Category Archives: Kingdom of God

Possessing Kingdom’s Keys

23 Thursday Jan 2014

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Little Key Heavy Door

 

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:19

 

God has given believers the authority to open and shut the doors of heaven. A big part of having a key is learning to be responsible with it. You understand its purpose and know its importance. If we fail to come into agreement with what the Bible says about Kingdom Keys, we will ultimately fail at opening and closing the doors of heaven.

A key is a mechanism or device which opens something. If you have the key to something, you have the authority to open it. I have in my pocket some keys to a Ford F150, a Land Rover, and keys to storage units.

What does it mean? If I have keys to a vehicle, I have the authority to unlock it, to get in, possess all its contents, and drive away. If I have the key to a storage unit, I have the authority to open it, unlock it, go inside, and once I’m inside… I have access to the contents of whatever has been placed there.

All this is not spiritual rocket science, but whoever holds the keys has the authority to open and close. Jesus is saying, “I am going to give you some keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.” A part of receiving these keys is knowing what Jesus’ knows and then coming into agreement with what Jesus reveals about those keys. It is not difficult to comprehend, but many fail to follow Jesus’ words.

We are accustomed to having and using keys… they are a part of our normal and everyday life. In Jesus day they had keys and locks as well, but it was usually only kings and wealthy people who had such doors and locks. The king would pick out a trusted servant to whom he would give the key to the storeroom. This was the highest honor the king could bestow.

This trusted servant would take the key and wear it on a chain around his neck.  It would be obvious to all that he had the keys of entrance to the palace, and further, into the treasures of the king. If the steward was doing his job correctly he would never take the chain from around his neck. He wore it continually as a sign of the authority given to him by the king.

The man who had the key was the man who could let you inside to see the king, or he was the man who could refuse you entrance. This is what’s behind Jesus’ statement when he says, “I will give you the keys to the kingdom.” Jesus is giving His servants charge of the storeroom!

I cannot express to you the importance of this scripture. But simply knowing about the Keys of the Kingdom is not enough. All believers must believe in the benefits found in God’s storehouse and the importance of using the keys. This teaching from Jesus is like a lot of other Biblical teachings… everyone is aware of it, but very few if any apply it. Most everyone I know is fully aware of the “armor of God” found in Ephesian 6. They know about it… they can tell you about it… but they never put on the armor. Knowing and doing are two different things.

Ask the Lord today about possessing and using the Keys to the Kingdom. The Lord is not trying to keep heaven’s bounty from us… He is simply explaining how the Kingdom works.

 

Blessings – From God’s Incubator

Pastor

 

Kingdom Awareness

29 Thursday Aug 2013

Posted by in Kingdom of God, Luke

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Bride Not Harem

The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is within you.  Luke 17:20-21

Jesus said people miss out on what God is doing in and around them because they fail to detect or discern what the Lord desires to accomplish in them personally.   In this verse Jesus calls His followers to become Kingdom Aware.

So are you Kingdom Aware?  Are you looking for the Lord to work outside you or inside?  When we are looking for the Lord’s action some other place rather than inside ourselves, we will probably miss the Lord’s movements.  I wear glasses.  Occasionally, I misplace them and go searching for them.  In desperation, I will finally ask my wife… “Have you see my glasses?”  She will give me one of those looks and say… “They are on top of your head!”  It is embarrassing.  It must have been embarrassing for Jesus’ followers to hear Him say, “Stop looking and expecting the Kingdom of God to arrive with physical signs…The Kingdom of God is within you.”   Jesus could have said, “Hey, stupid… the Kingdom is starring you in the face… can you feel me now?”  Jesus is, was, and will continue to be a perfect gentleman.

The major focus for Jesus was the Kingdom of God. It still is! The power of Rome and its occupying force was hardly a blip on the radar for Jesus, even though it was foremost in the minds of almost everyone else.  Jesus wasn’t concerned with the power of Herod, the Jewish leaders or even Pilate.  In fact, when Jesus was being questioned by Pilate at His trial, Pilate said to him, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above” (John 19:10-11).

Jesus’ focus was not on the power of the government, but on the power of God. He stood before Pilate in complete confidence. What was it that freed Jesus from fear and gave Him such confidence? It was the constant awareness of the presence of the kingdom of God. The same Kingdom that ruled and reigned in Jesus’ heart and life should be ruling and reigning in ours as well.

