Pursuing the Spirit

The power of God is the Spirit of God.  If we have the Spirit, we obtain the power of God within ourselves.  Without the Spirit, we are in the flesh, the natural self, and we end up pursuing the weaknesses of the flesh—greed, fear, anger and desire.  Because that is our natural state, where we end up if we are left to our own devices.  Not because we are bad people but because these are extremes of how God built us.  He created us to rule, to make order, to create equity and to love.  But our emotions go to extremes and our justice becomes judgment, our order becomes control and our caution becomes anxiety.   That’s just how we roll.

To have balance, we need the Holy Spirit.  Love is the fruit of the Spirit, the natural outcome of living in the Spirit.  And love is the true balance.  Some will say that compassion or self-sacrifice is an extreme, but in reality they are extremes because our society has become so imbalanced toward judgment or hatred, that these reactions are there to create balance in the world.  The true center is love.  The true balance is care for all, no matter what they’ve done to you.  And the Spirit is in the world to direct us to that true balance.  To help us rejoice in others, no matter what they’ve done to us.  To help us have self-control so we do not hurt others.  To help us have mercy so that others may reach their true balance.

If we do not have the Spirit, we will tend to drift. This doesn’t mean that we won’t pursue love, but we will find it difficult, almost impossible, to have love as our center.  If we are in the Spirit, living in the Spirit, we have the power to release, the energy to delve into love.  Outside of the Spirit, we are pursuing love on our own, and we inevitably create laws that we demand everyone follow.  This is a warped love.  True love has the power to be flexible, to see the world through other’s eyes.  And that only comes through the power of the Spirit.

So how do we obtain the Spirit?  How do we obtain this power of loving that so eludes us?

Asking for the Spirit

If we desire the Spirit, we must ask for the Spirit.  “Ask and you shall receive…  How much more will the Father give the Spirit to those who ask?”  The Spirit comes by asking, and the Father freely gives.  The Father always wants to give what we truly need, and He knows that we need the Spirit more than anything else.  The Spirit makes us who the Father wants us to be, and so the Spirit is the one gift the Father gives freely, if we would but ask.  But we need to ask.  Because if we think that we can live independently, without the Father’s help, the Father will allow us to live that way.  It isn’t what He wants, but he will let us do that.  But if we ask for the Father’s help, then He will gladly give it, He will gladly give us the Spirit.

The Kingdom of God

We are living in the wrong nation if we want to live in the Spirit.  Our nation doesn’t work by love, it works by pursuing greed and anger.  In living in this nation, we might have experiences of the Spirit, but they will be short-lived, temporary highlights of our life.  The only way to live in the Spirit is to immigrate to a different nation, a nation that is empowered only by the Spirit.  This nation is called the Kingdom of God, and Jesus is the King.  To be a part of this nation, one does not need to be a Christian necessarily.  Rather, one must be committed to Jesus as the King.  To immigrate to Jesus’ nation is to receive the Spirit as a gift, daily.  Those who only live as Christians do not experience this, and often they do not recognize the Spirit when he comes.  But those who love Jesus recognize the Spirit and seek to live in the Spirit, even as Jesus did.  They know that the Spirit isn’t miracles (although he sometimes uses miracles), isn’t doctrine (although he encourages faith and trust), isn’t correct practice (although he guides to right action), but love.   And those who dwell in the kingdom encourage others to the Holy Spirit of love as well.

Listening to Jesus

Jesus lived life in the Spirit to the full.  If we want to see what a life in the Spirit looks like, we need to experience Jesus’ life.  Jesus is the model.  Jesus is also the one who explains.  He lets us know how to pursue the Spirit and how to be empowered to love.  But most important of all, Jesus lets us know what love looks like.  There are many things that claim to be “love”.  There are many people who claim to be lovers.  But the Father’s love is the love of Jesus.  Jesus came to show us love, to define love through his words and his deeds.  The more we listen to Jesus, the more we observe him, the better we understand what love is, and the easier we find it is to reject the cheap substitutes.

Turning Away

In order to live in the Spirit, it is not enough for us to pursue love, we must be rid of the things that keep us away from love.  The Spirit will lead us to what these things are.  In fact, the Spirit speaks to us all the time about avoiding the things that squeeze love out of our hearts, that limits our mercy and compassion and sacrifice.  If we keep the things that destroy our love, then the Spirit cannot do the work that he wants to do in us.  Be rid of those things, those actions, those pursuits that limit the Spirit of love.

