"Conditions and Responses for a Kingdom Renewal" by Saimir Braho

The one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him, and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Good morning and welcome, everyone, to Strength to Strength. This is our last scheduled podcast for this year, and being creatures of time, it's nice to think back over the year and consider our lives and how far we've come. And you can't help but notice the hand of God and the things that He's done. And it's one thing that has stood out to me in God's instructions to the Israelites is to set up memorials, set up, pile these rocks here so that when your children come and they ask, you know, what is this?

You can say, well, this is where God delivered us. This is where God did something mighty. And so I would encourage you to look back over your life at this time of year and see the rock piles, the memorials that you've set up, and remember the goodness of God. It's a blessing to be gathered here and to have Samir Braho coming to us from Tirana. Is that the correct way to say that? Yeah, Tirana, Albania, where he's a pastor of a church there. And I had the privilege of meeting, well, I've met Samir a couple of times, but I've heard him speak at Kingdom Connect in Switzerland just this last August. And I had the honor of meeting some people from his congregation, and I was blessed to see that the faith is strong in Tirana in this congregation.

Met some remarkable young men who are taking a stand in their place, and it was a tremendous blessing to meet them and to see that. So thank you for joining us today, Samir. Before we get started, we'll bow our heads for a word of prayer.

Heavenly Father, we stand in awe at your goodness and your mercy to mankind when so many times we have chosen our own way. So many times we have rebelled against you or just shown pride or stubbornness, and yet you continue to call us and to provide a way for us to be renewed in Jesus Christ. Thank you for the faith represented all over the world, and especially in Albania with Samir and his church there. I just pray, Lord, that you would bless him this morning. Thank you that he can be on here and that he can share about the kingdom of God. Just pray that you would bless him as he shares, give him clarity and wisdom, and may your word go forth.

I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

All right, go ahead. Maybe introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about yourself. Yeah. So my name is Samir Braho. I'm 51 years old. I've lived the first part of my life until I was 17 under the communist regime in Albania, one of the last countries who came out from that when the communism fell in Europe. And I am married. We have three children, two sons and a daughter. They are 20 years old, 18 and 15.

And yeah, so I became a follower of Christ in 2001. And yeah, since then we are trying, hoping, praying to follow his steps in this part of the world. I'm thankful for the platforms like Strength to Strength and like the other kingdom platforms, kingdom-minded platforms in the internet here because there has been such a great help for us. And meeting people and also learning a lot. So yeah.

Is Europe. The reign of the kingdom of God appears nearly nonexistent. The situation in Europe becomes even strange when we consider why humans exist. The book of Genesis explains why we are here. Then God said, Genesis 1:26 says that God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on earth."

That's the purpose of life on earth is to reflect God in person. But there's more to it. Ephesians 3:10 and 11 shows to whom we should display Him. What should we display and how should be displayed the person of God as we carry the status of His likeness in this world? It says, "So through the church, the mainfold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly realms according to His eternal purpose that He accomplished in Christ Jesus, our Lord."

Therefore, the eternal plan of God's image is to unveil the splendor of God's character to the heavenly powers by following Christ as Lord and King in this life. It's a kingdom where the citizens reflect the character of their King through their deeds and actions. In this way, they allow the heavenly creatures to marvel at the greatness of their Creator's character.

This display of God's glory on earth encourages worship in heaven. That's the plan. This is the eternal master plan for the church. So how come? How it is that the kingdom of God seems to be hard to recognize these days, especially in Europe, where the church buildings are at the heart of the capital cities, where museums house the most essential artifacts of life on earth, and where the libraries contain all the theological wisdom of the world?

Ecclesiastes reminds us, he says, "Don't be amazed. There is nothing new under the sun." In fact, even though it's astonishing that the kingdom of God is missing in Europe, this isn't the first time. It has been absent for a period only to be revealed again in history.

And this morning, I want to talk about three things. First, I will explore how the cycle of disappearing and reappearing of the kingdom occurred in the past in Israel and then in Europe. And next, I will talk about the instrument, the key that enables both the veiling and unveiling of the kingdom of God on earth. And then we'll take a look at the opportunities for a renewal of the kingdom movement in Europe these days and what actions we should take in response.

