BUILDING THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Isaiah 2:2 And it will come about in the last days, that THE MOUNTAIN OF THE LORD WILL BE PLACED ON THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAINS, AND BE LIFTED UP OVER THE HILLS ; and all nations will come to it. BBE

The Mountain of the Lord is the Kingdom of God (the Church). Daniel talks of the Stone that became a great mountain which filled the whole earth as the Kingdom that God would set on earth.

Daniel 2:34-35,44
F34 You continued looking until a stone was cut out without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them.
35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. But the stone … became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
44 In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.

    The Five Kingdoms Described in Daniel 2:31-44.
      1.    The Babylonian Empire
      2.    Medo-Persian Empire
      3.    Greek Empire
      4.    Roman Empire.

It was in the days of these Kings that God set up a Kingdom which shall not be destroyed
5. Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven. V.44
Actually Jesus came to set this Kingdom during the reign of the Roman empire. When it was at it’s great sovereignty. Just as Daniel saw that a stone was cut out of a rock, a small stone and it began to grow until it becomes a great Mountain that filled the whole earth. When Christ, a stone came on the earth, it appeared to the people like he was someone unserious just from nowhere. When he came, his birth was just miraculous. The Kingdom started just by him calling unpopular characters not the highly learned of the time, but those considered ignorant. He called twelve of his apostles and his Kingdom started with this small government of twelve just in the remote village of Nazareth. Then this small Kingdom (a stone cut without human hands ) started to grow, it expanded from this village of Nazareth to Jerusalem, then throughout Judea, Samaria, until now when it is in every Nation (the stone became a great mountain and filled the whole earth ).

Daniel says that this Kingdom will never be destroyed or conquered. Throughout the history of the church, Kings, Emperors, and rulers, have tried in vain to destroy the Kingdom of God (believers in Christ). Burning them, martyrdom and all attempts to destroy them. The true church of Christ will stand for ever (the body of believers in Christ the saints They are undestroyable) v.44. The Kingdom of God started small but has been growing through the whole earth. It has reached every Nation but just started from the small remote village of Nazareth.
When Jesus came to set the Kingdom, he concentrated on the kingdom, in that almost all the Parables Jesus used were to illustrate the Kingdom of God, so we could understand it better. He taught saying the kingdom of God can be compared with…., The Kingdom of heaven is like…
When he called his disciples, he sent them to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God. Jesus concentrated in the Kingdom message because he had come to set up a Kingdom which will never be destroyed.

Now since churches already have a presence in every nation in the world, we need now to concentrate on influencing the systems (the “mountains”) within these nations. The problem is that Christians are not currently influencing society outside the church. Christians have left the mountains susceptible to the “gates of hell,” which are spiritual portals over the “kings” (influence-shapers) of those mountains. We must understand that we are living in the kingdom, and Daniel says that this Kingdom will fill over all the earth_ that mean it will rule and dominate the whole earth. And there is no Kingdom which is established without Wealth- money, power and authority, principles and values. The problem we have is not understanding the kingdom. The problem with us is that we understand only one part of the kingdom, it being spiritual and not physical. This is where the problem of believers is

These Seven (7) Mountains of Influence are considered to be cultures that mold the way we think, behave and influences our lives on a daily basis, and if we are to make any significant impact and change in the community as a Church, then we must engage these Seven (7) Mountains of societal spheres, and influence them for Christ and His kingdom, by so doing we can bring change and transformation to nations and advance the Kingdom of God on earth.

I was asking a retired elderly man of 74 years, “In Uganda 84.4% is Christianity, but Christianity is not influencing the nation. Why? We have the brood of corrupt people everywhere in government and almost in every sphere of leadership. We claim that Uganda is a Christian Nation but Christianity is not influencing and transforming our nation. We say Uganda is a Christian Nation but we are not transforming the community. Why? It is because we have alienated ourselves from being involved in these 7 spheres that influence society. In the Lord’s prayer, it says, “Your will be done on Earth as it is done in heaven.” Is the will of God done in Uganda or in your nation as it is done in Heaven? In heaven the streets are made out of gold, gold is money. That talks of wealth. Are we experiencing that in our Nation? Definitely not? Why? Because we who are to influence the nation have relegated the mountain (government) that shapes and helps in wealth creation to the wicked greedy hungry vampire leaders who have sucked the wealth of our nation. Is Uganda poor? No? We have gold in every region of the nation, oil, and so many precious metals that make nations wealthy and rich. But we are beggars yet God has endowed our nation with wealth. Why? Because the leaders we have raised have made the nation poor not that the nation is poor.

