Embracing Our Call as Kingdom Believers

In today's gathering, we explored the profound calling of being Kingdom Believers, emphasizing the acronym "KINGDOM" to guide our spiritual journey. We began by discussing the importance of Knowledge, highlighting that a lack of understanding can lead to spiritual destruction. As believers, we must educate ourselves, not only in scripture but in various aspects of life, to be wiser than the enemy and to stand firm in our faith.

Next, we delved into Involvement, recognizing that each of us has a divine assignment. We are called to be active participants in our communities and churches, using our influence to bring about positive change. This involvement extends beyond the church walls, encouraging us to engage in civic matters and stand for righteousness in all areas of life.

Nobility was our third focus, urging us to maintain integrity and do the right thing, even under pressure. In a world that often challenges our values, we must be bold in our convictions, standing firm in the truth of God's Word. This nobility is not just about personal integrity but also about being a voice for the voiceless and standing up for justice.

Godliness, the fourth aspect, calls us to live a life of holiness and righteousness. Our lifestyle should reflect the teachings of Christ, and we should strive to be examples of His love and grace. This includes treating others with kindness and respect, fostering a spirit of unity and peace within the body of Christ.

Dominion, the fifth element, reminds us of the authority we have in Christ. We are empowered to take dominion over the enemy and to bring the supernatural power of God into our daily lives. This authority is not just for personal gain but to advance the Kingdom of God on earth.

Obedience, the sixth point, emphasizes the importance of aligning our will with God's. By being willing and obedient, we position ourselves to receive the blessings and favor of God. This obedience often requires sacrifice, but it leads to a deeper relationship with Him and a more fulfilling life.

Finally, we discussed the importance of honing our Message. As Kingdom Believers, we must be ready to share the hope we have in Christ, articulating the truth of the gospel with clarity and conviction. Our message should be rooted in the understanding that Jesus is Lord, the only way to salvation, and the ultimate voice of truth.

**Key Takeaways:**

- **Knowledge is Power:** As Kingdom Believers, we must educate ourselves in scripture and worldly matters to be wiser than the enemy. A lack of knowledge can lead to spiritual destruction, so we must be diligent in our pursuit of truth and understanding. [18:44]

- **Active Involvement:** Each believer has a divine assignment, and we are called to be actively involved in our communities and churches. Our influence can bring about positive change, and we must engage in civic matters to stand for righteousness. [26:09]

- **Nobility and Integrity:** Maintaining integrity and doing the right thing under pressure is crucial for Kingdom Believers. We must be bold in our convictions and stand firm in the truth of God's Word, even when it is unpopular. [35:52]

- **Living Godliness:** Our lifestyle should reflect the teachings of Christ, and we should strive to be examples of His love and grace. This includes treating others with kindness and respect, fostering unity and peace within the body of Christ. [47:58]

- **Exercising Dominion:** We have authority in Christ to take dominion over the enemy and bring the supernatural power of God into our lives. This authority is for advancing the Kingdom of God and living victoriously in every area of life. [53:26]

**Youtube Chapters:**

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [01:30] - Offering and Decree
- [04:45] - Introduction to Kingdom Believers
- [08:20] - The Mission of the Kingdom
- [12:00] - Evangelism and Recruitment
- [15:30] - Kingdom Demonstration
- [18:44] - Knowledge and Education
- [26:09] - Involvement and Influence
- [35:52] - Nobility and Integrity
- [39:34] - Godliness and Holiness
- [47:58] - Living a Godly Life
- [53:26] - Exercising Dominion
- [01:00:44] - Obedience and Willingness
- [01:09:38] - Honing Our Message
- [01:12:10] - Conclusion and Blessing

**Bible Study Discussion Guide: Kingdom Believers**

**Bible Reading:**
1. Hosea 4:6 - "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge."
2. Matthew 4:12-25 - Jesus' mission, evangelism, and demonstration of the Kingdom.
3. Galatians 5:13-26 - Living a godly life and the fruit of the Spirit.

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**Observation Questions:**

1. According to the sermon, why is knowledge considered a crucial aspect of being a Kingdom Believer? ([18:44])
2. How does the sermon describe the role of involvement in our communities and churches? ([26:09])
3. What examples of nobility and integrity were highlighted in the sermon, and why are they important for Kingdom Believers? ([35:52])
4. How does the sermon explain the concept of exercising dominion as a Kingdom Believer? ([53:26])

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**Interpretation Questions:**

1. In what ways does the sermon suggest that a lack of knowledge can lead to spiritual destruction, and how can believers guard against this? ([18:44])
2. How does the sermon connect the idea of involvement with the biblical call to be salt and light in the world? ([34:17])
3. What does the sermon imply about the relationship between godliness and civic engagement? How should believers navigate this relationship? ([39:34])
4. How does the sermon interpret the authority given to believers in Christ, and what practical steps can be taken to exercise this dominion in daily life? ([53:26])

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**Application Questions:**

1. Reflect on your current level of biblical knowledge. What specific steps can you take to deepen your understanding of scripture and worldly matters to be wiser than the enemy? ([18:44])
2. Identify one area in your community or church where you feel called to be more involved. What practical steps can you take this week to begin engaging in that area? ([26:09])
3. Think of a recent situation where your integrity was tested. How did you respond, and what can you learn from that experience to maintain nobility under pressure in the future? ([35:52])
4. Consider your lifestyle and how it reflects the teachings of Christ. What changes can you make to better exemplify godliness and foster unity and peace within your community? ([39:34])
5. Reflect on a situation where you felt powerless. How can you apply the concept of dominion to that situation, and what steps can you take to assert your authority in Christ? ([53:26])
6. In what ways can you align your will with God's to experience the blessings and favor mentioned in the sermon? Identify one area of your life where obedience might require sacrifice. ([01:00:44])
7. How can you hone your message to effectively share the hope you have in Christ with others? What specific aspects of your testimony can you prepare to articulate with clarity and conviction? ([01:09:38])

Day 1: The Power of Knowledge
As Kingdom Believers, understanding is crucial to our spiritual journey. A lack of knowledge can lead to spiritual destruction, making it imperative to educate ourselves not only in scripture but also in various aspects of life. This education equips us to be wiser than the enemy and to stand firm in our faith. By diligently pursuing truth and understanding, we can protect ourselves from deception and grow in our relationship with God. Knowledge empowers us to discern right from wrong and to make decisions that align with God's will. [18:44]

Hosea 4:6 (ESV): "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you feel you lack understanding? How can you seek knowledge in this area to strengthen your faith and stand firm against spiritual challenges?


