Living As A Supernatural Broker Of God’s Kingdom

Have you ever wondered ? Why do I feel Why is life so hard ? Unfulfilled? Why is life so hard ? What is this despair deep inside of me? Why haven’t things worked out the way I thought they would? Why do I Not have victory? Why do Miracles never happen to me? Where is the power?

Why does victorious Christianity Elude us? Our view of the Christian faith can be so weak!

It’s almost as if Something is set Against us which We can’t seem To break through!

Eldridge Has God abandoned us? Did we not pray enough? After a while, the accumulation of event after event that we do not like and do not understand erodes our confidence that we are part of something grand & good, & reduces us to a survivalist mindset. Eldridge What is really going on here? Good Grief- life is brutal. Day after day it hammers us, till we lose sight of what God intends towards us and we haven’t the foggiest idea why the things that are happening to us are happening to us.

The answer has to do with destiny It has to do with why we are here… It has to do with what we are born into

Everything has a purpose and a time

When things miss their purpose or time, they become displaced, disoriented, & disturbed.

When you connect to the realm God has for you- you discover who & why you are

The kingdom of God is indigenous to impossibility hence the Christian’s natural domain is the realm of the supernatural.

We live in a tension of absolute gratitude for what God has done & absolute dissatisfaction that pulls us into the impossible. Bill Johnson

Key Paradigms Not all truth is equal in weight. While Old covenant revelation is both true & important for us to know, it is surpassed by New Covenant truth. Hence any apparent conflict can only be resolved in favor of the New Covenant- Jesus being the perfect & final model. Everything Jesus did he did as a man in submission to God, not as God Jesus denied his equality with God and was the 1st born of many brothers. What he did, he did in obedience & submission as a model for us, & calls us to do even greater works than his. God’s word is both the promise & provision for our participation in his will. In the New Testament, Jesus ultimately & plainly reveals God’s will. He shows us that God’s will is life, light, love & liberty. As it is in heaven, is also his plan for earth. Everything else is an aberration.

Facilitating liberty is paramount in the Church’s mission. The Church contending for human liberation from evil darkness such as- sin, demonic oppression, sickness, disease, & poverty, is the continuation of Jesus work on earth & a necessary outworking of reconciliation with God. It also glorifies God. The fingerprint of the devil is clear. From the New Covenant paradigm, anywhere we see oppression or the compromising of human liberty, be it through politics, religion, finance, sickness or any other means, there is Satan’s hand. Our mission is to enforce the will of God over the dominion of Satan. Redemption never implies approval of evil. Just because God brings good out of bad situations, does not mean he authored or approves of those situations. It just shows how amazingly powerful & gracious he is. God cannot & will not be accused of culpability for evil. Intimacy is the essential core of all Christian life, power, faith & authority. The meaning & the means of the Christian life are this-: to come to the Father through Jesus the Son in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

Are we born again? To understand the deep things of God you must first qualify through spiritual rebirth & renewal

How The Gospel Unfolds ..Revelation...Repentance...Faith...Salvation... ..Fullness...Transformation...Obedience...Victory..

“As you go preach this message: the kingdom of heaven is near “As you go preach this message: the kingdom of heaven is near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Go without money & don’t pack.” Mt10:7 “These signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their bare hands; & when they drink deadly poison it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” Mk 16:17 “I have given you authority to trample on snakes & scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” Luke 10:19 “All authority in heaven & earth has been given to me. Therefore go…” Matt 28:18

Repent enough to be transformed Word Belief Baptism Renewal Fruitfulness

Covenant Foundations For The Miraculous

5 Important Differences Between Old & New Covenants

1. The Old is an obsolete shadow of the superior New Covenant

Heb 8: 6But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. 7For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second....13In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

The old was exclusive, the New is inclusive

Ex19. while Moses went up to God Ex19...while Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: 4You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”

The old was legal works based. The new is Spirit grace based

2 Cor 3:6 6who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Rom 7:66 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit.

The Old bound up, the New sets free

Gal 3:23Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian... Gal 5:1For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

The old failed the new cannot fail

 Heb 8:6 But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. 7For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. 8For he finds fault with them when he says:       “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt.       For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord.For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts,       and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,  for they shall all know me,       from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities,       and I will remember their sins no more. In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

The Primary Revelation of the OT To reveal the seriousness of the problem of sin & to bring humanity to a point of recognizing their need for a savior. Gal 3:22-24

The Primary Revelation of the NT To reveal the supremacy of the love of God over the powers of sin & death through the life, death & resurrection of Jesus & the subsequent transformation of his people.

Points of Application Not all truth is equal The final word on revelation & God’s will is Jesus Christians are covenanted to live according to the New Covenant There are irrevocable absolutes upon which our covenant is founded- these need to be settled in our heart & mind.

To be eligible for spiritual power & authority you need to understand one simple truth. The kingdom of God is really, truly, genuinely at hand.

A kingdom is a king’s domain

What God’s dominion looks like Healing Lk 9:2,11, 10:9 Deliverance Matt 12:28 Repentance & faith Mk 1:15 Power Mk 9:1, 1cor 4:20 Revelation Luke 8:10 Proclamation Lk 9:60 R.P.J Rom 14:17

God’s Will?- “On earth as it is in heaven”

Having received the Spirit Understand you are the gateway to heaven

Miracles- Power, Faith, & Authority

Powerlessness is inexcusable Proximity A sense of divine presence Spirituality Fruit of the Spirit Capacity Gifts of the Spirit Activity Works in the Spirit Territory Souls & communities won The Power of The key is the Holy Spirit

The interplay between Power, Faith & Authority Faith is the hope & conviction concerning a certain outcome. (Motivation) Power is the capacity, strength or ability to do something. (Ability) Authority is the recognised right to exert power or influence (Status) Power, faith & authority in turn define, release or confine each other

2. The realm of paradigms & mindsets

MRI showing Neural Pathways in the brain. The Bible is clear on the need to demolish what it calls pretentious mindsets. 2 Cor 10:4f for the weapons of our warfare are not merely human, but they have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments 5and every proud obstacle that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ. It’s also clear we need to renew the mind with Godly patterns or mindsets. Rom 12:2 Do not be conformed to the pattern this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what the will of God is—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

We need to settle some absolute truths once and for all. The Word of God is both his promise & provision for our participation in the divine. Jesus is the perfect revelation of God’s character & God’s will. Whatever we think we know from the OT or from our experience is inferior to (that is), surpassed by, what Jesus reveals about God’s character & will. According to the Jesus revelation, God is gracious & good all the time, he saves & heals all who come to him. You can trust him. The purpose of your continued existence. Either life is about you, or you were bought with a price that you may be spent on him & his purposes.

3. The paradox between promise & experience

The paradox is that God’s word & will are certain & true, yet at times despite our best efforts what should happen does not happen. We hit the wall! According to Jesus witness, although God neither causes nor delights in these times, never the less he extracts glory out of them.

Paradox of Glory The man born blind- Born to reveal God’s power Lazarus- Death conquered reveals Jesus Glory Paul- Weakness catapults us into power

To engage the miraculous Faith is the hope & conviction concerning a certain outcome. (Motivation) We want to increase our faith capacity through destroying old & creating new mindsets Power is the capacity, strength or ability to do something. (Ability) Authority is the recognised right to exert power or influence (Status) We want to faithfully manage the paradox between promise & experience because power is perfected in weakness. We want to increase our authority through intimacy

The cause of disease & infirmity Afflicting demonic powers Mk 9:14f Chance arising from creation’s subjection to decay Rom 8:20 Self inflicted conditions based in vulnerable predisposition Gal 6:7 Chosen for glory Ex 4:1 Life- abundant, eternalGod’s promises reveal his provision for the contingencies we shall face.

Prosperity of Soul Perfume and incense make the the heart glad, but the soul is broken by trouble. Pr27:9

Channels of Soul Damage Compromised God factor Circumstances that wound Relationships that break us Deferred hope

The Prosperous Soul Secure & Stable Undisturbed Non-defensive non-indebting Generous

How to prosper your soul a) Truth must prevail over the facts- Transformed mind b) Faith & hope must prevail over fear & despair- New positive heart c) Intimacy must prevail over emptiness- Fullness d) Forgiveness & mercy must prevail over offense & justice- Generosity e) Submission & obedience must prevail against independent autonomy-Faithfulness f) Living for Him must prevail over living for your self- Kingdom

Maintaining Prosperity • Strengthen yourself in the Lord like David did- 1 Sam 30:6 • Keeping the Lord before you causes the soul to rejoice- Psalm 16:9 • Lose your godless self then find your true self in Christ- Gal 3:20 • Take up your cross daily & follow him- Lk 9:23 • Trust in his vindication- Ps 25, 26 • Be strong & very courageous- Joshua 1:7 • Be anxious for nothing- cast your anxiety on him- 1 Pet 5:7 • Rejoice in persecution & suffering disgrace- James, Jesus, Acts • Rejoice in the Lord- Paul, Job, Habakkuk • Meditate on his word- Ps1; 19:7 • Promote kindness- it nourishes the soul. Prov 11:17 • The right words satisfy the soul- Prov 18:20 • Seek wisdom- it’s sweet to the soul- Prov 3:22; 24:14 • Remember God- Psalm 42:2 • Wait on God- Psalm 130, 131

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