Unfortunately, we miss Kingdom’s movements all the time.  Most of our favorite Bible characters did too.  It started in the garden with Adam and Eve. God told the first couple they could do anything they wanted and eat anything they wanted except for one small item.  As soon as they thought God was off somewhere snoozing, they proceeded to make a dinner of the forbidden fruit.  They acted as if God didn’t exist anymore.  Because God was absent, His presence didn’t seem to appear as important. Bottom-line, the first couple didn’t value the Presence of God or His Kingdom.

God broke into the world of both Abraham and his son.  He made special promises to both generations.   Apart from these special visitations, they seem to be unaware that the Lord was continually with them.  It was mainly during down times of testings and trials in which they doubted God’s word and forgot His promises.

Abraham’s grandson, Jacob was on the run when God spoke to him in a dramatic way.  While he was sleeping, the Lord revealed to him that earth and heaven were not two separate places, but connected. Jacob saw a ladder connecting heaven and earth with angels traversing in between. Jacob called the place “Bethel”, which means “house of God.”  He was partly correct.  God did live there, but He also lived everywhere.  This dream was not a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence…. it was an eternal truth about the Presence and Kingdom of God.  The Kingdom of God is always waiting to be discovered by seekers.  Bethel was not an unusual experience for one man way back in history, but a reality for every person, in every place, in every time. How many of us have had times when God’s presence broke through into our everyday lives?  These experiences should have made us want more of God and His Kingdom.

I have had Bethel type experiences in prayer or when reading the Scripture, and I have had them when I least expected it. The point is, God is always trying to break through our world, if we will only be aware of Him. I believe God had been attempting to speak to Jacob many times earlier in his life, but he was not ready to experience Him.  It was only until Jacob became desperate enough and needed the Lord that the Lord was able to capture his heart.

At first Moses tried to force the Kingdom of God into action and killed a man in the process. It was not until Moses had spent a long time away from Egypt, and came to the point of desperation that he was ready for God to speak to him.

The Bible says, “There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up… When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, ‘Moses! Moses!’ And Moses said, ‘Here I am.’ ‘Do not come any closer,’ God said. ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground” (Exodus 3:2-5).

I believe that every place can be holy ground, and the only thing that keeps us from experiencing God is our willingness and readiness to experience Him.

Elijah may offer the best example of how the Kingdom of God should move in our life.  Elijah knew and experienced the power of God. He had witnessed God consume the sacrifice on Mount Carmel.  Immediately following this great victory, Queen Jezebel sought to kill him.  Feeling dejected and depressed Elijah ran. At this point he desperately needed a word but couldn’t get one from the Lord.

  • God sent a great a powerful cyclone, but the Lord voice couldn’t be heard in the cyclone.
  • God sent a great earthquake, but God’s voice was absent here as well.
  • Then the Lord sent a consuming fire that ravaged the area, but God was not in the fire.

NOTE: This is why it is never a good idea to attempt to discern God’s will right after a natural disaster.  Yet, you hear people all the time attempting to do so.  If you find it difficult to hear God in peaceful quiet times, how much more difficult do you think it will be to discern His voice when melee ensues.

Finally, Elijah heard God’s voice in a gentle whisper (small voice).  This gentle, small voice was so holy and full of the presence of God, it made Elijah pull his cloak over his head, cover his face and fall on his knees.

Maybe you have been in this place?  You desperately needed a word from the Lord, but couldn’t hear.  You sought for the Lord to speak in a big way, but heard nothing.  Later, God spoke in a still small voice.  Why does God move in this way?  Because the Kingdom of God will not arrive with signs to be observed… the Kingdom of God is within you.

The Good News is the Kingdom of God is coming!  The better news is even though God’s Kingdom arrives in small ways… it doesn’t have to stay small.  Jesus confirms to us that God’s Kingdom will grow if we water, nourish, and allow it to grow within us.  It is a mistake to believe that just because the Lord is quiet at times, He is not with us.  Our job is to be constantly Kingdom aware. We bless the Lord when we value His presence whether we sense it or not.  Keep Seeking!

Blessings – From God’s Incubator,

Pastor

Is Faith Really a Secret Weapon?

13 Tuesday Aug 2013

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Hebrews 11

 

5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would obey you. Luke 17:5-6

 
Almost every believer I have ever met felt like they needed more faith. They’ve prayed for it, attended conferences, read books, attended services to bolster their faith, and even prayed earnestly for increased faith. The twelve closest to Jesus sure felt the need for an increased level of faith. Evidently they looked at Jesus and concluded,”Hey, we are lacking!” Jesus basically told His small band of ruffians they were not lacking, but slacking. The faith they had was enough! They were simply not properly using what faith they did possess.

Has your spiritual gas tank ever run dry? You go to church, worship, or spend some time with the Lord to fill yourself up. While your spiritual life may resemble a gas tank which occasionally needs filling, your faith level doesn’t operate along these same lines. Faith is not like a gas tank which constantly needs topping. The church is not a gas station that merely exists to service your Christianity. Like Jesus’ disciples, we falsely conclude if we had just a little more of God, just a little more faith, just a little more spirit …. then we could accomplish all of the things the Lord requires. Our request for the Lord to “top off our tanks” or “increase our faith” is invalid. These types of requests will not make us better disciples or stronger followers.

According to Jesus, we don’t need more faith. Faith is such a powerful weapon, we only need a tiny amount of it to do incredible things in the Kingdom. Faith is like an atomic bomb. The energy released from a tiny mustard seed amount of faith can literally move mountains. If you are a believer, then you already possess some faith.

I had the opportunity to visit the Holy Land a few years back. As our group was walking down the Mount of Olives I began to pick some of the branches and twigs from the trees along the path. I noticed some little pods growing from some of the trees and asked our guide about them. He told me they were mustard seeds. The pods were about the size of a pencil eraser. As I examined these little pods, the guide then instructed me to break one open. It was then that I discovered the real size of mustard seeds. Thousands of little ground pepper sized seeds burst forth from the little pods. They were minuscule. Jesus obviously used the smallest item known to his followers to explain just how little faith we need to see God move.

Faith is our secret weapon, but it is not used to destroy like the atom. Just a minuscule amount of faith brings about the impossible. Jesus used the example of mustard seeds because even though they are the small, they possess something a pebble, a grain of salt or a grain of sand doesn’t possess. Mustard seeds have life! The question is not whether there is life in the mustard seed. Each seed has an abundance of life. The question is have we planted our faith in God’s Kingdom so that He might do the impossible? Sized doesn’t matter. What does matter is action. Have we planted what faith we do possess?

Jesus knew that the quantity of faith is not as important as whether faith is present at all. It’s like being pregnant- either you are or you aren’t. There is no such thing as being a little pregnant. In the same instance, you either have faith in God or you don’t. If we do, then God will work amazing things in our lives. It serves no purpose to keep asking God for more of something we have never used in the first place. Faith, like seeds, must be planted. This is why James said, “Faith by itself if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:17

Are you planting what faith you do possess today or are you still waiting for the Lord to give you more. Your faith will not increase until you begin to use the faith you possess. None of us will ever feel qualified enough, know enough, or have enough experience to feel comfortable in seeing God move in our life. He only requires we believe in His process.

 

Blessings – From God’s Incubator,

Pastor

 

Every Saint Has a Past and Every Sinner a Future!

08 Thursday Dec 2011

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27 After that He went out and noticed a tax collector named Levi sitting in the tax booth, and He said to him, “Follow Me.” 28 And he left everything behind, and got up and began to follow Him.  Luke 5:27-28

 

It’s been said, “Every saint has a past and every sinner a future.”  Do you believe this?  The great hope is we do not have to stay in the place the Lord originally found us.

There were two simple words uttered from Jesus’ lips that changed Levi’s life forever…they were “Follow Me!”  It doesn’t get any more simple than this.  When Levi heard these words he jumped at the opportunity to follow the Lord, because he suddenly knew he had a future.

The story of Levi is not unlike many who the Lord called to follow Him.  Levi is better known by his other name Matthew.  He gained his livelihood by contracting with the Roman government to collect taxes from fellow Jews.  Like most tax collectors, he pocketed the gain for himself and was excluded from any form of community life with other Jews.  He was restricted to social life with peers within his profession and often shunned and hated by his own countrymen, neighbors, and even relatives. Even though he was wealthy, his social status was abhored.

 Levi’s transformation occurred when he met Jesus Christ one day. He later became an apostle and wrote the first book of the New Testament. When Levi excitedly gathered his colleagues for a feast with Jesus, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were extremely offended.  After Jesus’ association with Levi became known, the religious leaders posed this question to the disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

Thankful the Lord does associate with sinners!

 

Does a man’s past doom his future? Is repentance and change possible? Is salvation a momentary experience or an abiding decision?

Levi’s radical transformation proves the call of Christ changes us immediately and permanently.  The past stays in the past and our future becomes the Lord’s.

This story reminds me of a story from Tony Campolo’s life.

     Tony Campolo told how, upon arrival in Honolulu, he made his way unwittingly to a seedy part of town for a snack at 3:30 in the morning, to be surrounded by eight or nine prostitutes who had just taken the night off. He overheard the prostitute beside him saying to her girlfriend, “Tomorrow is my birthday.” Her friend rebutted, “So what do you want from me? You want me to get you a cake and sing, ’Happy Birthday?’“ The birthday girl protested, “Why do you have to be so mean? I was just telling you, that’s all. Why do you have to put me down? Why should you give me a birthday party now when I’ve never had a birthday party in my whole life?”

When the prostitutes left, Campolo decided to decorate the place the next night and give the birthday girl a surprise party with the help of the bartender, who happily chipped in the cake. The next day, the stunned girl was so taken back when the whole bar sang a birthday song to her. She first refused to cut the cake, then asked if she could keep the cake a little longer, and finally, for some unknown reason, even dashed home with the cake after promising to return with it later.

Campolo offered to say a prayer for the woman before the stunned crowd, and after prayer, the bartender remarked, “Hey! You never told me you were a preacher. What kind of church do you belong to?” Campolo replied, “I belong to a church that throws birthday parties for whores at 3:30 in the morning.” The bartender then sneered, “No you don’t. There’s no church like that. If there was, I’d join it.”

(The Kingdom of God is a Party 3-8, Tony Campolo, Dallas: Word Publishing, 1990).

Blessings,

Pastor

Rediscovering God’s Kingdom

02 Wednesday Nov 2011

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Americans don’t really understand “kingdom life” because we live under a democracy.  Now we can get enamored watching a royal wedding or a coronation service.  Simply put, we don’t have an understanding of what it means to live in a kingdom because we lack a practical frame of reference.

Many of you who read this blog and receive its emails live in a kingdom.  You may pay homage to a king or queen and understand more practically the benefits of living in a monarchy.  I know that some kingdoms are not so admirable.

      The message of the Bible is primarily about a Kingdom.  Our Father, the Creator chose the concept of a Kingdom to communicate His purpose, will, and plan for mankind.  I don’t believe you can really understand the Bible without understanding this truth.   When we fail to see the activity of God as “Kingdom Activity”, we have a tendency to interpret the activity of God and ourselves as merely “religious” activities.  I have to remind myself that I live in God’s Kingdom.  If not, I too will fall into the trap of being religious because I think my Father requires this type of activity from me.  I am thankful that I am a part of the Kingdom of God.  I am not chained to a set of religious duties because I think God expects these types of activities from me.

God Himself stands alone as the perfect prototype of a government built upon righteous judgment.  All the kingdoms of the earth are attempts to imitate the perfect Kingdom of God.  So what are some of the characteristics of God’s Kingdom He is seeking to establish?

  • God Is Establishing a Kingdom, not a Religious Organization.
  • God Is Establishing Sons (to reign with Him), not simply servants (subject to tyranny).
  • God Is Establishing a Commonwealth of Citizens, not Religious Members.
  • God Is Establishing Relationships With Man, not Religion.
  • God Is Establishing a Heavenly Government on Earth using Principles Like Giving, Forgiving and Unity etc.
  • God Is Influencing Earth From Heaven Through His Sons.
  • God Is Communicating Through A Small Thing Called Prayer.

There several others characteristics I could mention.  But these are enough to get us thinking along the right lines of thought.

The question is how do you view the operations of God in your life?  Do you see yourself in a relationship with the King of Kings or are you simply part of a religion?  There is a big difference.

I will be taking the next few days examining these issues and hope you will follow along with me.

Blessings,

Pastor

Lord, Give Me Some Relief!

01 Tuesday Nov 2011

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13Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14But He said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?”  Luke 12:13-14

Most approach life earnestly believing the Lord is always on their side.  Naturally, they also believe they deserve preferential treatment.  Listen to people pray during a crisis, natural disaster, or impending armed conflict.  You will hear phrases like this: “God is on our side!  Our cause is His cause!  The enemy has been defeated because the Lord is for us!”

Now, let’s answer Jesus’ question – “Who appointed Him judge?”  The truth is His Father appointed Him judge. But for now, Jesus is not bringing judgment to anyone.  Jesus came “to seek and to save those who are lost.”  He is seeking to give life, not condemn lives.  When Jesus walked this earth did He ever issue a judgmental word or comment to anyone personally?  No!  He made plenty of prophetic warnings about future judgment.

What do you think?  Is Jesus currently judging you?  I hope your answer is “no”.

What are we doing when we ask Jesus for relief and to judge our situation?  Maturity is knowing your real motives and the purposes of God.  Jesus said “greed” was at work here and if greed got its way, it would force Jesus out of God’s perfect will and He would judge His followers before their time.  The same is true for all of us.  We need grace and mercy and we need to be issuing the same.

God has placed boundaries for Himself and desires us to do the same.  God’s boundaries call for grace, not condemnation.  Judgment will come in due season.  Ask the Lord to reveal your boundaries and give you help in discerning His.  A good place to start is ceasing to tell the Lord what good a Christian you are and honestly confess where you are failing and how much you need His grace to continue.  This is the type of relief we all need.

Blessings,

Pastor

He Would Not Because He Could Not!

26 Wednesday Oct 2011

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 1 Jesus went out from there and came into His hometown; and His disciples followed Him. 2 When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands?  Mark 6:1-2

If Nazareth had a hometown paper, it probably would have read “Jesus the Carpenter Could Do No Miracles Here!”  Some have taught Jesus couldn’t perform any miracles in His hometown because the people lacked faith.  The scripture records in Mark 6:6, “He wondered at their unbelief.”  Wow!

The reason for their spiritual ineptitude is obvious…they watched Jesus grow up.  They knew His entire family and possibly even had a chair or table built by Jesus’ family.  So how could this son of a carpenter be a miracle-working, prophet of God.  It just didn’t make any sense to the natural mind.

All prophets, teachers, and men/women of God have to originate from some location.  Right?  There is no way around the issue.  I’m from Nashville.  Occasionally you’ll see a country music star around town.  Hey, they have to live someplace.  When I was a teenager I stopped by a drug store to pick up something.  I was in line to check out and Roy Acuff was checking out too.  I think he was getting cough drops or something.  I remember thinking…he is short.  Well, he was kinda short.  My point is this….everybody is from somewhere.  It’s not “where you’re from” but “what the Lord has done in your life” that makes the difference.   I have come to appreciate the verse in Acts 4:13 which says,

Now as they observed the  confidence of  Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and  began to recognize them  as having been with Jesus.

    There was a light,  a glow, and a presence in the disciples’ eyes that revealed where they had been hanging out.  It didn’t make any difference what town they were born.  The difference was they had spent three years with the Lord.

Jesus’ hometown couldn’t discern that Jesus received His teachings, power, and authority from His Heavenly Father.  They could only remember His earthly father and mother.  Bottom line, the people couldn’t detect God at work.  Therefore, no works of power were performed in their lives.

It is a dangerous thing to treat the Holy works of God as something common or ordinary.  God calls us to honor the prophets, teachers, pastors, etc. in our lives. ( By the way… the real ones never announce themselves as such.)  If we neglect to give honor to the Holy things of God, the Lord’s blessings pass us by.  It is easy to say Jesus couldn’t work miracles because the people didn’t have faith in Him.  The greater truth is that the Lord will not work in situations when people treat the Holy things of God as common.

Can God move in power in your life?  Is there any issue present preventing the Lord from radically moving?  Do you honor the things God honors?

“…but now the LORD declares, ‘Far be it from Me—for  those who honor Me I will honor, and those  who despise Me will be lightly esteemed.”  1 Samuel 2:30

This is one of the first conditions we all must meet to see the work of power in our life.  If Jesus’ hometown would have simply “Honored Him“, events would have played out differently.  The same is true for all of us living in this generation.

Blessings,

Pastor

Kingdom Growth Occurs “Without Visible Cause”

10 Monday Oct 2011

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26 And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; 27 and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. 28 The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. 29 But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”  Mark 4:26-29

      When I was in the third grade my teacher gave us all cups with potting soil inside.  Next, she provide the class with seeds.  Yes, little sunflower seeds were entrusted to us to plant in our cups.  We all had learned the growth process of plants and now we were getting some first hand knowledge.  With the seeds planted firmly in the soil, they were placed in the window seal.  I was an impatient little farmer and I wanted to see some action.  The first few days there was some complaining among the third grade farmers.  Where were the results?  Fortunately for our teacher, we had to leave them there for a long weekend.  She probably planned it that way!  When we came back everyone’s seed had sprouted and was shooting for the sky.  It was an amazing sight for third grade eyes.  I learned a life long lesson there in that third grade class.  Given the right conditions, seeds planted will grow.  All you have to do is put it in the ground and God will do the rest. 

