WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.000 The very core of a Kingdom of God revolution is making men and women into fishers of men, 2 00:00:09.000 --> 00:00:17.000 to transform them through the person of Christ into new people who have been transformed by the gospel. 3 00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:28.000 I've had the privilege and honor of building a church here in Colorado Springs 4 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:35.000 for, well, since 1994, two different churches that I planted, and recently the road at Chapel Hill 5 00:00:35.000 --> 00:00:41.000 is the last nine years, and our vision is a Kingdom of God revolution in the Rockies. 6 00:00:41.000 --> 00:00:51.000 And what precipitated that vision was the reality that we can't do a lot about what's happening nationally 7 00:00:51.000 --> 00:01:00.000 in our country except pray, obviously vote, but we have an area, we have a sphere of influence that God's given us. 8 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:06.000 And as a pastor, I'm responsible, I believe, for my county and for my city. 9 00:01:06.000 --> 00:01:11.000 And I've loved living in Colorado Springs all these years because I get to know people, 10 00:01:11.000 --> 00:01:17.000 and I get to know key leaders over the years that has enabled me to have influence 11 00:01:17.000 --> 00:01:21.000 and to be blessed by God with that influence to bring the Kingdom of God. 12 00:01:21.000 --> 00:01:27.000 And I thought that I would do a set of messages here on how to bring a Kingdom of God revolution to your city. 13 00:01:27.000 --> 00:01:34.000 Some of the things that I've learned after, you know, almost 30 years of living here, 14 00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:39.000 that has made an impact in the city. I think our city is a better place because of the church. 15 00:01:39.000 --> 00:01:47.000 And it's interesting that today we're doing this because I was just this morning with our El Paso County sheriff, 16 00:01:47.000 --> 00:01:56.000 our new sheriff, Sheriff Joseph Roybal. And Joseph Roybal is, in this case, is who I voted for for our sheriff, 17 00:01:56.000 --> 00:02:03.000 but he gave me his coin. This is his challenge coin that he gives out, and it's unique to every sheriff. 18 00:02:03.000 --> 00:02:08.000 And when I've met with generals in the military, they give you a coin also. 19 00:02:08.000 --> 00:02:12.000 But this is his El Paso County sheriff's coin. It looks pretty cool. 20 00:02:12.000 --> 00:02:21.000 I told him that I would put that on the dashboard of my car so that every time I get pulled over by a sheriff's deputy, 21 00:02:21.000 --> 00:02:28.000 I could say, oh, look what I have on the dashboard of my car. It's your sheriff's challenge coin. 22 00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:31.000 And we'll see if that affects the ticket that I'm going to get. 23 00:02:31.000 --> 00:02:36.000 I have a relationship with Sheriff Roybal because I've reached out to him. 24 00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:40.000 I have a relationship with him, and that's so important as a pastor and leader, 25 00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:42.000 that we have a relationship with the leaders in our community. 26 00:02:42.000 --> 00:02:51.000 And then yesterday, I had the privilege of being with Thomas Thompson, who is the assistant to our new mayor, 27 00:02:51.000 --> 00:02:55.000 Yemi Mobilade, who became our mayor just a couple of months ago. 28 00:02:55.000 --> 00:03:01.000 And I was meeting with Thomas to talk about issues related to the mayor's office that we wanted to talk about. 29 00:03:01.000 --> 00:03:07.000 It was a great time. So, again, the Kingdom of God revolution in my mind, let me give you a definition. 30 00:03:07.000 --> 00:03:10.000 Here's what I think a Kingdom of God revolution is. 31 00:03:10.000 --> 00:03:17.000 The Kingdom of God revolution is the ongoing move of God administered through local churches 32 00:03:17.000 --> 00:03:26.000 who are equipping the saints, the citizens of the kingdom to influence different cultural spheres in a local city, 33 00:03:26.000 --> 00:03:35.000 county and state that brings kingdom transformation and a new way of life that lasts for hundreds of years. 