The Kingdom of God

The Kingdom of God is where God, who is a Spirit, lives and reigns.
It is eternal as He is eternal.
It is the “Secret Place of the Most High God”
The Place where we are ONE with Him
The Kingdom of God is LIFE in the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said:
'The kingdom of God does not come visibly,
Nor will people say, ’Hear it is,’ or ’There it is,’
Because the kingdom of God is within you.' (Luke 17:20-21)

BORN AGAIN
Jesus said that a person “must be BORN AGAIN”
To enter the Kingdom of God
(John 3:7).


This means to be born of the Spirit of God.
Jesus said the Holy Spirit must give new birth to your spirit.
When the Holy Spirit gives new birth to your spirit,
You accept Jesus as the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE,
His WAY, becomes your WAY, His TRUTH, your TRUTH,
His LIFE, your LIFE,
Then you enter the Kingdom of God.

The apostle Paul said it this way:
'Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation,
The old has gone, the new has come!' (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Those who receive Christ have the Holy Spirit in them
And become a temple of the Holy Spirit.

Paul says:
'Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit,
Whom you have received from God.' (1 Corinthians 6:19)

Jesus said that we are to pray:
'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your Kingdom come,
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.' (Matthew 6:9)


Jesus said:
‘But seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness,
And all these things (everything you have need of)
Will be given to you as well.’ (Matthew 6:33)


Above all else in this life we are to seek the Kingdom of God
And His righteousness.


He said: ‘In everything, do to others
What you would have them do to you,
For this sums up the Law and the Prophets.’ (Matthew 7:12)

Jesus is saying that everything that God requires of us is summed up
In this single command.
If we obey this command, we obey the First Commandment:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.
However, we must choose to live in the Kingdom of God.
We may have the Holy Spirit in us,
But if we do not listen to Him and make Him our LIFE,
Allowing Him to live in and through us,
We do not live in the Kingdom of God.


God the Father will not allow anything unholy in His Kingdom.
When we repent of our sins and receive Christ,
We are washed in his blood
And filled with his Spirit
We stand in the righteousness of Christ.
However, if we continue to sin, and do not repent of it,
That sin is not covered by the blood of Christ
And we remove ourselves from His Kingdom.

The apostle John says:
‘We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin;
The “one” who was born of God keeps him safe,
And the evil one does not touch him.’ (1 John 5:18)

When we live in Christ we live in the Kingdom of God.
Living in Christ is allowing Christ to live in and through us.
We have his love and characteristics.
Those characteristics were expressed by Christ Jesus
In the Beatitudes:


‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’
(Matthew 5:3)


Jesus said:
‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children,
You will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child
Is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.’ (Matthew 18:2-5)

The apostle Paul says:
‘For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking,
But of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.’ (Romans 14:17)

Serving God, living in His Kingdom, is not hard
But joyful and full of peace, and love.
Jesus said that his yoke was easy and his burden light.

THE HOPE OF GLORY
Paul speaks of the Kingdom of God with another perspective:
'I have become its (the church’s) servant
By the commission of God gave to me
To present to you the word of God in its fullness--
The mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations,
But is now disclosed to the saints.
To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles
The glorious riches of this mystery,
Which is Christ in you the hope of glory.' (Colossians1:25-27)


The Kingdom of God is, the Holy Spirit living in us,
Christ in us, the hope of glory;
The Place where Christ rules and reigns over our hearts and minds;
The Place where our will is in full submission to His will;
The Place where we are ONE with Him.


*Scriptures are italisized and from the New International Version.

The Way The Truth And The LIFE

Christ Jesus said:

‘I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.’

That is, He is the only WAY the only TRUTH and the only LIFE.
There is no other way, no other truth and no other life
That will lead to heaven.
All other ways, all other so called truth
And all other so called life, leads to hell.


What is this Way, this Truth and this Life?
It is allowing Christ to live in and through you.
Becoming ONE with Him.

