Building God’s Kingdom #7

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Discover how the kingdom of heaven empowers every believer, male and female, to walk in full apostolic authority and inherit all God has promised.

Description

Building Gods Kingdom Overview

In this seventh installment of the Building God’s Kingdom series, the pastor delivers a bold and scripturally grounded message on the role of women in ministry, the structure of apostolic authority, and the dangers of religious tradition. Drawing from Mark 7:13, Ephesians 3:1-7, Acts 1:20-26, Galatians 1:1 and 2:1-5, and Acts 26:16-18, the message challenges the cultural and religious biases that have long suppressed women in the church. The pastor shares a powerful true account of two women ministers who entered war-torn Albania to establish a hospital, demonstrating that God’s calling knows no gender boundary. He then traces the apostolic foundation of the New Testament church, contrasting the twelve apostles chosen under law with Paul’s heavenly commission, and exposes how Judaizers, Gnostics, and false brethren sought to infiltrate and weaken the early church. The historical example of Augustine’s premature elevation to bishop is used to illustrate the cost of bypassing spiritual maturity. Throughout, the pastor calls believers to shed tradition, receive their full inheritance in Christ, and stand firm in the freedom of the kingdom of heaven.

Building Gods Kingdom Outline

  • 00:00 – Series Context and Women in Ministry: The pastor reconnects the audience to the kingdom of heaven series and opens the subject of women in ministry, sharing the story of prophet Linda Sutter and her foundational role in the church’s early history.
  • 08:30 – Albania Mission: Women Leading the Charge: A vivid account of two women ministers who hitchhiked into civil-war-era Albania, won the favor of Muslim officials, and established a medical clinic by faith alone.
  • 18:00 – Tradition Makes the Word of No Effect: The pastor examines Mark 7:13, warning that religious tradition can nullify the power of God in people’s lives, just as the Pharisees limited what God could do through others.
  • 26:00 – The Kingdom as Government and Administration: A theological framework comparing the kingdom of heaven to a constitutional government, explaining how different dispensations reflect different administrations of the same divine authority.
  • 35:00 – The Twelve Apostles and Matthias: An exposition of Acts 1:20-26 showing why the twelfth apostle had to be replaced, the qualifications required, and what the number twelve signifies as complete government.
  • 44:00 – Paul’s Apostolic Commission From Heaven: Drawing from Galatians 1:1, 2 Corinthians 12, and Acts 26:16-18, the pastor distinguishes Paul’s unique heavenly appointment and his mission to bring the mystery of the church to the Gentiles.
  • 53:00 – Ephesians 3 and the Mystery of the Church: A close reading of Ephesians 3:1-7 unpacks the word mystery, the revelation given to Paul, and how Gentiles became fellow heirs of the same body through the gospel of grace.
  • 60:00 – Augustine, Tradition, and Church Infiltration: The historical case of Augustine’s premature appointment as bishop illustrates how unresolved spiritual immaturity and cult traditions entered the church, giving rise to monasteries and poverty vows.
  • 68:00 – Galatians Warning Against a Perverted Gospel: Using Galatians 1:6-7 and 2:1-5, the pastor confronts the Judaizer threat and calls the church to refuse bondage, protect freedom in Christ, and reject any gospel that benefits only an elite few.
  • 72:00 – Your Full Inheritance in the Kingdom: The closing exhortation calls every believer to receive all God has for them, walk in prosperity with godliness, and refuse to let tradition or false teaching rob them of kingdom inheritance.

Scripture References

Mark 7:13, Acts 1:20-26, Acts 26:16-18, Galatians 1:1, Galatians 1:6-7, Galatians 2:1-5, Galatians 4:1, Ephesians 3:1-7, 2 Corinthians 12:1, Hebrews 1:1-2, Proverbs 6:16-19

Key Takeaways

  • Religious tradition that contradicts Scripture makes the Word of God without effect in people’s lives, just as Jesus warned the Pharisees in Mark 7:13.
  • Women are fully called and gifted by God to function in every ministry office, including apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher, and suppressing that calling is a form of bondage not found in the kingdom of heaven.
  • The twelve apostles represented complete governmental authority in Israel, and Paul was separately commissioned directly from heaven to bring the mystery of the church to the Gentiles.
  • The five-fold ministry gifts of Ephesians 4 remain active until the church reaches the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, meaning apostles and prophets are still needed today.
  • False brethren have always attempted to infiltrate the church to spy out freedom in Christ and reduce believers to slavery through law, tradition, or counterfeit gospels.
  • Spiritual maturity must precede authority, as the story of Augustine demonstrates that gifting without formation produces lasting damage to the body of Christ.
  • Every believer is an heir of all things in the kingdom, and godliness combined with God’s provision is the biblical pattern, not poverty or limitation imposed by religious tradition.

Building Gods Kingdom Notes

Women and the Unhindered Kingdom Call

One of the central confrontations of this message is the long-standing tradition that restricts women from ministry roles. The pastor makes clear that this tradition, far from being biblical, mirrors exactly what Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for in Mark 7:13: using human custom to make the Word of God powerless. The account of prophet Linda Sutter, who at the very first service prophesied in detail the three buildings, radio station, and tower of the church, stands as living proof that God speaks and moves through women with full apostolic precision. The kingdom of heaven, the pastor insists, has no gender ceiling.

