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Life Around "The Fire"
Life Around "The Fire"
Exploring the Practices of God's Kingdom on Earth
*** Editor's note: David gave a Scripture referrence in point #4 concerning "Patience & Endurance". He said it was found in 1 Corinthians 3:4-8 and it should be 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.... woopsi... hey, at least we caught it... LoL *** The Kingdom of God stands as the central teaching of Jesus's ministry—a revolutionary concept that transforms how we understand our purpose on Earth. This episode unpacks the profound truth that Earth was created to be a physical demonstration of God's heavenly rule, where His will would be done "on earth as it is in heaven."
What does it mean to live as citizens of God's kingdom? Just as fish swim in water without realizing their environment, we often navigate our daily lives unaware of the cultural frameworks shaping our existence. The kingdom has its own distinct culture with specific values, practices, and priorities that often challenge worldly systems. When we surrender completely to God, we discover we've been empowered to live in ways impossible through human strength alone—as one guest colorfully puts it, "It would be easier for a fish to yodel than for us to live the Christian life without God's power."
We explore four essential kingdom practices: seeking God's will through complete surrender, engaging in service and mission (because "it's easier to steer a moving vehicle than a parked car"), cultivating trust and dependence that invites supernatural provision, and developing patience and endurance that reflect Christ's character. These practices don't just change our behavior—they transform our identity as we become living demonstrations of heaven's reality in everyday situations.
Whether you're a seasoned believer or curious about what kingdom living actually looks like in practice, this episode offers both theological depth and practical wisdom for experiencing the fullness of life Jesus promised. Ready to move beyond mere church attendance to authentic kingdom citizenship? Listen now and discover how your life can become a colony of heaven on Earth.
Loving Yeshua/Jesus, Loving people... Come as you are and you will be loved!
Feel free to check out our website by typing in lifearoundthefire.com or Life Around The Fire ... We think you'll find some beneficial stuff to look at and apply to your life.
Shalom to you and your home.
Recently, we've been looking at one of the chief teachings that Jesus came proclaiming while he was walking on planet Earth, and it involves the kingdom of God, the rule, the reign, the very realm in which God functions. The kingdom of God or Matthew puts it this way he calls it the kingdom of heaven, and some people consider the fact that there's a differentiation between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven an argument for both. But for the sake of our podcast episode and what we're looking at right now, we're going to be referring to the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven as synonymous. But for the record, I know that there's a difference in discussion and in some debate, if you will, concerning the differentiation between the two, but for now, we're going to be looking at the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven as one and in saying that, we're looking at the fact that the kingdom of God is the invisible realm in which God functions, his rule and his reign in heaven, and his desire is for that rule and that reign to function on planet Earth. In fact, the reason for Earth being created was so that there would be a physical demonstration of God's kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Thus, when Jesus was asked by his disciples to teach them to pray, one of the key things that he mentioned in his outline that he provided for them and for us, by the way is this that we would pray. That God's kingdom would come and that his will, or the things that please him, the way he does things, his will, his will would be done on earth as it is in heaven, or in the earth as it is in heaven. That the earth would colonize the kingdom of God in a visible way and it would cover the earth. That the knowledge of the glory of the Lord would cover the earth just like the waters cover the sea. That we would colonize planet earth with God's kingdom, we would subdue this earth and take dominion over it, and that God's kingdom would be manifest to us and through us, and that the world that we live in would be impacted by his kingdom and we would colonize earth so that heaven and earth would join together as one. Heaven and Earth would join together as one. What a powerful plan. And it's been that way from the beginning.
Speaker 1:And so the initial mandate was given to Adam and Eve to colonize planet Earth and then entered into that whole event, sin and with that death and with that, the wrath of God, meaning God needed to deal with the effect of sin, because God is just and it's not just anything goes. There are things that have an order to them, and part of the order is that with an action there's a consequence, whether that's good or bad, and so the consequence of rebellion was death and the wrath of God. But Jesus, hallelujah, but Jesus. But Jesus came to take our place and to fulfill what no one else could fulfill, and that fulfillment was to perfectly live out the law of God as given to Moses. Jesus was and is the only human being who perfectly lived out the law and then, on our behalf, took our place of wrath so that we would receive his life instead of the wrath of God, because God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever would believe in him would not perish or experience the wrath of God, but that he would have everlasting life.
Speaker 1:What a powerful plan. And the fact that we've been given cleansing, forgiveness, redemption from our sins, but also we've been called into citizenship in this kingdom and we've been called to colonize planet Earth, just like the original mandate was given and, just like Jesus, portrayed perfectly while he walked on planet Earth, the way that he lived, the miracles, signs and wonders, the words that he proclaimed, the truth that came through him is the same lifestyle that we've been given not just permission to live, but power from God to fulfill, to live out. We've been empowered by God's spirit, his very life. We have the opportunity of being filled with his power so that we can fulfill the mandate given to us, which is impossible for us to do without his life. Without his power, we can't live out the Christian life on our own strength, with our own energy.
