A Kingdom of God Revolution in the Rockies - Part I - A Kingdom of God Revolution in Colorado Springs

Hey, I'm Pastor Steve Hole.

I want to empower you today to walk in your true identity as a worshiper and warrior.

Today, embrace the power of God's Word and the Holy Spirit.

Welcome to the Born for War podcast.

So I want to talk about a Kingdom of God revolution.

This is part one because when I started putting it together, the speech I just gave was not in it.

And I realized there's no way I'm going to get through this thing in one sermon.

So we'll, this is going to be part one, and the next week will be part two.

But turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 4, Matthew 4, 17.

Matthew 4 · chapter mention

And this is the seminal passage.

I mean, when we look at the gospel, Jesus spoke of the kingdom a hundred times.

But I feel like this is such a seminal verse.

From that time, so Jesus has been baptized, he's gone into the wilderness, and it says, from that time, Jesus began to preach and say, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

So Jesus' first message was on the kingdom of God.

The kingdom of God, the rule of God, is what Jesus made as his most important message.

He always went back to that.

So even Liz right now, which was not in coordination, we didn't sit down and talk about it.

She just shared what God was leading her to do on Monday night for the women of the kingdom, I mean the Sermon on the Mount.

But the Sermon on the Mount is Matthew 5, 6, and 7.

Okay, that's the ethics of the kingdom.

So if you want to know the ethics of the kingdom of God, or what is the atmosphere, if we were to do the kingdom of God right, what would it look like?

I mean, what how would we handle each other?

What kind of relationships would we have with each other?

You can't go wrong with Matthew 5, 6, and 7 because he says, you know, this is what the kingdom is like.

Now, now Liz is going through that and it's just like rocking her world.

I hope it's rocking some of you women that are almost 200 women come to that.

And and so the kingdom of God message was the central message of Jesus.

Now, why is that important?

The reason that's important is because I grew up never hearing about the kingdom of God.

I didn't hear about it in my home, which was my dad was a pastor.

Um I didn't hear about it with Campus Crusade when I got saved.

I mean, it was a passing thing, something about the kingdom of God might be in some little booklet or something.

But can you imagine, though, that the central message of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, the kingdom of God, is so underemphasized?

So I was really impacted by a book by a guy named E.

Stanley Jones, Methodist missionary to India.

That was his main area, it was India.

He was well known.

Anybody heard of East Stanley Jones?

Okay, see, every hand that went up is somebody who's either well read or you're older.

Because he nobody knows about him now.

But he wrote, he wrote this book, The Unshakable Kingdom and the Unchanging Person.

And I was probably my third year in Japan, and I mean it just rocked my world.

It's like, what?

The kingdom of God is that?

And so he began to download to me what he meant by the kingdom of God.

So Jesus spoke of the kingdom of God over a hundred times.

Jesus taught us what?

To seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

He taught us to pray, Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Now, why is it so de-emphasized?

Well, here's what I think it is.

It's hard.

Okay, it's hard to be a kingdom of God revolutionary.

Let me explain.

It's much easier, and by the way, guys, I actually do believe that the world is going to hell in a handbasket.

Okay, I do believe that.

But you have two choices.

One is that you're so steeped in a dispensational, eschatological, theological viewpoint.

Now, if you understood half of that, that's good, okay?

That everything's gonna go get worse.

The Antichrist is gonna be raised up, and we just need to hold on, man.

Just hold on the best we can because it's see, see, it's just getting worse.

Man, that's too passive for me.

I'm just not the way I'm wired.

Okay, I did that for a while, for a few years, and I went, that does not jive with the message of the gospels.

I mean, Jesus said, go ye therefore make disciples of all nations.

Well, if everything's just going to hell in a handbasket, then I don't know why I'm working at this thing.

But that's actually not the message.

Is that true?

Yeah, there's an aspect of that that's true.

I think we need to be aware of that.

That's for you and I've taught Revelation twice.

I've taught it here, verse by verse.

So I tend to I tend toward being dispensational.