34 00:03:35.000 --> 00:03:38.000 Now, that's a mouthful. That was actually one sentence. Can you believe that? 35 00:03:38.000 --> 00:03:46.000 But I think it's a it's a pretty good definition because Jesus came and spoke over a hundred times in the Kingdom of God. 36 00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:51.000 Jesus taught all of us to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. 37 00:03:51.000 --> 00:03:55.000 He taught us to pray thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 38 00:03:55.000 --> 00:04:07.000 So obviously the Kingdom of God message, the whole idea of the Kingdom of God was the core of the ministry of Jesus. 39 00:04:07.000 --> 00:04:09.000 You might ask, well, what is the Kingdom of God? 40 00:04:09.000 --> 00:04:15.000 Well, the Kingdom of God is the reign and the rule of Christ in an area actually in the Greek. 41 00:04:15.000 --> 00:04:23.000 It comes from the word Basilea and Basilea is where we get the word Basilica, which is where we get the word castle. 42 00:04:23.000 --> 00:04:29.000 And it's where there's sovereign rule and reign where a monarch or a king is ruling. 43 00:04:29.000 --> 00:04:36.000 And so this is bringing the king and the kingdom into a city. 44 00:04:36.000 --> 00:04:40.000 That's what I'm going to talk about, because I think there's these different cultural spheres. 45 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:44.000 People have the seven spheres or mountains of influence. 46 00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:51.000 I would never dispute over how many there are, but I I personally have 13. 47 00:04:51.000 --> 00:04:56.000 I see 13 spheres of influence that we're supposed to impact in our culture. 48 00:04:56.000 --> 00:05:00.000 Let me give you those. I think the first is marriage and family or the. 49 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:07.120 home, second is a church, third is community relationships, 50 00:05:07.120 --> 00:05:12.480 fourth is government, fifth is food and agriculture, 51 00:05:12.480 --> 00:05:20.880 six is business and entrepreneurship, seven is media, eight is education, 52 00:05:20.880 --> 00:05:26.160 nine is health care, ten is finance and banking, 53 00:05:26.160 --> 00:05:33.760 11 is first responders, 12 is military, and 13 54 00:05:33.760 --> 00:05:40.320 is the arts and entertainment. I'm a pastor, so in one sense I have a 55 00:05:40.320 --> 00:05:45.840 unique privilege because I'm with thousands of people 56 00:05:45.840 --> 00:05:52.800 every week. I'm teaching to a thousand or more people every week 57 00:05:52.800 --> 00:05:57.120 and I'm also in Bible studies, I'm also in different groupings 58 00:05:57.120 --> 00:06:01.840 with pastors and leaders, so I feel like that's an honored position from the Lord. 59 00:06:01.840 --> 00:06:07.600 So I feel that it's my responsibility to bring the kingdom there in a mighty way 60 00:06:07.600 --> 00:06:13.440 and so that means to me what Romans 14 17 says, 61 00:06:13.440 --> 00:06:16.560 that the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, 62 00:06:16.560 --> 00:06:20.000 in other words the kingdom of God is not outward things, 63 00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:27.120 but it's righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, so that's inward 64 00:06:27.120 --> 00:06:33.920 transformation. So my job is not a political perspective per se, 65 00:06:33.920 --> 00:06:38.080 my job is not to be republican or democrat or independent, 66 00:06:38.080 --> 00:06:42.640 my job when I go into an environment is to bring 67 00:06:42.640 --> 00:06:46.320 the kingdom and to bring the kingdom is to bring 68 00:06:46.320 --> 00:06:52.400 righteousness, peace, and joy into that arena. 