Kingdom Of God @ MindSay 
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I was Born Again surrounding the background of the Word of Faith movement which has a few scarlet threads of emphasis. The hallmark Scripture of the Faith movement (or as it was in my early Christianity) is Mark 11: 22 – 24.
22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. (NKJV)
The emphasis is on saying so much that a heart belief erases doubt; thus what we have in our life (negative or positive) is a matter of the words we speak. This is why Word of Faith people are so Bible oriented. If we speak God’s Word over our lives (preferably before a need but to also eventually overcome a crisis) our heart becomes aligned with the Word of God.
It is like the old computer adage: Garbage in/Garbage out. The constancy of what a person says will more than likely be the result of their existence – negatively or positively.
From this thread springs forth related threads such as prosperity or healing (and probably more, I am not an expert or I would be totally victorious in my life).
I do not wish to affirm or criticize this thinking except in this: The foundation of Mark 11: 22 – 24 is excellent; however when people emphasize threads to extrapolate material gain over spiritual gain problems begin to arise. This is why I think so many Ministers of God (especially the ones involved in Televangelism but it does not stop there) are becoming involved in scandal or the appearance of scandal by jealous association. When Ministers utilize the donations of the sheep to enrich themselves rather than enrich the Kingdom of God a deviation of purpose emerges. Of course in a Minister’s private life from wages or personal investment the blessings of wealth emerge, than it is the Accuser attempting to derail legitimacy by painting a picture of greed.
Those who are not good stewards of money (often times people simply are not capable stewarding beyond an ability so I am not assigning judgment on poor stewardship) are often willing to denounce the wealth and prosperity of Faith Ministers.
A legitimate Ministry is the Elijah List. I say legit because it is a for profit business that makes no allusions to a non-profit status for donations. It is simultaneously up front about making a profit as well as furthering the Kingdom of God by disseminating the sale of a focused line of books, Teaching CD’s and Music Cd’s. The Elijah List sells the publications of Ministers representing a non-profit 501(c) 3 tax deduction status.
The point I am trying to build to is this: Faith is not a voodoo tool for material self-aggrandizement; rather Faith is a means for humanity and the Godhead to become one in the Kingdom of God/Heaven. It is a point of Heaven and earth supernaturally uniting under the Lordship of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. God has made that possible by incarnating Himself in the likeness of human flesh through Christ Jesus for this purpose of union.
Now I have said all this because I want you to read an essay from Bobby Conner as delivered by the Elijah List with the theme of seeking first the Kingdom of God. It is quite awesome!
JRH
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The Kingdom of God is Emerging--God's Word will be Displayed in Power and Action
November 19, 2007
"The Kingdom of God is more than a good method or a great message. It consists not of eloquent words--but is a demonstration of the power of God."
Jesus Christ is the most single-minded person who has ever lived. His entire earthly life, including the whole of His public ministry, was focused on one thing: announcing and establishing the Kingdom of God on earth. He announced it with His preaching, teaching and healing; He established it through His death and resurrection. The first recorded words of Jesus deals with the Kingdom: "From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, 'Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand'" (Matthew 4:17).
When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, the first thing He told them to ask of the Father was for His Kingdom to come to earth: "In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your Kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in Heaven" (Matthew 6:9-10).
Because the Kingdom of God was so central to the purposes and plans of Christ, He wanted His followers to constantly seek after its unveiling. If the Kingdom of Heaven was Jesus' central priority, it must be ours as well. We must keep the main thing the main thing.
The phrases "Kingdom of God" and "Kingdom of Heaven" are a common and fundamental part of Biblical theology, with the word "Kingdom" appearing 150 times in the New Testament alone. Its root meaning is God's royal kingship and power, His divine authority to lead and rule. God is the supreme ruler over all creation. The royal rule of Christ is invincible, imperishable and will last forever (see Colossians 1:13-20, Revelation 1:8).
Jesus declared that this Gospel of the Kingdom was to be preached in all the world. Our mission on earth is to obey Him, and we need His anointing to empower us to carry out His command. As the Body of Christ, we are to live a life so yielded to Jesus that the Kingdom (the power and authority) of God is recognized here on earth, even by those who do not believe. We are to be so obedient to our King that His Kingdom will be expressed on this earth to an ever-increasing extent--no matter how much the influence of the powers of darkness grows--just as it will be shown in its fullness at the end of the age.
