the rest. Coexistence regards accommodation as the highest value.
There is no such thing as coexistence in the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom did not come to Earth to coexist; it came to take over and transform. In the Kingdom there is only one vision, one will, one standard, one law, one belief system, one value system, one moral code, one code of ethics, one code of conduct, and one culture—the King’s. The existence of any other constitutes rebellion. If the King’s word is law and absolute, how can there be multitudes of little “kingdoms” within the Kingdom? There can’t be. Since there is only one King and only one Kingdom, coexistence is impossible.
We have already seen how Yahusha likened the Kingdom of Heaven to yeast. Let’s imagine for a moment that we have a large mixing bowl containing lumps of dough made from different kinds of flour: white, wheat, oat, rice, nut, etc. And let’s imagine further that each of these lumps represents a “kingdom” of the world, whether a nation, a religion, or whatever. Now suppose that we mix yeast in with all those different lumps of dough. What do you think will happen? Do you think the yeast will discriminate between the different kinds of flour? Each kind of flour is different, but the yeast doesn’t care; it ignores those distinctions, proceeds with its fermentation process, and transforms the entire batch of dough.
Yah’s Kingdom is not here to coexist with the kingdoms of this world, but to supplant and transform them. The multi-faith rally in Mexico City that I attended and that I described in the beginning of Chapter One is a case in point. That rally was organized around the philosophy of coexistence. All of the world’s major religions (and many of the minor ones) were represented, and each one was afforded equal dignity, respect, and honor. All the speakers were received respectfully and politely. But when I stood up and talked about the Kingdom— not religion—everyone in the arena was clamoring for more. Why? The message of the Kingdom is like yeast in the dough of religion and worldly kingdoms. Yeast doesn’t believe in coexistence. It permeates and agitates and will not stop until it has transformed its environment into something completely new. The Kingdom of Heaven cannot simply and tidily be given a place sharing the stage with all the religions, philosophies, and faith systems of the world. It will grow and expand and overwhelm and transform until it alone is left.
So all who are Kingdom citizens face the dilemma and challenge of how to live successfully and simultaneously in two worlds that are in inevitable conflict. In teaching Two we talked about the clash of cultures between the Kingdom and the world. One critical key to our successful navigation within these two worlds is to get it thoroughly into our heads that the Kingdom of Heaven is not a kingdom of coexistence but of transformation, and that it is the Kingdom, not the world, that will ultimately prevail. This understanding can help us develop the habit of thinking with a Kingdom mindset and making Kingdom decisions in every area of life.
As Kingdom citizens, we must be prepared for clash and conflict. We cannot enter the Kingdom of Yah and continue to live like our unsaved friends. All of a sudden everything changes: our culture, our nature, our interests, our priorities, our tastes—everything. We are new creations in Hamachiach; the old is gone and everything has become new (see 2 Cor. 5:17). Our assignment on Earth is not coexistence, compromise, or half measures. It is total transformation. It is love taking over a love-starved planet.
KINGDOM TRANSFORMATION IN ACTION
We’re not talking about theoretical concepts here, but principles that actually work in practical, everyday ways. For example, there is a woman in our congregation who not long ago took over as manager of a dying restaurant, and within six months, by applying Kingdom principles, turned it completely around. One of the first decisions she made as manager was to set a standard for all the workers—a Kingdom standard. She retrained all the staff and helped reignite their passion for their work and for the restaurant’s success. Prior to her arrival, each of the chefs cooked everything, according to what came along. She organized them according to their gifts and abilities so that each chef prepared the dishes he or she was especially good at.
The restaurant had televisions that previously had been used to watch anything. This Kingdom manager established a policy that limited the television viewing to two channels: TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network) and CNN. No one, including the customers, was allowed to change the channels. She did this so that as manager she could control and create an appropriate atmosphere. If a customer asked to change the channel, she politely and respectfully declined, saying that she appreciated the customer’s business, but that those were the rules.
Her lifestyle of uncompromising but non-belligerent obedience to Kingdom principles even in the workplace brought about a transformation in the lives of her employees. Their attitudes and morale changed drastically as they observed the consistency and excellence of her management style and operating principles. She and her employees regularly pray together, and she testifies that today there is continual worship in both the kitchen and the office. In addition, the restaurant is closed on Sundays so that all the workers can go to their own houses of worship.
When this dedicated Kingdom citizen and servant took over, the restaurant was dying. Within months, the restaurant had become so popular that customers were waiting in line even before the 11 A.M. opening time, and on most days, from 11:30 A.M. to 3 P.M., the line is out the door. Income for the business has tripled since she became manager, enabling her to give generous raises to the employees. The business even bought one employee a car and gave computers to two of the student employees. Turnaround of workers is low, and the restaurant is now looking to expand into a franchise and even go international.
That is quite a transformation, from a single struggling restaurant to a successful and growing operation—and all because one dedicated Kingdom citizen determined to apply Kingdom principles, without compromise or coexistence, in the place where Yah had placed her.
Whenever the Kingdom comes into a place, it impacts and overrides the culture of that place, not with violence or heavy- handed tactics, but with love and an unshakable confidence in the absolute legitimacy, superiority, and supremacy of Kingdom government. We are not supposed to dress like the popular culture, or live like the popular culture, or take a light view of sex and morality like the popular culture. We are supposed to set the standard, the higher standard of the Kingdom. We are supposed to override the popular culture. We are supposed to exercise self-control and moderation in all things and impact the people around us. We should not allow the environment to change us.
Instead, we should change our environment and bring it into conformity with Yah’s Kingdom. The apostle Paul said, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of Elohiym. ROMAIYM (ROMANS) 12:2 את CEPHER. Once transformed in this manner, we then transform our environment wherever we go until it is a clear reflection of the Kingdom.
No coexistence. Transformation of the popular culture will come only from communities of Kingdom citizens who refuse to remain silent, who refuse to sit idly by, uninvolved and disengaged, while the agents of the “powers of this dark world and...the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:12) set their agenda and run the show. We must speak up. We must step out. We must get involved. We must become proactive in reproducing garden communities of the Kingdom wherever we are and wherever we go in the future. That is our calling and our assignment from the One who commanded us to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Ruach HaQadesh, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you...” (Matt. 28:19-20a).
THE KINGDOM WE’VE ALL BEEN LOOKING FOR
Human history is replete with examples of good kings and bad kings, good kingdoms and bad kingdoms, benevolent governments and oppressive governments. One fact that stands out clearly is this: As the king goes, so goes the kingdom. Since a kingdom is tied so closely to the nature and character of its king, it is virtually impossible for a good kingdom to come from a bad king, or a bad kingdom to come from a good king. Yahusha put it this way:
For a good tree brings not forth corrupt fruit; neither does a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a thorn bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. LUQAS (LUKE) 6:43-45 את CEPHER.
Fortunately for all of us, the King of kings is a good King, and His Kingdom is a good kingdom. That is why we who are citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven can live and work for the Kingdom—and engage the popular culture with it—in complete confidence that we are serving not only Yah, but also the better interests of our fellow humans who are not yet in the Kingdom. Our King’s rule is just and righteous. He rules with fairness, grace, compassion, mercy, and, most of all, love. And in His love He delights to give all good things to His children, His people. James, the brother of Yahusha, wrote, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. YA`AQOV (JAMES) 1:17 את CEPHER. Yahusha Himself said, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you את the Kingdom. LUQAS (LUKE) 12:32 את CEPHER. No matter who we are, and whether we realize it or not, the Kingdom of Heaven is the kingdom we have always been looking for.
The nature of a king and his government determines the quality of life in his kingdom. If the king is corrupt, then his kingdom will be characterized by corruption, oppression, evil, and injustice. Such was the experience of millions, including the early Christians, under the rule of Rome. The Roman Empire endured a succession of evil and depraved rulers, and the quality of life across the empire reflected it. The King of the Ages, however, rules with absolute love, beneficence, and equanimity.
In addition, the wealth of a kingdom will be reflected in the lifestyle of its people. If the kingdom is rich and the king is good, the people will be well off. If the kingdom is poor, or the king corrupt, the people will live in poverty. Our Kingdom belongs to a King who owns everything. The Earth is the Most High’s, and everything on it (see Ps. 24:1), and the heavens belong to Him as well (see Ps. 115:16). He bestows favor and honor and withholds no good thing from those who obey Him (see Ps. 84:11). And the apostle Paul assures us that “But my Elohiym shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Mashiach Yahusha. PHILIPPIYM (PHILIPPIANS) 4:19 את CEPHER. He will supply everything we need on Earth, but not necessarily from the Earth. His supply will come to us from the limitless riches of Heaven.
In other words, our needs can be met based on how much the Kingdom has. Unlimited resources mean unlimited provision. There is no lack in the Kingdom of Heaven. The meaning of Matthew 6:33 is that if we place our top priority on seeking first the Kingdom and righteousness of Yah, then His government will supply all of our basic necessities as a Kingdom obligation to its citizens. But the King fulfills this obligation freely and willingly out of His love for us.
Finally, the quality of life of citizens of a kingdom is at the mercy of the character of the king. Yahusha said,
“Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. MATTITHYAHU (MATTHEW) 11:28-30 את CEPHER.
“All” means everybody. The King has the power to give rest to everyone who comes to Him—including all 7 billion plus of us on the face of the Earth. This is not some sweet and sentimental religious statement; it is a legal Kingdom decree. “Come to Me, all 7 billion and more of you; I can heal you all, house you all, feed you all, dress you all, and bless you all— and still have as many resources as when I began.”
Yahusha is a good King, and His Kingdom is just what the world needs, which is why He wants to fill the Earth with His Kingdom communities and use His citizens to do it.
VICTORY THROUGH SERVICE
But how do we do it? What is our personal strategy for carrying out our King’s Garden Expansion Program? We must not use the methods or ways of the world because the world’s ways are at odds with the ways of the Kingdom. The world operates through self-promotion and the pursuit of selfish ambition. But the Kingdom operates by different principles. An incident involving two of Yahusha’ disciples gave Him the opportunity to teach all of them about greatness and advancement in the Kingdom of Heaven:
Then came to him the mother of Zavdiy's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. And he said unto her, What will you? She said unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on your right hand, and the other on the left, in your Kingdom. But Yahusha answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able את to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. And he said unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father. And when the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation against the two brethren. But Yahusha called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the other nations exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of A'dam came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. MATTITHYAHU (MATTHEW) 20:20-28 את CEPHER.
“Not so with you.” With these words Yahusha clearly and permanently distinguished Kingdom life and ways from those of the world. In the world, kings and rulers vaunt their authority over others. “Not so with you.” In the world, officials and others in power exercise authority over others, often in selfish or oppressive ways. “Not so with you.” In the world, people put themselves forward, scrambling over or pulling down anyone who gets in their way in their struggle to become top dog. “Not so with you.”
Greatness and success in the Kingdom come not through self-promotion and ambitious positioning, but through self- abasement and servanthood. By self-abasement I do not mean false modesty or humility, or becoming a push-over or a doormat for people to walk all over. Self-abasement means a genuinely humble spirit that regards selfless service to others in the name of the King as the greatest honor and privilege that anyone could be given. As sinners who were once in rebellion against Yah, we deserve nothing from Him except judgment and condemnation. Yet Yah, in His great mercy and love, forgave our sins through Hamachiach, brought us into His glorious and eternal Kingdom, and assigned us to represent His Kingdom on Earth, even as we enjoy all its benefits. What greater privilege could there be?
“Not so with you.” Our culture is different. We don’t do things the way the rest of the world does. In the world, people seek greatness through money, power, and the praise and admiration of others. Yahusha said that they have their reward (see Matt. 6:2). Greatness in the Kingdom of Yah comes through service, the selfless giving of ourselves for the benefit of others. If our King came to serve rather than to be served, how can we do anything different?
FIND YOUR GIFT AND SERVE IT TO THE WORLD
“Even as the Son of A'dam came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. MATTITHYAHU (MATTHEW) 20:28 את CEPHER. Notice the progression here: Yahusha became a servant, and then He gave Himself. By His example He is telling us: “Find your gift and serve it to the world. That is how you will infect people with the Kingdom.” If you set your heart on the Kingdom of Heaven and your sights on serving others in the King’s name, He will open doors of opportunity for you that would never open otherwise. He will take you to places you would never be able to go on your own and enable you to impact lives you would never even come close to touching any other way. He will take you to personal heights of joy, prosperity, and contentment beyond your wildest dreams and give you a broader influence in your world than you have ever imagined. But those things come not by seeking them, but by seeking Him; not by seeking the gifts, but by seeking the Giver.
Yahusha said that whoever wants to become great in the Kingdom must become a servant. “Whoever” means that greatness in the Kingdom is available to anyone—anyone willing to pay the price, that is. And what is the price? It is setting aside your own will and ambitions and offering yourself willingly as a servant—even a slave—of the King. It is giving up your right to yourself in complete surrender to the will and purpose of Yah, to go where He says to go and to do what He says to do.
Everyone dreams of being great, and there is nothing evil in that desire. We all want to be part of something significant. This is perfectly natural. Such a desire comes from Yah, because He created us for greatness, but we lost it when we lost the Kingdom. We can get it back, but not by walking on top of people, pushing people down, Most Highing it over people, conniving, scheming, lying, stealing, or dealing under the table. Those are the ways of the world. In Yah’s country, if you want to be great, you first must become the servant of all.
What Yahusha was actually saying is that when we become servants of the King, we are supposed to serve something to the world. If we want to become great, we have to find our gift, refine it, and serve it to the world, not for our sake but for the world’s, and for the sake of our King and His great name.
There is actually a process. First, you must find your gift; discover it. Second, you must define your gift; understand it. Third, you must refine your gift; begin using it in small ways faithfully, and in larger ways as the Most High gives you opportunity. This means distributing your gift for free, giving it away. Slaves don’t receive pay for their labors; they work for free. But as you serve humbly and faithfully, giving freely of yourself, the King will be watching and will reward you. As you prove yourself faithful in little things, He will entrust you with greater things.
So keep on laboring faithfully in the men’s ministry, or the children’s ministry, or the music ministry, or the soup kitchen, or wherever Yah has placed you and however He has gifted you. Set your heart on the Kingdom, serve your gift to the world, and be faithful; and eventually Yah will elevate you in some way. You have to become a slave of your gift, for when you serve your gift, you are serving yourself to others. And the more you give of yourself, the greater you will become in the eyes of those you serve, because they will see in you the image, likeness, and heart of the King.
Yah’s big idea was to extend His kingly influence and culture from the celestial to the terrestrial by planting garden communities throughout the Earth that would perfectly reflect the richness and abundant life of His heavenly Kingdom. And He chose to do it through citizen-servants like you and me who will seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and live exclusively for Him. We do this by humbling ourselves and giving ourselves freely to others so that they may see Him in us, learn of His Kingdom from us, and apply for citizenship themselves. Let us be faithful to our calling and hasten the day when “For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Yahuah, as the waters cover the sea. CHABAQQUQ (HABAKKUK) 2:14 את CEPHER.