So before exploring in today's opportunities, let's take a moment to review the history of the kingdom of God's disappearance and revelation in ancient Israel and then in Europe. The idea is to identify who holds the button that turns the light on and off, allowing the kingdom of God to be gloriously revealed on earth.

So let's see the disappearance of the kingdom of God in Israel. The lives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob demonstrated to the people of Israel who should rule over them. But after God brought Israel into the promised land to govern them directly and use them as an example for the other nations, they started to develop new ideas about leadership. From the 15th century BC to the 11th century BC, for 400 years, the Bible tells us that everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

So while the heavenly King was present among them, they followed their own thoughts instead of Him. Naturally, the kingdom of God's presence on earth started to shrink during that time. The worst of this situation occurred at the end of the 11th century BC when Israel officially rejected God as their King, asking for a human ruler like the other nations.

The irony was that in order to manage better their lives, they requested an earthly King to be given by their heavenly King. So this marked the beginning of a dark area for the kingdom of God on earth.

Although we see some poor manifestation of the kingdom of God in Israel, like during the reigns of David, Solomon, and Jesaja, these remain weak attempts that quickly fade after the death of these kings. Nearly 40 human kings ruled for five centuries in Judah and Israel, making the display of the kingdom of God increasingly difficult. The Babylonian exile was a clear sign that the people of Israel, who were meant to reveal the kingdom of God, had instead shamefully concealed it through human kingship.

Let's remember that the man is meant to have dominion over fish, animals, and reptiles, not over the humans. Any effort by humans to rule over one another or to be ruled by others will ultimately obscure the manifestation of the kingdom of God on earth.

Yet the Lord speaks to Israel through the prophet Zephaniah, declaring, "I will leave among you a humble and poor people who will trust in the name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel will no longer commit iniquity, nor will they tell lies, nor will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths."

This promise points to a future revelation of the kingdom of God through a group of individuals characterized by, one, a lowly and not wealthy status, secondly, whose actions are driven by the principle of obeying only the Lord, and three, possessing a character similar to that of God himself.

So this prophecy aligns with that of the prophet Daniel, who during the Babylonian exile in the 6th century BC foretold a time when the kingdom of God would be visibly displayed in all its might and splendor. The prophecy indicated that unlike the powerful kingdoms on earth, the strength of this kingdom would not come from ruling over lands, wealth, or prosperity.

It would lack all of this. In comparison to human kingdoms in these areas, it would seem quite insignificant, yet its power would be so immense that it would rise above them, shattering them and establishing itself permanently. Ironically, this prophecy about a small but triumphant kingdom was revealed through the interpretation of a dream given by God to one of history's most powerful kings, Nebuchadnezzar.

Daniel prophesied, "In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will establish a kingdom that will never be destroyed. This kingdom will not be handed over to another people. It will crush and bring an end to all these kingdoms, and it will endure forever, just as you observe the stone cut from the mountain without human hands, which shattered the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. The great God has revealed to the King what will take place from now on."

And indeed, this kingdom was revealed in the most glorious way possible when the stone that the builders rejected became the cornerstone. In the first century, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the King of the universe, came down from heaven to Israel. He lived among the people, walked the earth like any other man, spoke with human words, and acted like a human being. But unlike any other earthly king, he was poor and humble.

He lived with moral integrity and spoke only truth. He rejected human authority as a helping hand in his mission. He was guided exclusively by the will of his Father. And in every action, he demonstrated the perfect character that culminated in the loving sacrifice he made on the cross.

So for the first time since the Garden of Eden, the kingdom of God and the character of the Creator of the universe were revealed properly in a human being. Now the heavenly King himself would show how the image of God can reflect God's character on earth by becoming one with Him in desires, motifs, words, and actions.

That's why the angels proclaimed, "Glory to God in the highest" when Jesus was born. And the heavenly Father declared, "This is my beloved Son in whom I'm well pleased. Listen to Him."