The Kingdom of God is more than a good method or a great message. It consists not of eloquent words--but is a demonstration of the power of God. A well-delivered sermon or an expertly reasoned teaching is not enough; people need to see God's power on display. The people of this generation are ready to see God's Word displayed in power and action. Only then will they begin to see and believe in the Kingdom of God and to trust Christ as their Savior and Lord.
The Works of Jesus--We Are Ambassadors
As Jesus Himself stated boldly: "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. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it" (John 14:12-14).
Every true believer is to be doing the works of Jesus; this is the evidence of the Kingdom of God. We are here on earth to do the very works of Jesus. This is the ministry of the Kingdom. If we are to be doing the works of Jesus, we would do well to understand what works He did.
Matthew 4:23–24 gives us a clear picture: "And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them."
We are to preach the good news of salvation, teach the Scriptures, heal the sick, and set the captives free--just as Jesus did.
To distract us from declaring and displaying these works, the enemy of our soul attempts to get us to look and live in the past. Many believers today seem to prefer to reminisce about the mighty moves of God in former times rather than get involved with what He is doing now. While we should be thankful to God for every move of the Spirit, we can't live life always looking back. We aren't going to move forward very fast if we're always staring in the rearview mirror. We must see God at work in our day today. God is the God of the NOW! He is the great "I AM" who encompasses eternity.
Paul describes our mission and commission in terms of government and diplomacy when he says that we are "ambassadors for Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:20). The word "ambassador" is the English translation of the Greek word "presbeuo," which has the root meaning of being a senior representative possessing power and authority. An ambassador represents the government that appointed him. His power and authority are delegated. When he speaks in his official capacity as ambassador, his voice is the voice of the government he represents.
In the same way we, as God's ambassadors, represent His government--His Kingdom--here on earth. He has delegated His power and authority to us for that purpose. If we are His ambassadors, we have His authority to act in His name and on His behalf. This power and authority are actively at work in us right now!
The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! We are to declare the same message as our Master. He has entrusted His Body, the Church, with the administration and expansion of His Kingdom on earth, which He established. We must extend to the world the same invitation as Jesus did when He said, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). This is an open-ended invitation for all who will to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
The time is now! The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!
Blessings,
Bobby Conner
EaglesView Ministries
Email: manager@bobbyconner.org
Let us place Hugo Chavez’s election victory in Venezuela in a Christian/Capitalist perspective, especially since Chavez calls Jesus Christ the greatest socialist that ever lived.
Did Jesus care about the communal care of all humanity? Yes.
Did Jesus believe in a State that managed the collective care of humanity? Yes and no.
The purpose for the first coming of Jesus Christ was to deliver humanity from the grip of the dark slavery of the world system of Satan’s twisted kingdom and transfer humanity into the Light of the Kingdom of God – a Saving Deliverance.
The question then becomes: What is the Kingdom of God?
Is the Kingdom of God a human market society in which the rules of Capitalism determine value and opportunity to better oneself? No.
Is the Kingdom of God a human managed system in which personal human profit is taxed heavily by the government in order for the government to manage every social and communal service for the betterment of humanity? No.
Is the Kingdom of God a Communist government in which all property is owned by the Kingdom and all human duty is owed to the Kingdom in order for the Kingdom to manage every aspect of rights and privileges of humanity? No.
The Kingdom of God is a union with God and humanity by the Redemptive act of Jesus Christ. The Redemption of Christ restores the strait path of right standing between God and humanity undoing the twisting of human nature caused by Satan. Greed, avarice, illicit pleasures, dark domination within humanity individually and collectively is all ended in the Kingdom of God. The attributes of the Goodness of God is more than just normal, the Goodness is an ingrained part of human nature that comprehends what God knows: viz. that evil is wrong and Godly virtue is good.
Kingdom of God living is intuitively (without even thinking about a right or wrong) is living the will of God. Living the will of God in the Kingdom of God is not because the State enforces God’s Law (or else), but Living the will of God is an Oneness of thought between God and humanity. This is the Divine Collective as opposed to a human enforced collective by violence and compulsion.
Chavez’s claim that Jesus Christ is the greatest socialist is merely a Communist ideological ploy to get a deluded populace on board with Chavez program before the people understand that Liberty, Rights and Privilege have been surrendered to a despotic State government.
Rick Joyner discusses the Christian’s authority based on the vicarious act of Jesus Christ. Then he moves on to show an understanding of Stewardship utilizing Israel’s experience of the past as a type of the Church’s present and future.
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Taking the Land, Part LIV
By Rick Joyner
November 27, 2006
Immediately after His victory on the cross and His resurrection, Jesus had legal authority to cast the devil into the lake of fire and to establish His kingdom on the earth. He did not do this at that time for several reasons, which we will look at briefly. In them we can perceive some of the things which must be completed before the end of this age. In Genesis 15:13-16, we see three of these reasons in relation to Israel. We know from I Corinthians 10:1-11 that this was a type of that which would come at the end of the age:
And God said to Abram, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years.
"But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve; and afterward they will come out with many possessions.
"And as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age.
"Then in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete."
Israel would have to experience slavery before they could be used to help set the world free. This is a basic spiritual principle, which is why it is by the Lord's stripes we are healed. By being wounded, He received authority for healing others. The same is true for us—in the very places where we have been wounded, mistreated, or abused, we can receive authority for healing others of these same things. This is because kingdom authority is founded on compassion, and someone who has been wounded will have a basis for true compassion for others suffering the same way. After their slavery, Israel had compassion for the oppressed. This is why every bad thing that has happened to us was allowed to happen—to give us compassion for others who are suffering so that we can be used to heal them. This is why when Paul the Apostle had his apostolic authority challenged, he pointed to his afflictions as the basis of his authority.
The Lord then told Abraham that his descendants would come out of their slavery with "many possessions." They were to go from slavery, the worst poverty there could be, which is being owned and owning nothing, to having more treasures and possessions than they could have ever imagined. This is why there has been such an emphasis on financial issues in the body of Christ. We, too, are about to come out of our slavery, and the wealth of the nations will be coming to us. What are we going to do with it? The Lord is trying to prepare and mature us so that it is not frivolously wasted or greedily consumed on ourselves, but is used for that which will be of maximum benefit to us and to all of mankind—to build Him a dwelling place just as Israel did in the wilderness.
Having the manifest presence of the Lord with us is far more valuable than anything else this could be spent on. The Lord Himself is the answer to every human problem, but He is also more than that—He is the true desire and satisfaction for every human longing. What we need above all things is for God Himself to again dwell among us.
The last reason given by the Lord was because "the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete." What Israel did in possessing their Promised Land was a biblical model of what Christ is going to do through the church over all nations. Like Israel, the church has been in slavery, is being set free, is learning how to manage unprecedented wealth and resources, and is being prepared to rule over the earth with her King as soon as the iniquity of the world is complete. That is, when sin has come to full maturity so that the earth can no longer bear it.
As we have discussed a number of times, the Lord Jesus said that the end of the age is the harvest. In other places, it is also referred to as the great time of trouble or the great tribulation. The harvest is the time when what has been sown comes to full maturity and is reaped. All that has been sown in man, both the good and the evil, is about to come to full maturity and be reaped. This is why we see in Isaiah 60 that when darkness is covering the earth and deep darkness the people, the Lord's glory is rising upon His people. We are about to witness the greatest darkness and the greatest glory at the same time. The troubles and tribulation are the result of human problems growing beyond human remedy in every way because we sought to rule over the earth without God. After this, all of mankind will know forever the results of trying to run our own lives, and the earth, without our Creator.
We are also told in Hebrews 12 that everything that can be shaken will be shaken, but we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Those who have not built their houses on the Rock by hearing and obeying the Lord will soon be made manifest. The "key to the kingdom" is Matthew 6:33-34:
"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
"Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
The key to the kingdom, or the key to building our lives on the kingdom, is to make every major decision based first on kingdom interests rather than personal interests. To do this is in our best interest, but this is often hard to see until after the decision. These decisions should include our education, professions, where we live, what we do with the gifts and resources we have been trusted with, our local church, everything. If we live our lives by this basic code of the kingdom, we will not be anxious about the future. If we do not live our lives by this code of the kingdom, we will be increasingly and perpetually anxious because everything we have built our lives on will be increasingly shaky.
We should note here that the Lord does not say we should not plan for tomorrow, but to not be anxious for tomorrow or the future. Planning certainly has its place, but our primary motive in planning anything major should be to do the Lord's will and serve the interests of the kingdom first.
If we have anxiety about the future, it should be a sign to us and a wake-up call that we have not built everything on the kingdom. What are we anxious about? Examine the foundations of it to see if it was built on the kingdom, seeking kingdom interests first, as well as hearing the words of the Lord and obeying them.
If we are anxious, and we realize that there are things in our lives that were built on selfish interests more than kingdom interests, or that we did not hear or obey the word of the Lord, then it can still be corrected. We must first repent of our sin. To paraphrase C.S. Lewis, "in the Lord the wrong road never becomes the right road." To get back on the right road, we need to go back to where we missed the turn, which is called "repentance." Then we must resolve not make any more major decisions based on anything but the purposes of the kingdom first and foremost. Next, we must resolve to hear the word of the Lord and obey it. This is the time to get our lives aligned right with the Lord and His purposes so that we will not be shaken along with the rest of the world.
Next week we will cover this most important foundation for our lives in a bit more depth. The goal of our study is to get closer to the Lord, to abide in Him, and do His will. It does not take a prophet to see that the whole world is getting shakier by the day. We cannot delay any longer doing whatever repenting we need to do, and realigning whatever needs realigning so that we stand firmly on His kingdom, and as citizens of that holy nation, preparing the way for the King to come.
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There is a good chance I may not post Rick Joyner’s Word of the Week next week. You can go to Morningstar Ministries Word of the Week page if you wish to keep up.
Once a human being is born a journey of choices begin. There are two possible end points of this journey: Heaven or hell. It is in the choices we make which our sense experience gravitates along the journey. Good choices and the Kingdom of God will influence our experiential walk. Bad choices and the realm of Satan will influence our experiential walk.
If we constantly make bad choices our life may seem like hell on earth.
If we constantly make good choices and make one horrible choice, then the hell on earth feeling may still arise. Like the thief on the cross next to Jesus, the ultimate choice will fulfill the destiny God intends for humanity: the Heaven of the Kingdom of God.
Unfortunately there are many that are hardened by bad choices who curse God and die like the other thief on the other cross next Jesus. That destination will always lead to hell. Don’t let your dieing breath be to curse God and die.
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Up Where You Belong
Sit with God or Sit in the Cheap Seats (with Satan)
Devotional by Tommy Tenney
Sep 11 2006 04:35AM
Visionary Advancement Strategies InJesus Group
Your great High Priest says to you and to me, “I know how it looks from the perspective of the audience! I know how you feel, but I have a better place and a better seat reserved for you.” (God’s Eye View, p. 164)
Do things look bad for you right now? Do you feel trapped and doomed to live in failure or embarrassment for the rest of your days?
The thief on the cross couldn’t have had a worse view of life and death as he gasped for breath on a Roman cross. Death for him was guaranteed just before sundown at the latest, and he had two choices—curse God and die (the option chosen by the other thief), or believe God and live. He asked Jesus to remember him, but the Lord did for him what He did for us—He gave him a “backstage pass” to the mystery play of life.
Things aren’t so rosy for the arch rebel and those who follow him down the wide and easy path of rebellion.
Satan has an eternity-long box seat in the back row of the theater of God. He can’t figure out what’s going on, he’s powerless to change or modify God’s script, and if he could read God’s script (he does know how to quote a few lines here and there), he still wouldn’t understand it. He doesn’t have the key to understanding the Word—the Holy Spirit. He can’t even get good popcorn—all he ever gets is the burned stuff at the bottom with a hint of sulfur flavoring. (p. 165)
Why do I spend so much time and space describing Satan’s limited options? It is because his options are our options if we fail to follow the Son of God in life and in death.
Do you sometimes feel as if Satan’s misery has become your misery? Do you feel powerless to change or modify the “script” of your life? Do you want to shout and shake your fist at God over your troubled childhood, the color of your skin, the poverty in your family, or your limited options in life?
I have two things to say to you. First, Jesus understands your anger, your frustration, and your pain. That is why He came to take your place on the tree of blame. Second, you are not powerless to change your destiny as long as you retain the power of choice.
The thief on the tree was out of options—he was beyond the forced solitude of death row, he was “in the chair” and minutes from death. Yet he exercised the power of choice and chose Jesus Christ. That brief thirty-second exchange with Jesus changed his eternity from doom and damnation to eternal joy! Are you still breathing? Then you still have the power of choice—choose now (and trust the rest to Him).
For storm season, we make preparations, here. Year after year. Stock up on the water. Canned food is purchased and stored. Batteries of all sizes. Crank-powered storm radioes. A generator. Fill up the five-gallon gas cans. (We have a few.) Check the plywood for the windows to make sure it's still sound. Restock the first aid boxes. In addition, when a storm is threatening, the important papers plus a utility bill and phone numbers go in a plastic bag.
This very last thing is just in case we have to evacuate. If you've been reading this blog for more than a year or so, you will notice we've not yet had to evacuate.
We made all the preparations this year, too. We still have things near to hand should they be needed. Thankfully, we have not yet had need of any of these preparations. The latest hurricanes, Florence and Gordon, have been out in the middle of the Atlantic, followed by Chase-their-tails Helene. Still, we remain prepared.
But that's not all we're preparing for, as part of God's family.
Virgins. Let's start there. These were not young women who were planning on marrying the bridegroom. They were bridesmaids. Part of the celebration, but not getting married. The whole wedding waited upon the arrival of the bridegroom, who may have been coming in a caravan from some other town. Some scholars have debated about whether this parable was taking place before the wedding or after it, but that isn't really germane to the lesson.
The lesson Jesus was telling his friends was: Be prepared! Are you seeing a theme, here? The disciples asked about when the time was for the End of the Age. What Jesus is emphasizing, though, is that they have to be ready for it. Don't just mark it on your calendar. Make preparations.
The virgins above had certainly all filled their lamps earlier in the day. The didn't know if they would need them, but they had them. They waited and waited, far beyond what they thought they might need to do, but still they waited. (After all, aside from their duty of being an attendant, they'd get to join the feasting!) In the middle of the night, they heard that the groom was on the way. Though they had been sleeping, they woke, fluffed out their garments, checked their lamps...
And found they needed oil.
Half of these virgins had been wise -- they had brought extra oil. Just in case the wait would be long. The other half were foolish. Oh, they were the bridesmaids, the acknowledged virgins. They were. They had adorned themselves appropriately. They had brought their lamps, too. But...they hadn't been prepared adequately. They hadn't been wise, as the others were. They had been foolish to think that the groom would come within their own timeframe as delineated by the lamp oil they had available.
So they tried to bum some off of virgins who had been much more wisely prepared. They were refused. After all, the light only went so far, and if they shared, it was very possible none of them would be able to go to the wedding feast. They'd all be left in the dark, alone. The unprepared virgins went off to buy more oil. From whom? We do not know. But they were gone too long.
When they had finished their errand, they went to the feast, but were too late. The bridegroom declared he didn't know them. They hadn't been with the others, why should they be in the feast? They were not allowed into the feast.
Again, the point of Jesus' parable here is that they are to be prepared, the disciples are. They don't know how long they'll have to wait. Neither do we.
Look at the timing as Christ explains it in this parable. The virgins -- representing those who want to enter the kingdom of Heaven -- have a general idea of when this wedding will take place, so they are where they are supposed to be. Jesus implies, then, that people will have a general idea that the end is coming. Many signs are prophesied to show this, if you have been reading along with us or have studied the prophets of the Old Testament. This is reasonable.
They wait longer than expected and fall asleep waiting. We do that too, don't we? Wait longer than we think we should have to and get tired. There is no judgment here in this parable for doing so. No sense that the virgins should have been up partying and staying all fresh and excited. It was all right that they had taken a nap. But when they heard the bridegroom was coming, they got up, trimmed their lamps, and waited eagerly.
Yet still he didn't show up. For us, this means that the waiting isn't over just because we hear he's coming or a messenger that we trust has said he's coming. The bridegroom -- Christ -- will not come before there are signs of his coming; he teaches that himself. But they won't necessarily be in a time that we expect!
So the virgins waited, some running off for last-minute shopping. And they missed out when the bridegroom came.
You will notice they were excluded from the feast for their tardiness. They were not allowed to celebrate a the wedding of the Bridegroom and his Bride. In the book of Revelation, that is a time when Jerusalem will be presented as a Bride to her Bridegroom. It will be a special time. A time long-awaited. Those who are ready will get to party, too.
There is no further punishment, we notice in this parable. No "weeping and gnashing of teeth," no "eternal flame." Simply -- with a door shut in their face -- the virgins are excluded from the wedding banquet.
From the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus says the bridegroom will not know these women. They were not especially favored. They would be treated as anyone else in the village...not as honored guests. They have to bear the consequences of their own folly, their own ill-preparedness. No last-minute reprieve.
Be prepared. Do not expect to be let into the kingdom "just because" or "because you really are a good person." This parable -- this teaching story says otherwise.
Here, we prepare in advance of the storms of summer. If they come, we are ready. If they do not come, we are still prepared. Over the year, we can use the supplies we have gathered, if we do not during hurricane season. Next spring, we prepare again. We do not know how the storms will travel. We do not dictate the weather patterns.
And we do not dictate the terms of entering the wedding feast.
Remember: You do not make the rules for God's Kingdom. He does.
(For a deeper study on this parable, I refer you here. Bring your Bible. ;) )
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