Operating in the Faith of the “Mustard Seed”

Posted on 2012/07/05 by pdt

This Week’s Audio Message

When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him.  “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water.  I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”

“O unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.”  Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.

Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”  He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”  – Matthew 17:14-20

Last week, we shared on the 5 aspects of activating Kingdom DNA from our experience in serving companies such as Tony Wear.  These aspects are:

  1. Operating in the “faith of the mustard seed”;
  2. “Washing” the people, company, and their processes through God’s word;
  3. Prophetic messages speaking into the destinies of individuals and organizations;
  4. Exercising our market place competencies in the Spirit’s power, thus providing clear benefits to the company’s business operations;
  5. Overcoming doubt and pride, key elements that separated God from Adam and Eve, and have inhibited our Kingdom DNA.

This week, we will expound on the first aspect, “Operating in the ‘faith of the mustard seed’”.

Many market place situations today are like the boy that seeks healing for seizure.  People and companies seek for their needs to be met – looking for a testimony of the Spirit’s power through us.  But often times, we, like the disciples, can have our faith overwhelmed in a spiritually parched work place where Christ’s lordship is not recognized nor honored.  For this reason, a most important first step in transforming our market place is to begin by operating in the “faith of the mustard seed” – to see the potential of God’s Kingdom DNA in our work place environment.

When Jesus admonished His disciples to “have faith as small as a mustard seed”, He reveals to us two powerful principles of potential.  The first principle is that faith can bring about an incredible magnitude of transformation.  Jesus “quantifies” this magnitude by making a mind-boggling comparison: the “fruit of transformation” to the “initial investment of faith” is like “moving a mountain” to a “mustard seed”.  The potential of faith for “return on investment” is so big that it will stretch us beyond our limitation and imagination.

Jesus then reveals a second principle on how to recognize this potential.  We will recognize it when we can see beyond the mustard seed’s outward appearance and into its genetic code.  In Mark 4:30-32, Jesus points out that a mustard seed, although the smallest of seeds, can grow into the largest of all garden plants.  In other words, we cannot recognize the mustard seed’s potential based on its size and physical appearance.  But when we understand the seed’s DNA and the mechanisms that cause the seed to grow, we will see, embedded in the seed, a tree larger and more productive than the seed by billion or trillion folds.

Operating in the “faith of the mustard seed” is to understand Kingdom DNA and see its “Kingdom tree”.  It will open our eyes to the potential that God has coded into our market place by recognizing its Kingdom DNA.  God intends for us, as market place pastors, to release that potential by activating the Kingdom DNA in our sphere of influence – manifesting His awesome testimony (Luke 11:20).  We can operate in such expectations when we see beyond the face value of the seed – perhaps your current market place situation that seeks “healing” – and into the potential of the Kingdom DNA, the genetics that allow us to be transformed to an increasing likeness of Christ.

During our intercession conference call today, I will share more on how we applied the aspect of “faith in the mustard seed” at Tony Wear – helping its design team to see the “tree” of their “mustard seed” through their Kingdom DNA.  Please join us.

Market Place Meditation and Prayer

We encourage you or your market place fellowship to meditate on the following and pray over them.

  1. What is the greatest “healing” that my market place environment is seeking after today?
  2. What is the “mustard seed” that contains the Kingdom DNA of my market place environment?
  3. What is the “tree” in the “mustard seed” – the potential of God that I will base my faith upon?
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Activating Kingdom DNA – A Market Place Pastor’s Call

Posted on 2012/06/28 by pdt

This Week’s Audio Message

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. – 2 Corinthians 3:15-18

Please click here for a perspective on Rajat Gupta’s conviction for insider’s trading from last week.

A few weeks ago, we started to share on the concept of activating “Kingdom DNA” in the context of the market place.  We saw in Genesis 1-3 that God created us with a Kingdom DNA designed to reflect the likeness of Christ in a place where He called us to be “fruitful and multiply” – in the market place.  It seems that when Adam and Eve chose disobedience, sin inhibited creation’s Kingdom DNA which resulted in pain, fruitlessness, decay, and separation from God.  Those inhibited genetics, some of them perhaps expressed as “junk DNA” today, propagated to all subsequent generations of creation, severely impairing our ability to fully reflect Christ’s likeness.

