Hey everyone, welcome to the podcast.

This is Brian Del Turco, Jesus Smart X Podcast, where we are questing to explore life on the leading edge of God's kingdom.

That's a process, that's a journey, that's a quest, but that is our pursuit.

You know, the kingdom of God is not something abstract or ethereal or unrelatable or like something that's so quote unquote heavenly minded, but no earthly good.

It's not just a belief that we hold either.

It is initiated by the born again experience.

Jesus in John 3 with Nicodemus.

It's a dynamic reality that we step into, initiated through the born again experience.

But then we develop, we grow, our new nature expands and grows.

We are disciples, we are learning, followers of Christ.

So we step into it and it's a dynamic process of growth.

I remember a professor in college drawing the distinction between punctilia and process.

Okay, punctiliar is a point in time and process is a line.

It's a continuing dynamic reality.

Our entrance into the kingdom is very much like that.

It begins at a point in time through conversion through the born again experience.

John 3 with Nicodemus again.

But then it's also a dynamic reality, a process that we grow in.

And when we get what we want to call kingdom forward in our mindset, I'll come back to that.

Okay, kingdom forward.

I'll tell you where I got this phrase from.

I'm borrowing it.

We start aligning with what God is doing right now.

Well, welcome to the podcast.

This is episode 347, our preceding episode.

You may enjoy it if you haven't heard it yet.

Faith gains.

Why your spirit needs resistance to grow.

Do you know that just like your physical body, your spirit needs time under tension or resistance to grow and develop.

Episode 346, the one right before that 345 is the microeclasia.

These tight, potent gatherings of Kingdom believers is the Microeclasia.

God's new mega move is small.

The new big could be another way to say it.

Well, I was on a fitness walk recently and I'm listening to a podcast as I'm often want to do.

And I mean, how could a podcaster not be a podcast listener?

By the way, podcast listening continues to surge and grow every single year.

Did you know that podcast listeners tend to be more educated than the average bear?

They also tend to be more affluent financially.

Not sure why that is.

In some cases it's probably because people that are learners and want to grow and develop, increase their income and increase their Their, their net wealth.

But I believe that some of the best people developing in the kingdom are podcast listeners as well.

So congratulate you, Congratulate yourself.

I, I, I offer you congratulations and make it part of your, your weekly protocol, shall we say?

So I'm on this fitness walk and I'm walking through the trees, and we quite often see deer in this park.

And I think the deer are very tame.

They're very tame now because people adore the deer and they stop and they just ooh and a over them and they let you get very close to them.

Not up, not close enough to touch them, but quite close.

At any rate, I'm walking amidst the trees with the deer.

Little another little aside, did you know that walking around trees is healthy for you?

There's psychological and even physical benefits to walking in the midst of or near trees.

Won't try to go into that right now, but there I am, and I'm listening to a podcast and I hear this guest who's used to be like a Silicon Valley tech guy, but it's hard to define him as just a tech guy.

He's a biohacker, he's an investor.

You know, he's just an inventor.

I mean, it's just incredible.

Renaissance person, really.

He now lives in Texas, but he's talking and he is describing people and companies pushing boundaries in technology.

And the phrase that he used was tech forward.

He might say, that person is tech forward.

That means they have an interest in tech, they have a capacity for tech, they're growing and learning about tech.

Or that company is tech forward.

It's not stuck in the past.

They're early adopters.

They're embracing new technology, tech forward.

And I don't want this to ever stop with me.

I quite often I'll hear a word or a phrase, maybe on a podcast or in a conversation or on a YouTube video or in a sermon, and it'll just light up for me.

And then it opens up.

It's like clicking on a icon or clicking on a, you know, something on your phone or something.

And it just, an app opens up, if you will.

And it, I immediately felt, what about the priority of being kingdom forward?

Can we use that phrase, kingdom forward?

This would be a person who leans into the kingdom.

They're very interested in the kingdom.

They're seeking first the kingdom and God's righteousness.

As Jesus said in Matthew 6, Kingdom forward.

I have to tell you, though, I'm going to be honest with you.

I'm podcasting from the United States of America.

I don't know what it's like in other parts of the world.

I'm guessing it's like this in Europe and maybe some other parts of the world too.

There are hot spots in the world where Africa, Asia, you know, South America that are a little bit different.

In North America and Europe, a lot of people do not have a kingdom forward approach to living.

They have more of a religious or churchianity or I gotta get to heaven approach.

Okay, it's not a kingdom approach.

But here's what Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3.

I mentioned this at the top.

He told Nicodemus in that nighttime conversation, unless we're born again, we can't even see the kingdom.

He also said, unless you're born again, you cannot enter into the kingdom.

Seeing first and then stepping into kingdom reality through growth.

This is our operating principle.

Once we're initiated to the kingdom through the born again experience, that point in time, and then we enter into a process where Jesus coaches us up, disciples us, teaches us.

And this quite often, of course, the way that the Lord works is he.

Jesus coaches us up and disciples up us through others who are discipling us and coaching us and mentoring us.

That's the, that's the mission we've been given.

Go and make disciples, teaching them everything.

I've commanded you.

But Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, Seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

So here's what we can say.

Let's say this right now.

The kingdom of God, this following Jesus thing and his kingdom, it's not a side hustle.

It is the organizing principle for everything in your world.

The group the Greeks had a way of thinking where they had a, an instinct to ask the question, what is the organizing principle for all of reality?

And they came up with the concept of Logos, that Greek word which means a word or a reasoning or an organizing principle.

And of course, John in the New Testament, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, takes that Greek concept of Logos and applies it to Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is that organizing principle.

But they had that instinct.