Those who listened to Him became His followers, and their lives changed forever. They too reflected God's character by aligning their desires, motifs, words, and actions with Him. They trusted His words when He said, "The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, 'Look, here it is,' or 'There, for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.'" Even though they were a small group compared to the rest of the world, the first Christians were not after political power or wealth. They didn't rush to the university, etc., because they remembered that the kingdom of God does not consist in talk, nor in eating or drinking, and definitely not in human authority.

They were convinced from their King's testimony that kingdom power lies not in ruling over lands, riches, or comfort, but in the ability of the Holy Spirit to guide people's souls toward a transformation in their lives, which brings them into perfect God's likeness.

In their minds, the command to go and make disciples was inseparable to teach them to observe all that I have commanded you. The King's greatest command was, "Love one another as I have loved you." This very expression of the kingdom of God displayed God's character in the 1st century Israel and quickly spread, reaching Western Asia and eventually knocking on Europe's door.

In Europe, right in the heart of the Roman Empire, the kingdom of God was powerfully displayed in arenas where Christians were torn apart by wild beasts and on countless crosses by the roadsides where crucified Christians bore witness to God's love and power through their prayers for their executioners.

I think during that time, angels didn't have any particular interest in the Roman Senate, where the same old political games were played, or in the Roman theaters, where the perverted Greek comedies were staged. I believe that from the 1st century to the mid-4th century AD, heavenly beings were more focused on the display of the glorious character of God in the catacombs and prisons where Christians worshiped God with even greater fervor and prayed for their persecutors and tormentors.

All of this continued until the mid-4th century AD, because this magnificent display, glory of the kingdom of God, started to diminish in the 4th century when Christians accepted the Roman Emperor Constantine as one of their own, treating him as one among people converted to Christianity.

The people of God once again forgot that Christ the King, along with the martyrs from the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd century, displayed God's character through truth and love and not through human authority. We can only speculate what might have happened if the Christian bishops from the various provinces of the empire had insisted that Emperor Constantine renounce his throne and join the church in the catacombs.

However, what we know is that the church did not ask this. And rather than Constantine going underground, it was the church that accepted his invitation to enter up at the imperial palace, hoping he would help the kingdom of God from the throne of human power.

The Christian historian of that time, Flavius Eusebius, described the relationship between the church and the government during that period as follows. He said around this time, he marked the 20th year of his reign. To celebrate these public festivals were held by the people of the provinces, but the Emperor himself invited and dined with those ministers of God whom he has reconciled, thus offering, in a way, through them, a fitting sacrifice to God.

Every bishop was present at the imperial feast, which was beyond description in its splendor. Troops and bodyguards surrounded the palace entrance with drawn swords, and through this, the man of God entered fearlessly into the innermost imperial chambers, where some shared the table with the Emperor while others reclined on couches arranged on either side.

One might have thought that this was a depiction of Christ's kingdom, more like a dream than reality. Well, I wonder who represented Christ in that scene. But Eusebius continues, "After the celebration of this brilliant festival, the Emperor cautiously received all his guests and generously added to the favor he had already bestowed by personally presenting gifts to each individual according to his rank."

This would be just the beginning of a 1,000-year disappearance of the kingdom of God, where the church, now married to human power, would be concerned with everything other than the manifestation of God's character on earth. Through laws and even perverse violence, the church would seek in the name of Christ to impose its beliefs on people, ranging from debates about the shape of the earth and its relationship to the sun to the power of the bones of saints' skeletons over people, from European political intrigues to the raping of other nations through crusades.

So the marriage with human power caused the medieval church to forget that the kingdom of God shines and expands through the blood of martyrs, not that of pagans.

When Martin Luther, as an Augustinian monk, would visit Rome, the center of Christianity in the 16th century, he would say, "Where God builds a church, the devil puts an upper chapel next door." It is almost incredible what infamous actions are committed at Rome. One would require to see it and hear it to believe it. It isn't ordinary saying that if there is a hell, Rome is built upon it.

It isn't obvious from whence all sins proceed. Rome, once the holy city, was now the worst. Let me get out of this terrible dungeon. What reformers like Luther, Zwingli, and later Calvin didn't understand was not the pitiful state of a medieval church, but the foundational reason underneath it.

A group of contemporary Christians known as the Anabaptists in the 16th century understood that the church problem was more than a simple Solaus Christus theological reform, where grace is seen as flowing from Christ rather than the church, like Catholics claim.