The Divine destiny connection, the chain that links us together.
Thursday, March 7, 2024
Wednesday, March 6, 2024
ENGAGING THE POPULAR CULTURE
Matthew chapter 25
Today we are walking in: Engaging The Popular Culture
Numbers 24:7
He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. BEMIDBAR (NUMBERS) 24:7 ×ת CEPHER
KINGDOM
Today we look to the word-KINGDOM- H4467 mamlâkâh, (mam-law-kaw') -dominion, (abstractly) the estate (rule) or (concretely) the country (realm):—kingdom, king's, reign, royal
The Torah testifies...............
Exodus 19:6
And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak unto the children of Yashar'el. SHEMOTH (EXODUS) 19:6 ×ת CEPHER
Numbers 32:33
And Mosheh gave unto them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Re'uven, and unto half the tribe of Menashsheh the son of Yoceph, the kingdom of Ciychon king of the Emoriym, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land, with the cities thereof in the coasts, even the cities of the country round about. BEMIDBAR (NUMBERS) 32:33 ×ת CEPHER
Deuteronomy 17:18
And it shall be, when he sits upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this Torah in a cepher out of that which is before the priests the Leviyiym: DEVARIYM (DEUTERONOMY) 17:18 ×ת CEPHER
The prophets proclaim..................
1 Samuel 10:18
And said unto the children of Yashar'el, Thus says Yahuah Elohai of Yashar'el, I brought up Yashar'el out of Mitsrayim, and delivered you out of the hand of the Mitsriym, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you: SHEMU'EL RI'SHON (1 SAMUEL) 10:18 ×ת CEPHER
Isaiah 9:7
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of Yahuah Tseva'oth will perform this. YESHA'YAHU (ISAIAH) 9:7 ×ת CEPHER
Jeremiah 18:9
And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; YIRMEYAHU (JEREMIAH) 18:9 ×ת CEPHER
The writings bear witness...........................
1 Kings 9:5
Then I will establish the throne of your kingdom upon Yashar'el forever, as I promised to David your father, saying, There shall not fail you a man upon the throne of Yashar'el. MELEKIYM RI'SHON (1 KINGS) 9:5 ×ת CEPHER
1 Chronicles 17:11
And it shall come to pass, when your days be expired that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will raise up your seed after you, which shall be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. DIVREI HAYAMIYM RI'SHON (1 CHRONICLES) 17:11 ×ת CEPHER
Psalm 145:13
Your Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. Yahuah is true in his word, and holy in all his works. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 145:13 ×ת CEPHER
Chapter Nine
ENGAGING THE POPULAR CULTURE
THE Kingdom principle of engagement is simply defined as influencing the popular culture through the community of faith. As I have mentioned elsewhere in this series, all humans are searching for meaning in their lives. We all want to know that there is a reason and a purpose for our existence; that we were not born by accident. Throughout the ages, human philosophers have sought to understand life and therefore find meaning in it. Religion has tried to do the same thing. Regardless of their culture, people all over the world look at their surroundings and circumstances and ask, “Is this all?” They examine their day-to-day experiences and think, “Certainly there is more to life than this.”
By and large, however, man’s search for meaning has come up empty because he has failed or refused to look for meaning and purpose in the one place in the universe he can find them: the Kingdom of Heaven. As Kingdom citizens and members of the Kingdom community, we not only possess the answer to humanity’s search for meaning, but we also bear the responsibility of sharing it with others. The only way for the Kingdom community to bring its influence to bear in the world is by engaging the popular culture on equal terms on a consistent, day-by-day basis. In order to do this, we must each be committed to representing the nature and character of our King and to living His culture daily before the world with boldness and without apology or compromise.
Man’s search for meaning is all about his quest for a lost inheritance. Philosophy can’t find it. Science can’t find it. Religion can’t find it. Only those who are citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven have found it, because the King Himself has restored it. In fact, the Kingdom itself is the inheritance, and with the Kingdom comes everything else. Possession of the inheritance is what distinguishes the Kingdom community and its citizens from all other communities and peoples on Earth. The King desires for every person in the world to become a citizen of His community and to receive his or her inheritance. The day is coming when the King Himself will separate forever those who are His citizens from those who are not. In the meantime, He has charged His citizens with the commission to engage the world and proclaim His Kingdom by both word and lifestyle so that as many as possible of the people of the world will transfer their citizenship from the pretender’s kingdom to His.
Although we will not experience the complete fullness of our inheritance until we enter the life to come, as Kingdom citizens, our inheritance is a present reality. In fact, Kingdom community life is the daily living out of our inheritance in real and practical ways. Yahusha described it this way:
When the Son of A'dam shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was hungry, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Adonai, when did we see you hungry, and feed you? or thirsty, and gave you drink? When did we see you a stranger, and take you in? or naked, and clothe you? Or when did we see you sick, or in prison, and come unto you? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Amein I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. MATTITHYAHU (MATTHEW) 25:31-40 את CEPHER.
We have not inherited a religion. Cultures and societies may transfer religions from one generation to the next, but that is not our inheritance. Our inheritance is the Kingdom—not just any kingdom, but the Kingdom. What Adam lost, Hamachiach has restored to us. Rulership is in our genes, authority, in our very makeup. We were designed to rule the Earth. The Kingdom is the rightful inheritance of all humankind. Many people, however, do not know this, which is why we of the Kingdom community must engage those who live in the world’s culture. They need to be informed of their inheritance.
As Kingdom citizens, our goal should be to stay in touch with Heaven every moment of every day. It is for this reason that Yah sent His Holy Spirit not to visit us but to live inside of us, so He could guide us into the knowledge of all truth and teach us how to live and act and talk like the King.
This is the way—and the only way—for us to exert a continuing influence and make a permanent impact for the Kingdom in the popular culture. In order to transform the popular culture, we must engage the popular culture, and we can engage it successfully only in the Spirit, likeness, and power of our King.
HEAVEN IS NOT OUR PRIORITY
When talking about the Kingdom principle of engagement, it is important that we first understand what our assignment is not. Because there is so much confusion on this issue, we need to be absolutely clear about what we are not supposed to do.
1. Yah did not assign us to go to Heaven. Despite what many churches and denominations teach, going to Heaven is not our priority. As I have said before and throughout this book, most religions, including religious Christianity, focus on teaching their people how to get ready to escape Earth and go to Heaven, however they conceive Heaven to be. That is not our assignment as Kingdom citizens. Remember, Yah did not create the world to be empty, but to be inhabited (see Isa. 45:18). “The heavens, even the heavens, are Yahuah's: but the earth has he given to the children of men. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 115:16 את CEPHER. In other words, Heaven should not be our passion or ultimate goal, but rather, the bringing of Heaven to Earth.
2. Yah did not assign us to prepare others to “go to Heaven.” He assigned us to tell others about the Kingdom of Heaven that has come to Earth, and then, once their hunger for the Kingdom has been stirred up, to tell them how they can enter the Kingdom through faith in Hamachiach We talk so much about “witnessing” to people to try to get them into Heaven. That is the wrong emphasis. When we study the ministry of Yahusha Hamachiach, we discover that He was not after trying to get people into Heaven. He was bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to Earth and was after getting people into the Kingdom. We talk about the importance of being “born again,” and then stop, as if that is all there is to it. Yahusha Himself linked the new birth with the Kingdom when He said, “Yahusha answered and said unto him, Amein, Amein, I say unto you, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of Elohiym. YOCHANON (JOHN) 3:3 את CEPHER. Our assignment is not to help people to prepare for Heaven, but to help them enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
3. Yah did not assign us to establish a religion. As I have stressed over and over, creating a religion was never part of Yah’s plan, and Yahusha never established one either. Religion is man’s creation, not Yah’s. In the beginning Yah established His Kingdom on Earth and gave man dominion over it. Man lost his earthly Kingdom, and Hamachiach came to bring it back. When Yahusha came to Earth He did not bring a religion; He re- established the rule and government of His Father. Then He established His ekklesia, His Church, to sustain and expand that government throughout the world. The Kingdom of Heaven is not about religion, but relationship: a King relating to His children. And although it has government and law, the Kingdom of Heaven is not about legalism, but lifestyle.
4. Yah did not assign us to promote a religion or a denomination. We all know that there are people who are willing to fight and even die for their religion. Throughout human history, more wars have been fought over religion than any other single cause. People get upset when you touch their religion. Think of the Muslims in Europe and other parts of the world who rioted after a Danish newspaper published unflattering cartoons of Muhammad. Think of the violence and hostility that occurs between the Sunni and Shiite sects of Islam. Think about the Christians who get upset every time some unbeliever makes a disparaging comment in the news about Yah, Hamachiach , the Church, or a particular denomination. Think about all the infighting that goes on between denominations over baptism, church polity and government, which day is the “true” Most High’s Day, theology, doctrine, and biblical interpretation. Religions are always fighting because they are not under the Kingdom. Our assignment is not to promote a religion or a denomination, but to proclaim the Kingdom. There is only one Kingdom, and one King, and within His government, there is no debate, no division, and no disunity.
THE WORLD IS NOT OUR ENEMY
Just as Heaven is not our priority, neither is the world our enemy. Although as Kingdom citizens we are not of the world, we are in the world, and it is Yah’s will that we engage the world’s culture with the principles, claims, and authority of the Kingdom of Heaven.
5. Yah did not assign us to separate or isolate ourselves from the world. This is a big hang-up for many believers. In our desire to be holy, we become “holier than thou” by trying to have nothing to do with unbelievers. “We don’t mix with unYahly people.” “I will not go into a room where people are smoking.” “I can’t be seen with you because your skirt is too short.” “I don’t hang around with people who drink and cuss all the time.” Many believers would rather spend all their time around other believers, even to the point of desiring to work at a Hebrew job for a Hebrew boss at a Hebrew company. We cannot engage the popular culture by escaping from it, nor can we influence it by isolating ourselves from it. Yahusha certainly didn’t. One of the biggest criticisms the religious leaders leveled against Yahusha was the fact that He spent so much time with “sinners,” the dirty, disreputable, and cast-off dregs of society. When challenged on this, He responded,
“But when Yahusha heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that means, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. MATTITHYAHU (MATTHEW) 9:12-13 את CEPHER.
That is our assignment too.
6. Yah did not assign us to attack or condemn the world. From the way some believers talk, you would think that our number one job is to pronounce judgment on the world. No, our job is not judgment but influence. Our job is to do what Yahusha did, and even He did not come to judge the world. A day is coming when Hamachiach will return as Judge, but He came the first time not to judge the world but to save it:
For Elohiym so loved the world, that he gave his yachiyd, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For Yah sent not his yachiyd into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. YOCHANON (JOHN) 3:16-17 את CEPHER.
We accomplish nothing by attacking and condemning people for their sins. Deep in their hearts, unbelievers know they are sinners. They know their lives are messed up and out of alignment with Yah. They don’t need us in our self- righteousness laying it out for them, especially if we come off sounding like we think we are beyond those kinds of things. They know better. We can’t draw people to the Kingdom by offending them with our manner. (Becoming offended by our message, however, is another matter entirely.) In order to influence them, we must show patience and sensitivity.
7. Yah did not assign us to compete with the world. Sometimes we act as though we believe that our job is to keep up with the world, that every pronouncement or production of the world requires a “Hebrew” response. We assume that the Kingdom of Heaven must be defended and that no challenge should go unmet. This is faulty thinking. Hamachiach never tried to keep up with the Roman Empire. Why not? Because He knew there was no competition. This is why He told Pilate,
Yahusha answered, My Kingdom is not of this world: if my Kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Yahudiym: but now is my Kingdom not from hence. YOCHANON (JOHN) 18:36 את CEPHER.
There is no need for us to “defend” the Kingdom; that is not our job. The King is perfectly capable of defending His own Kingdom. Our assignment is not to compete with the world, because there is no competition. We are from a different country than those who are of the world. Our job is not to compete, but to manifest the Kingdom in our lives and let the Kingdom speak for itself.
8. Yah did not assign us to avoid the world. Because of the escapist mentality that is taught by many churches and denominations, many believers have virtually written off any chance or effort of trying to change the world. They have essentially surrendered to the opposition in the areas of politics, education, the media, and every other institution of cultural formation and influence, and now consign themselves to “spiritual” pursuits while waiting for Hamachiach to come and rescue them out of the world. Throughout this series, we have seen the fallacy of this line of thinking. As Kingdom citizens, we are in the world for a reason, not to avoid the world, but to do our part to influence and change the world through our personal involvement. Run for the school board so you can help monitor what kinds of textbooks come into the classrooms in your community. Get involved in politics. Run for office, or at the very least, vote regularly. Read up on current issues, and stay abreast of the news. Choose a “secular” career that will get you into the mainstream of society where your influence can be the greatest. Get involved in education. Get involved in business. Get involved in entertainment. Get involved in every area of law and medicine. We cannot engage the popular culture by avoiding it; we must fill it with Kingdom people.
ENGAGING THE WORLD IS OUR PRIORITY
Yah did not place us on Earth as His people just so we could start getting ready to leave. He placed us here to plant and reproduce gardens of His Kingdom throughout the world, thereby reclaiming and transforming territory laid waste by the pretender’s rapacious rule. Having examined what we were not assigned to do, it is time to look more specifically at the assignments our King has given us. Here is what we are supposed to be doing.
1. Yah assigned us to reintroduce the Kingdom to the world. Yahusha set the stage. He laid the groundwork when He first appeared in His public ministry proclaiming a simple, straightforward message: “From that time Yahusha began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. MATTITHYAHU (MATTHEW) 4:17 את CEPHER. He called followers to Himself and established His Church, His ekklesia, His “called-out ones,” to continue the work He began, to preach the same message, and to carry out the same assignment. That is why He told His disciples,
Amein, Amein, I say unto you, He that believes on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. YOCHANON (JOHN) 14:12 את CEPHER.
People all over the world are searching for the Kingdom even though they don’t know it. We who are of the Kingdom bear the responsibility of helping them find it. Our assignment is linked to the timing of Hamachiach ’s return and the end of the age: “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.
2. Yah assigned us to repossess the earth with the Kingdom. Psalm 24:1 says, “THE earth is Yahuah's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 24:1 את CEPHER.” Psalm 115:16 adds, “The heavens, even the heavens, are Yahuah's: but the earth has he given to the children of men. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 115:16 את CEPHER” These verses are still true because Yah never changes, and His gifts and calling are irrevocable (see Rom. 11:29). Yet for thousands of years the Earth effectively has been under
the rule and sway of HaSatan the pretender. Hamachiach ’s death and resurrection broke HaSatan’s power and put him on notice of eviction. He restored the Kingdom of Heaven on earth to its rightful human overMost Highs. Now, like the ancient Israelites after they crossed the Jordan River to take possession of the land of Canaan, as Yah had promised, it is time for us as Kingdom citizens to fully repossess the territory that is rightfully ours. We do this not by separation but by infiltration.
