Having been reared in the church, I often heard statements regarding ‘Kingdom work’ or ‘building the Kingdom.’ Most, it would seem, understood or meant this to refer to evangelism, or adding to the numbers in the Body. Occasionally, the term/s might understand church or, more likely missions, as ‘Kingdom work.’ If pressed, most would assume anything else that helps the Body grow spiritually or numerically was ‘building the Kingdom.’

But, is this an accurate reflection of Torah, the Prophets, and Scripture as a whole?

In fact, just building numbers is akin to collecting stones as material. But, how much of that is actually building the Kingdom?

And, while we are defining terms, what is the Kingdom? The expectation for most of Christendom is some ethereal, non-descript, something-something in the sweet by-and-by. They know the whole idea is rooted in Scripture, but because they generally do not accept the literalness of prophecy or the myriad unfulfilled prophecies regarding the Land promised to Abraham and the return of the whole house of Jacob, they revert to mystical fantasies after a ‘rapture.’ [Side note: The ‘rapture’ is another topic rooted in misunderstood prophecy, but I’ll let the dog sleep, right now. 😉 ]

Non-Jews in the Torah awakening should, of all people, understand prophecies regarding the return of the lost sheep of Israel. In that alone, we can see prophecy unfolding before our very eyes! Surely, we can see that the restored Kingdom is very literal and will again be built in the Land and have a greater glory than at any time in HISTORY!! Melek Yeshua ben David will sit on the throne!

Knowing this, Jeremiah 30 and 31, among other whole chapters, should make our hearts SING!! And, it should cause us to lean forward in ‘building the Kingdom’… but, how?

Obviously, to build anything, one needs raw material. Peter describes us as living stones. Sharing the GOOD NEWS of Messiah and the Restoration He brings is important, but it is not the end or the whole plan. This necessary first step is akin to gathering a pile of stones. It simply collects the raw material.

Teaching and training people is the next step that grows them spiritually and in knowledge, but this again is not the end or the whole plan. It is the process of cleaning and maybe even shaping those stones to be a good fit in the house. At this stage, it is still largely just a pile of nice rocks. This is the point where most people stop, thinking the job is finished, or at the least, reached a stage where we simply sit and ‘wait for Messiah to do His thing.’

I seriously think there is more. Simply gathering at Shabbat and discussing Scripture or enjoying a fellowship meal together is not the end goal. Wearing tzitziot and a ‘I’m a Heeb’ t-shirt through the week is not the end goal!! There is more that we can be doing right now to lean into being the house of Jacob in exile awaiting our KING!

We can BE the house of Israel. We can intentionally work toward being small clans.

[Ancient Israel didn’t have communities, they had families, clans, and tribes. I am avoiding using ‘community’ because we so easily think we can join or leave a community whenever we feel like it. FAMILY and clan is different. Blood sticks together. Blood may have disagreements, but learns to walk through it. Blood looks out for, protects, covers, supports, helps each other.]

Here are some practical ways to intentionally work toward being a clan with an eye toward networking clans in the diaspora:

• Work on projects together. I.e., get together more often than just on Shabbat…
• Seek to move/live in closer proximity to members of your clan. This facilitates getting together to work on projects.
• Work intentionally toward interdependence and basic food security.
• Develop a trade or skill that will benefit your clan and potentially the whole house.
• Seek to create or build symbiotic businesses that benefit the family/clan.
• Network with others who are like-minded and seeking similar connectivity.
• Keep money in the family. I.e., ALWAYS #shopFAMILYfirst
• Move your primary social media connection to TheTorahNetwork.com, use the world’s system for outreach, but not as your main source.
• KNOW WHO YOU ARE!! Basically, be set apart. Come out of Babylon. BE Israel! Cease thinking of yourself as a citizen of this world, or citizen of one of the world system’s nation-states. #FAMILYfirst I.e., get/develop/maintain a nationalistic mindset that faces Jerusalem and begins actively to BE the Kingdom. Don’t just talk about it. Do something about it. Every day. Take active steps, even if they are very small.

Some closing notes:

For the naysayers: Will we have it all together before the Messiah comes? No. Are we supposed to? No. However, we are supposed to be working in that direction! We are supposed to be actively uniting and strengthening the FAMILY. How many more Torah commands and principles can we live out if we move in this direction? How much more set apart can we be if we move in this direction? How much more prepared can we be to function as a people, a family, a Kingdom?

For the hundreds of Hebraic ministries and Torah teachers: Your job, as a shepherd, is to build the Kingdom, not your _kingdom. Building THE Kingdom should be your focus. Get a full understanding of the BIG picture and then impart that to your fellowship. Then, some of you need to get out of the way of the men in your fellowship and empower them to do what Yah created them to do!! You are not the end all, be all, do all. Get the vision, cast the vision, empower the vision.

Men: Step up. Lead! Get the vision. Band together in twos, threes, or more and support/encourage each other in this direction. Teach your families. Take small steps every day in the direction described above. Get a nationalistic mindset that, under Yah’s direction, guides you and your family. Be the patriarchal head Yah created you to be. Take full responsibility for your family and lead!

Women: Follow your man! Understand Yah’s authority structure, His reasons for having it, and the role it plays in your well-being, the health, security, and prosperity of your family, and in kol Israel. The single greatest step you can take toward the Kingdom is to get this area right.

I’ll stop before I get on my soapbox. I can’t tell you how very important this message is! We do not have a choice and we do not have time. Make every day count. I look forward to your comments and emails. Please share this message to all who will listen!

Shalom!!