Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Kingdom NOW!

(The following is a transcript of my teaching at Living Word Chapel, Wednesday November 19, 2008)
Our goal, our command, our mission is nothing less than the Kingdom of Heaven explosively expressed, demonstrated, witnessed and enjoyed on the earth. We are not here to provide the church as a hiding place from the world. It is a sin to seek refuge from a storm over which we have been given authority. We are here to equip and ignite the church as platoons of infiltration, saturation and permeation throughout all of society for nothing less than the eventual healing of the nations through the triumphant resurrection power of the Lord Jesus Christ. My passion is to ignite you in each and every service with the flames of another world so that you leave here smoldering to overcome the lesser realities of the world you will walk through all week long.

It has been said that America’s last and best hope is revival. While I am sympathetic to the notion, and on many levels cooperative with the concept, it is my personal belief that Jesus proclaimed an even greater and more superior transcendence through His delivery of the very real and raw power appearance of the Kingdom of God on the earth. Upon launching His ministry He unapologetically proclaimed that everything from Him forward had the intrinsic potential of being transformed into outrageously good news.

Without so much as a hint of marginalization He shouted, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:14-15) Allow me to pastorally paraphrase; “The wait is over. God has drawn a dark line in eternal sand. God’s total dominion expressed through human beings is presently fully available and simply at the disposal of your own hand. God is far better, bigger, presently available and massively potent than you think so change the way you think. Everything from here forward can be shockingly and fundamentally radicalized into good news.”

And then, as if to offer a sample of the raw power and simplicity of His “revival” Jesus journeys to the Sea of Galilee, sees Simon and his brother Andrew doing their work, steps into their space and seizes control of the atmosphere around them. Without a word of explanation other than the plain announcement, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men. And they immediately left the nets and followed Him.” (Mark 1:16-18)

Herein, Jesus straight away demonstrates the ascendancy of His domain. Again, please allow me the indulgence of a paraphrase; “Hello fishermen. You are clearly familiar with the tactile pleasure of fish weighing in against your nets as an immediate reward for your craft and knowledge of placing those nets in strategic places and proportions so that the fish don’t know they’ve been caught until it is too late. Their instincts are no match for your clever ability to make a living at the expense of their self-indulgent swimming freedom. Hey; here’s a thought. Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of humans. Upon hearing these Words somewhere more deeply than they had ever heard a word in their lives, their hands obeyed a signal from a different source than merely the brain and they dropped their nets in order to make room to grab the insuperable domain, which, quite honestly had already grabbed them.”

To further underline these remarkable (pun intended….re-Mark-able) events Jesus takes His new human catch to the Synagogue and teaches. As He speaks, authoritative dominion power (with real effect being put into the atmosphere) is being released in His Words. (Mark 1:-22) Suddenly, a man with an unclean spirit cries out THE REALITY OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN THE SPIRIT REALM! (Mark 1:24) But Jesus would rather speak for Himself, thank you very much, and so He did and cleaned “house” in front of the entire synagogue.

If you continue to follow Mark’s account you read with utter amazement at the sheer power of the raw appearance of the Kingdom of God in, around and through Jesus. Two different homes are physically over-run by the crowds. One of those homes has its roof torn open in order to lower a lame man. In one place Mark says, “the whole city had gathered at the door”. In another place Jesus’ new “catch of the day” disciples searched everywhere to find Him (because He was out banking into Himself more of the Presence of God and the Kingdom) and when they found Him they excitedly kept telling him that, “everyone is looking for You.” (Mark 1:37)

So what’s my point? Our goal, our command, our mission is nothing less than the Kingdom of Heaven explosively expressed, demonstrated, witnessed and enjoyed on the earth. We are not here to provide the church as a hiding place from the world. It is a sin to seek refuge from a storm over which we have been given authority. We are here to equip and ignite the church as platoons of infiltration, saturation and permeation throughout all of society for nothing less than the eventual healing of the nations through the triumphant resurrection power of the Lord Jesus Christ. My passion is to ignite you in each and every service with the flames of another world so that you leave here smoldering to overcome the lesser realities of the world you will walk through all week long.

KINGDOM, COME, NOW!

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