      This is the same “spiritual” lesson Jesus was trying to teach His disciples in Mark 4.  The word He uses is “automatos“.  It is our word automatic.  It means “without visible cause.”  Seeds planted in the ground grow without visible cause.  A small, insignificant seed is buried in the ground and remains unseen.  Its growth is somewhat secret and mysterious.  Yet it grows until maturity. 

      This is a spiritual law in the Kingdom of God.  Anything you plant in God’s Kingdom will come back 30, 60 and 100 fold.  The how and why is not up to us.  All we as believers have to do is plant seed, the Lord does the rest.  This is why Jesus said “the Kingdom of God is just like a man who cast seed in the soil.”   If we can be farmers here on earth, then we can be farmers in the Kingdom of God as well. 

      The only question we have to ask and answer is…Do we trust the Lord?  Because just as the earthly planting process occurs without cause, so does the spiritual process.  The Lord is responsible for the growth and return.  Lets go back to my third grade class.  I wanted to dig up my seed to see if there was anything happening down in the soil.  If I had kept digging up my seed, would there have been any growth?  No!  The only way for growth to happen is to trust the process. 

      I encourage you today to trust God in your own spiritual process.  Ask the Lord where and what you need to be planting in His Kingdom.  Find a place in your own heart for the word of the Lord to grow.  You will not be able to see it happen, but you will glorify the Lord in the process. 

Blessings,

Pastor

The Industry of Accusation

19 Monday Sep 2011

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 1 He entered again into a synagogue; and a man was there whose hand was withered. 2 They were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.  Mark 3:1-2

      Trying to catch someone sinning, doing something illegal or unpopular is not new.  These tattle-tales have been around for years.  In Jesus’ day they were like spiritual spies ready to report back to headquarters incidents when people didn’t comply with the religious standards.  There were more people around to catch the nonconforming than there were to help people find a real relationship with God. 

      What does it say about a society that is more interested in catching “wrong doers” than it is in reforming them?  In Jesus’ day it was the religious folk that spearheaded this type of agenda.  Unfortunately, the industry of accusation is still going strong today.  The paparazzi is prowling around right now hoping to catch someone in an indiscretion or compromising situation. 

      Jesus confronted these ne’er-do-wells with a single statement.  He asked, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save a life or kill?”  (Mark 3:4)  Jesus is basically saying, “I am here to do good and to save people… even on the Sabbath.  Can you perceive it?”  Afterwards, Jesus waited for a positive response but never received it. 

      This is one of the few occasions where Jesus became angry and grieved.  He was not angry at people, but angry at hard hearts.  Hard hearts cannot be moved to see the good in people.  Hard hearts are selfish and stubborn.  They are unable to detect any real movement of God.  But note, these same folks had front seats in the service, ready to correct any real move of God. 

      I encourage you if you want to see God move in yourself and others, then stay far away from the industry of accusation.  It grieves the Lord and hardens your heart.  Choose instead to help the Lord in His ministry of reconciliation.  Choose to play for the winning team and bless others!   

“Not of This World”

17 Wednesday Aug 2011

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While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. II Corinthians 4:18

      Many people want to know what the Kingdom of God looks like.  They want to see it in action.  I would be one of those people.  I have prayed continuously for the Kingdom of God to be manifested.  The Bible tells us to focus not upon the kingdoms of this world, but the Kingdom of God.  But how can we when we never actually see it, or do we? 

      Kingdoms or nations have boundaries.  Even when countries have firm boundaries, they will influence each other for good or evil.  Having said this, the Kingdom of God does not have boundaries.  God’s spiritual kingdom exists in the same realm or sphere as our physical world.  This is why Jesus taught we are to “be in the world but not of it.”  He did not want the physical world dominating a believer’s spiritual world. 

      In addition, Jesus taught that His Kingdom was “not of this world.”  He was asserting that we should be interested first in discovering our spiritual dominion instead of the physical.  Jesus said, “Seek first the Kingdom of God“…then all these other physical issues will be added to you.  (Matthew 6:33)

      When we choose to fix our eyes of God’s Kingdom and discover its value and worth, everything else in the physical world falls into place.  The question is have we allowed the Kingdom of God to expand within our own hearts?  We will never see the Kingdom of God manifest outside until it has done its work inside our hearts.