The shedding of Christ’s blood, His death, and resurrection, brought about the great reversal.  Because of His sacrifice, we can once again be “transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory” – we can activate the Kingdom DNA that exists in us but has been inhibited in the bondage of sin.  We believe that one of the roles of market place pastors is to bring activation of Kingdom DNAs, from individuals to company departments to enterprises to industries to economic systems.  The expression of Kingdom DNAs will transform these places into an ever-increasing likeness of Christ’s glory.

Our recent “market place pastor” experience with Tony Wear’s design team gave us a first glimpse of what activating Kingdom DNA may look like.  We came to realize that all people are created in Christ’s image and have their destiny stories coded in their Kingdom DNA – Psalm 139:16.  Therefore, our job to transform the company processes and culture lies in activating what God has already placed in people, no matter how distant they may seem to be from the Lord.

We learned that activating Kingdom DNA will come through:

  1. Operating in the “faith of the mustard seed”;
  2. “Washing” the people, company, and their processes through God’s word;
  3. Prophetic messages speaking into the destinies of individuals and organizations;
  4. Exercising our market place competencies in the Spirit’s power, thus providing clear benefits to the company’s business operations;
  5. Overcoming doubt and pride, key elements that separated God from Adam and Eve, and have inhibited our Kingdom DNA.

We will expound on each of these ideas in the following weeks and hope that they will invigorate the market place pastors, or Kingdom consultants, called to activate a company’s Kingdom DNA.  We believe this will play a key role in raising up Christ’s End-Time army, His Kingdom economy, for the great harvest.

In their desire to “activate Kingdom DNA”, the world’s companies pay thousands of dollars (USD) per day to groups like McKinsey for advice.  This company, with the leading global brand in management consulting, just had their former head convicted of criminal charges.  This speaks volume into the thirst the world has for God’s living water to activate their Kingdom DNA.  Only the church was given the “keys to the Kingdom of Heaven” – keys that can truly activate Kingdom DNA.  This also speaks volumes on the opportunity today for market place pastors, the Kingdom consultants who, as wellsprings of living water, can bring unparalleled differentiation to activate Kingdom DNA.

Market Place Prayer

May God raise up market place pastors in the 10,500 to serve leaders who are seeking first God’s Kingdom and righteousness.  May the Holy Spirit breathe onto them a vision and path to activate Kingdom DNA in companies that will become the foundation of the Kingdom economy.

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A Heart Pleasing in God’s Sight

Posted on 2012/06/21 by pdt

This Week’s Audio Message

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. – Matthew 6:31-33

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul.  The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.

They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.

By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors?  Forgive my hidden faults.

Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression.

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

– Psalm 19:7-14

Rajat Gupta’s conviction last week for insider’s trading shook the financial world.  This conviction is not just another high flying drama of financial justice coming to bear.  This shake-up, like many other global scale shake-ups, also carries a divine message for the Church.  Because of the tremendous weight carried by this message for market place leaders, I feel compelled to share it in a timely manner.  In that light, I would like to defer our very fascinating discussion on the market place pastor’s role in “activating Kingdom DNA”.  We will return to this topic next week.

God is speaking to His market place leaders, to those striving for capability, influence, and wealth.  Our qualification lies not in our ability to gain capability, influence, and wealth.  But it lies in our ability to steward them in ways that bring pleasure to God’s sight.  For those He has called and chosen, He will first condition their hearts before granting them the capability, influence, and wealth.

Mr. Gupta had humble beginnings as he grew up in India as an orphan.  His intelligence and determination took him to Harvard and then opened a path for him at McKinsey & Co., one of the world’s most prominent business consulting groups.  He eventually rose to its highest position, and for almost 10 years, led McKinsey in advising the world’s top corporations in business strategy and management practices.  Beginning in 2006, his influence greatly expanded when he became a board member for Goldman Sachs and Proctor & Gamble.  His amazing rise took him from an obscure orphan in India to one of the most prominent global figures that influenced the world of finance, consumer products, and corporate stewardship – areas that directly touch the lives of every global citizen.

