The clearest and most direct way that God speaks to us is through His son Jesus! The life and ministry of Jesus is the gospel or "Good News." Through Christ, God tells us; He loves us, He wants to walk in relationship with us, and that He will be our God!!! But who will hear His voice?
Hearing God speak may mean different things to different people. God treats each of us as unique children and He does not "speak" the same way to all of us. Regardless of the way God chooses to reveal himself, He will never contradict His Word and what He speaks will bring glory to His name. We are to seek an intimate relationship with Him - He will reveal His heart to us!
Throughout God's Word we see that He speaks to us in many ways. He talked to Adam in the garden, He told Noah to build an ark, He spoke to Moses in a burning bush and Paul heard His voice on the road to Damascus. But does He still speak today? The answer is yes! God does speak through the Holy Spirit - revealing Himself, His purposes, and His ways!
The KIngdom of God is for those who remain faithful to Jesus Christ. It is for those who separate themselves from the world and choose to seek God's Kingdom and His righteousness above all else. There is a wedding ceremony being prepared for all who have received Christ as Savior and have a prepared wedding garment. This garment represents both the imputed and imparted righteousness of Christ.
The last words of Jesus to His disciples, prior to ascending to heaven were "Go, teach, baptize" (Matt 28:19). This has become known as "the great commission." Each and every follower of Christ is called to obey it. A kingdom minded people understands this and is willing to follow the Lord's call. However, many are like Jonah in the old testament - unwilling to obey. God has a way of getting our focus back on the Kingdom!!!
When God's Word is received it always yields fruit. God is a God of increase, He desires growth and expansion. According to the parable in Mark 4, when the seed of God's Word finds good soil, it produces a harvest 30, 60, and 100 fold. The question is, "are we sowing seed?" If we are - there will be increase!
The Kingdom of God is not made up of territory, material goods or what we see in the natural. It is a matter of surrending to the King's power, authority and rule. There is an open invitation to come and be a part of this Kingdom. The invitation has been made possible by Jesus Christ! As we accept it and become focused on building this Kingdom - all the resources of heaven are opened up to us!
It is the Holy Spirit that stirs us, moves us and brings life to us and our churches. The question is, "do you have the willingness to respond to the Holy Spirit when He begins to move?" There is a danger of simply settling into our spiritual "comfort zone" and no longer desiring to be stirred. Fortunately, The Holy Spirit is faithful to continue His work in us. Let's respond!
We serve an awesome and almighty God. Everyone is going through some kind of issue or trouble and need to see that there is hope. We have an everlasting hope in Jesus Christ. Just as the disciples in the boat during the great storm, we panic, become full of fear and act as if we have no faith when issues arise and problems begin to pile up. We try to handle them on our own for too long before taking the issue before Jesus. Struggles and problems come suddenly and without warning, causing a spirit of distress. The only good thing that comes out of fear - is that is drives us to Christ - but we should already be praying and in the Word everyday. Four things we should do; change our focus from the circumstance to the solution - Jesus, put your trust totally in the Lord, stand firm on the promises of God and remain steadfast in our faith.
We are clearly living in a very dark time, but according to Jesus; His followers would be a source of light. However, we can not bring forth this light of ourselves - it comes from our union with Jesus. He is the branch and we are the vines, without Him we can do nothing! What are you pouring into your lamp?
