Understanding God’s kingdom culture

Understanding God’s kingdom culture

Text: Gal 5:22-26

Every one of us came a place we call our home may be permanent residence or a group we belong, these entities we belong or represents most times reflect the way we live or lives. It reflects when we talk, in the way we dress, our kind of dance and even in our writings. These places or groups we hail from or belong so many times have dos and don’ts (rules) we cherish and hold on a very high esteem. We call these highly valued acts culture or customs or traditions, and there is no kingdom on earth or elsewhere without a culture.

Culture is what gives a person or group an identity; culture is also an attitudes or behaviour that characterizes a particular social group or organization. This group or organization can also be seen as a kingdom, and it is a kingdom because it has a king or a leader

It is culture difference that distinguish Jesus’ messages from the Jews, Jesus Christ came and preached the kingdom of God and this kingdom has the culture of God (which is the ways of God), but the Pharisees (Phaa-to-sees) and the Sadducees[1] (Sad-to-sees) find it very difficult to flow with the rhythm of Jesus, because they were focusing on the traditions of the elders.

The tradition of the elders has a shift from the laws of God, while the message of Jesus has no much difference from the laws of God given through Moses, but more of grace implied. Sometime ago the Pharisees[2] came from Jerusalem and gathered around Jesus and spotted His Disciples eating, the Bible said they questioned Jesus why are His Disciple eating without washed hands, it is against the traditions of the elders (Matt. 15:1-5 Mark 7:5-9). This is like most of our churches were the tradition/culture of the church is more important than that of the Message of the Messiah.

You and I knew that from the different places we came in our various ethnic/cultural groupings or as individual families, there are some things we value so much as our culture that we may even kill for it, just because we believe they binds us as a people. But as Christian there is no other culture you and I need to operate with, than the culture from the kingdom of God, because you have reconciled yourself with God the Father, the Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit (John 1:12, John 17:13-17, 2 Cor. 5:17-18). This is the reason the writer of Hebrew said to the Christian

Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food. Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature — for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil. – (Hebrew 5:12-14)

By way of understanding our scripture today from Galatians 5:22-23, I have these unbeatable nine (9) cultures laid down to every Christian through Paul the apostle by the Holy Spirit.

1.       THE LOVE CULTURE:

You will agree with me that every tradition, religion or group with one purpose will like to preach love for one another, but the shocking thing here is not every of them have love. The word love is the most over used word in the English language, it is what we say when we want something and every one of us as humans will be charged guilty of this very word. But not with God, in Him the word love has been in existence and perfectly active, this is because God is love. - (1 John 4:7)

There is no way anyone, be it good or bad person will assume love outside God, he or she must have God first, Solomon said,

“… I took all this in and thought it through, inside and out. Here's what I understood: The good, the wise, and all that they do are in God's hands — but, day by day, whether it's love or hate they're dealing with, they don't know.” – (Eccl 9:1)

Love is what made Jesus to leave His throne to come down here to rescue you and me, it is what gave us the privilege to be salvaged from the condemnation or the imprisonment of the devil. Love was the driving force that moved God to allow His precious Son to be ridiculed before mere human; this is to show that the culture of love is very radical in nature (c 1 cor. 13:1-7).

It is the greatest and the only culture that will stand the test of time, Paul said in a letter to the Corinthian church “Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.” (-1 cor. 13:8)

The following acts comes with the culture of love

i.                     Forgiveness

ii.                   Patience

iii.                  Drive away hatred and envy

iv.                 Neutralizes bitterness and anger

Finally on the culture of love hear what Jesus Christ said when the Pharisees questioned Him about the law and which is the greatest of all, He said,

 "The most important is, 'Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the only Lord. So love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second most important commandment is this: 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these." (Mark 12:29-31)GOD'S WORD

2.       THE JOY CULTURE:

Many times we are betwixt happiness and joy, we misunderstand or misuse these words in either ways, feeling joy is as the same thing as happiness.  But happiness is said to be a state of well-being which is characterized by emotions, based on happenings around an individual or an intense contentment of joy. This is to prove that for happiness to surface in an individual, he or she must experience emotions ranging from gratification.  

If they serve Him obediently, they will end their days in prosperity and their years in happiness.  But if they do not obey, they will cross the river of death and die without knowledge. – (Job 36:11,12)    (conditional statement)

Meanwhile joy is characterized with contentment, either in plenty or little, rain or shine, sowing or harvest, war or peace. Joy does not really focus on experience total satisfaction before it spread in the heart of an individual.

Joy is divinely prompted, those with God experiences joy in its true nature even in the midst of difficulties, the Bible said,

… I will turn their mourning into joy, give them consolation, and bring happiness out of grief. – (Jeremiah 31:13)

Having the joy of the Lord is the path to true living, it help every Christian to reason the purpose of God for their lives here on earth. The happiness you have in your moment of grief is not happiness but joy ( Jer. 31:13), while the happiness you have for doing a thing is but pleasure(Job 36:11).

This culture of joy is teaching us to be joyful in all condition ( James 1:2), for our names have been written in the book of life, knowing we are not of this world though we are in the world and the world will certainly hate us for living right. The Wiseman said,

“In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.” – (Eccl. 7:14)

Like the Love culture, the joy culture also comes with the following acts:

i.                     Fearlessness

ii.                   Openness

iii.                 Trustworthiness

iv.                  Calmness

What are the benefits of God’s Kingdom culture?

i.                     It makes us better Christians in our homes, communities, churches and in the society at large.

ii.                   It prepares us for Christ’s return, which the promise and hope of every believer in Jesus the Christ.

iii.                 It keeps us active in the presence of God which radiates the Power of God in us.

Understanding God’s Kingdom culture to be continued…

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[1] A member of an ancient Jewish sect around the time of Jesus; opposed to the Pharisees

[2] A member of an ancient Jewish sect noted for strict obedience to Jewish traditions