Kingdom

In many of the locations Christians live, the word “kingdom” is confusing. When a misunderstood word is used to describe a difficult concept, the result can be bewildering. Pilate was a man who served the most powerful earthly leader at that time in a land that stretched far and wide, (an area that served and depended on a ruler or king for leadership and protection – a kingdom). When he asked Jesus about the intentions of him and his followers by using the word “kingdom”, he was thinking of anything that was a threat to his earthly responsibilities in Rome’s kingdom. But, "Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”- John 18:36 (NLT). Now Pilate was confused; this was not an attack he knew how to fight, he didn’t even understand the concept. Those who live in a free society struggle with the concept of “kingdom” also. Jesus’ interests did not lie in the things most people understood when the word “kingdom” was used, control and prestige. The kingdom of which Jesus spoke was a spiritual kingdom, the desires and goals of men and women. This kingdom desires to guide the hearts of humans through any and all actions in which they engage. When a person declares Jesus in their savior from earthly failings, the Holy Spirit comes to live within them and help them to modify their wants and desires to match those declared by God to please Him.

Necessary

A simple reflection: God always provided the means necessary to accomplish His desires. "I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone." NU 11:17 (NIV)

Inspired, life saving Word of God

Do you believe the Bible in the inspired word of God. Do you believe it was given in concepts from the Holy Spirit that can be translated into any human language? I do! Now when I read passages like the one below, I stop and give thanks that someone of greater knowledge and insight provided clear descriptions of my surroundings. What do you really think about the world in which we live? Certainly Jesus made this world and ultimately owns everything in it, and certainly Satan would like us to think he has more authority than he really does. Yet, how much latitude has God given Satan to work in the areas around us? Who really guides much of this world by using deceit? This result is us, and our decisions. Jesus could make His own final decision, just like us. "And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time,  and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.”  And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’” - Luke 4:5-8 (ESV) We need to realize that whether we are influenced by Satan or the Holy Spirit, we make the final choices about what we ultimately do each day. This is why it is so important we ask the Holy Spirit to guide our decisions.

Final decisions

Do you believe the Bible in the inspired word of God. Do you believe it was given in concepts from the Holy Spirit that can be translated into any human language? I do! Now when I read passages like the one below, I stop and give thanks that someone of greater knowledge and insight provided clear descriptions of my surroundings. What do you really think about the world in which we live? Certainly Jesus made this world and ultimately owns everything in it, and certainly Satan would like us to think he has more authority than he really does. Yet, how much latitude has God given Satan to work in the areas around us? Who really guides much of this world by using deceit? This result is us, and our decisions. Jesus could make His own final decision, just like us. "And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time,  and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.”  And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’” - Luke 4:5-8 (ESV) We need to realize that whether we are influenced by Satan or the Holy Spirit, we make the final choices about what we ultimately do each day. This is why it is so important we ask the Holy Spirit to guide our decisions.

Escape clause

In our present time, almost every contract has an escape clause. If one's plans do not unfold as they expect or they later desire, there is usually a way to avoid major loss, the ramifications of not honoring the contract. God, however, desires to make permanent contracts, or covenants. When God made the first covenant with humans, mankind found they did not have the power to keep it - there was no escape clause and mankind lost everything, everything being the opportunity to live with God now or forever. Because God loved us, He provided a new contract, He sent a man who had the power to keep the old one. This man was strengthened by he Holy Spirit and was able to keep the first covenant. Now there could be a new covenant and Paul explained it as, "He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant - not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." — 2 Cor. 3:6 A new covenant — God willingly entered into a new agreement with us, his creatures, sealed it with the blood of his Son Jesus, and sent the Spirit to give us the power to live the life of this new covenant. God has made a covenant of love and grace with us. We can walk away from it, but He has made a way to enable us to keep this new covenant. The Covenant giver has made us worthy to keep the covenant and competent to share that covenant with others. This covent can be self perpetuating when we depend on the Holy Spirit to direct our steps.