Speaker 1:One person said that it would be easier for a fish to yodel than it would be for us as human beings to live out the Christian life without the power of God, because it requires us being a different species. Just like a fish needs to be a different species in order to yodel, so we need to be a different species in order to live out the Christian life, and that species is, by us having the divine nature given to us, making us a new creation. Once again, powerful plan, wonderful encouragement for all of us who are believers to receive, but also great insight for those who are listening and have not yet come into a place of faith in Jesus. But by the words spoken right now, holy Spirit, drawing you into a place of relationship, can make that covenant real. It can be ratified right now by you placing your faith in the fact that Jesus took your place on the cross and he resurrected. He was resurrected, he became alive again on our behalf and is now seated at the right hand of the Father on our behalf and is now seated at the right hand of the Father on our behalf, so we too can have that life. And so we've been looking at the kingdom of God because, as I said earlier, that's one of the primary teachings that Jesus came proclaiming.
Speaker 1:And so, in order for us to function in his kingdom, it's important for us to understand the culture of his kingdom. Born, you're born into a culture, and just like fish are in water, people are in a culture, and fish don't even realize they're in water, they just swim in it. Much the same for us as people we live in a culture and we really don't think about it, we just live in it. The language we speak, the clothes we wear, the food we eat, the art that we have, the music, the list goes on. The values that we have, the practices and the priorities all make up the culture within which we live, and the kingdom of God is a real kingdom that has a real way of doing things, known as the will of God, the way that God does things, how God is comfortable doing things.
Speaker 1:You see, he is central to all things. Worship is our highest priority because he is central. We are created, he is the creator and he is worthy of our worship and our praise, and he is central to all things, and so for us to understand what comes from his heart, his ways, his will, it's high priority for us. In fact, we're commissioned to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, meaning the way that things are right within his kingdom and in relationship with him and one another. Where things are right, we're righteous, the righteousness of God. We're to seek that first, and everything else will be added unto us. And so, in the last episode, we looked at the values found, such as love, humility, righteousness, faith, forgiveness, peace, joy, integrity, right Things that make up the value system in the kingdom of God. And now we're going to be looking at the practices, and we've listed out four practices that are common in the kingdom of God, and the first one that we're going to be looking at is seeking God's will. Now, that's a very, very common concern and question for most, all believers, and that is what is the will of God for my life? We want to know what's God's will. Is it God's will for me to get married? Is it God's will for me to have this job? Is it God's will for me to go to this particular part of the world? You know, to go to this particular part of the world, you know what is God's will, and the fact of the matter is, god's will is what pleases God. It's the way that he goes about doing things and for us to participate in it. For us to participate in it.
Speaker 1:The Apostle Paul gives a real key insight in the book of Romans. In Romans, chapter 12, verse 1 and 2, the Apostle Paul writes to this group of people and in and pleasing to God this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you'll be able to test and approve what's God's will, his good, pleasing and perfect will. So what is it that we can do to find God's will for our lives. Number one give ourselves completely over to God Everything, everything you are, everything you own, your friends, your family, your possessions, your life everything becomes the Lord's. It's a living sacrifice, everything. That's such a beautiful place to be, and yet it is oftentimes one of the greatest challenges to give everything over to God your past, your present and your future.
Speaker 1:And when you do when I do something happens, there's a freedom that takes place and God actually receives that from us and in receiving it, he imparts to us his life, which contains within it his will. We inwardly know what it is to please God, because his heart is within us and he knows what pleases him. And so when we have his heart, his life, beating inside of us, we know, without anyone telling us and without any questions. We know what his will is Because he gives us his life and within his life is his will. And when we offer ourselves to him completely, we discover the will of God. And we do this, hallelujah. We do this on a daily basis, and when we do, we become some of the most radical people on this planet, people filled with the Holy Spirit, filled with the life of God, filled with the ability to do things that we can't do, couldn't do, wouldn't do on our own. But now that we're filled with God's Spirit, his life, we can, and we know it for certainty, and no one can convince us differently. You see, if somebody can talk me into something, somebody else can talk me out of it, but when I know it by virtue of experience and the reality of life within me, nobody talked me into it and nobody can talk me out of it. Hallelujah, hallelujah. Seeking God's will is a practice, meaning presenting your life as a living sacrifice to God is the way of seeking God's will. Practices number two Service and mission. Interesting.
Speaker 1:James talks about this in his letter to the people in the first century, but once again it may as well have been written to us. He said do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. He said he's like a man who looks at his face in the mirror and after looking at himself, he goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard but doing it, he'll be blessed in what he does. He'll be blessed in what he does and, I might add, and he won't forget what he looks like when we become doers.
