KINGDOM COME 6
The nearness of God to me
How is this Confusion beware
Have you noticed that when we call out to God
proclaiming the
Sometimes he intervenes and at other times he
Kingdomappears not to
as you go proclaim ,
‘The kingdom of heaven
has come near.’
We must be careful to not confuse the things
we already have in God
with the things that come through divine
breakthrough/intervention
We already have forgiveness of sins by his blood
And the life of God in us through his broken body
This enables us to live life to the full on earth
And makes us ready for heaven
We have this fully in the death and resurrection of Jesus
Not to be confused with the divine interventions we pray for
that bring healing, changed lives, altered circumstances
which sometimes come now and other times later.
Living life with God means that we can experience him
in our moment by moment experiences of life
We can see where he is making way for us in daily life
in the sometimes exciting and other times painful life we live.
Dallas Willard says the formation of a life is never instantaneous, it takes
a life time of living God’s kind of life.
Indeed learning to see God in everyday life
is something we value highly here
as it is key to living, life in all it’s fullness that Jesus came to bring.
All this we have through the life death and resurrection of Jesus
However Jesus talks also about the Kingdom coming
on earth as it is in heaven.
By means of divine interventions or breakthrough
Things like healing, miracles, wrongs righted, circumstances recovered, lives
changed, communities made good.
These things are said by Jesus to be available now and in delay.
They are the things of the future heaven experienced now on earth.
This is why we must be careful to not treat the forgiveness and new life
we already have
the same as divine interventions like healings and miracles
because when such interventions appear not to come
we can also conclude that forgiveness and new life also failed to come.
George Eldon Ladd gave us the theology
of the breakthrough Kingdom of God as the
now and the not yet.
And us he called the ‘already and not yet’ people of God
Roland Allen’s study recommended by John Mumford
The effect of divine interventions
They are manifestations of the presence of God on the earth
1. It is clear that divine interventions were used greatly to draw people
towards belief and encourage people in their belief
2. It also true that there were no miracles in connection with conversions at
Antioch, Derbe, Thessalonica, Beroea, and Corinth although miracles did
occur in some of these places.
The conclusion was that divine breakthroughs greatly assisted in drawing
people towards faith and greatly encouraged those in faith.
But they were never used to promote the faith or promised as reward.
And they did not cause conversion.
Clearly God has chosen to intervene
in life on earth beyond forgiveness and giving new life.
thank God for that
in a famous church somewhere or big meeting ….. try nearer
in our church … well yeah, but try nearer ….
And the scripture makes plain that we have a part in this.
When the Spirit of God comes you will become witnesses.
witnesses to the nearness of God in your own lives
Matthew 10:7
As you go, proclaim this message:
‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’
It’s clear that Jesus has decided that
the nearness of God’s life to my neighbour
is made clear by the nearness of God’s life to me
It’s clear from scripture
that Kingdom breakthrough occurs
where the Kingdom is proclaimed.
and that this proclamation precedes divine breakthrough
that will invigorate my life
and will draw my neighbour towards life in God
When Jesus proclaimed the nearness of the Kingdom
there was intervention from heaven
the nearness of God’s life to you .. if you look for it …
will proclaim itself
and will bring divine breakthrough
in you
and those around you
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Changed lives in Zaccheus and the woman at the well
Release from the terrible effects of sin with the man through the roof
and the woman caught in adultery.
Healings and Miracles
Knowledge and wisdom that couldn’t naturally be known
Ok that’s Jesus proclaiming the Kingdom and precipitating breakthrough
but
Jesus also says to his followers, as you go, proclaim that the Kingdom of
heaven has come near and be ready to participate in the breakthrough of
divine intervention that follows. (summarised)
Reminds me of a bilboard, the end is nigh
Not quite there yet are we ….
I won’t drop this on you honest!
Proclaimed = making it clearly known .. heaven has come near
Come near … how near!
in another country …… yeah but I think nearer?
we must believe this
learn to discern it to see it … blind Bart
and be ready to participate in it.
My experience is that
As I seek to become more aware of the nearness of God’s life in me
It fills me with life
It comes out in my behaviour and the things I say and the things I don’t say
the nearness of God to me automatically is proclaimed to my neighbour
and divine interventions are precipitated in me and in my neighbour
which I can discern and play my part in
telling the stories of God’s intervention on our life doesn’t need to be
spectacular it just needs to be true.
So, divine intervention is preceded by making is clear that God is near.