LIVING THE KINGDOM LIFE - Freedom in Sonship · PB 1 Chapter 1 Rediscovering the Gospel LIVING THE...

PB 1

Chapter 1: Rediscovering the Gospel

LIVING THE KINGDOM LIFE

KENNY RASON TAN

A Revivalist’s Guide to Releasing Heaven on Earth

Kingdom of Life_FINAL.indd 1 8/8/16 10:35 am

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I honor my book editor, Tan Meiling, who sacrificially worked on this project probably as much as I did. You

pointed my eyes to the Father and helped me reveal His heart of love in this book.

Sonny and Moses Largado, you lovingly accepted me and opened the doors as the Lord led me into the mission field.

You regarded me the way God did.

Jason Wong, your affirmations as my spiritual father gave me the confidence to pursue God’s destiny in my life.

Pastors John and Patricia Bootsma, you modeled for me what flowing in kingdom love and power looks like. I’ll never forget the hour long impartation and the papa-mama’s hug before I left Toronto, Canada.

To my mentees, you’ve honored me and ministered to me in ways I’d never have imagined possible. Life in our kingdom community has inspired many stories in this book and I’m

sure will continue to inspire as we journey together.

To kingdom partners who have prayed, given financially and contributed your expertise in book layout and design, my

heartfelt thanks. This book is as much yours as well as mine.

Thank you to my family members for your love and understanding in my pursuit

of God’s unique call upon my life.

Most of all, I honor You Lord Jesus. You laid down Your life so that I can find

my home in my Father’s arms of love.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS


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LIVING THE KINGDOM LIFE:A Revivalist’s Guide to Releasing Heaven on Earth

Copyright © Tan Yongsheng 2016

Book Editor: Tan MeilingProof-readers: Caleb Chong, Nicholas Ang, Madeline Tng and my other menteesDesign and Typeset: Christian SubrataCover Design: Joshua Tan

ISBN: 978-981-11-0336-0

Printed in Malaysia

Please contact me personally at [email protected] if you require translation into your language.

Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB). Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture quotations marked ISV are taken from the International Standard Version (ISV): Scripture taken from International Standard Version, copyright© 1996-2008 by the ISV Foundation. All rights reserved internationally.


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I DEDICATE THIS BOOK TO

Samuel, youth leader at Ghangri Church, Nepal,As well as the many other young revivalists Who have chosen to pursue the Father’s dreams

for them in full abandonment.You are the inspiration for this book.


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A must read for pastors who tend and grow the flocks of God, for evangelists who preach the Gospel to communities and nations, for teachers teaching Sunday Schools to Bible Schools, and for every minister of the Gospel engaged in discipleship, church-planting and spiritual leadership development. Kenny shared Biblical truths applied and expanded through his own personal experience and discoveries.

Rev. Sonny LargadoInternational Director of Ethnos Asia Ministries (A ministry

to the Body of Christ in Access-Restricted Nations in Asia), Executive Director of Christ To Thailand Mission.

This book will transform your paradigm about how to redeem, restore and reclaim what has been stolen by the enemy in a hurting world. By looking at our original design, Kenny lives the reality of the Word of God and challenges us to walk in our true identities as His sons and daughters. 'Living the Kingdom Life' expanded our hearts to reveal how we are called to rule and reign over families, communities and nations in order to walk in the destiny God has for us.

George and Laurie HullDirectors of Restoring the Foundations, Canada

Relevant, authentic, succinct and insightful... a practical training manual to equip serious-minded disciples with Kingdom principles and great resource to challenge believers to fulfil God's will for them to redeem, restore and reign on earth!

Pastor Samuel SamLighthouse Evangelism Church, Singapore

ENDORSEMENTS


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Kenny is investing himself to equip and empower this generation. This book is the next logical step as a training resource. I love how the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are evident in the book. You will be challenged and inspired as you read through the pages to grow in mentorship and discipleship. His Kingdom come.

