Equippers Network

You can choose to be 'Nursing and Rehearsing the things of the Past or Walking in the Wonder of New Life in God Right Now?' Bitterness is 'A Choice You Don't Have to Make.'

When we nurse and rehearse the disappointments and hurts of our past we miss what God has for us today. If we, like the man in the Gospels who had been forgiven much by the king are unwilling to forgive those who have hurt or disappointed us and who owe us comparatively little compared to what God forgave us, we are in
danger of losing the very freedom Christ died for.

Matt 18: 21-35 The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, _Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?_22 Jesus answered, _I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. 23 _Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. 26 _The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' 27 The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. 28 _But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me_' he demanded. 29 _His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'30 _But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. 32 _Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' 34 In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. 35 _This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart._NIV

All of us experience hurt, disappointment and pain at the hands or because of the mouths of people who are acting out of what they believe to be the best intentions. These people may be passionately serving God and due to their own character weakness or lack of wisdom and understanding disappoint or hurt us. Sometimes the more passionate ones are the most harmful because they act with great force to do what is right. Although we do not want to stifle passion we do want to temper it with wisdom and Godly compassion.

I Corinthians 13 4:-7 states that love keeps no record of wrongs. 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. NIV

The next time you get to talk to someone or a group of people ask them if they enjoy being around people who are angry, complaining and bitter all of the time. Most people will say NO.

Psalm 1:1-2 tells us about the person who sat in the seat of the scornful,
Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners,Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,And in His law he meditates day and night. NKJV

This was a person who sat at the gate of the city and rehearsed to everyone who would come by his plight(circumstances or situation). They would nurse their wound by telling everyone how they were wronged and by doing this to gain favor so that their cause would be supported and they would be judged innocent and the one with whom they had complaint would have to act to make things right.

When we were transferred out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of the son of God's love (Col 1:13-14) we had the penalty and the shame of sin removed from us.
13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.NIV

When we refuse to forgive others we sit in the seat of the scornful and bring our lives back into darkness because we shut ourselves off from God's life giving Spirit when we cling to the filthy rags of someone's sin against us. We cannot cling to death and darkness and walk in the light and life that God wants for us to have each day.

Today God has given you a wonderful opportunity to live for Him in freedom and experiencing the fullness of His love for you. I am not saying this is easy or that it might not take time and hard work, but we have a choice to make. Are you ready to become what God desires, to forgive, let go and move onto the life that God desires for you or are you going to rehearse your story and nurse your wounds for all to see that you are unwilling to move on to the new things God has waiting? Rejecting God's love for us and through us to others will not resolve our issues.

He is waiting for us to forgive others or ourselves as we have been forgiven by Him!
Artwork, 'Loaves and Fishes' by Graham Braddock http://www.majesticartworks.com/detail.aspx?ID=3960

The King's Call to those who become a part of His Kingdom.

Kingdom Fitness Training, It requires more than armor!

Today when we read about the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven we are often told we are to reign as kings and priest on the earth in the here and now.

Although I find this appealing, I wonder if we are willing to undergo the training necessary to rule and reign with Him. We also know that our inheritance will not be complete until the 2nd coming of Christ.

Understanding what parts of the Kingdom we have or to what degree we have Kingdom authority and power depends on our understanding of the King and the training undergone by someone who was being groomed to rule with the king.

It is said that in ancient times a prince or princess was to be in submission to the person or persons training them to one day become the king or queen of the land, until they reached a certain age or actually began their reign. The person training them was given authority over them to equip them to one day rule the people of the kingdom they lived in. There was no room for the undisciplined or rude or spoiled child. It required having a heart after God that was tested and tried to reveal the character of someone fit to rule in the authority of the king.

This training encompassed all of the elements necessary to rule under the authority of God. The character, skill and knowledge required were great. Perhaps the greatest training was to come face to face with the fierce trials of life for which dependence on God and confidence in God’s willingness and ability to bring them through the trial was more important than the king or queen’s abilities, wealth or perceived power and influence among people.

We know of the Father God's love for us, His ability to destroy our enemies with a single word and we also know about the authority of the believer. In order to truly become like the King we must look to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith and follow His example. Jesus humbled himself and gave up His authority and power so that we might do the will of the father empowered by the Holy Spirit just as he did. Paul said that he wanted to know Christ and the fellowship of His suffering.
_____________________________________________________
Question.
Have you given yourself to God and now wonder why trials and testing have come upon you?

