Smallest Seed

Image from Youtube. We need to have a supernatural balance of things (especially radical things) in God's Kingdom. And we need to understand that often, Kingdom concepts seem to go against each other, although in truth they flow in harmony. Like God becoming man and God opting to take the form of a slave or being a little lower than the angels but actually most supreme of all. The Mind of Christ has no problems with that. Or the truth that God can both love and hate a person (yeah, He does not just hate sin but also sinners). But it rattles the human mind. So what others do is let go of one and hold on to the other, resulting to a denominational doctrine. Such doctrines believe only one side of the equation. Like, we do not turn into God but the bible says we do not remain mere humans either when we're born again. We turn or "grow" into something else. So we cannot stubbornly keep saying we are just humans and nobody is perfect and God likes us the way

Image from workstride. If you haven't read Ecclesiastes yet, you should now. The Teacher (King Solomon) experimented on life and found out that nothing really makes sense in this world, even things we do for God if he's not in it. It's amusing to find Solomon (whom God gave great wisdom) saying,  "Do not be overrighteous, neither be overwise-- why destroy yourself? In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these: the righteous perishing in their righteousness, and the wicked living long in their wickedness. 16 Do not be overrighteous, neither be overwise—why destroy yourself? [Ecclesiastes 7] But it wasn't Solomon alone who saw it. Many other Old Testament prophets also did. Jeremiah was so pissed off with his life at one time that he wished he were dead at birth. He even felt "deceived" by God. Elijah, after performing great signs and wonders against Baal's prophets on Mt. Carmel, wanted to die because he felt everything was

Images above from Dreamstime and Flickr. Salt and Light Few things are important in the Kingdom---like being salt and light. On these two depends your effectiveness in the Kingdom. You may look so good and effective in ministry, but if you lose your saltiness and don't shine properly as light, you're nothing in the Kingdom. In fact, being salt and light of the world is more important than any church "ministry" or activity. Being salt and light is what keeps us from ending up like the Pharisees and religious law teachers---salt that had lost its saltiness and light that was kept under the bed or a bowl. They were experts when it came to the Word of God but they never lived it out. They lacked character results. They lacked fruit. If you live out the Word, you live the Beatitude Life. As long as the Beatitudes is seen in you, you are salt and light. You are effective in the Kingdom. Salt Salt is good as long as it keeps its saltiness. "Saltiness"

Image from Ray Downing. Pharisee Debacle Jesus said our righteousness should surpass the righteousness of the Pharisees and law teachers. If not, we will "certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." You see, this is a very serious thing. Make sure you do not fall into the Pharisee Debacle. What made them fail? Simple---their lives were outside the Beatitudes. Yes, they were experts of the law---very bible-based, as it were---and yet you couldn't see how their lives and characters fit into the standards of the Kingdom. The law should result to the Beatitudes, but didn't happen with them. It's so important it needs repeating---fulfillment of the law resulted into the Beatitude Life. Jesus clarified that he didn't come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. So, Christ is the model of someone who has fulfilled the law. In the bible, you see all the Beatitude qualities in him---poor in spirit, mourning, meek, seriously after righteousness, peacemaker, etc

Image from American Magazine. LIFE and Character Right from the start of Jesus' ministry, he made clear what the Kingdom really is---it's producing fruit. And by "producing fruit," it's like how trees produce them. Trees do not work hard or use effort to bear fruit. They just stand there and wait for God to do everything for it. John 15 says we produce fruit by remaining connected to the Vine---by remaining in Christ. It's really all that easy. Remaining in Christ turns your life upside down and strangely different from the lives of other people, very different from the world, in fact. It's radically, eerily and even "frighteningly" so different that a lot of people get scared and turn away from it, even church people (or especially church people and their leaders). Jesus enumerated the Kingdom virtues on a mountainside one day. Beatitudes Kingdom is life. It's not a religious organization or a particular theology or belief or

Image from  buildingiq. Kingdom Dynamics Very few things matter in the Kingdom, one of which is fruit . John the baptizer said, "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance," as he preached, "Repent for the Kingdom of God is near!" Positions, titles, degrees, importance, achievements do not matter even one bit. It's fruit of repentance, proof that you have really radically changed. He saw Pharisees and Sadducees trooping to where he baptized at the Jordan river, and he called them "brood of vipers." They probably thought their positions, titles and accomplishments would give them special treatment and place in John's ministry. But John didn't spare them from his tirade. Imagine their shock. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Only Fruit Matters If they had come to church today they'd pr

