April 04, 2010
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Resurrection
life
– Jesus came that we might have life and life more abundantly. His
death and
resurrection certainly gave us eternal life which we celebrate. I’m
fascinated
by the concept of starting my eternal life now. Allowing Jesus to be
Lord and
King over our own lives releases a powerful salvation dynamic that
starts right
now. We receive salvation, but that’s not all; we begin a process of
learning
to receive, that enables us to bless the nations. “I tell you
the
truth," Jesus said to them, "no one who has left home or wife or
brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of
God
30 will fail to receive many
times as much in this age and, in the
age to come,
eternal life." Luke 18:29-30 NIV (at this time, in this life) What
“Life” looks like
- “Entrepreneurial” has a business connotation,
but it is close to describing the concept of “life” in believers. We
all know people
who are content to do the minimum; to get by, doing what they are told
with
little imagination, initiative or dreams. Their outlook is introverted,
and
they are often blind to their own selfishness. By
contrast, believers who are “alive in this life” are
creative, bold, enthusiastic, and they are led by the dreams of their
heart to
bless the nations. They learn to receive in order to give; they are
blessed to
bless others. We all go through this transition. When we first get
saved, our
emphasis is on learning to hear the voice of God and obey His leadings,
to live
by the principles of scripture. We learn under Godly instructors
(pastors) and
we learn to serve others. It’s a great incubator called the local
church. At
some point, usually years into the process, God begins to stir us
toward our
personal dream and ministry. That’s when a transition occurs to become
“Kingly.”
First we are faithful stewards in that which is another man’s
(servants)
and then we
receive that which is our own and we take ownership of the
responsibility
(Kings). Serving,
but no longer a servant
– Listen to Jesus talk to His
disciples about their identity-shift from servant. You are my
friends if you
do what I command. 15 I no longer
call
you servants, because a
servant does not know his master's business.
Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from
my
Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose
you and
appointed you to go and bear fruit — fruit that will last. Then the
Father will
give you whatever you ask in my name. John 15:14-17 NIV Allow
me to share a secret from my personal,
professional and pastoral experience. God did not design us to just do
what we
are told. We are designed to find the will of God in the desires of our
own
hearts. God intended that we be excited about life. Our self-identity
is
important in this regard. If we conceive of ourselves as servants, we
are very
prone to miss “life.” The religious lifestyle is trying to meet the
expectations of another while ignoring the desires of our own heart.
It’s a
guilt-ridden bondage that kills “life.” The
jail-break experience
- We are pointing to a jail-break out of that
whole religious mindset. No one identifies with a slave… most
Christians
proudly identify with the concept of servant. I’m trying to dynamite
them out
of their poverty and their pew. “Servant” for most Christians in the US
translates to doing something for the pastor or the congregation in the
context
of church… and forsaking their own desires and preferences. We’ve been
taught
that we are sinful and our heart’s desires are carnal. We feel unworthy
of
leading, incapable of responsibility, hoping someone will take care of
us
because we are such faithful servants (God, our family, our church, or
the
government). I’m intentionally confronting that mentality. A
Better covenant
- We have something much better and much
different… that actually “serves” even more. “Serving” in the religious
context
of church is just a game; semi-useful to learn the concept for new
Christians,
but motivationally disastrous as a lifestyle over a lifetime. As long
as our
sense of identity is “servant,” we never pursue God as friend or King,
and
usually don’t come out of poverty, or come close to our destiny.
Servants
“surrender”… they are “under” a “chain” of command and “submit” to
circumstances and live in scarcity. Obedience is their watchword; at
the
expense of creativity and initiative and personal responsibility. When
servants
face obstacles, they affirm that God is in control and treat resistance
as a
trial which perfects them. Kings “take control” and reverse the
circumstances.
