The Kingdom of God!

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Chapter 31

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Since our Declaration of Independence was written, America has seen her share of pain. Time and time again men of greed and evil intention have sought to throw her off course from the purpose of her founders. However, despite those evil intents, God always had a praying people whose hearts would stand up along with the Holy Spirit, to see to it that America would stay the course set out by the Lord's agenda.

 

So here we are again faced with an attempt to over throw the plans of God for America. Our Godly heritage is being challenged and America's future as a Christian nation advancing the Kingdom of God is hanging in the balance.

 

Chaos and contention are raging as evil has raised its ugly head in an attempt to silence the awaking Church.

 

In the absence of these strong warriors, a surge of blatant ungodliness and lawlessness crept into the Church and into our nation. Hell, itself, has launched an all-out war in an attempt to once and for all overtake and overthrow God's intended purposes for this nation in an attempt to change the destiny of it.

 

In Ezra 9:8-9 we read,

 

"And now for a little while grace has been shown from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a measure of revival in our bondage."

 

"For we were slaves. Yet our God did not forsake us in our bondage; but He extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to repair the house of our God, to rebuild its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem. 

This is talking about things pertaining to Israel; however, they also shadow truth about what will take place in the end times. For example,

 

1. God is giving us a space of grace. We have an opportunity to get involved in the Kingdom of God.

2. God has a remnant in America and this remnant will stand up and wage the spiritual war that is required to stop these forces of evil while most of the Church will continue to go about in their comfort zone and not really be aware of how to deal with the evil that is present in our country. You can be a part of this remnant if you will seek the face of the Lord and be led by His Spirit.

3.God has given us a peg so we can drive it through the heart of the spirits that are trying to talk over our nation. In Judges 4:21-22, it says,

 

"Then Jael, Heber's wife, took a tent peg and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went down into the ground; for he was fast asleep and weary. So, he died. And then, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said to him, "Come, I will show you the man whom you seek." And when he went into her tent, there lay Sisera, dead with the peg in his temple."

4. An awaking is coming that will open our eyes so we can see what is happening in the world.

5.God is extending mercy that will restore the foundations of America and restore the house of the Lord.

 

What is raging in America today cannot be correctly understood by carnal understanding because what is happening is not carnal. It is spiritual. For years evil agendas have been working in various ways and various means behind the scene under cover in an ultimate attempt to distort, discredit, and remove the truth of the word of God and to extinguish the light of the Gospel of Christ!

 

However, the Lord has removed the covering where this evil has been hiding and is revealing their true nature. By removing the covering, He has removed the ability for these evil agendas to move stealthily. You can see these spirits today in action. All you have to do is to be watching! All hell has launched out targeting anything or anyone that would dare try to stand up and oppose its socialistic, dictatorial strategy.

 

What is unfolding in our nation today is not about Democratic or Republican. It's not about race or gender, it is all about good and evil. There are principalities and hordes of demonic spirits who are attempting to dismantle the righteous foundation that this nation was built upon. They are trying to destroy the identity of our nation that has been determined by God, but God has a remanent that's prepared for this moment.

 

Our fight is not among people or churches, our fight is spiritual against principalities and forces of evil that have invaded our society and even our churches. As I shared with you last week, this principality, called Leviathan, is very sneaky and will creep up on us when we least expect it. However, our fight is a supernatural fight against these principalities. Our weapons are mighty and powerful, Paul said in Eph. 6:12,

 

" We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." 

 

Unfortunately, most of the Church, has not been taught about how to wage spiritual warfare. Praying and seeking the Lord only, will not stop this evil. We are the ambassadors of the Lord and we must take our stand against these evil forces. We are not powerless in this spiritual warfare because we have the anointing of the Holy Spirit and the weapons we fight with are strong and more powerful than those of the evil one.

 

Paul goes on to say in Eph. 6:13-18,

 

" Therefore, take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.'

 

Paul also said in 2 Cor. 10:3-5,

 

" For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

 

Heb. 4:12 says,

 

" For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

 

Paul also tells us the measure of the power that has been given to the Church in this world. Eph. 1:15-21, (NIV)

 

"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."

