DISCERNING
THE KINGDOM
(c)
Morris E. Ruddick
"The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will
gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who
practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire.
Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom
of their Father." Matthew 13: 41-43
Within the Kingdom is the practice of lawlessness, those who abuse
the power, authority and gifts of God.
After a time of using parables to teach the crowds about the Kingdom
of God , Jesus pulled away with His disciples. In explaining the
parable of the tares to them, He pointed out that within His Kingdom
would be found those who have been planted by the evil one. They
are the ones recognized by the practice of lawlessness, while
the true sons of the Kingdom are described as "the righteous."
The context takes place in the approach to the end of the age.
What Jesus is saying in Matthew 13 is that within the Kingdom
are "things that offend" and the practice of lawlessness
which darken the impact of the true sons of the Kingdom. Once
the lawless-plants are removed by angels, the righteous will shine
with the brightness of the sun.
The signs of the times suggest greater clarity to our functional
grasp of God's Kingdom and with that, a closer look into our understanding
of lawlessness and "the righteous."
Lawlessness
The practice of lawlessness in the Kingdom stems from those who
abuse and misuse the power, authority and gifts of God. Not to
be confused with the sin and disorder in the world, Kingdom lawlessness
serves to compromise, divert and usurp the will of God. It is
driven by a "self" orientation, rather than the community-good
whereby God's people are blessed to be a blessing. It confuses
the strategic with short-term fixes.
Jesus made the basis of Kingdom lawlessness very plain as He described
the significance of being aligned with God's will.
"Not every one who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter
the Kingdom of Heaven , but he who does the will of my Father.
Many will come to Me and say, 'Lord have we not prophesied in
Your name, cast out demons and done many wonders?' I will declare
them, 'I never knew you, depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'"
Matthew 7:21
Within the book of Revelation are examples of those within the
Church who practice forms of lawlessness ranging from sowing stumbling
blocks to undermining the work of the Spirit with agendas that
seduce, hinder, confuse and undermine. It speaks of those who
ascribe positions of spiritual authority to themselves that are
false and not in keeping with the work of the Spirit.
Faith and Humility
Presumption tied to a vision or a gift will undermine an otherwise
valid call of God. Faith without humility will ultimately deceive
and corrupt. It has never been what we can do for God, but rather
what we allow Him to do through us. Even Jesus noted that: "He
could do nothing of Himself, He could only do what He saw the
Father doing." Our dependency can never be on anything
other than operating in oneness with the Lord, in both Spirit
and Truth.
While the central theme of Jesus' teaching was on the principles
and pathways of the Kingdom, Judas embraced a distorted view of
the Kingdom. He missed the main point. Jesus taught that to truly
enter the Kingdom of Heaven , we must become as little children.
Children bow to proper authority with joy. With zeal and expectation,
they go about fulfilling their purpose.
Joseph was a prime example of the balance between faith and humility.
Despite being alone and in the most adverse of circumstances,
his righteousness shined brightly and was recognized by all those
around him while he was yet a slave and then when he was in prison.
His faithfulness and stewardship enabled him to become a father
to Pharaoh and be given the authority over the resources needed
to avert the destruction colliding with the world at that time.
The Righteous and Stewardship
Jesus came to set things in order, to close the gap in the change
needed to reset the default button in a world run amok. That's
why, again and again, He announced His earthly ministry with the
words: "the Kingdom of God is at hand." He
denounced the false righteousness of the religious elite and pointed
to true Kingdom righteousness.
"So I say to you that tax collectors and harlots will
enter the kingdom of God before you. The kingdom of God will be
taken from you and given to a people bearing its fruits."
Matt 21:31, 43
Jesus instructed his followers to be wary of the false, the phonies
and the counterfeits with the wisdom that we would "know
them by their fruits." Righteousness, as God intended
it, is foundational to the Kingdom. For Kingdom righteousness
to manifest, it must be entwined with stewardship.
At a conference where I recently spoke, Rick Joyner pointed to
this truth. He noted that roughly half the scriptures on righteousness
are in the context of stewardship. The parable of the talents
alone makes a strong case for this point. Yet there is much more
in both the New and Old Covenants. The Jewish Torah is filled
with examples and principles that bear on the combined spiritual,
community and entrepreneurial stewardship-dynamic by which the
righteous are to bring hope and restoration to a world in darkness.
Yet the inclination of God's people to separate and retreat into
monastic-type communities has been evidenced throughout both Jewish
and Christian history. Jesus trained His followers and then sent
them out -- into the world. Our job, in the face of overwhelming
odds of adversity, is to bring change to society.
"Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, as it
is in heaven." Matt 6:10
The title of a book I recently came across provides great insight
into understanding the Kingdom-focus in the strategy Jesus was
imparting and releasing. It is a history of the Jewish people
who settled Colorado during the mid-1800s. Its title is "Pioneers,
Peddlers and Tz'dakim."
Over the centuries God's people, Jew and Gentile alike have been
called as pioneers, to bring change that benefits society around
them. That goal cannot be harnessed without the entrepreneurial,
which is the ability to bring increase and blessing by identifying
opportunity and doing something about it, while serving genuine
needs of the community. However, the issue is more than just capitalizing
on opportunity. It is intrinsically linked with stewardship. It
is bringing increase by serving with a Kingdom purpose in mind.
