A Better Way To Enjoy The Kingship of God

There is a deeper and more intimate way of enjoying the kingship of God and this is through His son Jesus Christ. A proper way to begin enjoying this relationship is by first of all accepting Jesus as Lord of your life. This is what we call salvation. The intention of God the Father is made very clear to us in John 3:16 that He loved the world so much that He gave His only son to die for our sins and anyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. Amen. I will say salvation is the starting point for anyone who desires to understand and enjoy the kingship of God the Father. The bible tells us in Romans 10:9 (NKJV) that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. This is the only way to be saved. To bypass what this verse says and seek any other way is self-deception.

Here is another truth I want us to understand. Without salvation, you cannot see nor enter the kingdom and begin living the kingdom lifestyle. Secondly, after salvation, there is what Jesus referred to as the kingdom of God. When we talk about the kingdom, we are not referring to a physical location, but rather a way of living (a way of doing things). Jesus himself, speaking to Nicodemus (a Pharisee, ruler of the Jew) said this unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3 NKJV).

Then, later in John 3:5 (NKJV), Jesus, speaking to Nicodemus said this “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God”.

So, you see that it is systematic. You cannot escape one level and think you will make it at the next level. Salvation grants you permission to see the kingdom. The word and the Spirit then grant you entrance into the Kingdom.

I will say this, your initial entry into the kingdom is not a guarantee that you will always be in there. It takes the word to understand the kingdom such that you do as directed by the word.

You may ask yourself, how all these are related to our topic of interest (the relational attributes of the Father). It is very much related in that He is King as previously stated and a better way to enjoy the relational aspect of His kingship, is through His son Jesus.

There was no other way to get you to the place of understanding of how the process works without briefly mentioning the reason for His death, how to be saved, an idea of what the kingdom is all about and the difference between seeing the kingdom and entering the kingdom.

So, I will conclude by saying this, if you have not accepted Jesus as Lord of your life, I invite you to do so. If you need help on how to go about it, please do not hesitate to call us and we will be very glad to assist you in the process. Amen.

God Is "King"

Psalm 10:16a

The LORD is King for ever and ever;

Emphasis Mine

God is King and He is king over all creation and He remains King forever. This is a very significant aspect of our relationship with Him. It is important that even as we enjoy diversity in our relationship with Him, we should not lose sight of this aspect. He is King over us not from a domineering perspective, but from a love.

There are many aspects to His kingship, however, this is what I want us to see in the context of relationship. Relationship requires orderliness. There must be an authority that you bow to when in relationship in terms of your standards and values. By this, I mean that there is no place for indifference in relationship. We are either implementing kingdom values or worldly values. If we choose kingdom values, understand that God is the author of kingdom values.

Therefore, when you relate with Him, reverence these aspects of Him. Allow Him to teach you His ways, in the context of relationship. Do not undermine His kingship by choosing your way over His. If you do, there are consequences to that. Also, when you yield to the kingdom values, there are benefits.

Throughout scripture, we see men and women who upheld kingdom values in their relationship with the King.

Abraham and Moses are men in the bible who had high regard for the King and it was evidenced by the obedience to Him. As they enjoyed different aspects of His relational attributes, they did not lose sight of His authority as King.

The Apostle Paul is also a great example of one who lived an intimate relationship with the King, yet never regarded himself at any point, to be higher than Him.

We can learn from these individuals by doing likewise. It is a privilege to enjoy this relational attribute of God the Father. Amen.

       In addition to everything we have said about the king and the kingdom, I will us to understand that there is a deeper and more intimate way to enjoy the kingship and this will be through His son Jesus Christ. We will look at that subsequently.

God Is "Reward"

The subject of reward can be best understood in scriptures when we begin by looking at the life of Abram. The very first time the word reward is mentioned in scripture is in

Genesis 15:1(NKJV)

“After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”

Emphasis Mine

God says to Abram, I am…your exceedingly great reward. Meaning God is the reward. He did not say I will give you something as a reward. It suffices to say that the reward to Abram was not a “what” but rather a “who”. Amen

Other scriptures make this clear.

Isaiah 62:11 (NKJV)

Indeed the Lord has proclaimed, To the end of the world: “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Surely your salvation is coming; Behold, His reward is with Him,
And His work before Him.’ ”

Emphasis Mine

Revelation 22:12 (NKJV)

 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.

Emphasis Mine

Here is the point we are emphasizing. In your relationship with Him, understand that He is your reward. In Abram’s relationship with God, God established with Him that He (God) is his reward. However, we can see that Abram did not really understand the depth of that statement from God because right after the statement was made Abram said to God “What can you give me since I remain childless…? (Genesis 15:2 NKJV).

Even Jesus, when He first talked about reward in Matthew 5:12 (NKJV), He referred to the location of reward saying rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.

Abram’s approach is not an uncommon approach because even in our relationship with Him today, we relate with Him based on “what” we can get not for “who’ He is. Amen. So our goal today is to cause a shift in our thought pattern as concerns reward and relationship with the Father.

