Faithful on Fridays Blog

Every nation from the beginning of time experienced it’s own unique culture. They’ve had a form of religion, language, economics, social traditions, government, arts (including literature and music), values and morals, a way of life that defined them. 

Since God is the Creator what was His original plan for the culture, the way of life, of His image-bearers? 

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness. And let them have dominion …”

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion …” Genesis 1:26, 28

Dominion and subjection over the earth in God’s place was His plan from the beginning. Their assignment was to form a kingdom culture whose way of life reflected the Creator. Dominion means to rule and reign as kings and queens in God’s religion, language, economics, and so on. That original assignment was to subdue the earth God created for us and have authority over it as royalty.

However, there was another kingdom being developed whose author tried to usurp that rule and reign: Satan, our enemy.

You (Satan) said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ Isaiah 14:13-14

You know what happened, Satan was thrown out of heaven along with his demon-followers, and he’s been trying to gain dominion ever since. During His wilderness temptation Jesus was lured with that authority He already possessed,

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

Jesus knew Satan received delegated authority over the earth temporarily, after the fall, but Jesus wanted His followers to focus on worship and servanthood. Satan declared,

If You (Jesus), then, will worship me, it will all be Yours. And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.’” Luke 4:7-8

That’s a true kingdom culture. God originally desired His people to serve as royalty in His kingdom and that hasn’t changed because God doesn’t change. It doesn’t make sense in our world today, it may even by culture shock to many, but God’s kingdom, the culture of Christianity, is different, distinct, and separate from the kingdom of this world. When we’re not operating in Kingdom of God principles we’re automatically operating in the Kingdom of the world. Let’s investigate those two kingdoms over the next few weeks asking the Holy Spirit to reveal them to us in practical ways.