Response.
You can stop wondering, It is true! You have entered into the King’s fitness training program.

Basic Training, advanced training and survival training will be looked at in future articles.
______________________________________________________
A few closing thoughts.
1. It can be said of testing ‘This too shall pass.’
2. Your life will not always be in the refiner’s fire.
3. You will have times of great joy and peace in your life.
4. Testing is for a season
5. His grace is more than enough
6. His mercy is new every morning.
7. His compassions do not fail.
8. He has made you to be more than a conquer through Christ Jesus.

Below are many of the scriptures supporting the material above.

1 Pe 1:1-7 1:1
PETER, AN apostle (a special messenger) of Jesus Christ, [writing] to the elect exiles of the dispersion scattered (sowed) abroad in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 Who were chosen and foreknown by God the Father and consecrated (sanctified, made holy) by the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and to be sprinkled with [His] blood: May grace (spiritual blessing) and peace be given you in increasing abundance [that spiritual peace to be realized in and through Christ, freedom from fears, agitating passions, and moral conflicts]. 3 Praised (honored, blessed) be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)! By His boundless mercy we have been born again to an ever-living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4[Born anew] into an inheritance which is beyond the reach of change and decay [imperishable], unsullied and unfading, reserved in heaven for you, 5 Who are being guarded (garrisoned) by God's power through [your] faith [till you fully inherit that final] salvation that is ready to be revealed [for you] in the last time. 6[You should] be exceedingly glad on this account, though now for a little while you may be distressed by trials and suffer temptations, 7 So that [the genuineness] of your faith may be tested, [your faith] which is infinitely more precious than the perishable gold which is tested and purified by fire. [This proving of your faith is intended] to redound to [your] praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) is revealed. AMP

Jas 1:1-4 1:1
JAMES, A servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes scattered abroad [among the Gentiles in the dispersion]: Greetings ( rejoice)! 2 Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations. 3 Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience. 4 But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing. AMP

Jn 1:32-34 32
Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' 34 I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God." NIV

Php 3:7-14
7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
KJV

Php 2:5-8
5 Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility:]
6 Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God [possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God, God], did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained,
7 But stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being.
8 And after He had appeared in human form, He abased and humbled Himself [still further] and carried His obedience to the extreme of death, even the death of the cross!
AMP

Jn 17
17:1 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
"Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. 6 "I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name — the name you gave me — so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
13 "I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
20 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
24 "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
25 "Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."
NIV

Heb 12:2-4 2
Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. [Ps 110:1.] 3 Just think of Him Who endured from sinners such grievous opposition and bitter hostility against Himself [reckon up and consider it all in comparison with your trials], so that you may not grow weary or exhausted, losing heart and relaxing and fainting in your minds. 4 You have not yet struggled and fought agonizingly against sin, nor have you yet resisted and withstood to the point of pouring out your [own] blood. AMP

The Artwork above is from James' Goll's Ministry, The Encounters Network.
http://encountersnetwork.com/

I was doing some research and was surprised by the number of books that deal with the Kingdom of God either partially or as their only topic. I say surprised because we hear so little teaching or preaching on the subject today.

But before I make any recommendations as to what books might be good to read or own you should do some self directed research, also known as personal Bible study.

The list below can be followed as steps in your study.

1. Set up a notebook to keep your research notes or printouts in. You can organize your notebook according to your own thinking. I would suggest using page tabs for the different sections.
2. Look up the words kingdom, kingdom of God and kingdom of heaven in the concordance in the back of your Bible.
3. Follow the cross references listed in your Bible.
4. Use an exhaustive concordance which is designed for use with the Bible translation you use the most to get a complete list of the references.
5. Use your notebook to write down the Greek and Hebrew reference numbers and use them to look up the definitions of the words used in the Old and New testaments for the references you find.
(If you are using a Bible software program, save the list to your word processing program and set a file for all of the materials you find related to your kingdom research.
6. Organize the scripture references by categories that match the usage of the words in some type of topical system that makes sense to you.
7. Look up the words you have found in your research in a word study tool, such as Vine's Expository Dictionary or one of the many other word study tools available at your local Christian book store, theological library or within your Bible software. This will add a greater understanding of the ways in which these words are used in scripture.
8. If you have a topical Bible tool this is where you will want to use it to compare what you have discovered with what the author has written concerning the Kingdom.
9. The next group of tools you will want to use are Bible Dictionaries, Bible handbooks and Bible encyclopedias. These will provide greater context historically and theologically. I will recommend which these will be most helpful and some additional resources in the next article.

