Keys To The Kingdom: A Word
Acts 1:3 – “…and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (NKJV).
What are the key elements of accessing the kingdom of God; the “things pertaining to;” the keys to the treasure house? As we have stated previously there are at least four:
a. A word – from the Kingdom as revealed by the Holy Spirit to Believers.
b. A vision – of the way it will be in the final form. We must have eyes to see and ears to hear and a heart that understands (Matthew 13:13-16).
c. Faith – just a little. i.e. Peter walking on the water.
d. Confession – connecting the word of the kingdom to our world by positive faith statements and speaking. Jesus said, “If you believe and doubt not… If you say…” mountains will move for you.
As we have said before, much of the believer’s problem today is that we are not “seeing” and “hearing” and “believing” and we are not “saying.” We are not moving into the Kingdom to see and hear and we are not really believing it and speaking it or putting it into action. James tells us not to be “hearers of the word only …deceiving ourselves.” But to be “doers of the word.” We are to “activate the word.” But in order to activate the word we must see and hear the word.
Herein lies the problem as addressed by Isaiah (Isaiah 6) and quoted by both Jesus (Matthew 13) and Paul (Acts 28). We are not seeing, hearing, and understanding the word of God from His Kingdom to our heart.
Everyone has this “kingdom” available to see into (as Isaiah, Jesus, and Paul intimated) and it is “within you,” as Jesus pointed out but not everyone sees a word from God in this area – not even true believers in Jesus. Why is this?
Jesus and Isaiah both said that it was due to the “hardness of heart.” What does this mean? It means that we are not (1) conscious of this area that is within us, (2) we do not know how to operate from this area, or (3) we have allowed calluses to cover over this area making it not sensitive to the available word. Thus, God cannot “heal” us or help us because we cannot cooperate with His word which He intends to implant upon our heart.
As believers, our help comes in two important ways. First we can be “born again,” or “from above.” We then are given a new set of senses; spiritual senses with the ability to see spiritually, hear spiritually, and understand spiritually. This is vital. Jesus indicated this to Nicodemus, a teacher of the Old Testament that one “must be born again.”
“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).
So, the believer has a great advantage. We have a new ability.
But, secondly, the believer not only has new equipment, but we have a new “Helper.” We have the Holy Spirit who was given to indwell us, intercede for us to the Father, and reveal or interpret the word and will of the Father to us. The early church finally caught on to this when they quit “casting lots” for decisions and began to rely upon the Holy Spirit and the Word revealed and interpreted.
It seems that our work is mainly heart preparation – abiding in Christ – allowing the Word to abide in us – keeping a clean and pure heart. In other words, keeping the radio receptor of our heart “tuned in to the right station” and keeping it operational.
You can operate in the Kingdom of God by the grace of God. You can develop the ability to see, hear, and understand the word from the Kingdom of God. You can, then, by faith apply this word for powerful results. This is our main work.
My Dear Friends,
Debbie went to be with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ May 9th 2011,she’s healed and my prayers were answered ! Iwent to the hospital that day to bring my wife home, I even had a bed here at home all weekend, but that Monday morning when I arrived at Baptist East Debbies mother and neice( who stayed all night with her )told me that they didn’t think that was a good idea.We all had been whispering in her ear that ” It was okay ” ,and ” You can go be with Him now”. later that afternoon Debbie’s mom and neice steped out of the roomfor a moment and I was moved by The Spirit to sit down on the bed ,take her sweet hands in mine and I began to praise God for eveything on and on and then I said my arms are inadaquit to hold her ,ask Him to take her into His, I thanked God again and said Amen. As her mom and neice re-entered the room our Debbie left us right then and as Debbie’s mom and neice began to weep I simply got up and as I held themone in each arm I told them” Debbie’s with Jesus now.
Oh how the Spirit moves when we just listen and obey!
Moment by Moment iN JESUS,
don