Image from Entrepreneur's Online Paper. Starting in Simplicity and Meekness JESUS talked of nothing but the Father and his Kingdom. The goal is for believers to be transferred to the kingdom and live there permanently as they also live in the world at the same time. The priority is living in the kingdom by its principles---in its culture, dimensions, realities, practices and mindset. The kingdom life, in short. Not denominational manuals, policies and doctrines. What most Christians know are only these things---how to function and operate in their denominations---but they are complete strangers when it comes to God's kingdom. After you get saved, most churches take you to their own kingdoms. Their own little empires. But if you seriously follow Jesus, he will take you to God's kingdom. So, how well do you know God's kingdom? Supernatural Kingdom Among other things, the kingdom of God is about supernatural power, which you very rarely see (if any) in church

lovemo.jp This is a vital principle in God's Kingdom---your ministry should look very much like the ministries God approved in the bible. Or more aptly, the ministries he himself ordained. All these ministries had one Kingdom DNA and therefore the same characteristics. They all looked the same in spirit, though they had their distinguishing marks, which were also provided and designed by God. When people were asking about John the baptizer's ministry, note what they said: They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No." [John 1.21] John's ministry looked very much like the ministries of the prophets of old, particularly Elijah's. In another instance, Jesus told his audience that if they were willing to believe it, John was the "Elijah to come," [Matthew 11.14]. There is no exemption---if you claim to be doing God's work, your ministry shou

Equipment World You are given eyes to see and the spiritual ability to enter God's Kingdom [John 3.3-8] so you can be part of it. Once you're part, then you can share it with others. You cannot share what you do not have. Fact is, you cannot share what you haven't seen. In ministry, you have to see the Kingdom and enter it. So you have to seek the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, first and last. Evangelism Share your Kingdom faith with as many. Ask God's guidance about it, particularly who you'd share it with. Sometimes, God wants specific targets. Only the King knows who is fit for the Kingdom so you have to follow his lead about who to share the Gospel with and who to disciple. Many are invited but few are chosen. The prophet Samuel was sure it was Eliab who would be king but the Lord said Eliab seemed kingdomly only in appearance but not in essence. We should share the Gospel with everyone, but at times the Lord would zero in on an individual

Pinterest Ever wondered why Jesus and John the baptizer assumed radically simple roles in society? Why didn't Jesus come as part of the Sanhedrin or as palace official? Why the son of a poor carpenter? Why be born in a manger? John for one was Zechariah's son, and Zechariah served as priest in the temple. Priests led comfortable and well to do lives, being supplied all their material needs and given special favors by the community as per Old Testament directives. John should have been priest, too, being son of Zechariah. But John gave it up and chose to be an obscure prophet living in the wilderness catching locusts for dinner and risking bee stings just to enjoy a handful of honey. That's beside wearing only camel's hair and a leather belt all his life. Why this radical simplicity? I see it as Kingdom signature. A kind of "company logo" or characteristic mark of the Kingdom. Kingdom people literally care for nothing in this life. Jesus said tha

Study Make sure you're doing ministry in the glorious church of Jesus Christ, a church without spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. People who have no knowledge of the Kingdom will just go to any "born-again" church, especially one which has the best facilities.  But a Kingdom person particularly makes sure he attends no less than the glorious church. Non-Kingdom people will tell you not to look for a perfect church. "There is no perfect church!" they insist. But the bible says there is a glorious church, without spot or wrinkle. It's Jesus' church. He died for it. He founded it. And ministry is different in the glorious church. In the glorious church, everyone's ministries are connected and intertwined. And I mean all ministries. Kingdom people know this so well. There is no such thing as "your ministry" or "my ministry" or "their ministry" or "our ministry." More radical Kingdom concepts for

Our Happy Cat One day I told a religious church leader that the Gospel was about how to be happy in life. His eyes widened, like he saw a ghost, and he protested: "The Gospel is about how we can be saved from sins!" I was about to tell him that the Gospel was also about being successful in life and career, but I thought I better not. He might have rebuked me like I were a demon. Of course, the Gospel is about how people can be saved from sins. But it's not limited to that. It's about many other things. It can be about how to deal with your boss or your subordinates effectively. Or how to choose the right career for you. Or how to save money and invest to grow it exponentially. Or how to be healthy and fit. God's Word is profitable for everything because it is about LIFE. And LIFE is not just about being saved from sins. Some folks may be shocked at this, but there's actually LIFE after salvation. And God wants that life to be happy. In fact, ano