The strategy for the Church to be able to influence these spheres (7 Mountains) and bring transformation to our society is through the workplace (marketplace), because 90% of our time is spent in these spheres.
The Church can begin to positively influence these spheres and occupy places as the principles of the kingdom are being released when we build and equip the saints to take their positions in the society, and see their workplace as part of their God given assignment. Our part now as a church is to disciple, train and release believers into the seven mountains of influence. Our discipled believers can work in these 7 mountains of influence, that is when we shall see our kingdom filling, subduing and dominating the whole earth. You shouldn’t say that a believer can not work in such and such a non Christian organization.

The problem with us Christians is that we want to put light where there is light, and where there is darkness, we don’t dare put light. Crazy enough, we walk with lighted touches during broad day light under the bright sun, but at the dead of the night with total darkness we don’t use light. This is one of the major reasons why we are not influencing and transforming communities. Remember the more the darkness, the more the light needed. We are called to be the light of the world, (Matthew 5:14-16) to shine in darkness.
It is time for Spiritually sound Christian leaders” to change their mindset as far as this is concern. We have heard people say things like this for instance in the mountain of politics (government), when you join politics you will get corrupt and backslide in your faith because politics is a dirty game. That is the trick the devil has been using for long to prevent the faithful believers from joining politics and causing us to relegate this mountain of influence to the wicked people that Satan has mentored to legalize and make unlawful decisions for our communities. Is politics a dirty game? What is politics? I define Politics as an organized art or science of administering and regulating the community or country (John Wilson Okurut). With the knowledge of this, you can not say that administering the community or country is a dirty game.
Daniel was prominent and one of the top ranking officials in the wicked Babylonian Empire, and he influenced the whole kingdom for God without compromising his values. He probably worked successfully with the 4 Kings; Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Darius and Cyrus. And none of these wicked Kings that he worked with, influenced him, but instead he influenced them and he never backslide in his faith.

Daniel stood high in the governmental service of Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, and Darius the Mede, and perhaps also of Cyrus. He was chief of the wise men, he was governor over the whole province of Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar; that Belshazzar made him the third ruler in his kingdom; and that Darius made him one of the three presidents to whom his hundred and twenty satraps were to give account; and that he even thought to set him over his whole kingdom. In all of these positions he conducted himself with faithfulness and judgment.
The second is Joseph , he worked with Pharaoh, one of the wicked Kings the world has ever known. But he was able to influence and shape the government and the economy of Egypt. He worked with this wicked King but never backslide or got corrupt.
When we disciple, train, equip and empower the saints with the grace in these different mountains of influence, we shall raise the generation of kingdom leaders. And we shall not worry of their being in any place of work. Because we know they have been placed there to influence those mountains not to be influenced by the wicked. The problem is not that believers are influenced negatively by those 7 mountains, but it is because they join those mountains when we as a church have not done our part of influencing them and instilling the Kingdom values and principles in them. When we do our part of Discipling, equipping, training and empowering the saints or believers by instilling and placing the kingdom values in them, they will enter those mountains as “influencers” not as the “influenced.” They get there to influence not to be influenced.

When believers are discipled they can work in any of these 7 mountains, and those non believing employers and employees working with them can be able to smell the fragrance (aroma) of Christ in them. Christians should get involved in the arts (Entertainment, Celebration, Music, Sports etc), business (Economy, Finance), government (politics), media (Communication), education, etc. We need more believers in those areas, not fewer. Each individual Christian is to find the particular “mountain” to which he is called and be a leader in that realm.
Christians are called to be light and salt in the world (Matthew 5:13–14). It’s true that the church should seek to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with all people in every area of society and in that way influence culture. When lives are transformed by the gospel, society will be impacted. When Paul and Silas brought the gospel to Thessalonica, there was an uproar. Evil men, resistant to God’s message, claimed the missionaries had “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6, ESV). The overturning of wicked systems and the advancement of God’s truth should be something every believer prays for and works toward.
The message of the gospel must permeate everywhere, and the seven mountain mandate is a strategy that makes sense in the advancement of the Kingdom of God. The people commanding the most influence today—the people at the top of mountains—are, for the most part, ungodly people who do not follow God’s Word. Influence the influencers, and you can change the world. Become an influencer yourself, and you can bring change that much more quickly.