By now you will have a good understanding of the usage of king, kingdom, kingdom of God and kingdom of heaven in the Bible. In the following three steps you may want to pick a color for each word and use it to mark your Bible as you read.

10. Read the Intertestimental books to discover more about what the Jewish people were expecting concerning the coming of the kingdom of God between the end of the Old testament and the beginning of the New testament.
11. Read the Gospels starting with Matthew to find out first hand what Jesus taught concerning the Kingdom or God or Kingdom of heaven. Remember Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets.
12. Read the rest of the New Testament to see how this teaching was dealt with by the New Testament Church. Even if not mentioned by name look to discover how the rule and reign of God was to be applied in the daily life of the believer.

HELPFUL IDEAS

1. Pray before, during and after your study that God would reveal the truth of His Word to you by His Holy Spirit!

2. Remember take good notes, review your notes after each new step to see what you have learned and how and if it fits together with the rest of what you are discovering.

3. Make room or even a distinct section in your notes for questions, observations, reflections and insights you have as you go through your study.

4. Ask God how to apply the things you are discovering.

5. Keep a record of the prayers you are praying as God reveals the truth about His Kingdom and how to live in it and share it with others as you are move along on your Kingdom quest.

DO NOT GET LAZY

If you will follow the order given above you will have the joy of discovering God's Truth as the Holy Spirit reveals it to you. If you jump ahead to see what others have written you will deprive your self of the revelation you would gain by doing the work yourself.

APPLY AND SHARE WHAT YOU ARE LEARNING

Along with your study, prayer and meditation you will want to apply what you are learning in day to day life as well as discussing it with other believers.

ENJOY THE JOURNEY for we are pilgrims on the earth.

Heb 11:1010 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. NIV

Heb 11:1616 Instead, they were longing for a better country — a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. NIV

Heb 12:26-28
26 Then [at Mount Sinai] His voice shook the earth, but now He has given a promise: Yet once more I will shake and make tremble not only the earth but also the [starry] heavens. [Hag 2:6.]
27 Now this expression, Yet once more, indicates the final removal and transformation of all [that can be] shaken — that is, of that which has been created — in order that what cannot be shaken may remain and continue. [Ps 102:26.]
28 Let us therefore, receiving a kingdom that is firm and stable and cannot be shaken, offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship, with modesty and pious care and godly fear and awe; AMP

Artwork by Graham Braddock
http://www.christian-artprints.com/GB%20ROAD.htm#picture%20jump

We talk a lot about Vision in the Church, in business and in politics today. When you are around people with a Kingdom vision they have the qualities of the King that are appealing to people.

People with a Kingdom Vision are focused on the giver of the Vision, they are full of faith that the Vision given by Him will come to pass, they have hope even when things do not look the way they had thought they would be, they have a positive influence on those around them that the King's Vision is within reach and as a result others believe in, and become a part of making the vision reality.

This comes not just from vision casting or sharing the King's vision but from the fruit or impact the Vision has on the vision bearer. When the Vision is fresh and alive it brings freshness and life. When the Vision is dim, contrived or is lacking in the vitality of the King it is hard for someone to follow it or the person bearing it. I have noticed that hope springs from vision and vision from faith or belief that what is not yet is what can be Hebrews 11:6.

Faith in the king and His Kingdom are the key to vision. There are a lot of people who live in fear and doubt and who are always looking for or are wandering around seeking someone or something to give them hope. They are in need of a healthy relationship with God. He is the giver of life, a life that flows continually to those who are in an ongoing relationship with Him.

Today, we are tempted to have a fast food version of our relationship with God, when what we really need is a time of restful feeding on the green grass of His Word and of drinking from the still water of His Spirit, of letting Him minister to us by talking with us and calling us by name, and of letting him rub His healing ointment into the hurts and bruises we receive from everyday life. When we do this and do it again and again we find the life, hope and vision that inspire others to see in us a glimpse of Him.

This glimpse of Him, what He is and wants to do, generates loyalty and passion for the Vision He has given us. People follow a vision when they can see hope and faith of the Kingdom alive in it, not when it is a part of the latest promotion or fashionable idea, which gets pounded endlessly into their information pathways.

