#400 Kingdom: Establishing the Kingdom in our Experience As a Manifested Life

During a recent trip to Cuba I was confronted with a dimension of the Kingdom that I wasn’t aware existed. We generally view the Kingdom as a religious dimension related to a higher life or as an internal government. After days of fellowship with different groups and speaking about the Kingdom, it became clear that “KINGDOM” was a word that we were using that meant something different to each minister. To some it just meant a new doctrine or a new message that we can preach that others don’t yet preach but that everybody ought to preach. It meant we are of that group that preaches the Kingdom as opposed to other groups that are not preaching the word “Kingdom.” It just meant to some a higher ministry that can look down on other ministries as inferior.

I have generally associated the Kingdom with a refined character, a higher moral life, a restoration to integrity, honesty, a lack of deceit and an openness about of our defects. This demands a laying aside of the old manner of life and the garments of the first Adam and a putting on the garments of righteousness, experientially. That is what we have referred to as “putting on Christ as a garment” as found in Galatians 3:27.

It soon became obvious that some ministers had associated themselves with the groups “that preach the Kingdom” but it was obvious they had not yet adopted the “Life of the Kingdom.”

We have generally referred to our first degree of righteousness as “imputed” when God declares us “righteous by faith” until He can make us “righteous experientially.” We have assigned “imputed righteousness”to the priests first piece of clothing, the britches or underwear. The underwear covered the priests nakedness until the other garments were in place. In the sequence of the Tabernacle in the preparation of the priests, this piece of first clothing was put on at the experience following the first washing all over at the Laver. No priest could approach the Brass Altar who did not have on the authorized, defined and prescribed underwear. This defined the difference between the nakedness of the heathen priests and the priests that God accepted.

We could apply the first piece of clothing of the priest to the first piece of clothing that was prepared for Adam and Eve to hide their nakedness. The application would be similar in our experience. This piece of clothing certainly did not make Adam and Eve righteous but it did cover their nakedness. In other words it was an outward covering or imputed righteousness.

The other priest garments, which were several, speak to us of experiential righteousness. The application of the various garments in the New Covenant Priesthood has to do with both an outward righteousness and an inward righteousness. Combined, we call this “holiness.” The inward righteousness is defined as the thoughts and intentions of the heart. That includes integrity, honesty, and the lack of hypocrisy. Outward righteousness has to do with our testimony among both believers and unbelievers. We sum this up as “REALITY” and apply this to the location of the Second Veil.

If my application is accurate it would indicate that God deals with these fallen issues in the Outer Court realm BEFORE we can enter into the ministry dimension of the Holy Place. However, since it is clearly a reality that many of us are trying to “do the ministry” while we are still battling many of these “fallen issues,” the “ministry reality” is that we are all falling short of God’s standards of the Kingdom. It is getting clear that God may have permitted us to participate in certain aspects of the priesthood ministry while we still have many defects.

These defects are listed in Leviticus 21 and are the defects that keep us from performing certain of the priests duties like setting out the Showbread. Any of these defects will eliminate us from the full priesthood ministry. If we cannot qualify for the Priesthood we surely couldn’t qualify to participate in the Kingdom of Priests. If the works of the flesh will keep us from entering the Kingdom, it is certain that these defects will also disqualify us from the Kingdom.

If we are “preaching the Kingdom” but we are still involved in the “works of the flesh” it indicates that we are preaching the Kingdom in “word only” and NOT in the “power and in the demonstration of the Spirit.” It seems clear to me, now, that is exactly what we are doing and the very reason that our message lacks power and reality.

After being in Cuba for several days and judging different “kingdom ministers” as falling far short of “Kingdom integrity and honesty” I had a dream in which I heard a loud sound saying “Render unto Caesar, the things that are Caesar’s and to God, the things that are God’s.”