Trusting the Spirit

More than likely, the Spirit has already been speaking to us.  Perhaps we can remember the last thing the Spirit told you.  Perhaps the Spirit is pleading with us to be rid of something.  Perhaps the Spirit is compelling us to make a step that is difficult to make.  Perhaps the Spirit is encouraging us to do something we just haven’t gotten around to.  Whatever it is, listen to the Spirit, do it.  Often the Spirit will withdraw until we show that we are ready to walk with him.  Living with the Spirit is like any other intimate relationship, it is a companionship of trust.  If we show that we trust the Spirit, then the Spirit will open up more to us.  If we do not trust the Spirit, then we limit our relationship with the Spirit.  But if we listen to the Spirit, then we can pursue our relationship with love.

Practice Your Joy in the Father

Each of us has something that helps us experience joy in the Father.  For some, it is experiencing the Father’s creation, for others it is participating with the Father in growing His creation.  For some, it is embedding oneself in music, for others it is reading God’s word.  For some it is the ecstasy of grateful prayer, for others it is the hard work of interceding.  For some, joy is found with the poor, for others, joy is found in dancing.  There are many, many ways to experience the joy of the Father, and each of us have different ways to do that.  To be enlivened in the Spirit is often found through joyful express of being with the Father.  Be aware of pursuits that take us away from love.  If our expression limits our capacity to love, then we do not have the full joy the Father wants us to have.  But if our expression is a part of love, is a partner with love, then the Spirit fills us to the full and overflowing to all around us.

Silence

As in any relationship, we must take time to listen. If we are constantly busy, constantly distracted, constantly talking, then we cannot hear the Spirit.  If we do not hear, we cannot experience the voice of the Spirit.  If we do not pause, we will never experience the peace of the Spirit out of which flows love.  The Spirit wants us to do acts of love, but the Spirit also pleads with us to stop all acts and just rest in him.  After working hard in the Spirit, to rest in the Spirit is like experiencing beauty in our soul.  It is awe-inspiring, powerful, and deep.  It is not always easy to find time for this.  If you have small children or constant daily distractions, we may not have an opportunity for this silence.  But if you can, pursue it.  This deep peace isn’t to be our lives, but it is meant for a respite, an enlivening so we can continue to pursue the life of love in the Spirit.

What is Working For God?

When we work for God, we are participating in God’s work. Just like when you work for a company, you are no longer working for yourself, but for your employer, even though you gain benefits from it (like a paycheck), even so those who work for God are not doing their own work, but the work of their boss, God himself. But what is this work? In general, what is God asking us to do?

1. Working for God is not working for the world
“Whatever you do, do your work as to the Lord, not for men.” Colossians 3:23
When we are working for the world, we are working for our own purposes or for the purposes of the world. Maybe we just want to survive, or to be comfortable. Maybe we want to continue living in sin, and so we work toward that. Maybe we want to be seen as good by other people, or to do something good for the world apart from what God says is good. Any of this would be acceptable to normal employers, because they don’t care why you work, as long as you work well. The Bible tells us not to work for the world, not only because it would be futile (Psalm 127:1; John 6:27), but because to work for the purposes of the world means we gain no reward (Matthew 6:1-4; I Corinthians 3:13-15).

Just because we are not to work for the purposes of the world, we can work for men, if it serves the purposes of God. Paul worked for men, so that he would care for his own needs while working for God. In fact, many people are required to work for others in order to work for God. We must remember two principles, however: a. we must work for God as much as we can, as well as work for men, and b. In working for men, we must work as if we were working for God—obey God’s principles of work, and work dilligently for those whom we work for. (John 6:27; Colossians 3:22-25; II Peter 3:10).


2. Working for God is not working under the law
“By the works of the law no flesh will be justified in God’s sight.” Romans 3:20
Many people do not want to do work for God, because they think that it is trying to gain “salvation by works.” The works that the Bible says we cannot be saved by is the works of the law. If we are in Christ, we cannot be saved by the works of the law, or any religious body. The Bible says that even though the law is good, it has no power to save, and it can be used to oppress or do evil to others. In this way, no one can be pleasing to God by the law. Even so, no one can be saved just by trying to obey some kind of religious rule, even if it comes from God (Romans 2:12-13; 7:12-14).


