KINGDOM, POWER AND GLORY

“For the KINGDOM of GOD is not in word, but in POWER” – 1 Corinthians 4:20

To operate effectively in God’s supernatural Power, we need a deeper understanding of His KINGDOM and POWER. In His pattern-prayer, the Lord spoke of three divine realms: “For Yours is the KINGDOM and the POWER, and the GLORY, forever. Amen” (Mt. 6:13b). The “kingdom” is the government of God – the King’s domain; the divine government that is established on earth when the will of the King has been implemented fully: “Your kingdom come. Your will be done in earth as it is in heaven” (Mt.6:10). The “power” is the supernatural ability found in God. The “glory” is the Essence of His Presence – what puts God in His own Class! The Church is meant to operate in the balanced revelation and demonstrations of the Kingdom, Power, and Glory, without lacking in any.

The Kingdom is God’s administration influencing the world, replacing its ungodly operating systems and evil order. The Kingdom is the reign, lordship and dominion of King Jesus on earth, manifested in visible form. The Gospels’ references to the Kingdom were sometimes related to Power-manifestations: “Now Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the KINGDOM, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people” (Mt.4:23). Jesus also said, “from the days of John the Baptist until now the KINGDOM of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (Mt.11:12); “I will give you the keys of the KINGDOM of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Mt.16:19); and “Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death, till they see the kingdom of God present with POWER” (Mk.9:1).

After His resurrection, Jesus spent forty days teaching His disciples about the “kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3). He purposed to prepare them for when they would receive Power as the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them. Acts 2 records the coming of this power, followed in Acts 3 by the manifestation of God’s Glory in the miraculous healing of a man who had been lame from birth. Jesus taught His disciples about the Kingdom because he understood that for them to be effective witnesses in a world that was hostile to the gospel message, they would need His Power: “But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you: and you shall be witnesses to Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Jesus also knew that the Roman government and religious leaders of the day would try to eliminate any evidence left behind that might prove His resurrection. Since His ascension to heaven, the most potent proof of the resurrected, living Jesus Christ has been the work of the Holy Spirit in His Church, enabling believers to live and love supernaturally, spread the gospel, and demonstrate diverse miracles, healings, signs and wonders. God’s Power is intrinsically tied to the message of the gospel: “And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen” (Mk.16:20). The “accompanying signs” distinguish true Christianity from other religions that cannot produce positive supernatural experiences.

God’s Kingdom is a kingdom of Power. Jesus sent out His disciples in power and authority: “As you go, preach, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give” (Mt.10:7-8). Today, He sends us in the same power: “These signs will follow those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues…” (Mk.16:17-18). Jesus gave us His power to carry out the Great Commission and advance His Kingdom on earth. A message full of God’s Power can advance the cause of the Kingdom in minutes, what would have taken years to achieve in the natural. Every child of God in the Kingdom is anointed to be a witness of Jesus’s supernatural power.