Establishing Kingdom Culture: Health and Honor
I. Establishing Kingdom Culture
a. What is culture?
i. The intentional behaviors that govern interactions within the church community
ii. Culture is made up our:
1. Vision
a. BCF exists to elevate and empower, sons and daughters, to become the place Heaven touches Earth
2. Values
a. Secret Place: 5 More Minutes
b. Worship: Made for It
c. Health: Trickle Down
d. Honor: Through His Eyes
e. Fellowship: Assembly Required
f. Empowerment: Model and Invite
g. Generosity: It’s Not Ours Anyway
h. Excellence: Your Best, His Glory
3. Unique Characteristics
a. We are Presence Drive
b. We are People of the Word
c. We are a House of Prayer
d. We Await the Return of Christ
e. We Stand with Israel
4. Membership Covenant
a. Attend
b. Connect
c. Tithe
d. Serve
5. Standards of Leadership
a. Daily Secret Place
b. Forgiveness
c. Sabbath
d. Communication
e. Unity
b. Why does culture matter?
i. Culture is who we are as a community
1. Culture is how we determine to relate and interact with one another
ii. If we do not proactively establish our culture, the devil will
1. Reactive culture sounds like, “we don’t do that here.”
2. Proactive culture tells you what a community is about as soon as you walk in the front door
c. How do we establish culture in a community?
i. Clearly Define and Articulate it:
ii. Repeat them constantly until they move from your head, to your heart
1. Something has made its way into your heart when it is an automatic response to unexpected circumstances
iii. Identify and Celebrate when people understand and practice the culture
iv. Refuse to tolerate (lovingly, and firmly identify and confront) what violates our culture
d. We must go TOGETHER
i. We must all choose to embrace Heaven’s Kingdom Values…
1. If we want to make disciples of the nations
2. If we want to impact our city for the Kingdom of Heaven
3. If we want to see His kingdom come and His will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.
James 1:27 The Passion Translation
True spirituality that is pure in the eyes of our Father God is to make a difference in the lives of the orphans, and widows in their troubles, and to refuse to be corrupted by the world’s values.
4. We don’t to stop at making a difference in the lives of orphans and widows in trouble, we also want to REFUSE to be corrupted by the world’s values
a. If we don’t establish Heaven’s Kingdom Values, we will embrace the world’s demonic values
II. Clearly Defining and Articulating Health and Honor
a. Health: Trickle Down
i. We’re healthy when our thoughts, feelings, and desires reflect God’s. When we care for ourselves spiritually, physically, and emotionally we can influence our communities for the better. Health spreads from the top down and from the inside out.
b. Honor: Through His Eyes
i. Relationships are protected when we ascribe heaven’s value to the people around us. Like Jesus, we choose to interact with people, not as they deserve, but according to their God given value.
III. How do the values of Health and Honor Establish Heaven’s Kingdom Culture
a. Health Positions us to Partner with God’s will for Us AND Our Community
1 Samuel 13:5-12 New King James Version
5 Then the Philistines gathered together to fight with Israel, [a]thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude. And they came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Beth Aven. 6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in danger (for the people were distressed), then the people hid in caves, in thickets, in rocks, in holes, and in pits. 7 And some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead.
As for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. 8 Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. 9 So Saul said, “Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.” And he offered the burnt offering. 10 Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might [b]greet him.
11 And Samuel said, “What have you done?”
Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, 12 then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.”
13 And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”
i. God’s will for Saul was to be kingdom legacy to last forever, but Saul’s heart (thoughts, feelings and desires) did not reflect the Lord’s and as a result:
1. Saul dishonored his ultimate authority, God, and his earthly authority, Samuel
a. It was not Saul’s place to offer the sacrifices and supplications to the Lord
b. Saul became impatient with the timing of his authority and refused to wait on and for them
2. Saul forfeit God’s will for His life and lost the kingdom legacy that God designed him for
3. His community, his people, were left in their distress and trembling (fear)
1 Samuel 16:10-13 New King James Version
10 Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” 11 And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all the young men here?” Then he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep.”
And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him. For we will not [e]sit down till he comes here.” 12 So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with [f]bright eyes, and good-looking. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.
ii. God takes the kingdom from Saul and gives it to David
1. Was David perfect? Not at all, but God found in David a man after His own heart (thoughts, feelings, and desires)
2. David radically honored His heavenly and earthly authorities
a. His father who called him worthless
b. The fallen king he would one day replace
c. The prophets who confront him on sin
d. David knew how to wait for, and on his authority
Psalm 37:4 New King James Version
4 Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
3. David’s influence also transformed his distressed community into mighty warriors
1 Samuel 22:1-2 New King James Version
22 David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. 2 And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was [a]discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him.
a. Distress – emotionally hurting
b. Debt – burdened and enslaved by sin
c. Discontented – bitter and ungrateful
d. I don’t know about you but when I look at the communities I live in I see a whole lot of fearful people who have the potential to become mighty men and women of God
iii. How about you?