Yah assigned us to engage the world system.
Engagement means involvement. Battles in wartime are often called engagements. To engage something means to meet it head on, to confront it and challenge it without backing down and without surrender. Popular society and culture will never be changed by those who refuse to engage them. It has been said that all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing. Evil has held sway in the world for far too long. People need to know that life has meaning and purpose. They need to know that there is an alternative to the seemingly unending cycle of hatred, violence, cruelty,
poverty, and misery. They need to be given reason for hope. Our assignment is to infuse the popular culture with the values, morals, and standards of the Kingdom of Yah.
3.One way to do this is by working diligently for the passage of laws that uphold standards, and for the election of public officials who will do the same. The reason is simple: whoever controls the laws controls the culture. That is why the first thing Yah did after delivering the Israelites from Egyptian slavery was to give them a code of law. In order to make them into a nation, He needed to reshape their slave culture and mindset into the culture and mindset of people of Yah. Our purpose in engaging the world system is the same.
Yah assigned us to influence the world, not to keep up with it. It is impossible to change a culture by accommodating it. Yet that is exactly what countless churches and believers have tried to do, to their own detriment. The only thing we accomplish by accommodating culture is to become like the very culture we are trying to change. Rather than transforming culture, when we accommodate, we allow the popular culture to transform us into its own image. The secret to effective influence is to remain distinct.
4. The standards and principles of the Kingdom of Heaven are diametrically opposed to those of the world system. When people in that system see Kingdom communities where Kingdom citizens are living according to Kingdom principles, the difference will be so stark as to be unmistakable. And when they see that Kingdom communities actually work, and bring about an environment and lifestyle of peace, joy, contentment, and prosperity unlike anything found in the world, they will find it irresistible.
CHANGING THE WORLD IS OUR GOAL
Our assignment is nothing less than to change the world; and to do that, we have to become involved with the world.
Yah assigned us to affect the world, not reject the world. When humankind chose to disobey Yah and reject His rule, Yah would have been perfectly within His rights as Creator to reject us, destroy us, and start all over. But He did not do that. He chose to pursue us in spite of our sin and woo and win us back to Him; and He did this by direct involvement. Through His Son Yahusha Hamachiach, the King injected Himself directly into the
5. world system, to change it not by war and conquest, but by influence, by the gradual infiltration and manifestation of His power and presence in the lives of individuals. Yahusha went directly and deliberately to the castoffs of society, the people whom even the religious leaders—especially the religious leaders—wanted nothing to do with. He related to each one on a personal basis. In the same way, we are to spread Kingdom influence throughout the world—one person at a time.
Yah assigned us to revolutionize the world. As Kingdom citizens we are revolutionaries, because our Most High was a revolutionary. Hamachiach never led an armed revolt against the Romans, but His life and teachings were revolutionary in their effect. Unlike other revolutionaries, however, who always seek to establish new ideas, Yahusha’ goal was to re-establish an old idea, Yah’s original big idea of Heaven on Earth. His strategy
6. was to employ words rather than warfare and influence instead of invasion. This is why He commonly made statements like: “You have heard that it was said...but I tell you....” He was applying a corrective. He was replacing bad ideas with good ideas and wrong thinking with right thinking. True revolutions begin by changing people’s thinking; only then do they translate to action. We will change the world the same way: by word, example, and influence.
Yah assigned us to occupy the Earth, not abandon it.
Yah created the Earth to be inhabited, and He created us in His own image to be its inhabitants. His original mandate to us, which has never changed, was that we be fruitful and multiply, and that we fill the Earth and subdue it; in short, that we exercise dominion over it. So
7. So far, our overall track record under the pretender’s influence has not been good, as we have abused and misused the Earth, its resources, its creatures, and our fellow humans. The purpose of Kingdom communities, Yah’s gardens on Earth, is to correct and reverse that history. Our assignment is to occupy the Earth and fill it anew with the vibrant culture of Heaven, which gives life and purpose and value to everything it touches.
8. YAH ASSIGNED US TO PROMOTE THE GOVERNMENT OF HEAVEN ON EARTH. WE ARE NOT HERE TO PROMOTE EITHER A RELIGION OR OURSELVES ANY MORE THAN Yahusha DID. OUR ASSIGNMENT IS TO PROMOTE THE GOVERNMENT OF HEAVEN ON EARTH. THIS MEANS THAT WE NEED TO KEEP ON PROCLAIMING IT, DECLARING IT, AND LIVING IT WHEREVER WE GO. WE NEED TO PROMOTE THE KINGDOM IN OUR JOBS, BUSINESSES, FAMILIES, THROUGH OUR INVESTMENTS, AND IN OUR RELATIONSHIPS, MARRIAGES, AND PARENTING. WE MUST BRING THE KINGDOM INTO EVERYTHING, EVERY ARENA AND FACET OF LIFE. THE WORLD SHAMELESSLY PROMOTES ITS CULTURE. AS KINGDOM CITIZENS WE NEED TO BE JUST AS BOLD IN PROMOTING OURS. MINGLING WITH THE WEEDS
In teaching Two I briefly discussed Yahusha’ parable of the wheat and the weeds as an illustration of the fact that two distinct cultures exist in the world: Kingdom culture and the culture of the pretender. I want to return to that parable in connection with the Kingdom principle of engagement—that we are to engage the popular culture rather than separate ourselves from it.
Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The Kingdom of Elohiym is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the house came and said unto him, Adonai, did not you sow good seed in your field? from whence then has it tares? He said unto them, An enemy has done this. The servants said unto him, Will you then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. MATTITHYAHU (MATTHEW) 13:24-30 את CEPHER.
As Yahusha explained to His disciples later, the man who sowed the good seed represents the Son of Man, Yahusha Himself; the enemy who sowed the weeds is the devil; the good seed represents children of the Kingdom, and the weeds, children of the devil (see Matt. 13:37-39).
The point I want us to understand here is that the wheat and the weeds—the children of the Kingdom and the children of the devil—are allowed to grow together until the harvest, which is the end of time. In other words, Kingdom citizens mingle with citizens of the world throughout history, and this is by the King’s design. He has chosen deliberately to leave His children in the world, in the midst of the “weeds,” so that we can make a difference in the lives of those weeds.
In strictly human terms, we all know that a weed cannot change into a stalk of wheat, but in Yah’s Kingdom nothing is impossible. By His power working in and through the lives and influence of His people, Yah can convert useless weeds into purposeful wheat. He can transform dark, confused, broken, and unproductive people into persons full of purpose, abundant life, and fulfilled destiny. But He cannot work through us for this purpose unless we are in the world and among the weeds. That is the principle behind the Kingdom concept of engagement.
“Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. MATTITHYAHU (MATTHEW) 13:30 את CEPHER. The Most High has called us to engage the world and its people. Do the folks you work with curse or smoke or drink or shack up with men or women they are not married to? Yah says, “I want you to stay right there and shine the light of Kingdom culture on them.” Does your job or everyday business dealings bring you into contact with people who use drugs? Yah says, “Stay right there. Let your righteous life influence them to seek My Kingdom.” Our calling is not to hide from the world but to engage it for the Kingdom of Heaven. Yahusha put it this way:
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a menorah; and it gives light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. MATTITHYAHU (MATTHEW) 5:13-16 את CEPHER.
Religion separates and isolates. The Kingdom engages. Just as a farmer sows his seed, so the King sprinkles His Kingdom citizens everywhere with an abundant harvest in mind. He is saying, “I am throwing you out; wherever you land, influence that place for Me. Don’t isolate yourself. Don’t stay away from folks who are not in the Kingdom. Get involved. Engage. Make an impact where you are. Be bold in My strength to confront the earthly powers of this present age.
The world will soon see who is more powerful.” The Kingdom of Heaven is not afraid of evil, and we who are its citizens need not fear it either, because the one who is in us is greater than the one who is in the world (see 1 John 4:4).
ENGAGEMENT WORKS LIKE YEAST
As we have already seen, Yahusha also likened the Kingdom of Heaven to yeast that works silently but surely to completely transform the dough. This is exactly the way the Kingdom principle of engagement works. In fact, yeast has several interesting characteristics that illustrate how Kingdom engagement operates.
First, yeast is inactive when it is sealed in the package. It cannot do its work until it is released into the dough. It is the same way with us. We cannot exert our Kingdom influence if we isolate ourselves from the world by staying within the four walls of our homes or buildings. We have to inject ourselves into the “dough” of the world if we are to do any good.
Second, yeast by itself looks helpless and insignificant. Once released, however, its influence far exceeds its initial outward appearance. In the same way, the most effective way we can be yeast in our culture is not to be loud, flashy, and flamboyant, but quiet and unassuming, yet faithfully, consistently, and steadily living and promoting the Kingdom day by day. After all, as the hare in Aesop’s fable, “The Tortoise and the Hare” learned to his chagrin, “Slow and steady wins the race.”
Third, yeast is not intimidated by the size of the dough. That tiny yeast will look at that big batch of dough and say, “I can eat you for lunch.” It doesn’t matter where Yah put you, how tough your situation looks, or how great your challenge appears to be. As a Kingdom citizen with the Governor living in you, you always have the edge.
Fourth, yeast is not influenced by the dough, but the dough is influenced by the yeast. Yeast never becomes dough, but dough becomes “yeast” dough—permeated with yeast’s transforming effects. In the same way, through Kingdom engagement, the Kingdom never becomes like the world, but the world becomes like the Kingdom.
Fifth, yeast changes the condition of the dough. The longer yeast has to work, the greater the transformation of the dough. In the same way, the longer our influence is in a place, the more that place should become like the Kingdom of Heaven.
Sixth, yeast works quietly. It doesn’t force anything; it just goes to work. Engagement doesn’t mean browbeating people with the Bible or being intimidating or obnoxious in our promotion of the Kingdom. It means going to work quietly, steadily, and consistently. No noise, no fuss, no spectacle; just make Kingdom decisions and set a solid Kingdom example day in and day out. You are there to infect, not obstruct or distract. Eventually, someone will ask why you seem so different, and that will be your opening to talk about the Kingdom. But before you can talk the talk you have to walk the walk.
Seventh, all yeast has to do to work is show up. You don’t have to tell yeast what to do. All you have to do is release it and let it work. By the same token, we should be “yeast” automatically wherever we are as we allow the Holy Spirit to “release” Himself and work in and through us.
Eighth, yeast is activated by heat. Putting it in hot water releases its power. In a similar way, pressure propels us toward maturity. It helps make us more effective. Are you under pressure right now? Yah is saying, “Don’t run. Stay put and affect everything. Show them your attitude, your values, your morals, your standards. Let them see the Kingdom.” Don’t get mad; get ahead. The Kingdom is like yeast; it becomes more powerful under pressure.
Ninth, and finally, once yeast gets in the dough it can never ever be retracted or ignored. Yah’s Kingdom is here on Earth to stay, and it will grow until it fills the Earth and accomplishes everything Yah has intended from the very beginning. As Kingdom citizens, we can exert an influence that is far greater and that will last far longer than anything we could ever do alone. That is why Yah has put each of us where we are right now. He needs and wants us where He has placed us. We are His secret weapons to engage the popular culture and transform it into a garden of His glory. However, being effective as yeast means learning the trick of how to live in two worlds on one Earth.
Today we are walking in: Engaging The Popular Culture
Numbers 24:7
He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. BEMIDBAR (NUMBERS) 24:7 ×ת CEPHER
KINGDOM
Today we look to the word-KINGDOM- H4467 mamlâkâh, (mam-law-kaw') -dominion, (abstractly) the estate (rule) or (concretely) the country (realm):—kingdom, king's, reign, royal
The Torah testifies...............
Exodus 19:6
And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak unto the children of Yashar'el. SHEMOTH (EXODUS) 19:6 ×ת CEPHER
Numbers 32:33
And Mosheh gave unto them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Re'uven, and unto half the tribe of Menashsheh the son of Yoceph, the kingdom of Ciychon king of the Emoriym, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land, with the cities thereof in the coasts, even the cities of the country round about. BEMIDBAR (NUMBERS) 32:33 ×ת CEPHER
Deuteronomy 17:18
And it shall be, when he sits upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this Torah in a cepher out of that which is before the priests the Leviyiym: DEVARIYM (DEUTERONOMY) 17:18 ×ת CEPHER
The prophets proclaim..................
1 Samuel 10:18
And said unto the children of Yashar'el, Thus says Yahuah Elohai of Yashar'el, I brought up Yashar'el out of Mitsrayim, and delivered you out of the hand of the Mitsriym, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you: SHEMU'EL RI'SHON (1 SAMUEL) 10:18 ×ת CEPHER
Isaiah 9:7
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of Yahuah Tseva'oth will perform this. YESHA'YAHU (ISAIAH) 9:7 ×ת CEPHER
Jeremiah 18:9
And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; YIRMEYAHU (JEREMIAH) 18:9 ×ת CEPHER
The writings bear witness...........................
1 Kings 9:5
Then I will establish the throne of your kingdom upon Yashar'el forever, as I promised to David your father, saying, There shall not fail you a man upon the throne of Yashar'el. MELEKIYM RI'SHON (1 KINGS) 9:5 ×ת CEPHER
1 Chronicles 17:11
And it shall come to pass, when your days be expired that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will raise up your seed after you, which shall be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. DIVREI HAYAMIYM RI'SHON (1 CHRONICLES) 17:11 ×ת CEPHER
Psalm 145:13
Your Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. Yahuah is true in his word, and holy in all his works. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 145:13 ×ת CEPHER
Chapter Nine
ENGAGING THE POPULAR CULTURE
THE Kingdom principle of engagement is simply defined as influencing the popular culture through the community of faith. As I have mentioned elsewhere in this series, all humans are searching for meaning in their lives. We all want to know that there is a reason and a purpose for our existence; that we were not born by accident. Throughout the ages, human philosophers have sought to understand life and therefore find meaning in it. Religion has tried to do the same thing. Regardless of their culture, people all over the world look at their surroundings and circumstances and ask, “Is this all?” They examine their day-to-day experiences and think, “Certainly there is more to life than this.”
By and large, however, man’s search for meaning has come up empty because he has failed or refused to look for meaning and purpose in the one place in the universe he can find them: the Kingdom of Heaven. As Kingdom citizens and members of the Kingdom community, we not only possess the answer to humanity’s search for meaning, but we also bear the responsibility of sharing it with others. The only way for the Kingdom community to bring its influence to bear in the world is by engaging the popular culture on equal terms on a consistent, day-by-day basis. In order to do this, we must each be committed to representing the nature and character of our King and to living His culture daily before the world with boldness and without apology or compromise.
