We will not see the Kingdom Unless. . . .
Yesterday, in the park, Our Father gave us a feel of His Promise of Spring. We gathered feeling what Paul proclaimed and what the preachers now preach. We could see with our eyes that “all things ARE made new”. Little buds were on a few trees, blades of grass were bending upward breaking out of dirt. The breeze that the lord sends each month met me before Frog could spread the first table cloth. . It was warmly blowing . It blew all that was planned on my papers to the ground. How wonderful was Spring peeking through our winter yesterday. We all could sense Our Father’s hand reaching out to His children in a new way.
It was only natural for us to open with song like the birds do all day. We opened singing “Father let your Kingdom come” . Wide eyed children with small dollar store tamborines, nappy tired old children staring at lyrics, some singing, some dancing, some pondering. . . as the chorus repeated ” you make all things new. . in places we don’t chose. Halle hallelujah, Father let your kingdom come” https://youtu.be/EHIGm7qYVz4
“Unless you show us Lord , we will never see your kingdom. ” I prayed and we all stopped singing.
For months we have been learning anew the outline of what folks call “THE Lord’s Prayer” in Matthew 6. This prayer , this “way” or “manner ” Jesus taught us to pray neatly holds every prayer we have ever prayed. And yet, Jesus prods us ,calls us, prays for us, to pray it rightly from the heart. Yesterday we were going to enter the heart of what “thy kingdom come , thy will be done ” looked like ” here as in heaven”.
So, for the month of January I read Our Fathers word . . . “kingdom”. the word kingdom started long ago when Our Father had His Kingdom perfectly set in a garden. But , a rebellious angel set mission , out of jealousy towards Our Father, to destroy the kingdom. Our Father in His Love and Mercy for us would not let us be destroyed or His Kingdom . And so He sent His son to save both us and His Kingdom. It is a wonderful thing to have a Father like this. And One that wrote every battle plan of Love down for us in His Word.
By the time I got to the word “kingdom” in the new Testament, I saw Jesus bring the kingdom of Our Father back. He did everything that God wanted from the beginning. It was healing it was righteousness . It was love and joy and peace. More than anything, it was a perfect relationship with God. It was a perfect relationship where Jesus would ask anything of the Father and it would be done. It was perfect unity with the Father in knowing what to ask for. It was having the desires of the Father’s heart and seeing His heart manifest everywhere.
So from reference to reference I knew we must know who Our Father planned us to be and who we now can be ” in Christ “. So I prepared much for there was much to know from Genesis to Revelation. I had posters and handouts and songs and flyers and diagrams . I studied and prayed and studied again. And the day came … The first Tuesday of Febuary . . .it came like Spring . . .it came like a groundhog not scared of any shadow.
Standing before a handful in the park. I began to tell how Jesus said in Mark 1:15 The time is fulfilled the kingdom of heaven is at hand : Repent and believe The Gospel. I showed the 10 commandments, I spoke of how we all fall short, I spoke of God’s mercy saving us by the death of Jesus. I then spoke of the resurrection of Jesus proving we are now set free from sin. Each commandment Jesus has set us free to live obedience, not in slavery but as dear children. And I spoke of how the devil makes us forget this by condemning us or telling us there is no joy in obedience. I spoke much. I spoke too much. Everyone’s face was weary. It felt like winter was coming back.
Three children helped me by holding the 10 commandments poster upright as I taught. I thought perhaps they might be weary tooo. So ,in my soul ,I prayed. ” lord what do you want me to do ? How do you want your kingdom to come now?” I looked at the children awake alive . But all others looked weary .Suddenly I felt as if a hand came upon my shoulder to gently sit me down . Heavy but tender it came until I could not help but to sit on the bench.
I looked at the children and said ” can you tell me what Our Father wants us to know today. ?”
Suddenly a young girl named Isabella spoke. ” well I think I can.” she handed me the poster.
“He wants us to know to listen to God our Father talking to us. If we hear something some one says or we think about something that doesn’t obey these ,”…she pointed to the commandments” then it’s NOT God’s voice , It IS THE DEVIL! ” she emphasized with a stomp of the foot. “It’s not too hard . . . .there are only two voices . . . .and one loves you and the other wants bad for you. God can’t get anything done UNLESS WE listen to His voice! ”
Every face suddenly came alive . Some clapped , some raised hands , some said Amen , all heard the Big Precepts of God unfold like a new bloom before them.
“That is Wonderful” I said. Then, I asked my little teacher ,”so then how do you hear His voice?. ”
“well” she stopped for a moment while every ones face looked expectantly at her.
Putting her hands to her chin she slowly said “Well, I guess you gotta be like a child to be able to do that. ”
Suddenly I remembered, tucked in all the verses on the Kingdom was Jesus saying to me, to us, “AMEN AMEN I SAY TO YOU UNLESS you TURN AND BECOME LIKE CHILDREN YOU WILL NEVER ENTER THE KINGDOM of heaven” Matthew 18:3 ESV
Yes , little sister, with all our efforts and programs and resolutions and restrictions and all the ways of man to better himself , we are no closer to the kingdom than when we were first saved. It all begins with knowing and loving and trusting Our Father then acting as His children. To repent as a child is simply to come near Our Father and say “I am sorry, I was not listening, I want to obey”
And now little sister and all my brothers and sisters in the park, the kingdom of heaven … the revival of all of Our Fathers desire for us begins when we sit down under His Hand and know we are His children. . . . then we will hear and he will heal our land.
I thank the Porters Gate Worship Project www.portersgateworship.com “Work Songs” that have been used by The Holy Spirit to have me study, worship, pray, and reach out ” unto Glory for His Kingdom come” https://youtu.be/cRuPZCXShg4
And I especially thank every brother and sister who meets me in the park to pray for revival and renewal of Greenville Florida.