Alexander van Urk DamSchool Leader of Urban Presence DTS YWAM Amsterdam,

Netherlands

Within the pages of this book you will discover a heart that has been profoundly touched by hope; hope for the Church as she matures and rises up to be the Bride that He promised, hope for the generation that is discovering their spiritual inheritance and taking their place to see His kingdom come, and hope for a world that, now more than ever, needs to experience the glory of a good King and a loving heavenly Father.

Moses LargadoPetra Church Head of Missions, Singapore

I believe God has raised Kenny up in this hour to disciple a generation to walk in their identity of sonship and to see them step into their God-given destiny. I witnessed his radical obedience toward the voice of God that produces faith-building testimonies that will give a generation the courage to live out their faith in God. I believe all that you are about to read is more than a good book with great information, but the impartation of revelation that will transform your life.

Jason ChuaBurning Hearts (House of Prayer)

Director & Visionary, Singapore


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword 11Introduction 13

PART ONE: HEART OF THE FATHERChapter 1 REDISCOVERING THE GOSPEL 19The Father’s heart is to redeem and restore all that is broken.

Chapter 2 RETURNING TO ORIGINAL DESIGN 35 Father’s original design of Creation, mankind, and Man’s relationship with God.

PART TWO: GOD’S REDEMPTION PLANChapter 3 REDEMPTION BEGINS AT THE CROSS 57The death and resurrection of Christ paid the penalty of sin and broke its power in our lives. In Him, we received an unimaginable inheritance.

Chapter 4 RECEIVING & RELEASING THE KINGDOM 77Jesus teaches on the values and the keys of the kingdom of heaven. He invites us to respond to the Gospel of the Kingdom.

Chapter 5 REMODELING OUR DISCIPLESHIP 99Jesus mentored His disciples to fully live the lives of Kingdom citizens.


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PART THREE: IDENTITY AS SON, PRIEST & KINGChapter 6 REDEFINING YOUR IDENTITY 121From a spiritual orphan to a beloved son.

Chapter 7 RESTORING GOD’S TEMPLE 145Fulfilling your royal priesthood to minister to the Lord and His people.

Chapter 8 REPOSITIONING YOURSELF TO RULE 167Rule with the heart of a servant, and serve with the heart of a king in His Kingdom.

PART FOUR: RESTORATION OF GOD’S KINGDOMChapter 9 REDESIGNING THE CHURCH 193 Building Kingdom communities modeled after the early Church and the vision of God’s restored kingdom.

Chapter 10 RE-ESTABLISHING GOD’S KINGDOM ON EARTH 215Testimonies of God’s people practically influencing the business and the family mountains.

Final Words 229


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W hen I first met Kenny Tan, I knew there was something very special about him. On first glance one notes his casual style and look of “cool” youthfulness. He also operates in

a spirit of honor towards all he encounters. Kenny’s keen mind and depth of understanding are evident in the carefully selected words he speaks. Even more importantly, he exudes the heart of a committed follower of Jesus Christ, operating in a spirit of sonship to his heavenly Father and living a transformed life through the power of the Holy Spirit.

In representing the heart of God on Earth, we are the message. Our lives, our stories, and our histories in God speak powerfully as we “own,” live, and then proclaim revelation. “Living the Kingdom Life” is a powerful teaching tool that has come from personal transformation in Kenny’s life.

There is a powerful storyline unfolding on planet Earth. It has to do with the heart of a Father longing for relationship with the children He created for fellowship. This heavenly Father is also holy and cannot compromise who He is in His longing for oneness with fallen mankind. The provision of His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty of death to meet righteous requirements was part of this celestial plan. Now, it is up to us to accept the gifts the Father is offering. By our free will, we can choose or reject to live as sons, priests, and anointed agents of hope. Why wouldn’t we choose this rich life?

The Apostle Paul states in 2 Corinthians 4:4 (NIV) that the “god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do

FOREWORD


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not believe.” However, he goes on to say in verse 6 of the same chapter, “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Here we see that God has given provision for blindness to be broken, for light to shine forth, and for man to walk in His God-given calling and destiny.

There is a heavenly plan for our life – to bless, heal, and prosper us so we can be a blessing. The way has been paved for us to walk in destiny. Now it is up to us to choose to walk in that path. Once we know who we are in Christ, we can then walk in our God-given destinies.

