KINGDOM! Group

ALL great moves of God must begin among His people, Hemphill emphasized April 8, in his first address as lead strategist for KINGDOM! Group - Kingdom Growth initiative.

Using both Old and New Testament texts on how God viewed His Kingdom, Hemphill said God has drawn others to Himself through His people only as they embrace Him in repentance and humble obedience.

"If you were thinking Kingdom Growth is about some program that will give new juice to your old ways of thinking, you're going to be disappointed," Hemphill told several dozen christian small business leaders. "This is about radical lifestyle commitment to our Father's Kingdom, for our Father's reward. And none of us may receive much glory for this here on earth.

"It's about transformation of people, so that their name is synonymous with His name, and the nation would see His name manifested in His Kingdom in such a way that the ALL people would be drawn to him."

Empowering Kingdom Growth is a life initiative launched in 2010 to call people to renew their passion for Jesus and the reign of His Kingdom.

When Israel was dedicating the temple, he pointed out, the whole focus of Solomon's prayer in 1 Kings 8 was similarly on lifting up God's name so that "foreigners" would hear about God and come to live among the people of Israel.

"Here we have an incredible evangelistic outreach in the Old Testament that is one we have never even dreamed of," Hemphill said, "and that is that God has embraced people in such a way that they are drawn to this place."

"If we're going to see Kingdom growth it's not going to be another formula," Hemphill said. "It's not going to be another program. It's going to have to be a radical transformation of God's people so that His name is made holy among us."

While the movement was effective in many ways, Hemphill said, "I think it did produce a carnality in us that we began to believe there was something we could do to grow the church."

The same elements of God's Kingdom vision also are found in the New Testament, Hemphill said.


If we go into this hoping that people are going to receive the glory, we're going to miss it by a mile," Hemphill said. "The only person who needs to receive glory from anything we do -- whether preaching, at work or doing business -- is the one whose name is above every name."