Why Should we encounter His Kingdom ?

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the
fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth” (Genesis 1:26 NKJV)

As this statement makes clear, dominion is the purpose for man’s creation and existence.
The word “dominion” here translates from the Hebrew word, which can also be translated as “kingdom,”
“sovereign rule,” or “royal power.”
In essence, mankind was created to have rulership over the earth.
The first thing man was given by his Creator was a “kingdom.”
The realm of God’s dominion, that realm of all sufficiency is the realm called the kingdom.

Satan dint come into the garden of Eden violently and take possession of Adam and Eve. He couldn’t!
because he had no dominion there.

The Keys to dominion over earth was given to Adam in the beginning, but he lost it to Satan through Sin
and the fall, Mankind’s failure through disobedience to his Creator resulted in the loss of his dominion
over the earth. Man lost his kingdom mandate, his gift of divine power.
In short, man lost his kingdom. It is important to note here that when man fell from grace,
he lost a kingdom. He lost dominion over the earth. But Jesus recaptured mankind and dominion. Satan
tried to disrupt that plan by offering Jesus a shortcut to the keys and dominion over earth at the end of
Jesus’s 40-day fast.

But Jesus said “no” to any shortcut and refused to give Satan any honor. He defeated him as the son of
man through His death and resurrection and gave back the keys to us to reclaim mankind.

Everything Jesus said and did—His prayers, teachings, healings, and miracles—was focused on a
kingdom, not a religion.
Jesus was preoccupied with the Kingdom; It was His top priority, His heavenly mandate.

Jesus first public statements reveal this Kingdom priority: From that time on Jesus began to preach,
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 4:17).
Now there’s something that caught them completely off guard; He brought His world with Him!
Repentance means to change the way we think and only when we change the way we think, can we
discover the focus of Jesus’ ministry-the kingdom

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3).
Jesus’ first announcement was the arrival of the Kingdom of Heaven.
His solution In other words, was if you are spiritually poor, only then will the Kingdom satisfy and fulfil
your hunger.

The Kingdom is God’s priority and must become our priority if we are to overcome the confusion of
religions and the threat of self-destruction.

How can we and What happens when we encounter the Kingdom ?

Faith grabs hold of the reality of the kingdom and brings it into collision with the natural.
The most effective way to express the kingdom is to live out the culture of heaven on earth
This changes the lenses through which we see the world.
The invisible realm is superior to the natural.
The reality of that invisible world dominates the natural world we live in.
By encountering the kingdom, it is possible to establish a powerful culture that thrives and heals
diverse societies, and helps us to prioritize what we want to accomplish within the realms of society.
An example of Kingdom influencing realms of society I witnessed is Bethel church in Redding
The city which was once called “poverty flats” today has a thriving economy

One of the main ways they have achieved it is through Honour - a kingdom principle

Many think they have a high value for honouring others, but in practice only honour those they deem
worthy. This means people of other religions, nationalities, denominations or political parties receive
little honour from them.

As disciples of Christ we are in a lifelong process of closing the gap between aspirational kingdom values
and functional kingdom values.
Over time kingdom values reinforce a healthy identity and transform our personalities in positive ways.

The calling of our church is to expand God’s kingdom through His manifest presence.
Applying principles without seeking His presence is like seeking a Kingdom without a King
The holy spirit is an agent of heaven who makes encounters possible.
As He is our greatest gift ever received. Those who discover the value of His presence enter realms of
intimacy with God never previously considered possible.