Today we will look at Luke 4 and see how it is the fulfillment of Isaiah 61.  When we look into the mission, vision, and lifestyle of Jesus in Luke 4 we see many aspects of how Jesus accomplished everything the Father set out for Him to do.    We get a look at many of the kingdom values and principles from the life of Jesus.  We'll also look at how Jesus was strengthened in the Spirit as He was tempted in the desert.  We realize that the kingdom of God is much more accessible that we realize or imagine.    

We can stay connected to God the Father just as Jesus did, when our lives are aligned with the Kingdom of God and we yield our whole self and heart to the leadership and guidance of the Father.  We have been given the Holy Spirit as well to help us fulfill our mission and identity just as Jesus was anointed by the Spirit.    

Key Scripture:  Luke 4

In this episode we'll look at one my favorite passages that points us toward the person of Jesus and what He would come into the world to reveal and accomplish.  This passage reveals the mission, identity, and lifestyle that Jesus would live.    It's amazing that this was revealed to Isaiah 700 years before Jesus would ever set foot in the world.  It gives us hope and we can be assured that Jesus has and is still accomplishing these things in the world today.    This passage reveals the heart of God for His people as His desire is to se His children whole and healed on many levels.    

Key Scriptures:  Isaiah 61

In this episode we'll look at the descriptions of God's kingdom that Jesus teaches about.  A primary message we hear from Jesus from His time on earth was, "repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is here."    So many times we think the kingdom of God is a futuristic kingdom we'll only experience after we die.  

Jesus' life made it very clear that God's kingdom is present and we are called to live in and bring that kingdom into the world around us.    I'll cover 7 of Jesus' teachings from the gospel of Matthew and Mark.  These scriptures give us great insight into what the kingdom of God is like and can set us up to experience the power and authority of His kingdom.    

Key scriptures:  

Matthew 13:44 (Hidden Treasure)  

Matthew 13:45-46 (Pearl of great price)  

Matthew 13:52 (Household treasure)  

Matthew 13:33 (The Yeast)  

Matthew 13:31-32 (Mustard Seed)  

Mark 4:26-29 (Sprouting Seed)  

Matthew 13:47-50 (Dragnet)  

Romans 5:5, Romans 14:17-19 

 Habakkuk 2:14

In this episode I'll give you a great visual that will help you comprehend God's Kingdom.  This illustration will help you understand the structure, values, and principles of God's kingdom.    Jesus brought His Father's kingdom into the light and continues to do that today.  You and I can access that kingdom in the present.  It doesn't just have benefits for us int the future, it has so many wonderful benefits in our every day life.  

We just have to learn to see it, believe in it, and operate according to its values and principles.    When we fully align our lives with His kingdom we experience so much more in life and our impact and influence is multiplied to a great degree.  Jesus even stated to, "seek first His kingdom and righteousness and all these things will surely be added to you."  My prayer is that we would live from this statement, making His kingdom our top priority.    

Key Scriptures:  

Matthew 6:33

Mark 10:45  

Philippians 2:2-5 

John 13:1-17

In this episode I'll share with you about the time in my life where I first started understanding and seeing the Kingdom of God.  This was a term that I had heard a lot in my life and saw in scripture but never really experienced in my own life.    I'll share several examples from my life when I was newly married and when we took a big step of faith.  

We saw God move in incredible ways as we started understanding God's Kingdom and living our lives from its values and principles.    The Kingdom of God was revealed through the person of Jesus and designed to be experienced in the present.  It is not just futuristic, but a present day reality that God calls us to bring into the world.

The four gospels talk a lot about the kingdom of God, but it's really a subject that doesn't get talked about or taught on all that much.  Would you say you have a good understanding of what the kingdom of God is and how it operates?    I know for me, it wasn't until I was out of college and on staff with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes that I had one of my supervisors really break down the kingdom of God for me that it really started to impact my life and change the direction of my life and how I made decisions in life.  

The kingdom of God is really important, in fact in Matthew Jesus said, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added upon you."  That statement grabs me, and births a desire in me to not only understand it but to live from His kingdom.    

When we develop a growth mindset, we'll always be looking to see and experience more of God's kingdom.  Jesus said numerous times that if we seek, we'll find, knock and it'll be opened, and ask and you will receive.  God's kingdom is powerful and when we seek it and understand it it gives us a new grid for life and lens to see the world.  You're experience of life will be much richer and deeper.    

Key Scriptures: 

 Matthew 6:33  

Matthew 7:7-11 

Amos 3:7-8

Key Scriptures:  Romans 12:1-3  2 Corinthians 10:4-7

Have you ever been lost somewhere with no map or GPS?  If you have you know it can be frightening and frustrating.  They are helpful tools that can help us find where we are and where we need to go.    Life can be overwhelming as well if we don't understand our world and have the proper world view.  

In today's episode we will look at the origins of our world through the lens of what God shares with us in His word and the ministry of the Holy Spirit.  The Lord doesn't want us to be lost and overwhelmed, so He's given us so many wonderful tools to help us understand Himself, His Kingdom, and the King of His Kingdom (Jesus).    

We'll look at two powerful scriptures today that give us an introduction to God's kingdom.  One of them has to do with helping us realize the importance of where our treasure is stored up and the condition of our heart and the other has to do with learning to build our lives and everything we do on the ONE true foundation and that is Christ.  We will see that there is a contrast in scripture about wisdom and foolishness.  Scripture teaches us that God's kingdom is one of wisdom while the world's kingdom or satan's kingdom is one of foolishness.    This episode will be your intro. into helping you understand God's incredible kingdom.    

Key Scriptures:  

Matthew 6:19-24 (ESV)  

Matthew 7:24-27 (ESV)

In this episode I want to take a moment to pause and affirm what you might be feeling, going though, and experiencing in your life.  We all want to be seen and validated, especially in the times that are challenging and difficult.    I felt compassion and mercy rise up in my heart as before I started recording this episode and was led to take a pause to speak to your heart and spirit.    

Be encouraged that the Lord sees you and affirms who you are and how you are feeling today.  He is near.    I'll also share a little bit about what we'll be looking at this week and the week to come.  We'll be exploring God's Kingdom, the King (Jesus) of this Kingdom, and the most important aspect of the Kingdom and the King; You and I or His people!

In this episode we'll look into the life of the disciple John.  John wrote the gospel of John, 1-3 John, and Revelation.  We'll look at the transformation we see in John's life from early on through his maturing.  He goes from being called one of the "sons of thunder" to John the beloved.  John expressed the Father heart of God so beautifully.  

John's life is an example to us of how to "lean into" the heart of God and experience His love in profound ways.  We'll look into the meaning and significance of the book of Revelation as well.  Where I'll share a great example of looking for beauty in the world and in the people we know.  We must learn to sea beauty and let it change us, and that's exactly what we get when we read the book of Revelation.   We see the beauty of Jesus throughout and when we focus on it, it changes us from the inside out.  

I'll end the episode by praying a prayer of blessing over you.