They were getting close.

Many of the Greek thinkers were getting close to understanding Jesus as the Logos, the organizing principle.

Everything revolves around him.

Everything was created by him, sustained by him, works best by Him.

Everything is going in his direction.

He is the Logos, the organizing principle.

So the kingdom of God is that it's not a side hustle, it's not a hobby, it's not an insurance policy.

So what do we mean when we say being kingdom forward, this is so important.

This is so important because all of life hangs on this, that best pathway, your story, the destiny that the Lord intends for you, that contributes to the story of Jesus, the unfurling of his kingdom.

Here's a few points we can say about this.

We are being kingdom forward when our values, our decisions and our relationships are shaped by the King's agenda.

Not by a selfish carnal agenda, not by cultural trends, not by the winds of human change.

It's shaped by the King's agenda.

Here's another way that we're kingdom forward when we face a challenge or an opportunity, okay, it could be a challenge like quote, negative or an opportunity, quote, you know, positive.

Either way, we ask questions like this.

What action right now most advances God's reign in this moment?

What decision?

What action right now most advances God's reign in this moment?

Let me give you a negative example.

Let's say you are verbally, emotionally accosted by an individual or something really bad happens to you.

There's an offense, it's real.

Now what action could you take?

Will you be reactive or proactive?

What proaction could you take that most advances God's reign in this moment?

And can I add that would most position you to be blessed, to prosper, to pass the test and to move on in Jesus coaching process with you?

That is being kingdom forward.

But we could talk about many examples of this.

Or maybe there's an opportunity, a door that's set before you and you and you're thinking, okay, how should I approach this?

What action can I take?

What decision should I make that would most highlight and underscore God's reign in this moment?

What's resonating?

What's my instinct telling me?

What do I, how do I feel the Holy Spirit is leading in this moment and then just in faith following that?

Here's another way.

We're kingdom forward.

When we see an opportunity, instead of thinking selfishly or instead of thinking having some ego agenda or some competition or comparison mindset or something like that, we think, how can this be leveraged for the King's story?

How is this part of my own personal story that will contribute to the King's unfurling story?

See, we're kingdom forward.

It's alignment.

It is my story syncing with the Jesus story.

Just think about that.

Just say this to yourself.

At least think it to yourself and more powerfully even pause right now and say it to yourself.

My story syncing with the Jesus story.

Now I'm going to say something that's going to be a little challenging right now and perhaps controversial, and I'm going to take the risk and say it.

I believe that God loves all of his sons and daughters.

We know the scripture says God demonstrated his own love for us and that he sent his own son to die for our sins.

Paul said that in Romans.

John said in John 3 that for God so loved the world, the people of the world, he loved it so much that he sent his only son, his only unique begotten son.

Whoever believes in him would not perish, but would have everlasting life.

We know that God is love.

John says in First John.

There's not many, if any, verses like that that actually define the essence of God in that sort of way.

God is love.

He not only loves as a verb, he is love.

So I believe that God loves his children.

I believe he loves the world.

But I'm here and here's the.

Here's the controversial part.

Controversial part.

And if you want to throw some digital tomatoes at me because you don't think this is right, go ahead and email me at Brian Del Turco proton me.

Okay.

I believe he loves all of his children, but I think he really likes some people.

I think he likes kingdom forward people.

I think he likes people, that is to say that seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all of these things.

Jesus promises that all the world is seeking after.

The right things will be added to you in the right way at the right time if you seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

I think he likes that.

I think he's drawn to it.

People who are kingdom forward are on a different playing field.

Okay.

We live ahead where we carry the King's priorities into every space.

So let's pray something like this.

Just a short summer episode today.

King Jesus, I choose to seek first your kingdom and the Father's righteousness.

What the Father thinks is right and is in order.

Holy Spirit, would you align my steps, my words, my thoughts, in everything, in all things.

King Jesus, advance your your reign via me, in me, via me, all around me, in my personal world.

I trust you, Lord.

I do trust you to add what's designed for me into my life as I seek first your kingdom and the righteousness of the Father as I seek to be kingdom forward.

I praise you, I receive, I expect.

Amen.

I agree.

So be it is what amen means.

So let's be encouraged.

If you like these thoughts I've shared today.

I'm actually drawing from a weekly newsletter that I send out.

It's called the Smart Edit and you can just search for Smart Edit on any search engine and it'll pull it right up to the top.

Or go to jesussmart.com, click on the tab.

About the newsletter.

Your email is held in confidence.

It's not sold.

You won't be spammed.

And I think it's a newsletter that a lot of people are finding value in and I would love to have you on the list.

Smart Edit is what it's called.

It's free.

Okay.

So here's the encouragement as we wrap it.

Live ahead.

Live ahead.

It's going in this direction, folks.

Got to get an understanding.

Got to understand the times.

Got to get a revelation of where history's going.

It's going in the direction of Jesus.

He is coming.

He is bringing the completeness of his kingdom.

There will be a millennium.

There will be a new heavens and a new earth.

I want you in it.

I want to be in it.

The life you live now is just a seed of all of that to come.

But live ahead.

Kingdom first, always.

Kingdom first, always.

Every day you wake up, you go through your day.

Who knows what's going to happen?

Who knows what's going to be said?

Who knows what opportunities will present themselves?

Who knows what challenges will come to put your faith under tension so you can develop in your spirit.

But in all things, it's always the kingdom.

Kingdom first.

It's always King Jesus.

Always.

Now, if this resonates with you in any way, would you share it with a friend?

Just share this episode with a friend.

Pass it on to them.

Let's live on the leading edge of the King story together.

I appreciate you and we'll see you next time.