69 00:06:52.400 --> 00:06:55.760 So if you have your Bibles turn to Matthew 4, 70 00:06:55.760 --> 00:07:01.200 and in Matthew 4 17 Jesus begins his public ministry, 71 00:07:01.200 --> 00:07:04.640 he's been baptized, he's been in the wilderness 72 00:07:04.640 --> 00:07:08.320 tempted by Satan, but now he begins his public 73 00:07:08.320 --> 00:07:14.320 ministry and this is the first line of the public ministry of Jesus, he 74 00:07:14.320 --> 00:07:18.640 says repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 75 00:07:18.640 --> 00:07:23.280 So this is the theme of Jesus ministry, this is the theme of the church 76 00:07:23.280 --> 00:07:27.920 is to say to everyone repent for the kingdom of heaven is here, the kingdom of 77 00:07:27.920 --> 00:07:32.160 God has come. Then he says this, and Jesus walking by 78 00:07:32.160 --> 00:07:36.560 the sea of Galilee saw two brothers Simon called Peter, Andrew his brother 79 00:07:36.560 --> 00:07:39.760 casting a net into the sea for their fishermen, 80 00:07:39.760 --> 00:07:43.840 then he said to them follow me and I'll make you fishers of men. 81 00:07:43.840 --> 00:07:48.480 The very core of a kingdom of God revolution 82 00:07:48.480 --> 00:07:54.400 is making men and women into fishers of men to transform them 83 00:07:54.400 --> 00:07:59.600 through the person of Christ into new people who have been transformed 84 00:07:59.600 --> 00:08:04.000 by the gospel. Abraham Kuyper former prime minister 85 00:08:04.000 --> 00:08:08.240 of Netherlands once said this, there is not one square inch 86 00:08:08.240 --> 00:08:12.000 in the whole domain of our human existence 87 00:08:12.000 --> 00:08:15.280 over which Christ who is sovereign over all 88 00:08:15.280 --> 00:08:20.240 doesn't cry mine. In other words Christ he controls it all 89 00:08:20.240 --> 00:08:23.440 and he's looking for men and women who want to become 90 00:08:23.440 --> 00:08:27.360 fishers of men and women, he's looking for people who are available to become 91 00:08:27.360 --> 00:08:31.680 his disciples. E. Stanley Jones writes the kingdom of 92 00:08:31.680 --> 00:08:37.520 God is God's total order expressed as a rim and a reign 93 00:08:37.520 --> 00:08:43.440 in the individual and in society and which is to replace the present 94 00:08:43.440 --> 00:08:48.400 unworkable world order with God's order in the individual and 95 00:08:48.400 --> 00:08:51.760 society and while the nature of the kingdom is 96 00:08:51.760 --> 00:08:55.440 social the entrance into it is by a personal 97 00:08:55.440 --> 00:08:59.280 new birth now the character of that kingdom is 98 00:08:59.280 --> 00:09:02.960 seen in the character of Jesus the kingdom is 99 00:09:02.960 --> 00:09:07.520 Christ likeness universalized what a great definition 100 00:09:07.520 --> 00:09:12.000 so Christ came he says repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand 101 00:09:12.000 --> 00:09:16.000 he's saying that my sovereign rule has come I'm the king over 102 00:09:16.000 --> 00:09:20.640 everything I'm king over the arts I'm king over entertainment 103 00:09:20.640 --> 00:09:24.720 I'm king of politics I'm king over the church I'm king over 104 00:09:24.720 --> 00:09:30.720 economics I'm just looking for people that want to be kingdom carriers of the 105 00:09:30.800 --> 00:09:35.360 virus of the kingdom into those realms of society so he says 106 00:09:35.360 --> 00:09:38.240 first thing he does he says come and follow me I'll make you 107 00:09:38.240 --> 00:09:42.240 fishers of men so it wasn't this is really important 108 00:09:42.240 --> 00:09:45.760 when I think of a kingdom revolution I don't think of an ideology 109 00:09:45.760 --> 00:09:49.920 everybody thinks ideologies this day there's there's an ideology in the 110 00:09:49.920 --> 00:09:54.000 republican party there's an ideology in the democratic party there's 111 00:09:54.000 --> 00:09:57.120 different types of ideologies on wall street 112 00:09:57.120 --> 00:10:01.760 that's not what Jesus came he came bringing 113 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:07.800 the universal answer to all of life, and that's through Jesus Christ being Lord and King over all. 114 00:10:07.800 --> 00:10:15.500 So he comes and he announces that, and so, men and women, when we think about the Kingdom Revolution, where do you live? 115 00:10:15.500 --> 00:10:21.800 Like, what's happening in your city? What's happening in your neighborhood? What's happening in your family? 116 00:10:21.800 --> 00:10:26.100 Are you bringing righteousness, peace, and joy to your kids? 117 00:10:26.100 --> 00:10:31.900 Are you bringing righteousness, peace, and joy to your family? Are you bringing righteousness, peace, and joy at your work? 118 00:10:31.900 --> 00:10:39.000 Are you an embodiment of the righteousness, peace, and joy when you go out and talk to your neighbors in your neighborhood? 