Hi Folks!

The kingdom of God is where our King has dominion. Jesus wants to bring His mighty blessing and power into our physical world, and you and I as part of His Church are the avenue through which He will flow. The light and goodness of God shines the brightest where there is the greatest darkness. There has never been a more opportune time for the Lord to rise up inside of His people and take dominion over the forces of darkness that has so many people held in captivity. God has revealed His kingdom both in times past and in our present day through manifestation and demonstration of His presence. The Lord is not very far away, and to those who will draw near He is near to reveal and make Himself known. Our Lord Jesus certainly made the Father known to the people of this world through the manifestation of the kingdom, and it was one of the first things He began to declare…

“...repent for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand” Matt 4:17b

It makes some folks nervous to think that God Almighty would reveal Himself in our physical world. Some see Him only as afar off and would believe that we have to struggle though this life somehow on our own. But this is not true, for His very name Emmanuel means, “God with us”. Praise the Lord! God is with His children to save, heal, deliver and set free. God came to save the whole world through His Son, but have you noticed something? Most people are not looking for and running toward God, but are instead going the other way. It is our job as the Church to reveal and make the Lord known to them through the preaching of the Gospel, and through manifestation of His power and presence.

Please don’t misunderstand me here, I am not suggesting that we can “make” God do anything, or that we tell the Lord what He needs to be doing. He is the all wise One and we are to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and live according to His word. I am talking about manifestations and demonstrations that will follow the preaching of His word, for God watches over His Word to perform it Jer 1:12. This is what happened when the Disciples went out and preached the Gospel, following Jesus’ great commission – the signs and wonders followed…

So then after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God, and they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the Word through the accompanying signs. Amen. Mark 16:19-20

But we see also in the verses preceding that the Lord works with those, and performs signs and wonders through those who believe…

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptised will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In my name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover.”  Mark 16:15-18

I believe it’s time that those who are around us began to see some things happening. Signs and wonders are for the world and if we will preach the Gospel like never before and believe for God to manifest His kingdom, folks are going to be awakened to the reality of God. You see, people are looking for something exciting; they are looking for the supernatural and it is in our authority as sons and daughters of the Most High God to believe for this. It will require prayer on our part in Jesus mighty name, and the declaration of the kingdom of God (His word). If we will preach the Gospel, they will hear and be set free by His awesome power.

The saving and miracle part belongs to the Lord as only He can perform this, but we must believe for God to move in our midst and reveal Himself to those around us. God wants to make Himself known to people… to manifest His kingdom. Your kingdom come – your will be done. We pray and do the preaching – He performs the signs and wonders. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God Rom 10:17. How will they see and know unless someone is sent? How will they hear unless someone speaks up?

·        Light must come to the people of the world – through the Word

·        Manifestation of the kingdom must come to them – to confirm the Word

Because people in this world’s kingdom are in darkness, “light” must be given to them so that they can see. Give them the Word of the kingdom and in so doing they are receiving light. Manifestation of the kingdom in their midst will confirm that what you are saying is true and that God is alive and that He is who He says he is. Our Lord Jesus taught the people and signs followed. Miracles were common place in the Gospels through such miracles as healing, raising the dead and supernatural provision. The disciples then went out and performed likewise (as we can too as Jesus’ disciples).

Another manifestation of the kingdom of God is through the life and personal testimony of each believer. You know, after we have been born from above we have a different nature than what we used to have when we were dead in our sins. If we will walk in love according to the new nature on the inside, we will display the very character of our Lord Jesus, which is another further manifestation of His kingdom.

Just think about it, the people of the world are only happy and content when things are going their own way. To a large degree their pleasure and happiness is controlled by their circumstances. Whereas for the true believer it makes no difference as to outward circumstances affecting our happiness, because our happiness and joy is produced through knowing the Lord. The inner knowledge of our eternal salvation from sin and death produces great joy and appreciation in our hearts because we have knowledge of what we have been set free from. The believer cannot die for living – praise God! There is no fear of death to the saint of God. We will live on for eternity in never ending pleasure and complete satisfaction.

Happy are the people whose God is the Lord Psalm 144:15b

For us as Christians our very lives can be a demonstration of the reality of the living Creator who is on the inside. Check out the fruits of the spirit that live on the inside of us (see Gal 5:22-23), and tell me if this is not a sign and a wonder to a dying hurting world when they are displayed through us. We can display His peace in the midst of any storm. We can love the unlovable, and be genuinely glad and honoured to do it, because He loved us first and gave His life for us. We can forgive those that hate us and persecute us because of the greater One, who is Love, who’s living on the inside.

May His kingdom be manifest in and through you, for His eternal glory

 

David