But even in that place of “Eden”, where Mr. Gupta attained capability, influence, and wealth beyond his wildest dreams, he could not overcome the temptation to gain more, to satisfy that yearning for greater significance, even when it means to “eat the fruit of knowledge of good and evil”.  A few phone calls in 2008 and 2009 that leaked insider information shattered everything Mr. Gupta had built from the past 40 years.  For this crime, he could be imprisoned for many years.

We believe that to complete the work of the Great Commission and prepare for Christ’s return, God has an agenda to raise up market place believers with great capability, influence, and wealth.  God wants to see His Kingdom come and place people with the right heart in positions of influence – those places currently occupied by people like Mr. Gupta.  His desire is to grant us everything that the “pagans run after” when we set our hearts to please Him by “seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness.”

Mr. Gupta’s case contains a prophetic message that speaks to the heart of a generation of believers anticipating a great “wealth transfer” from the world.  God is seeking vessels to touch the lives of global citizens through the market place.  These vessels are qualified not by their ability to gain capability, influence, and wealth.  But they are chosen because they please God in their stewardship of capability, influence, and wealth.  The matter of our heart is truly the heart of the matter.

Market Place Prayer

We bless the work of the Lord in purifying and qualifying His market place leaders for greater capability, influence, and wealth.

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Activating “Kingdom DNA”

Posted on 2012/06/14 by pdt

This Week’s Audio Message

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.  God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” – Genesis 1:26-28

To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”  To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.  By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” – Genesis 3:16-19

Last week, we introduced the work the Lord led us to at Tony Wear – to “infuse Kingdom DNA” into the company’s business strategy, products, and operating culture and bringing about a greater reflection of Christ’s likeness.  In the week of pondering on this topic, the Holy Spirit granted us a deeper insight on “Kingdom DNA”.  From that, I would like to briefly pause on the Tony Wear story this week and share on the concept of “activating Kingdom DNA”.

When God created Adam & Eve in His image, He imparted them a DNA that reflected Christ’s likeness.  In addition, God infused into Eden a Kingdom “seed” or “DNA” encoded with the full potential to be fruitful and multiply.  “Equipped” with their DNA, Adam & Eve served God in Eden’s “market place” environment – to carry out value creation and expansion – to govern with the most awesome creativity, productivity, righteousness, justice, love, wisdom, celebration, honor, splendor, glory…everything that reflects the likeness of Jesus.

When Adam & Eve chose the path of disobedience, the functioning of that “Kingdom DNA” changed.  Pain and toil became part of the “fruitfulness” & “multiplication”.  Productivity in the “market place” became impaired.  Sin inhibited the “Kingdom DNA” such that Adam & Eve’s ability to drive Christ’s Kingdom agenda (1:28 Agenda) and reflect His likeness became severely hampered.  This condition, like genetics, passed onto Adam & Eve’s subsequent generations and their market places – including ours.

The study of genetics has shown that we seem to use only a small portion of our DNA.  The rest “unused” portion is termed “junk DNA”.  Depending on how one defines junk DNA, it can comprise 80%-95% of our genetic code.  We either do not understand the function of junk DNA or, for some reason, they have been inhibited.  It seems that God may have embedded us with a greater potential than our bodies actually manifest.  Junk DNA offers quite an interesting parallel of how sin has affected our “Kingdom DNA”.  It can be said that sin brought about “junk Kingdom DNA”, hampering our productivity in the market place and inhibiting our ability to reflect Christ’s likeness.

All people are created in God’s image and already carry “Kingdom DNA”.  Christ’s sacrifice opened the way to restoring the “junk” portion – to reactivate the Kingdom genetics that were inhibited by the Fall.  Contrary to what we put forth last week, we do not have to infuse “Kingdom DNA” into the market place.  We just need to activate what God has already infused during creation.

This means that ministering to the market place is to activate its “Kingdom DNA”, to unlock the “genetics” in people and companies that manifest a greater likeness of Christ in their value creation.  God is calling a generation of market place teachers & pastors, a different class of Kingdom consultants, to do just that.  Next week, we will share on how our Tony Wear experience helped us see this role of a market place pastor – one that can activate a company’s “Kingdom DNA”.

Market Place Prayer

May the Lord raise up market place leaders and ministers to activate “Kingdom DNA” in companies like Tony Wear, to transform them into a greater likeness of Christ, and to be a witness to the end of the earth.

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