The characteristics of this Way, this Truth and this Life
Are clearly set forth in the words of Christ Jesus
In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5):

‘Blessed - happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous
[That is with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation,
Regardless of their outward conditions] -
Are the poor in spirit (the humble, rating themselves insignificant),
For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven!’ (Matthew. 5: 3) Amplified


Jesus said:
‘I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God
Like a little child will never enter it.’ (Luke. 18:17)

We must come to Almighty God, the Father, with childlike trust and faith;
These are the poor in spirit, the humble,
The surrendered to God’s incomparable love.
The Father loves all his children.
He loves you and me as much as he loves any other person.
The Father’s love is passionate towards each one of us.
He is able to love you intensely and intimately
And love me intensely and intimately,
As he loves all who have gone before us
And entered into the Kingdom of God.


The Father’s love has no limitations towards each one of us.
He is not a man, he is God.
His love toward you and me is consummate, overwhelming
And complete (Lacking nothing).
We are to rest in this love, like a child does his loving parents.

‘Blessed and enviably happy,
[With a happiness produced by experience of God’s favor
And especially conditioned by the revelation of His matchless grace]
Are those who mourn, for they will be comforted!’
[Isaiah. 61:2] Amplified

Every child of God mourns over what he sees around him.
He sees lost people everywhere he looks.
People indulging in every form of evil,
Destined for hell unless they turn to God.
Yet we are comforted by the experience of God’s grace
In our own lives
And we know that this same grace is available
To whosoever will turn to the Father.

‘Blessed - happy, blithesome, joyous, spiritually prosperous
[That is, with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation,
Regardless of their outward conditions] - are the meek
(the mild, patient, long-suffering),
For they shall inherit the earth!’ [PS. 37:11]. Amplified

‘Blessed - and fortunate and happy and spiritually prosperous
[That is in that state in which the born-again child of God
Enjoys His favor and salvation]
Are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness
(Uprightness and right standing with God),
For they shall be completely satisfied!’ [Isaiah 55:1,2] Amplified

‘Blessed - happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous
[That is, with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation,
Regardless of their outward conditions] - are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy!’

The Scriptures teach that mercy triumphs over judgment.
(James 2:13)
We are to be merciful rather than judgmental.

‘Blessed - happy, enviably fortunate, and spiritually prosperous
[That is, possessing the happiness produced by experience
Of God’s favor  
And especially conditioned by the revelation of His grace,
Regardless of their outward conditions] - are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God!’ Amplified

‘Blessed - enjoying enviable happiness, spiritually prosperous
[That is, with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation,
Regardless of their outward conditions] -
Are the makers and maintainers of peace,
For they shall be called the sons of God!’ Amplified

‘Blessed and happy and enviably fortunate and spiritually prosperous
[That is, in the state in which one enjoys and finds satisfaction
In God’s favor
And salvation, regardless of his outward conditions],
Are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake
(for being and doing right),
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven!’ Amplified

‘Blessed - happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous
[That is, with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation,
Regardless of your outward conditions] -
Are you when people revile you and persecute you
And say all kinds of evil things against you falsely on My account.
Be glad and supremely joyful, for your reward in heaven is great
(strong and intense),
For in this same way people persecuted the prophets
Who were before you.’ Amplified

‘You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste -
Its strength, its quality -
How can its saltiness be restored?
It is not good for anything any longer but to be thrown out
And trodden under foot by men.
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid.
Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a peck-measure
But on a lamp stand,
And it gives light to all in the house.
Let your light so shine before men
That they may see your moral excellence
And your praiseworthy, noble and good deeds,
And recognize and honor and praise and glorify
Your Father Who is in heaven.’ Amplified


The beatitudes reveal the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE.
When his “WAY” is our “Way,” his “TRUTH” our “Truth,”
His “LIFE” our “Life.”
We then know that we possess eternal LIFE in the here and now.
This knowing cannot be taken from us
Because it comes from the Father himself.
We belong to Him and He belongs to us.
We are ONE with Him and He is ONE with us.
He lives in us and we live in Him.


The word of God teaches further that the Kingdom of God
Is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
When this is our reality, we know that we know Him.

TO EXPERIENCE GOD’S WAY, HIS TRUTH AND HIS LIFE
WE MUST LIVE IN HIS SECRET PLACE, THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Access to God’s “Secret Place” is by faith and His Anointing
(Christ in us)
Which enables us to “KNOW” Him, to live IN Him.

