Kingdom Principle: In the Kingdom; followers become leaders who rule, and servants become saints who reign.

God’s rule & reign – is designed to move you from where you are at into His purposes.

2 Samuel 7:1-14a Psalm 89:20-37 Ephesians 2:11-22 Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

The Kingdom of God is a paradigm shifting reality it is both spiritual and physical, it is both now and yet to come, it is both in you and beyond you, and it is together the rule and the reign of God.  When you choose to follow and apply the Principles of the Kingdom, you will be respected, revered & refined as a leader in this world.   This may not all happen at once, but without a doubt it will result from God’s rule and reign over you. In this way you are first a follower and a servant before you are a leader or saint. (you are called to be both a leader and a saint)  But in following and applying the Principles –you are in fact acknowledging that it is not “you” who attained or achieved leadership, rather it is God whom you are following that lead you to this place. The Principles of the Kingdom are determining characteristics which yield the fundamental direction for all those under the rule and reign of the King.

• The rule of God is the existence of God’s sovereignty over all things.
• The reign of God is the expression of God’s shalom in all things.

God’s reign reaches to everywhere and from under his rule no one can escape. Throughout the Bible we find God’s rule through the establishment of his Covenant relationship with his People. This covenant is not dependent on their faithfulness, rather it is rooted in God. However being covenant people brings both God’s grace and discipline when the people are not faithful. God’s covenant and God’s kingdom are not the same. God’s Covenant is his sovereign commitment to remain in relationship with His people. God’s Kingdom is the culminating presence of covenanted people under the reign of Christ, expressing their purpose unto God’s glory. Because of the rule and reign of God, both the Covenant and Kingdom are spiritual and physical, now and yet to come, temporal and eternal. The Covenant heart of God moves upon the hearts of people, motivating them to move into the Kingdom.

I see the rule and reign of God being similar to the rails of a train track. One rail is His Kingdom, the other is His Covenant. For the track to fulfill its purpose both rails must be in place and tied together. They are “tied” together by the characteristics of God which are communicated to us and do not change – his Grace, Love, Righteousness, Judgment, Beauty, Mercy… etc. Thus we move along the path the rule and reign of God (the tracks) we discover more fully the true identity of God. In this process the revelation of the Spirit shows us our purpose as well. Does that mean we all share the same purpose – yes and no – the “yes” for all of us is that our purpose is to know the rule and reign of God. This is the embrace of righteousness and holiness as the true spiritual identity that God has given to us, in this we find true comfort of belonging to the Great King of Kings.  Out of this peace and joy we express worship in our obedience and service to Christ as an act of love, overflowing with Thanksgiving and Compassion to love the world as we have been loved. The “no” is that God has uniquely designed and gifted each of His Children with a calling and destiny for which only that person is purposed.

In other posts we have address the principles of Authority and Power. Authority is to Covenant via relationship as Power is to Kingdom via revelation. Through relationships and revelations, the people of God are established as leaders in the world; the train is the church which moves down the track. Where there is Authority and Power the train moves, where it lacks, the train stalls. Therefore, the church must pursue intimacy in its relationships (with Christ and others) and seek discernment in its revelation (from Christ and for others) in order to continue to forward on mission.

In all of the passages this week – we find movement and mobility. It is not the tracks themselves that move, but we see David being promised a “track” that never ends, we see those who are not on “track” being brought into the train, and we see the hunger of the people to move down the track following (chasing) Jesus. It is for the purpose of movement (the church) that the tracks (God’s kingdom and covenant) are established.  We cannot find our purpose either on a personal level or in general without movement. (This is why there is no way to fail on purpose – the only failure is to fear moving forward)In the Gospel of Mark over the last few weeks – (chapters 3-6 read it quickly) count the movements of the disciples with Jesus. In Ephesians we see the same metaphoric movement in being brought near from a far off through the Blood of Christ. Next week we will read the passage of David’s sin and we find the one of the roots of this sin, is his choice not to be in movement with his warriors in battle. This week we seek that we wants to build a temple, and while Nathan give the go ahead (movement) God quickly reveals his truth on the topic. In this way – we fear not, and move much and see the Mission of God being fulfilled in our lives.

1. Do you experience the Sovereignty of God ruling in your life? (Covenant)
2. Do you experience the Peace of Christ reigning in your life? (Kingdom)
3. Do you experience the Movement of the Holy Spirit as the guide in your life? (Mission)

• As the Sovereignty of God rules in your life, others will see it as authority.

Kingdom leaders will be respected! When you don’t feel respected – rather than looking at the lack of respect people have for you…. Focus your attention on increasing your respect of God’s sovereign rule in your life. (Humble yourselves, Confess sin)

• As the Peace of Christ reigns in your life, others will see it as power.

Kingdom Leaders will be revered! When you don’t feel revered – again rather than looking at a lack of reverence people have for you… Focus your attention on increasing your reverence for the reign of Christ in your life. (Release all Anxiety, Receive his peace)

• As the Movement of the Holy Spirit guides your life, others will see it as character.

Kingdom Leaders will be refined! When you don’t feel refined – you know the drill – Focus your attention on the blinding and disguising aspect of the enemy’s work to prevent you from having clarity and confidence in your identity in the Spirit of Christ.   (Command the darkness away and Come near to God.)