Day 2: Active Involvement in Divine Assignments
Each believer has a divine assignment, and we are called to be actively involved in our communities and churches. Our influence can bring about positive change, and we must engage in civic matters to stand for righteousness. This involvement extends beyond the church walls, encouraging us to use our gifts and talents to impact the world around us. By being active participants in our communities, we fulfill our divine purpose and contribute to the advancement of God's Kingdom on earth. [26:09]

1 Peter 4:10 (ESV): "As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace."

Reflection: What specific gift or talent has God given you that you can use to serve your community or church? How can you take a step this week to actively engage in your divine assignment?


Day 3: Nobility and Integrity Under Pressure
Maintaining integrity and doing the right thing under pressure is crucial for Kingdom Believers. In a world that often challenges our values, we must be bold in our convictions and stand firm in the truth of God's Word, even when it is unpopular. This nobility is not just about personal integrity but also about being a voice for the voiceless and standing up for justice. By embodying these principles, we reflect the character of Christ and inspire others to do the same. [35:52]

Proverbs 11:3 (ESV): "The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them."

Reflection: Think of a recent situation where your values were challenged. How did you respond, and what can you do differently next time to uphold your integrity and stand firm in your convictions?


Day 4: Living a Life of Godliness
Our lifestyle should reflect the teachings of Christ, and we should strive to be examples of His love and grace. This includes treating others with kindness and respect, fostering unity and peace within the body of Christ. By living a life of godliness, we demonstrate the transformative power of the gospel and draw others to Christ. Our actions and attitudes should be a testament to the love and grace we have received from God, inspiring others to seek a relationship with Him. [47:58]

Titus 2:11-12 (ESV): "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age."

Reflection: In what ways can you better reflect Christ's love and grace in your daily interactions with others? How can you foster unity and peace within your community or church?


Day 5: Exercising Dominion with Authority
We have authority in Christ to take dominion over the enemy and bring the supernatural power of God into our lives. This authority is for advancing the Kingdom of God and living victoriously in every area of life. By exercising this dominion, we can overcome obstacles and challenges, bringing glory to God through our victories. It is important to remember that this authority is not for personal gain but for the purpose of fulfilling God's will and expanding His Kingdom on earth. [53:26]

Luke 10:19 (ESV): "Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you need to exercise the authority given to you in Christ? How can you begin to take dominion over this area and bring the supernatural power of God into your situation?

**Cod:** Thank you. All right, praise the Lord. Well, all right, if you got your offering ready, you know what to do. Let's stand up on our feet. Hallelujah. All right, hold your offering up really high. Do it with faith. Do it with confidence. Amen. Those of you online, do the same.

Father, I thank you for every giver under the sound of my voice, that Father, they are going to bring their offering before the court of heaven, and they're going to see a return from the only living God. And so we thank you for that, Lord, and they're going to see returns in ways they never expected. We declare that, we speak that, we hold on and grab hold of that truth, and we thank you for it in Jesus' mighty name. Come on, shout amen.

Amen. Well, all right, you ready to do our decree? Don't sit down yet. Are you going to say it? Believe every word of it? All right, here we go.

We declare the campus and ministry of Lord of Hosts Church shall be increased, expanded, and debt-free. We decree it shall happen without delay. We say to every heavenly assignment, be built up and finished. We say that we have all the finances needed for the Lord is building this house. We have more than enough excess and overflow. Lord, you are providing seed to the sower. Lord, we call upon you, Lord of Hosts, to bring forth heavenly assistance and raise up multitudes of people that shall give abundantly to this work.

We prophesy that we shall quadruple, quadruple, and then we will quadruple again. We declare new things now. We decree ministry and campus be expanded now. Come on, give God a great big praise. In Jesus' mighty name. You can find your seats. Praise the Lord.

Well, let's get right into it. I want to make sure you have plenty of time to get out to the kids' business fair and support them. Thank you in advance for doing that. But we're going to continue part two talking about Kingdom Believers. By the way, if you are planning to attend the New Year's Eve service, you will not be disappointed.

But I do want to let everybody online know that you can submit your prayer requests. So get those in at hankandbrenda.org. We're going to have those up on the altar like we do every single year. So make sure you submit those online. Or you can, of course, those of you that have the mailer, you can mail those back to us as well. And we're going to be praying and agreeing over all of those requests for the brand new year. Don't you think that'd be amazing? Amen.

All right, well, let's continue talking about Kingdom Believers. Last week, I told you that I had like this, I guess they call it an acronym for the word kingdom. And so we're going to go through all of those letters today. We touched on it last week. But I shared with you just as kind of the foundation, I guess, if you will, that Jesus laid out kind of a roadmap for what the kingdom looks like. He laid out the foundation.

You can find it in Matthew, the fourth chapter. And if you go through verses 12 through 17, all the way through to verse 25, you can find three kind of key components to the kingdom. Verses 12 through 17 was the mission of the kingdom where Jesus said, the regions that sat in darkness saw a great light. That was that we are called as kingdom believers to cast a great big spotlight on wherever there is darkness. That's our privilege, I guess, if you will. And our calling is to cast the light wherever darkness is hiding in the shadows. And that's the mission of the kingdom.

The second part is evangelism or recruiting. And Jesus then goes and meets his disciples and says, I will make you, they were fishermen. He said, I'll make you fishers of men. And so we're all called to recruit people into the kingdom of God. And then the next part is kingdom demonstration. And Jesus goes into verses 23 through 25. And the Bible says that he began to teach the kingdom in their synagogues, healing and casting out demons. So that was the demonstrating of the kingdom. He taught people how to live in the kingdom and be a part of the kingdom of heaven.

And so this was the foundation. I encourage you to go back to last week and hear that. But let's talk about this word kingdom, this acronym that I came up with. Anybody spend this week trying to figure out, I know if any of you listened in on the first service, you already know these, but if you didn't peek in. Did you try to guess maybe what some of these were? You might have come up with some different ones, but these are the ones that I felt like kind of went with Jesus' pattern. And so I'm going to give those to you.

So let's just start with it. Let's start with the word K, right? That's the first letter in the word kingdom. And that I believe stands for if we're going to be kingdom believers, we need knowledge, right? Okay. The Bible, this means we're to educate ourselves. We have to be, come on, smarter than the enemy. Praise the Lord. Smarter than our opponents. We need to, you know, the Bible says in First Corinthians concerning the gifts of the Spirit, it says, dear brethren, I would have you not be ignorant concerning spiritual gifts. And so we need to educate ourselves. Come on, study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

So, knowledge, the Bible says in Hosea 4:6, my people are destroyed. Somebody say destroyed. So that means that, you know, it doesn't mean that they're set back and they're anything. It says absolutely destroyed, wiped out, completely defeated because of a lack of knowledge. So the context there was that the people had given themselves over to, I mean, the culture, because it was a time when God's people had gone after the cultural ideologies of the day. And God was saying, you're being destroyed for a lack of knowledge.

