Crowning Ignorant Kings: Cultivating A Kingdom Culture: August 2024

We are here to Cultivate a Kingdom Culture. Returning to the Original Mandate of Jesus Christ for Kingdom Government, Management, Citizenship, Relationship, and Community; Manifesting the Culture of Heaven on Earth. This online content is comprised of notes, studies, and resources based on the messages of Dr. Myles Munroe, (used with his permission), and other Kingdom Citizens, to spread the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, as taught by our Lord and King, Jesus Christ. Now Let's Adjust Our Crowns!

Surrender and Change Your Life

For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

To all of you who haven't yet accepted Jesus the Christ as your Lord and Savior, we invite you to do so after viewing Kingdom Citizens. This is an invitation to those of you who don't have a personal relationship with Him or who have strayed away from your commitment to Him.

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me". John 14:6

God sent His son Jesus the Christ to bring humankind back in the right relationship with Himself; not to create another religion called "Christianity". Keep this in mind: Jesus the Christ is the only way to the Father. By accepting Him as Lord and Savior of your life, you are ushered into the right relationship with the Father God. All the blessings, favor and rights as a son of the most high God are yours to walk in as you grow in your faith and understanding of God's word.

The very first step to seeing and experiencing the Kingdom of God is that you must be born again of the Spirit of the living God, through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

“What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”

Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit." John 3:3-5

We ask you now to repent-- to make a change and turn from what you have been doing and the life you have been living-- and accept Jesus the Christ as your Lord and Savior. Honor and worship Him alone.

"Dear Lord Jesus, Forgive me! I repent of all my sins, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior."

When you make this decision, please contact us so we can rejoice with you. Also, be sure to contact us if you have any questions. We will respond as quickly as possible.

Read God's Word, the Bible, daily, and when you do, pray for God to give you wisdom and understanding through the Holy Spirit. Start with the life of Jesus--the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Congratulations! God be with you always. Be blessed!

W.R. & Arlene

Psalm 51--King David's Prayer of Repentance

Have mercy on me, O God,
because of your unfailing love.
Because of your great compassion,
blot out the stain of my sins.
Wash me clean from my guilt.
Purify me from my sin.
For I recognize my rebellion;
it haunts me day and night.
Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;
I have done what is evil in Your sight.
You will be proved right in what You say,
and Your judgment against me is just.
For I was born a sinner--
yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.
But You desire honesty from the womb,
teaching me wisdom even there.

Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Oh, give me back my joy again;
You have broken me--
now let me rejoice.
Don’t keep looking at my sins.
Remove the stain of my guilt.
Create in me a clean heart, O God.
  Renew a loyal spirit within me.
Do not banish me from Your presence,
  and don’t take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
  and make me willing to obey You.
Then I will teach Your ways to rebels,
and they will return to You.
Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves;
then I will joyfully sing of Your forgiveness.
Unseal my lips, O Lord,
that my mouth may praise You.

You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one.
You do not want a burnt offering.
The sacrifice You desire is a broken spirit.
You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.
Look with favor on Zion and help her;
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Then You will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit--
with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings.
Then bulls will again be sacrificed on Your altar.
~Amen~

Kingdom 103: He Needs No Assistance in Keeping His Promise

The Lord God's Word is sovereign. He will always keep His Word regardless of what others say. Remember what God said to His representative Balaam when Balak the king of Moab wanted Balaam to curse the children of Israel. “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? Behold, I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it." Numbers 23:19-20

If the Lord God gives you a promise, He will always make it good. The problem with people is that they think He (meaning God) acts in our time period. The Lord God operates in eternity. He does not have a time limit in order to fulfill His promise. This is what happened to Sarai (Sarah), Abram's (Abraham) wife. She thought that the Lord God operates in their concept of time, but He operates in eternity. In eternity, there is no "late" or "early", there "is"!

