The Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of POWER [1 Corinthians 4:20].
This incomparable great POWER — the same power that raised Christ from the dead — is available for each and every one of us who believe [Ephesians 1:19-21]. And for those of us who believe, Jesus Himself said in His own words that these signs will accompany us: in Jesus name, we will drive out demons; we will speak in tongues; we will heal the sick; we will receive supernatural protection against natural harms (like snakes and poison) [Mark 16:15-20].
My own personal encounter of the living Lord will invite others and will enable others to encounter Him in their own personal, powerful way, they then further multiply and keep rippling outward. These God’s stories are being re-lived over and over again, that: Father’s love and His presence being poured down from Heaven on Earth; with the Power of the Holy Spirit manifested through us who believe, lives transformed, captives set free, lame can walk, impossibilities become realities — THROUGH US exercising the spiritual authority in Jesus name, because of His victory over death.
That is why after Jesus’ victory over death, He appeared again to His disciples and specifically instructed them to wait until they received the power of the Holy Spirit BEFORE they go about to be Christ’s witnesses [Acts 1:8].
There is a night and day difference in going about Christ’s Great Commission by Spirit Power vs by church Programs only.
No one can even call Jesus Lord without the Spirit!
Let’s be honest. We have an EXPERIENCE GAP: a gap between our life experience and the life in Christ described in His Word.
We have many choices in response to this experience gap.
Those who respond to such experience gap in HUNGER, HUMILITY and OBEDIENCE (H2O): crying out to God in hunger and in humility, asking Him to strengthen us with power through the Spirit in our inner being so Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith; walking in obedience to Christ’s command to love, seeking to be rooted and established in love with other [Ephesians 3:16 – 19] — seeking for more, going deeper in the Father’s love, in Christ Lordship and Authority, in Spirit knowledge, revelations and understanding — the gap gradually shrinks and soon His Word becomes our way of life. Spirit-empowered testimonies multiply and accelerate the Great Commission.
Those who respond to such experience gap in DENIAL and in RATIONALIZATION — trying to “keep things under control”, trying to alter what is said in His Word to fit our experience, turning Word intended for obedience into intellectualizing debates, discussions and theology — coercing His Word to fit our understanding and our systems of belief and practice — instead of trembling at His Word (Isaiah 66:2); instead of accepting God’s thoughts are not our thoughts; His ways are not our ways [Isaiah 55:8]. These people are like marriage specialists who never married — talk remains talk that never translates into personal experience. Void of personal experience means no testimony, no God story in our lives.
Void of fresh testimonies is an indicator of void of Spirit Power.
Then there are those who respond to such experience gap in DOUBTS and SKEPTICISM — saying this is too ideal; this is not practical. These people will not taste the abundant life in His Glory Jesus died on the cross for us to have but sadly continue to live their religious rituals within the four walls of their religious institution they call ‘church’.
The bottom line is this: When the Spirit of the living God, with the Power that raised Jesus from the dead is living in us — how can this not be a normal Christian way of this new-born spiritual life! Christ has already paid for it. It is in our Christian-DNA. Why waste His sacrifice?
Someone said FAITH is the currency in God’s Kingdom. Faith is putting ourselves out there abandoned (putting our reputation, our comfort, our future, our security, our way of doing things at stake), in obedience to what we hear from Him. Faith is sending seven priests instead of the whole army; to walk around instead of to fight, in order to win over Jericho so God gets ALL THE GLORY.
Faith releases power. The Kingdom of God is not talk but power. Let anyone who is thirsty, come to Jesus and drink. Whoever believes in Jesus, the Spirit like rivers of living water will flow from within us [John 7:38].
May our hunger, humility and obedience draw us to Jesus to come to Him and drink. May the power of the living God manifest in each of us, worthy of Christ’s sacrifice, each and every day.
May our testimonies be fresh and too many to tell every day … not staled from years ago. As John said in John 21:25 — “Jesus did many other things …..If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” May that also be our experience as well!
— for the glory of His name! AMEN!
Lord, help our unbelief!
