KINGDOM ADVANCEMENT

The Bible contains a constant theme of advancement. Moving forward with God’s plans and purposes defines the nature of scripture. With each leader who was truly committed to Him, God gave strategies to bring about the advancement of His purposes. 

We see it in the life of Old Testament and New Testament leaders alike as they dedicated themselves to the fulfillment of their destiny. The Apostle Paul epitomized this ideal when he wrote in Philippians 3:13, “forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead”. This is not simply a poetic statement; it is the culmination of Godly relationship, personal sacrifice and vision-driven living. 

“No one ever did great things for God without first putting themselves out there and laying everything on the line.”

No one ever did great things for God without first putting themselves out there and laying everything on the line. Abraham had to leave everything behind, Moses left the comfort of his flocks, David fled for his life, the prophets were willing to die and Jesus chose to leave His home in heaven. 

It takes three key things to advance the kingdom of God. 

FIRST, it takes people who are willing to commit to the corporate purpose of the kingdom. They must be willing to commit to prayer, to service and to investment of their time, talents, gifts and resources. Most of all they must commit to one another in order to establish the teamwork necessary for the completion of the task.

SECOND, you need sound strategies to act upon. Without sound strategies to act upon, you can exhaust your resources and not be able to complete the task. Your strategies must be flexible though in order to accommodate all the moving parts of any worthwhile endeavor. If your strategy is too rigid it may become ineffective in a changing environment.

FINALLY, you will need a multi-generational perspective to build upon. You must look ahead and anticipate the changes, challenges and cultures of future generations or you will miss the opportunities to reach them. Becoming all things to all men is not about becoming like them, it’s about understanding them in order to communicate with them.

Kingdom advancement requires a kingdom mindset that is inclusive and not exclusive or you will exhaust your pool of gifted people and soon stagnate. In my mind, our Victory movement exemplifies this truth as we continue to, “Reach, Teach & Mobilize” people for kingdom purposes. Each generation must understand its role in God’s long-term strategy so that it doesn’t become frustrated and miss God’s specific purpose for it. The people of Hebrews chapter eleven envisioned things that they would never personally experience; but it didn’t stop them. Any generation must maintain an attitude of kingdom advancement that goes beyond anything they’re able to accomplish in a lifetime. Our generation is no exception.

Pastor Morris Watson
VCC / VCI Vice-President