What the Anabaptists started was not a reform, but a Solaus Christus revolution, where Christ is not just the channel of God's special grace, but also the King of the church, the one who commands his followers to live as he did in order to manifest to heavens and earth the glory of God's character.

This is why the Anabaptists chose to keep human authorities out of the kingdom's work, and just because of that, they faced persecution from both Catholics and reformers. The martyrdom of the Anabaptists, who prayed for their persecutors, marked a remarkable reappearance of the kingdom of God. I believe that for a brief period, heavenly beings were once again focused on the 16th century Europe, witnessing how God's character was being revealed through this small group of believers.

I said a brief period because this group eventually left Europe and migrated to the New World. Consequently, the church in Europe remained under the control of Catholics, reformers, and Eastern Orthodox Orthodoxes, who even today, in the 21st century, have not given up their ties to human power.

But how has this complicated relationship with the kingdom of man unfolded later in Europe? We said that for a millennium, the devil allowed the church to lead this dance in Europe. However, over the last five centuries, the leadership of this dance gradually shifted to the other side.

At the time we're talking, the church in Europe is led by the atheistic kingdom of man, which not only dismisses the kingdom of God, but also denies the very existence of the Creator. Now the European church somehow finds itself at the mercy of the kingdom of man.

For example, if the atheist state or secular society today occasionally praises Christianity for some positive impact in Western history, this really makes the European church happy. They even call it a revival of Christianity in Europe. If today's kids are taught in European public secular schools that gender is a personal choice, most of their Christian parents will consider this as a religious persecution similar to that of the 1st century. Yet the next day, they'll still bring their kids at the same school, dropping them off their fancy cars.

But how did we get here? How was the kingdom of God concealed again for the last five centuries? So let's take a quick look at how the relationship between the church and the world has evolved from the time of the Reformation until now.

The sociologist Max Weber said this about the effects of the Protestant Reformation on the secularization of Europe. He said, "Protestant Christianity is the victim of its success, undermined by the rationalizing and disenchanting forces that it brought into being."

The modern world, thus, brought a demystification of the world, reflecting man's increasing rationality. Indeed, some of the most influential Enlightenment thinkers of the 17th century, like the French philosopher René Descartes, proclaimed, "I think, therefore I am, and doubt is the beginning of knowledge."

In his philosophical meditations, he says, "Thus I see that the certainty and truth of all of my knowledge derives from one thing: my thought of the true God." Here we see the early signs of secular humanism, where for the first time in history, man claims that his reasoning is so powerful that it can discover the existence of God without any special revelation from him.

Of course, Descartes didn't dare to go so far as to claim in the 17th century that the human mind could even conclude that God doesn't exist, but this is where atheism starts to rise on the horizon. Back then, the church tried to resist these new ideas, but only through theological debates or human authorities. Using human authorities, soon enough, even the human power of the state would be taken off from the church's hands.

In the 18th century, the French Revolution made it clear for the first time that the church was an institution tied to the elite aristocracy, serving their rule. Because of this, it should be punished alongside them. The church had always, according to them, aligned itself with oppressive monarchs and from now on should stay out of the state affairs.

It wasn't the church, so it wasn't the church that separated itself from the state. It was the Europeans who prohibited it from getting involved in state affairs. But they didn't stop there. They said, "Wait a minute, the church shouldn't be involved in everyday life, everyday life either."

In the 19th century, with the rise of the scientific and industrial revolution, the institutional church found itself in a very difficult position, having to continually deny its past claims from the functioning of the planetary system to the ability of medical treatment to cure certain diseases. Now that the philosophical thought, professional science, and Darwinian biology captured the European attention, atheism found its way into Europe.

The church faced a choice: either reveal again the character of God or adapt to the changes to gain acceptance in the kingdom of man. Unfortunately, it chose the latter. Now the kingdom of man and its king began to lead the dance.

At the end of the 19th century, the German humanist philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche proclaimed, "God is dead. God remains dead, and we have killed him. What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent? Isn't the greatness of this deed too far too great for us?