Kings will take responsibility; servants give responsibility back to
God or
push it up the chain to someone else. We’re
learning to be the head and not the tail so we
can really make a difference in blessing the nations, reaching the
poor,
handling finances, etc. To do all that, our identity has to be Kingly. Jesus
did serve;
He came to serve, but He didn’t claim that as His
identity. His real identity (which He did claim) was God, the Messiah,
the King
of Kings. He used the power and authority of his position to serve
others through
the wealth and abundance of his position. The problem with using the
servant
label too much in church is that people take it as their identity, and
never
occupy the position of wealth, or power, or influence in either
practical or
spiritual matters. That’s why we are “Releasing Kings.” And we quote
John 15:15
at every turn. Learning
to receive
– Once we let go of “religion” and experience the
Kingdom, we are amazed at the abundance of grace and finances and
ministry and blessing.
Before we can minister to others and bless the nations, we first have
to learn
to receive something to give. That principle applies in both spiritual
and
practical matters. We were born to “overflow.” We have laid down our
scarcity
at the altar and we have gone to work. You
prepare a table before
me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.
Ps 23:5 NKJV "He who
believes in
Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of
living water.'"
John
7:38-39 NASU The
greatest service
– We should be good Samaritans and help
the poor and needy around the world. However, we don’t stop there. Once
we learn
to receive, we can impart the spirit of life and abundance to others.
It’s a
neglected part of the good news of our gospel message. We “serve” from
a
position of abundance and we help others live there too! We have
anointing, and
wisdom, and finances in abundance so that we can impart to those with
less. We
give the gift “and” we impart the lifestyle. But without
any dispute
the lesser is blessed by the greater. Heb 7:7 NASU The
impartation doesn’t stop with meeting an immediate
need. In fact, giving can degenerate to welfare, and welfare as a
lifestyle
actually produces scarcity and creates a poverty mentality. The goal of
Kings
is to release Kings. We help others to learn to receive and walk in
Kingdom
abundance too. It’s not an exclusive club; abundance, creativity,
dreams, initiative
and working on the desires of our heart is for everyone. Our goal is
self-sustaining missions by converting servants to Kings. For
too long Christians have minimized the role of
finances in ministry to offerings – part of why Christians are prone to
poverty. A door in the Spirit has opened. We’re realizing that using
wealth to
do ministry is part of our spiritual heritage. It’s exciting, it’s
fruitful and
it’s fun. Imagine - entrepreneurial Christians who know how to convert
money
into ministry. God is releasing them all over the world right now to
build His
Kingdom and invite the captives to freedom. "And
he called ten of
his slaves, and gave them ten minas and said to them, 'Do
business with this until I come back.' Luke 19:13 NASU “Put this
money to work”
NIV Jesus
laid down his live for us. Three days later He
picked it up again. Life begins when we say “yes” to picking
up our lives and experiencing resurrection life – now. The reason my
Father loves
me is that I lay down my life — only to take
it up again. 18 No one
takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own
accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up
again.
This command I received from my Father." John
10:17-18 We
have been given power and authority to do great and
wonderful works. God is asking us this question, “Will you take
responsibility?”
“Yes
Lord!”
Desire to Destiny is available now at our store along with reviews. Not sure what your dream is? This book will help you pull the curtain back on your future. Newsletter - If your newsletter comes incomplete (filtered), you can always catch the latest version in our archive along with 200 others. 1800+ people from around the world get Kingly encouragement from our weekly newsletter. Invite a friend to subscribe - they will be blessed. How to Start a Small Group - Kings are increasingly getting involved in Bible study or mentoring groups to facilitate their "Release." Here are some helpful suggestions www.Releasing-Kings.com/Starting-a-Group.html. We've also updated our Vision Brochure with graphics to show how to become a King and how you can help Release Kings. Lastly we've created a guideline to help you take your dream to the next level by considering the elements of a business plan. See Write Your Business Plan. French Translation - Releasing Kings is now available in French thanks to the efforts of Cees Bakker and Support Ministries in the Netherlands. In France, copies can be obtained from Editions Menor or Librairie Chretienne CLC. The Title in French is “Libération des Rois pour le ministère dans le monde du travail”. Cees is also the guy who made the Dutch translation possible - available through his website. He can be contacted for Releasing Kings conferences in France and throughout Europe. Facebook - I'm posting more information on Face book at http://www.facebook.com/john.garfield1
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