By Ron McGatlin
Many people in the world have at some point in their lives experienced a life-altering event that in one day changed their lives forever. Life could never go back to being as it was only hours before. There was absolutely nothing that could make things be as they were before the event. Whether it was a really good thing or a bad thing, it was done and could not be undone.
An entire tribe or nation can awaken one morning to a national situation that has so severely changed that it does not seem to be the same world they went to bed in the night before. These sudden events may have actually been building gradually for a long period of time, seemingly unnoticed by the people that are affected by it.
Spiritual events can also occur with the same suddenness. Spiritual events can be just as life changing and with as much sudden impact as natural events. There can be a sudden powerful blast of spiritual light within us that in a moment of time blows away much of our spiritual landscape of previously held beliefs and strong religious convictions.
Some believers today are having their world changed by fresh revelation of the kingdom of God. An explosion of fresh revelation of the kingdom of God is quickly changing everything for some people today. The Spirit of God is shining the light of the word of the kingdom into many hearts. Bibles seem to come alive with previously unseen truth that is suddenly seen with clarity. An exciting journey of discovery begins as words that have always been in our Bibles seem to suddenly appear for the first time.
The manifesting of the kingdom began around 2000 years ago and has, in the past century and especially in recent decades, been accelerating. Cleansing of our old religious landscape occurs as the light of kingdom truth clears the land to be replanted with the new landscape of life in the Spirit.
Living in the Spirit and walking in the Spirit opens the door to the divine source of guidance and empowerment in all matters of life. Receiving the gospel of the kingdom changes how we think, who we are, and what we do. We become kingdom disciples of Christ on our way to becoming productive kings and priests, ruling and reigning with Christ in this life.
Where there was dry barren land of dusty religious beliefs and practices, a river of cool clear life-giving water flows from the throne of God filling the dry desert places with life. The desert begins to bloom with life, spiritual life, flowing in the river of the Spirit and bringing life everywhere it goes.
In a recent conversation with a group of friends, some of which have served God for many years as pastors of churches, missionaries, and other ministries, we talked about how we had spent a lifetime gaining spiritual enlightenment a little here and a little there. We recognized that there has now been a change in the seasons of the Spirit. Now, in this new season of the fresh revealing of the kingdom, the light of God’s kingdom truth seems to be bursting forth, impacting some with a rapid impartation of kingdom of God reality.
One of the key ingredients of this season of rapid kingdom impartation is the fading of the false belief that we cannot experience the fullness of the kingdom of God until God does something more in the future to bring it about. Religious teaching has caused most of us to believe that we must get by on something less that the full kingdom of God in this time in which we live. We were taught that the kingdom fullness can only be a future hope of the church. This false conclusion must assume that when Jesus said the kingdom of God is at hand that He really meant that only a little of it is really at hand.
As these strong erroneous beliefs are dissolving in the light of the Spirit revealing the magnitude of the reality of Christ in us, we are beginning to believe (have faith) for the potential of the fullness of the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. It is faith (believing) that can release what God has provided. Unbelief can and will limit the release of God’s provision. It matters greatly what we believe and what we do not believe. We know that man cannot bring forth the kingdom of God. However, we can limit the coming of the kingdom by what we believe or, should I say, what we do not believe.
Yes, God is sovereign and can do what He decides when He decides to do it. And He decided to give man a free will and a measure of dominion on Planet Earth. He will not go back on His word. He will not force His salvation or the fullness of His kingdom upon unwilling, unbelieving men. Some are unwilling to believe in the fullness of kingdom in this life now because they do not believe they are worthy or capable of living in kingdom fullness now. Yes, we are all totally unworthy and incapable of living kingdom fullness. However, if we are crucified with Christ and filled with His Spirit, there is One who lives in us, where we once lived, Who is all together worthy and completely capable. Our self-focus leads to false belief and limits the advance of the real kingdom of God in us and on earth.
Praise God! There are increasingly more crucified-with-Christ believers on earth in whom Christ abides than ever before. Therefore, the kingdom of God is surging into the lives of forerunners and, from them, into the lives of many others.
God is doing everything to cause men to become willing and believing. His love and provisions draw us to Him. His chastening and cleansing judgments drive us toward Him. His Spirit in Christ by the Holy Spirit is sent into the world to reveal His kingdom in His people and empower us to have faith in the fullness of His kingdom coming forth. What we could never do is being done by the indwelling Spirit of God.
God does not desire to withhold the fullness of His kingdom now from His people on earth.
Luke 12:32: "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
In His love and patience, God is doing from heaven all that can be done to bring forth the fullness of His kingdom on earth without overriding the free will of man. To do more without man’s agreement, He would have to remove or override the free will of mankind and void His dominion creation covenant with man. As the faith of the indwelling Christ Jesus becomes our faith, and the will of God becomes our will, the kingdom of God is manifest on earth.
Gal 2:20 KJV: I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Mat 6:10: Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Man can have all of the kingdom of Jesus that he really wants – all that he really believes and is prepared to handle now. We each may need to consider ourselves regarding the potential that we have in the at-hand kingdom now. The potential of the fullness of His kingdom on earth is already provided in Christ. What we (the worldwide people of God) believe has a great affect on the kingdom of heaven on earth.
God is today preparing a people to mature into the fullness of becoming kings and priests to fully live the kingdom-of-God lifestyle.
What more must Jesus do?
Jesus has already paid the full price for redemption, ascended to the throne, and returned in the Spirit to indwell and empower His people to redeem the kingdoms of this world for the kingdom of our God.
God is today changing religious and secular people—including Christians who did not believe—into kingdom believers to receive the fullness of the kingdom. The fullness of the kingdom of God is at hand now and has been for about two thousand years.
Man cannot bring forth the kingdom without God.
God will not bring forth the kingdom on earth without man.
The kingdom of God is coming forth on earth by God in man.
Keep on pursuing love. It never fails
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