This is as Close as You Are Ever Going to Get

The book, Win Your War, encourages us to think about these two thoughts:

1. For a Christian, this life is as close to Hell as you will ever be.

2. For a non-Christian, this life is as close to Heaven as you will ever be.

The latter of those two thoughts is a wretched one regarding any person in a non-Christian status. But, these reflections also lead us to consider that what we do with ‘the here’ and ‘the now’ is very important. We must allow God to be in it now so that He can be in it for all of eternity. Someday -- perhaps, soon -- EVERYTHING we know will end, and then the Kingdom of Heaven will come down and replace everything on Earth as we know it. The Kingdom of Heaven has a king, and that king is Jesus! As Christians, we should rejoice in this truth daily!

But, we should also acknowledge that we are living in between two times. The time when Christ’s Kingdom has already begun on Earth and the time when His full manifestation comes. In the interim, thankfully, Jesus taught us how to have ‘God in it’ experiences repeatedly. He said, when you pray, invite God in it! “Heavenly Father...Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10 KJV)

Again, borrowing some phraseology from Win Your War, to categorize things for a moment, into which category do you fall?

1. Are you inviting God’s Kingdom to come down through your prayers, your actions, and your faith?

2. Or, are you trying to pull culture up through good deeds and philosophies?

You are either a Culture-up person or a Kingdom-down person. Many people who want to do good get confused between pulling CULTURE up and bringing Christ’s KINGDOM down. But, a culture-up approach is exhausting and seldom does lasting good. We need to be the people who are inviting God’s Kingdom to come down through our prayers, actions, and faith!

Culture-up people focus on their political, artistic, and sociological philosophies. They want to establish their ideologies in our world and believe then it would be a better place. Anything that doesn’t add up to their ideologies is discarded and judged as wrong.

BUT, when you step into a Kingdom-down mentality, you recognize that it’s not about trying to pull everyone up; it’s all about inviting to pull Jesus’ Kingdom down! And ultimately, JESUS can change everything! We are currently living in a culture divided because of these two different mentalities. The only thing that can genuinely reshape our world is a kingdom down attitude. We need a Biblical worldview, and we need a vision filled with prophetic unction. We need God in it!

We are in a war, a spiritual war. The book of Revelation overflows with some of the most violent stages that the world will ever know regarding this spiritual battle. It is a war against darkness and light, against the antichrist and Jesus Christ. It’s intense and can be overwhelming to read. But here’s what I want you to know, blessed is he that reads and they that hear this prophecy. It’s vital that you know and appreciate this prophecy because God is in it! And, understand the prophecies of John’s Revelation are all about perspective!

Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of this prophecy…

-Revelation 1:3 (KJV)

We must stop letting man’s ideology prevail in our personal space. If we are to win our world for the good and bring it into the light, we must renew our minds with a Kingdom-down mentality. Never ignoring that we are called to have ‘God in it’ through the manifestation of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.

I invite you to view this message, “Upon Further Review”, in its entirety at this link: https://youtu.be/sE13MwguUI8

Here are a few things to evaluate in your life:

1. Do you have a relationship with Jesus? This decision is the first step in receiving the anointing in your life. If you are ready to give your life to Jesus, we would love to celebrate with you at 3trees.com.

2. Do you need to rededicate your life to Jesus and start seeing your life from a kingdom down mentality and a new vantage point, a fresh perspective? If yes, please connect with us at 3trees.com.

3. Are you ready to take your next steps towards discipleship? Many non-Christians are as close to heaven as they will ever get, but through BEGIN, you can be equipped and empowered to change their lives! You can walk through our ONLINE BEGIN class at 3trees.com/begin

4. Do you want to be a part of bringing Heaven down to Earth? Join our captivate team! Visit 3trees.com to find out how you can participate in community outreach opportunities.

WATCH IT | DISCUSSION GUIDE | MESSAGE NOTES

This is Why You Absolutely Need to See Things This Way

Corrie ten Boom used the analogy that it would look like a mess if you viewed a loom from underneath, but it would look like a beautiful piece of art if you looked at it from above.

Consider that the Earth is God’s loom, and He views it from above. He understands the ‘loom process’ that He has set in place, and to Him, it is beautiful. But because we view our world from underneath, it too often looks and feels like a mess.

In this vein, the Bible; especially, the book of Revelation, helps us see our world from the same perspective as God sees it. And that changes everything! When you see life from the vantage point of Heaven, it looks different. And, suddenly, we are reminded that God is the author and the finisher, the alpha and the omega. He is the first and the last! And, NOTHING is a surprise to Him. Jesus has a plan to defeat spiritual darkness and win the battle for eternity. We just need to change our perspective and see things from a different vantage point.

The word throne is used 45 times throughout the book of Revelation. And, it makes clear that the ultimate throne belongs to Jesus, and everything proceeds from His throne. According to the whole counsel of Scripture, Satan has wanted this throne from the very beginning. When he was first an angel named Lucifer, he had instruments and stones placed within his body and led beautiful worship.

Ezekiel 28 -- alongside Leviticus’ details of High Priests’ breastplates -- leads us to interpret that Lucifer’s stones, when activated by God’s light, cast beautiful rainbows throughout heaven. But Lucifer was selfish and unhappy. He wanted the angels to worship him and not God. As a result, he organized a revolt with one-third of the other angels in Heaven to take God’s throne. They lost being cast down from Heaven by God. Landing like with the force of lightning strike on the other side of God’s wrath, Lucifer dusted off his ego and became the chief of all fallen angels, the devil, whom we now refer to as Satan.

From the creation of Mankind, the devil has been harassing humanity. (Just read Genesis 1-3!) Our enemy has been trying to steal, kill, and destroy everything we have. But God had a plan, and He sent Jesus to save us all through His blood, and on a hill called Calvary, He took back the keys to death, hell, and the grave! He reestablished His kingship on earth. The gates of Hell will not prevail because God created the church, and His Kingdom made manifest through that Church will win!

The enemy is trying to create a space on this earth that allows him to envision victory, but in reality, we serve a King that has already won! If you want peace, read the back of the book because it will change your perspective. You get the view from above!

You may have been looking at your life from underneath the loom -- the messy side -- but the Holy Spirit wants you to look at it from above. You can win the situation you are in, you can, and you will survive what is transpiring, things will get better, and you have a reason to keep fighting. Let the Holy Spirit refresh and restore you! Remember, all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose. Change your perspective to the vantage point of Heaven!

I invite you to view this message, “Upon Further Review”, in its entirety at this link: https://youtu.be/sE13MwguUI8

Here are a few things to evaluate in your life:

1. Do you have a relationship with Jesus? This decision is the first step in receiving the anointing in your life. If you are ready to give your life to Jesus, we would love to celebrate with you at 3trees.com.

2. Do you need to rededicate your life to Jesus and start seeing your life from a kingdom down mentality and a new vantage point, a fresh perspective? If yes, please connect with us at 3trees.com.

3. Are you ready to take your next steps towards discipleship? Many non-Christians are as close to heaven as they will ever get, but through BEGIN, you can be equipped and empowered to change their lives! You can walk through our ONLINE BEGIN class at 3trees.com/begin

4. Do you want to be a part of bringing Heaven down to Earth? Join our captivate team! Visit 3trees.com to find out how you can participate in community outreach opportunities.

WATCH IT | DISCUSSION GUIDE | MESSAGE NOTES