Please do not forget “His reward is with Him” Isaiah 62:11 (NKJV) and in Revelation 22:12 (NKJV) He says, “My reward is with Me”. So, please do not look for reward out of Him. Amen.

Back to

 Hebrews 11:6 (KJV)

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Emphasis Mine

Your knowledge of His existence precedes His reward and that is so because, if you do not believe He exists, He cannot be your reward because He is the reward. Amen.

God Is "Faithful"

When we talk about the faithfulness of God, we are talking about his steadfastness, firmness, his ability to do as promised. Amen. His faithfulness is seen throughout scripture and I believe everyone listening does have a personal testimony or two of His faithfulness.

Faithfulness is an attribute that is required and needed in kingdom relationships. The beauty of this truth is that our God “is” faithful and His character is that of faithfulness. So when you come to Him in the context of relationship, you can expect this aspect of His nature and character.

Throughout scriptures, we see the expression of His faithfulness in the lives of people. Abraham, for example, is one who received many promises from God and yet, no promise received from God by Abraham went unfulfilled. Let’s take a look at a few promises and how they have been fulfilled.

i)                In Genesis 12:2a God promises Abram saying “ I will make you a great nation; I will bless you. In verse 7a, the Lord appears to Abram and says “To your descendants, I will give this land”. Amen. These were a few promises from God to Abram as concerns his descendants. These descendants the Lord was referring to were not just close relatives of Abram but biological children. Prior to these promise, the bible tells us in Genesis 11:30 that Sarai was barren; she had no children. The question is “When and how will these promises come to manifestation? It wasn’t until 25years later that Abraham had Isaac (the son of the promise).

This is just an example to show God’s faithfulness in a relationship setting. In this case, His relationship with Abraham.

ii)              God’s faithfulness is also seen in His relationship with Moses. After Moses received instructions from God on how to go and deliver the Israelites out of Egypt. He ran with the instruction and implemented as instructed. It was a very challenging journey for Moses because he encountered a series of road blocks with Pharaoh. However, in the end, Moses prevailed. The Israelites were delivered as promised.

These are just a few examples illustrating the faithfulness of God. I will say this, the relational attribute of the faithfulness of the Father can be best appreciated in the context of relationship. Without a personal relationship with Him, there is a possibility that it will not be appreciated. I say so because as we identify the different relational attributes of the Father, we become both beneficiaries and benefactors at the same time.

Beneficiaries in that we receive from Him the benefits of faithfulness and at the same time, we learn what it means to be faithful. As benefactors, we can now bring the same quality to other relationships and be a blessing to them as well. Amen.

God Is "Father"

Let’s take a closer look at the parable of the lost son in order to gain some understanding of who a father is. Remember we are looking at relational attributes of the Father. Jesus’ illustration of the relationship between a Father and his two sons in the parable of the lost son (Luke 15:11-32) can give us a better understanding.

It is in the context of a relationship between a father and a son that we can best identify the characteristics of a father. We are told in this story that a certain man had 2 sons and one of the sons requested his share of the estate. So the Father divided his livelihood to both sons and the younger son left his family to a distant land and wasted all his money on wild living. When he later came to himself, he said and I quote verse 17 from the NKJV “How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger”. The son later returned home. The father was moved with compassion and welcomed him. Amen.

i)                A father is one who acknowledges the presence of the children and caters to their concerns (the younger son wanted his share of the estate, although his approach was not the best, his father attended to him).

ii)              A father treats his children with love and justice (he divided his livelihood between his two sons).

iii)            A father forgives (although the son squandered his livelihood by living a wild life, the father was still moved  with compassion, welcomed him home and even celebrated his return with a feast).

In an attempt to illustrate to you the relational attribute of God as Father, the parable of the lost son amongst many things is a reflection of a relationship between a son and a father and also a representation of a relationship between our heavenly father and His children. When we relate with Him as God, remember that He is not just your creator but He is also your Father. This statement can only be true and understood by those who live in the kingdom.

When Jesus was baptized, we are told that a voice spoke from heaven saying, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. I believe that was the voice of God the Father.

Matthew 3:16-17 (NIV)

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.  And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Emphasis Mine

During Jesus’ ministry here on earth He often referred to God as Abba Father. When you relate with the Father it is imperative you understand that He does not just want to relate with you as your creator but as your father. Scripture makes it clear to us that in order to be a child of God and call Him Abba Father, you need to be adopted into the family of God.

John 1:12-13 (NIV)

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

We see that God and Jesus began by setting the standard of Father – son relationship (which is a kingdom approach). Jesus later illustrated this relationship during His ministry using parables by way of emphasizing the importance of Father/son relationship. So, I encourage you do likewise. If Jesus is not Lord of your life, consider making Him Lord of your life so that you can be adopted into the family and begin enjoying the Father/son relationship. Amen.

God Is "Love"

     Love is such an integral part of all relationships. When love is absent, there is no relationship. That is one of the reasons why we stated in the previous series that your relationship with the Father is priority. When it comes to our Father, it is impossible to separate who He is and what He does. For example, God loves, that is His character, yet, He is love, the Bible tells us. His nature and character are inseparable.