When they see Kingdom vision which has come from faith and hope alive in someone it gives them a reason to seek God for themselves and in the building of their relationship with God they gain faith, hope and His vision for them.

The Bible uses the imagery of trees bearing fruit as an outward demonstration of His life flowing through us to produce the fruit of the Spirit, which is the true mark of His life within.

Jesus in John 15 speaks about the need for the branches to stay connected to the vine if they are to have His life which produces vision. When we have a healthy ongoing relationship with Him we make it possible for people to get a glimpse of Him. We have a choice; we can allow others to get a glimpse of the King which brings faith and leads to Kingdom vision or a glimpse of us without Him, which will lead the people to not have hope or a purpose and wander aimlessly.

Faith in the King is the key to vision. Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of the things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen,” NASB revised version.

Kingdom Vision does not cause us to be DRIVEN; instead it leads and inspires us.

True Kingdom vision makes room for all who would agree with it. It does not need someone to constantly pound it into our heads and manipulate us into sacrifice so that some one else's vision of their kingdom can be realized. People will become a part of the Kings vision and freely participate in the cost of seeing God accomplish it when it carries the sweet aroma of a living sacrifice and not the stench of self and pride.

Kingdom Visions spring forth as children of the calling of the King in our lives. The more mature and healthy in Christ we are the more the birthed vision will demonstrate the Fathers heart and not our own!

Kingdom Taste Test
When someone taste of the vision you proclaim will they taste and see that the Lord is Good, or will they taste and see that bitter and impure water has been mixed with the river of life?

Artwork by Graham Braddoct's Road to the Cross http://www.christian-artprints.com/

When you look at your church and its core values and vision how would you define success?

How would you compare the success of your church's core values and vision with the priorities of Jesus and the teachings of scripture?

When people meet you or the people that attend your church do they want to come and see what Jesus is doing among you?

Has your church gotten stuck in a cultural or generation version of the Christian life that is no longer appealing to those seeking Jesus?

One place to evaluate success in the local church is to examine the priorities of Jesus and the New Testament writers. Another way to evaluate Biblical success is to study the lives of people in the Old Testament who were considered pleasing and favored of God.

Scripture points to two specific areas that make a person pleasing to God in the Old Testament.
1. The first is having 'a heart after God' 1 Sa 13:14: But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command." NIV.

2. The second is obedience to God's Word. 1 Sam 15:22: Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. NIV

Jesus also came 'to do the will of the Father' powered by the Holy Spirit.

1. In fact Phil 2:5-11 says that Jesus humbled or emptied Himself. 'Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. NASU'

2. He operated by the father’s authority and the Holy Spirit's power so that he would be the perfect model for us. Jn 17:4 “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. NASU

3. Mt 3:16-17: 16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." NIV

The next two places we need to look are the command of Jesus and teaching of the Apostles.

1.First, to continue His work by making disciples of all nations. Mt 28:19-20, Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."NIV

2. Second, to equip God’s people. Eph 4:11-13, And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. NASU

If you evaluate what we are doing and compare it with these verses, how is your church doing? Is the next generation of leaders flourishing among us or are they being driven away or held in captivity to our old ways of doing things?

We are commanded to be making, equipping and releasing into leadership the next group or generation of disciples on a continual basis.

We should follow the model of Paul and continue our relationship as partners and co-laborers with the next generation of leaders as we release them to lead and make disciples of all nations.

This will assure them of support and help them to continue the work that Jesus began to do and teach us about! We will need to allow them their vision and their God inspired methods. New wine needs new wineskins! God is raising up young Davids and Debras. They should be doing Great exploits for God and not starting God's work over again.

Can it be said of us that we are equipping the next generation to do great and mighty things and become men and women of valor as they do the will of the Father, empowered by the Holy Spirit in our world today?

IF WE CAN SAY YES, THAT IS KiINGDOM SUCCESS!

You will hear Him say
'Well done you good and faithful servant!'

Copyright © 2008 Wayne Newcomb

Our Primary Purpose Today as followers of Jesus of Nazareth is to have:

1. A Fresh understanding of Our Calling.
2. Participation in What Jesus Began to Do and Teach, Acts1:1."

All that Jesus did flowed out of His relationship with the father and His willingness to do the will of the Father powered by the Holy Spirit. We must have that same model if we are to please Him and be useful to Him. This model consist of:

1. Our active seeking first the Kingdom of God and Loving the Lord with all our mind and heart and strength.
a. To give Him pleasure and to esteem Him as our first love with a daily relationship that keeps Him first and our life in Him fresh and alive. The visions, plans and programs He has put within us to accomplish will fail without His life flowing freely each day. His life in us must be renewed by a daily relationship in His presence and His Word with times of deep worship and constant life giving prayer.
b. We must also have strategic encounters with Him if our zeal is to be kept properly focused and our spiritual health maintained.