King David in Psalm 91 says:
'He who dwells (lives) in the secret place of the Most High God
Will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, ’He is my refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust.’
Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare
And from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers,
And under His wings you will find refuge;
His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of night,
Nor the arrow that flies by day,
Nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
Nor the plague that destroys at midday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
Ten thousand at your right hand,
But it will not come near you.
You will only observe with your eyes
And see the punishment of the wicked.

If you make the Most High your dwelling--
Even the Lord, who is my refuge--
Then no harm will befall you,
No disaster will come near your tent.
For He will command his angels concerning you
To guard you in all your ways;
They will lift you up in their hands,
So that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
You will trample the great lion and the serpent.

‘Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him;
For he acknowledges my name.
He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.’

All the promises and blessings listed above come from
“Living in the Secret Place of the Most High God,”
Which is the Kingdom of God.
This requires that we “KNOW” Him.
The “KEY” to His “Secret Place” is to “KNOW” Him.
The “KEY” to knowing Him is Christ in us, our teacher;
Being immersed in His Spirit
And allowing Christ to live in and through us;
Becoming ONE with Him.

This is the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE.

The Heart

To be ONE with Christ Jesus we must have His heart.
Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life. (Proverbs 4:23)

My son, pay attention to what I say;
Listen closely to my words.
Do not let them out of you sight
For they are life to those who find them
And health to a man’s whole body.
Above all else, guard your heart
For it is the wellspring of life.
Put away perversity from your mouth;
Keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
Let your eyes look straight ahead,
Fix your gaze directly before you.
Make level paths for your feet
And take only ways that are firm.
Do not swerve to the right or the left
Keep your foot from evil. (Pr. 4:20-27)

Christ Jesus said: ‘…out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.’
(John 6:45)

In other the words, the words that you speak come from what is in your heart.
Adam and Eve were created with pure hearts.
However, they were deceived by the devil
And violated the single command of God.
When this happened they lost the purity of their hearts
And God could no longer allow them to live in Paradise;
For Paradise cannot have anything that is corrupt.

There is one pure heart, the heart of God and his Christ.
God is holy and cannot have anything that is corrupt in his presence.
Jehovah, God is the “Self-Existent” ONE. He has LIFE in himself.
He is pure and holy.


Since the fall of Adam and Eve humankind has been born without pure hearts.
Therefore, they have the built-in inclination to sin or miss the mark.
In our Natural State:
We as humans miss the mark or sin
Because our mind, will and emotions
And therefore our hearts are not aligned with God’s.

We must align our heart with His pure heart.
We cannot create alignment with God’s heart by ourselves.
The only agent who can is the Holy Spirit.
When we give our lives to Christ, we are saved.
However, we need to allow the Holy Spirit to remake us in the image of Christ,
Availing ourselves of the provision God has given.
We need to surrender our hearts to Christ Jesus.
This does not happen immediately.
We need to renew our minds as the Bible teaches.
This renewing is to bring our minds into alignment with the mind of Christ.
The Bible teaches that we have been given the mind of Christ.
That is, Christ, through the Holy Spirit, imparts to us his mind.

However, we all have a wounded and deceitful hearts,
To one degree or another,
And this interferes with what Christ speaks to us.
Our wounded and deceitful heart has programmed our mind, will and emotions
To respond in inappropriate ways, to the circumstances of life,
To miss the mark.
The Bible teaches that,

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.
Who can understand it.? (Jeremiah. 17:9)


In our natural state, without God,
Life circumstances bring about a distorted view of life within our hearts.
Because of this our own hearts literally deceive us and lie to us.
What may have served to protect us at one point,
Becomes our enemy when we come to Christ Jesus, who requires transparency.
We do things for the wrong reasons,
Out of selfishness or for immediate gratification, or ignorance
Without grasping the long-term effect.

