The Kingdom of God!

 

 

Last week I was talking to you about the power of The Kingdom of God that followed the early disciples with signs and wonders following them as the Lord worked with them.

 

Paul had a lot to say about this in Eph. 1:15-23, (NIV)

 

“For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”

 

This prayer is filled with the revelation of what our Father did when He raised Jesus from the dead! There was no power in all of God’s creation that had the power to stop God from executing His will concerning Jesus and those who are in Christ!

 

Do you really understand what Paul was talking about concerning those who are in Christ Jesus? That same incredible power is available to those who believe. Verse 19. That power is the Holy Spirit of God!

 

You say, “Well, I haven’t seen that power happening in the church I attend.”  Let me give you something the Lord Jesus said about this. Matt. 53-58 (NIV) says this,

 

“When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked.  “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.”

And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

 

Even though they were amazed at His wisdom and the miracles He performed, they are  like so many churches today who have been taught unbelief. Read again verses 54-57 when they reason among themselves. Even though they heard the wisdom of Jesus and saw the power of God in the miracles, their carnal minds simply could not accept the wisdom and power of God!

 

Unless you were raised in a Pentecostal Church, you have heard these same comments in the Church you were raised in! I know because I was raised in a church that believe the miracles of God and the baptism of the Holy Spirit ended when the last apostle died.

 

Because they didn’t want to believe in the promised Baptism of the Holy Spirit and especially speaking in an unknown language! This is why they have never seen the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in their church! Did you know that Jesus spoke in tongues on the cross? Matt. 27:46,

 

“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

 

Isaiah 28:9-11 says,

“Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.  For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.”

The point I am trying to get across to you is that there is power in the Kingdom of God and this power is given to us by the Holy Spirit as He wills. Paul said in 1 Cor. 12:11,

“All these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.”

When the Lord wants to manifest Himself in the nine ways described in 1 Cor. 12, He will use someone who is willing to step out in faith and declare the Word of the Lord. It is by faith that we allow Him to work through us for the benefit of His body, the Church!

I have sharred with you before that when I was ministering in South Africa that the Lord spoke through me and I said to the people that if they wanted to hear a personal word from the Lord, be sure to come tonight and the presence of the Lord will be here. When the service was over I said to the Lord, “What have you gotten me into?”

When I gave the invitation that evening there were some 150 people came forth to hear from God. The Lord gave me the wisdom to ask the Pastor to come with me and verify what the Lord was saying to them. That takes boldness and faith to speak directly into someone’s life a word from the Lord. I didn’t want to just give them my views! I wanted to give them the word of the lord.

To some, the word of wisdom came to them telling them what the Lord had in store for them and to some, the word of knowledge of what had happened in the past and what the Lord had in store for them! Did I just tell them what I thought? No, I just opened my mouth and allowed the Holy Spirit to speak to them!

I also prayed for the pastor and his wife and afterword when we were at their house for some refreshments, they were bubbling over with excitement because of what the Lord had said to them. The Lord told them things about their lives that no one knew about. I told them that it wasn’t me that told them these things but the Lord. They also said that everything I said to the people was true, but again, it was the Lord using me to speak to them!

You may say, “Well, I wish I could do that!” You can if you will step out in faith and speak it forth! You may miss it now and then but there is one thing for sure, nothing will happen until you use your faith in the Lord and speak it forth! I can tell you one thing for sure; the Lord wants to use you to manifest Himself in one of the nine gifts of His Spirit! Paul said in 1 Cor. 12:7,

“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.”

That word ‘man’ is plural in gender meaning men and women. You were saved by faith and everything you are able to accomplish in the Lord happens by your faith which was given to you by the Lord. Paul said in Rom 12:3,

“For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.”

Jesus said in Matt. 17:20,

“And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”

The Lord has given you a measure of faith and it is up to you to cause it to grow into powerful faith! Paul said in Cor. 10:17,

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

To gain the measure of faith Paul was talking about in Eph. 1 you must have a relationship with the Lord and know what His word says! Jesus said in John 10:4,

“His sheep follow him because they know his voice.”

You must learn to use your faith in what the Lord has said and apply it to your life! Paul said in Rom. 1:17,

“For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”

 

Have a great week!

 

Love Dave