But I'm an athlete.

I have a masculine heart, and I'm a fighter, and I like to win.

So I'm gonna tell you that.

So when I read Jesus in the gospels, and I challenge you to do so, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and you pick any of them.

Or read all of them.

But you see Jesus with this militant but loving perspective to this world.

He came to change the world.

And when he did so, he raised up 12 men.

And one of them got jettisoned in the early days.

So it's 11.

And then Paul came in, so it's 12 again.

All right, now you got Acts 1.

So in Acts 1, he goes, Look, you've been with me for three and a half years.

You've seen me do miracles, walk on water, all that.

You're not ready.

You can't, you can't do what I'm calling you to do.

And they're like, goody, because we didn't want to do it anyway.

And so they're already up in the upper room, like scared of the Romans and the Jews and everything, right?

Okay?

He says, but something's gonna happen to you.

You wait, you tarry, and the Holy Spirit's gonna come upon you, and he's gonna empower you to do what I did.

And they don't understand that.

They don't know what he's talking about, and so they don't get it.

But then 10 days later, Holy Spirit comes.

That's now into Acts chapter 2.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

Now, I'm not gonna the kingdom revolution, I want to, I got too many other things to cover here, but I'm just giving you a heads up on some things.

I'll cover more on the power next week.

But between Acts 2 and Acts 17 is probably about three to ten years.

There's different um interpretations of that, okay?

But it's a little stretch of time.

But in Acts 17, 6, they get to Thessalonica.

Paul does, they preach the gospel, and the Thessalonians say these men who have turned the world upside down have come here also.

They were rocking the world with a kingdom of God revolution.

You go through Acts and they're preaching the kingdom of God.

So the kingdom of God, what is the kingdom of God?

Well, let's just say this that we have no idea what it is in American culture.

Um, because we have a representative republic.

We're a representative republic, we're a democracy, but let me give you an idea of what a kingdom is.

So a kingdom is a domain ruled over by a king.

It's not a democracy.

There is one ruler, one king who leads, guides, and protects the citizens of the kingdom.

So that's your first characteristic.

Second characteristic is a kingdom isn't a kingdom unless it has citizens in the kingdom.

So you have a king, but you have to have citizens.

The citizens are subjects that the king rules over.

In the kingdom church, we are the citizens of the kingdom.

He rules over us.

We don't argue, we don't vote God out of office.

He rules.

Now you can run from him and you can be mad at him and you can be upset at him because he's got some pretty clear rules about how to be, how to live, which is in the Bible.

Um, and that's where progressive Christianity is in so much trouble, is they want to jettison the Bible and just be loving to everyone.

We just love you.

Now, come as you are is fine with me because I'm a big believer in come as you are, but I'm not a big believer in stay as you are.

So come as you are, and let's let Jesus bring a kingdom of God revolution in your life.

And he's actually given us guidelines in this book of how to do that.

So a kingdom of God revolution is Jesus being king over his citizens, and not everybody's a citizen.

So I'm not talking about everybody's gonna become a Christian, but I am saying that when the citizens are under the king, things begin to happen that change all the spheres of influence in a culture.

So here's my definition.

Here's my definition of a kingdom of God revolution.

A kingdom of God revolution is the ongoing move of God because I believe it's been going on for 2,000 years, but administered through local churches, citizens of the kingdom, we are who are equipping the saints, the citizens of the kingdom, to influence different cultural spheres in a local city, county, and state that brings kingdom transformation and a new way of life that lasts for hundreds of years.

So it's different than a revival.

A revival is short-lived.

A revival is something that's kind of like the spark and the sparkle.

I'm talking about the engine, man.

I'm talking about such a move of God that men and women from the road and hopefully across the city and other churches are so fired up for the kingdom and the king that wherever you go, you can't help but tell others what it's about, and then you live it.

And what I mean by live it is that when you come against ideologies and stuff that oppose it with love, not, you know, not having an attitude, but with love, you're boldly able to say something about it.