3. Working for God is believing in and obeying Jesus
“The work of God is this: to be faithful to the one whom He sent.” John 6:29
The key to working for God is faith, or loving God. We work for God because we love him through his Son, Jesus. To believe in Jesus is the foundation for all of our work for God, and it is an indication of how we love God. Another indication of our love of God is obeying Jesus (which we will speak of more, later). To obey Jesus based on our faith is not just an empty action—an act of the law— but it is displaying our great love for God. Nor are we working for the world, but we are doing what God is pleased to see us do—act in response to our faith in Jesus. (John 6:29; Mark 10:17-21)


4. Working for God is building up God’s kingdom
“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” Matthew 6:23
The main purpose God wants us to work for is to build up his kingdom. This does not mean to create buildings or to buy up land. Rather, to build up God’s kingdom is to do the work of placing God’s word in people, and helping them to live it out. To build up the kingdom of God is to build up the people of God, to help them be in Jesus, to remain in him and to work for him. (Romans 14:19-20)


5. Working for God is following the Spirit of God
“If we live by the Spirit, let us walk by the Spirit.” Galatians 5:25
Our main directive in working for God is to obey the Spirit of God— God speaking to us, within us. It is the Spirit of God who will keep us from working for our own purposes, and it is the Spirit of God that will direct us into the next work God wants us to do. The Spirit gives us our abilities to work for God and the character with which to work. Our work is not complete unless we are working under the direction of the Spirit. Our work is not just a piece of paper which tells us our objectives—it is a partnership with God, in which he does the work and we work with Him. The Spirit is essential to make this partnership work.

Working for God is devotion to Jesus, for the purpose of building God’s kingdom, in partnership with God’s Spirit.

Relating To The Spirit

The Trinity As A Story

Many people focus on the Trinity as a theological doctrine, full of the nature of God and the relationship of the three persons within a unity. The problem with this is that though the NT speaks of God as one and names Him as three, the relationship between them is not clearly marked. All too often, theologians, pastors and lay leaders have focused on what the Bible does NOT say about the Trinity, rather than what it does. The Trinity is not a theology of nature, but a story of love.

God the Father desires intimacy with people. He always has, from the very beginning, but the very ones He created, chose and sought relationship with have rejected Him. So He sent His Son, Jesus, to live out God’s love and deliverance. Jesus was God in human flesh, beginning a nation where people are both chosen to come in and choose themselves to participate. These learn about what God desires from God who was also human and they choose to live their lives as a divine path, as Jesus himself.

Jesus said that it was better for us that He leaves us. This seemed so wrong to his disciples at the time, but Jesus further explained that the Spirit could only come upon us if He leaves—we must have an absence before the Father fills us.

Although Jesus does not live among us anymore, He leaves His Spirit to all those who choose to be in Jesus. The Spirit then is God inside us, God with us, God continually dwelling. The Spirit is the promised blessing of God (Ezekiel 36; Jeremiah 31; Joel 2), who creates a people that is listening to God and is faithful to God. The Spirit is the final link for the chosen to be those who are intimate with God.

If the Spirit is the means of God’s ultimate blessing—intimacy with Him—then how do we achieve it? How do we live out this intimacy?

1. Listen to the Spirit
Jesus’ words are the foundation of what we know about God and how we live in God’s presence. But they are still only words from a distance. When we have a drunk come to our house in the middle of the night, how do we live out “do unto others as you would have them do to you”? Should we invite them in? Should we give them food and send them on their way? Should we decide that we need to protect our family? When someone steals from us, how do we practically live out “love your enemies”? Should we call the police? Should we give them more? Should we give them the gospel and let them go on their way? Jesus’ words don’t always give us the practical counsel we need in order to fully and precisely live out the way of God.

This is where the Spirit comes in. The Spirit gives us the wisdom we need when we need it. The Spirit talks to us and gives us the truth and the practical application to live the life of Jesus in the particular circumstances we are in. The Spirit is Jesus walking beside us, living with us, giving us continual counsel and direction to live in God’s ways.

