The Kingdom in your hands
/
The success of Gods plans on earth are not in the hands of preachers. But in the hands of people. All God’s people.
Of course ultimately, success is in God’s hand (Proverbs 16:9) but God chose partnership with us as his way of flooding the earth with His glory. He called us to make disciples, to demonstrate His Kingdom.
Maybe Christians have developed a mindset where they come to a meeting and sit and listen. If you like, they gather round a sermon, waiting to be told what to do. Then they go home again and get on with life.
The scriptural model is different. It paints a picture of people gathered round God’s presence and hearing His word and direction from there. The Israelites gathered round the presence in the tabernacle. The disciples journeyed with the presence of Jesus and, via a process of un-learning and learning, discovered how to change world. The presence empowered and commissioned them.
Jesus told those who’d listen ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand’ (Matthew 4:17). It was close because Jesus was close. And through Him came the power of that Kingdom rule to drive back every dark force which was holding power at that moment - sin, poverty, sickness, injustice, pride. His Kingdom always overcame.
The same power, powerful enough to raise Jesus from the dead, is in you and me (Romans 8:11; Ephesians 1:19-20). Wherever you are, the Kingdom is at hand, with power to confront and overcome every dark power in your world. Do you believe this?
It’s not just the preachers job. Our city cries out for transformation. There are thousands waiting to have demonstrated to them the goodness of God and His Kingdom reign. It’s too big a job for individual Christian leaders, even evangelists. It needs what God always intended. His body working together with one purpose: to see His Kingdom come and His will being done.
Let 2019 be a year when we commit to removing that which inhibits the flow of His Spirit and Kingdom from us. Jesus had success because there was nothing hindering the flow of communication between Him and His Father (John 12:49) and He gave no ground to the Devil to manipulate His mind or flesh (John 14:30). We always crave more of Hs Spirit, but we already have enough to make a Kingdom difference, if it can get out. He must increase, I must decrease.