Albania Mission and Supernatural Open Doors

The story of Linda Sutter and a companion hitchhiking into civil-war-torn Albania captures the raw apostolic spirit this message champions. Refused entry by their driver, they entered on faith, were picked up by four Muslims including an official connected to the Albanian Ministry of Health, and sang worship songs that so moved their hosts that doors opened supernaturally. A free building, government-paid utilities, and eventually a fully equipped medical clinic built by women became the fruit. This account is not presented as extraordinary but as the normal outcome when tradition is stripped away and believers walk in obedience to a kingdom assignment.

Apostolic Authority and the Number Twelve

The pastor offers careful biblical groundwork explaining why Matthias had to replace Judas. In Hebrew numerology, eleven represents confusion while twelve represents complete government. The qualifications in Acts 1:21-22 were specific: the replacement had to have accompanied the disciples from the baptism of John through the ascension. Paul, by contrast, was chosen not through men or by men but directly by Jesus Christ from heaven, as stated in Galatians 1:1. This distinction matters because Paul carried a unique commission to unveil the mystery of the church, a reality hidden in prior ages but now revealed by the Spirit to holy apostles and prophets.

Augustine and the Cost of Premature Promotion

The historical detour into the life of Augustine serves as a sobering pastoral warning. Saved out of the Manichaean cult, Augustine brought unresolved spiritual baggage into the church when he was appointed bishop only two years after conversion simply because people loved his speaking ability. The result was that monastic thinking, secret-society culture, and the separation of the sexes as a spiritual hierarchy all crept into the early church through him, laying foundations for Catholic monasteries, poverty vows, and the subordination of women. The lesson drawn is direct: no amount of gifting substitutes for the formation that comes only through time, suffering, and deep encounter with God.

The Gospel That Belongs to Everyone

The pastor frames the gospel of the kingdom as inherently inclusive by nature. Citing the angelic announcement of Luke 2 that good tidings of great joy shall be to all people, he argues that any gospel which benefits only a select group is by definition a cult. Whether that exclusion targets women, Gentiles, or the economically disadvantaged, it betrays the character of Christ. Galatians 1:6-7 is applied directly: those who twist the truth about who can participate in kingdom life are perverting the gospel, not protecting it. The kingdom of heaven belongs to every born-again believer without condition of gender, ethnicity, or social standing.

Walking Free in Your Kingdom Inheritance

The closing thrust of the message calls believers to reject every beggarly tradition and receive the full inheritance Christ secured. Using Galatians 4:1, the pastor reminds the congregation that an heir who remains spiritually immature lives no differently than a slave, even though they are lord of all. Wealth and riches in the house, kings and priests reigning on the earth, and the power to bring God’s will into every sphere of society are not prosperity excesses but kingdom realities. The call is not to heap wealth on personal lusts but to receive God’s provision with godliness and deploy it to grow the church and advance the kingdom.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can women be pastors, apostles, or prophets according to the Bible?

This message argues emphatically yes. Ephesians 4:11-13 lists the five-fold ministry gifts without any gender restriction, and Paul declares in Galatians 3:28 that in Christ there is neither male nor female. The restriction of women from ministry is identified in this sermon as a human tradition that makes the Word of God without effect, not a biblical command.

What does it mean that tradition makes the Word of God of no effect?

Jesus tells the Pharisees in Mark 7:13 that their human traditions were nullifying the power of Scripture in people’s lives. When the church adopts customs that contradict or suppress what God has actually said, believers are robbed of the transformation, freedom, and power that the Word was designed to produce in them.

Why was Matthias chosen to replace Judas instead of Paul?

Acts 1:21-22 establishes that the replacement for Judas had to have been present with the disciples from the baptism of John through the resurrection and ascension of Jesus. Paul did not meet this qualification and was not chosen through the same process. His apostleship came directly from Jesus Christ from heaven, as he states in Galatians 1:1, making his commission distinct in purpose and method.

Are apostles and prophets still active in the church today?

Ephesians 4:11-13 states that the five-fold ministry gifts, including apostles and prophets, will continue until the church comes into the unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God. Since that unity has not yet been achieved, this message teaches that all five offices, including apostle and prophet, remain active and necessary in the body of Christ today.

What is the difference between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven?

This sermon explains that the kingdom of God has always existed and encompasses all of God’s rule, while the kingdom of heaven refers specifically to the current administration of that rule through Jesus Christ, who is seated in the heavens. When believers are born again, they enter the kingdom of heaven, receive a new heart, and are placed under the grace administration inaugurated by Christ.

How did Augustine affect the early church negatively?

Augustine was appointed bishop only two years after his conversion, before he had been adequately formed in the faith. Having come out of the Manichaean cult, he unknowingly carried over its emphasis on secrecy, separation from society, and the subordination of women. These ideas seeded the development of Catholic monasteries, poverty vows, and a hierarchical view of gender in ministry that still influences parts of the church today.

What were the Judaizers trying to do in the early church?

The Judaizers were infiltrators who taught that faith in Christ was not sufficient for salvation and that believers also needed to submit to Old Testament law, including circumcision. Paul confronts this directly in Galatians 1:6-7 and 2:1-5, calling it a perversion of the gospel and a form of slavery that robbed believers of the freedom they had received in Christ Jesus.

What does water baptism represent in the kingdom of heaven?

According to this message, water baptism is a public declaration of submission to the government of the kingdom of God and to those who administer it. This is why Jesus insisted on being baptized by John the Baptist in Matthew 3, even though Jesus was greater: he was formally submitting to the current earthly administrator of the kingdom in order to fulfill all righteousness.