Abram (Abraham) was seventy-five years of age when he first heard the voice of his Source (Creator). Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Genesis 12:1-4

From Abram's perspective, God took a long time to fulfill His promise. Remember, the Lord God doesn't operate in time but in eternity. Abram was seventy-five years old when he first heard from his Lord. The Lord God waited until the right time, but Sarai thought she would help the Creator along. It was because of her impatience and lack of faith that Ishmael was born. I must say, it was also the lack of faith on Abram's part to be patience and wait on the Lord timing. It was Sarai's lack of faith in the Word and voice of God and Abram's lack of leadership to lead and speak on behalf of the voice and Word of God. Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai. Then Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan. So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her eyes. Genesis 16:1-4

Did you notice the attitude of Hagar toward Sarai (her mistress) after she conceived? It was one of contempt. At the age of eighty-six, Abram became the father of Ishmael. So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram named his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram. Genesis 16:15-16

Thirteen more years passed without a son being born to Sarah. My point is this: we must learn to wait on the promise that God made to us either through His Word or through a prophecy.

When we try to "make it happen" it is never God's best that He has for us!

There were four times the Lord spoke to Abram:

All that the Lord God required of Abram was to serve Him and to live a life that would represent Him. When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless." Genesis 17:1

Remember this one thing, the Lord God never needs assistance from an individual to fulfill His promise to them. Ishmael was the result of man assisting God's promise.

God lives in eternity--outside of time--we live in time. Ishmael was the result of Abraham being impatient and listening to His non-believing wife. They took God's promise and tried to make it happen with their finite minds.

Remember, your faith in the Lord God's Word is your greatest asset in His Kingdom

All scriptures are NKJV unless noted

W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org

The Divine Priority

While the Lord Jesus was here on this three dimensional world, He made this statement:

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” Matthew 6:25

That was a shocker to all those who heard it. Even now as we read this statement, many are in need of food and clothing. He turned human culture and society on their ear. What He said was a foreign sound to their way of thinking. He was telling us not to worry about these things. He was teaching an integral lesson for His Kingdom.

The Lord Jesus stripped away all confusing, energy-draining, deceptive, distracting, misleading and misplaced priorities. He left one simple focus—seeking the Kingdom of the Lord God. But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:33 The Lord Jesus states that when you make the Kingdom of God your number one priority, all those things that you spent your whole life pursuing will turn around and pursue you. My wife and I are living examples of this. We are not wealthy, but we always have all that we need and lack nothing. Our car is not a luxury car but it has always done the job it was created to do—get us to our destinations! Don’t let a few very wealthy ministers fill you with envy and feeling in lack. Contentment with what He has provided brings such peace! Seeking the Kingdom is a fundamental principle of His Kingdom. “Seek the Kingdom and His righteousness” is the most simple statement in God’s Constitution and yet least obeyed.

Remember that all who seek and gain the Kingdom of God also gain access to all its riches and resources, according to the Lord God’s decrees. Kingdom citizens don’t live just to make a living; they live for the Kingdom. They live to fulfill His purpose. Kingdom citizens don’t work just to get paid from their employer; they work for the Kingdom. Even in our jobs, we do our work with excellence because we do it to the Lord! And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men. Colossians 3:23 The Lord God is our only source as Kingdom citizens. No matter who hands you the money, our Father is the source. For everything comes from Him and exists by His power and is intended for His glory. All glory to Him forever! Romans 11:36 NLT Kingdom citizens don’t strive day in and day out to meet their needs. They strive continually for the Lord God’s Kingdom.

Keep in mind, as citizens of the Kingdom and children of the Lord God; they are aware that all these things already belong to them. Kingdom citizens understand that their lives are not for the pursuit of selfish gain but for seeking opportunities to introduce others to His Kingdom. What if you are in a job that is less than you desire, but you are there to advance His Kingdom through the people you meet and work with? Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT

The other week, I took my wife to a clinic and was in the waiting room. This is VERY out-of-the-ordinary for us. It was some place we never went. There were two other men, also waiting for their wives. Well, the Governor had me to share with them the Kingdom message. They knew about Jesus from a religious perspective, but not of the Kingdom government. By the way, I will note that if a person doesn’t embrace that Kingdom message, let it be. Always remember what the Lord Jesus told His disciples: And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. Matthew 10:14 Don’t argue with anyone concerning the Kingdom. Your responsibility is to share the Kingdom message, not to get into a religious argument or debate. By the way, my interaction with those two men was a mutually beneficial one. I learned such interesting things about their lives and I planted a seed in each about God’s Kingdom government!