As a church our passion is to disciple, raise and release believers into the 7 societal mountains of influence. These are areas that influence our societies.

1. We release people into the Mountain of Family. Discipling, raising and releasing Godly parents. The family is the first institution established by God through the covenant of marriage. The order of God’s dealing with creation, and the administration of His purposes in the earth is first with an individual through whom He establishes a family, and that family becomes the corporate body that He uses to impact the nations – the earth realm, to establish His purpose. Family is of important interest to God. His aim is to restore families.
   The devil knows this that is why there has been an intensive attack against the original institution of marriage (Man and woman), and against the family at large. Divorce, gay, lesbianism and all forms of family abuse are all strategies of the enemy to destroy the family.
   The Church must have a clear understanding of this and become involved in the restoration of the values of godly families, so we can empower the saints through an exemplary lifestyle and raising strong families that will boldly influence this mountain of family. Let us model Christ in the family. Our influence in the society is greatly dependent on the influence of the family values that are instilled in us. When men rise to become true fathers, and women rise to become true mothers to protect and establish godly values it will cause us to measure up to something.
2. We release people into the Mountain of Religion. Discipling, raising and releasing faithful ministers and servants of God. Let us be an example and a true expression of the Body of Christ as we build accurately and influence this mountain of religion, as it has been prophetically spoken that we will be the mountain on top of all mountains.
3. We release people into the Mountain of Business. Discipling, raising and releasing believers into business running successful businesses. We have a heavenly system that is not of this world, which gives us unreserved access into the supernatural economy of God that prevails above all other economies and systems, and it allows us to live in peace and prosperity. The challenge here is that we don’t know how to access the economy of God, or we are not accessing it to the fullness of God’s potential for us.
   The problem with the Church is that we are not raising faithful stewards, hence the true riches is not entrusted to us. We are found wanting! The children of this world are said to be wiser than the children of light, because they know that we have a system from above which is in a higher order that supersedes theirs, but we have left this higher order and seek to operate with their worldly system which is of no profit to our assignment. We cannot apply the system of this world and expect a supernatural result.

Over the years there have been prophetic declarations of Isaiah 60:1-7, about the transfer of wealth, and the camels which are coming with kings riding upon it with treasures of the earth. As much as this is true, but the reality is that the mountains of business, finance, economy etc will not be influenced by the Church if we only prophesy, pray and then seat down. There has to be a strategic development of the Joseph’s technology and mindset to train, equip and empower the saints with this grace to engage this mountain of business (Finance, Economy). A whole new generation of kingdom leaders and saints must be raised up in the market-place and the economic world that will strategically develop godly principles to influence and occupy this mountain.
Joseph the Jewish lad who was sold as a slave by his brothers was made the governor over the land of Egypt – Genesis 42:6. He controlled the economy of Egypt in the midst of famine and opened the storehouses to the nations, preserved the heritage of God’s people and brought unity among his brothers. In the midst of challenges, he went through the process of development to make his dream become a reality. From his lowest position in the pit and in prison he rose to occupy a seat in the King’s palace in a foreign land. He gained favour with God and with those in authority.
This question stands before us today; where are the Josephs of our day who will administrate and be in command of the economy? This must be a corporate effort of the body, and not just an individual. The Church must learn to work together in unity, and as a team to achieve this goal of ruling in the economic mountain.
It is time to set our hand in business, and the Lord shall bless us in the land to rule on this mountain._