Man’s search for meaning is all about his quest for a lost inheritance. Philosophy can’t find it. Science can’t find it. Religion can’t find it. Only those who are citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven have found it, because the King Himself has restored it. In fact, the Kingdom itself is the inheritance, and with the Kingdom comes everything else. Possession of the inheritance is what distinguishes the Kingdom community and its citizens from all other communities and peoples on Earth. The King desires for every person in the world to become a citizen of His community and to receive his or her inheritance. The day is coming when the King Himself will separate forever those who are His citizens from those who are not. In the meantime, He has charged His citizens with the commission to engage the world and proclaim His Kingdom by both word and lifestyle so that as many as possible of the people of the world will transfer their citizenship from the pretender’s kingdom to His.
Although we will not experience the complete fullness of our inheritance until we enter the life to come, as Kingdom citizens, our inheritance is a present reality. In fact, Kingdom community life is the daily living out of our inheritance in real and practical ways. Yahusha described it this way:
When the Son of A'dam shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was hungry, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Adonai, when did we see you hungry, and feed you? or thirsty, and gave you drink? When did we see you a stranger, and take you in? or naked, and clothe you? Or when did we see you sick, or in prison, and come unto you? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Amein I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. MATTITHYAHU (MATTHEW) 25:31-40 את CEPHER.
We have not inherited a religion. Cultures and societies may transfer religions from one generation to the next, but that is not our inheritance. Our inheritance is the Kingdom—not just any kingdom, but the Kingdom. What Adam lost, Hamachiach has restored to us. Rulership is in our genes, authority, in our very makeup. We were designed to rule the Earth. The Kingdom is the rightful inheritance of all humankind. Many people, however, do not know this, which is why we of the Kingdom community must engage those who live in the world’s culture. They need to be informed of their inheritance.
As Kingdom citizens, our goal should be to stay in touch with Heaven every moment of every day. It is for this reason that Yah sent His Holy Spirit not to visit us but to live inside of us, so He could guide us into the knowledge of all truth and teach us how to live and act and talk like the King.
This is the way—and the only way—for us to exert a continuing influence and make a permanent impact for the Kingdom in the popular culture. In order to transform the popular culture, we must engage the popular culture, and we can engage it successfully only in the Spirit, likeness, and power of our King.
HEAVEN IS NOT OUR PRIORITY
When talking about the Kingdom principle of engagement, it is important that we first understand what our assignment is not. Because there is so much confusion on this issue, we need to be absolutely clear about what we are not supposed to do.
1. Yah did not assign us to go to Heaven. Despite what many churches and denominations teach, going to Heaven is not our priority. As I have said before and throughout this book, most religions, including religious Christianity, focus on teaching their people how to get ready to escape Earth and go to Heaven, however they conceive Heaven to be. That is not our assignment as Kingdom citizens. Remember, Yah did not create the world to be empty, but to be inhabited (see Isa. 45:18). “The heavens, even the heavens, are Yahuah's: but the earth has he given to the children of men. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 115:16 את CEPHER. In other words, Heaven should not be our passion or ultimate goal, but rather, the bringing of Heaven to Earth.
2. Yah did not assign us to prepare others to “go to Heaven.” He assigned us to tell others about the Kingdom of Heaven that has come to Earth, and then, once their hunger for the Kingdom has been stirred up, to tell them how they can enter the Kingdom through faith in Hamachiach We talk so much about “witnessing” to people to try to get them into Heaven. That is the wrong emphasis. When we study the ministry of Yahusha Hamachiach, we discover that He was not after trying to get people into Heaven. He was bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to Earth and was after getting people into the Kingdom. We talk about the importance of being “born again,” and then stop, as if that is all there is to it. Yahusha Himself linked the new birth with the Kingdom when He said, “Yahusha answered and said unto him, Amein, Amein, I say unto you, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of Elohiym. YOCHANON (JOHN) 3:3 את CEPHER. Our assignment is not to help people to prepare for Heaven, but to help them enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
3. Yah did not assign us to establish a religion. As I have stressed over and over, creating a religion was never part of Yah’s plan, and Yahusha never established one either. Religion is man’s creation, not Yah’s. In the beginning Yah established His Kingdom on Earth and gave man dominion over it. Man lost his earthly Kingdom, and Hamachiach came to bring it back. When Yahusha came to Earth He did not bring a religion; He re- established the rule and government of His Father. Then He established His ekklesia, His Church, to sustain and expand that government throughout the world. The Kingdom of Heaven is not about religion, but relationship: a King relating to His children. And although it has government and law, the Kingdom of Heaven is not about legalism, but lifestyle.
4. Yah did not assign us to promote a religion or a denomination. We all know that there are people who are willing to fight and even die for their religion. Throughout human history, more wars have been fought over religion than any other single cause. People get upset when you touch their religion. Think of the Muslims in Europe and other parts of the world who rioted after a Danish newspaper published unflattering cartoons of Muhammad. Think of the violence and hostility that occurs between the Sunni and Shiite sects of Islam. Think about the Christians who get upset every time some unbeliever makes a disparaging comment in the news about Yah, Hamachiach , the Church, or a particular denomination. Think about all the infighting that goes on between denominations over baptism, church polity and government, which day is the “true” Most High’s Day, theology, doctrine, and biblical interpretation. Religions are always fighting because they are not under the Kingdom. Our assignment is not to promote a religion or a denomination, but to proclaim the Kingdom. There is only one Kingdom, and one King, and within His government, there is no debate, no division, and no disunity.
THE WORLD IS NOT OUR ENEMY
Just as Heaven is not our priority, neither is the world our enemy. Although as Kingdom citizens we are not of the world, we are in the world, and it is Yah’s will that we engage the world’s culture with the principles, claims, and authority of the Kingdom of Heaven.
5. Yah did not assign us to separate or isolate ourselves from the world. This is a big hang-up for many believers. In our desire to be holy, we become “holier than thou” by trying to have nothing to do with unbelievers. “We don’t mix with unYahly people.” “I will not go into a room where people are smoking.” “I can’t be seen with you because your skirt is too short.” “I don’t hang around with people who drink and cuss all the time.” Many believers would rather spend all their time around other believers, even to the point of desiring to work at a Hebrew job for a Hebrew boss at a Hebrew company. We cannot engage the popular culture by escaping from it, nor can we influence it by isolating ourselves from it. Yahusha certainly didn’t. One of the biggest criticisms the religious leaders leveled against Yahusha was the fact that He spent so much time with “sinners,” the dirty, disreputable, and cast-off dregs of society. When challenged on this, He responded,
“But when Yahusha heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that means, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. MATTITHYAHU (MATTHEW) 9:12-13 את CEPHER.
That is our assignment too.
6. Yah did not assign us to attack or condemn the world. From the way some believers talk, you would think that our number one job is to pronounce judgment on the world. No, our job is not judgment but influence. Our job is to do what Yahusha did, and even He did not come to judge the world. A day is coming when Hamachiach will return as Judge, but He came the first time not to judge the world but to save it:
For Elohiym so loved the world, that he gave his yachiyd, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For Yah sent not his yachiyd into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. YOCHANON (JOHN) 3:16-17 את CEPHER.
We accomplish nothing by attacking and condemning people for their sins. Deep in their hearts, unbelievers know they are sinners. They know their lives are messed up and out of alignment with Yah. They don’t need us in our self- righteousness laying it out for them, especially if we come off sounding like we think we are beyond those kinds of things. They know better. We can’t draw people to the Kingdom by offending them with our manner. (Becoming offended by our message, however, is another matter entirely.) In order to influence them, we must show patience and sensitivity.
7. Yah did not assign us to compete with the world. Sometimes we act as though we believe that our job is to keep up with the world, that every pronouncement or production of the world requires a “Hebrew” response. We assume that the Kingdom of Heaven must be defended and that no challenge should go unmet. This is faulty thinking. Hamachiach never tried to keep up with the Roman Empire. Why not? Because He knew there was no competition. This is why He told Pilate,
Yahusha answered, My Kingdom is not of this world: if my Kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Yahudiym: but now is my Kingdom not from hence. YOCHANON (JOHN) 18:36 את CEPHER.
There is no need for us to “defend” the Kingdom; that is not our job. The King is perfectly capable of defending His own Kingdom. Our assignment is not to compete with the world, because there is no competition. We are from a different country than those who are of the world. Our job is not to compete, but to manifest the Kingdom in our lives and let the Kingdom speak for itself.
8. Yah did not assign us to avoid the world. Because of the escapist mentality that is taught by many churches and denominations, many believers have virtually written off any chance or effort of trying to change the world. They have essentially surrendered to the opposition in the areas of politics, education, the media, and every other institution of cultural formation and influence, and now consign themselves to “spiritual” pursuits while waiting for Hamachiach to come and rescue them out of the world. Throughout this series, we have seen the fallacy of this line of thinking. As Kingdom citizens, we are in the world for a reason, not to avoid the world, but to do our part to influence and change the world through our personal involvement. Run for the school board so you can help monitor what kinds of textbooks come into the classrooms in your community. Get involved in politics. Run for office, or at the very least, vote regularly. Read up on current issues, and stay abreast of the news. Choose a “secular” career that will get you into the mainstream of society where your influence can be the greatest. Get involved in education. Get involved in business. Get involved in entertainment. Get involved in every area of law and medicine. We cannot engage the popular culture by avoiding it; we must fill it with Kingdom people.
ENGAGING THE WORLD IS OUR PRIORITY
Yah did not place us on Earth as His people just so we could start getting ready to leave. He placed us here to plant and reproduce gardens of His Kingdom throughout the world, thereby reclaiming and transforming territory laid waste by the pretender’s rapacious rule. Having examined what we were not assigned to do, it is time to look more specifically at the assignments our King has given us. Here is what we are supposed to be doing.
1. Yah assigned us to reintroduce the Kingdom to the world. Yahusha set the stage. He laid the groundwork when He first appeared in His public ministry proclaiming a simple, straightforward message: “From that time Yahusha began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. MATTITHYAHU (MATTHEW) 4:17 את CEPHER. He called followers to Himself and established His Church, His ekklesia, His “called-out ones,” to continue the work He began, to preach the same message, and to carry out the same assignment. That is why He told His disciples,
Amein, Amein, I say unto you, He that believes on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. YOCHANON (JOHN) 14:12 את CEPHER.
People all over the world are searching for the Kingdom even though they don’t know it. We who are of the Kingdom bear the responsibility of helping them find it. Our assignment is linked to the timing of Hamachiach ’s return and the end of the age: “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.
2. Yah assigned us to repossess the earth with the Kingdom. Psalm 24:1 says, “THE earth is Yahuah's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 24:1 את CEPHER.” Psalm 115:16 adds, “The heavens, even the heavens, are Yahuah's: but the earth has he given to the children of men. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 115:16 את CEPHER” These verses are still true because Yah never changes, and His gifts and calling are irrevocable (see Rom. 11:29). Yet for thousands of years the Earth effectively has been under
the rule and sway of HaSatan the pretender. Hamachiach ’s death and resurrection broke HaSatan’s power and put him on notice of eviction. He restored the Kingdom of Heaven on earth to its rightful human overMost Highs. Now, like the ancient Israelites after they crossed the Jordan River to take possession of the land of Canaan, as Yah had promised, it is time for us as Kingdom citizens to fully repossess the territory that is rightfully ours. We do this not by separation but by infiltration.
Yah assigned us to engage the world system.
Engagement means involvement. Battles in wartime are often called engagements. To engage something means to meet it head on, to confront it and challenge it without backing down and without surrender. Popular society and culture will never be changed by those who refuse to engage them. It has been said that all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing. Evil has held sway in the world for far too long. People need to know that life has meaning and purpose. They need to know that there is an alternative to the seemingly unending cycle of hatred, violence, cruelty,
poverty, and misery. They need to be given reason for hope. Our assignment is to infuse the popular culture with the values, morals, and standards of the Kingdom of Yah.
3.One way to do this is by working diligently for the passage of laws that uphold standards, and for the election of public officials who will do the same. The reason is simple: whoever controls the laws controls the culture. That is why the first thing Yah did after delivering the Israelites from Egyptian slavery was to give them a code of law. In order to make them into a nation, He needed to reshape their slave culture and mindset into the culture and mindset of people of Yah. Our purpose in engaging the world system is the same.
Yah assigned us to influence the world, not to keep up with it. It is impossible to change a culture by accommodating it. Yet that is exactly what countless churches and believers have tried to do, to their own detriment. The only thing we accomplish by accommodating culture is to become like the very culture we are trying to change. Rather than transforming culture, when we accommodate, we allow the popular culture to transform us into its own image. The secret to effective influence is to remain distinct.
4. The standards and principles of the Kingdom of Heaven are diametrically opposed to those of the world system. When people in that system see Kingdom communities where Kingdom citizens are living according to Kingdom principles, the difference will be so stark as to be unmistakable. And when they see that Kingdom communities actually work, and bring about an environment and lifestyle of peace, joy, contentment, and prosperity unlike anything found in the world, they will find it irresistible.
CHANGING THE WORLD IS OUR GOAL
Our assignment is nothing less than to change the world; and to do that, we have to become involved with the world.
Yah assigned us to affect the world, not reject the world. When humankind chose to disobey Yah and reject His rule, Yah would have been perfectly within His rights as Creator to reject us, destroy us, and start all over. But He did not do that. He chose to pursue us in spite of our sin and woo and win us back to Him; and He did this by direct involvement. Through His Son Yahusha Hamachiach, the King injected Himself directly into the
5. world system, to change it not by war and conquest, but by influence, by the gradual infiltration and manifestation of His power and presence in the lives of individuals. Yahusha went directly and deliberately to the castoffs of society, the people whom even the religious leaders—especially the religious leaders—wanted nothing to do with. He related to each one on a personal basis. In the same way, we are to spread Kingdom influence throughout the world—one person at a time.
Yah assigned us to revolutionize the world. As Kingdom citizens we are revolutionaries, because our Most High was a revolutionary. Hamachiach never led an armed revolt against the Romans, but His life and teachings were revolutionary in their effect. Unlike other revolutionaries, however, who always seek to establish new ideas, Yahusha’ goal was to re-establish an old idea, Yah’s original big idea of Heaven on Earth. His strategy
6. was to employ words rather than warfare and influence instead of invasion. This is why He commonly made statements like: “You have heard that it was said...but I tell you....” He was applying a corrective. He was replacing bad ideas with good ideas and wrong thinking with right thinking. True revolutions begin by changing people’s thinking; only then do they translate to action. We will change the world the same way: by word, example, and influence.