Most importantly about listening to the Spirit is that in order to obtain a word from the Spirit we must ask. If we do not ask, then we will receive nothing. Even so, if we want the Spirit or any wisdom, we must ask God for that wisdom. This means that while God initiates the conversation with Him by offering the Spirit, we must ask for the Spirit in order to receive it. Then, once the Lord has given us the Spirit, we must ask for the wisdom we desire and God will answer us. Thus is the conversation with God continuous. (I Corinthians 2:11; Romans 8:5; John 14:26; Colossians 1:9; Luke 11:11-13; James 1:5-8; James 4:2-3; Acts 16:9-10; Acts 4:29-32)

2. Pray in the Spirit
One of the most common commands about the Spirit in the Scriptures is to pray in the Spirit. Many people directly relate this to speaking in tongues. But speaking in tongues is only one form of praying in the Spirit. Prophecy is also praying in the Spirit, as is listening in the Spirit, as is praying the Lord’s prayer.

When we pray in the Spirit, first of all, we are recognizing that we are not praying in the place where we seem to be, but we are in reality praying before God’s throne (Hebrews 4:16). When the prophets were “in the spirit” they were in the spiritual realm, in the presence of God, being led by the spirits directed by God. Even so, when we pray “in the spirit” we are not reciting dead words, nor are we praying by rote. Rather, we are before God himself, in intimate conversation with Him, and our prayers have power, not just hope.

To pray in the Spirit is to pray in God’s presence. We can say “papa” to God, because He is before us and asks us to call him by that intimate name. In the Spirit, we know our prayers and heard and God can answer us immediately. In the Spirit, we go before God with a situation that we don’t know how to pray for and the Spirit will lead us to pray rightly before the Father. In the Spirit, we can cry out to God to change His mind. In the Spirit, prayer is not just an activity, it is a conversation with the King of the Universe. (John 4:23; Jude 1:20; Ephesians 6:18; Romans 8:17, 26).

3. Rely on the Spirit
Our final intimacy with God is reliance. The Scripture has many different ways of saying this, “walk in the Spirit”, “live in the Spirit” “be raised in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:24-25; Romans 8:4, 11). God tells us what to do through the Spirit, and we seek God’s power in the Spirit through prayer. God delivers the power to do His work through the Spirit and so we are able to do as He pleases.

Without the Spirit, we are weak, for we are only human. But in the Spirit, we are strong, able to do all the things that God asks us to do, without hesitation, because it is He who empowers us, He who strengthens us.

But this empowerment is not the end of the process. When God gives us the power to live for Him, we then need to live, relying on that power.

There are two ways we could fail in this. First of all, we could decide that we don’t really have the power of God, and so refuse to do as He asks. We can say “it’s too hard” or, “no one can do that”—and we would be right, except that God already gave us the ability to do it. If we deny God’s power to do His will, then we will think that we are unable to do His will, and so refuse to do it. But this is our stubborn rebelliousness getting in the way. God HAS given us the power, if we ask for it, and all we need to do is to rely on it and so do God’s will.

The other thing we often do is to ask for God’s will and then do it on our own power, which is inadequate. We think that since God told us to love our enemies, to be gentle, to heal the sick and to raise the dead and to resist the devil that we can do all of this according to the strength of our will. But we can’t. We are as weak and helpless in the spirit world as a baby. We can’t obey God, nor do miracles. We have to rely on the Spirit. This means we need to ask for the Spirit and rely on God for that Spirit, rather than relying on ourselves. We are merely human, and to be human is to be weak. But if we pray, we can have the Spirit, and He is all-powerful and ready to help us in our times of weakness.

To live in the Spirit is to affirm our own weakness, because all good things happen through the Spirit. And it gives glory to God because His strength is revealed through our weakness. (I Corinthians 2:4-5; II Corinthians 12:7-10; Mark 14:38)

Practical Principles for Participating with the Paraclete

To be a Spiritual person is not just to act in a holy way, nor is it about clothes, good deeds or being mystical. Being Spiritual means that one listens to God’s Spirit. Here are some practical tips from the Bible about how to be Spiritual, that is, how to live in the Holy Spirit:

1. Know the word of Jesus and try to live by it

“When the Helper, the holy Spirit comes… He will remind you of all I taught you.” John 14:26

One of the Spirit’s main purposes is to remind us of the word of Jesus. But how can we be reminded of Jesus’ teaching, when we don’t know it? But even having head knowledge of Jesus’ teaching isn’t enough, we also need to live it out. On the surface, we may find that we are heading for a failure, for selling our possessions and loving our enemies are superhuman requirements. But if we depend on the Lord for strength to do His will, then we will have some success. And it is at this point—knowing Jesus’ word and having tried and failed, that the Spirit can begin working with us.

2. Do not quench the Spirit

“Do not despise prophetic utterances.” I Thessalonians 5:19-20

Before we can hear the Spirit, we must first be open to listening to the Spirit. Many of us doubt that the Spirit speaks to anyone, and if someone says “I heard from the Lord…” we tune them out simply because we don’t believe that God speaks directly to people. The Bible says that the Spirit does speak directly—not just through feelings, but with a voice. The Bible also says that the Spirit works through healings, through visions and through dreams. If we are to really be Spiritual, then we need to believe that the Spirit really works, is really powerful and can really speak to us.

3. Take time to listen to the Spirit

“Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray.” Acts 10:9

Just as Peter took time alone with God to pray (and so had a vision), so we must also. It is not enough to ask the Lord to speak to us, we also have to meet with the Spirit. If we have someone we consider a good friend, how much of a friend could that person be if we never went out together to talk together? The same with the Spirit—we cannot be a Spiritual person unless we take time to listen to the Spirit and allow us to pay attention to Him. This means time without distractions, without other agenda, without media. Just you and the Spirit, nothing else.

4. Test the Spirits

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God,” I John 4:1

Just because we know that we are being spoken to from a spirit-world being, that doesn’t mean it is from God or the Holy Spirit. We have to be careful because there are many voices, many spirits and many of them want to destroy us. In order to know if a Spirit or a voice in our heads is from God, they must first pass the test of saying that Jesus is their Lord—not just A lord, but that Jesus rules over them. Secondly, what they say must be in agreement with Jesus’ word. Once again, this requires that we know Jesus’ word to be able to know if a spirit is true or not.

5. Do not speak everything the Spirit gives you, at anytime you receive it

Was it from you that the word of God first went forth? Or has it come to you only? I Corinthians 14:36

Paul says that the spirit is under the control of the one who speaks (I Cor. 14:32), and just because we feel we should speak what we have heard from the Spirit, that doesn’t mean that we should. There are times in which we are told by the Spirit to speak, but even then we need to understand to whom, and how and when. We can’t just assume that because a time is convenient for us that it is the right time. Often a message from the Spirit can be lost not because it wasn’t spoken, but because it was spoken in a way that others cannot hear it.

Also, we need to take into account that others have heard from the Spirit, and not just us. Just because we have a message, it doesn’t mean that everyone must obey our message. When the Spirit speaks to us, the first one whom the message is for is us, not others. Often, in fact, the Spirit isn’t speaking to others, but only to us. We need to be careful about how we apply the Spirit’s message, and not do so universally.

6. Walk by the Spirit

If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Galatians 5:25

The point of us listening to the Spirit is not speaking the message, or having a connection with God, but obeying the message. If we only hear and do not act out the message of the Spirit, then the message has fallen upon deaf ears and it is fruitless. When the spirit speaks to us, then we should not seek first to speak the Spirit’s message, but to obey it. No, it is not always easy, but this is how we become a Spiritual person—that we both listen to the Spirit and obey Him.

7. Live by the fruits of the Spirit

“You who are Spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.” Galatians 6:1

Living and walking in the Spirit is not just about doing crazy things, either. Yes, the Spirit could lead one to have visions, to say strange words, to collapse on the floor or to act like a prophet of old. But these things are not the real indications of the Spirit. Rather, we know that we have God’s Spirit if, in obeying the Spirit, we do so in an attitude of gentleness, care for others and support of others. The natural outcome of the Spirit is not tongues, prophecies or dreams—rather it is love, joy in others, offering other’s peace, being faithful to others, having self-control so others are not harmed, and remaining humble.

The Spiritual person hears the Spirit of Jesus telling him to do the acts of Jesus with the attitude of Jesus.