I will boldly state that the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven was the only message that the Lord Jesus preached. He did it at every opportunity. “The Kingdom is…” “The Kingdom is like…” There is no divided loyalty, no double vision and no double mindedness. He was single minded and focused in everything He said and did. The Kingdom message was His priority over everything and everyone else. Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”

And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

Then He said to another, “Follow Me.”

But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”

Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the Kingdom of God.”

And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.”

But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God.” Luke 9:57-62

These are good examples of situations and how we should choose to seek His Kingdom in each situation. The Kingdom of God should always be your number one priority, not your family, job, business or anything else. It may sound harsh, but these are the Lord Jesus’ words on seeking and advancing God’s Kingdom.

We live in an entertainment driven world. Too often that is true of today's church also. That is pablum, baby food. But Kingdom citizens don't need to be spoon-fed baby food that doesn't need chewing. We need to be educated in God's Kingdom government and life within it!

Remember, your greatest asset is your faith in the Lord God’s Word.

All scriptures are NKJV unless noted

W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org

His Divine Command is to Seek

First and foremost, the Lord Jesus came into this world to re-establish His Kingdom government here, not to establish a religion called Christianity. For a Child is born to us, a Son is given to us. The government will rest on His shoulders. And He will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end.
Isaiah 9:6-7a NLT

His earthly cousin John first announced the King’s Kingdom. In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” John 3:1-2 The King Himself also announced His Father’s Kingdom when He began teaching. From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17 Then He taught about the Kingdom everywhere He went. It was His priority.

Remember, whatever you prioritize in your life you will pursue. He identified the Kingdom of the Lord God as the first and only priority in man’s life. But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:33 To seek is to search out by any means necessary. To seek has but one goal, one purpose, and that is to find! Seek is a verb that requires focus and action and our Lord Jesus promised that if we would seek, we would find. Only a few verses after Matthew 6:33, He reinforces the importance of persistent seeking: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8

I must say that only those who seek God’s Kingdom will find it and with seeking comes understanding of His Kingdom, how it operates and what life is like for His citizenry. There are no exceptions. King Jesus made this statement when responding to His disciples’ question:

And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”

He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.” Matthew 13:10-13 When you understand how the Kingdom of the Lord God operates, you will understand how to live in His Kingdom and you will experience the fullness in your life.

Keep in mind, your first priority is the most important activity in your life—seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Seek with vigor, focus and determination. King Jesus’ parables were often examples of what it feels like to seek the Kingdom: “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”

“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” Matthew 13:44-46

Has there ever been anything that you HAD to have? Something that you have searched and searched for and when you finally found it, you HAD to find a way to purchase it? It was priceless to you. That is how we should seek God’s Kingdom and His righteousness. It is priceless and nothing is as important to us as living in His Kingdom!

To seek also means to study fervently. Students seek knowledge and understanding. In the same way, Kingdom citizens must be students of God’s Kingdom and of its Constitution. That is our source for wisdom and understanding of God’s Kingdom government. Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. Psalm 1:1-3 NLT Did you catch that? They bear fruit in EVERY season, their leaves NEVER wither and they PROSPER in ALL they do! That is life in God's Kingdom, when His citizens know and delight in His laws.

As ambassador Paul said, “Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the Word of Truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 AMP

Please note that the Greek word for be diligent is spoudazo, which also means to study or labor. Seeking God’s Kingdom means studying it with all due diligence. Seeking also means to explore. We must explore His Kingdom. We must explore its power, laws, government, culture, society, commands, economy…everything. Anything worth seeking is always worth pursuing with diligence and dedication. It may mean turning off the television and internet. It may mean rearranging your schedule in order to have more time to communicate with the Lord. Seeking the Kingdom is a deliberate and proactive mindset. It will not just happen. You will never stumble on it by accident. It is that “pearl of great price”. To seek His Kingdom means to become preoccupied with His Kingdom. I will ask, for your consideration, “What consumes your mind in your daily life?” That is what you are seeking after.

