9/10/11
Greetings, Once upon a time there were two kingdoms. The kings of these two kingdoms were diametrically opposed. As a matter of fact there was only one thing that they agreed on. They were agreed on the fact that they agreed about nothing. For this reason, they were continually at war.
One of the kings was valiant and brave. He was a hero of heroes and supremely powerful. A parable was often spoken of this king. It was said that “wisdom itself was birthed from his loins.” This king’s style of rulership was just, fair, and compassionate. This king not only loved his people, he loved his enemies as well. The people of his kingdom simply called him Father because of the affection they had for him.
The other king was a coward. He was cunning and intelligent, yet he never took responsibility and always blamed his faults on others. He was harsh, despicable, and he lied all the time. A parable was often spoken of this king. It was said that “lies and deception were birthed from his loins.” This king was a ruthless tyrant over his kingdom. The people of his kingdom called him the devil because he was wicked to the core.
Each kingdom sat upon its own mountain and there was a deep valley between the mountains. This valley was full of dead men’s bones, disease, and constant fear of war. Whenever the kingdoms went to war, they fought their battles there. Those that took up residence in this valley could never find peace and fulfillment. Since the valley wasn’t technically its own kingdom, it had a mayor. The mayor’s name was Pride.
The Father’s kingdom sat on a beautiful mountain full of every treasure imaginable. It was always brilliant and shining and it was said that from a distance it looked like a lamp set upon a hill. The food of this kingdom was the best in the world. Everyone drank “milk of the word” and “living water”. The older people ate “strong meat” and everyone partook of the “fruit of the Spirit”. The “bread of life” was served in every bakery. As far as the real estate, there were only mansions and they were all free because the Father’s son paid for them.
The devil’s kingdom sat upon a mountain that was always covered by thick black clouds. There was never any sunshine. Nothing ever got better because laws were never passed. There was only one law. Obey the devil when he wants you to do something, or else lose your life by various forms of torture. As far as the real estate, there were only apartments because the devil owned everything. They were unclean, had no running water, and were ridiculously expensive. Everything in his kingdom came with a high price.
As crazy as this may sound, the devil’s kingdom actually had a very large population. However, what was even more shocking was the population of the valley. Many of the citizens of the Father’s kingdom chose not to live on his mountain. Instead they built shacks in the valley. The materials that were used to build these shacks were exported from the devil’s kingdom, and as you can imagine, they were overpriced. The lives of those in the valley were racked by war and torment.
The devil would often attack those living in the valley. The Father would come and fight against the devil when the people in the valley called for his help. Unfortunately, many times they wouldn’t call. The devil would often go into this valley and get away with beating up on people. Every once in a while, he would even take prisoners back to his mountain and make them pay rent for one of his filthy apartments. He would put them in places like “Bitterness Lane,” “Selfishness Street,” “Addiction Avenue,” “Pornography Place,” or the dreaded “Fornication Station.” The Father grieved continually for those both in the valley and in the devil’s kingdom.
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This story is meant to illustrate many of the things going on in the spirit realm today. It is inspired by a conversation that I had with a friend of mine. Whenever a country is invaded, those that are first to lose out are those that live in the outskirts and small villages. These little villages have no defense and are often separated from the military might of the major cities of the kingdom or nation. They will have no walls and they might not even have trained warriors. Thus when another kingdom or nation attacks, all they can do is lose.
Many people in the body of Christ have recreated this scenario by spiritually separating themselves from other believers. By doing this they effectively remove accountability and mutual spiritual support and wind up in a spiritual valley. This is often done by refusing to attend a church or Bible fellowship. However, I want to add that this can be done within a church as well. Relationship with other believers is the key. Without relationship and accountability it is only a matter of time before pride begins to affect the person. This is why Pride was the mayor of the valley in our illustration. Pride leads to things like self will, selfishness, resentment, and a host of other sinful acts and attitudes.
Those that pay the price to submit and sacrifice their lives and do everything the Father asks of them will inevitably find themselves housed upon the mountain. They will be able to take full advantage of the inheritance Jesus purchased for them because they will be freely interacting with it. This is illustrated by those living on the Father’s mountain in their mansions. We are all given mansions (John 14:2) in our heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6), but many people will go their whole lives without ever accessing any of the blessings stored up there (Galatians 5:19-21). This isn’t the Father’s will but it is the choice of the individuals.
On another level, this is also true of church congregations. Many refuse to partner with other bodies of believers. They prefer to be by themselves. In my opinion, it is almost just as bad for a group of believers to sequester themselves from the body of Christ at large as it is for an individual to separate themselves from a church home. These churches will remain ineffective on a larger scale. No single church can reach an entire city for Christ. It takes cooperation. When we look at state wide or nationwide levels of influence, this fact becomes even more pronounced.
We as the body of Christ need to get out of the valley and unite upon the Father’s mountain. It won’t be easy, but it is necessary. When we look at the story, it illustrates that true unity isn’t intended to be established among those in the valley. They are too busy arguing their own points and living in the warzone to think clearly and be effective. Pride is the authority over the people in the valley. Those that live in the valley will not unite and if they try it will simply fail.
Unity is intended to be established by God among those that are willing to submit their lives in order to live on His Mountain and freely interact with their inheritance. Among those that are willing to live this lifestyle, God will establish unity. It will be these people that accomplish the purposes of God as a powerful force of righteousness in a lost and dying world. Those that remain in the valley will remain ineffective and live lives racked by spiritual war, a lack of peace, and repetitive failure.
Discussion
1. Where do most of the Christians in your sphere of influence live: the kingdom of the Father, the Valley, or the Kingdom of Darkness?
2. Where do you live?
3. Why do you believe that this is your current spiritual location?
4. What can be done in your life to migrate into a place of more power and effectiveness as a citizen of the Father’s kingdom?
5. What will be required for unity to be established among the people of God?
