To define kingdom, we must identify the king. Kingdom infers ruler. The rule of the king can be identified with his realm, but he can be king without a kingdom, rule without a realm. As Jesus indicates, the realm of His kingdom must be expanded and established, and the realm is measured by who or what submits to His rule.
Thus, submission becomes the operative word of kingdom. (We will discuss this more after the Introduction.) Jesus became a Ruler by submitting to His Father, “learning obedience by submitting to His passion.” As Savior, He can only finish what He started from His position as King.
Jesus accepted responsibility to create what Father wants. At the same time, He accepted responsibility to redeem what Father wants: “the lamb sacrificed before the foundation of the world.” He also accepted responsibility to restore what Father wants, and He restores from His position of authority at the right of Father. That is, He restores what He rules. He restores All to its initial purpose, and leadership is required to accomplish this ultimate result.
Leadership
Leadership isn’t a Bible word in the sense that you find that actual English term. It is, of course, so basic to the Bible that the Bible itself expresses that God is a Leader; He revealed His leadership to us. He revealed His strategies for leading us.
“Leadership” definitions reveal the motivational or passion structures of people who provide the definitions, and the definitions are varied, contradictory, and narrowly focused. That is, a CEO of a company that majors upon producing a sales force for their product line will define motivation in terms of human potential, or a CEO of a manufacturing firm emphasizing performance, quality, and production, leadership that produces the shared, desired outcomes. Leadership as management. Leadership as motivation. Leadership as maneuvers.
Leadership is influence. “Influence” is a leadership term. The etymology emanates worldview of leadership: the gods, the stars, the cosmos, and forces of the universe motivating or producing behavior. The Bible provides the only valid worldview by which we can properly understand influence in the ultimate and particular sense.
- Inspiration – all kingdom leadership is inspirational. The term “inspire” as translated in 2 Timothy 3:16, theopneustos, means “God breathed” and denotes the breath or spirit of God, Holy Spirit provides the fundamental leadership dynamics of the kingdom. The term has come to mean, “influence or animate with an idea or purpose.” For kingdom leadership, the tone of leadership and the dynamics or dumanis of leadership is spiritual, the breath of God.
Inspiration is a kingdom leadership dynamic in that relationships and functions are spiritual. The spiritual relationships have roles and responsibilities spiritually designed and defined. The kingdom leader functions in a fathering anointing, anointing being a fundamental dynamic of kingdom leadership.
“Anointing is Holy Spirit at work in natural men empowering them with spiritual capacity they do not naturally possess. The anointed leader, as God’s vessel, leads as he is led, but his leadership has spiritual capacity and dynamics only Holy Spirit can provide. (See II Corinthians 4:7). While the word, “anoint,” has the sense of something rubbed on, the sense also presumes a targeting for that which is poured on and rubbed in. We still use oils to prophecy the spiritual reality of spiritual anointing. In the Old Testament, leaders were literally and ceremonially anointed because they were spiritually anointed to represent God and do specific things for Him in kingdom culture. The oil poured upon the leader marked the moment God’s enabling power began to function and an observable inspiration marked that leader’s life and leadership.
To be anointed by God is not only to be picked, but also to be empowered by Him for the task or position to which He has called you.”
Leading by inspiration means the connection point of communication and relationship begins with spiritual assignment, alignment, and alliance. The submission of people to kingdom leadership is a surrender to kingdom assignment and the anointing and authority of the assignment creates a dynamic of spirit through which those being discipled receive from the King through the leaders He has sent. Holy Spirit in the leader and the one following inspires the relationship.
12 John 2:19-22 – “They left us, but they were never really with us. If they had been, they would have stuck it out with us, loyal to the end. In leaving, they showed their true colors, showed they never did belong. But you belong. The Holy One anointed you, and you all perceive it. I haven’t been writing about what you don’t perceive, but to confirm the truth you do perceive, and to remind you that the truth doesn’t produce lies.”