4. We release people into the Mountain of Government. Discipling, raising and releasing faithful believers into government Offices. The truth remains that the Church must change her perspective regarding politics and government, or we will become irrelevant in today’s world.
   “When the [uncompromisingly] righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked man rules, the people groan and sigh” (Proverbs 29:2 Amplified Bible).
   The question is, how can the righteous be in authority when they are not involved in politics or government?
   If we cannot train and position the saints in places of influence and governmental authorities then the wicked will continue to rule, and we will be subject to the ridicules of the enemy and unlawful decisions that will be established, even to the detriment of our faith. This is without doubt, as we can see among the nations instituting and legalizing homosexual rights, and how the Church is being forced to compromise their belief in God’s word against this abominable act.
   When Haman stood as an enemy against the Jews and plotted to destroy them, nothing would have been able to avert the destruction that was coming, if Queen Esther had not stood in the King’s inner court to mediate for salvation – Esther 4:10-17. She desecrated the laws of the King’s palace and stepped into the inner court to meet with the King declaring “…if I perish, I perish”. The only reason Esther stood in this position was because she was prepared by Mordecai to take it, even though she was a Jew and it was not her right to do so. Mordecai recognized that she was prepared in her royal position for such a time as this.
   This question stands before us today; have we as a Church prepared our Esther’s who will stand in their place of governmental authorities for times such as this?
5. We release people into the Mountain of Education. Discipling, raising and releasing believers into the mountain of influence. Education provides us with knowledge about our world. It lays the foundation for a stronger nation, because education is the brain of a nation.
   Education is life, but the question is, what are we being educated in? Drug abuse, gangsters, prostitution, crime, unemployment and most barbaric actions are tied to lack of proper godly education which has shaped the mindset of our generation.
   We cannot deny the fact that education shapes the mind of many generations as it influences their behavior and what they become.
   This therefore makes the mountain of education an important sphere that we must influence to be able to dominate and rule. It begins from the basis – the family!
6. We release people into the Mountain of Media. Discipling, raising and releasing believers into the mountain of media who know God.
   The Media is the main means of mass communication that reaches a large audience, whether written, broadcast or spoken – (television, radio, newspapers, magazines, internet, movies and advertisements and so forth). It is a significant force that has the capacity to create the cultures that always influences and defines the character of a people geographically. The media is a stronghold that influences and controls the minds of people.
   The works of darkness, illuminati, Baphomet, wickedness, idolatry, heresies, sexual immoralities and abominable acts, such as gay marriages, lesbianism and witchcraft is being widely promoted and accepted as a culture, and even praised and glamorized on movies, television, social medias and so forth.
   Media is air-(waves) and it is a spirit. Air is symbolic of the spirit. Satan is known as the prince of the power of the air (media), the spirit that controls people to make them walk in disobedience. Satan is a ruler and authority of the air – airwaves.
   The media continues to be the platform to promote the dark side of the kingdom of darkness and to keep people captive to the course of this world.
   “While the women went on their way, some of the soldiers guarding the tomb went back to the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened. The chief priests met with the elders and made their plan; they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers and said, “You are to say that his disciples came during the night and stole his body while you were asleep. And if the Governor should hear of this, we will convince him that you are innocent, and you will have nothing to worry about.” The guards took the money and did what they were told to do. And so that is the report spread around by the Jews to this very day” – (Matthew 28:11-15 GNT).
   The chief priests and the religious sects took counsel and gave a large sum of money as bribe to the soldiers, which is sufficient to propagate a false report until this day, to deny the truth about Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior who rose from the dead on the third day, and He is alive.
   Billions of dollars is invested in media to control the air-waves to propagate lies and false reports, because anything that can be on the media will be accepted by the people and be sold to them.
   Does this matter to us as a Church that this mountain of media and communication is also available to us in many ways, and we can influence this mountain of media through a large sum of money if we invest to propagate the gospel of the kingdom of God through the right channels.
   Why do we waste our energy and time fighting against one another on the media and give ourselves to foolishness, when we can utilize that platform and channel our energy for Christ and His kingdom!
7. We release people into the Mountain of Entertainment. Discipling, raising and releasing our believers to take up this Mountain. To many, Arts – Entertainment, Sports, Music etc has become an idol that has captivated many hearts, and it influences their behavior and attitude towards one another.
   Youths, and adults alike are influenced by the music industry. It plays into the soul, and it can open people to a certain dimension and realm of influence and control in their spirit.
   I believe as a Church we need to explore this mountain and be creative to release a pure Spirit.

When we shift focus from only revelation knowledge acquisition to implementation of revelation knowledge then we can begin to see a transformation in these mountains, and raise creative and empowered dominion citizens who are ruling and influencing their world for Christ.