So it's important. And I think we saw this more in the last five years than we've seen it is the need to educate ourselves. You know, he was thinking about Rick Green this week as he was hosting Flashpoint, did a wonderful job and all of his teaching on constitutional coaching. And boy, how many of you found so much of that helpful? There were so many things I didn't know before. And it just, you know, it's so important to educate ourselves.

And I think it's important to educate ourselves. And I think it's important to educate ourselves. And I think it's important to educate helps us to be forearmed against the tactics of the enemy. There's a lot of people that are trying very, very hard to get rid of or demean the constitution or make it say something that it isn't. And so it helped a lot of us to have that educational ability to understand how to fight back against all of those injustices. So I think that is an important one.

So my people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge. Many Christians are defeated because they never avail themselves to learn and grow on a wide, wide, wide, wide, wide, wide, wide, wide, wide, wide, wide, wide, wide, wide, wide, range of topics. Come on, don't just go with what the media tells you to believe, right? Educate yourself because they've certainly, we found out, isn't going to tell you, they're not going to tell you the truth. And you can't trust everything. It doesn't matter what side of the political aisle that you live on. You still need to educate yourself.

Even if somebody agrees with the most of your political beliefs, it doesn't mean they don't put spin on their posts and on their headlines. You know, there's a lot of clickbait that goes on. And so you read the, how many have you ever been? I'll raise my hand first of reading a headline and believing the headline. And it really wasn't what the headline was saying. So we got to get smarter than that. You know, open it. If you see some headline that you think, well, is this really happened? Go look. And then, you know, they've got websites now that are satire and people think it's true. So, you know, educate yourself and be smart.

Don't just take somebody's word. Do that same thing with the Bible. Don't just take my word for it. Don't just take some preacher's word. Go in and study. The Bible says that the Thessalonians, you've read this in Acts the 17th chapter, that they studied to see if Paul's preaching was truth and that it aligned itself with the word. So it's important to have knowledge.

Now, Jesus used to say, is the example of the unjust steward. And you can go back and read that story. This is Luke, the 18th chapter, where there was a CFO of a company and he was wasting the money. And apparently they must've gotten the red, you know, because if the CEO had to come to him and say, listen, you are making this whole thing circle the drain and go down. There must've been a problem with the finances in that organization. And so he came and he said, what have you done with all this money? You wicked servant.

And so the guy got crafty and thought, well, I'm going to lose my job. I better do something. So he goes around all the different people that had a debt to the organization. And he says, if you just pay half right now, then we'll, you just take care of the half of it and then you'll be good. And so he managed to bring enough money quickly back into the company that the owner came back and said, you know what? You were pretty smart doing that. That was, he commended him. He actually went from being fired to getting an award for well, good thinking.

You think about that. And Jesus says these words, and I feel like this is so profound and it's a lesson for us. He said, and the Lord commended the unjust steward because he had done wisely. Somebody say wisely. And here's the lesson that we have to learn from this. For the children of this world are in their generation wiser, or that word is phronomos in the Greek, meaning they're more educated. They have greater mental intelligence than the children of the light.

Well, I think I read that and I think, Lord, what? That's tragic. That's tragic that worldly people are smarter than church people. That's how I read that. And I think that means we need to build our knowledge base. How many of you would say that's true? We got to build, we got to read, we got to study the scripture, especially know the Bible. We have to know the word better than the devil.

Because, you know, the devil will use the word and he'll use it twisted. And we have to know the truth and be able to rightly divine. The Bible says, study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that doesn't need to be what? Ashamed, right? Don't be caught in a difficult time or a difficult situation. And then you don't have scripture to pull your way out of it. Right? So this is the way this works.

And it says, so anyway, so the children of the world are wiser than the children of the light. So we need to be educated in the scripture, know the word better than the enemy. But Jesus goes on to say, Matthew chapter 10, verse 16, behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be ye therefore wise, that's that same word, phronimos, as serpents. In other words, we're just as slick and smart as the enemy and the opponents of the gospel. We're just as slick and smart. The difference is we won't deceive anybody. We're not going to harm anybody. We just know things. Amen.

So be wise as a serpent, but harmless as a dove. How do you think Jesus always stayed one step ahead of the Pharisees? They tried to trap him in his words. They looked and lied and weighed. They tried to kill him. They did everything they could to take Jesus out and trip him up and get him to say the wrong thing. And Jesus always had one step ahead of them. And the Bible says they would go away confounded and confused and didn't have an answer. And they would be caught in their own traps, right?

I believe that's what's happening in some groups right now. You know, the indicted, the indictor shall be the indicted. Remember that prophecy? Well, we're seeing it come to pass. But we need to be smarter than the opponent, smarter than, how do you think Jesus, he stood on the, on the Mount of temptation and the devil came and tempted him and used the scripture. Think about that. He used the word against Jesus.

And you know, it wouldn't have been a temptation if it really didn't work on Jesus to do it. He, these were real temptations. You think of any time you have been tempted by the tempter to quit, to give up, to do something wrong. Anytime you've been tempted is because it worked on your mind. It worked on your thoughts. It worked on your flesh, right? But Jesus knew the word so well that in a moment's notice, he was able to stand up and quote that word and dispel the powers of darkness. Hallelujah.

So knowledge. Yeah. Give the Lord a hand clap for that. Not, you know, and knowledge. I'll just say, this is also our discernment. The Bible says in Hebrews, the fifth chapter that we, we have our senses exercise, right? Come on. What is, how do you exercise something? You build your knowledge base. Okay. You grow yourself. I would encourage you as 2025 approaches, make it a year to study some topic that you're not, you don't know a lot about. Maybe you need to study healing afresh. Maybe you need, you're struggling in your finances and you need to go back and you need to spend some time studying biblical finance. There's nothing wrong with that. Take something, but grow your knowledge. Amen.

All right. Are you ready for the second one? All right. Number two in the word kingdom, I is the word involvement or our influence. Every one of us, as I look around this room and all of you that are online today, every one of us has a divine assignment. Amen. We're not allowed to be, what do they say? At home, you're a couch potato. At church, you're a pew potato, I guess. You know, you know, no chair sitters, right? We don't have any sideline Christian quarterback, couch quarterbacks. We don't have any of that.

You know, all of you down here on the floor, you're in the cheap seats, but you don't, aren't afforded. All of you that sit up there, you're in the nice chairs. They're like recliners. I sat in those. I thought, my God, you could go to sleep in these up here. Now, no sleeping up there just because I can't see you real good. Just stay awake.

But the fact of the matter is, is there's none of us that are afforded any more to excuse ourselves from the assignment. We all have to be involved in something. Now, that might be different for younger people than people that are advanced in age. It can all be different, but there's something every one of us can do. And as we do advance in age, you can ask God, say, God, you show me what is my divine assignment? What, what are you asking me?