I recognized two different kingdoms. One having to do with the earthly governments and the other pointing to the heavenly government of the Kingdom of God. Since I had come to Cuba without a “ministry visa” and arrived as a “tourist,” any ministry I did was illegal in Cuba. I justified this as “doing the will of God in a higher calling.” Certainly God’s government was higher than any earthly government. However, even being illegal, I began “ministering” Kingdom Truth with a full intention of ministering in different locations and to different groups in opposition to the law of Cuba. Not only that, but I was ministering to a denominational group without the expression permission of the Chief Pastor. In the dream it was certainly clear that God was revealing an anti-Kingdom character defect and an obvious lack of Kingdom integrity on my part.

By my ministering illegally in that denominational group without a ministry visa, I jeopardized that whole groups relationship with the Cuban Government because they would have been responsible for my illegal actions, even though they didn’t authorize it.

When I woke up it was clear why so many things went wrong during this trip. God could just NOT support my lack of Kingdom character and my anti-Kingdom attitude. God could NOT confirm my word with signs following. It wasn’t that my Word was wrong but that I was wrong.

I was sharing a “word of the Kingdom” but without the Life and integrity of the Kingdom. It was clear that God was very determined that I NOT return to Cuba until I can “render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.”

God is NOT so interested in having the Kingdom preached as He is in the character and integrity of the ones that are preaching. The “Word of the Kingdom” falls to the ground when the integrity of the Kingdom is lacking. I could see this “lack of Kingdom integrity and priestly defects” in those others but I never saw the same thing in myself until God revealed it.

The “Eternal Kingdom” is revealed through MANY diverse and developing viewpoints. This trip to Cuba opened up another critical viewpoint that reveals the demands of the Kingdom upon the minister and any hidden hypocrisy and lack of integrity God can find and expose. God demands holiness in those who determine that they will stand before Him, minister to Him and burn Incense and then become His minister to His people.

When we decide to minister the “word of the Kingdom” and ignore the demands of the Kingdom we will soon expose our nakedness before God. It is surely God’s blessing that these things are exposed BEFORE the Great White Throne Judgement when it will be impossible to repent.

Ministers that have no calling and have no revelation of God have been playing with the ministry for hundreds of years but that kind of “ministry” will ultimately be condemned by God and according to scripture those ministers might be cast into outer darkness.

It is a very serious thing to be called a “minister of God” or to assign to yourself some ministry title because of a big ego. Some are making “Apostitutes” that have no calling from God and no understanding of what the ministry demands. Many are “appointed” because of a popular doctrine but without the demand of a mature inner life and the integrity required of a person that is necessary to be a true “Apostle.” Don’t stand near those men when judgement comes to the house of God. (Take note of the error of Korah)

Since God has called us to faithfully “preach the Kingdom” it is essential that we preach not only with words, but with the character and integrity of the Kingdom Life. It is the lack of the “Gospel Life” that causes the gospel to be mocked by society and the secular press.

It is clear to me that I must repent of many fallen ways and rid myself of anti-Kingdom attitudes and permit God to build a Kingdom Character in me before the message will be effective and before I can manifest the Kingdom I preach.

Therefore, my “word of the Kingdom” to those who think the Kingdom is just a higher message without a higher life is to really look at your own hypocrisy, lack of integrity, failing prayer life and lack of an internal change, along with a lack of growth of the inner man. It is important to face the demand for reality at the Second Veil and make sure that ALL the Outer Court experiences are genuine and the inner man is actually growing. Trying to “grow a message” without growing a new inner man to share the message is certain to be judged by God as inadequate to inherit the Kingdom. Don’t waste your life with more religious hypocrisy, lies, deception and lack of Kingdom character, but repent now and make whatever change God demands of His ministers of the New Covenant. It is better to have God judge you now than to wait until it is too late.

After attempting to serve God in the “ministry” for years it would be devastating to hear these words:

Mat 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. 22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’

Mat 7:23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’ 24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock.

Mat 7:26 “And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand.