Usher in Kingdom Culture
There’s a reason you were born in these times. Not in the 1800s or the First Great Awakening, but now, in a chaotic, confused, anti-cultural generation. God is still raising up King Josiahs in this day and age, and believers in Christ can be the ones to usher in the kingdom culture for this generation.
In a recent sermon by Pastor Stephen Francis of Liberty Church NYC, a pastor mentored by Apostle Mike Signorelli, he encouraged V1 church to continue being the generational curse breakers in the world. Context is the key to your calling. No one is here by accident, and we were all placed here in this exact time in history for a divine purpose. The tension comes in because we are living in the most reactive, insecure, unwanted, and exhausted generation ever recorded. Depression, anxiety, and suicide are at the forefront, but that’s not the only reality. There is also a mighty move of God erupting in this generation, and those who are willing to live differently will be the ones who usher it in.
Radical Repentance
Pastor Stephen said the birthplace of kingdom culture is radical repentance. “Kingdom culture will be built out of people with radical repentance,” the pastor emphasized. In biblical terms, repentance goes beyond feeling bad about something; it is a fundamental change of mind and heart that leads to a turning away from sin and a turning towards God. Those who birth Kingdom Culture are those who say: “I’m not going that way. I’m going a different way—and I’m bringing people with me.”
That’s exactly what King Josiah did. Josiah didn’t have a godly family legacy. His father and grandfather were two of the most evil kings Israel had ever known. In 2 Chronicles 34:1–2 we learned that Josiah was only eight years old when he became king. Unlike those in his family before him, he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.
When he came into power, the temple was in ruins. Pagan gods were being worshipped in its ashes. But Josiah made a decision that would change history. He looked past the wreckage of his family tree and found a new example in King David. He may not have had a godly father, but he chose to be one. He chose to follow after King David, who was a worshipping warrior who built a culture around the presence of God.
What Is Your Culture?
Culture is what you put at the center of your life, and what you allow to grow around it. In NYC, and in much of the modern world, money is god. Ambition is worshiped. Image is everything. But Josiah? He tore it all down. “Under his direction, the altars of Baal were torn down... the carved images and molten images he broke in pieces (2 Chronicles 34:4–7).
King Josiah didn’t just repent on behalf of the people in his kingdom; he ripped up the roots of everything that offended God. Christians must ask themselves: “What are we allowing in our own culture that offends God?” Popular theologian and evangelist John Wesley said, “What one generation tolerates, the next generation will embrace.” What are we tolerating today that our kids might normalize tomorrow?
It’s the believer's job to break generational patterns. Pastor Stephen shared how, after getting married, strange behaviors and secrecy started surfacing in his life. That’s when he discovered epigenetics. Epigenetics refers to how one's behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect the way their genes work. Pastor Stephen said epigenetics has shown how trauma gets passed down for up to 6 generations. A study on Holocaust survivors showed their grandchildren carried the same trauma maps in their brains, though they never lived through the event.
In God, trauma isn’t the end of our story. What may have happened to your family doesn’t have to continue through you. We can be the generational curse breakers of our family. The lineage of Kingdom Culture can start with you as you rebuild the center of your culture on God and His ways. Once King Josiah tore the idols down, he rebuilt. “Now in the eighteenth year of his reign… he began to repair the house of the Lord his God.” – 2 Chronicles 34:8
This generation doesn’t need more motivational messages or just nice Christians. We need mighty men and women of God. Because the culture around us wants to privatize our faith, to shut us up and silence the Gospel.
“A public faith is spiritual warfare in a secular age,” Pastor Stephen declared.
It takes guts to be vocal about Jesus in a cancel culture. But the Holy Spirit makes all the difference. It’s not about a one-time emotional moment at church; it’s about abiding in the presence of God. We must realize our walk with God is about consistency, not just intensity.
Rediscover What Was Always There
Josiah didn’t invent anything new. He simply rediscovered what his nation had forgotten. In 2 Chronicles 34:14, 19, we are told the book of the Law of the Lord given through Moses was found and when the king heard the words, he tore his robes because of how far they had strayed. When quoting H. Richard Niebuhr, the pastor said: “The great Christian revolutions came not by discovering something new, but by taking radically something that was always there.”
This generation does not need something new; we just need believers brave enough to believe again. Because of King Josiah’s leadership, the nation turned back to God. The judgment that was prophesied on them and should have come was paused.
Today, we are in a cultural crisis – 50% of marriages fail, 7 out of 10 children leave the faith when they become adults, and biblical values are mocked, not modeled. But our yes to God could change things and impact the culture. What if our obedience could pause the impending judgment, turn the tide, and birth a true revival?
The world doesn’t need another influencer; it needs intercessors, culture shifters, modern-day Josiahs.
Let us be the people that say “not on my watch!’ Tear down the idols, rebuild the altars, and lead this generation back to the heart of God. Be the followers of Christ who boldly declare that you are going God’s way and bringing people with you!
About the Author
Jeannie Ortega Law is a chart-topping singer, evangelist, media personality and author from New York City. She can be reached on social media: @JeannieOrtega or emailed at Info@JeannieO.com
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