The human soul cannot stand the knowledge of evil.
The knowledge of evil brings death to our souls.
The only antidote is to eat continually from the “Tree of Life.”
That is obeying the counsel of the Holy Spirit,
Speaking to us through the Word of God,
And His speaking directly to our hearts.
The apostle Paul said:

Whatsoever is true, what ever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure,
Whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable;
If anything is excellent or praiseworthy; think about such things. (Philippians 4:8)

How do we guard our hearts?
How do we appropriate the pure heart of God?
We guard our hearts by avoiding evil of any sort, so far as it is within our control.
We do not put ourselves in compromising circumstances
We do not look at or listen to worldly, therefore evil things
We appropriate the pure heart of God,
First, by receiving the Anointing of his “New Covenant.”
Allowing God to put His law in our minds and write it upon our hearts.
In Jeremiah 31: 31-34, God says:


‘The time coming,’ declares the Lord,
‘When I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel
And with the house of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant I made with them
When I took them by the hand
To lead them out of Egypt,
Because they broke my covenant,
Though I was a husband to them,’ declares the Lord.

‘This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
After that time,’ declares the Lord
I will put my law in their minds
And write it on their hearts.
I will be their God, and they will be my people.
No longer will a man teach his neighbor
Or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
Because they will all know me,
From the least of them to the greatest,’ declares the Lord.
‘For I will forgive their wickedness
And will remember their sins no more.’

Christ Jesus said in John 17:3 -
'Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God,
And Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.'

The Apostle John picks up this theme in 1 John 2:20:
'But you have an anointing from the Holy One,
And all of you know the truth.
I do not write to you because you do not know the truth,
But because you do know it
And because no lie comes from the truth.'


Continuing in 1 John 2:27, John says:
'As for you
The anointing you received from him remains in you,
And you do not need anyone to teach you.
But as his anointing teaches you about all things
And as that anointing is real, not counterfeit
Just as it has taught you remain in him.'


Here the apostle John brings together the Old and New Testaments
Regarding the nature of the New Covenant
And the anointing that would be imparted
By “The Messiah, The Christ, The Anointed One.”

Christ Jesus parallels what the apostle John said, when he said:
…'The Counselor, the Holy Spirit will teach you all things
And will remind you of everything I have said to you.' (John 14: 26)

Knowing Him is the essential to guarding our hearts.
Christ in us is our teacher.
Christ Jesus said we have but one teacher, the Christ.
We cannot guard our hearts without His Anointing,
Which enables us to know Him.
That is why the scripture teaches that it is Christ in us the hope of glory.
Christ in us teaches us the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Christ in us teaches how to guard our hearts if we allow him to do so.

However, there is still the issue of our will.
Even with the marvelous provision of God‘s Anointing,
We can still ignore the voice of God within us.
After receiving God’s Anointing
We need to develop a relationship with the Father
That is strong enough to “guard our heart.”
We spend time with Him and talk to Him as we would our closest friend;
We read and study His Word and show ourselves approved;
We love Him who is the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE, LOVE and LIGHT.

The provision of God, His Anointing, His baptism,
His immersing us in His Spirit
Enables us to surrender to His love, and surrender to His perfect will.
It enables us to come to Him as a child to their loving father.
In deep humility before Almighty God
Then we can overcome this fallen world and its ways.
Then we can know Him who is eternal LIFE.

We need to be able to join with Paul who said:
‘I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live,
But Christ lives in me.
The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,
Who loves me and gave himself for me.’

This is the condition of a saint with a guarded heart.
Then our heart is guarded by the peace of God
That passes all understanding;
By the love of God that cannot be understood by the nature mind.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:21:
'Where your treasure is there your heart will be also.'


If our treasure is to live in the Kingdom of God,
To live in the Secret Place of the Most high God,
To Live in the River of God,
To live in Christ and His Anointing,
Our heart will be guarded.

Scriptures are from the New International Version.

THE HOLY SPIRIT COMES AT PENTECOST

The Day of Pentecost is the first impartation of the Holy Spirit,
The “Living Water.”
To make us ONE with Christ Jesus.
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven
And filled the whole house where they were sitting.
They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated
And came to rest on each of them.
All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit
And began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
(Acts 2:2-4)

Peter speaking about what had just happened said:
‘Exalted to the right hand of God,
He (Christ Jesus) has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit
And has poured out what you now see and hear.’ (Acts 2:33)

When the people asked what they should do
In light of what they had witnessed,
Peter replied:
‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ
So that your sins may be forgiven.
And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off -
For all whom the Lord our God will call.’ (Acts 2:38-39)

AFTER THE DAY OF PENTECOST
THE MINSTRY OF CHRIST CONTINUED IN HIS DISCIPLES

PHILIP IN SAMARIA:
When the disciple Stephen was stoned to death,
A great persecution broke out against the followers of Christ Jesus.
The believers were scattered throughout the country.
Philip went to Samaria and began preaching
And God attended his preaching with signs and wonders:
When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria
Had accepted the word of God,
They sent Peter and John to them.
When they arrived they prayed for them
That they might receive the Holy Spirit,
Because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them;
They had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
Then Peter and John placed their hands on them,
And they received the Holy Spirit.
When Simon saw that the Spirit was given
At the laying on of the apostles’ hands
He offered money and said,
‘Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands
May receive the Holy Spirit.’ (Acts 8:15-18)

The saints of Samaria believed
And were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus,
Yet had not received the Holy Spirit.
However, when Peter and John placed their hands on them
They received the Holy Spirit. There had to be a significant manifestation
For Simon to ask for the ability to do what Peter and John had done.
One can surmise it was similar to what happened on the Day of Pentecost.

PETER AT THE HOUSE OF CORNELIUS:
Peter came to the house of Cornelius at the command of a vision from God.
He began speaking to the people gathered there about Christ Jesus
And the Scripture records the following:

While Peter was still speaking these words,
The Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.
The circumcised believers who had come with Peter
Were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out
Even on the Gentiles.
For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. (Acts 10:44-46)

Here there was no specific prayer needed for the people
To receive the Holy Spirit.
It was done sovereignly by the Father.
It is of note that the manifestation of their receiving the Holy Spirit
Was the same as those on the Day of Pentecost.
Later, Peter back in Jerusalem, explains to the saints there,
What happened at the house of Cornelius:
‘As I began to speak,
The Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning.
Then I remembered what the Lord had said, ‘John baptized with water,
But you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us,
Who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ,
Who was I to think that I could oppose God!’ (Acts 11: 15-17)

PAUL IN EPHESUS:
While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior
And arrived at Ephesus.
There he found some disciples and asked them,
‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’
They answered, ‘No we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.’
So Paul asked, ‘Then what baptism did you receive?’
‘John’s baptism,’ they replied.
Paul said, ’John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance.
He told the people to believe in the one coming after him,
That is in Jesus.’
On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them,
And they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
There were about twelve men in all.’ (Acts 19:1-7)

In this case the laying on of hands occurred
And the manifestation of receiving the Holy Spirit
Was the same as on the Day of Pentecost.

CHRIST HAS GIVEN HIS BELIEVERS POWER
The apostle Paul says:
‘For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.’
(1 Corinthians 4:20)

Christ Jesus said:
‘…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you’ (Acts 1:8)

This is another critical characteristic of the Kingdom of God: Power.
Christ Jesus is all-powerful,
And on the Day of Pentecost he gave his authority and power
To his apostles and disciples.
Jesus said, as the Father sent Me I send you. (John 17:18)
This can be seen throughout the Book of Acts.
This is the pattern for the church.
This power is the power to live for Christ,
And the power to do the works of Christ.
The Kingdom of God will always be distinguished by power,
As it was during the ministry of Christ Jesus and the in Book of Acts.
The power of God reveals the glory of God.
Jesus came to bring glory to the Father.
Jesus gave his believers His power and glory.
Christ Jesus uses His power to demonstrate His supremacy
Over the kingdom of the devil and to destroy the devil’s work.
Every Spirit filled child of God has the same power
And the same mission. Paul says:

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,
And you have been given fullness in Christ,
Who is head over every power and authority. (Colossians 2:9)

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
The glorious Father,
May give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation,
So that you may know him better.
I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened
In order that you may know the hope to which he has called you,
The riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
And his incomparably great power for us who believe.
That power is like the working of his mighty strength,
Which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead
And seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,
Far above all rule and authority, power and dominion,
And every title that can be given,
Not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
And God placed all things under his feet
And appointed him to be head over everything for the church,
Which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything
In every way. (Ephesians 1:17-23)

Ephesians 1:23, from the Amplified Bible reads:
…Which is His Body, the fullness of Him Who fills all in all--
For in that body lives the full measure of Him
Who makes everything complete,
And Who fills everything everywhere [with Himself].