“Living the Kingdom Life” gives us tools to know who we are, where we are going, and how to get there. May the Lord transform the life of every reader who takes the time to devour this work and put these principles into action. Truly, the world is waiting for us to start living our Kingdom life, bringing transformation to lives and every sphere of society.

Reverend Patricia BootsmaCo-Lead Pastor Catch the Fire Toronto Airport ChurchToronto, Canada


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It took us two hours to fly from Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, to its shared border with India. From there, it was another grueling eight hours of border crossing by van to our destination. This was a faster route that took

us through an uncommon entry point only the local traders and smugglers used.

Our mission team was asked to minister to a covert network of pastors and youth leaders, many of whom traveled for days from Bhutan, Nagaland, and various parts of north India. Undoubtedly, they came desperately hungry for all that God had planned for them.

For the next three days, the Father responded faithfully to the cries of the humble. We preached the gospel of the kingdom and the Father showed up with miraculous healings to confirm His Word. Excitement filled the room with each healing testimony. I could tell from their responses that some of them had never once seen a supernatural healing in their lives. Experiencing the reality of God marked a new chapter in their personal journey with Him. We knew it would go on to impact the villages they ministered to as well.

You’d imagine we devoted most of our time teaching on healing and miracles.

Or perhaps on learning how to flow in the anointing. We touched on none of those topics. Instead, we spent the

entire time simply unpacking the good news of His Kingdom. We spoke of the love of our Father in sending His Son to the Cross to redeem us – His beloved sons and daughters. As His family on Earth, we fulfill His heart’s desire to redeem every

INTRODUCTION


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single family, tribe, and nation to Himself. In doing so, we establish His heavenly kingdom here on Earth.

Today in my travels, I see a generation so eager to move in the power of God. They are so hungry to experience the miraculous. In response to that hunger, the Lord is pouring out His Spirit on His sons and daughters in an unprecedented way.

Yet at the same time, I see this same generation more emotionally wounded and sexually broken than any other generation. There is a deafening cry from their hearts for the love of a perfect Father. They are crying out to hear the Father’s affirmation of their worth and their identity: “You are my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.” God is eager to answer the cry of that little child.

As I preached to the Indian youth leaders, the Holy Spirit led us to sing a love song to our Father. At the end of the song, I started crying out “Paaaa…” which is how I would address my earthly father. I knew the Spirit was stirring us from within to cry out to our heavenly Father the way we would cry out as a child to our earthly fathers.

One by one, the voices in the room grew from soft whimpering whispers to loud, heart-wrenching sobs as they broke down in tears and cried out for their Papa God. The Father came and began ministering to their hearts.

The same thing happened a few days later at our conference in Nepal. One young man shared with me that he got saved two years ago when a missionary came to his village. Out of his family of ten, he and his younger brother were the only two who came to Christ. Because his father was the chief Buddhist monk in his village, they had a difficult time until they came to the city for work. He confessed that he had never personally experienced God’s love.



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During our session, he was weeping and screaming out “Papa!” on his knees for an hour. He shared with us later that he saw a vision of the Father coming and holding him in His arms. In the vision, as the Father put him down and started walking away, he cried out “Papa!” and the Father would return and hold him once again. This happened over and over again in the vision until the Father told him: “Every single time you call out to Me, I will come to you.”

When I returned from Nepal, the Lord led me to write this book as a training manual for the emerging revivalists in Asia. While other training manuals typically equip us with methods of ministry work, this one introduces the sons of God to their identities in His kingdom family. With that foundation, we live out the gospel of the kingdom by turning our families, our schools, our communities, and our workplaces into realms of heaven on Earth. In these realms of love, no sickness or disease can thrive, no fear, hatred or bitterness can take root, and no demonic influence can prevail.

In these last days, God is raising sons and daughters who would walk in intimacy with Him and wholeheartedly pursue His dreams for them. Our Father, along with all of Creation, is eagerly waiting for the revelation of His mature sons. They will redeem, restore, and possess all the nations of the Earth as their inheritance.

Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance,

And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. – Psalm 2:8 (NASB)

Introduction


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Part One

HEART OF THE FATHER


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THE HEART OF OUR REDEEMER GOD In humility, King David prayed:

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer. – Psalm 19:14 (NKJV, italics mine)

Found in this prayer is a beautiful gospel revelation: God is a Redeemer. While we would throw away the shattered pieces of a broken glass, He would carefully pick up each fragment and put them back together. The heart of God values the broken, redeems it, and restores it to wholeness. Through the Bible, we get a better understanding of His heart of redemption.

What does God long to redeem? King David would answer, “I am the object of His

redeeming love!” David was fully convinced both of his brokenness and of God’s love for him. Israel’s prophets would also proclaim, “As for our Redeemer, the LORD of hosts is His name, the Holy One of Israel.”1 They declare that God redeems the nation of Israel.

History testifies of the faithfulness of Israel’s Redeemer. God fulfilled His promise to return Israel to their land after

REDISCOVERING THE GOSPEL

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seventy years of captivity in Babylon. True to His word, in the last century He has brought His chosen ones, scattered all over the world, back to their promised land. Today, God’s restorative work is shocking to the world. Israel’s rising population, their increasing Gross Domestic Product (GDP), their low unemployment rates, and their thriving economy2 testify of the faithfulness of God.

If you have come to follow Christ, you would probably cry out: “there is more! Jesus died to redeem all who believe in Him!” For “we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”3

We have been redeemed by this same wonderful God. We have heard numerous testimonies of how God brought physical and emotional healing to the broken. He loved them back to life and restored to them the joy that the enemy had robbed from their lives. I am one of the many recipients of His mercy.

But is that all that God wants to redeem? What else is on His heart other than our salvation? In my early years as a Christian, I thought God’s mission

was only to save souls and that I was to partner with Him in rescuing as many as possible before His return. But the extent of His redemptive plan stretches much further than I had imagined. Jesus wants more than individuals to be saved. He wants to reconcile our families, communities, societies, and nations to Himself.

The heart of God values the broken,redeems it, and restores it to wholeness.”

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THE NATIONS ARE ON HIS HEARTIf we look closely at the second temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, we realize the intensity of God’s desire to redeem the nations. But for a better understanding, let’s begin by looking at His first temptation.

Jesus’s first temptation was to prove that He was the son of God by turning stones into bread. One hardly needs to wonder why this was a real temptation. The scriptures say, “And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.”4 Every part of His body was desperately crying out for food. That desire was competing for the place in His heart that belonged to God alone.

Yet because He was grounded in His identity as a Son and had been feeding on God’s word, Jesus overcame. Had Jesus given in, the perfect Man would have sinned and become a slave of satan.

Knowing what was at stake, satan threw another punch:

And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will.” – Luke 4:5-6 (ESV)

For this to be a real temptation, it tells us that the kingdoms of the world must have been a strong desire of Jesus. He couldn’t have been tempted by something He didn’t intensely desire.

Try imagining what Jesus was seeing in this vision: He might have been witnessing a huge celebration of a young couple getting married. Perhaps He saw families chatting around the dining table, or farmers plowing the ground


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for the sowing season. Perhaps a new baby being born, or children playing on the streets. Women exchanging cooking recipes. Merchants trading in the market. These are a few elements that make up nations.

As Jesus was seeing the vision of the kingdoms, He knew satan had the legal authority to do whatever he wished. Satan would wreck marriages and families. He would corrupt governments and sow injustice throughout society. Abortion, sex-trafficking, prostitution – these were all within his evil plans. The thought of these things happening to God’s beloved children must have been heart-breaking for Jesus.

Jesus was tempted by satan’s offer because He wants marriages and families restored. He wants streets so safe the laughter of children can always be heard in it. He wants orphans and widows to be well cared for by the community. In His kingdom, He has in mind for women to be respected and cherished by men. He desires that the farmers have abundant harvests. Merchants would make reasonable profits while blessing the people with what they need. Governments would serve the people with righteousness. This was “the joy . . . set before Him [for which He] endured the cross.”5 Jesus desired to redeem the nations because of His love for Mankind.

