Bringing in the Kingdom of God

by Darryl Manning 1/27/02

 John the Baptist came preaching about the Kingdom of God.

¹In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, ²and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” Matt. 3:1-2

 Jesus preached about the Kingdom of God

¹⁴After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ¹⁵“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” Mark 1:14-15

 Jesus taught his followers to pray that the Kingdom of God would come to earth.

⁹“This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, ¹⁰ your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Matt. 6

 Jesus commissioned his followers to preach about the Kingdom of God

¹After these things the Lord appointed ^£seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. ²Then He said to them, “…. ⁹And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ Luke 10

 Jesus commission to preach the good news about the Kingdom extends to all generations and to all nations.

¹⁴And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Matt 24

 Are you proclaiming the good news about the Kingdom of God. Is your church proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom? Do you even know to what the Kingdom of God refers?

 The Kingdom of God is where the will of God is done. Jesus came healing the sick and casting out devils and said, “The Kingdom of God has come near you.” Jesus instructed his disciples to heal the sick and say “The Kingdom of God has come near to you.”

 Clearly when the Kingdom of God comes and the will of God is done all sick people are healed; All devils are cast out; Even dead people are raised to life.

 The church, for the most part, has preached a gospel of repentance and salvation but has not preached the Kingdom of God. To preach the Kingdom of God requires power to demonstrate the Kingdom and the church, for the most part, is woefully lacking in power.

 God has called the House of Joy Church to preach the Kingdom of God. God has instructed us to become a church that is full of the power of God and able to bring healing and deliverance to the multitudes. If we are going to become what God has called us to be there are several steps we must take.

 First we must become convinced that the Kingdom of God is a kingdom of health and prosperity. We must know without doubt that God is not the author of sickness, disease, or death. We must become convinced that God has no desire for his people to remain sick and diseased. We must believe that healing is meant to be give to all who come and ask just as it was given by Jesus and by the disciples.

• Acts 10:38 …God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
• Acts 5: ¹⁴And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, ¹⁵so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. ¹⁶Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

 Second, we must become convinced that people must see the power of the Kingdom before they will desire it to come upon the earth. As it is now, most people can tell no difference between the lives of Christians and non-Christians. Sickness reigns in both. Divorce is prevalent in both. Neither have power to live holy lives much less give quality help to others.

 When the church begins walking in the power of the Kingdom there will be a clear difference that will cause people to choose between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of darkness.

 Third, we must understand the path to power is not easy. We must be willing to pay the price. John the Baptist paid a price for his power. Jesus paid a price for His power. He was confronted by the devil for forty days before he came out of the wilderness in the power of the Spirit. The disciple paid a price for the power. They went through the crucifixion, and the ascension of Jesus. They went through intense persecution. The power finally came after confronting sin in the church and seeing two lying church members dead by the power of God.

 Our path to power is not easy either. Many have left our church because they could not believe in the call God has given the House of Joy. Many scoff at how we celebrate Jesus with all our heart and strength. Many are waiting for our demise. Remember, we are in good company and after we have suffered we will see the power of God.

 Third, we must understand the real battle is the battle of faith. John the Baptist and Jesus began the battle. They became violent in their spirit and began taking the Kingdom by force.

·         Matt. 11: ¹²And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.

·         Heb. 11: ³³who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises…

 It is not a timid faith that brings the Kingdom of God into reality. It is a violent faith that refuses to be denied. It is a faith that obtains the promises of God and the power of God. We must become violent against the devil and claim the Kingdom for us and our world.

 Where do we start? We start in our own life. Get sick of being weak, sick and defeated Christians. Get tired of seeing the devil run rough shod over our families. We must shake off our lethargy and begin to assert the promises of God for ourselves and our families.

  If the Kingdom does not come in us, it will not come in our families. If the Kingdom does not come in our families it will not come in our churches. If the Kingdom does not come in our churches, it will not come in our world and we will continue to see sickness, disease, poverty and all the other curses of the devil continue to reign in our world.

 God wants His Kingdom to come. He commanded us to pray that it would come. He commanded us to proclaim His Kingdom. Start praying for the Kingdom to come today. Start praying for your spirit to become violent for God. Then start taking action against the devil and his work in your life and in your family.