- Influence – all kingdom leadership can be measured by influence, by the spiritual power released in that leadership to alter the atmosphere, effect people exposed to the anointing, and to produce passion or motivation in people to embrace what God wants at some level. Inspired spiritually, influenced spiritually, people respond to the effect of kingdom leadership. This influence is spiritual and comes through the person anointed by God to represent Him. The response can be negative, of course; people are inspired in spirit in ways that reveal their heart conditions or that affect their heart conditions toward a response, good or bad.
Simple etymology of the word, “influence,” includes the sense of “streaming ethereal power from the stars acting upon character or destiny of men,” from Old French influence “emanation from the stars that acts upon one’s character and destiny,” also “a flow of water,” from Medieval Latin influentia “a flowing in,” from Latin influentem, present participle of influere “to flow into,” Influence as a leadership result or effect means “sway or power over human beings.” Aquinas mentions the term to describe “exertion of unseen influence by persons.”
The term initially assumed the influence of spiritual or hidden forces and powers upon men and history, swaying regions of the earth toward observable behaviors, character, or thinking. For us, kingdom leadership means spiritual and heavenly power given to leaders, released through leaders, brings the influence of heaven into the earth. Therefore, kingdom leadership strategies assume God calls and positions people to represent Him and His purposes on earth so that what He wants will affect and effect history.
We should assume the scope of leadership and influence a kingdom leadership exerts to be equal to the calling and assignment of God, the anointing and authority given would be appropriate to that calling and commissioning so that the leadership influence is equal to the kingdom assignment. We should assume that failing to exert the spiritual dynamics of inspiration would limit a kingdom leader in being and doing what he or she is assigned; and, we should assume that any kingdom leader attempting to influence beyond his or her calling and commissioning must be employ natural or occult power to gain influence.
- Impact – inspiration and influence assume impact, the effect of the cause of kingdom leadership. Leadership touches people, places, and purposes. The early believers were said to have “turned the world upside down.” [Acts 17:6] They influence of their message and mission was spiritually empowered, according to Paul, so that the effect would produce faith in God, not man. The impact was deep but the result came because they were kingdom leaders, representing heaven on earth.
Certainly, positional or titled leadership, the formal setting in place of leadership in government, family, and kingdom Ecclesia describes the roles, relationships, and responsibilities God created for leadership, but the title itself does not inspire, influence, or impact. Functioning in kingdom leadership dynamics defines and measures the kingdom impact of leadership. A father or mother has a defined role, relationship, and responsibility to children and to one another that can be negative or positive; for it to be kingdom leadership, the leadership must function from the Spirit and affect the spiritual conditions of the home and children. Governmental leaders have influence and impact, some through inspiration, but the roles, relationships, and responsibilities of government leaders differ widely in various cultures and are often designed and defined to limit the dynamics of kingdom influence and impact. A kingdom leader in governmental position may lead millions of people but have less kingdom influence or impact because their roles, relationships, and responsibilities are limited.
We are discussing the dynamics of kingdom leadership. While it always a blessing to have righteous leadership, the dynamics of kingdom leadership require a kingdom culture to be fully affective. A nation invested with God’s principles and protocols can produce much greater kingdom influence through righteous leaders than a culture with a believer in government whose culture has been drained of cultural principles that come from God. In turn, a great move of God may visit any nation with positive affect but fail to produce a transformed culture when the dynamics of kingdom leadership are not available. We seek primarily God’s kingdom and righteousness in order to represent Him on earth; the culture must be discipled as well as the individual people of the nation.
Reconsider your reading of what we call the great commission as it reads in Jesus’ words: “I have been given all authority in heaven and earth. As you continue this journey we’ve been together, wherever you go, disciple the cultures, baptizing them in the Name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey what I’ve commanded you, and be aware that I’m with you continuously until the age comes to an end.”
- Heavenly authority in earth
- Journey begun continues wherever you go
- Disciple cultures
- Baptize them in the authority and name of God
- Teach them to obey, carry out, and do what I’ve commanded you
- I am involved in this process (even though I’m leaving)
Kingdom leadership dynamics are intended to bring spiritual power, authority, and leadership into history to affect every nation on earth with the leadership of heaven’s kingdom and culture.