The draw of the second temptation was the offer to avoid the Cross, yet still gain what He came for. His mission was to

The heart of God values the broken,redeems it, and restores it to wholeness.

He wants to redeem our families, communities, societies, and nations to Himself.”

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redeem the nations by bearing the excruciating pain of death by Roman crucifixion – the worst form of torture on Earth. Satan was offering a shortcut if Jesus would bow down and worship him.

But He would not succumb to temptation. He chose to drink the cup of suffering to its very last drop. How many of us have fallen prey to this temptation of taking shortcuts to success, gaining the world but losing our souls! Jesus overcame, that we too might overcome. No shortcuts. He did it God’s way.

GOD REDEEMS AND RESTORESThrough His death and resurrection, Jesus took back the title deed of the Earth from the hands of the enemy. That was the crucial first step in the work of redemption.

What’s next? What do you do if you return from a long trip, only to

find your house packed with thieves who decided to stay there after their break-in?

Drive out the illegal squatters, of course! You’d call on the authorities to help you take back the house. You’d exercise your rightful ownership by chasing out the thieves. Then, you and your family would probably start painting over the vandalized walls and repairing the damaged furniture. The work of restoration begins immediately.

In the same way, after Jesus took back the Earth, His next move was to re-establish His Father’s dominion and restore all that was broken. He intends to reclaim everything that was stolen by the enemy, realigning Creation to God’s original design. The Father is the rightful King and His heavenly reign shall be restored on the Earth.

Guess whom the Father has chosen to do the work of


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restoration? Indeed, His beloved Son, Jesus, has started the work. But you and I, His other sons and daughters, shall carry on the family assignment. It is our destiny to restore the Earth and all the nations within it.

But if God’s heart is to redeem and restore nations, why does it seem like the nations of the world are becoming more evil and perverse? Have two thousand years of Christianity even begun to establish God’s will on Earth as it is in heaven? If not, what happened?

GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOMLanda Cope, a Christian missionary, did a personal study on the continent of Africa, where Christianity has seen the highest number of evangelized countries – Togo, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa. She came to this conclusion:

Yet in each nation, the story was the same. Poverty, disease, violence, corruption, injustice, and chaos met me at every turn.

My heart was heavy as I traveled Africa, as I thought about my own nation. My prayer became, “Lord, what has gone wrong?” Nearly two thousand years of concentrated missions effort on this continent – how could it result in this? God spoke, simply

He intends to reclaim everything that was stolen by the enemy, realigning Creation to God’s original design.”

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and with a dawning revelation that would change my understanding of missions and my life calling, fundamentally and permanently. He said, “The devastation you see is the result of a gospel that limits itself to the preaching of salvation.”

I wept for hours with a broken heart over our diminished gospel message.6

Is there something wrong with a gospel that has only saved souls but not transformed nations? Or perhaps we have not been preaching the same gospel Jesus preached on Earth.

“Gospel” means “good news.” The good news Jesus came to proclaim was more than simply getting a ticket to heaven. That is merely the gospel of salvation. It is good news that heaven is our destination, but Jesus has even better news to proclaim. The Bible tells us that Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages “proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom.”7 While Jesus spoke briefly of the good news of salvation through faith, He spent most of His time proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom. What’s the difference?

The gospel of the kingdom is, firstly, the good news that Christ gave His life to set us free from sin when we turn to Him in faith. We’ve been rescued from eternal judgment in hell. Therefore, heaven is our destination.

The second part of the good news is that we have been reconciled with our heavenly Father. We’ve become sons and daughters of the King. Life in His kingdom is a life of enjoying His presence, walking with Him, and obeying Him out of a passionate love relationship. While we still face persecution and the hardships of life, God is always with us


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and empowering us to overcome. As a result, supernatural peace and joy are never missing from our hearts.

But the final part of the gospel of the kingdom is often left out. It is the good news that our King is restoring His kingdom on Earth through us, the citizens of His kingdom. He intends to bring heaven on Earth through His sons and daughters.