You know, part of it can be your lifelong assignment. Like our lifelong assignment is to be in the ministry and pastor a church, but then you have assignments in seasons that come and go. And you need to be in tune to those. Ask the Lord, say, Lord, you know, show me what my assignment is. Give me the, the knowledge base. Help me to, to be open to whatever your spirit would ask me to do. You know, there's always somebody to reach, right? There's your workplace. There's places that you go in the store, or maybe you can be involved.

Maybe you want to be actively involved in the school systems where we can go to school board meetings. Aren't you thankful for some of the parents that took a risk? In the last five years and stood up to the nonsense being pushed, come on somebody to being pushed in these schools and, you know, throwing at our young people. I mean, the most perverse topics being taught to kindergartners and grade schoolers and, you know, but it took people that were willing to say, I'm going to be involved in that. Amen.

And you know, don't think that the early apostles weren't involved politically. I think we've established that. The whole lie that the church is not to be involved in politics, we've cut the head off of that giant. We found out that the Bible is a very civic book. I mean, come on, people. We have first and second kings. Okay, let me bring it down to modern day. We have first and second presidents. Right.

So the scripture, and you read about how many times in the Bible it references cities. Come on, Jesus talked cities. He talked nations. He talked generations. He talked culture. Come on, he talked politics. And many scholars believe that Paul was a politician at one point. That was why he was able or had the positional authority to come yank people out of their houses and cast them into prison. They were able, he was able to do that.

So right. So the scripture, and you read about how many times in the Bible it references cities. Come on, you read about how many times in the Bible it references cities. Come on, you read about how many times Paul, he said, I'm a servant. What was a servant? That was his lifestyle as a Christian, right? You choose to live like a believer ought to live. That's your first calling, right? First thing you should be involved in.

The second one is he's a servant of Jesus Christ called. Somebody say called. That's your divine assignment. You have something that God wants you to do. You have to do. I'm called to be an apostle. In his case, it was apostleship. Separated. Somebody say separated. I'm separated to a place of involvement. And that can be different things.

Well, first of all, you should be involved in your local church. If you've decided, well, this is my church and I need to be, God's told me to come here and this is where I'm to put my roots down. Well, find a place to be involved. At minimum, you could be involved at regular church attendance, but then also, and those of you online, be a tither, be a giver, right? And then get connected somewhere. There are many ways to be connected.

If you have the strength or the physical ability, and I realize not everybody can get out and do a lot of things, but a lot of people can. And there are a lot of people that are well able that are pew fillers. Don't be that person. Everybody's needed, right? We need every person. Those babies need their diapers changed. Say, well, I'm not called to that. I'm not called to that. I'm not called to that. I'm not called to that. I'm not called to that. Pastor Brenda, well, you may not be, but the Bible says in Ecclesiastes, whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.

Find a place to be connected. Find a place to be involved. It may not be your favorite area, you know, but you do it and God will reward you for it. Amen. We need everybody in the body of Christ. Every person has value. Amen. Just because you might think you're the pinky toe of the church. It doesn't matter. If your pinky toe was missing, you'd notice. Touch your neighbor. Say, don't be an AWOL pinky toe. Amen.

Matthew 5:13 through 16 says, we're the salt of the earth. We're the light of the world. We're a city set on a hill. Well, this is more than just one-on-one witnessing and hoping people will maybe land in your church. It also means being salt and light everywhere we go. Be a salt and light on your job. Praise the Lord.

I used to bring a Bible when I was still working in the bank before we were in full-time ministry. I would bring my good old, big old Bible to the church, to my workplace, and I would go in the break room at my lunch hour. And it's amazing. You'll get the break room to yourself. I walk in with my lunch sack, my peanut butter and jelly, or my ham sandwich and my Bible, and I would sit over there by myself, and Pastor knows this, he'd remember, and I would, you know, lay the scripture out and put it on the table and just read while I ate, and I'm telling you, it's amazing.

People either want to hear what you'll have to say, because, you know, they know I'd speak up, and tell them about Jesus. Well, you have opportunities everywhere to tell, and they can't get you if it's on your lunch, because you're not on the clock. Say, well, I'm not on the clock. I'm at my lunch. They sat next to me at the table. We can talk about what we want to talk about. Amen, and if you try to fire me, you can't fire me if I talk about the Bible, if they're going to talk about their parties on Friday night.

I don't want to hear about their wild parties on Friday when I can't talk about them. I don't want to hear about their wild parties on Friday night. Come on, we've got to be involved. Kingdom believers insert themselves at the table of conversation. Amen.

Look at 2 Peter chapter 1 verse 10 on involvement. This is the New Living, so dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you are really among all of those that God has called and chosen. Come on, there's called again and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave. One day, we're all going to go to the grave, right? Unless Jesus comes back first, but we got to work and be involved while we have that opportunity now.

So in 2025, I would encourage you as a kingdom believer, ask God where he wants you involved. Say, God, I don't want to just be a bystander. I want to be doing something efficient for the kingdom. So if you're going to be involved, I want to be doing something efficient for the kingdom. Somebody say involvement.

All right, in, that's the next word or the next letter in the word kingdom, is, and this is kind of an older English word, but it's the word nobility. Say, what is that, Pastor Brenda? It means that you will do the right thing when you're under the pressure not to. Okay, so many of us realized after 2020 that we can't just be silent Christians anymore, that we're going to have to raise our voice on topics that might draw some fire.

We're going to have to speak up about things that we're not going to be able to do. We're going to say things that we may not be convenient. You know, listen, I mean, newsflash for you. Not everybody wants to hear about the Lord, but not everybody wants to hear about the moral value of the word of God or the scripture. But we realize that there, this is not a time to say, to be silent. We're going to have to speak up under pressure and do the right thing.

Come on. I believe one of the things doing the right thing was standing up for children that are being turned. Come on. And being bold. How about all of the business owners, the cake bakers and the flower shops that said, no, we're not making a cake for the gays. Okay. That goes against our beliefs and the word of God. And of course they drew fire and went to court and all of these things that happened to them. But you know what? God is preserving them. On the other side, God has defended them. On the other side, God has blessed them and thank God for them because they're paving the way for other people.

To make a stand in their communities. So nobility means doing the right thing and keeping your integrity when you are under a place of pressure. And you know, that's the hardest time to do it is when somebody is going to censor you. You know, somebody asks you, is Jesus the only way to get to heaven? And you know they're baiting you. You know they're going to call you out and say that if you say that, that you're a bigot and that you're a liar and you're not fair and you're mean to other religions and other groups, but you maintain your foothold and say, no, I... And that's where you have an answer for them.