Must we not become gods simply to seem deserving of it?" In other words, since God is no longer visible and his values have vanished from Europe, we humans need to take on the responsibility. We must create what he refers to as Übermensch, the Übermensch, the Superman, the Overman, who will craft a world without morality.

In fact, during the first half of the 20th century, following Nietzsche's model, several Übermensch appeared in Europe, including Stalin, Mussolini, and Adolf Hitler. As a result, Europe faced the horrors of two world wars. Where was the European church during this period?

Well, it was dead. It remained dead and failed to use this moment of moral and spiritual crisis when the entire world was witnessing the Jews being exterminated in gas chambers. Yeah, to reflect God's character by speaking the truth and lovingly, sacrificially loving everyone, both Jews and Germans, as Christ did.

Recently, I learned that some German Anabaptist groups of that time embraced Nietzsche's philosophy and followed the Übermensch, Adolf, in his madness.

But that's not the end of it. The church chose not to display the kingdom of God even when the liberal and sexual revolution of the second half of the 20th century invaded the homes of Western believers through radio and television.

The revolutionaries, armed with guitars, rock and roll, and flowers, took their children away. These kids became the generation who destroyed family values in Europe. And today, the grandchildren of the ones who adapted at the '60s are the most fragile generation in history, facing an unprecedented identity crisis. So, is God dead? asked the Time magazine article in the '60s.

What did the church do? Respond to that. Instead of giving an answer by reflecting again on God's character, it let its hair grow long and picked up the guitar. Hiding behind the banner "Jew with Jew and Greek with Greek," it transformed the revival meetings into concerts to attract seekers.

It remained satisfied with conversions of the altar call approach and increased the number of books and denominations. Why? Because that was its strength. The ancient story of Samson reminds us that dancing with the kingdom of man ultimately leads to the inability of the image of God to rise to the level of the name it carries.

I don't know what kind of wise response to the article gave theologians or pastors in their books or from their pulpits. However, I do know that now, 60 years later, when you visit the European cities, you see their lonely citizens coming and going from psychological therapy clinics. You see aged and desperate populations as they wait in line for euthanasia, assisted death, assisted suicide. And when you ask them about the cathedrals located in the heart of their capitals, most of them will respond, much like modern Greeks talk now about the Acropolis. They will answer to you, "Oh, there used to be a faith in Europe called Christianity, but now it's just a part of history."

So is it true? Is it accurate to say that Christianity is just a historical chapter of Europe? Or is it the kingdom of God still waiting to come back in Europe, to reappear in Europe? Who waved the kingdom of God in Europe?

The Enlightenment, the French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, Darwin, Nietzsche, Stalin, Hitler, or rock music of the '60s?

Now that we have seen a little bit of the big picture, it seems that the very key that switches on and off the light of the kingdom is the church. If heavenly creatures see the kingdom on earth, it's not because of the favorable circumstances, but rather because the church decided to do so.

If people say God is dead in Europe, it's not because of Nietzsche, but rather due to the church. To the ancient Israel, to the ancient church in Israel, it was said, "The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you."

To the modern church, the Lord said, "Many will follow their destructive ways, and because of them, the way of the truth will be blasphemed." The Time magazine article writes continues, said, "Particularly among the young, there is an acute feeling that the churches on Sundays are preaching the existence of God that is nowhere visible in their daily life.

I love God," cries one anguished teenager, "but I hate church." Theologian Gylke says that belief is the area in the modern Protestant church where one finds blankness, silence, people not knowing what to say or merely repeating what their preacher says.

Whose responsibility is it that the kingdom of God does not appear today in secularized Europe as it did in the 1st century? The church. For centuries now, the goal of the church has not been the display of the character of God in human weakness, but to display the power of man under the name of God.

Of course, there have been brothers and sisters, for sure, that have suffered under the so-called Eastern Europe during the communist regimes in their countries. I'm born in one of those countries under the communist regime, Albania. As soon as the communism fell, Albanians were eager to know about God because they were fed up with the atheistic ideology of communists. But it was a great opportunity for the renewal of the kingdom in Europe. In fact, churches started in every city of our country from Western, mostly Western missionaries.