1. Are you a man or woman after God’s heart?
2. How do you interact with your heavenly and earthly authorities?
3. Do you possess the will to wait on the timing of the Lord and the authority He has placed in your life?
b. Health and Honor Establish Peace and Protect Relationships Within a Community
i. Two applications: Celebrate and Tolerate
1. Those on whom Heaven places high value
1 Samuel 24:1-15 New King James Version
24 Now it happened, when Saul had returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, “Take note! David is in the Wilderness of En Gedi.” 2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the Rocks of the Wild Goats. 3 So he came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to attend to his needs. (David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave.) 4 Then the men of David said to him, “This is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.’ ” And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. 5 Now it happened afterward that David’s heart troubled him because he had cut Saul’s robe. 6 And he said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.” 7 So David restrained his servants with these words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul. And Saul got up from the cave and went on his way.
8 David also arose afterward, went out of the cave, and called out to Saul, saying, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed down. 9 And David said to Saul: “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Indeed David seeks your harm’? 10 Look, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord delivered you today into my hand in the cave, and someone urged me to kill you. But my eye spared you, and I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.’ 11 Moreover, my father, see! Yes, see the corner of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the corner of your robe, and did not kill you, know and see that there isneither evil nor rebellion in my hand, and I have not sinned against you. Yet you hunt my life to take it. 12 Let the Lord judge between you and me, and let the Lord avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you. 13 As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Wickedness proceeds from the wicked.’ But my hand shall not be against you. 14 After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A flea? 15 Therefore let the Lord be judge, and judge between you and me, and see and plead my case, and deliver me out of your hand.”
a. David was healthy, and thus honored Saul
i. Not because Saul deserved it
ii. Not because Saul was a great king
iii. Not because David was trying to get in good with Saul
iv. But because He could see Saul through God’s eyes
1. “…forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed…”
b. David brought peace to a hostile situation
1 Samuel 24:16-22 New King James Version
16 So it was, when David had finished speaking these words to Saul, that Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. 17 Then he said to David: “You are more righteous than I; for you have rewarded me with good, whereas I have rewarded you with evil. 18 And you have shown this day how you have dealt well with me; for when the Lord delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me. 19 For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him get away safely? Therefore may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. 20 And now I know indeed that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. 21 Therefore swear now to me by the Lord that you will not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not destroy my name from my father’s house.”
22 So David swore to Saul. And Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.
c. David protected his relationship with Saul
i. Saul went from trying to kill David, to calling him his son
ii. Saul went from driving David out of the kingdom, to affirming him
iii. Saul went from threatening violence to begging for mercy
Proverbs 16:7 New King James Version
7 When a man’s ways please the Lord,
He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
2. Those on whom Heaven places little to no value
1 Samuel 17:20-37 New King James Version
20 So David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, and took the things and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the camp as the army was going out to the fight and shouting for the battle. 21 For Israel and the Philistines had drawn up in battle array, army against army. 22 And David left his supplies in the hand of the supply keeper, ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers. 23 Then as he talked with them, there was the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, coming up from the armies of the Philistines; and he spoke according to the same words. So David heard them. 24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid. 25 So the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel; and it shall be that the man who kills him the king will enrich with great riches, will give him his daughter, and give his father’s house exemption from taxes in Israel.”
26 Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
27 And the people answered him in this manner, saying, “So shall it be done for the man who kills him.”
31 Now when the words which David spoke were heard, they reported them to Saul; and he sent for him. 32 Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
33 And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”
34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, 35 I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”
a. David honored Goliath, he looked at Goliath through God’s eyes
i. Greek word for honor epitimao used when Jesus rebuked and cast out a demon in Luke 3:45
ii. Also used when Jesus rebuked the wind and the waves in Matt 8:26
iii. Uncircumcised philistine
1. Immigrant outside of covenant relationship with God
b. David was not afraid to confront Goliath because his heart (thoughts, feelings, and desires) reflected God’s and David could see Goliath through God’s eyes
c. David brought peace to Israel through victory!