But here is what the Word says. Proverbs 11:3 says, The integrity of the upright shall guide them. Praise the Lord. But the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them. So maintain your integrity. David asked God to vindicate him for times when he maintained his integrity. Psalm 26 and verse 1, he said, Vindicate me, O Lord, for I've walked in my integrity. You know, you can ask God to vindicate you when you have done the right thing.

Come on, Jesus said it like this. He said that people will lie about you. Okay, they'll cast. If you stand for God... If you stand for God and you stand for His ways, they'll cast your name out as evil. Right? That's what Jesus said. He said, if the world hates me or hates you, they hated me first. So the integrity, you can pray this and say, Lord, vindicate me when I've kept my integrity.

And you know, we're seeing that. So many people, 2020, the last five years, were called Christian nationalists. We were called all kinds of names and all sorts of things and pushed aside and pushed out. And people said, we were crazy. And how about that word, conspiracy theorist? What about the weather thing? Now, that was the thing they said. Oh, weather manipulation doesn't exist. And now there are some state, I forgot where it was, is putting out a ban on that. Now, a ban on weather seeding.

So think about it. So all of us that were calling that out and saying, oh, they're doing funky things with the weather. Well, guess what? It came right out to be true. You know, what do they say that about conspiracy theories? How does it go? They say, wait about six months and it'll be true. I know, yeah. The difference between a conspiracy theory and the truth is about six months. Yeah, that's what it is.

Okay. So vindicate me, Lord, for I've maintained integrity. Psalm 41 and verse 12, as for me, thou upholdest me in my integrity. And that's what we need to be. Jesus said, you gotta be bold out there. If you confess me before men, I'll confess you before my father, which is in heaven. So we're going to have to, to make the decision, nobility is to stand up in the face of adversity and say, you know what? I don't change my footing just because the tide gets rough. I stay in my position. I maintain my values. I maintain biblical values. I maintain the beliefs of the word of God. I'm going to uphold. I'm going to do the right thing when maybe nobody's watching, but I'm going to do the right thing because God is always watching. How many of you know that? God always sees everything. Praise the Lord.

All right. All right, nobility. The next one is G. Are you ready? All right. Number four is godliness. How many of you think godliness and holiness is still important? Right? Our lifestyle of holiness, choosing to do, to have a holy way about us, a right way of living, you know, laws. And really, you know, where the world has said that you can't, you know, yeah, you can all do what you do in the church, but don't expect us to bring that into the state capital.

Well, I'm going to tell you that goes against kingdom. The kingdom is to take, remember the big old spotlight and cast it wherever there's any darkness and teach the nations to observe all things that Jesus taught us. So that includes the topic of abortion. The Bible that says you shall do no murder. So they can say, by the way, I've heard that there's some, I don't know, I got to check it out, but defunding Planned Parenthood might be Doge's, one of their first things on the agenda, I think that would be amazing, come on, our government to stop funding murder, hallelujah, but stand for our place of godliness.

And so look at Galatians, I want you to go over there, Galatians chapter 5. I read all this in the first service about living a godly life, but expecting not only living it ourselves, but expecting it in civic matters, this is kind of a snapshot of godliness. Galatians 5:13, for brethren, you have been called to liberty, only use not that liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another, amen.

So love each other, serve each other, undergird each other, for all the law is fulfilled in one word, even this, that you shall love your neighbor, as yourself. In other words, treat other people the way you'd want to be treated, if you want to be smiled at, right, you know, don't look like a skull, if you want people to be nice to you, be nice to people, you know, the Bible says people that have friends, don't go around, nobody notices me, I don't have any friends in the church, that's your, you know, nobody sat with me, or nobody, you know, got to know me, well, you go get to know somebody, okay, don't just wait for other people to take action, you take action, praise the Lord.

So treat people the way you want to be treated, that's a part of biblical godliness, amen. But it says, then it goes on to say, verse 15, but if you bite and devour one another, take heed that you don't be consumed of each other, and that's one of the reasons pastor and I are so outspoken about not being mean-spirited in comments on social platforms, you know, we need to be kind to one another, especially those that are the household of faith.

If you bite, devour, and argue all the time about everything, and you know, listen, I know, right now, there are some things going on in Christendom that have come out, and people are talking about those, and people say, well, why don't you address it, pastor Hank and Brenda, well, first of all, I've learned something, I can't be a spiritual ambulance to every subject, it is one thing to get up, and for us to talk to the culture, right, we're talking to the thrones of wickedness, okay, we're talking to the, the evil that comes to subvert the church, but it is another measure of how we respond when we're talking about the household of faith.

When David heard about the death of Saul, you think about this, Saul had tried to kill him, Saul was not full of any integrity, he was a murderer, he was evil, he had a jealous spirit, he came after David every which way, and so David had every, you'd think, naturally, every right to defend his place, when he heard it, that was spoken, that, that Saul and his son Jonathan had been killed, he turned around and said, don't you publish it in the newspaper, say, I'm not a fan of, let's print every scandal in the church, he said, don't publish it, we'll say, but pastor Brenda, don't people need to be held accountable, do you know, I've learned, we've been at this our whole life, God holds people accountable in the body of Christ, we do not have to be judge and jury on every single subject, and we, come on, somebody, and I will just say it like this, most of it, we don't know all the details, we just assume we do, and then we make our own judgments based on that, on half information.

Be careful of that because we can get in trouble with God. You can bite and devour each other. Listen, God, Jesus has no trouble being the Lord of the church. If he decides he's going to remove somebody for corruption, he'll do it. Don't worry about it. Our Facebook comment probably isn't getting the job done. Let Jesus do his job, somebody. He'll do it well. And he'll make sure of it.

But our job is to walk in the church. And you know what? The best thing we can do when we see somebody, the Bible says in Galatians 6, if you see somebody overtaken in a fault, their fault might be real. They might have egregious sin. They might have defrauded something. They may have done something evil. Our job, the Bible says, if you see someone overtaken in a fault, you which are spiritual. Are you spiritual?

Okay. So the spiritual people, it didn't say you which are spiritual, go comment on Facebook. It says you which are spiritual, right? Those that have a spiritual sense about them, restore in the spirit of meekness. So if the only thing you can do, and you know what? We can't be involved in every single thing. That doesn't mean that you wink at unrighteousness. What it means is you pray. You say, Jesus, you get in the middle. I'm asking you to sort this out. But guess what? Jesus knows how to take care of his church. He had the seven churches of revelation. He addressed the things that had to be addressed. And guess what? He will make sure that we come out on the other side of whatever happens better than we were before. Come on, somebody. He is still the Lord and the master, and we're going to be all right. Amen.

So don't give up on, well, I don't believe in Christians and this and that, and they're a hypocrite. No, you pray. Our job is to pray. This is scripture. If you bite and devour one another, right? Always pointing a finger at somebody, right? Be careful that you're not consumed of one another. And if we don't show mercy, I've realized this. If we don't show mercy one day, if we need it, we may not get it back.

