Quotes from Dr. Myles Munroe- “Rediscovering the Kingdom”

The greatest threat to the future of the world is religion. Nuclear weapons, terrorism, SARS, shifting governments, Military Coups, and AIDS are simply tools used by religion. More wars have been fought in the name of religion than any other influence. Millions have died over the past 2,000 years under the hand of religious zeal. Misplaced and misguided religious passion has produced such historical scars as the crusades, the inquisition, ethnic cleansing and the horror of the holocaust… I find it ironic that most of the current wars and tensions are products of, or strongly influenced by, religions.

A brief look at the Modern, sophisticated, technocratic cyber space-age world of today can be the source of fear, depression, discouragement, insecurity and uncertainty. From the archaic world of cave men and bush hunters through the progressive succession of agrarian cultures, to the advent of the industrial revolution leading to the scientific age of post-modern and the computer age, we are still no better than nor different from our ancestors of old.

The only difference seems to be the sophistication of our tools and weapons. We are smarter but not wiser; we live longer but not healthier; we have more but enjoy less; we can go to the moon, but we cannot go home to a good family; we have access to more information but know less about life; we protect whales but kill our children; we have more religion but less love; and we blame others for our choices as we look to ourselves for solutions to the problems we create.

An idea is more powerful than an Army.

Perhaps the greatest crime committed in any kingdom or nation, ancient or modern, is the crime of treason. As a matter of fact, it is the only crime to which there is no question of receiving the death penalty. It is the ultimate act of betrayal.

If you believe that you are supposed to follow all the time, then follow on; t world is full of people who will be more than happy to lead you. If however, you detect the seed of leadership in you… and commit yourself to follow it, nothing can stop you.

The greatest tragedy in life is not death: it is life without a purpose. The most important discovery of life is the discovery of purpose… where purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable.

We have a tendency to believe that as long as something is not wrong, it must be right. However, even right things are wrong if they are done at the wrong time or in a place of some other right thing that should have been done instead.

Man is the crowning act of an intentional creator. He exists as God’s co-regent in a world created for him.

Man wants religion while God wants a relationship. We are easily impressed by religious rituals constructed on the foundation of an improper understanding of God’s eternal purpose.

In the Garden of Eden, there were no altars, sacrifices, songs, clapping, dancing, Bibles, hymn books, sermons or prayers – none of this stuff we call “religion”. There was only relationship: Adam and Eve walking and talking with God in perfect fellowship and harmony.

Our greatest enemy today is neither satan nor sin, because Jesus defeated both at the cross… Our greatest enemy today is ignorance. The antidote for ignorance is knowledge, so God sent us His word- His living word in the person of His son.

The Kingdom of God is the only kingdom in which every citizen is designated a king. The rulership is not over people, but in a specific area of gifting. This is why Jesus is referred to as the King of kings.

Our problem is that we spend so much time telling people how to get into the Kingdom that we rarely teach them what to do once they get inside… We spend so much time preaching about the door that we forget all about the palace behind it.

Essentially, the Kingdom of Heaven does not refer to physical territory. The kingdom of Heaven is a jurisdiction over which the influence of God has full authority. Therefore, the kingdom of God is me, then the house I own and occupy is the property of the Lord of Host.

God’s purpose was to establish a Kingdom of sons, not subjects… God is indeed a King, but He does not want subjects. He want sons. He does not want to rule us, but to have a family who shares His rulership.

God’s kingdom is different from earthly Kingdom in that it has no subjects. There are no peasants in the kingdom of God, only sons. In the Kingdom of God, we are not subjects but members of the royal family… Everyone in God’s kingdom is a prince or princess. There are no peasants or middle class, and no order of servants. In God’s kingdom, “everyone” is related to the king.

The message of the Kingdom of God is the most important news ever delivered to the human race. Jesus came to earth to announce the arrival of this kingdom and to establish it in people’s heart through His death and resurrection. As the son of God, Jesus Christ was the exact likeness of his Father and represented Him perfectly on earth. To all those who believed in and followed Him, Jesus restored their citizenship rights in the kingdom of Heaven and imparted His Spirit, so that they could represent Him and the government of Heaven on earth. This representation is known as government diplomacy.

If we claim to be living the kingdom life, we cannot constantly be forming our own little groups to advance our own opinions to challenge the word of the king. As law, His word is non-negotiable and immutable. We run into problems every time we try to carry our democratic mentality into kingdom life.

You may work in an office, and perhaps your boss comes to you asking you to do something that you know is not right. It may be unethical or even illegal. What should you do? if you are committed to kingdom principles, you should respectfully but firmly remind your boss that although he can make demands of your time and your labor while you are on the job, he cannot make demands on your character. He may own the paper, the pencils, the paper chips, the computer, and even the company, but he does not own you. Stand up for what is right even if it puts your job at risk. Once you sell your character and integrity for the sake of your job, then your boss will own you. Remember that you have a deeper image on you and answer to a higher authority because you belong to another kingdom.

One of God’s biggest challenges in getting His message of the kingdom to the world is the fact that we who are His representatives on earth are so slow to understand the message. Dreams of golden streets and heavenly bliss have blinded us to our responsibilities on earth. We like to talk about heaven because, for us, it represents for us our highest goal and because it helps us get our minds off our problems here in the earth realm when we are busy singing “I’ll fly away, O glory”, and “when we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be”, it is easy to forget – for a little while our car trouble, our overdue bills, the latest rent increase, or the job we just lost”.

Ever since the day of John, an invasion has been under way. A military takeover is in progress which no one knows about except those who have been captured. Have you been taken over? I have been taken over- by the kingdom of Heaven. It has taken over my heart, mind, soul and body and my entire future. It has taken over my attitude and made me a dangerous man- to the kingdom of darkness.

Source: Book- "Rediscovering the Kingdom" by Dr Myles Munroe.