KINGDOM Living is TRAINING for REIGNING. The WITH-GOD LIFE is training for reigning.

"Peter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and FOLLOWED YOU.” Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that HE WILL RECEIVE a hundred times as much NOW IN THE PRESENT AGE, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life." Mark 10:28-30

How to enter and engage the KINGDOM of God? How to live in the Kingdom of Heaven?

"For nothing will be impossible WITH GOD.” And Mary said, “Behold, the bond slave of the Lord; MAY IT BE DONE to me according to YOUR WORD.” And the angel departed from her." Luke 1:37-38

To enter into the KINGDOM of God, we humble ourselves, cast our crown, deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and FOLLOW Jesus.

"In the beginning was THE WORD, and THE WORD was WITH GOD, and the Word WAS GOD. HE was in the beginning WITH GOD. All things came into being THROUGH HIM, and apart FROM HIM nothing came into being that has come into being." John 1:1-3

TRANSFORMED WITH HIM and THROUGH HIM and FOR HIM

To enter His Kingdom, we must deny self, surrender, and allow HIM to TRANSFORM US into His image of Self-giving Love.

"Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Matthew 6:31-33

Kingdom Living is sharing the GOSPEL of JESUS CHRIST. We live for Him as witnesses to share His goodness and glory, to be SHINING LIGHTS of HIS GLORY.

"And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

We engage the Kingdom of God by going through His SCHOOL of LOVE, learning how much He loves us and wants us to love others.

“so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him." John 3:15-17

God is always WITH US and IN US, and HE NEVER LEAVES US. We are ONE with the TRINITY.

"For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Colossians 1:13-14

The WITH-GOD LIFE: We engage His Kingdom by humbling ourselves, loving God, seeking Christ, loving others (Self-Giving Love) as ourselves, and PRAYER and GIVING.

"In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." Romans 8:26-27

We are made in His image as His image bearers. We are GIFT GIVERS.

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? " Romans 8:28-32

God is a creative gift-giver who has called us to do the same.

"But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:37-39

He has called us to be creative gift-givers of His love by Grace.

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him." Colossians 1:15-16

We are made in His image, His Goodness. We are HIS AMBASSADORS of GOODNESS.

"He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything." Colossians 1:17-18

The Kingdom of God has no beginning nor end; it’s eternal. Therefore, people can only ENGAGE and ENCOUNTER HEAVEN to enter Heaven. To enter the Kingdom of God, we must first cast our crowns (self kingdoms) and, instead, walk and live and get our being from HIS.

"For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven." Colossians 1:19-20

The KINGDOM of GOD is JUST like God

God is a GIFT MAKER and a GIFT GIVER. SELF-GIVING LOVE made us to be SELF-GIVING LOVE. We are imagers of God IN CHRIST, and as such, we are to be just like HIM. The Father empowers us by Grace to walk in the LIGHT as HE IS IN THE LIGHT.

"And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—" Colossians 1:21-22

To enter into His Gates, Heaven, we enter with humility and prayer, bearing gifts. We humble ourselves because He first humbled Himself. We give ourselves because He first gave to us. He gave us His Life and power so we can do the same and FOLLOW HIM.

"that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." Colossians 1:26-27

We are LIGHTS of the KINGDOM, shining brightly. We are the witnesses to the KINGDOM of GOD.

"for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world," Philippians 2:13-15

We are citizens and ambassadors of God sent to proclaim the GOOD NEWS of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the poor, lost, imprisoned, and afflicted.

"After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you." 1 Peter 5:10

We are CALLED, EQUIPPED, EMPOWERED, and then SENT by the KING to share the GOOD NEWS with the world.

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." Galatians 2:20

"Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." Hebrews 10:19-22

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 24and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds," Hebrews 10:23-24

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table. before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Psalms 23

"So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit." Ephesians 2:19-22

"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith." Galatians 6:7-10