 

I pray, along with Paul, that your spiritual eyes will be opened so you will understand the great power that God has given the Church and those who believe on Him. These passages of scripture illustrate to us the mighty power we have at our disposal and if we will just get our carnal mind out of the way and let that river of living water flow through us, we will see amazing results.

 

Jesus said in John 7:37-38 on the last day of the great Feast of Tabernacles,

 

"In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)" 

 

Unfortunately, somewhere around 200 years after the resurrection of the Lord, complacency set upon the Church and false doctrine came in and began to teach that the baptism of the Holy Spirit stopped when the last Apostle died. This took away the power that the above scriptures talked about.

 

Jesus told His disciples in Acts 1:5 and verse 8

 

"Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit you shall receive power, after the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. 

 

Jesus did not want His disciples trying to build His Church by their carnal mind and the efforts of men. However, this is exactly what happened in about 200 years after He ascended. And it wasn't until 1906, when men were seeking the will of the Lord and the Holy Spirit was poured out.

 

The Azusa Street Revival was a historic revival meeting that took place in Los Angeles, California. It was led by William J. Seymour, an African-American preacher. The revival began on April 9, 1906 and continued until roughly 1915. On the night of April 9, 1906, Seymour and seven men were waiting on God on Bonnie Brae Street, "when suddenly, as though hit by a bolt of lightning, they were knocked from their chairs to the floor," and the other seven men began to speak in tongues and shout out loud praising God. The news quickly spread; the city was stirred; crowds gathered; and a few days later Seymour himself received the Holy Spirit; services were moved outside to accommodate the crowds who came from all around; people fell down under the power of God as they approached; people were baptized in the Holy Spirit and the sick were healed and sinners received salvation

 

If you are attending a church where their services consist of a few hymns, a prayer, communion, a 30-minute sermon and an invitation, you have never seen someone fall back under the power of the Holy Spirit and have never heard a message given in tongues followed by the interpretation or a prophecy given to edify the Church. You have never seen people dance under the anointing of the Spirit of God like King David did. You probably have never seen anyone raise their hands and worship the Lord. You probably have never seen anyone anointed with oil and hands laid on them to be healed.

 

Even Jesus had problems ministering in His own town, Matt. 13:54-58, (NIV)

 

"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."

 

Most Christians stumble at the gift of speaking in tongues and people being slayed by the anointing. When the temple guard came to the Garden to arrest Jesus, John 18:3-6 says,

 

"Then Judas, having received a detachment of troops, and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, "Whom are you seeking?" They answered Him, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus said to them, "I am He." And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. Now when He said to them, "I am He," they drew back and fell to the ground."

 

The anointing of the Holy Spirit was so great on Jesus that when He said, "Who are you seeking?" their knees buckled and they fell under the anointing of the Spirit. Remember what Jesus said in Acts 1:8,

 

"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

 

That word 'power' comes from a Greek word 'dunamis' which means force (literally or figuratively); specifically miraculous power (usually by implication a miracle itself): ability, abundance, meaning, might (-ily, -y, -y deed), (worker of) miracle (-s), power, strength, violence, mighty (wonderful) work.

We get our word 'dynamite' from this Greek word.

 

In Gen. 1:2-3 we read, (NIV)

 

"Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light."

 

Notice that the Spirit of the Lord was hovering over the waters waiting for the Lord to speak and when He did, the Spirit created according to the word of the Lord. When the Holy Spirits anointing comes upon us, He will manifest Himself through us for the purpose of ministering to others. Paul spoke of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in 1 Cor. 12:1-11, (NIV)

 

"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good."

 

" To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines."

 

We are not in control of the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit; HE IS! He is just looking for a receptive person that He can work through! He will manifest Himself through us if we are a willing vessel. Jesus said that these signs would follower believers. John 14:12,

 

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.

 

This is the reason that Jesus told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem to be empowered by the Holy Spirit before they tried to keep the great commission. Today, it is sad to say that most of the fundamental, Bible believing churches, do not believe that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is promised for those that believe in the Lord Jesus Christ today! This is why the great Charismatic move in the 70's and in the 80's had believers in every denomination that were hungering for more of the Lord, receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit.