Kingdom

In the first century, being a part of the promised kingdom of God was highly desired and expected by the Jews, at sometime in the future. However, when the kingdom of God was revealed, it was not what they had grown to expect. Because it was outside their expectations, revealing it and finding those that desired this kind of unchanging kingdom required a very long time to change the long expected reality. This revelation and mindset change became a process of convincing the people that the long awaited, promised kingdom was not physical, but spiritual. Because it is attached so closely to God, the restored kingdom status is no longer shakable by outside forces. The writer of Hebrews reminds his readers, ”At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that God has made - in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe” - Heb. 12:27-28 (ESV). This unshakeable kingdom was promised long ago and began at the first Pentecost after Jesus’ death. This kingdom is unshakeable because Jesus’ death destroyed the deception and claims of Satan, the kingdom’s main enemy. This kingdom is still expanding today, around the world, in all cultures. God has called or invited all people; for those who accept, they become part of what is described by the Greek word ekklesia, God’s called out into a kingdom people, church. As part of this kingdom, we need to seek ways to glorify God and allow the Holy Spirit to use us as a tool to guide others and aid increase in numb of people belonging to this kingdom. We should always be grateful and joyful for cleansing of our sins and adoption into this kingdom. We should worship our God as Father God, God’s son Jesus as Savior, and the Holy Spirit as our seal of citizenship in this kingdom.

Leaders

People in positions of importance rarely have instances where others will not speak with them. Usually people want something from others powerful enough to provide it. This has not changed since the first century. When he met Jesus, Pilate was confused. He probably expected anyone expecting to die would defend himself, offer a bribe, or try to convince the one in charge the accusations were unfounded. Not Jesus, His death was predicted and would pave the way for many past and previous believers in God to be cleansed. "Do you refuse to speak to me?" Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?" But Jesus did speak to Pilate. “Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore, he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.” – Jn. 19:10-11 (ESV). Jesus noted a collaboration of leaders. Not all sin has the same consequences as this death had amazing consequences. Jesus seems to emphasize the sin of those who accused Him and delivered Him to the Romans were guilty of a greater sin that the ones who carried out the death sentence. The Jewish leaders had been given all the information necessary to recognize the Messiah, but instead rejected Him. It is also helpful to note many of the Jews outside Jerusalem welcomed Jesus. This can be observed in the difference in Jesus’ reception just outside Jerusalem (palm branches) to the one inside the city (rejection). When and if we hold positions of authority today, we must be careful we realize that we may be in that position due to an expectation from God that we will conduct ourselves in a manner that glorifies God. Because of this possibility, we should we should choose honorable decisions and conduct ourselves in a way that will bring glory to God, our master.

Verify

 Our present society is self-absorbed, cutting others down to make ourselves appear better than they are, or blatant lying. This may blend into our religious sector as well. When this happened thousands of year ago, John encouraged believers to verify what they heard, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.
- 1 Jn. 4:1-3 (ESV) Self-absorbed people want others to follow them and validate their actions, it builds them up. This action can be due to misunderstanding or deception, and it is all around us. When such discussions or actions focus on Jesus, believers have protection. If we believe Jesus is God’s son and came to earth as a human, we have a breastplate of righteousness as armor (Eph. 6:14); the all-knowing Holy Spirit of God lives and works within us. If we will allow Him to do so, He will reveal true statements because He will lead us into all truth (1 Jn. 2:18-27).

Worship

3/24/19 {Worship} Then I [John] fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." - Rev. 19:10 (ESV) When we observe something greater than ourselves, we have a tendency out of fear or respect to offer a special allegiance to them. In the first century many ‘gods’ were recognized and admonished. Any messengers from Jehovah God, would always defer any praise to themselves because they knew only God should receive worship. When we try to worship God, the Holy Spirit is beside us and guiding us to perform this act. When we worship God, it is a testimony to the efforts of Jesus to redeem the world. The Holy Spirit can use our testimony to convict other people of sin and about God’s work of removing it via the actions of Jesus.

Answering Prayer

 Although we are assured God answers our prayers, "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us," (Eph. 3:20), it is pure foolishness to try and predict how God will answer those prayers, . There is, however some information from Scripture which may help understand what He does and when He does it. Yet, in this we need to remember God’s ways are higher than our understanding. Let us consider this: It seems God takes most pleasure in answering prayers from one who is a believer and desires to make the change requested within himself. In this case, there is only one free-willed person to work with, the requestor. If the request is something within God’s overall desires for humankind, is good for the person’s spiritual journey, and fits in with His overall desires for others, God will likely grant the request at the time which is best for all those involved in the request. If the request involves other Christians, more time may be required for the Holy Spirit to guide the other people to a point where they can make a supportive decision. Ultimately, it will be their decision and nothing forced on them by God. If the person is not a Christian, an even longer period of time might be required before the affected people make the decision God desires; this might never happen. When we consider this explanation, we may think, but God is God and can do anything He wants. This is true to the extent He is following His eternal character. Within His eternal qualities is His decision to allow humans free will decisions. This means God works with humankind to convince them that His methods are best; this may require a really long time. There several biblical instances that illustrate the limits God has placed on Himself. God allows people to choose whether or not to follow what He wants to happen; if they choose not to accept, He will find another way to accomplish His desires. This aspect can be seen in His decision to convince Gideon by displaying the wet and dry fleece when he was asked to lead, (cf. Jdgs 6:36-40). This is also displayed in the New Testament when He convinced Zechariah that the baby’s name would be “John,” (Lk. 1:5ff.). It has also been revealed that Mary was given a choice about being the mother of the Savior where she makes the statement, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word,” (Lk. 1:31-38). Joseph also had a choice about taking a pregnant Mary as his wife (Matt. 1:18-24). Additionally, Paul was given a choice after a very direct correcting revelation on the road to Damascus. (Acts 9:1-43). God has chosen to limit some of His direct choices and only work with those who have faith in Him. This is revealed when scripture says Jesus did not have the ability to heal those who did not have faith in Him. Mark says, "And he ‘could do’ no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them.  And he marveled because of their unbelief. And he went about among the villages teaching,"(MK. 6:5-6). God’s chosen limitation is related to faith or belief in Him. God always wants what is best for us as He sees the future we have not yet experienced. So, those prayers which are closest to the things God wants will usually be answered more quickly. Regardless of how long is required to achieve an answer, those prayers will be answered at the Time God chooses. Another is that God will never answer a prayer in a way that causes spiritual harm to His child.

Lies

A wise person once noted that, “Some of the most dangerous lies we listen to are the ones we tell ourselves.” We can quickly discount this, or we can consider the statement. Have you ever been in a situation that was a bit concerning? Perhaps you recognized the danger but tried to convince yourself that this temptation will not have a lasting effect, I can handle it. It is just a one time thing. Maybe you brush off the uncertain feelings and think if no one else saw me, I will never have to explain anything. Perhaps you need to tell half-truths or untruths that become lies. As a Christian, when you think something is a temptation for you, the indwelling holy Spirit has just convicted you of an impending danger. One of the most difficult lessons is that temptation and sin have voracious appetites. If nothing troubling occurred, you probably think that you go away with it. That boldness will never go away, you will always remember it and think you can overcome sin, alone. When this happens, Satan has gained a foothold and like Jesus, Satan will wait for the next opportunity. Another scholar, Ravi Zacharias says, “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.”
Those who work with those who continually attempt to deny they do sinful acts have found that sin unleashes unanticipated consequences that will rob them of their peace, diminish their integrity and cause them pain that’s never worth it. When we look at this statement, we need to personalize it; we need to make the 2nd person pronouns 1st person so it applies to ourselves. These slopes are slippery because we think no one else knows what we do or think, but this is not so. The indwelling Holy Spirit knows what we think, what we desire, what we do, what compromises we make, and which of His promptings we ignored. Sin flourishes in darkness, or hidden thoughts or acts. But if we will allow, the Holy Spirit will provide light to drive away the darkness. As Christians, we are to strive to live in the light. This is part of our sanctification pathway.