 Your culture reveals where you came from. Always remember that the culture of the Kingdom of Heaven is synonymous with the nature of our King. When I speak of the characteristics of our Governor—the Holy Spirit—and His nature and culture, I am speaking about the qualities of our King Himself. The role of the Governor is to represent the King. If you have the Holy Spirit residing inside your mortal body, you should be representing the King in all you do. Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT Keep in mind that our character should resonate with the Holy Spirit as we submit to Him. We must always measure ourselves with the Lord God’s constitution, religiously known as the Bible. To do that, we must read and study it every chance we get. Only when His Word is in us can we represent His Kingdom with power and accuracy. Ambassador Paul made that very clear when writing to Timothy: 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 King Jesus wants you to understand the nature of the Kingdom so you can trust it and what it means to live in His Kingdom while you are here in this present world. That is one reason He kept giving His followers descriptions of what He is like. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. John 10:11 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” John 6:35 The Lord Jesus emphasized His nature, while other leaders and kings in His day displayed the very opposite nature. Read what King Jesus said about those kinds of leaders: At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased You to do it this way! . . . “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:25-26, 28-30 NLT After making that statement, He made another to give clarity: But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:25-28 The Lord had an assignment to demonstrate how to live while we were here on this earth. He promised us that He wouldn’t leave us to deal with the evil one alone. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it isn’t looking for Him and doesn’t recognize Him. But you know Him, because He lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. John 14:16-18 NLT To clarify, the whole idea of knowing the nature of the King is critical. Without understanding and embracing His nature we cannot fulfill our life and purpose in the Kingdom of God. From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins, live your life in a way that proves repentance; seek God’s purpose for your life], for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17AMP He is inviting all who hear and receive Him to become citizens of His Kingdom. He wants to reassure us of the nature of His Kingdom, not a religious organization. Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us. So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Ephesians 2:18-19 NLT It is the power of the Holy Spirit, our Governor in the Kingdom of God, that guides us in the culture of His Kingdom. Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me—a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus. Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you. 2 Timothy 1:13-14 NLT Remember, your greatest asset in His Kingdom is your faith in His Word. All NKJV, except where noted. ~~W.R. Luchie www.kingdomcitizens.org |