Speaker 1:You see, for myself, one of the hardest things to do is to start. Sometimes it involves writing. If I have a blank piece of paper and I don't know what to put down on it, sometimes I'll just start writing stuff and before long what I'm writing begins to take shape. But it's starting instead of just thinking about it, excuse me, because I can think myself into doing nothing. I can overthink myself so much that I end up doing nothing. I have a thousand things that I'd like to do, but I don't do any of them. But when I focus on excuse me, when I focus on doing just one, one simple act of service, such as supporting an orphanage, you say well, how do I go about doing that? That's not hard. If you need help, we can help you find a good orphanage to support. But if you have a listing in front of you from a good missions organization, you can locate orphanages all around the world and you can start supporting one.
Speaker 1:Beginning to do something will lead you into doing other things that become more and more part of your lane, part of who you are. But you begin by doing something because it's easier to steer a moving vehicle than it is to steer a parked car. If you start moving, you can steer into something. That's then more of your lane that you'd stay in. But if you aren't moving at all, man, it's hard to steer a parked car. Plus, you aren't going anywhere.
Speaker 1:There is something significant about us not just being hearers only. There's something unique also that takes place when people that are not really even that well educated begin functioning in the power of God's kingdom. Even those who are educated will stand up and take note because of the supernatural dynamic. Take note, because of the supernatural dynamic that is conveyed through you. Some of Jesus' followers were fishermen. They were not really highly trained men academically, men academically, but under the power of the Holy Spirit. Scripture said that when they spoke, they spoke with such boldness that people recognized they'd been with Jesus by the way they spoke and what they said was so significant they couldn't believe that it came out of the mouth of unlearned fishermen.
Speaker 1:And sometimes God takes the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. Sometimes he'll take us, those of us who might not have any formal education, and empower us in a way, if we become doers of his word, not just hearers, we don't just sit down and let someone talk to us and we go home and basically do nothing, but we come back again and let someone else talk to us and we call that church. And let someone else talk to us and we call that church. It's part of it, but that's actually a small part of what it means to be the church. Next in the practices trust and dependence. Proverbs, chapter 3, verses 5 and 6, says this Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.
Speaker 1:Now, back in the 1980s, my family and I were one night looking at what we were going to have for dinner, and I had three children all under the age of six and our cupboards were bare. We had yeast flour and we had tap water. That was it. Our grocery supply had gone down that low, but we had those ingredients. I sat down with my children and we prayed and we thanked God for the meal that we were going to have that evening. And no sooner did we get done praying than we got a phone call and a friend said hey, we're thinking about having dinner tonight, and what were you guys doing? And I said, ah, funny, we were thinking about the same thing. He said well, how about this? How about let's make some homemade pizzas? You make the crust and we'll bring the toppings and we'll bring something to drink. I said I think we can do that, let's do that. And we didn't tell them that that's all we had the ability to do was to make the crust.
Speaker 1:God knew the situation and he saw us trust and depend on him when we sat down and prayed and thanked him for the meal that we were going to have. Sometimes it doesn't look like we have everything we need, but if we thank God for what he provides, he will provide it, because he said he would. It might not come exactly the way we thought it was going to come or the timing in which we want it to come, but when it comes it's enough. He said give us this day our daily bread. When he taught us how to pray, and he gives us our daily bread, he said don't fret, don't worry about what you're going to eat, what you're going to drink or what you're going to wear or how you're going to live. God knows these things. As we seek his kingdom and his righteousness first, everything else will be added unto us.
Speaker 1:So we looked at the aspect of having the element of knowing God's will, service and mission, trust and dependence and, last but not least, patience and endurance. I love this. 1 Corinthians, chapter 3, verses 4 through 8 once again, the apostle Paul said concerning love he goes. Love is patient. You see, one of the practices in the kingdom of God is patience. Love is patient, love is kind, love does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud, it is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. Patience and endurance are practices found in God's kingdom. His values, practices and priorities are components that make up his culture. As we learn the culture of God, we learn how to walk in it and we find that our life takes on a completely new and richer meaning. In the next episode we'll look at the priorities found in God's kingdom, but right now let's pray.
Speaker 1:Father, I thank you once again for who you are, for what you're doing and for how you're doing them, and I ask that you would reveal to us, by your spirit, your kingdom. The Holy Spirit teaches us to walk like Jesus, how he walked, how he navigated his life in conjunction with the ways of his Father, the ways of our Father. Teach us your ways, o Lord. Show us your paths, help us live out things that. Help us live out things that we can't live out on our own. We place our trust and our dependence on you and we stand here in the name of Jesus and we say so be it. Amen, amen, amen, amen. All right, folks, we love you. If you have any other thoughts, questions, concerns, please feel free to drop us a line at lifearoundthefire at gmailcom, or type in Life Around the Fire. Look us up on the web. We'd love to hear from you In the meantime. God bless you. Adios amigos.