In the early '90s, the secular Western ideology came along with the gospel. Guess who is leading the dance now? In just 35 years, we now have Christian pastors competing for a seat in parliament against each other, publicly accusing each other on national television of cheating and corruption.

All this is happening in the name of God. Sure, it looks like we Albanians are quick learners, but we also had some really good teachers. The churches here in my country are becoming more and more secular. Why? Because the gospel proclaimed in most parts of Albania was not the gospel of the kingdom. It was a secular gospel, a save-me gospel.

The gospel of the kingdom can be preached only in alignment with the life of an uncompromised truth and sacrificial love. The pushback against these two elements is what made the secular church shift its focus from the commandments of the Lord to a formula of salvation.

That's why it has reduced Christ to just a savior who distributes tickets to heaven. And this is one of the most destructive doctrines possible. It hides from the eyes of the people the kingdom of God. To the rhetorical question of the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 8, verse 35, "Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, or peril or sword?" Looking at the history of the church, we can answer none of this. None of this, but us.

Only we, the church, can hide the glory of God by seeking to reveal our glory before the world. To be able to make light, fireflies or lightning bugs need the activity of two chemical elements: oxygen that comes from outside and nitric oxide, an element that they produce themselves.

Oxygen is the main element that, when it enters the lightning organ, makes light possible through several chemical reactions. However, to enter there, the firefly must produce nitric oxide, which makes it possible to transport oxygen to the lightning organ.

This is why we see the light of the firefly turn on and off. Whenever the firefly produces nitric oxide, oxygen can be transported. And whenever the level of nitric oxide drops, the oxygen stays on the surface and is enabled to make light.

The Lord Jesus said, "You are the light of the world. Let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven." Well, Philippians chapter 2, verses 12 and 13 tells us how we can light up.

The source of spiritual life, the Holy Spirit, is always ready to help Christians align their will and activity with that of the Heavenly Father so they can reflect God's light. However, for this oxygen, for this light to occur, we need to release the nitric oxide, which means to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

We should concentrate our hearts and minds on the display of God's glory, being cautious not to run out of oil for our lamps. If the amount of nitric oxide decreases, the church's light also fades. I can't imagine what Luther would think if he visited the Protestant Church and its various branches in the West today.

But it seems disgraceful to celebrate and take pride in the military strength of Israel's secular state while witnessing the suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza and Israeli people. Two, even more troubling is doing this in Christ's name as many conservative evangelical Christians do.

It's just as shameful to try to grab the world's attention by supporting evil causes also like feminism, equal roles in marriages, so-called gender and racial positive discrimination as some liberal evangelical Christians do. When the churches and evangelical organizations turn on stadium lights and music volumes to compete for converts, it fades the light of Christ too.

After sports fans worship their teams, Christians come in to worship God in a similar fashion with drums and shouting. It's worthless for the church to chase after the world, thinking it can win by shining the light this way.

In fact, this is how the world has snuffed out the church light, especially in Europe. That's the testimony of Europe. The church has the power to either dim the light of the kingdom of God or shine brightly like it did in the 1st century.

Yet there are still sparks of hope scattered throughout Europe. But how these sparks can become an army? Well, again, Ecclesiastes reminds us, "Don't try to invent the wheel. There is nothing new under the sun. Just release your nitric oxide in order to make possible that the oxygen of the Holy Spirit can enter in your life. Just do what Jesus, the apostles, and the Anabaptists and other kingdom Christians did. Just be the real church of Jesus Christ."

Yeah, first things first.

Edward Bound says, "Talking to men for God is a great thing, but talking to God for men is greater still. He will never talk well with real success to man for God who has not learned well how to talk to God for men.

A divine vision can only be captured and held by those who kneel before God in prayer because it is the hour we spend with our Father in heaven which opens the door for the next important step, which is repentance."

What Christians need to do to reestablish the kingdom of God in Europe is the same thing every sinner should do when they examine themselves and realize they've been heading in the wrong direction. They need to repent. The first indication of true repentance is to stop following the wrong path. In this case, to stop dancing with the world, the kingdom of man.

As Christians, we must initially resist the temptations that our King experienced at the start of his ministry. The Apostle John pointed out that the world and its ruler come with three types of temptations: the lust of flesh, the lust of eyes, and the pride of life.