2. Our participation as catalyst for proclamation and bringing forth the Kingdom of God in others. God has given us the gifts, experience, anointing and calling for:

a. Being a Catalyst in Making Disciples of All Nations

This calling has four key aspects:
1. Equipping believers to move from a life changing experience to living a life that is changed and growing in God's grace, His Word and Spirit.
2. Discipling those who have been changed to become life changers who's life in Jesus is a catalyst, which causes others to want a life changing relationship with God.
3. Training and Releasing a new generation of believers to live as passionate Spirit filled disciples and followers of Jesus Christ, so that, the proclamation of the Good News is made known to every people group throughout the Earth.
4. Mentoring and Coaching new and existing leaders to fulfill their calling to "Do What Jesus Began to do and Teach."

These key aspects are founded in having, the Heart of the Father, the Mind of Christ and the Power of the Spirit.

b. Being His messenger and vessel for the outflow of His majesty and grace and power requires that we remain sensitive and available to each opportunity the Lord provides for the expression of His life and truth toward others so that we do not miss the blessing and joy his work through us.

1. We must always remember that His ways are not our ways and that they are as far above our ways as the heavens are above the earth.
2. We must seek Him in every endeavor remembering that we cannot rely on yesterday's victory or anointing. We must seek His wisdom and walk in His presence with each new challenge.
3. He may reveal His ways to us with His power and might or the still small voice.

The Holy Spirit speaks with great power in Ephesians 4 where we see that the ministry offices are given to the church to continue what Jesus began to do and teach and that every believer is to be a part as described in Romans 12 of the things that Jesus began to do and teach.

Eph 4:11-14
11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as
prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12
for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of
the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature
which belongs to the fullness of Christ. NASU

Ro 12:1-13
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. 4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; 7 if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; 8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; 11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, 13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. NASU

So let us boldly and passionately:
It's all by His Grace and Power

Equipper
Copyright © 2008 Wayne Newcomb
http://www.equippersnetwork.com/

The Kingdom of God is a relational Kingdom made possible by God the Father our creator and the Life, Death and Resurrection of the Jesus the Messiah. He has restored our relationship with the father through His shed blood and empowered us by His resurrection and the outpouring of the Spirit of God into our lives.

This relationship has two primary functional elements, the vertical and the horizontal. In His presence daily we adore and cherish him and out of this adoration of Him naturally flows our ambassadorial or representative role in which we become kingdom catalyst in the lives of others.

All that Jesus did flowed out of His relationship with the father and His willingness to do the will of the Father as He was empowered by the Holy Spirit. We must operate out of that same model if we are to please Him and be useful to Him in doing all that Jesus began to do and teach. These two elements of our relationship with the King are described in more detail in the following sections.

1. Vertical: Seek first the Kingdom of God and Love the Lord with all our mind and heart and strength.
a. To give Him pleasure and to esteem Him as our first love with a daily relationship that keeps Him first and our life in Him fresh and alive. The visions plans and programs He has put within us to accomplish will fail without His life flowing freely each day. His life in us must be renewed by a daily relationship in His presence and His Word with times of worship and constant prayer. b. We must also have strategic encounters with Him if our zeal is to be kept properly focused and our spiritual health maintained.

2. Horizontal: To be a Catalyst for the proclamation and bringing forth of the Kingdom of God in others. Our role as an catalytic ambassador and witnesses is one in which we act as a stimulus to cause others to become partakers in the Kingdom of God and thus have this twofold relationship with Him and become;

a. Leaders in Making Disciples of All Nations This calling has four key aspects:
1. Equipping believers to move from a life changing experience to living a life that is changed and growing in God's grace, His word and spirit.
2. Discipling those who have been changed to become life changers who's life in Jesus is a catalyst, which causes others to want a life changing relationship with God.
3. Training and Releasing a new generation of believers to live as passionate disciples and followers of Jesus Christ, so that, the proclamation of the Good News is made known to every people group throughout the Earth.
4. Mentoring and Coaching new and existing leaders to fulfill their calling to "Do What Jesus Began to do and Teach."

b. Sensitive and Available to the King within each opportunity He provides for kingdom ministry so that we represent Him and His kingdom in such a way that others are motivated to come into relationship with the King, thereby expanding the Kingdom by making disciples of all nations.

Jesus ministry and instructional model was a relational one. He imparted truth by both teaching and doing what he taught. He had the disciples go with Him, walk with Him and be with Him daily. They experienced daily in the context of a relational model the coming of King and the Kingdom of God. It was not theory or speculation.

Jesus ministered to people in the context of their lives. His ministry and teaching made sense to the people on a practical level and to those whose heart was open to the Spirit and truth of God's Kingdom as He revealed it to their inner man.

Today, if we will seek to birth Kingdom life in every aspect of our daily life and our gatherings as believers it will be easier to be those who are Making Disciples of All Nations as outlined above.

Seek to be a Kingdom catalytic agent today, causing others to seek first the Kingdom of God! Copyright © 2008 Wayne Newcomb

Webster's Dictionary Define a catalyst as follows:

Catalyst cat·a·lyst
Pronunciation: \ˈka-tə-ləst\
Function: noun
Date: 1902
1 : a substance that enables a chemical reaction to proceed at a usually faster rate or under different conditions (as at a lower temperature) than otherwise possible
2 : an agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action

Catalytic Cat·a·lyt·ic
Pronunciation: \ˌka-tə-ˈli-tik\
Function: adjective
Date: 1836 :
causing, involving, or relating to catalysis — cat·a·lyt·i·cal·ly \-ˈli-ti-k(É™-)lÄ“\ adverb

Artwork: The Power of Prayer by Danny Hahlbohm @http://www.allposters.com/gallery

Today people are turning away from many local churches and seeking new gatherings of believers where the presence, power and work of the Kingdom of Heaven is evident from the fresh presence and work of the Holy Spirit among them. People always prefer the new wine, the fresh oil and manna from God because there is life in it that begins life in everything it touches.

They are also hungering for the restoration of relationships with God and other believers. The people of this generation want more than nice people with a form of religion just as those in the New Testament did. 2 Tim 3:4-5 ...Rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! NKJV

In the book of Acts there are repeated references of the believers being filled with the Holy Spirit? These references are in two basic categories:
1. The baptism of the Holy Spirit or initial experience
2. Fresh fillings of the Spirit as the believers gathered and God worked in and through them by His Spirit.
These fresh fillings were the proof that the Spirit and life of God were present and at work. The "Kingdom of Heaven" or "Kingdom of God" is at the very heart of all Jesus did and said. In fact, you could say that His teaching was the proclamation and His actions or works were the doing or demonstration of the Kingdom of God.

Jesus did His signs and wonders by the Spirits Power and the Father’s authority.
Phil 2:5-11 speak about him humbling himself. His water baptism with the Spirit coming on Him shows us that He did theses mighty signs by the Spirit's power.
John 17 Jesus proclaims that He has done all that the father commanded.

When we read the Gospels and the New Testament, we repeatedly see the terms "Kingdom of Heaven" used 32 times in Matthew and "Kingdom of God" used 70 times from Matthew to II Thessalonians. This concept, more than any other, depicts the impact and purpose of Jesus coming.
The Jewish people longed for Messiah to come and to restore Israel as an independent state with God ruling over His people. Throughout the intertestamental period or that period between the Old and New Testaments leaders rose up who had as their primary purpose to see to it that Israel would be a free nation again.

God, however, had another plan. This plan was revealed in the Old Testament, but the true meaning was hidden from most. In Matthew 5:17, Jesus said that he did not come to abolish the law and the prophets, but to fulfill them. In Acts 28:23-30 Paul teaches about the Kingdom of God and Jesus from the five books of Moses and the prophets. We know that the Old Testament law, sacrifices, and prophecies are but a shadow of what Jesus the Messiah (or the Christ) came to do and teach.

This Kingdom of Heaven that Jesus came to proclaim was not what many expected, an earthly Kingdom; it was instead the completion or fulfillment of what they should have expected, and because of this, it was even greater than their expectations.

Let’s look at few key verses in order to understand more about this Kingdom of God.
1. In Mk 1:15 we see Jesus telling us the time is fulfilled (there is no more waiting needed); the kingdom of God is near; turn from your sins and believe the good news (Gospel).
2. In I Cor. 15:50 Paul tells those to whom he is writing that flesh and blood cannot inherit this kingdom because the flesh does not last forever.
3. In Acts 28:23-30 it says that if the people hear and obey the good news, they would be cured or mended by God. He would cause them to be well again. This would be healing for the whole person; this would include the body, the soul, and the spirit.

"The Gospel is more than asbestos underwear for the soul." It is about the restoration and freedom of people under the rule or reign of God as their savior and king or lord. The Kingdom of God as made evident in the New Testament is a Kingdom of people being moved by Holy Spirit of God.

If we are to have truly New Testament Church that can once again turn the world upside down and reach this generation with Gospel message of life, it must be one in the power of the Spirit. Let me repeat what I said earlier. The people of this generation want more than nice people with a form of religion just as those in the New Testament did. 2 Tim 3:4-5 ...Rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! NKJV They hunger for the life giving Spirit of the one true God to be present and at work in and around their lives, just like God planned when He created them! They desire relationship with God that is alive and vibrant not stale.

Will you join me in asking God to give us Spirit filled Churches and leaders who will never be the same because of their own encounters with God, which will result that this generation can taste and see that Lord is good and they can discover Him in all His splendor, majesty and be in awe that He chooses to work through and with us?

The sermon outline which follows was part of my message at Hope Assembly of God a Ghanaian congregation in Aurora Colorado on December 16th of 2007. I am posting it as an introduction to a study which I will be doing in the days ahead on:

The King and His Kingdom-What it Means to be a part of the Kingdom of God Today.

There is need of a fresh look in the Bible to examine how this concept, which seems so far from our current understanding of being a Christian or a disciple and follower of Jesus Christ, is meaningful today. I will also be reposting a few earlier articles about the Kingdom of God.

Christmas-The Coming of the King and His Kingdom
Introduction:
In a little more than a week we will celebrate the birth of Jesus our Savior and Messiah.
In order for us to be well prepared to celebrate the birth of Jesus we need to look once again into God’s Word of God and be reminded of who this Jesus is whose birth we celebrate.

He is not simply the reason for the season, but He is:
*Immanuel-God is with us.
*The Bright and Morning Star
*The Captain of the Lord's host
*The Alpha and Omega
*The Bread of Life

I. The Coming of the King and His Kingdom

A. The Coming of the King was not what we might have expected.
He Humbled Himself
1. Born as a child in a small town in a humble family.
2. He was born as a son to Joseph of Nazareth. Born in a manger, not a palace.
3. He emptied Himself of His divine authority and power. Php 2:5-8
4. He lived according to the Father’s authority and will Jn 17:1-26
5. He did His mighty miracles by the power of the Spirit Jn 1:32-34

B. The Coming of the Kingdom was not what others had expected.
hat Jesus began to do and teach
1. Repent the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Mt 3:2
2. He is the Son of David and he came to fulfill the law and the prophets MT 1. and Jn 1:45
3. He came to seek and save that which was lost Lk 19:10
4. He came to set the captives free and proclaim the time of restoration and Good news Lk 4:18
Once we have celebrated the Birth of Jesus we must look ahead to the coming year of 2008 and Seek to do all that Jesus Began to do and Teach.

II. Living Life in His Kingdom According to the King’s Plan

A. Living Life as the King would have us to Live it.
1. Seek First the Kingdom of God Mt 6:33
2. Do all that Jesus began to do and teach Acts 1:1
3. Remember you are In the world but not of it Jn 17:11-17
4. Jesus teaches us to pray the Kingdom prayer MT 6:9-14

B. Living Life as a member of the Kingdom
1. Empowered by His Spirit to be His witnesses Acts 1:2, 8
Without getting sidetracked about dates and times.
2. Doing the Work of the ministry Eph 4:12
Those things Jesus began to do and teach
With humility as Jesus did, by the Father’s authority, by the Spirit’s Power
3. Building up one another Eph 4:12
In brotherly love, honoring others before yourself, as the household of God.
4. Becoming mature, to the measure of the stature of Christ.
Through constantly submitting ourselves to Him and those God has placed over us.
By worship, prayer, the study of God’s Word, service to one another, giving of our time
and resources. Living life to please him above all others. Eph 4:12

If we will do these things Then We Will Hear Him say, Well Done my Good and faithful servant!
Copyright © 2007 Wayne Newcomb

Artwork: Manifold Majesty by Graham Braddock.
http://www.majesticartworks.com/