Mark 1:14-15
Matthew 11:12

"The Kingdom of God is influencing the earth, greater than any force or political movement.  In fact, the Kingdom of God is not a place, but it is allowing the power of God to rule us and give us influence in this world."

Just as flowers need rain, sunshine and cultivation, God is calling us to a place in Him where we will withstand tests and trials that will fuel our passion for the Kingdom.  We must first identify our culture (Eagle Culture) which defined by our habits, the way we act and general behavior.

As citizens of the Eagle Culture (giving God our absolute best and nothing less), we must not make excuses, and most importantly, we can no longer afford to stand by and watch our co-workers, family and friends live their lives in a way that is not pleasing to God.  As believers, we too must make sure that we are "walking the walk" and "talking the talk" outside the church (in our schools, homes and workplace) as well as within the four walls of the church.

When Jesus returns, we need to know where we stand with God.  Whether we play an instrument, sing a song or dance a dance, we must give God our best!  When God considers PASSAGE partners, we want him to be as proud of us as He was of Job.  God knew that Job would worship Him and be faithful regardless of his circumstances.  Job gave God his best.

Mediocrity, passivity and casualness is a thing of the past!  To receive the bounty that God has for us, we must have a violent attitude regarding the Kingdom of God.  The word directs us to "bind the strongman" and "pull down strongholds".   We must go into spiritual battle with a spiritual attitude.  The key to defeating Satan is to fast, pray and digest God's Word.

In closing, Pastor reminded us that we are moving to a place of maturity, a place of perfection in Christ.   If we follow Pastor as he follows Christ, we will experience God mightily.

This message is available on CD

Scripture References

Sunday, January 27th, 2008

• Mark 1:14-15 - "Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God..."
• Matthew 11:12 - "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force."