Receive the Spirit

Much like later baptism, being anointed with oil symbolized a person was empowered and admitted into a new station in life. “Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. - 1 Sam. 16:13 (ESV) Yes, much like baptism with many people to witness and celebrate what God was doing, David was given the Holy Spirit with a power described as 'like a rush.' There are many examples in the Old Testament when the Holy Spirit would come on people for a short time in order to accomplish a task God wanted done. These people were usually leaders or prophets who could be seen and would be able to offer praise to God; it was temporary. Such an example of the Holy Spirit rushing on servants of God forever would not be seen again until the Pentecost after Jesus’ crucifixion. Since that Pentecost, those who accept Jesus are admitted into God's Kingdom and given this same gift. They are indwelled and empowered to do the things God prepared beforehand, those things that offer praise to Him. In order to be successful, the indwelling Holy Spirit guides us, intercedes for us, convicts us, empowers us to walk a spiritual journey towards eternity. This journey is a pathway to transformation into what God wants us to become. At the end of this journey, we are ready for an eternity with God.

Actions

Have you ever paused to think how Jesus may view you and your actions? Jesus is very concerned about those who follow Him and their progress over time. Because of His death, Jesus’ disciples have the Holy Spirit living within them, but final choices are still the responsibility of each disciple. Since the disciples would one day be ultimately responsible for their own decisions, Jesus was concerned about them. As all people do, the disciples would change over time and this change needed to be guided by the indwelling Holy Spirit. That they made poor decisions is clear in the case of Peter’s exclusion of Gentiles (Gal. 2:11-21). As He prepared to return to heaven, Jesus prayed, "But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.”- John 17:14-15 (ESV). If we are honest, we also will make poor decisions as we walk along our spiritual journey; this is expected during the growth process. However, if we rely on the indwelling Holy Spirit, we will not be pulled away from Jesus as we live our lives in this world.

Love

Our modern usage of love has corrupted the word and also the concept. We say, “I love Ford cars, my Mom, ice cream and fried chicken.” After statements like this, what do we understand a statement like, “I love my husband (or wife),” or “I love God.” Our attempt is to communicate the values we have for one thing compared to something, or everything else. When we embellish terms to hyper emphasize our preferences, we help others lessen the meaning of a crucial concept. For Christians, the Holy Spirit led Paul to describe love like this, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” 1 Corinthians 14-7 (ESV)
This description sounds much different than what one meant by, “I love ice cream.” The concept of love Paul speaks about relates to human relationships, and is based on the feelings and actions God has for His creation. This love is not showy, but steady or unchanging. Since it doesn’t insist on its own way, this love leaves room for each person to be unique. This description of feeling and respect goes further, true love is constant. Paul says this love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” The language used by the people to whom Paul wrote used a language that was very precise. The verbs used to describe true love are:
Bear: to properly support and protect
Believe: to be completely persuaded a thing is true
Hope: to continually and actively await God’s fulfillment
Endure: to be firmly established, bearing up against hardship and ultimately persevering.
Again, this is not a description that applies to ice cream. This love speaks about the love God’s people possess, modeled after God’s own display in Jesus. It speaks of respect, commitment, defense, anticipation, and perseverance. His love remains firm when situations around the parties begin to crumble. All this is done when only God can see and know the details. True love is wholly committed, costing time and effort. It gives with no expectation of recognition or return.

Covenant

 If a person uses the word “covenant,” in your presence, likely the first thought is what background does the person come from and what does he want? If the person were a businessman or a lawyer, he would likely be referring to something we would better understand as a contract, a written document that outlines what two parties or people will, and will not, do for some reason. If the person is from a religious background, he is likely referring to the agreement God made with His people at some point in time. There was a first covenant, contract, or agreement about how to view and serve God that we know as the Old Testament. Humans were not able to keep this covenant. Because of His love for us, God made a different covenant, based on the death of Jesus. Regarding this dilemma, Paul writes an explanation to the Corinthians. He said, “He made us able to be servants of a new agreement from himself to his people. This new agreement is not a written law, but it is of the Spirit. The written law brings death, but the Spirit gives life.” - 2 Cor. 3:6 (NCV) Based on Jesus’ death, God created a new agreement with us, his creation, sealed it with the blood of his Son Jesus, and sent the Holy Spirit to live within us and provide the power to keep this new covenant. live the life of this new covenant. Based on His grace, God has made a new covenant for a life lived with love for others. This covenant provides continual grace to keep us clean when we make mistakes. He has made us worthy and competent to share that covenant with others. By sharing the news of this new covenant with others, it brings life to others and expands His kingdom, through our lives!

Orchastrated

We see an astounding message in Romans 8:10ff.. “But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 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. This means we are children of God and co-heirs, of glory, with Jesus.”  But here is more, we are further introduced to a chain reaction of events that describes how the kingdom continues such a dramatic growth. God knew ahead of time what would happen regarding the Bride and her efforts. It is described from an all-knowing God’s perspective, as looking back on events which have already happened. We must remember that because of Jesus’ sacrifice, an amazing gift is available to all people, the opportunity to become a child of God and live with Him now and forever. God planned and therefore knows how this church would be formed and how it would blossom in the world. The chain remains intact when the Bride of Christ allows the empowering Spirit to use them to invite others to accept Jesus’ actions and the gift which is offered. To those who accept the invitation, He provides a pathway and defines the eventual future existence of the kingdom or the church. When we think about His definition of a kingdom or a group of people, it can be captured in the words, ‘those He predestined, He called. Those He called, He justified. And those He justified, He also glorified. Yes, God predefined the actions and pathways of a group of faithful people, the kingdom or the church. When the time was right, Jesus died for justification and future glorification. This gift was offered by invitation to all. There are some who are more open to this message and feel called to accept this invitation. This mysterious calling from God upon our hearts is a significant part of His total redemptive plan. It is not as though each person is somehow neutral in all of this and God chooses some to come into the kingdom. Individual designation of individuals is a false conclusion because Scripture clearly teaches that none of us are neutral. We are not suspended in some sort of limbo and our next steps are subjected to someone else. Everyone’s sin illustrates Everyone’s weakness. Scripture says, we have all gone our own way (Isaiah 53:6), and we have all sinned fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). This illustrates that our salvation is wholly of grace through faith in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8). It is because of and through this grace we enter into God’s kingdom. Yes, God crafted a kingdom long ago, he then provided a way to overcome sin and allow people to come close to Him. When the Holy Spirit, who lives within the cleansed person and is allowed to lead the person’s decisions, the person finds themselves on a spiritual journey toward the end goal, heaven, where they will share the glory given to Jesus.

Harm

Have you ever wondered why your prayers are not answered? A pertinent question must be asked, "is what I am asking truly good for me?" God will not give us the requests that will harm us. "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." - 1 Pet. 3:12 (NIV)

Better

There are various times in our lives that we think, everything has just changed and life will be so much better. Usually this has to do with freedom from some kind of bondage or impediment we feel. I recall three times like this in my life. The first was when I received my driver’s license, a second was when I gave my life to Jesus, and a third was when I married the woman who would become my best friend for life. With my driver’s license there also came the responsibility of being a good driver and, oh well, car payments and paying for fuel. But, I had a great deal more freedom to do the things I wanted to do, when I wanted to, and without troubling others for transportation. Another was when the one who has been my life partner for almost 40 years committed to spend her life with me. No longer did I need to wonder how other acquaintances would treat me or what they wanted from me, or for how long. Here was a person with whom I could share anything and everything at all times. We had a united purpose. Yes, there were also immense responsibilities, but all enjoyable when shared with her. However, the greatest was when I realized the invitation Jesus offered to me. This commitment had a great sense of freedom from all my failings and wrongdoings. To understand the trappings of sin and to find a way out was truly a relief. Again, this reward came with immense commitments on both sides. Not only did God adopt me as His child so I became Jesus’ brother, I received the indwelling Holy Spirit to help me become more sanctified to God. Not only was I cleansed once, but I was and am now continually cleansed, (1Jn. 1:7). I needed to act like God wants. No longer did the offers from the sinful world seem important. “For the law of the Spirit of life has set you[a] free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” - Rom. 8:2 (ASV)

Guidance

The Holy Spirit guides the pathway of spiritual history. Over the centuries before Jesus arrived, the people following God knew they were sinful and needed cleansing and saving from an eternity away from God. However, the coming release from sin went further than humans. The whole creation suffers because of sin (Rom. 8:22-24), and even angels anticipated this wondrous event. "As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries,  seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.  It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look." 1Peter 1:10-12 (NASB)

