SERMON TITLE:
From Church Members to Kingdom Ambassadors

Text Focus: Matthew 6:10; Matthew 5:1–12; 2 Corinthians 5:17–20; Philippians 3:20

TWO WAYS OF LIVING AS A BELIEVER

Beloved, it is possible to be sincerely Christian and yet live far below the call of the Kingdom.

Many people believe in Jesus, attend church, sing worship songs, and hold correct doctrines—yet their daily decisions, values, and ambitions are still shaped more by the world than by Heaven.

Jesus did not come merely to start a religion called Christianity.
He came to restore God’s Kingdom on earth.

“From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”
— Matthew 4:17

Christianity begins with faith in Christ.
The Kingdom lifestyle begins when that faith takes over every area of your life and your worldview.

I. THE CHRISTIAN LIFESTYLE: A GOOD BEGINNING, BUT NOT THE DESTINATION

The Christian lifestyle often focuses on belief and belonging:
• Being saved
• Going to church
• Praying
• Studying the Bible
• Living morally

These are essential foundations. But they can stop short of transformation- which is Becoming like Christ.

“You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!”
— James 2:19

Believing in Jesus and behaving like Christians can guarantee you social security status and titles as a worker, a minister, a Pastor, Reverend, Bishop etc in the Church, but not citizenship of His Kingdom. Your belief must lead you into righteous behavior that transmute you into a higher form of life beyond the clouds, which is what guarantees your citizenship of the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 7:21-23).

Belief alone does not equal Kingdom living and citizenship

Citizenship vs Residence

You can live in a country without being a citizen of its government.
Many believers are merely members of a church or congregation, and even function in their local assembly but do not function in the Kingdom.

Jesus never said, “Go and make church members.”
He said:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…”
— Matthew 28:19

A disciple is not just a believer. A disciple is a trained and equipped soldier of Christ who is representing His Kingdom at home, in the marketplace, in the community etc.

II. THE KINGDOM LIFESTYLE: HEAVEN’S GOVERNMENT EXPRESSED ON EARTH

The Kingdom lifestyle begins with identity.

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
— Philippians 3:20

You are not first a Nigerian -(Yoruba, Igbo, or Hausa), American, or African.
You are first a citizen of Heaven.

1. Kingdom Citizenship Shapes Perspective

A Christian may ask, “Is this allowed?”
A Kingdom citizen asks, “Does this reflect my King and His Kingdom?”

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
— Romans 12:2

III. KINGDOM VALUES ARE UPSIDE-DOWN VALUES

Jesus introduced a system that contradicts worldly logic.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit…
Blessed are the meek…
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…”
— Matthew 5:3–6

In the world:
• Power is dominance
• Success is accumulation
• Greatness is being served

In the Kingdom:
• Power is humility
• Success is obedience
• Greatness is service

“Whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.”
— Mark 10:43

The Towel and the Throne

On the night before the cross, Jesus wrapped a towel around Himself and washed His disciples’ feet.

“I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.”
— John 13:15

The Kingdom advances not by crowns first—but by towels.

IV. FROM RELIGIOUS ROUTINE TO KINGDOM MANIFESTATION

Religion mindset asks: “What do I do on Sunday?”
The Kingdom mindset asks: “How does Heaven invade Monday?”

Jesus taught us to pray:

“Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
— Matthew 6:10

Kingdom lifestyle means:
• Kingdom principles in business
• Kingdom ethics in politics
• Kingdom mercy in conflict
• Kingdom generosity with money
• Kingdom love in family, among brethren and in your community("Charity begins at home, but should not end there").

“For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.”
— 1 Corinthians 4:20

Light in the Marketplace

Light is useless if hidden inside the church building.

“You are the light of the world…(not light on Sunday alone)let your light so shine before men(not before your fellow believers only).”
— Matthew 5:14–16

The Kingdom is not announced—it is demonstrated.

V. KINGDOM LIVING REQUIRES DAILY HEAVENLY DIRECTION

A Christian may rely on last Sunday’s sermon.
A Kingdom citizen seeks daily instructions from the King.

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
— Matthew 4:4

Jesus Himself said:

“The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do.”
— John 5:19

Kingdom life is responsive, not mechanical.

VI. AMBASSADORS, NOT SPECTATORS

“Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:20

An ambassador:
• Does not represent himself
• Does not promote personal interests
• Does not adopt the culture of the host nation, but rather enforce a counterculture policy that promotes the will of God on earth as it is in heaven.

Embassy Mentality

An embassy stands on foreign soil but operates under another government’s authority-heavenly authority!

You may live on earth, but you operate under Heaven’s constitution—the Word of God.

VII. THE RADICAL SHIFT: FROM BELIEVING TO REPRESENTING

Christianity says:
“I’m saved; heaven is my destination.”

Kingdom living says:
“I’m sent to Colonize the earth; heaven is my Home Country.”(John 3:31; Ephesians 2:6).

There is a challenge here, if you have not been able to control or subdued your own flesh; lust of the flesh, lust of the eye and the pride of life, you are still battling with this area of life. How can you then successfully take charge of the smallest and first institution on earth, which is your own immediate family?


“As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
— John 20:21

This is why Jesus warned:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom… but he who does the will of My Father.”
— Matthew 7:21

A CALL TO KINGDOM CONSCIOUSNESS

The world does not need more religious Christians.
It needs Kingdom ambassadors.

People who:
• Carry Heaven’s culture
• Enforce God’s justice
• Reflect Christ’s humility
• Serve with love
• Live under God’s rule daily

“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
— Matthew 6:33

Church membership is good, getting engaged in church activities is fantastic.
Personal salvation is essential.

But the ultimate call is this:

From believers to ambassadors.
From church attendance to Kingdom advancement.
From religion to reign.

PRAYER:
“Lord Jesus, we receive not only Your salvation, but Your government. Teach us to live as citizens of Heaven and ambassadors of Your Kingdom on earth, until Your will is done everywhere, starting with me as an individual and demonstrated in every institutions on earth as it is in Heaven. Amen.”

Pastor Kingsley S. Ayinde
January 7, 2026

The Prodigal Son and the Loss of the Christian Mind:
A Typological Reflection on Luke 15:11–32

Luke 15:11–32, the parable of the Prodigal Son, is often preached as a story of forgiveness, repentance, and the boundless love of God. While these themes are central, the parable also offers a profound typological warning to Christians who have lost their “Christian mind”—that is, believers who still bear the name of Christ but no longer think, judge, or live from the consciousness of their identity in the Father’s house.

In this sense, the prodigal son is not merely a sinner returning to God; he is a son who lost his mind before he lost his place.

*1. Sonship Without Sense: When the Christian Mind Is Lost*

The parable begins with an astonishing request:

“Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.” (Luke 15:12)

This was not merely a financial request; it was a relational insult. In Jewish culture, inheritance was distributed after the father’s death. To demand it early was to say, in effect, “I want your things, not your presence.”

Typologically, this mirrors many contemporary Christians who:
• Desire God’s blessings without God’s authority
• Want access to divine benefits while rejecting divine order
• Claim grace but despise obedience

The prodigal did not stop being a son—but he stopped thinking like one. Losing the Christian mind begins when believers disconnect identity from responsibility, and privilege from discipleship (Romans 12:2).

*2. The Far Country: Geography of a Corrupted Mind*

Scripture says the younger son went into a “far country” (Luke 15:13). This distance was not primarily physical but mental and spiritual.

The far country represents:
• A worldview detached from God’s truth
• A mindset shaped by culture rather than covenant
• A life interpreted through pleasure, autonomy, and self-definition

This is the condition of Christians who still attend church yet reason like the world, measure success by secular standards, and make moral decisions without reference to Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16).

When the Christian mind is lost, freedom becomes rebellion, and choice becomes captivity.

*3. Wasted Substance: When Inheritance Is Squandered*

The prodigal “wasted his substance with riotous living” (Luke 15:13). What he squandered was not only money, but potential, dignity, and calling.

Typologically, this reflects believers who:
• Waste spiritual gifts on self-promotion
• Trade eternal purpose for temporary applause
• Spend moral capital on sinful indulgence

The tragedy is not that the son had an inheritance, but that he did not understand its meaning. Likewise, many Christians possess salvation, Scripture, and the Holy Spirit, yet live as though these treasures are expendable.

A lost Christian mind treats sacred things casually.

*4. Feeding Swine: The Degradation of Lost Thinking*

The parable reaches its lowest point when the prodigal feeds pigs (Luke 15:15–16). For a Jewish audience, this detail is shocking. Swine were unclean animals; to tend them was a picture of total moral collapse.

This is the inevitable end of abandoning the Christian mind:
• Moral confusion replaces conviction
• Shame replaces joy
• Survival replaces purpose

Christians who abandon biblical thinking eventually begin to justify what once grieved them, celebrate what once convicted them, and tolerate what once repulsed them (Isaiah 5:20).

*5. “He Came to Himself”: The Restoration of the Christian Mind*

The turning point of the parable is one of the most important phrases in Scripture:

“And when he came to himself…” (Luke 15:17)

Repentance begins not with behavior, but with recovered identity. The son did not say, “I came to religion,” or “I came to fear punishment.” He came to himself.

This is the restoration of the Christian mind:
• Remembering who God is
• Remembering who you are
• Remembering where you belong

True repentance is a return to right thinking, not merely right actions (2 Corinthians 10:5).

*6. The Father’s Embrace: Grace Restores the Mind Before the Status*

When the father sees the son, he runs, embraces him, and restores him fully—robe, ring, and sandals (Luke 15:20–22). This is not probationary acceptance; it is complete reinstatement.

Typologically, God does not merely forgive returning Christians; He re-establishes their identity. Grace restores:
• The robe (righteousness)
• The ring (authority and sonship)
• The sandals (freedom, not servitude)

God’s grace does not endorse foolishness—but it heals the mind that produced it.

*7. A Warning from the Elder Brother: Orthodoxy Without Love*

Finally, the elder brother represents another form of lost Christian mind—religious pride. He never left the house physically, but his heart was far from the father (Luke 15:28–30).

This warns us that one can:
• Be doctrinally correct yet spiritually disconnected
• Be morally consistent yet emotionally resentful
• Serve faithfully yet lack the Father’s heart

The Christian mind is not only about truth, but truth expressed through love (Ephesians 4:15).

*Conclusion: Recovering the Christian Mind*

The Prodigal Son is not merely a story for sinners “out there,” but a mirror for believers “in here.” It reveals that apostasy often begins not with rebellion, but with distorted thinking.

To lose the Christian mind is to forget:
• That sonship comes with submission
• That freedom exists within the Father’s house
• That life apart from God is always famine

*The call of the parable is urgent:*
*Come to yourself. Return home. Think again as a son.*

*“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5)*

*Only when the Christian mind is restored can the Christian life be truly lived.*
#Kingsley