Yah assigned us to occupy the Earth, not abandon it.
Yah created the Earth to be inhabited, and He created us in His own image to be its inhabitants. His original mandate to us, which has never changed, was that we be fruitful and multiply, and that we fill the Earth and subdue it; in short, that we exercise dominion over it. So
7. So far, our overall track record under the pretender’s influence has not been good, as we have abused and misused the Earth, its resources, its creatures, and our fellow humans. The purpose of Kingdom communities, Yah’s gardens on Earth, is to correct and reverse that history. Our assignment is to occupy the Earth and fill it anew with the vibrant culture of Heaven, which gives life and purpose and value to everything it touches.
8. YAH ASSIGNED US TO PROMOTE THE GOVERNMENT OF HEAVEN ON EARTH. WE ARE NOT HERE TO PROMOTE EITHER A RELIGION OR OURSELVES ANY MORE THAN Yahusha DID. OUR ASSIGNMENT IS TO PROMOTE THE GOVERNMENT OF HEAVEN ON EARTH. THIS MEANS THAT WE NEED TO KEEP ON PROCLAIMING IT, DECLARING IT, AND LIVING IT WHEREVER WE GO. WE NEED TO PROMOTE THE KINGDOM IN OUR JOBS, BUSINESSES, FAMILIES, THROUGH OUR INVESTMENTS, AND IN OUR RELATIONSHIPS, MARRIAGES, AND PARENTING. WE MUST BRING THE KINGDOM INTO EVERYTHING, EVERY ARENA AND FACET OF LIFE. THE WORLD SHAMELESSLY PROMOTES ITS CULTURE. AS KINGDOM CITIZENS WE NEED TO BE JUST AS BOLD IN PROMOTING OURS. MINGLING WITH THE WEEDS
In teaching Two I briefly discussed Yahusha’ parable of the wheat and the weeds as an illustration of the fact that two distinct cultures exist in the world: Kingdom culture and the culture of the pretender. I want to return to that parable in connection with the Kingdom principle of engagement—that we are to engage the popular culture rather than separate ourselves from it.
Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The Kingdom of Elohiym is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the house came and said unto him, Adonai, did not you sow good seed in your field? from whence then has it tares? He said unto them, An enemy has done this. The servants said unto him, Will you then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. MATTITHYAHU (MATTHEW) 13:24-30 את CEPHER.
As Yahusha explained to His disciples later, the man who sowed the good seed represents the Son of Man, Yahusha Himself; the enemy who sowed the weeds is the devil; the good seed represents children of the Kingdom, and the weeds, children of the devil (see Matt. 13:37-39).
The point I want us to understand here is that the wheat and the weeds—the children of the Kingdom and the children of the devil—are allowed to grow together until the harvest, which is the end of time. In other words, Kingdom citizens mingle with citizens of the world throughout history, and this is by the King’s design. He has chosen deliberately to leave His children in the world, in the midst of the “weeds,” so that we can make a difference in the lives of those weeds.
In strictly human terms, we all know that a weed cannot change into a stalk of wheat, but in Yah’s Kingdom nothing is impossible. By His power working in and through the lives and influence of His people, Yah can convert useless weeds into purposeful wheat. He can transform dark, confused, broken, and unproductive people into persons full of purpose, abundant life, and fulfilled destiny. But He cannot work through us for this purpose unless we are in the world and among the weeds. That is the principle behind the Kingdom concept of engagement.
“Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. MATTITHYAHU (MATTHEW) 13:30 את CEPHER. The Most High has called us to engage the world and its people. Do the folks you work with curse or smoke or drink or shack up with men or women they are not married to? Yah says, “I want you to stay right there and shine the light of Kingdom culture on them.” Does your job or everyday business dealings bring you into contact with people who use drugs? Yah says, “Stay right there. Let your righteous life influence them to seek My Kingdom.” Our calling is not to hide from the world but to engage it for the Kingdom of Heaven. Yahusha put it this way:
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a menorah; and it gives light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. MATTITHYAHU (MATTHEW) 5:13-16 את CEPHER.
Religion separates and isolates. The Kingdom engages. Just as a farmer sows his seed, so the King sprinkles His Kingdom citizens everywhere with an abundant harvest in mind. He is saying, “I am throwing you out; wherever you land, influence that place for Me. Don’t isolate yourself. Don’t stay away from folks who are not in the Kingdom. Get involved. Engage. Make an impact where you are. Be bold in My strength to confront the earthly powers of this present age.
The world will soon see who is more powerful.” The Kingdom of Heaven is not afraid of evil, and we who are its citizens need not fear it either, because the one who is in us is greater than the one who is in the world (see 1 John 4:4).
ENGAGEMENT WORKS LIKE YEAST
As we have already seen, Yahusha also likened the Kingdom of Heaven to yeast that works silently but surely to completely transform the dough. This is exactly the way the Kingdom principle of engagement works. In fact, yeast has several interesting characteristics that illustrate how Kingdom engagement operates.
First, yeast is inactive when it is sealed in the package. It cannot do its work until it is released into the dough. It is the same way with us. We cannot exert our Kingdom influence if we isolate ourselves from the world by staying within the four walls of our homes or buildings. We have to inject ourselves into the “dough” of the world if we are to do any good.
Second, yeast by itself looks helpless and insignificant. Once released, however, its influence far exceeds its initial outward appearance. In the same way, the most effective way we can be yeast in our culture is not to be loud, flashy, and flamboyant, but quiet and unassuming, yet faithfully, consistently, and steadily living and promoting the Kingdom day by day. After all, as the hare in Aesop’s fable, “The Tortoise and the Hare” learned to his chagrin, “Slow and steady wins the race.”
Third, yeast is not intimidated by the size of the dough. That tiny yeast will look at that big batch of dough and say, “I can eat you for lunch.” It doesn’t matter where Yah put you, how tough your situation looks, or how great your challenge appears to be. As a Kingdom citizen with the Governor living in you, you always have the edge.
Fourth, yeast is not influenced by the dough, but the dough is influenced by the yeast. Yeast never becomes dough, but dough becomes “yeast” dough—permeated with yeast’s transforming effects. In the same way, through Kingdom engagement, the Kingdom never becomes like the world, but the world becomes like the Kingdom.
Fifth, yeast changes the condition of the dough. The longer yeast has to work, the greater the transformation of the dough. In the same way, the longer our influence is in a place, the more that place should become like the Kingdom of Heaven.
Sixth, yeast works quietly. It doesn’t force anything; it just goes to work. Engagement doesn’t mean browbeating people with the Bible or being intimidating or obnoxious in our promotion of the Kingdom. It means going to work quietly, steadily, and consistently. No noise, no fuss, no spectacle; just make Kingdom decisions and set a solid Kingdom example day in and day out. You are there to infect, not obstruct or distract. Eventually, someone will ask why you seem so different, and that will be your opening to talk about the Kingdom. But before you can talk the talk you have to walk the walk.
Seventh, all yeast has to do to work is show up. You don’t have to tell yeast what to do. All you have to do is release it and let it work. By the same token, we should be “yeast” automatically wherever we are as we allow the Holy Spirit to “release” Himself and work in and through us.
Eighth, yeast is activated by heat. Putting it in hot water releases its power. In a similar way, pressure propels us toward maturity. It helps make us more effective. Are you under pressure right now? Yah is saying, “Don’t run. Stay put and affect everything. Show them your attitude, your values, your morals, your standards. Let them see the Kingdom.” Don’t get mad; get ahead. The Kingdom is like yeast; it becomes more powerful under pressure.
Ninth, and finally, once yeast gets in the dough it can never ever be retracted or ignored. Yah’s Kingdom is here on Earth to stay, and it will grow until it fills the Earth and accomplishes everything Yah has intended from the very beginning. As Kingdom citizens, we can exert an influence that is far greater and that will last far longer than anything we could ever do alone. That is why Yah has put each of us where we are right now. He needs and wants us where He has placed us. We are His secret weapons to engage the popular culture and transform it into a garden of His glory. However, being effective as yeast means learning the trick of how to live in two worlds on one Earth.
Tuesday, March 5, 2024
PRODUCING A KINGDOM COMMUNITY
1 Kings chapter 10
Today we are walking in: Producing A Kingdom Community
Numbers 24:7
He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. BEMIDBAR (NUMBERS) 24:7 ×ת CEPHER
KINGDOM
Today we look to the word-KINGDOM- H4467 mamlâkâh, (mam-law-kaw') -dominion, (abstractly) the estate (rule) or (concretely) the country (realm):—kingdom, king's, reign, royal
The Torah testifies...............
Exodus 19:6
And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak unto the children of Yashar'el. SHEMOTH (EXODUS) 19:6 ×ת CEPHER
Numbers 32:33
And Mosheh gave unto them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Re'uven, and unto half the tribe of Menashsheh the son of Yoceph, the kingdom of Ciychon king of the Emoriym, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land, with the cities thereof in the coasts, even the cities of the country round about. BEMIDBAR (NUMBERS) 32:33 ×ת CEPHER
Deuteronomy 17:18
And it shall be, when he sits upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this Torah in a cepher out of that which is before the priests the Leviyiym: DEVARIYM (DEUTERONOMY) 17:18 ×ת CEPHER
The prophets proclaim..................
1 Samuel 10:18
And said unto the children of Yashar'el, Thus says Yahuah Elohai of Yashar'el, I brought up Yashar'el out of Mitsrayim, and delivered you out of the hand of the Mitsriym, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you: SHEMU'EL RI'SHON (1 SAMUEL) 10:18 ×ת CEPHER
Isaiah 9:7
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of Yahuah Tseva'oth will perform this. YESHA'YAHU (ISAIAH) 9:7 ×ת CEPHER
Jeremiah 18:9
And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; YIRMEYAHU (JEREMIAH) 18:9 ×ת CEPHER
The writings bear witness...........................
1 Kings 9:5
Then I will establish the throne of your kingdom upon Yashar'el forever, as I promised to David your father, saying, There shall not fail you a man upon the throne of Yashar'el. MELEKIYM RI'SHON (1 KINGS) 9:5 ×ת CEPHER
1 Chronicles 17:11
And it shall come to pass, when your days be expired that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will raise up your seed after you, which shall be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. DIVREI HAYAMIYM RI'SHON (1 CHRONICLES) 17:11 ×ת CEPHER
Psalm 145:13
Your Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. Yahuah is true in his word, and holy in all his works. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 145:13 ×ת CEPHER
Chapter Eight
PRODUCING A KINGDOM COMMUNITY
I HAVE a dream that before I die I will see and be part of a dynamic, growing community of people among whom there is no sickness, no poverty, and no want. Everyone will be debt- free. Depression, worry, and despair will be unknown; every marriage will be strong, successful, and happy; and all the children will respect their parents and live completely free of fear. The entire community will worship the Most High in perfect unity and harmony and with a single common vision.
People from outside will be amazed at what they see. “Do you mean that out of these 50,000 people, nobody is divorced? Why not?”
“Because in our community we don’t believe in that. We believe in fixing things up, in repenting, reconciling, and forgiving. That’s our nature, our culture.”
“Do you mean to tell me that among these 200,000 people there is no incest, no fathers sleeping with their daughters? How can this be?”
“Because in our community such a thing is detestable. We love our children. They are made in Yah’s image, and we care for and protect them. That’s our culture.”
“Do you mean to tell me that out of half a million people, nobody tells lies?”
“It’s true. Lying is unheard of in our community. Truth is our currency. In our community, truth is not the best policy—it is the only policy.”
I dream of the day when this will be reality. Fantasy, you say? Utopia? No, simply Kingdom culture in action.
It is just this kind of community that everyone on Earth secretly longs for. And it is this longing that fuels so many people’s desires to leave this world, because they have heard that Heaven is this kind of community. Most of us carry this dream around with us every day. We dream of Heaven because we can’t find the community we want here on Earth. You can’t wait to get to Heaven because you just got divorced and you hurt so much. You want to go to a place where the hurt is gone. You long for Heaven because your husband just beat you again, and you want to escape to a place where you are always safe. You cry out for Heaven because your uncle molested you for years when you were a child, and now the guilt and shame are so great that you want to go someplace where these things don’t happen and where you can be healed. You pray for Heaven because life on Earth is hell.
Yahusha says, gently and lovingly, “That’s the wrong prayer. Don’t pray to go to Heaven; pray for Heaven to come down. Pray, ‘Father, let Your Kingdom come and Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.’” He wants Heaven to happen here. We don’t have to die to experience Heaven. Yahusha said, “Ask for it, and I’ll give it to you, here and now.”
The possibility of Heaven on Earth is a difficult concept for most of us to grasp because we have been so thoroughly indoctrinated into the culture of this world, where lying is normal, stealing is a habit, adultery is accepted, and sweethearting is still a norm. We have to break that old mindset and be cultured all over again into the heart and mind of Yah and into the mindset of a Kingdom community.
Yah’s purpose has always been to build a heavenly community on Earth, a community that would reflect in the physical realm the values, principles, standards, morals, and holy and righteous character of His Kingdom in the spiritual realm. The word community comes from the words “common” and “unity” and refers to a group of people who share a common language, food, dress, lifestyle, customs, values, and morals. Yah wants to build His people into a heavenly community on Earth that so reflects Him that anyone from outside who meets us will know immediately that we are not of this Earth. We are in the world but not of the world.
Our assignment as Kingdom citizens and ambassadors is to learn and then to teach others how to apply the Kingdom to business and bodily health; to single life, marriage, and parenting; to investments and speech; to relationships and professions; to government and media. We have to reintroduce the precepts of the Kingdom of Heaven: the values, morals, principles, and standards by which our society is supposed to live. Yah’s plan, then, is not—and never has been—to establish a religious institution, but to build a living, breathing, and thriving community that reveals to the world what He is like as well as the quality of life under His government.
REFLECTED GLORY
The purpose behind a Kingdom community is to reflect the greatness and glory of the King. Citizens of the community are under the rule of the King and come to manifest His nature. In other words, the people take on the characteristics of the King, display the qualities of the King, and exhibit the culture of the King. As a matter of fact, the quality and nature of any kingdom can be recognized first not by the presence of the king but by the lifestyle of his citizens. Seeing how the people in a kingdom live reveals a great deal about their king.
That’s how kingdoms work. Kingdoms are manifested in the culture of the people. So the quality of the community is a manifestation or reflection of the quality of the king. This truth is taught throughout Scripture, but no more clearly perhaps than in the account of the queen of Sheba’s visit to King Solomon. Although known best for his legendary wisdom, Solomon was also the greatest, richest, and most powerful king of his day. Having succeeded his father David, who had built the kingdom of Israel into a great power, Solomon expanded his kingdom’s greatness and glory even more. At no time in its history was Israel bigger, richer, or more powerful than under Solomon’s reign.