The Pathway of the Righteous
Bringing change that bears God's blessing will not be accomplished
without the involvement of God's Hand and a God-centered identity.
Such is the identity of the Tz'dakim. Tz'dakim is the Hebrew word
for "the righteous" among God's people. The righteous
are sent forth to shine in the midst of a world of darkness and
confusion. Tz'dakim is a recognized identity that is ascribed
to an individual by those around them.
But there's more to this Hebrew word. "Tz'dakah--righteousness"
also means charity, the type of charity that builds community.
It was to the "tz'dakim--righteous" that it was said,
"Inasmuch as you've done it to the least of these my
brethren, you've done it unto me." (Matt 25:40) So,
the righteousness of the tz'dakim points not to position or some
self-serving, self-contained piety, but rather to ones who are
a light paving the way and benefiting the communities of their
spheres in a way that advances God's Kingdom.
"Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness
of your rising." Isaiah 60:3
God's hand upon the Jewish people is evidenced by the impact Jews
have made on the world. Jews gave birth to Western civilization.
Our most treasured values have evolved from Jewish beliefs. From
the Torah have come the foundational principles of the world's
most successful governmental, legal, moral and economic systems.
Joseph is counted among the tz'dakim. He was sent to shine, to
bring blessing and change in Egypt . In Genesis 39, the scripture
says that "everyone saw that the Lord was with Joseph
and made all that he did to prosper." That observation
was made when Joseph was a slave in Potipher's house. It was made
by those practicing sorcery and idolatry. Joseph was blessed to
be a blessing and the world around him recognized God's goodness
through him.
Yet, there is a reality Jesus points to regarding the tares among
the wheat, for us to understand the "righteous" within
the Kingdom. It bears on the "things that offend"
and those who carry the identity of God; who, despite their
personal intentions, are in reality practicing lawlessness.
"Why are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit,
are you now being perfected by the flesh? So then, does He who
provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do
it by the works of the Law, or by the hearing with faith?"
Galatians 3:3,5
The issue begins with the balance between Spirit and Truth. While
the foundation will always be based on the principles of God's
Word, the supernatural is based on our obedient response to His
voice as we flow in the Spirit. When that balance is combined
with faithful stewardship, then just as was the case for Joseph
at each stage in his tenure in Egypt , a transfer of the world's
authority being served will become the basis for change and the
recognition of God's role in the situation.
Discerning the Kingdom
God's Kingdom is where God's authority rules. While it begins
in our hearts, it extends to the sphere of influence in which
we are entrusted. It is the power and authority that confronts
darkness, reverses the curse and brings change to society. The
Kingdom of God is the source of Life that holds the hope and future
sought by the people of the world.
"The Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk, but of power."
1 Corinthians 4:20
The calling of Joseph was about a realignment needed to bring
forth a genuine advancement of God's Kingdom rule. So it is today.
The Joseph-calling is not a Christian-enterprise self-improvement
program, nor is it a pathway or model for success as the world
views success. Neither is it a Christian benevolence program.
The Joseph-calling is the establishment of influence that,
through the authority of God, reverses the bondage of corruption
and releases societal transformation. Its pathway involves entrance
"within the veil" for which Jesus was a forerunner.
It is reserved for the righteous who will shine forth as the sun
in the Kingdom of the Father.
It is the recognition of that Kingdom authority that becomes the
basis of the trust-response that results in the true Josephs being
granted the authority of their Pharaohs. Without the operation
of the Joseph-Pharaoh alliance, the Joseph-calling is premature
and incomplete.
So it is that we've entered a time for those poised with this
calling to be alert to the shift in events released only by the
Father's authority. It's a time to be wary of being seduced by
the tares and the things that offend. It is a time to be about
His business. It is a time in which the righteous will be released
into their spheres to shine forth as the sun. There's a cost to
the calling. Yet, for those who prevail, the joy will overshadow
the demands of the birthing.
"Now salvation, and the power and the kingdom of our
God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser
of the brethren has been thrown down." Revelation 12:10
_________________________________________
Morris Ruddick has been a forerunner and spokesman for the
call of God in the marketplace. He is author of "The Joseph-Daniel
Calling" and "Gods Economy , Israel and the Nations,"
which address the mobilization of business and governmental leaders
called to impact their communities with God's blessing. They are
available from Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and other popular
outlets.
Mr. Ruddick is also the founder of the Global Equippers Entrepreneurial
Program, which imparts hope and equips economic community builders
where God's light is dim. To schedule a speaking engagement, sponsor
a workshop, make a donation or to get more information on how
you can help, contact Global Initiatives at 303.741.9000.
2008 Copyright Morris Ruddick - response@strategic-initiatives.org
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SIGN advisor. Since 1996, the Strategic Intercession Global
Network (SIGN) has mobilized prophetic intercessors committed
to targeting strategic-level issues impacting the Body on a global
basis. For previous posts or more information on SIGN, check:
http://www.strategicintercession.org
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