You know, we've all needed. How many of you ever needed mercy in your life? How many of you ever made mistakes and you needed somebody to put an arm around or help get you through and get you back? Right? There's an old saying. He that lives in a glass house shouldn't throw stones. He that lives in a glass house shouldn't throw stones.

All right, enough of that. Don't consume each other. That is part of godliness. This I say then, walk in the spirit and you'll not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh. These are contrary to one another so that you cannot do the things that are in your heart to do. That's what that means. But if you be led of the spirit, you are not under the law. In other words, you'll behave right. Just because it's in your heart to do the right thing. God doesn't have to put a bunch of rules on you.

Okay? Just like your children. If they're going to do the right, you don't have to say make your bed at 8 in the morning if they're inclined to already do it. That's what it's saying. Now the works of the flesh which are manifest are these. Adultery. I think that's understandable. Fornication. That's sexual sin. Uncleanness. Right? That could be spiritual or natural filth. Right? They usually go together a lot of times. Lasciviousness which is perversions of all sorts of perversions. Idolatry. Witchcraft which is also the word pharmakia where we get potions and illegal drugs come from that. Hatred. Variance which is constant arguing.

That's another reason we teach at Lord of Hosts Church to be kind in the comments. Because we're not here to just argue with our fellow believers. You know, people are going to say the wrong thing sometimes. Married couples, where are you in the room? Has your spouse only ever said anything right to you? Have they ever said anything wrong? Did you jump right out and go, I better make a comment? You know, stuff is going to happen.

You know what I found out? There is no perfect church, not in all the world or all of history. You know why there's no perfect church? Because there's people in it. You know, remind yourself, when I came, the church wasn't perfect before I came, and it certainly wasn't more perfect when I came. Because all of us have faults. We don't say the right thing in the pulpit every time. Come on, you can't be perfect, but you don't. We need to uplift each other in our areas of struggle.

So don't constantly argue about everything. Emulations, right? That means heated jealousy. Wrath, right? And that's outbursts. Outbursts of anger. Outbursts of uncontrolled temper. That's part of that. Ungodliness. Strive constantly at odds with people. Seditions. Come on, that's the inability to just submit to any sort of headship. You know, some people struggle with that. That's the reason some people do bounce from church to church. They get in there, and they don't like this or that, and they've got to bounce to the next place and the next. And usually they never solve that. Seditions, right? And that works in your job. Job in a number of areas.

Heresies, that's false doctrine. Envyings. Murders, drunkenness, revelings, all these things, and such the like, of which I tell you before and have told you in time past that those who do these things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. That's sobering, isn't it? And then it goes on to say in verse 22, but the fruit of the spirit or the fruit of a godly kingdom believer is love, joy. Come on, you ought to be a happy Christian.

And, you know, put on your smiley face when you come to the door of the church. Amen. You know, if it's funny, I'll tell a funny story. We used to, back in the day, in this building, before we were, how many of you remember the, they now call it the core auditorium or the coratorium or whatever, but where we used to have church a few months ago. But when, there was a period of time where the offices were at the front of the building. This used to look like a storefront, just like the pizza building. And we could sit in our offices there on Sunday, waiting in the back to start church.

And we could see people walking into church. It was amazing, all the fun things we saw. People would get out, their kids, and their kids would be screaming on the way in the door. And mama would be paddling there behind on the way up. And, you know, husbands and wives would walk in. They're like. And then they'd walk in and you'd see them. The minute the usher opened the door, they'd be like, hello.

And I thought, you know, well, at least they didn't come in frowning. I will say that. So it is good. You know, I would just say, check your frown at the door. You know, there's something about a happy Christian, right? Praise the Lord. So joy, peace, long suffering. Come on, that's patience. I need a little dose of that myself. Gentleness, goodness. Be good to people. Be good to your family. Be good to your spouse. Faith. Faith means you choose the way of faith when you could go the way of fear or anxiety.

Meekness. Temperance against such that there is no law. Praise the Lord. And they that are Christ have crucified the flesh with its affections and its lusts. If we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the way of the Spirit. So godliness, living righteously and having a standard privately, I think is one of the most important things. And you know, this is important to talk about because the culture is continually lowering the bar.

And a lot of churches have lowered the bar on what's holy and what isn't holy. Dress and styles and all of these things keep just declining and we've got to keep holding up what's right and what's true. Can you say amen to that? Amen. Amen. Come on, shout amen. All right, praise the Lord.

Okay, number five is dominion. This is our authority to use our power given by God. You know, you have authority over the devil. Don't ever forget that. It's big God, then you and the devil is under your feet. We have our power given by God, both our exousia power, which is our delegated right, and our dunamis power. Which is our supernatural ability. You know, we're supposed to take both elements of power to take dominion in the culture and to take dominion in the earth.

And exousia, of course, that's our natural involvement. That's where we go to the school board meetings. We get involved naturally. But then there is the dunamis power, which is supernatural. I think there needs to be a revival of the supernatural that comes back to the church. Come on, I want to go to a church where we see prophecy, where we have prayer lines, where we have a church that's going to be a church that's going to be a church where people can get healed. Come on, where we pray and pray in bold tongues. Come on, even on a Sunday morning, and people get filled with the Holy Spirit. Praise the Lord.

And it's normal. Praise God. It's normal to see the move of God in the house of God. That's what I'm hungry for. And I believe we're coming into it. Come on, prophets have been prophesying. There's another wave of healing that is coming to the church that's coming. People, we're not going to be able to keep people out of the church. Come on, healing is a dinner bell. This was how Jesus preached the kingdom. He healed the sick. Hallelujah. And he cast out devils. Sometimes you can't counsel everything out. You've got to cast it out.

Luke 10:19, behold, I give unto you power. That's exousia, the delegated right to go and trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy. Now that word power there of the enemy is the word dunamis. So you know, the devil has supernatural ability, but guess what? His supernatural ability doesn't hold a candle to the Holy Spirit in you.

Okay, so you have authority over whatever he might try. He might try to send the boogeyman to do something and you have authority over it. No, I break the power of that. I break the power. In fact, that's something you can pray. Every time you go out, you can say, I bind the work of every assailant. I take authority over any devil that might be used, somebody to attack me, rob me. I bind the work of the rapist. I bind the work of the assaulter. I take authority over any thief, any robber, any liar, anything that would try to come against me every time I leave my house or I'm in my house.