Solomon’s reputation was so great that even the queen of Sheba, way down in her African domain, heard of it. She immediately decided to visit Solomon and see for herself.
AND when the Queen of Sheva heard of the fame of Shalomah concerning the name of Yahuah, she came to prove him with hard questions. And she came to Yerushalayim with a very great train, with camels that bore spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to El-Shalomah, she communed with him of את all that was in her heart. And Shalomah told her all her questions: there was not anything hid from the king, which he told her not. And when the Queen of Sheva had seen את all Shalomah's wisdom, and the house that he had built, And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of Yahuah; there was no more ruach in her. And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in my own land of your acts and of your wisdom. Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and my eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: your wisdom and prosperity exceeds the fame which I heard. MELEKIYM RI'SHON (1 KINGS) 10:1-7 את CEPHER.
The queen of Sheba was a rich and powerful monarch in her own right, but everything she had and had always known paled in comparison to the splendor of Solomon’s court. There was no sign of poverty anywhere in the land, because the citizens of Solomon’s kingdom reflected in their lives and circumstances the splendor and wealth of Solomon himself. The rest of First Kings chapter 10 goes into a detailed description of the extent and glory of Solomon’s kingdom. So King Shalomah exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom. MELEKIYM RI'SHON (1 KINGS) 10:23 את CEPHER, so rich, in fact, that he “And the king made silver to be in Yerushalayim as stones, and את cedars made he to be as the sycomore trees that are in the valley, for abundance. MELEKIYM RI'SHON (1 KINGS) 10:27 את CEPHER.
Prosperity was everywhere. Can you imagine the housekeeper wearing silk or the household servants eating off of gold plates? This is the way kingdoms manifest. A wise and conscientious king makes sure that his citizens prosper because he knows that his reputation and the glory of his rule rest on the quality of their lives.
In the 21st chapter of the Book of Revelation, John describes the New Jerusalem, the city of the King, as having a wall of jasper with the wall’s foundations adorned with 12 kinds of precious stones (see verses 18-20). The city itself and its great street were made of pure gold. My point is this: The idea of earthly kings extravagantly displaying their wealth and splendor originated with Yah. Likewise, the splendor and glory of Yah’s Kingdom will be reflected in the lives and circumstances of His citizens.
We have to change our mindset and learn to think like royalty. We must learn to see things from our King’s perspective. Once my wife and I visited Buckingham Palace in London. Beginning with the lush gardens, everything about the place spoke of riches, dignity, honor, glory, and splendor. We walked into an entry foyer larger and more extravagant than the lobbies of the finest hotels in the world. The walls and ceiling were painted with gold leaf. You and I use latexpaint on our walls, but the palace was painted in gold. Why would someone put gold all over the walls? To display to all visitors the splendor and glory of those who live there, even if they are never seen.
Buckingham Palace had a crystal chandelier larger than my living room. In a kingdom it is never necessary to talk or preach about prosperity because prosperity is all around. Prince William grew up looking at that chandelier. That is why his mentality is different from ours. You and I grew up under the illumination of Sylvania Blue Dot light bulbs. How could we talk with him about wealth? When you are born into wealth, you don’t talk about wealth. Yah’s ultimate goal is to bring that kind of life to Earth.
It is for this reason that Yahusha taught us to pray to the Father, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). Every other prayer we pray should be tempered by this one request: that Yah’s heavenly Kingdom come on Earth. When we pray for the Kingdom, our prayer encompasses all we could ever need or desire, because with the Kingdom comes access to all the resources of Heaven. This is why Yahusha also told us not to worry about what we would eat, drink, or wear, or about any other thing, but to seek first the Kingdom and righteousness of Yah, for with the Kingdom comes everything else (see Matt. 6:33). Our future is tied up in the culture of the King. Therefore our prayer should be, “Most High, let Your Kingdom be manifested in us. Make us into a community that represents Your country and Your culture. May our common unity be a reflection of Your glory to a watching world.”
COMMON UNITY
As I said earlier, the word community is a compound of the words “common” and “unity.” So even the derivation of the word community gives us a clue to its meaning: a group of people united by common bonds. More specifically, a community is a group of people distinguished and unified by a common set of values, standards, beliefs, norms, language, customs, traditions, ideals, and commitment to a common purpose.
Chinatown is a community. Its inhabitants are united by the common bond of their Chinese heritage and culture, which they keep vibrantly alive. Chinatown could never exist with only one or two, or even a handful of Chinese. Maintaining a distinct cultural identity requires a large number of people of similar background working together in a common purpose. In Los Angeles, the population of Chinatown is around 500,000 people. They speak their own language, worship in their own temples, operate their own businesses, and maintain their own distinctive cuisine. Theirs is an unmistakably unique community, a “garden” of China within the United States.
Kingdom communities, wherever they are in the world, should be just as unique and distinctive. Our values, standards, beliefs, norms, language, customs, traditions, and ideals should set us apart from the rest of the world. People who walk into our community should feel like they have stepped into Heaven.
This is one reason why I have such a big problem with “religious” Christianity. Religion can never take the place of the Kingdom. Although it may try to mimic Kingdom characteristics on the outside, it is only a shallow and empty facade. Whenever I walk into Chinatown, I feel like I am in China. When I walk into Haitian Town, I feel like I am in Haiti. Miami’s Cuban district makes me think I have somehow stepped into Havana. Whenever I walk into religious Christianity, however, I feel like I am in hell: cursing, gossiping, backbiting, lying, cheating, stealing, adultery, divorce, homosexuality, legalism, prejudice, self-righteousness, infighting, bickering—a real mess.
Religious Christianity looks nothing like Heaven. There is no unity, no common vision, no community. On the contrary, divisions abound, and each group is proud of its own exclusiveness. They divide and fight over doctrinal differences, theological differences, modes of baptism, spiritual gifts, theories of the end times, worship styles, worship music, biblical interpretation, and even about whether Saturday or Sunday is the “proper” worship day. Amidst such squabbling, how can there be community? I have a dream that before I die, there will be a group of people on Earth who finally get the message that the Kingdom of Heaven is bigger than our differences and broader than our denominations.
A Kingdom community is a group of Kingdom citizens who are unified by a common set of values—the King’s values. They share the King’s standards and beliefs and live according to the King’s norms. They speak the language of the King, which is the language of love. In addition, they follow the customs and traditions of the King. They forgive one another. They love their enemies. They do good to those who mistreat them. They never engage in slander or gossip. They are honest in all their dealings and always keep their word. They respect the dignity of all people and hold all people in high regard as precious creatures made in Yah’s image. They love Yah with all their heart and they love and honor His Word.
They also are committed to the King’s ideals, meaning that they share a common ideology, or philosophy, with the King. In other words, they think like the King and share the same mindset. This is a learning process of growth and maturity, because none of us naturally think the way Yah does:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says Yahuah. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. YESHA'YAHU (ISAIAH) 55:8-9 את CEPHER.
In a Kingdom community, all the citizens are learning to submit their minds and thoughts to the King so that they can learn to see as He sees, think as He thinks, and do as He does.
Finally, a Kingdom community is committed to a common purpose and vision—those of the King. A common vision brings a community into unity and helps guarantee its survival, because without vision a community will perish (see Prov. 29:18 KJV). And what is the King’s vision? It is very simple: His Kingdom come and His will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Yah’s vision—His big idea—is Heaven coming to Earth. He sees it. Can you see it?
Can you see Heaven’s culture coming to Earth? Can you imagine a community where every husband loves his wife the way Hamachiach loves His Church, and treats her like the queen she is? Can you imagine a community where every wife honors, respects, and builds up her husband? Can you imagine a community where husbands and wives are absolutely faithful to each other and where adultery or sweethearting is inconceivable? Can you imagine a community where all the children honor and obey their parents and show respect to all legitimate authority? Can you imagine a community where people’s word is their bond and where honesty is the common currency? Can you imagine a community where there is no cursing or gambling, no greed or thievery, no envy or jealousy, no backbiting or backstabbing, no petty bickering or quarreling, and no lust or sexual immorality? Can you imagine a community where there is no poverty or want, but abundant peace and contentment? Can you imagine it? Yah can, and this is the type of community He wants to fill the Earth with.
TAKE A LESSON FROM THE HEBREWS
If there is any group of people on Earth who understand the power of community, it is the Hebrews. Through 4,000 years of war and conquest, peace and prosperity, persecution and prejudice, and triumph and tragedy, the Hebrews have maintained a distinct cultural identity as a people. This is due in large part to the fact that they identify themselves not only as individuals but also as interdependent members of a larger community.
The first five books of the Bible are political books, not religious treatises. They explain how Yah’s purpose for delivering the Israelites from slavery in Egypt was to transform them into a nation through whom He would bless the world, just as He had promised Abraham (see Gen. 12:1-3). According to Yah’s plan they would be a distinct people, separate from the other nations of the world in their worship, their laws, their morality, their diet, their code of conduct, and their everyday lifestyle. The distinguishing characteristic that would set them apart from other peoples would be Yah’s active and continuing presence among them. Without His presence, they would be no different from any other nation. It was his awareness of this distinction that prompted Moses to pray:
And he said unto him, If your presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and your people have found grace in your sight? is it not in that you go with us? so shall we be separated, I and your people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth. SHEMOTH (EXODUS) 33:15-16 את CEPHER
In response the Most High assured Moses that His presence would go with them. We can ask the same question about Kingdom communities. What will distinguish us from other peoples and cultural groups on Earth if it is not the active and powerful presence of Yah in our everyday lives and activities?
Along with the preserving power of Yah, Hebrews have survived throughout the centuries as a distinct people because of their strong sense of community. If a Hebrew is financially broke, the community will come together and give him money to start a business so he won’t be broke any longer. Hebrew businessmen go to Hebrew attorneys for their legal work. Hebrew mothers take their babies to Hebrew pediatricians. Hebrew bakers get their flour from Hebrew mills. There is nothing prejudicial in this. They simply know that they are part of a community and live accordingly. They know that if they band together, everybody prospers.
Why don’t believers and followers of Hamachiach do the same? We have no sense of community. We are splintered by race and religion and by economics and ethnic background. Sometimes we are divided by pure jealousy. We are so caught up in the “every man for himself” mentality of the world that we won’t take our business to a fellow believer because our attitude is, “I’m not going to help make him rich.” That is foolishness.
Brothers and sisters, as Kingdom citizens, we are a community, and we are dependent on one another. We bear mutual responsibility for each other’s welfare, success, and prosperity. The New Testament makes it abundantly clear that the early Hebrews saw themselves as a community as much as they saw themselves as individual believers. They shared common property so that no one went without. They distributed food to the needy and took care of widows and orphans. When the mostly Hebrew church in Jerusalem was impoverished by persecution, Gentile churches throughout Asia Minor gave sacrificially, sometimes out of their own poverty, to bring relief to their Hebrew brothers and sisters in Jerusalem.
We have somehow forgotten a truth that the early believers took to heart: united we stand, but divided we fall. The first- century church faced a world hostile to their message—in many ways as hostile as today’s world is toward “Christianity”—yet they turned their world upside down in spite of it. How? In the power of the Spirit of Yah, certainly. But also because they banded together as a community, regardless of how far apart they were geographically. They took care of each other out of love and because they knew that no one else in this world would do it.
There is no logical reason why we could not do the same today. How hard would it be for a community of believers to commit together to support one another in every arena of life? Born-again business people would take their legal work to born-again attorneys. Believers with medical needs would consult born-again physicians. Believers would support believers, patronizing each others’ businesses, pharmacies, grocery stores, bakeries, barber shops, beauty shops, gas stations, restaurants, building contractors, banks, and consulting, architectural, investment counseling, health care, dental, and optometry services, and the like. Some communities already publish directories of local and regional businesses and services owned by believers for this very purpose, but the practice needs to become much more widespread.
This does not mean that as Kingdom citizens we should separate ourselves from unbelievers. After all, how will they learn about the Kingdom unless we are around to tell them? But as we go among them day by day, we must never forget that we are not independent, but part of an interdependent community. The New Testament church had a strong sense of community, but they also reached out to the unbelieving world around them. There is no reason why we cannot do the same.
A HIGHER STANDARD
Scripture leaves no doubt that Yah’s desire is to build a community of His people on Earth. Isaac, before sending his son Jacob to live with his mother’s people, blessed him with these words: “And El Shaddai bless you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, that you may be a multitude of people; BERE'SHIYTH (GENESIS) 28:3 את CEPHER.
Years later, in fulfillment of Isaac’s blessing, Yah Himself promised Jacob:
And Elohiym said unto him, I am El Shaddai: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of you, and kings shall come out of your loins; And the land which I gave Avraham and Yitschaq, to you I will give it, and to your seed after you will I give the land. BERE'SHIYTH (GENESIS) 35:11-12 את CEPHER.
Again, many years later, Jacob told his son Joseph about Yah’s promise:
“And Ya`aqov said unto El-Yoceph, El Shaddai appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Kena`an, and blessed me, And said unto me, Behold, I will make you fruitful, and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people; and will give this land to your seed after you for an everlasting possession. BERE'SHIYTH (GENESIS) 48:3-4 את CEPHER.
This promise of Yah to Jacob was fulfilled with the creation of the nation of Israel. As Kingdom citizens and members of the ekklesia of Yahusha Hamachiach, we are the spiritual descendants of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the Israelite nation, so the promise is for us as well. This is doubly true because Yah’s purpose never changes, and He has always purposed to build a community of His people on Earth.
But if we are going to become a Kingdom community, we must commit ourselves to a higher standard than that of the rest of the world. If we are going to represent Yah, our King, on Earth, we must hold to standards that faithfully represent Him and reflect His character. We need to heed Paul’s wise counsel: “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. GALATIYM (GALATIANS) 6:10 את CEPHER. Yah wants to bless us, but to be blessed we must obey His Word and live according to His standards. Yah wants to bless us, but His purpose in blessing us is to make us a community that will reach out and draw others in.
This is why in our Kingdom community there must be no hint of evil, dishonesty, corruption, selfishness, greed, or envy. The world is full of these things, and people are looking for something different. Besides, when we live this way, we reflect the character of our Most High, which is what we are after. Simon Peter, one of Hamachiach ’s apostles, provides a vivid picture of what the life and character of a Kingdom community and its citizens should look like:
According as his divine power has given unto us all things את that pertain unto life and holiness, through the knowledge of him that has called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience holiness; And to holiness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Adonai Yahusha Ha'Mashiach. But he that lacks these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and has forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Adonai and Savior Yahusha Ha'Mashiach. KEPHA SHENIY (2 PETER) 1:3-11 את CEPHER.