On His heart is the transformation of every family, village, city, and nation to their original heavenly designs.

ESTABLISHING THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN ON EARTHThis is why Jesus taught us to pray:

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. – Matthew 6:10 (ESV)

Jesus was expressing His Father’s heart for the reality of His kingdom to be made manifest on Earth.

May every activity and condition on Earth be aligned with our heavenly Father’s will! Whatever does not exist in heaven should not be allowed in His kingdom on Earth. heaven is not filled with people suffering from cancer, heart diseases, or physical deformities. Neither should it be so in His kingdom on Earth. Similarly, slavery, poverty, and corruption do not exist in heaven, and thus should not be on Earth.

The righteousness, peace, and joy we will enjoy in heaven8 is to fill His kingdom here on Earth. God’s sons and daughters shall live by the culture and values of heaven. For this reason, Jesus instructed the disciples extensively on the ways of His kingdom.


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He taught them about humbly serving one another, compassion toward the sick, and love for one another. He led them to trust God for supernatural provision as they joyfully gave to others in greater need. If we choose to live by heaven’s ways, we will enjoy the abundant life heaven offers.

LIVING BY HEAVEN’S ECONOMYI was greatly moved as a young Christian when I read George Müller’s life story9 – he was a man who built great orphanages in England in the 1800s. Out of loving obedience to God, he started his first orphanage with only fifty cents in his pocket. As more orphans were taken in, he had hundreds of children to feed and bills amounting to thousands of dollars to pay.

Yet Müller never made his needs known to any man. He never tried to raise any funds. He simply trusted that if he lived out heaven’s mission for him, heaven’s economy would sustain the work he was doing. In all that time, none of the children had to go without a meal. Sometimes the Lord would send the food just moments before mealtimes. Throughout his life, Müller received more than seven million dollars for the building and maintenance of the orphanages.

As a young Christian, I always wondered if what I read was truth that could be lived out practically. Would heaven’s economy manifest on Earth if we simply followed His will? God was about to prove this point to me.

When the Lord called me to leave my post as a youth pastor, I had enough savings to last me six months.

Whatever does not exist in heaven should not be allowed in His kingdom on Earth.”

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My faith adventure with Him brought me first to Canada for equipping and internship for one and a half years, after which I began traveling to parts of Europe and Asia to minister in the power of the gospel.

At the writing of this book, God has supernaturally sustained me for more than three years. Whenever He calls me to go on a mission trip, He’ll send someone to provide for it.

I remember the Lord leading me to buy a ticket to Munich, Germany, that would have basically emptied my bank account. I had to sleep on that decision! When I woke up, He spoke to me out of Ezekiel 44: “I am [your] inheritance.”10 Right after I bought the ticket, a friend called me saying: “Hey, I forgot to pass you a blank check for the Germany trip you wanted to go on.”

Just in the last nine months, I have travelled to Germany twice, France, Switzerland, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, North India, and Nepal. All expenses were paid for from heaven’s bank account. If we live out the gospel of the kingdom, the resources of that kingdom will be more than enough for every bill.

GOD RESTORES THROUGH DISCIPLESHIPWhen Jesus’s disciples lived according to all that He taught them, they experienced a supernatural restoration of their lives. Discipleship leads to God’s restoration. The way God restores the nations is the same way He would restore brokenness in a person – through discipleship.

When the Church only believes the gospel of salvation, their focus is limited to evangelism and personal discipleship. This reduced gospel causes us to misunderstand Jesus’s


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Great Commission. Let’s take a look at what the Great Commission says:

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. – Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV, italics mine)

Notice that Jesus commissioned us to make disciples of all nations, not just make disciples in all nations. There is a distinct difference. In the latter, individuals are our disciples. In the former, the nations are our disciples.

China, Singapore, Germany, Pakistan, Nigeria – these are a few of the names of our disciples. Which nation has God called you to personally disciple?

Nigeria is a nation where evangelistic efforts have brought more than half the population into the kingdom of God. Yet the kingdom of God is barely manifested in this nation – their country still has one of the highest rates of crimeand corruption in the world. The gospel of salvation has produced Christians, but the gospel of the kingdom has yet to be understood and applied to every area of their lives and their culture.