i. Don’t negotiate peace with the kingdom of darkness, make peace with the edge of the sword (the word of God)
d. David also protected the relationships within his community
i. Husbands returned to wives
ii. Sons returned to parents
iii. His brothers had to treat him differently after this situation
3. Never be afraid to look at the devil, demons, the world, and your fleshly desires through God’s eyes.
a. Confront them in the mighty name of Jesus and watch what He does.
c. Health and Honor Establish Loyalty and Boldness in a Community
2 Samuel 23:8-23 New King James Version
8 These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: [a]Josheb-Basshebeth the Tachmonite, chief among [b]the captains. He was called Adino the Eznite, because he had killed eight hundred men at one time. 9 And after him was Eleazar the son of [c]Dodo, the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel had retreated. 10 He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand stuck to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to plunder. 11 And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines had gathered together into a troop where there was a piece of ground full of lentils. So the people fled from the Philistines. 12 But he stationed himself in the middle of the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory.
13 Then three of the thirty chief men went down at harvest time and came to David at the cave of Adullam. And the troop of Philistines encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. 14 David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. 15 And David said with longing, “Oh, that someone would give me a drink of the water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!” 16 So the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless he would not drink it, but poured it out to the Lord. 17 And he said, “Far be it from me, O Lord, that I should do this! Is this not the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it.
These things were done by the three mighty men.
18 Now Abishai the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of [d]another three. He lifted his spear against three hundred men, killed them, and won a name among these three. 19 Was he not the most honored of three? Therefore he became their captain. However, he did not attain to the first three.
20 Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, [e]who had done many deeds. He had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. 21 And he killed an Egyptian, [f]a spectacular man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand; so he went down to him with a staff, wrested the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear. 22 These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and won a name among three mighty men. 23 He was more honored than the thirty, but he did not attain to the first three. And David appointed him over his guard.
i. I am speaking to a church full of future leaders and end time prophets right now
1. When your heart reflects the King Jesus’ heart, it will always produce greater loyalty to the King and to those who are after/possess His heart (health)
a. Three of David’s men took on an army, to bring him a drink
2. When you properly honor (look at them through God’s eyes) those around you, you give others permission to do the same
a. David’s mighty men confronted any enemy that they came up against
d. RECAP:
i. Health and Honor
1. Position you to partner with God’s will for you, and the people around you
2. Establishes PEACE and PROTECTS relationships
3. Establishes LOYALTY and BOLDNESS
IV. What will we celebrate and what will we tolerate here at BCF?
a. Celebrate:
i. Any step, no matter how small, taken toward inner healing
1. From the inside out
ii. Time spent in the word/holy scriptures discovering the nature and heart of God
iii. Any attempt to embrace and affirm the thoughts, feelings, of God
iv. The honoring of authority and those around you for their heavenly value rather than their performance, qualifications, track record, etc…
1. Spouses, parents, bosses, pastors, etc…
v. Refusing to give high value to the devil, demons, demonic world views, philosophies, and practices
b. We will not tolerate
i. Thoughts, feelings, and desires that do not reflect the heart of God
ii. Unforgiveness, bitterness, hatred
iii. Misplaced identity
1. You are NOT your struggle, temptation, past
iv. Partnership with things that Heaven does not ascribe high value to
1. Spirits/demons, worldviews, lies, etc…
V. How Can I Grow in Health and Practice Honor?
a. Engage with the word of God,
i. Begin with the first 5 books of the New Testament
1. Read it, listen to it, meditate on it
2. Your heart cannot reflect God’s if you don’t know what He thinks, feels, and desires
b. Spend DAILY time in the secret place CONNECTING with God
i. Quality over quantity
ii. Practice different disciplines each day and pay attention to when you feel the most connected to Holy Spirit
c. Ask for help
i. Accountability in a healthy community is a powerful resource
ii. Pray and ask Holy Spirit to show you the areas He wants to see your thoughts, feelings, and desires match His.
1. He will ALWAYS answer this question
2. If you’re regularly engaging with the word of God it will also answer this question for you
Final Declaration and Prayer:
As a member of this body, I commit to these biblical values of Health and Honor. I refuse to be corrupted by the world’s values and commit my life to Your kingdom values! Thank You for this body. Unite us through the work of the Holy Spirit, that we may go together and that no man or woman would be left behind. We will allow You no rest until You establish us. We say “yes!” to what You want to do in our community and in our city. Thank You for choosing me to be a part of what You are doing. We declare that as we go together, the Kingdom of God will advance and many will come to know You as their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ the Risen King!
Father,
Establish Your will for this community
Establish unity in this community
Release the outpouring of the Holy Spirit amongst this community
AMEN!