As a Kingdom community, we are held to a higher standard than that of the world. Religious communities often adapt and conform to the world’s standards, which is one reason they are such a mess. Kingdom communities, on the other hand, do not accommodate; they elevate. They hold out the standards of the King without compromise and elevate to that level all who enter. That’s the only way it can be.
COMMUNITY RESPONSIBILITY
One characteristic that distinguishes a Kingdom community from any other is that in a Kingdom community sins may be personal, but never private. The actions of one affect the whole. For the sake of the health and welfare of the community, Yah laid out a radical solution:
But the man that shall be unclean, and shall not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from among the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of Yahuah: the water of separation has not been sprinkled upon him; he is unclean. BEMIDBAR (NUMBERS) 19:20 את CEPHER.
Sanctuary means the place where Yah lives. In a Kingdom community, Yah lives in His people, and the whole community is the palace of the Governor. Anyone who becomes a cancer to the body of the community must be cut off for the good of the community.
This may be a hard statement for many of us to accept, because we are so accustomed to hearing how loving Yah is, and how forgiving, kind and merciful, and tender He is. All these things are true, but they are beside the point. Yah certainly loves everyone, even the offenders, but His love and commitment to His community are so great that He will take radical steps to prevent it from being infected and destroyed from within. This is why Achan was stoned to death for violating Yah’s ban on taking spoils from Jericho (see Josh. 7:25-26). This is why Paul commanded the Corinthian church to expel the incestuous member from its midst (see 1 Cor. 5:1-13).
This is why Ananias and Sapphira died for lying to the Holy Spirit (see Acts 5:1-11). The Most High is jealous for His community and will do whatever He must to protect it and preserve its integrity.
Even worldly communities separate offenders by putting them in jail. How much more should we expect Yah to protect the purity of His community? The difference is that worldly communities lock offenders away to keep them from continually breaking the law, but those communities have no sense of sharing responsibility for the offenders’ actions. In a Kingdom community, everyone bears responsibility for the actions of everyone else.
By the same token, in a Kingdom community, everyone bears one another’s burdens. Paul said:
BRETHREN, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such one in the ruach of meekness; considering yourself, lest you also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the Torah of Mashiach. GALATIYM (GALATIANS) 6:1-2 את CEPHER.
While Paul tells us to restore an offender “gently,” it may be necessary first to separate that person from the community for a time until he or she responds to the Holy Spirit’s prompting and repents.
In a Kingdom community, Kingdom citizens have no independent life. This is a particularly hard concept to grasp for those who have grown up under democratic and capitalistic systems where personal independence is regarded as one of the highest values of all. As Kingdom citizens, we are all in this together. We need each other. We are all members of one body, and every member is vital for the proper functioning of that body. That is why an “illness” that infects one of us infects all of us. And that is why we cannot afford to ignore or write off any member of the community.
If any of us are going to represent Heaven, all of us must represent Heaven. If your brother in the Most High is weak, it is your responsibility to help strengthen him. If your sister in the Most High is going through a struggle, call her and say, “Honey, stay strong. I am with you, and so is the Most High. Don’t compromise. We’re together in this.” Then pray with her. We must all help each other be strong in order to protect everybody and preserve the integrity of the community.
And Yah’s promise is that if His Kingdom citizens live right, He will give them “diplomatic immunity”: immunity from sickness, disease, poverty. The entire community will prosper, and everyone outside will want to know why. “How come everybody got fired except you?” “Well, I have diplomatic immunity.” “How come everybody else’s business is shutting down, but yours is prospering?” “I have diplomatic immunity.” “Why did my crop fail but yours didn’t?” “I have diplomatic immunity.” “How can you be doing so well when the economy is in such bad shape?” “I have diplomatic immunity.” “How can you be so calm, so at peace, and so joyful when the world is going to hell in a hand basket?” “I have diplomatic immunity.”
The world can’t help but be attracted to a Kingdom community that lives like the Kingdom whose name it bears, because there is nothing else in the world like it. That is why we must be so careful to live with integrity and without compromise and to strike the proper balance between being in the world as a community of believers, but not of the world. We cannot reach the world with the message of the Kingdom if we shut ourselves off from the world. We must relate to the world through the Kingdom principle of engagement.
Today we are walking in: Producing A Kingdom Community
Numbers 24:7
He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. BEMIDBAR (NUMBERS) 24:7 ×ת CEPHER
KINGDOM
Today we look to the word-KINGDOM- H4467 mamlâkâh, (mam-law-kaw') -dominion, (abstractly) the estate (rule) or (concretely) the country (realm):—kingdom, king's, reign, royal
The Torah testifies...............
Exodus 19:6
And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak unto the children of Yashar'el. SHEMOTH (EXODUS) 19:6 ×ת CEPHER
Numbers 32:33
And Mosheh gave unto them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Re'uven, and unto half the tribe of Menashsheh the son of Yoceph, the kingdom of Ciychon king of the Emoriym, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land, with the cities thereof in the coasts, even the cities of the country round about. BEMIDBAR (NUMBERS) 32:33 ×ת CEPHER
Deuteronomy 17:18
And it shall be, when he sits upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this Torah in a cepher out of that which is before the priests the Leviyiym: DEVARIYM (DEUTERONOMY) 17:18 ×ת CEPHER
The prophets proclaim..................
1 Samuel 10:18
And said unto the children of Yashar'el, Thus says Yahuah Elohai of Yashar'el, I brought up Yashar'el out of Mitsrayim, and delivered you out of the hand of the Mitsriym, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you: SHEMU'EL RI'SHON (1 SAMUEL) 10:18 ×ת CEPHER
Isaiah 9:7
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of Yahuah Tseva'oth will perform this. YESHA'YAHU (ISAIAH) 9:7 ×ת CEPHER
Jeremiah 18:9
And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; YIRMEYAHU (JEREMIAH) 18:9 ×ת CEPHER
The writings bear witness...........................
1 Kings 9:5
Then I will establish the throne of your kingdom upon Yashar'el forever, as I promised to David your father, saying, There shall not fail you a man upon the throne of Yashar'el. MELEKIYM RI'SHON (1 KINGS) 9:5 ×ת CEPHER
1 Chronicles 17:11
And it shall come to pass, when your days be expired that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will raise up your seed after you, which shall be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. DIVREI HAYAMIYM RI'SHON (1 CHRONICLES) 17:11 ×ת CEPHER
Psalm 145:13
Your Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. Yahuah is true in his word, and holy in all his works. TEHILLIYM (PSALMS) 145:13 ×ת CEPHER
Chapter Eight
PRODUCING A KINGDOM COMMUNITY
I HAVE a dream that before I die I will see and be part of a dynamic, growing community of people among whom there is no sickness, no poverty, and no want. Everyone will be debt- free. Depression, worry, and despair will be unknown; every marriage will be strong, successful, and happy; and all the children will respect their parents and live completely free of fear. The entire community will worship the Most High in perfect unity and harmony and with a single common vision.
People from outside will be amazed at what they see. “Do you mean that out of these 50,000 people, nobody is divorced? Why not?”
“Because in our community we don’t believe in that. We believe in fixing things up, in repenting, reconciling, and forgiving. That’s our nature, our culture.”
“Do you mean to tell me that among these 200,000 people there is no incest, no fathers sleeping with their daughters? How can this be?”
“Because in our community such a thing is detestable. We love our children. They are made in Yah’s image, and we care for and protect them. That’s our culture.”
“Do you mean to tell me that out of half a million people, nobody tells lies?”
“It’s true. Lying is unheard of in our community. Truth is our currency. In our community, truth is not the best policy—it is the only policy.”
I dream of the day when this will be reality. Fantasy, you say? Utopia? No, simply Kingdom culture in action.
It is just this kind of community that everyone on Earth secretly longs for. And it is this longing that fuels so many people’s desires to leave this world, because they have heard that Heaven is this kind of community. Most of us carry this dream around with us every day. We dream of Heaven because we can’t find the community we want here on Earth. You can’t wait to get to Heaven because you just got divorced and you hurt so much. You want to go to a place where the hurt is gone. You long for Heaven because your husband just beat you again, and you want to escape to a place where you are always safe. You cry out for Heaven because your uncle molested you for years when you were a child, and now the guilt and shame are so great that you want to go someplace where these things don’t happen and where you can be healed. You pray for Heaven because life on Earth is hell.
Yahusha says, gently and lovingly, “That’s the wrong prayer. Don’t pray to go to Heaven; pray for Heaven to come down. Pray, ‘Father, let Your Kingdom come and Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.’” He wants Heaven to happen here. We don’t have to die to experience Heaven. Yahusha said, “Ask for it, and I’ll give it to you, here and now.”
The possibility of Heaven on Earth is a difficult concept for most of us to grasp because we have been so thoroughly indoctrinated into the culture of this world, where lying is normal, stealing is a habit, adultery is accepted, and sweethearting is still a norm. We have to break that old mindset and be cultured all over again into the heart and mind of Yah and into the mindset of a Kingdom community.
Yah’s purpose has always been to build a heavenly community on Earth, a community that would reflect in the physical realm the values, principles, standards, morals, and holy and righteous character of His Kingdom in the spiritual realm. The word community comes from the words “common” and “unity” and refers to a group of people who share a common language, food, dress, lifestyle, customs, values, and morals. Yah wants to build His people into a heavenly community on Earth that so reflects Him that anyone from outside who meets us will know immediately that we are not of this Earth. We are in the world but not of the world.
Our assignment as Kingdom citizens and ambassadors is to learn and then to teach others how to apply the Kingdom to business and bodily health; to single life, marriage, and parenting; to investments and speech; to relationships and professions; to government and media. We have to reintroduce the precepts of the Kingdom of Heaven: the values, morals, principles, and standards by which our society is supposed to live. Yah’s plan, then, is not—and never has been—to establish a religious institution, but to build a living, breathing, and thriving community that reveals to the world what He is like as well as the quality of life under His government.
REFLECTED GLORY
The purpose behind a Kingdom community is to reflect the greatness and glory of the King. Citizens of the community are under the rule of the King and come to manifest His nature. In other words, the people take on the characteristics of the King, display the qualities of the King, and exhibit the culture of the King. As a matter of fact, the quality and nature of any kingdom can be recognized first not by the presence of the king but by the lifestyle of his citizens. Seeing how the people in a kingdom live reveals a great deal about their king.
That’s how kingdoms work. Kingdoms are manifested in the culture of the people. So the quality of the community is a manifestation or reflection of the quality of the king. This truth is taught throughout Scripture, but no more clearly perhaps than in the account of the queen of Sheba’s visit to King Solomon. Although known best for his legendary wisdom, Solomon was also the greatest, richest, and most powerful king of his day. Having succeeded his father David, who had built the kingdom of Israel into a great power, Solomon expanded his kingdom’s greatness and glory even more. At no time in its history was Israel bigger, richer, or more powerful than under Solomon’s reign.
Solomon’s reputation was so great that even the queen of Sheba, way down in her African domain, heard of it. She immediately decided to visit Solomon and see for herself.
AND when the Queen of Sheva heard of the fame of Shalomah concerning the name of Yahuah, she came to prove him with hard questions. And she came to Yerushalayim with a very great train, with camels that bore spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to El-Shalomah, she communed with him of את all that was in her heart. And Shalomah told her all her questions: there was not anything hid from the king, which he told her not. And when the Queen of Sheva had seen את all Shalomah's wisdom, and the house that he had built, And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of Yahuah; there was no more ruach in her. And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in my own land of your acts and of your wisdom. Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and my eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: your wisdom and prosperity exceeds the fame which I heard. MELEKIYM RI'SHON (1 KINGS) 10:1-7 את CEPHER.
The queen of Sheba was a rich and powerful monarch in her own right, but everything she had and had always known paled in comparison to the splendor of Solomon’s court. There was no sign of poverty anywhere in the land, because the citizens of Solomon’s kingdom reflected in their lives and circumstances the splendor and wealth of Solomon himself. The rest of First Kings chapter 10 goes into a detailed description of the extent and glory of Solomon’s kingdom. So King Shalomah exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom. MELEKIYM RI'SHON (1 KINGS) 10:23 את CEPHER, so rich, in fact, that he “And the king made silver to be in Yerushalayim as stones, and את cedars made he to be as the sycomore trees that are in the valley, for abundance. MELEKIYM RI'SHON (1 KINGS) 10:27 את CEPHER.
Prosperity was everywhere. Can you imagine the housekeeper wearing silk or the household servants eating off of gold plates? This is the way kingdoms manifest. A wise and conscientious king makes sure that his citizens prosper because he knows that his reputation and the glory of his rule rest on the quality of their lives.
In the 21st chapter of the Book of Revelation, John describes the New Jerusalem, the city of the King, as having a wall of jasper with the wall’s foundations adorned with 12 kinds of precious stones (see verses 18-20). The city itself and its great street were made of pure gold. My point is this: The idea of earthly kings extravagantly displaying their wealth and splendor originated with Yah. Likewise, the splendor and glory of Yah’s Kingdom will be reflected in the lives and circumstances of His citizens.
We have to change our mindset and learn to think like royalty. We must learn to see things from our King’s perspective. Once my wife and I visited Buckingham Palace in London. Beginning with the lush gardens, everything about the place spoke of riches, dignity, honor, glory, and splendor. We walked into an entry foyer larger and more extravagant than the lobbies of the finest hotels in the world. The walls and ceiling were painted with gold leaf. You and I use latexpaint on our walls, but the palace was painted in gold. Why would someone put gold all over the walls? To display to all visitors the splendor and glory of those who live there, even if they are never seen.
Buckingham Palace had a crystal chandelier larger than my living room. In a kingdom it is never necessary to talk or preach about prosperity because prosperity is all around. Prince William grew up looking at that chandelier. That is why his mentality is different from ours. You and I grew up under the illumination of Sylvania Blue Dot light bulbs. How could we talk with him about wealth? When you are born into wealth, you don’t talk about wealth. Yah’s ultimate goal is to bring that kind of life to Earth.
It is for this reason that Yahusha taught us to pray to the Father, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). Every other prayer we pray should be tempered by this one request: that Yah’s heavenly Kingdom come on Earth. When we pray for the Kingdom, our prayer encompasses all we could ever need or desire, because with the Kingdom comes access to all the resources of Heaven. This is why Yahusha also told us not to worry about what we would eat, drink, or wear, or about any other thing, but to seek first the Kingdom and righteousness of Yah, for with the Kingdom comes everything else (see Matt. 6:33). Our future is tied up in the culture of the King. Therefore our prayer should be, “Most High, let Your Kingdom be manifested in us. Make us into a community that represents Your country and Your culture. May our common unity be a reflection of Your glory to a watching world.”
COMMON UNITY
As I said earlier, the word community is a compound of the words “common” and “unity.” So even the derivation of the word community gives us a clue to its meaning: a group of people united by common bonds. More specifically, a community is a group of people distinguished and unified by a common set of values, standards, beliefs, norms, language, customs, traditions, ideals, and commitment to a common purpose.