The reason the ideologies of the of the left and Marxism are so pervasive in our country is because Christians don't do anything.

They just sit there and they want to be kind and nice.

Bottom line is they're just cowards.

And everybody here, just raise your hand right now.

Everybody raise your hand and just say, I am a coward.

Okay.

We're all cowards.

I am too, you know.

But I'm telling you that if we start linking arms together, we'll be starting we'll start moving from cowardice to courageous.

That's possible.

And God's doing it right now.

I mean, I'm gonna give examples of that this week and next.

I believe there's 13 cultural spheres or mountains of influence.

Let me give those real quick.

Some say there's seven.

And by the way, if you don't know, I'm already in a Democrats commercial.

Does anybody know that?

Have y'all seen me on the commercial?

Okay.

It's one of these kind of sermons.

They they took it out and said, Christian nationalism and all that.

And I'm like, okay, whatever you want to call it.

It's always something.

I guess if if I read Bonhoeffer right, if I read Cost of Discipleship right, and I know my history of the Nazi regime and how they came into power, I think I'd rather be on Bonhoeffer's side than the rest of the church in Germany at that time.

Okay.

Okay, so 13 cultural spheres of mountains of influence.

First was marriage, family, the home.

This is bedrock, guys.

This is the most important thing that we bring the kingdom, is through your family.

It's through dads being dads, fathers being fathers, mothers being mothers, and raising and discipling your kids.

And that's why Marxists go after two things that Marxists want to go after the most is fathers and the family.

So they're always hearing about patriarchy, patriarchy, patriarchy.

And yet it's the patriarchal system that built the greatest civilization the world has ever known, and that's the United States of America.

So attack men, effeminize them, do whatever you can to keep them off balance so they don't lead and guide.

And that's why we're a church where we're going to build young men into masculine-hearted but loving men of God.

Number two is the church.

It's the second thing they go after is the Bible and the church.

Church, I mean, a unified, praying, word-rooted, spirit-alive, culturally engaged church.

I'm not talking about just because it's got a cross on the top.

And I'm not saying that it's got this title and it says it starts with saint and it ends with church, that that's a church.

I'm talking about churches that are of the kingdom of God.

Number three, community.

Now, what I mean by this is immediate people in your lives, your neighbors, your relationship.

That's a huge and important sphere of influence.

And you've heard me say before that one of the things that's important is go to the same grocery store, go to the same gas station, try to get to know the owner.

Try to get to know that person, that clerk that's there.

Go to the same restaurants and bless those people, man.

Make your presence known and bless them.

Number four is government and laws.

So if you're taking notes, write down poly ticks.

Poly dash ticks.

That's what politics is.

Politics is they come and they suck your blood, man.

Okay?

There's lots of them and they're ticks, okay?

But listen, you can't live without those kind of ticks.

Because everything you do, the reason we're worshiping freely here is because of government laws and politics.

The reason you have a stop sign in here is because government laws and politics.

You can't not be involved in that.

You've got to be involved in that at least by voting, and in some cases, more than that.

Heidi Grenali, who's running for governor, she'll be with us next week.

She wanted to come, and I said we'd pray for her.

So she's gonna be here.

Haim Goldman, he started the voter guide.

Well, that increased the vote in El Paso County in the last elections by 45%.

And it's nonpartisan.

We don't take a stand.

Everybody on the Democratic Party or independent or libertarian or conservative Republican, everybody's welcome to put their information.

You've got 150 words, you can give it.

And so we don't take any stands.

You can read it, and because of that, 45% more people have voted.

It's been really exciting.

Number five is food and agriculture.

You can't live a healthy life if you're not eating healthy food.

We need to go back to small farms, farmers' markets, healthy production of food, healthy choices.

We had seven children, and pretty much the meat we ate for 25 years was the elk and the deer and the pheasant and the antelope that I shot every year.

So we did that and we spent the money to do that because we wanted that organic food.

And so what we're finding increasingly as we do the research is that the food you're eating is just laced with hormones.

