Saturday, September 10, 2016

KINGDOM LIVING - SEEING THE KINGDOM

Dear One,
    The first reference of Jesus to humans relating to receiving My kingdom into their lives was made to a Pharisee named Nicodemus who had commented to Jesus that He surely must be My Son because of the miracles that He did.  Jesus did not refer to My kingdom coming to Israel to make it a world leader, which was expected and anticipated by everyone,  but He said that a person must be born of My Spirit to see and experience My kingdom.  He said that people, not a nation or a dynasty, but people could experience My kingdom.  After the Pharisee questioned Jesus about how silly it was to think that a man could climb back into his mothers' womb and be born again, Jesus cleared it up when He said that a man must be born of water, as in the natural birth process, and he must also be born of My Spirit, and then he can enter into My kingdom.  Clearing it up further, he said that being born of flesh is flesh but being born of the Spirit is spirit.
     There was little knowledge to My children at the time about My Holy Spirit.  Jesus gave again a comparison, saying that when the wind blows that a person cannot tell from where it originated or where it's going, but a person can hear the sound of the wind.  He said that being born of My Spirit is similar. (John 3:7-8; Acts 2:1-4) Nicodemus was really confused by that time because he was very flesh minded instead of spiritually minded, plus he had been taught that the Messiah would set up His kingdom in Israel and make Israel a world leader again.  Jesus was talking about people being born of My Spirit and entering into My kingdom while living on earth.  He reminded Nicodemus that no one had gone to heaven yet but that He, God's Son, had come from heaven to earth.  (John 3:9-11)  He gave the first hint of what was to be His mission on earth, which was to be lifted up in the resurrection.  Jesus made a new and unusual comment, that whoever believed in Him would not die but would have eternal life.  (John 3:13-15)
     After that comment, Jesus spoke a new revelation to My children, that I loved the world so much that I gave My Son so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have My very own life within him or her. (John 3:16-17)  If that wasn't revolutionary enough, that I love the world, Jesus stated that I did not send My Son into the world to condemn it.  That was mind blowing also because many of the prophets had insinuated, in an effort to get people back on My track instead of the devil's track,  that I was angry, perturbed and vengeful toward everyone in the world.  Here was My own Son telling a man, a Pharisee at that, that He had come into the world to save it, not to destroy it.  All of those words were hard for a mere man to understand because of prior religious teachings, but they were coming out of the mouth of My Son. 
    Jesus gave the criteria by which a person could escape being condemned and that was through merely believing in Jesus as My Son and believing the words that He taught. (John 3:18-19)  He even told Nicodemus that a person was condemned already if he or she did not believe in Him as My Son.  Jesus explained that the devil's darkness was in the world and that darkness hates light because their actions were evil.  He said that light had now come into the world and everyone who does evil hates the light because of not wanting their deeds to be revealed. (John 3:20-21)
     Then Jesus stated that anyone who loves truth comes to the light so that his or her good actions will be manifest because they originate with Me. 
     These truths, the first truths about My kingdom coming to live in and around people, were looked at as being unimportant because the minds of people were dulled by evil so that they could not receive the full impact of My truth.  The truth that, number one, I love the world was hard enough to believe but then to state that individual people would be born of My Spirit in order to enter into My kingdom instead of My Son coming to earth to restore Israel to world prominence was too much to believe at the time. They were patriotic beyond reason, as influenced by the devil.
     My kingdom comes inside of you in the person of My Holy Spirit and it surrounds you with My cloud of witnesses which help you in your time of need, as orchestrated by My Holy Spirit.  The possibility for individuals to have glorious living while in the earth is a promise and a reality.
     Instead of setting up a kingdom on earth that is of a country or a nation,  I chose to set up My kingdom inside of My children so that they will reign in life as My privileged children, blessed in every area. 
     I assured you that you must seek My kingdom and My righteousness and then everything that I have set aside for you as part of your inheritance will come to you.  You become a servant and serve My kingdom to others.  Kingdom living in the earth belongs to you.
    Your Father and Dispenser of Kingdom Living  

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