New Life

There are various times in our lives that we think, everything has just changed and life will be so much better. Usually this has to do with freedom from some kind of bondage or impediment we feel. I recall three times like this in my life. The first was when I received my driver’s license, a second was when I gave my life to Jesus, and a third was when I married the person who would become my best friend for life. With my driver’s license there also came the responsibility of being a good driver and, oh well, car payments and paying for fuel. But, I had a great deal more freedom to do the things I wanted to do, when I wanted to, and without troubling others for transportation. Another was when the one who has been my life partner for almost 40 years committed to spend her life with me. No longer did I need to wonder how other acquaintances would treat me or what they wanted from me, or for how long. Here was a person with whom I could share anything and everything at all times. Yes, there were also immense responsibilities, but all enjoyable. However, the greatest was when I realized the invitation Jesus offered to me. This commitment had a great sense of freedom from all my failings and wrongdoings. To understood the trappings of sin and to find a way out was truly a relief. Again, this reward came with immense commitments on both sides. Not only did God adopt me as His child and I became Jesus’ brother, I received the indwelling Holy Spirit to help me become more sanctified to God. Not only was I cleansed once, but I was and am continually cleansed, (1Jn. 1:7). I needed to act like God wants. No longer did the offers from the sinful world seem important. “For the law of the Spirit of life has set you^[a] free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” - Rom. 8:2 (ASV)

Handicaps

In the time Jesus lived, there was great attention given to physical impurity. A man who had various imperfections due to illness or damage in accidents, battle, or mutilation were unacceptable to God and prevented from entering the temple. Any personal defect or malady was attributed to great sin in the life of the one affected. As Jesus’ interaction with the men who brought the woman caught in adultery, many of the Jews had a very accurate understanding that they were sinful, and they depended on their actions at Pentecost to push those sins away and make themselves once again acceptable to God. There were evidently sins that were so serious, they could not be pushed forward and the person must continually endure those sins. There was great confusion over what kinds of sin caused which kinds of imperfections. This belief was brought forward to those in this day who believe the implications of very poor decisions was caused by some inherent sin. The way to resolve these issues is to correct sinful behavior and avoid further sin; this belief has been the basis of Neuthetic counseling. One passage that has been very confusing to people of many ages is Jesus description of the reason for some people’s struggles. In one instance when His disciple wanted to know whose sin caused a man’s situation, “As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” - Jn. 9:1-2 (ESV). In this case Jesus provide an answer that would have astounded their present understanding of life events.
Jesus gently addressed their confusion and challenged their assumptions about life when he said, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him,” - Jn. 9:3 (ESV). Have you ever wondered if something you did or didn’t do or even something someone did to you caused one of your present struggles? Was, or is, God allowing you to experience suffering? Or maybe you have questioned if your past experiences or mistakes prevent you from living a life of purpose that glorifies God? However, when you became a Christian any spiritual incompleteness vanished. Your life now is united with God; He has claimed you and left within you a seal of ownership, the indwelling Holy Spirit. He is with you every step of the way to lead you on a journey toward your eternal home. As one person said, “the work is God's work. The deliverance is God's salvation. The triumph is God's victory. The fulfillment is God's faithfulness. The dawn is here, and darkness is being driven away by a holy light,” (Phil Ware). That this was a proper decision, is indicated when the man, still blind, immediately did what Jesus instructed and went to the well and washed.
The blind man’s sight was completely healed, but notice that his healing was not immediate. He wasn’t healed when Jesus spat on the mud and smeared it on his eyes, but only after he had obeyed what Jesus instructed him to do. When we follow the instructions of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we also will experience rejuvenation in whatever way He desires, though we may not immediately or fully understand what has happened. When this man followed these instructions, his whole life changed. Not only could he now visualize mental pictures, but it is implied he knew the meaning of those necessary for him to function in life. He left behind the suffering of unexplained physical and emotional imperfections of his life before he encountered Jesus. Due to this handicap, he had likely felt rejected, inferior, unloved and excluded from being close to God’s people. He now had the ability to develop a purpose for his life among other Jewish people because his peers would not consider him useless. In addition to learning that God uses all kinds of people, the disciples found out that they needed to be ready to follow instructions without hesitation and that God can use a person no matter what their background has been. For those we consider different or handicapped in some way, when we and they push aside our doubts and fears, and then follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we may be surprised at the outcome.