Remember this; evaluate every decision in light of how it will affect your pursuit of God’s Kingdom. Your every thought, word, motivation should be Kingdom first!

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13

Remember, your faith in the Word of God is your greatest asset in His Kingdom.

All scriptures are NKJV unless noted

W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org

In Pursuit of the Kingdom of God

It is one thing to know how to seek the Kingdom of God but another thing to understand God’s Kingdom and the principles under which it operates.

As King Solomon said, “Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.” Proverbs 4:7

As a high school student, growing up in Brooklyn, New York, my favorite class was history. Whatever you greatly enjoy, you will do well! In that class, I learned about medieval times and how they operated. One of the main things that I learned was that the king owns everything, even the citizens. He is responsible for their well-being. To live in a true kingdom, means that all your needs are met, you are there at the behest of the king, all your needs are met, and you don’t have to concern yourself with the basics of life.

Keep in mind, keeping the Kingdom first does not mean first among many, but first and only. Seeking the Kingdom of God first means considering the interests of the Kingdom before meaning any other decision—what school to attend, who to marry, what job to accept, and how to spend money and handle our finances. Before deciding on these and other life decisions, we should ask ourselves, “Is this in line with God's Kingdom principles?” Developing the habit of considering everything in reference to God’s Kingdom first will help to avoid a lot of mistakes and poor decisions. Remember what King David stated:  Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Psalm 37:3-6

Seeking the Kingdom of God is a command, not a suggestion. The word kingdom means to have influence over that territory. When you seek His Kingdom first, you are seeking His influence to be extended over your entire world: your private life, your thoughts, your business life, your marriage, your relationships, your sexual life and every other dimension of your life. We know that nothing is hidden, with total submission to be His territory, under His rulership.

This has to do with being under the “administration of Heaven’s government”. The Lord God—our King—becomes your point of reference and standard for everything. This raises an important point: you can tell which kingdom you are in by the way you live and conduct yourself. I must say that in my lifetime, I have lived in both this world’s kingdom (even while being religious) and the Lord God’s Kingdom. I don’t ever want to live in the world’s kingdom again because there is nothing better than life in the Kingdom of God! It is worth everything! Nothing I may "give up" is of greater value to me than the Father, my Lord and King! The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. John 10:10 NLT

If you believe and follow the King, your life will reflect the influence of His government and its administration in your life. Those who are not in God’s Kingdom will wonder and perhaps even ask why you are so different. Why aren’t you fearful? Why don’t you worry? How can you have peace? Then you can state that it is because you are under a different government than in this world, with a different culture, different laws and a different leader. You are a citizen of God’s Kingdom. He is your Lord and King and He meets your needs and cares for you. As ambassador Paul stated:   For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:20

Remember what the Lord Jesus said about our fruit:  “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.” Matthew 7:15-18 Believe it or not, others can tell what kind of tree you are by the fruit you produce in your life.

In God’s Constitution, the Hebrew word for kingdom is mamlakah. In the New Testament Greek the word is basileia. Both words carry the same general range of meaning:  dominion, kingdom, sovereignty, to rule and reign, rulership and royal power.

The following describes the Kingdom of God, and what we are to seek, perfectly:  The governing influence of a king over his territory (domain), impacting it with His personal will, purpose and intent, producing a culture, value system and lifestyle that reflects the King’s desire and nature for His citizens. It is the seeking of His Kingdom, not in religion, that we will receive all of our needs in life that the rest of the world toils, labors, frets, worries and strives for. “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to Him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, He will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” Matthew 6:24-33 NLT No religion has such a guarantee as the Kingdom of God.

The best example of life in the Kingdom of God vs. life in the world is Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden vs. Adam and Eve after they disobeyed God’s Word. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”

So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”

Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”

And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Genesis 3:8-13

To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception;
In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”

Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return.” Genesis 3:16-19

Disobedience is sin and sin is when they lost the Kingdom of God. The stark difference in Adam and Eve’s life in the Garden and life after they sinned against God shows us life in the Kingdom of God and life in the world.

Remember, your faith in the Lord God’s Word is your greatest asset in His Kingdom.

All scriptures are NKJV unless noted

W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org

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Psalm 51--King David's Prayer of Repentance