For this reason I kneel before the Father,
From whom his whole family in heaven and on earth
Derives its name.
I pray that out of his glorious riches
He may strengthen you with power
Through his Spirit in you’re inner being,
So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
May have power, together with all the saints,
To grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
And to know this love that surpasses knowledge--
That you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more
Than all we ask or imagine,
According to his power that is at work within us,
To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus
Throughout all generations,
For ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 4:14-21)

HOW DO WE DEMONSTRATE THE POWER
OF CHRIST JESUS IN OUR LIVES?
When Jesus had called the Twelve together,
He gave them power and authority to drive out all demons
And to cure diseases, and he sent them out
to preach the Kingdom of God
And to heal the sick. (Luke 9:1-2)

This is what Jesus sent out his disciples to do, two by two.
This is what was done by the apostles
And disciples in the Book of Acts.
This is our mission today.
Jesus said that as the Father sent Him He sends us.
Christ Jesus said:

‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
Baptizing them in the name of the father, Son and the Holy Spirit,
Teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age.’
(Matthew 28:18-20)

‘I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions
And to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.’
(Luke 10:19-20)

Is any one of you sick?
He should call the elders of the church to pray over him
And anoint him with oil
In the name of the Lord.
And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well;
The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.
Therefore confess your sins to each other
And pray for each other so that you may be healed.
The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
(James 5:14-16)

Jesus said:
‘And these signs will accompany those who believe.
In my name they will drive out demons,
They will speak in new tongues;
They will pick up snakes with their hand;
And when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all;
They will place their hands on sick people and they will get well.’
(Mark 16:17-18)

WE WITNESS FOR CHRIST
Satan has blinded the eyes
Of those who do not believe in Christ Jesus.
When we live for Christ and when we tell others about Christ
And the love, joy and peace available to them in Christ Jesus
And they respond;
We are working with the Father and the Holy Spirit
To remove the blindness.
Some of these people will make a confession of faith.
Some will think it over and some will never respond.
But in any case we will have planted the seed of LIFE,
THE GOOD NEWS, in their hearts.
The Father is the evangelist,
And everyone who hears His voice will turn to Him.
We live for Christ Jesus, and tell others about Him
And the Holy Spirit brings His power to confirm what we say and do.

WE LAY HANDS ON PEOPLE AS THE LORD DIRECTS
Then Peter and John placed their hands on them
And they received the Holy Spirit.
(Acts 8:17)

When Paul place his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them,
And they spoke in tongues and prophesied. (Acts 19:6)

Do not neglect the gift,
Which was given you through prophetic message
When the body of elders laid their hands on you. (1 Timothy 4: 14)

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God,
Which is in you through the laying on of my hands. (2 Timothy 1:6)

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,
‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work
To which I have called them.’
So after they had fasted and prayed,
They placed their hands on them and sent them off. (Acts 13:2-3)

The laying on of our hands imparts the Holy Spirit
And His gifts to others
According to the will of the Father.

WE HAVE GIFTS IMPARTED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT
The apostle Paul says:
‘Just as each of us has one body with many members,
And these members do not all have the same function,
So in Christ we who are many form one body,
And each member belongs to all the others.
We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.
If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.
If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;
If it is encouraging, let him encourage;
If it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously;
If it is leadership, let him govern diligently;
If it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.’ (Romans 12:4-8)

Now you are the body of Christ,
And each one of you is a part of it.
And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles,
Second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles,
Also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others,
Those with gifts of administration,
And those speaking in different kinds of tongues.
(1 Corinthians 12:27-28)

God the Father has given gifts to His saints according to His will,
To establish His Church as His representative on earth.
The deacon Stephen, the first martyr of the church,
Was a worker of miracles.

WE LOVE
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love,
I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of prophecy
And can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge,
And if I have a faith that can move mountains,
But have not love, I am nothing.
If I give all I possess to the poor
And surrender my body to the flames,
But have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking,
It keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:1-8)

Our love confirms or nullifies our faith,
It determines whether or not we belong to Christ.
If we do not love, the Holy Spirit does not live in and through us,
Because He is LOVE.
If we do love, we confirm that we have LIFE in the Holy Spirit.