And I mean, the reason they they don't tell you this, but it's it's absolute fact that the reason many young girls right now are ovulating at like 10 and 11 years old is because they've ingested so many hormones that are in the uh food that we eat.

And so I encourage you to be organic and think about that.

So let me just say on that note that this Saturday at 8 a.m., we're having a big meeting here at the church called the Joseph Enterprise.

And that is uh led by Mark McWilliams and Glenn Holloway to talk about how do we prepare for food shortages?

How do we prepare ourselves for security if things really start going south?

And we're thinking about that stuff, you guys, and these guys have put together an amazing strategy and plan.

And if you'd like to be the first ones on that and hear about that and even be a part of it, we're talking about security, we're talking about communication, we're talking about food and agriculture, we're talking about water distribution and how to take care of each other and how to stay together if things go that way.

And here's what's exciting: even if God were to so come and nothing happens, we're ready, man.

We are ready.

We've got the systems in place.

So come at 8 a.m.

I think they're having something really manly like donuts and coffee.

Okay, so come to that at 8 a.m.

on this Saturday.

Number six, business and entrepreneurship.

The importance of starting your own businesses and being independent from the government's really important.

Number seven, media, freedom of speech and press.

I'm so encouraged by so many, actually mostly non-Christians, who are developing new podcasts, news outlets, and new communicators that are excellent, you guys, like Jordan Peterson, Ben Shapiro, The Daily Wire, Children's Health Defense with Robert F.

Kennedy Jr., Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA, and many other courageous conservatives that are out there.

It's really, really amazing.

And that's where I get my news, just so you know.

I don't think I've listened to any of the legacy media in at least a decade.

So, I mean, I'll hear about what they say because someone will quote them.

Have you seen those broadcasts where they line them all up?

And they're all exactly the same lines.

CBS, MBC, ABC, MSNBC, and some of the other ones, they all sound exactly the same.

So there's about, there's probably a cadre of about six or eight people that are running the whole thing.

Okay, so here's what's happening.

This is what's fun.

Is all these young people in their 20s and 30s and 40s that are saying, you know, to use a southern slogan, that dog doesn't hunt.

And so they decide, I'm gonna start my own podcast.

And you know what you got is you got people out there that are actually truth seekers.

And a lot of them aren't even Christians, man.

But they know that doesn't smell right, you know?

And so these podcasts, and I just gave you a few, are out there, and you do not have to be dependent at all on the legacy media because it's fake news anyway.

Number eight would be education.

I'll do more on that next week.

Uh healthcare medical.

I mean, the stuff that Radical Resiliency has done with Pam is amazing.

3,000 people healed in El Paso County through her COVID protocol?

You kidding me?

8,000 nationally, 3,000.

I said, this is unbelievable, you know.

And we have people all over the nation.

I shouldn't say we.

I mean, they have people from all over the nation calling them for their protocols.

Everywhere I speak, man, I talk about it.

And they go, what's that lady's name?

And I said, it's, and I always have to give the website radical resiliency because everybody starts getting on it.

But isn't that awesome?

I mean, just using God's elements to heal with no pharmaceuticals is amazing.

Okay, number 10, uh finance and banking is a is a rim.

Number 11 is first responders like police, sheriff, fire, EMTs, etc.

Number 12, military.

I think we've got some people over at the Air Force Academy, probably the Air Force Academy, looks like you.

Okay, then 13 is arts.

The arts are important.

So those are my 13 that I believe.

So here's what we're gonna do today, and we've got a little bit of time here, um, but then next week is the person of the kingdom, the pattern of the kingdom, and the power of the kingdom.

So look at Matthew 4 again.

Let me read.

I want to talk about the person of the kingdom.

From that time Jesus began to preach and say, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.

Then he said to them, Follow me.

Underline that.

Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

Folks, the kingdom of God revolution begins, continues, and continues and continues and ends, if it ever ends, with Jesus.

Jesus is the person of the kingdom.

The first thing we do is not how we vote.

The first thing we do is not political or educational.

It is come to Jesus.

Come to know him.