119 00:10:39.000 --> 00:10:44.600 Or when you go to a civic meeting, or you go to a school board meeting, are you bringing righteousness, peace, and joy? 120 00:10:44.600 --> 00:10:50.700 You see, the problem I see in the church today is we're angry about everything. 121 00:10:50.900 --> 00:10:55.600 We're always fighting things. We're always saying negative things about other people. 122 00:10:55.600 --> 00:11:02.200 We label them. We name call. And the church is as guilty as anybody else at doing that. 123 00:11:02.200 --> 00:11:07.400 And I don't think we need that. I think God wants us to be bridge builders, not wall builders. 124 00:11:07.400 --> 00:11:12.100 And we do that by bringing the, when I say righteousness, peace, and joy, here's what I think it means. 125 00:11:12.100 --> 00:11:18.500 I think it means right relationships, peace in our heart, and a joyful life. 126 00:11:18.500 --> 00:11:23.400 Right relationships, peace in our heart, and joy in our life. 127 00:11:23.400 --> 00:11:28.100 So we bring joy, we bring peace, and we bring righteousness. 128 00:11:28.100 --> 00:11:32.600 And when we do that, it has an impact. Satan hates that. 129 00:11:32.600 --> 00:11:41.700 Satan and demons hate men and women who bring righteousness, peace, and joy into the relationships that they develop. 130 00:11:41.700 --> 00:11:50.800 So I'm going to share in the next messages some of the ways that we've been involved here in Colorado Springs 131 00:11:50.800 --> 00:11:59.100 with a Kingdom of God revolution. Ways in which we have attempted to, and I think very successfully so, 132 00:11:59.100 --> 00:12:04.000 to really make an impact in revolutionizing our county and in our city. 133 00:12:04.000 --> 00:12:08.500 That's not without a whole lot of work. It takes a ton of work. 134 00:12:08.500 --> 00:12:16.400 It takes a lot of organization. And you as an individual, the way I'm going to share this is to help you as an individual 135 00:12:16.400 --> 00:12:23.400 know how to use the gifts and the talents, the skills God's given you to make a subsequent impact 136 00:12:23.400 --> 00:12:32.000 in a particular sphere that's unique to you. See, I have a unique sphere as a spiritual leader, 137 00:12:32.000 --> 00:12:37.500 but you have a unique sphere. It might be in media. It might be in law enforcement. 138 00:12:37.500 --> 00:12:47.800 It might be in health care. Whatever it is that God has sovereignly placed you there for that arena to be your mission field. 139 00:12:47.800 --> 00:12:53.400 You don't have to get a passport to be a missionary. You don't have to get your passport stamped to be a missionary. 140 00:12:53.400 --> 00:13:00.900 You're missionary right here with what you're doing right now. And so it's a paradigm shift. 141 00:13:00.900 --> 00:13:11.000 You need a paradigm shift from just going to church or just being a Christian to being a kingdom of God revolutionary. 142 00:13:11.000 --> 00:13:15.500 To see yourself when you get up in the morning, I want to make an impact. 143 00:13:15.500 --> 00:13:20.200 I want to change people's lives. I want to love people into the kingdom. 144 00:13:20.200 --> 00:13:23.200 I want to use my job. I want to use my finances. 145 00:13:23.200 --> 00:13:29.800 I want to use my time and energy to change the lives of others from bad to good, 146 00:13:29.800 --> 00:13:37.400 from being lonely to being loved, from being suicidal to being abundant in their life. 147 00:13:37.400 --> 00:13:40.600 Well, that's why we're here. That's why we've been placed on this earth. 148 00:13:40.600 --> 00:13:45.100 That's why we're supposed to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. 149 00:13:45.100 --> 00:13:50.100 And all these things will be added unto us. So when we seek the primary, 150 00:13:50.100 --> 00:13:55.300 God takes care of the secondary. More on that in my next message. 151 00:13:55.300 --> 00:13:57.900 So God bless you. Hope this has been helpful to you. 152 00:13:57.900 --> 00:14:03.800 Listen to the next message as we go into part two of a kingdom of God revolution in your city.