I say the power of the devil is broken in the name of Jesus. I take authority over it. And I say it'll never touch me, my family or my children in the authority of Jesus name. You have the right and the ability to do that. The Bible says, resist the devil. Don't just become his punching bag and let him turn your mind into a dirty junk pail and a garbage pail or whatever. Don't do that. You stand up and say, no thought, you get out. I'll break your power. Thoughts of fear you get out in fact do that right now say thoughts of fear I break your power in the authority of Jesus name any thought from the enemy I say this mind is off limits I bind you in Jesus name get out of me and get out of my thoughts right now now give God a praise for that hallelujah hallelujah part of taking dominion is Jesus said in Mark 16 he said in my name they'll cast out devils they'll speak with new tongues so that's dominion right if they drink any deadly thing I mean anymore you know fruit loops are deadly but you I think they're fixing that now rfk is coming to fix the color dyes so you know but even if it's organic you know you don't know what they spray around these things you know somebody could sneeze on your live lettuce.

So I know that sounds terrible, but the Bible says, if you drink or eat or drink any deadly thing, it'll not hurt you. You know, that means you could ingest something that you don't know it's bad. And you have spiritual immunity. That's part of your dominion. You know, take dominion over your food. I like what pastor prays on our food. He said, we break the power of sickness and disease. We say this food will work with our body. In fact, that's another thing you can do. If you're on any kind of medication, you can pray over it and say, you know, I pray over this medicine. That it'll do what it's supposed to do. It'll work with my body and not against it. It'll not cause side effects that are unnecessary. I won't be allergic. I won't have any issues. I take dominion over it. I take authority over it and it'll work to be what it's supposed to do.

And then as it does its work, I'll receive a divine healing for wherewith God will step in and I won't need it. I will be free from it. But God, in the meantime, I say, any toxins that are in this medication, they will not affect me. I'm spiritually immune. Come on, that's taking your dominion. Take authority over it. Do it over diagnosis, all kinds of things that can come against you. So dominion is what we have the right as a believer.

And you know, we did that. I feel like we did a lot of that with the election this year. The church took dominion and we finally decided, you know what? We're going to get involved, not on our watch. We're going to take, not only did we take dominion by being involved in speaking up, but we took dominion in prayer. We were like, devil, you are not going to take this country. You're not going to turn it over to a hyena. You're not going to turn it over to liberal, laughing, liberal word salad. You're not, no, we're not going to have that.

We take authority over this in the name of Jesus. Come on. For the first time, the church finally stood up and said, we're going to believe that this nation that was founded under God's covenant principles is going to remain free. It's going to remain open, that we can preach this great gospel. Come on, for years to come. Praise the Lord. So taking dominion.

All right. The next one. Are you ready? This is number six. This is obedience in the word kingdom. Obedience. Now obedience is a little different than godliness and it's asking God to let his will take the lead. The Bible says, in James, it says that we should get up every day and not say, well, I'm going to go here. I'm going to go there, have our own ambitions, do all the things that we want to do. But it says, but if the Lord wills, come on, we shall do this or that.

Jesus led the way on saying, God, not my will, but yours be done. Isaiah 119 says, if you be willing and obedient. Come on, willing? It starts with a willing heart. We have to be willing to serve God. If you be willing and obedient, then you will eat the good of the land. Come on, there's something about a willing heart, an obedient heart. Some people, they'll resist everything. God will tell them to do things and they'll continue to struggle and wonder why they struggle.

Kingdom people should be obedient. The Bible says tithe. I don't think it's hard. I never struggled with a tithe. I saw all the blessings of the Bible. People said, well, tithing, it's Old Testament, not New Testament. I thought, well, I don't care if it's Old Testament. I learned this as a teenager. I don't care if it's Old Testament or New Testament. God said, and I said this to the Lord one time, Malachi 3, people have said, well, you can't quote that in the New Testament church and blah, blah, blah.

How many of you have heard all that? I thought, well, Lord, you said that you would rebuke the devourer for my sake. So what if even if tithing is a good thing, you're not going to rebuke the devourer for my sake? So what if even if tithing is a New Testament and I do it? Will you rebuke the devourer for my sake? Because if that's it, if you'll do that, then I'm in. Come on. I told God that. I said, I want the devourer rebuked. In fact, I could use some windows of heaven opened over my life and a blessing poured out that I'll not have room enough to receive. I want that, Lord.

So I don't care if it's in the Old Testament or the New Testament. You said that's what you do when people tithe. So if I'm outside of that covenant or that covenant, all I know is if I do it, I'm going to expect the same promise to come to pass that the devourer is going to be rebuked and I'm going to have a great big wide window open over my house.

So I just, you know, but be obedient to God. That's so important. Let me read Matthew. Let's go quickly. I'm going to read this in my own Bible. All right. Matthew chapter 10. This has to do with obedience to the kingdom of God. Jesus said, don't think verse 34, that I'm come to send peace on earth. I came not to send peace, but a sword. In other words, your obedience might create conflict with people you know, sometimes you have to make sure that you stay willing.

Okay. For I'm come to set man at variance with his father and his daughter against mother and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. You know, I saw people make great sacrifices this last election cycle to stand on the side of God. I saw people make great sacrifices this last election cycle to stand on the side of right. You know, especially I want to commend people in the black community. So many people, you know, they've lived on the side of the democratic. A lot of them were raised in the democratic party and they said, no, we're, we're going to make a change because we believe in the right to life.

And the democratic party has gone crazy with the killing of babies. You know, when they're out chanting, kill more babies, they've taken it from just the belief that you could terminate a pregnancy for some reason. And listen, can I say something about that? Don't believe the lie. They always hide behind the, oh, in the case of rape, incest, or the life of the mother. How many times is it the life of the mother in modern medicine?

Okay. As the baby gets farther along, they can do a cesarean in a hurry. Okay. So is there a need to terminate a four month or six month pregnancy? Truth of the matter is statistics will tell you in abortion that only less than, uh, nine, uh, 7 % or less have to do with rape, have to do with the life of the mother or have to do with incest. What about the other 93 %? Can we talk about that?

And when they're chanting, kill more babies, they're not talking about the handful of unique cases where there's some awkward decisions involved. They're not talking about that. Let's just get that straight. They're wanting to murder and slaughter the 93 % that are in inconvenient pregnancy because some sexual promiscuity that someone didn't want to have to be accountable for. Can we just call that for what it is?

But thank God for many people, especially in black communities who stood up and you took the heat from families, some of you. And I know that. We know that. Many people know that. But you chose obedience of God's word over. And this is what Jesus was talking about, that sometimes you'll have to make sacrificial choices. And there's many more examples. That's just one, to be obedient to the kingdom of God.

And he said, I'll set daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a man's foes shall be they that are of his own household. For he that loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And he that loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that takes not up his cross. And this is the word, this is the verse I want you to highlight. Jesus led the way on willingness and obedience when he went to the cross.