Allow the fire of the king to come into your heart so that you can have a kingdom of God revolution in your heart.

You're here because you love the king.

We can disagree on some nuanced things out there.

But we have to agree here in the Church of Jesus Christ that Jesus is Lord, that Jesus is King, that He's the epitome of everything that we believe in.

This is who we worship, whether it's a contemporary song or hymn, we worship him.

Okay?

So you you can imagine that the first thing that the enemy wants us to jettison is the king and his word.

Because if we do that, then it's just up to everybody's opinion.

We can all vote on stuff.

It's like my dad and I having a discussion one time about the authority of scripture.

And I said, Dad, I believe this is God's truth.

And then my dad says, No, it contains God's truth.

And I said, What does that mean?

And he goes, Well, he said, Well, there's parts of it that are not true, and there's parts of it that are true.

And then I said, Well, who determines that?

And he says, Well, it's it's your heart.

You have to follow your heart.

We don't follow our heart here, we follow Jesus.

We seek his kingdom first in our life, and then he changes our heart.

Okay?

So if I follow my heart and it's leading me in the wrong direction, it might be good to let Jesus have my heart so that I can be born again, again.

Because sometimes you need to be born again again.

You know, as you have that initial, that initial flood of the love of Jesus, but we get, we leak.

Right?

Every one of you leak.

And you have to be refilled with the Spirit, right?

So that's that's the ebb and the flow of the kingdom revolution is that it's not always that we're fired up, it's that we're always seeking the king and then he fires us up.

I love what Abraham Kuiper once said.

There is not one square inch of the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is sovereign over all, doesn't cry mine.

In other words, when I was fly fishing yesterday and I saw those trials and a bald eagle flew 20 feet over my head with a with a fish in its talons.

That's God's.

That bald eagle is God's.

Those fish out there, that's God's territory, man.

And I need to steward it.

I need to treat it well.

I need to be a godly man there too, right?

My wife, who I passionately love for 37 years of marriage, she's God's first.

I steward my relationship with her.

This church is God's church.

He's a senior pastor, capital S, Capital P.

I've just been given a stewardship for a period of time to lead you guys for a while, right?

But we pray that God would so move here that if the Lord tarries and he doesn't come back, a hundred years from now, this church is here bringing a kingdom of God revolution.

So E.

Stanley Jones writes the kingdom of God is God's total order expressed as a rim and a reign in the individual and society, in which is to replace the present unworkable world order with God's order in the individual and society.

And while the nature of the kingdom is social, the entrance into it is by a personal new birth now.

The character of that kingdom is seen in the character of Jesus.

The kingdom is Christ's likeness, universalized.

While it comes on the earth in the time process, it is eternal.

And it is at the same rule which is in heaven, because it is Christ's likeness that makes it heaven.

There and here, and while it is a total order demanding total obedience, it brings total freedom.

That's pretty good stuff, man, right there.

So it all starts and ends with Jesus.

And with Jesus, we go after him with all of our heart, men and women.

And when you read God's word, you read it asking the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom.

So I want to close with that brochure.

This is an acrostic road.

And this is what we believe are key.

So I'm assuming that some of you may not be members of the road yet, and I wanted to just go through this.

Build friendships with other believers.

Relationship is the key to everything in this church.

And you'll notice inside the brochure, we have the aspects of the covenant of harmony.

So we're really, really big on working out problems within the church through the covenant of harmony.

And you can read that.

Oh, offering.

Offering wants time, energy, and money.

That's a part of worship too, is learning to give, give of your time, give of your skills, and also give of your finances.

A is attendance, and then D is discipleship.

But we're always talking about empowerment.

Women, we have whole-hearted women on Monday nights for the next four weeks, and then the series will end.

And then we're always meeting on Tuesday mornings at 6 a.m.

for whole-hearted men.

Thank you for listening to the Forn for War podcast.

We hope today's message has empowered you to make a difference in your world.

To connect with Pastor Steve's sermons, books, and blog, visit Steve Holtonline.org.

God bless.