SUMMARY:
The focus of the word of God is the Christ,
Whom God would send to redeem His people, by His shed blood,
By His resurrection and by His baptizing with the Holy Spirit.
In Jeremiah 31, God told what He would do in His New Covenant.

The apostle John, in 1 John gives another perspective
Of God teaching through His “Anointing”.
The man God sent to announce the eminent coming of the Christ,
John the Baptist,
Foretold that the Christ would baptize (immerse) with the Holy Spirit.

Before his crucifixion Christ Jesus told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem
Until they were clothed with power from on high.
On the Day of Pentecost 120 followers of Christ
Received what John the Baptist had foretold
And what Christ Jesus had promised.
The Book of Acts records the continuation
Of believers being baptized (immersed) with the Holy Spirit
And what they did in the power of the Spirit.
We can conclude that the pattern of believers receiving
The Baptism in the Holy Spirit,
Being immersed in the Holy Spirit,
After the Day of Pentecost, as recorded in the Book of Acts,
Continues to this day.
The recorded history of the church of Christ Jesus testifies to that fact.
The typical manifestation of receiving the Holy Spirit
Is speaking in tongues,
A language unknown to the recipient.

FOR WHAT PURPOSE DID GOD GIVE TONGUES?
Before Jesus ascended to heaven,
He said that one of the signs that would follow believers
Is that they would speak in new tongues:
Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
He who has believed and has been baptized will be saved;
But he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
These signs will accompany those who have believed:

In My name they will cast out demons,
They will speak with new tongues.
(Mark 16:15-17)

Tongues Are Given To Educate Yourself Concerning God‘s Will And Way:
The apostle Paul says: “He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself“…
(1 Corinthians 14:4).

He goes on to say:
I would like everyone of you to speak in tongues…(1 Corinthians 14:5).

Further he says:
For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.
So what shall I do?
I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind;
I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.
(1Corinthians 14:14-15)

And again he says:
I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.
(1Corinthians.14: 18)

What was the point of this?
Speaking in tongues is praying in the Holy Spirit.
The purpose is to align our mind, will and emotions (the soul)
With the mind, will and emotions (the soul) of God.
The heart is command central of the mind, will and emotions.
Praying in tongues aligns our heart with the heart of God.

To Build Yourself Up:
Jude says:
But you beloved, build yourselves up
[Founded] on your most holy faith -
Make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher -
Praying in the Holy Spirit. (Jude 1:20) Amplified

Tongues are spoken without the benefit of the person’s mind.
It is the Spirit of God speaking through the person and to the person.
Paul and Jude wanted their mind, will and emotions
And therefore the condition of their hearts
To be aligned with God’s heart.
This builds us up “in the Spirit,”
Until we are “filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
(Ephesians 3:19)

That is the goal of God through his Spirit,
Through speaking in tongues.
To Stand Against the Devil’s Schemes:
The apostle Paul says:
Put on the full armor of God
So that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
But against the rulers, against the authorities,
Against the powers of this dark world
And against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
(Ephesians 6:10-18)

For this reason, Paul says we are to,
“Put on the full armor of God.”

And after we have put on the full armor of God
We are to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions
With all kinds of prayers and requests.” (Ephesians 6:18)

Even after we have put on the full armor of God,
Praying in the Spirit (in tongues) is necessary
To stand against the devil
And his schemes.

We Do Not Know What We Ought To Pray:
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.
We do not know what we ought to pray,
But the Spirit himself intercedes for us
With groans that words cannot express.
And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit,
Because the Spirit intercedes for the saints
In accordance with God’s will.
(Romans 8:26-27)

Through Tongues We Speak Mysteries to God:
For anyone who speaks in a tongue
Does not speak to men but to God.
Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit.
(I Corinthians 14:2)

The Holy Spirit in us can speak to God the Father in ways we cannot,
For our edification and strengthening.
This Mysterious Communication with God Brings Forth the Spiritual Gifts:
Paul says:
Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts,
Especially the gift of prophecy. (I Corinthians. 14:1)

Tongues, the mysterious communication with God,
Edifies us and builds us up
So that God can impart to us the spiritual gifts that he has for us.
So that we can do His will, walking as Christ Jesus walked.
Bearing fruit for the Kingdom of God.