GOD’S KINGDOM IS IN POWER

Marcella Ward July 31, 2024

What is God’s Kingdom and what is the power that God speaks about?  Have we missed God’s message throughout the ages because we have not obeyed His Word and therefore become a Church that is powerless?

God’s Kingdom Is Within You

²⁰ Some of the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the kingdom of God come?”

Jesus answered, “God’s kingdom is coming, but not in a way that you will be able to see with your eyes. ²¹ People will not say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ because God’s kingdom is within you.  Luke 17:20-21  (NCV)

WHAT DID JESUS MEANS WHEN HE SAID, THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS WITHIN YOU?

“Jesus’ answer was that the kingdom of God was not coming in the manner the Pharisees were expecting. The kingdom would not be inaugurated with spectacle or splendor; there would be no great and magnificent leader who staked out a geographical claim and routed the Romans; rather, the kingdom would come silently and unseen, much as leaven works in a batch of dough (see Matthew 13:33). In fact, Jesus says, the kingdom had already begun, right under the Pharisees’ noses. God was ruling in the hearts of some people, and the King Himself was standing among them, although the Pharisees were oblivious to that fact.

There are three popular interpretations of Jesus’ words in Luke 17:21 that the kingdom of God is within you (or among you): 1) the kingdom of God is essentially inward, within man’s heart; 2) the kingdom is within your reach if you make the right choices; and 3) the kingdom of God is in your midst in the person and presence of Jesus. The best of these interpretations, it seems, is the third: Jesus was inaugurating the kingdom as He changed the hearts of men, one at a time.” (Got Questions: “WHAT DID JESUS MEANS WHEN HE SAID, “THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS WITHIN YOU?” March 13, 2023)

I Corinthians 4:18-20  (Peter’s response to the Corinthian Church)

¹⁸ Some of you have become proud, thinking that I will not come to you again. ¹⁹ But I will come to you very soon if the Lord wishes. Then I will know what the proud ones do, not what they say, ²⁰ because the kingdom of God is present not in talk but in power. ²¹ Which do you want: that I come to you with punishment or with love and gentleness?  (NCV)

ACTS 1:6-11 NIV

 ⁶ Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

⁷ He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸ But 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.”

⁹ After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

¹⁰ They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ¹¹ “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

THE HOLY SPIRIT COMES AT PENTECOST

ACTS 2:2-4   NIV

2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ² Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

MATTHEW 10:8   NIV

⁸ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

Have we become a powerless Church?  How many churches do we see that welcome the powerful Gifts of the Holy Spirit?

9 SPIRITUAL GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT:  1 Corinthians 12:4-11

1. Word of wisdom
2. Word of knowledge
3. Gift of faith
4. Gift of healing
5. Working of miracles
6. Prophecy
7. Distinguishing between spirits
8. Speaking in tongues
9. Interpreting tongues

 

Before Jesus was taken up into Heaven, He gave us, as believers, authority to heal, cast out demons, and use the 9 Spiritual Gifts that would be given on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles which included 120 gathered in the Upper Room waiting for the promise of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:2-4)

GOD IS NOT DEAD AND NEITHER IS THE BODY OF CHRIST!  The Gospel, the Good News, is present here today because Jesus lives in each believer. 

ROMANS 8:11  NIV

¹¹ And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.

THEREFORE, AS CHRIST LIVED IN THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, SO WE MUST LIVE IN THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRT SO WE CAN BE A WITNESS TO THE WORLD AND GIVE GLORY TO ALMIGHTY GOD!!

Marcella Ward    Author of “Stolen Identity: Plan of the Evil One”

www.solaceinGodsworld.blogspot.com

 

 

                                                                 IT’S NOT OVER

Marcella Ward    July 10, 2024 

Have you ever heard the expression, “It’s not over until it’s over”?  I have been hearing this expression from so many people.  It is true.  So many times, even in our own lives when things seem so dark, we give up, lose hope and “throw in the towel” only to find out that the answer to our prayer was just around the corner and all we needed to do was just rest and wait on God. 

In the Book of Exodus after the Israelites were freed, by the hand of God, Moses led them out of Egypt.  When the Israelites came to the Red Sea they became terrified because the Egyptian army was coming after them and they had nowhere to escape except through the Red Sea. They complained to Moses but Moses told them not to fear and have faith in God because Almighty God would fight for them.  The Lord told Moses to stretch out his rod and the sea parted giving them safe passage and after they were safe on the other side Moses raised his rod again and the Egyptian army drowned.

With a small stone David defeated Goliath when all seemed lost.  Everyone was afraid of the giant who was at least 9 feet tall.  It seemed like everything would be lost but David put his faith and trust in God and David killed the giant.  The Philistines ran when they saw their hero, Goliath dead but David stood up to something that seemed impossible.

King Darius was the ruler over Babylon.  Daniel served the God of Israel and was not going to bow down to other gods, so he continued to pray three times to God Almighty and because of this he was thrown in the lion’s den.  Even though everything seemed hopeless, Daniel trusted God and when asked by the King if his God had rescued him, he said that an angel of the Lord shut the mouths of the lions.  After this King Darius issued a decree that all people should reverence and fear the God of Daniel.

King Nebuchadnezzar, another King of Babylon, required all to bow down and worship a golden image and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to do that so they were put into the fiery furnace.  They trusted in God to deliver them from the fire.  Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?” They replied, “Certainly, Your Majesty.” He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”  Daniel 3:24-25 (NIV)    Many people believed that this was Jesus who is the Son of God!  God did not fail them.  He was there with them just when it appeared that all hope was gone.

During the time of Christ a man named Lazarus was raised from the dead by Jesus.   Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.)  So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”  When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”  Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, ⁷ and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” John 11:1-7 (NIV)

 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.  I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”  The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”  John 11:40-44 (NIV)

When Jesus died on the cross I’m sure the demons rejoiced but little did they realize that it was NOT OVER!!!!  Jesus died on the cross to take away our sins and rose on the third day and conquered death to give us eternal life with Him forever and ever!!

The following is an example of one of seventeen miraculous deliverances from defeat in many battles that the Israeli army fought.

 “During the Independence War, Ira Rappaport’s Israeli platoon fought the Jordanian military for Mount Zion and found themselves surrounded by hundreds with only twenty five bullets left. With a sad end seemingly near, the men agreed to go out with a bang and readied themselves to make good use of every last bullet. Then, just when the small platoon were about to face the inevitable, something incredible happened. The Jordanian soldiers dropped their weapons and began suddenly running away, screaming “ABRAHAM!” Several years later, Ira would come across a familiar face with an unlikely answer, as to what had actually occurred on that miraculous day. This was a former Jordanian soldier who had fought against Ira on Mount Zion. According to him, his army all witnessed a vision of Abraham defending the Jews in the sky above the Israeli platoon and had no choice, but to drop their weapons.” (Israeli Defense Forces: 17 Miraculous Israeli Military Victories May 29, 2015)

No, it is not over until God says that it is over.  So don’t get disappointed.  You need to keep the faith.  When you have done all you can do, then God will show up as only He can!  God is on the throne and His authority and power will never end.  His sovereign will, will be accomplished no matter what happens.  It’s not over until God says it’s over!!

Marcella Ward    Author of  "Stolen Identity: Plan of the Evil One"

www.solaceinGodsworld.blogspot.com