Mark 12:30-31 (NKJV)

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

The parable of the lost son (Luke 15:11-32) is symbolic of our relationship with the Father and it clearly portrays His nature and character of love including other relational qualities as well.

i)                A loving father does not withhold any good thing from the child. We are told that the son asked for his own share of the goods and the Father divided his livelihood to his two sons (verse 12)

ii)              Although the younger son misused all that was given to Him, his Father was moved with compassion even when He saw his son coming from a distance. And the Father welcomed him (verse 20). Amen.

We see the aspect of generosity, care, and compassion being expressed as a result of love. Amen.

God Is "Spirit"

John 4:24a (NKJV)

God is Spirit

When we relate with Him understand that the word of God tells us that He is “Spirit”. Your relationship with Him is not necessarily physical but spiritual. The physical aspect of your relationship with Him is more of an expression of your spiritual relationship with Him.

We are told that God created man in His image and His likeness. In His image, not physical image, but rather with His attributes especially with the capacity to love. There are many dimensions of His image that this scripture refers to in terms of spirituality, dominion, fellowship, and more. However, I want us to see that the real you is not necessarily your physical body but rather your “spirit” being. You are a spirit, you have a soul and live in the body.

Once you are grounded in this truth, you will begin relating with the Father from your spirit man.

This understanding will expand your scope of relationship with Him and you will benefit more from the relationship.

The relationship between the Father, Jesus and the Spirit of God is an accurate reflection and representation of relationship.

Matthew 3:16-17 (NIV)

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.  And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Emphasis Mine

In this setting, we see the Father, Son and the Spirit of God relating. We learn from these verses that although in the same setting, they each complimented the other and fulfilled the purpose of the ongoing activity. They function in unity (agreement). There was no conflict of interest.

So, we will conclude by saying this, in the context of the relationship of the Trinity we see the expression of a relational attribute that we can learn from. Therefore, when you relate with Him you can be sure that you will not only live in unity with Him, you will also learn how to live in unity thereby becoming an example to other relationships. Amen.

Relational Attributes of God - God “Is” / God “Exist”

Prior to this series, we had established the significance of understanding yourself as a relational being, through the word of God. We did emphasize that our relationship with the Father is priority. The question is, how well do you know God as a relational Father? How well you know Him in the context of relationship will have an impact on how you relate with Him. He is relational. We will look at a few scriptures that communicate this aspect in order to help us understand Him to a place where we desire to relate and fellowship with Him. Amen.

The many attributes of the Father that we have come to know so far are embedded in His nature as a relational Father. For example, the attribute of faithfulness, goodness, kindness is best expressed in the context of relationship. So there is absolutely no doubt that He is relational.

I will say this, there is more to Him than anyone can talk about. As you relate with Him, you will discover more about Him and your relationship with Him will get better and better. Amen! A relationship occurs between two or more spirits, concepts, objects, or people. Therefore, if you say that you are relating with a spirit, a person, a concept or an object, you are confident about the existence of that spirit, person, concept or thing. Amen.

And because we are looking at our relationship with the Father, let’s begin by establishing the truth that “God exists”.

He is not an idea. He is not a product of an imagination. He is not a myth. He is not an illusion or something we are trying to make happen. God truly exist. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that anyone that comes to Him must believe that “He Is”/”He exists”. Coming to Him in this context of our study will be, relating with Him. If you believe that God Is / God Exists then your journey to relating with Him becomes easier. If you do not believe that God Is / God Exist, then there is a definite problem that needs to be addressed. Amen.

Hebrews 11:6 (KJV)

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Emphasis Mine

  

Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV)

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Emphasis Mine

When we talk about His existence, we are referring to His present state of being. The God of the now! Not yesterday or the future. He is present and ever-present. He is real. He exists. When you come to Him for whatever reason, in this case, relationship, have this truth in mind about Him. When you relate with Him, you can be sure that you will receive all the attention you need. Amen.

Let Us Agree In Prayers

  

My prayer for you is that of an agreement

i)                Receive grace to consciously develop a desire to approach relationships from a kingdom perspective.

ii)              Study the word in order to understand how to do relationships better.

iii)            Understand your place in the context of relationship and excel in it.

iv)            Become an asset in your relationships by consciously equipping yourself with relational skills.

v)              That you will not depend on your wisdom in order to do relationships but you will depend on the wisdom of the almighty God.

vi)            That you will be a great example in your relationships. Sharpening those with whom you are in relationships as they do likewise.

vii)           That your success in relationships will increase as your failed relationships decrease.

viii)         That you will seek opportunities to invest in yourself so that you become an outgiver of the revealed truths as concerns relationship.

ix)            That relationship will no longer be a topic you shy away from but a topic you embrace not from a place of perfection but of godliness.

Therefore, Father my prayers for us all is that because we now know better, we will choose to grow, choose to live excellently and choose to prevail in the area of relationships.

In Jesus Name. Amen.