To the Church that is only engaged in evangelism and personal discipleship, God is giving a greater vision to disciple the nations.

When the body of Christ truly understands the Great Commission, she actively engages with the societal issues of the nations. We pray and speak up against the legalization of gambling or prostitution, or even when society tries to


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redefine the concept of marriage. We find ways to strengthen the economy of our nation as part of our heavenly assignment. We give of ourselves to any form of community development projects that will benefit the people. We make the discipleship of nations our responsibility.

Jesus loves the nations passionately. He came to redeem entire nations with His life. Whenever He came face to face with perverse cultures that were destructive to their nations, He always took a proactive role to address the issues. Those who truly love their nation want more than a higher percentage of converts in the land. They hope for a clean government, a prosperous economy, and caring communities where the needy are taken care of.

Today, Jesus is moving to transform societal cultures in nations. He invites His body to surrender the excuse that “this is not our home; we belong to heaven.” Embrace the truth that while heaven is our destination, to rule over the Earth is our destiny.

As a youth pastor, I often hear parents discouraging their children from working in the arts and entertainment industry because they hear of artists being influenced by the drug culture. Some even discourage them from doing business for fear that the desire for profits might lead to greed. Unknowingly, we have condemned these areas of society as unredeemable and surrendered them on a silver platter to the enemy.

Jesus commissioned us to make disciples of all nations, not just make disciples in all nations.”

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Today, God is raising sons and daughters who are fearless nation-disciplers. They boldly shine their light into industries where darkness prevails.

THE NATIONS ARE THE SONS’ INHERITANCEThe Father tells Jesus, His Son:

Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Your possession. – Psalm 2:8 (NASB)

The nations are the inheritance the Father promises to Jesus. When Jesus saved us, we were adopted into His family as children of God. As sons and daughters of God, we are entitled to the sons’ inheritance11 – the kingdoms of the Earth! As much as the nations are Jesus’s inheritance, they are ours too. The Father invites us to take what is ours. This is how we access our inheritance: we who were once broken will now bring healing to broken families and communities. We who were once sin-driven will now establish His purity in corrupt systems and governments. We who were once unjust will now display His justice to oppressed people groups. We who were once unloved will now express God’s redeeming love to transform the kingdoms of this world.

The angels and saints in heaven have seen the finale of our mission:

The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever! – Revelation 11:15 (NKJV)


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In the next chapter, we take a few steps back in time to the Creation of Man to discover what was on the mind of God when He created all things. Let’s embark on a journey together to learn of our true identities as well as our Father’s original destiny for His sons and daughters.


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QUESTIONS TO PONDER:

1. Have you been hearing and sharing the gospel of thekingdom, or simply a gospel that promises a ticket toheaven? What do you think is the difference?

2. Which areas of your life do you feel the Father wants toredeem and restore?

3. How differently would you live if you fully trusted theFather for your finances?


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4. Which nation or nations has God put on your heart? AskGod how He wants you to disciple them.

5. Why does Jesus want the kingdoms of the Earth?

Notes1. Isaiah 47:4 NKJV, italics mine2. Israel Economy - GDP, Inflation, CPI and Interest Rate. (n.d.). Retrieved June 14, 2016, from

http://www.focus-economics.com/countries/israel3. Colossians 1:14 NKJV4. Matthew 4:2 ESV5. Hebrews 12:2 ESV 6. Cope, L. (2008). The Old Testament Template for Discipling Nations. In His Kingdom Come (pp.

32-33). Seattle, WA: YWAM Publishing.7. Matthew 9:35 ESV8. See Romans 14:179. For further reading on George Müller, see Answers to Prayer from George Müller’s Narratives,

compiled by A. E. C. Brooks, Moody Press, and see https://www.mullers.org/timeline10. Ezekiel 44:28 ESV11. See Romans 8:17


LIVING THE KINGDOM LIFE - Freedom in Sonship · PB 1 Chapter 1 Rediscovering the Gospel LIVING THE...

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