In the wilderness, the Lord Jesus resisted all three. He also talked about his perspective on them, stating that God has provided for every need in this life on earth.

The riches and the power of the entire world hold no value for his mission, and the only one who should be lifted up in his life was God. So we must repent by rejecting first the endless offers of products for our daily needs. We really need to reject the consumer-driven lifestyle that makes us dependent to shopping malls, to countless entertainment choices, and technological toys. The church in Europe needs to break free from the comfort addiction, the paralysis caused by excessive choices, and the intoxication that a lifestyle focused on entertainment brings.

Secondly, we must reject the pursuit of wealth and the false sense of security it brings. We need to refuse to work only for the sake of accumulating wealth to secure our future. We must not let the fear of tomorrow lead us to view wealth as our life ring and focus on it. We should dismiss the false sense of security that human rulers offer us. We need to cut all connections to human power and strive not to rely on anything from atheistic or pagan politics or culture.

Third, we need to avoid being the focus of attention and let go of the need for others to acknowledge our skills. We should refuse any action that places us in the spotlight to the point where others, neighbors, colleagues, peers, family forget about God and start to glorify us. We should immediately cease any activities we pursue in Christ's name that ultimately revolve around us.

Imagine for a moment if the European Christian Church will decide to refrain from all these behaviors. Imagine if it would show no interest in indulging in the endless offerings of the market, or if it would not strive to secure its future, including its retirement, or if it would have no desire for anything public or famous in this world.

If so, the light of the fireflies of the kingdom of God has already started to shine in Europe. This light will draw in those few who are desperately searching God and will start to upset those with troubled consciences.

At this moment, revival and persecution to inseparable engines of the kingdom of God on earth will start to work. Those were actions we should avoid. We should repent. But what should we focus on in the meantime? The command of the Lord Jesus, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

This command suggests that in order to make disciples of all nations, the church must first be a living example of what the Lord has instructed. How can you show someone something you don't have? Therefore, for the church to truly represent the kingdom of God, it must leave it out. What steps must it take to achieve this?

Well, the one who came down is the same who went up above all heavens so that he could fill everything. He appointed some, I'm quoting from Ephesians chapter 4, "He appointed some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers, and to perfect the saints, to carry out the ministry, and to build up the body of Christ until we all reach unity in faith and knowledge of the Son of God, becoming a mature person, measuring up to the fullness of Christ. We should no longer be like children, tossed around and swayed by every new teaching, by the deceitful tricks of people, by their cleverness in deceitful schemes. Instead, by speaking the truth in love, we should grow up in every way into him who is the head, Christ.

From him, the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love as each part does its work." So first, we need to be inspired by the same vision that guided the 1st century Christians. The church should be built through uncompromising truth and sacrificial love until the body reflects the likeness of its head, Christ.

These bricks and mortar represent the church building. Now, let's see the brick, the uncompromising truth. Before we can declare the truth boldly to the nations, we must first declare it firmly within the church. This isn't about meaningless debates over theology. It's about being honest when interpreting scripture and staying true to God's commands, regardless of personal life, personal family, or church challenges that may arise when we face the truth.

Well, it's pointless to preach biblical truth to Europeans about the role of women in marriage when we have already compromised within our own church of the truth about head covering, for example. It's nearly impossible to get Europeans to grasp the idea that tomorrow will take care of itself when so many Christians are stuck down by loans for their businesses, homes, cars, and even vacations.

The truth will set you free needs to kick off with the local church. When Europeans, or anyone for that matter, witness that the truth liberates the church from falsehoods, they'll flock to learn more about the areas of their lives where they have been deceived, just like they did back in the 1st century.

But just like bricks of a wall can only stack on top of each other with the help of mortar, truths can only stand firm through the glue of the sacrificial love. Otherwise, just a little shake and the bricks will tumble down and harm anyone inside.

The truth stays uncompromised only when it is lived out. So the second essential ingredient is sacrificial love. Before we go out and share his love for the world, we need to demonstrate it within our churches. And I'm not just talking about preaching Christ's love from the pulpit.