Chinatown is a community. Its inhabitants are united by the common bond of their Chinese heritage and culture, which they keep vibrantly alive. Chinatown could never exist with only one or two, or even a handful of Chinese. Maintaining a distinct cultural identity requires a large number of people of similar background working together in a common purpose. In Los Angeles, the population of Chinatown is around 500,000 people. They speak their own language, worship in their own temples, operate their own businesses, and maintain their own distinctive cuisine. Theirs is an unmistakably unique community, a “garden” of China within the United States.
Kingdom communities, wherever they are in the world, should be just as unique and distinctive. Our values, standards, beliefs, norms, language, customs, traditions, and ideals should set us apart from the rest of the world. People who walk into our community should feel like they have stepped into Heaven.
This is one reason why I have such a big problem with “religious” Christianity. Religion can never take the place of the Kingdom. Although it may try to mimic Kingdom characteristics on the outside, it is only a shallow and empty facade. Whenever I walk into Chinatown, I feel like I am in China. When I walk into Haitian Town, I feel like I am in Haiti. Miami’s Cuban district makes me think I have somehow stepped into Havana. Whenever I walk into religious Christianity, however, I feel like I am in hell: cursing, gossiping, backbiting, lying, cheating, stealing, adultery, divorce, homosexuality, legalism, prejudice, self-righteousness, infighting, bickering—a real mess.
Religious Christianity looks nothing like Heaven. There is no unity, no common vision, no community. On the contrary, divisions abound, and each group is proud of its own exclusiveness. They divide and fight over doctrinal differences, theological differences, modes of baptism, spiritual gifts, theories of the end times, worship styles, worship music, biblical interpretation, and even about whether Saturday or Sunday is the “proper” worship day. Amidst such squabbling, how can there be community? I have a dream that before I die, there will be a group of people on Earth who finally get the message that the Kingdom of Heaven is bigger than our differences and broader than our denominations.
A Kingdom community is a group of Kingdom citizens who are unified by a common set of values—the King’s values. They share the King’s standards and beliefs and live according to the King’s norms. They speak the language of the King, which is the language of love. In addition, they follow the customs and traditions of the King. They forgive one another. They love their enemies. They do good to those who mistreat them. They never engage in slander or gossip. They are honest in all their dealings and always keep their word. They respect the dignity of all people and hold all people in high regard as precious creatures made in Yah’s image. They love Yah with all their heart and they love and honor His Word.
They also are committed to the King’s ideals, meaning that they share a common ideology, or philosophy, with the King. In other words, they think like the King and share the same mindset. This is a learning process of growth and maturity, because none of us naturally think the way Yah does:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says Yahuah. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. YESHA'YAHU (ISAIAH) 55:8-9 את CEPHER.
In a Kingdom community, all the citizens are learning to submit their minds and thoughts to the King so that they can learn to see as He sees, think as He thinks, and do as He does.
Finally, a Kingdom community is committed to a common purpose and vision—those of the King. A common vision brings a community into unity and helps guarantee its survival, because without vision a community will perish (see Prov. 29:18 KJV). And what is the King’s vision? It is very simple: His Kingdom come and His will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Yah’s vision—His big idea—is Heaven coming to Earth. He sees it. Can you see it?
Can you see Heaven’s culture coming to Earth? Can you imagine a community where every husband loves his wife the way Hamachiach loves His Church, and treats her like the queen she is? Can you imagine a community where every wife honors, respects, and builds up her husband? Can you imagine a community where husbands and wives are absolutely faithful to each other and where adultery or sweethearting is inconceivable? Can you imagine a community where all the children honor and obey their parents and show respect to all legitimate authority? Can you imagine a community where people’s word is their bond and where honesty is the common currency? Can you imagine a community where there is no cursing or gambling, no greed or thievery, no envy or jealousy, no backbiting or backstabbing, no petty bickering or quarreling, and no lust or sexual immorality? Can you imagine a community where there is no poverty or want, but abundant peace and contentment? Can you imagine it? Yah can, and this is the type of community He wants to fill the Earth with.
TAKE A LESSON FROM THE HEBREWS
If there is any group of people on Earth who understand the power of community, it is the Hebrews. Through 4,000 years of war and conquest, peace and prosperity, persecution and prejudice, and triumph and tragedy, the Hebrews have maintained a distinct cultural identity as a people. This is due in large part to the fact that they identify themselves not only as individuals but also as interdependent members of a larger community.
The first five books of the Bible are political books, not religious treatises. They explain how Yah’s purpose for delivering the Israelites from slavery in Egypt was to transform them into a nation through whom He would bless the world, just as He had promised Abraham (see Gen. 12:1-3). According to Yah’s plan they would be a distinct people, separate from the other nations of the world in their worship, their laws, their morality, their diet, their code of conduct, and their everyday lifestyle. The distinguishing characteristic that would set them apart from other peoples would be Yah’s active and continuing presence among them. Without His presence, they would be no different from any other nation. It was his awareness of this distinction that prompted Moses to pray:
And he said unto him, If your presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and your people have found grace in your sight? is it not in that you go with us? so shall we be separated, I and your people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth. SHEMOTH (EXODUS) 33:15-16 את CEPHER
In response the Most High assured Moses that His presence would go with them. We can ask the same question about Kingdom communities. What will distinguish us from other peoples and cultural groups on Earth if it is not the active and powerful presence of Yah in our everyday lives and activities?
Along with the preserving power of Yah, Hebrews have survived throughout the centuries as a distinct people because of their strong sense of community. If a Hebrew is financially broke, the community will come together and give him money to start a business so he won’t be broke any longer. Hebrew businessmen go to Hebrew attorneys for their legal work. Hebrew mothers take their babies to Hebrew pediatricians. Hebrew bakers get their flour from Hebrew mills. There is nothing prejudicial in this. They simply know that they are part of a community and live accordingly. They know that if they band together, everybody prospers.
Why don’t believers and followers of Hamachiach do the same? We have no sense of community. We are splintered by race and religion and by economics and ethnic background. Sometimes we are divided by pure jealousy. We are so caught up in the “every man for himself” mentality of the world that we won’t take our business to a fellow believer because our attitude is, “I’m not going to help make him rich.” That is foolishness.
Brothers and sisters, as Kingdom citizens, we are a community, and we are dependent on one another. We bear mutual responsibility for each other’s welfare, success, and prosperity. The New Testament makes it abundantly clear that the early Hebrews saw themselves as a community as much as they saw themselves as individual believers. They shared common property so that no one went without. They distributed food to the needy and took care of widows and orphans. When the mostly Hebrew church in Jerusalem was impoverished by persecution, Gentile churches throughout Asia Minor gave sacrificially, sometimes out of their own poverty, to bring relief to their Hebrew brothers and sisters in Jerusalem.
We have somehow forgotten a truth that the early believers took to heart: united we stand, but divided we fall. The first- century church faced a world hostile to their message—in many ways as hostile as today’s world is toward “Christianity”—yet they turned their world upside down in spite of it. How? In the power of the Spirit of Yah, certainly. But also because they banded together as a community, regardless of how far apart they were geographically. They took care of each other out of love and because they knew that no one else in this world would do it.
There is no logical reason why we could not do the same today. How hard would it be for a community of believers to commit together to support one another in every arena of life? Born-again business people would take their legal work to born-again attorneys. Believers with medical needs would consult born-again physicians. Believers would support believers, patronizing each others’ businesses, pharmacies, grocery stores, bakeries, barber shops, beauty shops, gas stations, restaurants, building contractors, banks, and consulting, architectural, investment counseling, health care, dental, and optometry services, and the like. Some communities already publish directories of local and regional businesses and services owned by believers for this very purpose, but the practice needs to become much more widespread.
This does not mean that as Kingdom citizens we should separate ourselves from unbelievers. After all, how will they learn about the Kingdom unless we are around to tell them? But as we go among them day by day, we must never forget that we are not independent, but part of an interdependent community. The New Testament church had a strong sense of community, but they also reached out to the unbelieving world around them. There is no reason why we cannot do the same.
A HIGHER STANDARD
Scripture leaves no doubt that Yah’s desire is to build a community of His people on Earth. Isaac, before sending his son Jacob to live with his mother’s people, blessed him with these words: “And El Shaddai bless you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, that you may be a multitude of people; BERE'SHIYTH (GENESIS) 28:3 את CEPHER.
Years later, in fulfillment of Isaac’s blessing, Yah Himself promised Jacob:
And Elohiym said unto him, I am El Shaddai: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of you, and kings shall come out of your loins; And the land which I gave Avraham and Yitschaq, to you I will give it, and to your seed after you will I give the land. BERE'SHIYTH (GENESIS) 35:11-12 את CEPHER.
Again, many years later, Jacob told his son Joseph about Yah’s promise:
“And Ya`aqov said unto El-Yoceph, El Shaddai appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Kena`an, and blessed me, And said unto me, Behold, I will make you fruitful, and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people; and will give this land to your seed after you for an everlasting possession. BERE'SHIYTH (GENESIS) 48:3-4 את CEPHER.
This promise of Yah to Jacob was fulfilled with the creation of the nation of Israel. As Kingdom citizens and members of the ekklesia of Yahusha Hamachiach, we are the spiritual descendants of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the Israelite nation, so the promise is for us as well. This is doubly true because Yah’s purpose never changes, and He has always purposed to build a community of His people on Earth.
But if we are going to become a Kingdom community, we must commit ourselves to a higher standard than that of the rest of the world. If we are going to represent Yah, our King, on Earth, we must hold to standards that faithfully represent Him and reflect His character. We need to heed Paul’s wise counsel: “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. GALATIYM (GALATIANS) 6:10 את CEPHER. Yah wants to bless us, but to be blessed we must obey His Word and live according to His standards. Yah wants to bless us, but His purpose in blessing us is to make us a community that will reach out and draw others in.
This is why in our Kingdom community there must be no hint of evil, dishonesty, corruption, selfishness, greed, or envy. The world is full of these things, and people are looking for something different. Besides, when we live this way, we reflect the character of our Most High, which is what we are after. Simon Peter, one of Hamachiach ’s apostles, provides a vivid picture of what the life and character of a Kingdom community and its citizens should look like:
According as his divine power has given unto us all things את that pertain unto life and holiness, through the knowledge of him that has called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience holiness; And to holiness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Adonai Yahusha Ha'Mashiach. But he that lacks these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and has forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Adonai and Savior Yahusha Ha'Mashiach. KEPHA SHENIY (2 PETER) 1:3-11 את CEPHER.
As a Kingdom community, we are held to a higher standard than that of the world. Religious communities often adapt and conform to the world’s standards, which is one reason they are such a mess. Kingdom communities, on the other hand, do not accommodate; they elevate. They hold out the standards of the King without compromise and elevate to that level all who enter. That’s the only way it can be.
COMMUNITY RESPONSIBILITY
One characteristic that distinguishes a Kingdom community from any other is that in a Kingdom community sins may be personal, but never private. The actions of one affect the whole. For the sake of the health and welfare of the community, Yah laid out a radical solution:
But the man that shall be unclean, and shall not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from among the assembly, because he has defiled the sanctuary of Yahuah: the water of separation has not been sprinkled upon him; he is unclean. BEMIDBAR (NUMBERS) 19:20 את CEPHER.
Sanctuary means the place where Yah lives. In a Kingdom community, Yah lives in His people, and the whole community is the palace of the Governor. Anyone who becomes a cancer to the body of the community must be cut off for the good of the community.
This may be a hard statement for many of us to accept, because we are so accustomed to hearing how loving Yah is, and how forgiving, kind and merciful, and tender He is. All these things are true, but they are beside the point. Yah certainly loves everyone, even the offenders, but His love and commitment to His community are so great that He will take radical steps to prevent it from being infected and destroyed from within. This is why Achan was stoned to death for violating Yah’s ban on taking spoils from Jericho (see Josh. 7:25-26). This is why Paul commanded the Corinthian church to expel the incestuous member from its midst (see 1 Cor. 5:1-13).
This is why Ananias and Sapphira died for lying to the Holy Spirit (see Acts 5:1-11). The Most High is jealous for His community and will do whatever He must to protect it and preserve its integrity.
Even worldly communities separate offenders by putting them in jail. How much more should we expect Yah to protect the purity of His community? The difference is that worldly communities lock offenders away to keep them from continually breaking the law, but those communities have no sense of sharing responsibility for the offenders’ actions. In a Kingdom community, everyone bears responsibility for the actions of everyone else.
By the same token, in a Kingdom community, everyone bears one another’s burdens. Paul said:
BRETHREN, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such one in the ruach of meekness; considering yourself, lest you also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the Torah of Mashiach. GALATIYM (GALATIANS) 6:1-2 את CEPHER.
While Paul tells us to restore an offender “gently,” it may be necessary first to separate that person from the community for a time until he or she responds to the Holy Spirit’s prompting and repents.
In a Kingdom community, Kingdom citizens have no independent life. This is a particularly hard concept to grasp for those who have grown up under democratic and capitalistic systems where personal independence is regarded as one of the highest values of all. As Kingdom citizens, we are all in this together. We need each other. We are all members of one body, and every member is vital for the proper functioning of that body. That is why an “illness” that infects one of us infects all of us. And that is why we cannot afford to ignore or write off any member of the community.
If any of us are going to represent Heaven, all of us must represent Heaven. If your brother in the Most High is weak, it is your responsibility to help strengthen him. If your sister in the Most High is going through a struggle, call her and say, “Honey, stay strong. I am with you, and so is the Most High. Don’t compromise. We’re together in this.” Then pray with her. We must all help each other be strong in order to protect everybody and preserve the integrity of the community.
And Yah’s promise is that if His Kingdom citizens live right, He will give them “diplomatic immunity”: immunity from sickness, disease, poverty. The entire community will prosper, and everyone outside will want to know why. “How come everybody got fired except you?” “Well, I have diplomatic immunity.” “How come everybody else’s business is shutting down, but yours is prospering?” “I have diplomatic immunity.” “Why did my crop fail but yours didn’t?” “I have diplomatic immunity.” “How can you be doing so well when the economy is in such bad shape?” “I have diplomatic immunity.” “How can you be so calm, so at peace, and so joyful when the world is going to hell in a hand basket?” “I have diplomatic immunity.”
The world can’t help but be attracted to a Kingdom community that lives like the Kingdom whose name it bears, because there is nothing else in the world like it. That is why we must be so careful to live with integrity and without compromise and to strike the proper balance between being in the world as a community of believers, but not of the world. We cannot reach the world with the message of the Kingdom if we shut ourselves off from the world. We must relate to the world through the Kingdom principle of engagement.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)