And he said, we're to do the same thing. He that takes not up his cross, his own self-sacrificing cross and will not follow after me is not worthy of me. And he that finds his life shall lose it. In other words, if you're about your own ambitions and your will, you will lose that pursuit. But he said that he that loses his life or his own will in obedience for my sake shall find it.

So somebody say obedience, be willing and obedient will eat the good of the land. And I want that so much in my life. I want to be willing to do whatever God asks me and not everything he asked me. Have you ever had God ask you a hard task? I remember when God asked us a hard task to build this auditorium and we thought, well, Lord, how can we do that? Now we got to buy a pizza building and a headquarters building and make a road and by plant some trees and do all these things. It was not an easy road, but you know, God was faithful.

If you will just set out. Amen. I'll give you a good example. I remember years ago, Marilyn Hickey. How many of you love Marilyn? And she calls us one day. She was, she's been our spiritual mom for a long time. She called us one day and we were getting ready to purchase the building. This was the initial purchase of this, this building that we're in now when it was still a storefront. We were buying it. We'd rented it for all the years we were church. And then it came time. We were going to purchase it. The owner came to us and said, you know, if you leave, there's a huge hole in this building and we don't know what to do it. We can't do anything with it. So you want to buy it.

So the Lord gave it. They passed her the word and said to buy it. And we had to come up with the down payment money. And we were smaller back then. This has been 10 years ago. And so we said, well, Lord, I feel like this is your word. You'll provide for it. So we prayed about that. And at the same time, we were getting ready to launch television. We had just started doing some online segments and we were like, wow, you know, that's a lot of money, two things.

And we get a call from Marilyn. She says, Pastor Hank, she goes, I felt like I was supposed to call you. Have you been kind of in a quandary about, I just want to, about something. She goes, I just want to share this story. Wally and I had the opportunity to buy our building. And I don't know if this means anything to you. But at the same time we were buying our building, we had the opportunity to go on from radio because Marilyn had done radio for years. She said we were coming off radio and she said going on to television.

And we looked at the Lord and said, Lord, how in the world can we buy a building and do TV at the same time? And she said, Hank, does that mean anything to you? He's like, Marilyn, you know, is God sitting on your couch right now? And so sure enough, she told us, she said, but God, we did it in obedience. Come on. And God provided.

So I will just suggest that over your life. If God may give you some tough tasks, there may be some things that he'll ask you to do that you don't want to do it. But God, if you'll be faithful, you will see and eat the good of the land. There is a reward for obedience. Come on. Amen.

All right. Are you ready for the last one? Last one. Last one in kingdom. All right. The musicians can come and we'll get you out of here so you can go buy some donuts or whatever they're selling down there. I know. I heard body scrubs and lotions and huh? Okay. Are you going to be the musician? I didn't know you could do that, Pastor Doug. I bet he can't.

All right. Are you ready? Okay. Here's the last one. The last one in the word kingdom is the word message for M. We need to hone our message. Let me read a scripture to you. This is 1 Peter 3:15. Are you getting something out of this today? Am I helping you? All right. Because this is what kingdom believers ought to look like.

1 Peter chapter 3. This is verse 15 from the New Living says, instead, you must worship Christ as your Lord, as the Lord of your life. And if someone, watch this, if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. The King James says it like this. Be ready to give an answer for the hope that is within you.

So we need to have a message prepared at every time because come on, let's be honest. The world is coming right now with hard questions and we're the answer. Look at your neighbor. Say, you know, you're the answer. Okay. Look at somebody else. Say, you're the answer too. We are the people. Come on. They're not going to get the truth from MSNBC. You talk about them circling the drain of failure. CNN means CNN ever. Never know more. I don't know.

But here are, I want to give you three components. Let's go. Let's wrap it up with this. I'm going to give you three components of your kingdom message that you can work on. Can I give you an assignment for 2025? Can y'all receive a good assignment for this year? You ready? All right. You better write this down or film it on the phone because this is going to be what you're going to work on this year.

Okay. Number one, the first component of your kingdom message needs to be established that Jesus is the Lord of all. Now, why is that important? The Bible says in Isaiah 9, we quoted at Christmas, Isaiah 9 and verse 6, that the government shall rest on his shoulders. So that means he is large and in charge and you need to have scripture that proves that, that shows that, that Jesus, come on, we saw that this election, nothing the left tried worked.

They tried everything to come up with some sort of strategy. Come on. You don't think they don't have the best strategists in the world. Why? I mean, they should fire him after that, but you know, they have all these people that that's all they do. Political strategists who talk about how to campaign strategize, what resonates with voters and all of these things.

And we saw that God came in and swept. You know, I'll be honest with you. Yes, the church prayed. Yes, we got involved and it mattered and it made a difference. But at the end of the day, Jesus was the Lord. He was in charge. He made the decision. Come on, and nothing of the devil can stand against him. Jesus is Lord of all.

And so we need to hone that message and be confident with it and be able to give an answer for it. The second one is Jesus is the only, only, somebody say only, way to salvation. The Bible says in Acts 4:12, there is no other name given under heaven among men whereby men must be saved. There's no other name.

And you know what? That is a topic that is under fire at the moment because people want to say, well, you know, we can bring in all of these false things. No, Jesus is the only way to salvation. And we'd better know how to answer that and know how to give scripture for that. And we better know how to teach that. Come on, we need to be able to give people the one minute rundown from Genesis to Revelation. Hone your message as a believer because we're going to be called on to answer, right?

All right, you ready? The third one is know that Jesus is the only voice of truth. Jesus said, if you continue in my word, you'll be my disciples and you'll know the truth and the truth will set you free. So Jesus is the only voice on abortion. He's the only voice on marriage. He's the only voice on life. He's the only voice on moral integrity. He's the only voice on our dress code. Come on, he's the only voice on how we're to live, conduct our finances. He's the only voice. Hallelujah.

And his way, you know, I heard somebody say one time and I've coined this again and again and again. I heard somebody say these words, it's God's way and nobody else's. That's it. God's way and that's it. But guess what? His way works. It works every time. There's people that try to create their own version of the truth and they end up in a mess. But you go Jesus' way of truth and you'll end up in blessing. That's it.

So kingdom, kingdom believers. These are the things that if we do them, we will follow Jesus' pattern and we will benefit the world. And come on, we will be a city set on a hill and a light to this generation. I want that. How about you? Stand to your feet for a moment. Let me speak a blessing over you. Before Pastor Doug comes.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for every person online and in the room that's under the sound of my voice. And I ask you, Father, to raise them up afresh. Give them a fresh perspective. Enable them in a new way to stand as a kingdom believer in their knowledge, their involvement, their nobility, their godliness. That they'll take dominion and be obedient and have a message. Father, I thank you. You will empower them in this season to do what you have assigned them to do. And we thank you. Strengthen the people, we pray. In Jesus' mighty name, amen and amen.