{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/64bcf52ac23a750011ac2677/699b2ce7240b4a2d758293b6?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Building Kingdom, Not Empire: Shifting from Separation to Connection","description":"<h2>A church message focused on Jesus as King and a challenge sparked by a previous talk about the church “building too much with empire and not enough with Kingdom.” </h2><h2><br></h2><h2>John Hulse contrasts two mindsets—separation (scarcity, certainty, perfection/measurement, self-centeredness) and connection (enough, mystery, fallibility)—and says believers often read Scripture through a separation lens. </h2><h2><br></h2><h2>Using Matthew 6:32–33 and Mark 1:14–15, he reframes righteousness and repentance as God’s “way of doing and being right” and repentance as changing one’s inner self and old way of thinking, not merely moral performance. </h2><h2><br></h2><h2>John discusses identity and purpose, includes Horatio Nelson’s Trafalgar prayer as an example of knowing one’s “just cause,” and argues fear and perfectionism can keep people from living Kingdom. </h2><h2><br></h2><h2>The message calls the church to recognize a kairos “now” season, examine where they are building empire versus kingdom, and become doers of the word by renewing their minds, trusting God’s provision, and seeking first His Kingdom.</h2><h2><br></h2><h2>00:00&nbsp;Lifting Up Jesus &amp; Why We’re Talking Kingdom Today</h2><h2>00:55&nbsp;Empire vs. Kingdom: The Challenge That Both Excites and Scares</h2><h2>05:44&nbsp;Two Mindsets: Separation vs. Connection (Seeing Through the Lens)</h2><h2>08:16&nbsp;Spotting Separation: Scarcity, Certainty, Perfection &amp; Self-Centered Living</h2><h2>13:23&nbsp;Seek First the Kingdom: Righteousness, Scripture, and the Mindset Shift</h2><h2>17:55&nbsp;Does Sin Separate Us? Rethinking Righteousness (Edgy but Necessary)</h2><h2>23:10&nbsp;Nelson’s Prayer, Mark 1, and What Repentance Really Means</h2><h2>31:13&nbsp;Identity, Purpose &amp; Your ‘Just Cause’—Living Kingdom Without Perfectionism</h2><h2>36:03&nbsp;Kairos ‘Now’ Season: Practical Questions to Build Kingdom, Not Empire</h2><h2>40:21&nbsp;Final Prayer: Changing Our Minds to Live in Kingdom Connection</h2><p><br></p>","author_name":"Stuart Gregg"}