That's been done by most, and it hasn't proven to be enough. In front of the world and heavenly beings, we represent the King who gave his all until the very end. If we, Christian fathers, find joy in our spirits as we step away from our careers to spend more time with our wives and kids, or even if we generously invest our time and energy and even finances to uplift those who come to Christianity burdened by the world, then we'll be ready to love the world with Christ's sacrificial love.

When they witness this kind of lifestyle and the heavenly joy it brings, Europeans might start to reconsider the idea that God doesn't exist.

Are the conditions right for a revival of the kingdom in Europe? Absolutely. If such movements in Israel and Europe began from within the churches, it's entirely possible today. It's always possible as long as there are churches and Christians eager to shape their local churches according to the model of Ephesians 4.

We who are gathered here in Albania can definitely start a revival beginning from our local churches. In the coastal town of Dunmore in Ireland, in Europe, the Anabaptist Church, Dunmore East Christian Fellowship, seems to have sparked a unique interest specifically in the teachings of the kingdom of God and how to live according to those teachings. If you check out their website, particularly the frequently asked questions section, you'll find a question there which says, "Can you contribute to my research?" It's a question that people can make. The response of the church there is we receive numerous requests that begin with, "I'm a student of conducting research." And

there's a blank to fill there. Unfortunately, continues the answer, we don't have anyone available to respond to all the research students who reach out to us with their projects.

May God inspire people across Europe to research more and more about living in accordance with the kingdom of God. Personally, I'm blessed from this amount of work that our brothers and sisters are having there. Should we simply focus on building our local church and hope others will take notice? Well, go therefore and make disciples of all nations suggests that the manifestation of the kingdom of God, where it hasn't yet appeared, it's also the responsibility of those who have already seen it in their own countries.

Well, Habakkuk chapter 2, verse 14 says, "States, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord."

It's very encouraging to me that I'm part of a group of brothers who have this burden for Europe. They come from American and Anabaptist backgrounds, and they heard something in their heart for Europe, and they said, "Okay, let us return to Europe and let us encourage the renewal of the kingdom there." I'm talking about the Kingdom Connect brothers who are helping with this ministry.

So I'm not talking about another evangelistic program that stimulates conversions and church membership. Instead, I'm referring to a manifestation of the kingdom of God that begins to appear in every nation, whether in Europe or Africa, and after that, in every province and city through a way of living that mirrors the life that Jesus and his followers live. But is Europe truly prepared for this revival of the kingdom today? Is it time for heavenly beings to once again turn their attention to Europe in the year 2025? Yeah, I believe, yes, this is the time. Because to start with, Europe is currently facing an unprecedented moral and spiritual crisis. The Lord Jesus chose to arrive at the time when Israel was also experiencing a significant moral and spiritual crisis.

He viewed this crisis as a remarkable chance to reveal the kingdom of God. He said, "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." The Anabaptists emerged in Europe during a similar moral and spiritual turmoil. Today, the decline in values and the identity crisis in the West present a golden opportunity for the renewal of the kingdom of the kingdom.

And I believe that even European indifference toward the Christian church, which continues, unfortunately, the attempt to engage with secularism, is an incredible opportunity to display the real kingdom of God. What Europe recalls from the church over the last five centuries is not the uncompromising truth and sacrificial love to the point of martyrdom.

Just imagine if after five centuries these bricks and mortar were to reappear in Europe. The temple of God would radiate truth and love. I'm convinced that some would forget the cathedrals in the hearts of the cities and would rush to discover Christ and his power, while the majority, of course, would initiate another persecution in the 21st century in Europe.

However, the heavenly beings are eagerly anticipating another demonstration of the kingdom of God in human history. What an opportunity we have.

Yeah, thank you. Excellent. Thank you, Brother Samir. Thank you. Bearing with me. Yeah, I appreciate that a lot. It's the second time I've heard that message, and it wasn't disappointing. So thank you for allowing the Lord to work through you in this way. We'll open it up now for your comments and questions. Feel free to speak. There's not a lot of us on here this morning. So if you have a question or a comment or an encouragement for Brother Samir, just unmute yourself and share that with us. Yeah, there were many things that I appreciated in this talk again, but one of them that stood out to me, and I'd be curious if you have any further comments on it.