Kingdom Come-- Lord's Prayer #3

In the Lord’s Prayer, the second request is to ask for God’s kingdom to come. We may think we know what it means, but on closer examination it requires more effort—what is a kingdom? Does God really have one? If so, where is it? And how can a kingdom move? If it can’t move, how can it “come”? Let’s explore some of these questions:

Doesn’t God rule everywhere?
Jesus commands us to ask God for God’s kingdom to come. Fundamentally, this is asking God to rule. But for those of you already familiar with the Bible, you probably know that it says that God already rules over all the earth—over the whole universe! This is true. (Psalm 97:9) But does God actually get to do all he wants to do with the earth? No. That’s because he handed the rule of the earth off to someone else—humanity.

Right from the beginning of creation God promised humanity the rule of the earth (Psalm 8). But humanity hasn’t done with the earth what God wanted—they made the rules themselves instead of listening to God. So we chose our own rulers—and we chose Death and Satan (Genesis 3; Hebrews 2:14). And so God’s rule was thwarted on earth, and the whole planet is ruled by rebels to God. Which would be okay, I guess, if they had humanity’s and the earth’s best interest at heart. But they don’t.

What is God’s kingdom?
So that’s our situation. We are on a planet stuck with bad rulers. And these bad rulers created the mess that we live in everyday (Romans 5:14). So what else is new, you might say. Well, the new thing is that God hasn’t given up on us. He is interested in changing this situation. God will get rid of the lousy rulers and put his perfect ruler in charge who is interested in helping everyone, not just himself—Jesus Christ (Daniel 2:44; Revelation 5:9-12). God will deal with all the bad people and the mess that we live in and just get rid of it (Psalm 37:11-12). God will give benefits to the humble who trust in Him in the midst of this perpetual crisis (Matthew 5:3-10). And He will make everything new—turn it all upside down and inside out (Isaiah 65:17-24). God is going to establish a new reality out of this chaotic, evil jungle. And that change, that utopia is called the Kingdom of God.

That’s right. So when we are praying for Kingdom Come, we are praying for this mess humanity has created to be re-made new—something good in God’s imagining. But we need to recognize that Jesus is telling us to pray for this. He isn’t telling us to create democracies to make this kingdom come. He isn’t telling us to enact tough love to make the kingdom come. He isn’t telling us to build a lot of churches to make the kingdom come. He is telling us to pray. Why? Because the kingdom won’t come by our effort, but only when God is ready for it to happen. God’s kingdom is God’s work, and our main participation in that work is through prayer. (Psalm 146:3-10)

God’s kingdom—Today
So if we were looking for God’s kingdom, how would we recognize it? Does God have an embassy that we can visit or a website? Well, yes and no. First of all, we recognize God’s kingdom because it looks like what Jesus talked about. Jesus said that God’s kingdom would be helping the poor (Luke 12:33). That it would be forgiving people who don’t deserve it simply because they repent (Luke 17:3-4). That it would be filled with people who live according to God’s righteous standard (Matthew 12:50). That it would be characterized by healings and words directly from God (Mark 16:16-17). That it would be loving and merciful (John 13:34-35). It is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).

“Hey,” some people say, “that sounds like the church.” Well, I would offer a corrective to that. It sounds like how the church is supposed to be, but it is in only a few places. That is why we are asking for God’s kingdom to come. It isn’t here yet. It has started, and it’s growing but it is still pretty small compared to the amount of people who claim to be a part of God’s kingdom.

So how can we participate in God’s kingdom? Two ways—first of all, we willingly submit to Jesus, the leader of God’s kingdom. If we commit ourselves to Him, then he will help us to be a part of the solution, not the problem (Acts 2:35). Secondly, we need to receive the Spirit of God from Jesus (John 14:26). The Spirit is the only one who can help us live out the ideal. Thus, when we pray “Your kingdom come” we are really praying, “God put your Spirit in my life so I am a part of that kingdom now.”

God’s kingdom—Coming
As great as this community of God’s Spirit is, it is still not complete. God’s kingdom will not be completed until God is completely in charge of the whole earth. Sure, ruling over a bunch of outcasts is great, but it’s not what God really is looking for. He wants all that is owed to him—the whole thing.

And God has that in his plans. His plan is to have every single human being—both living and dead—recognize that Jesus’ is the only true ruler over the earth under the Father (Philippians 2:10-11). And this can only take place with a cataclysmic event—the destruction of the current world order. God will set aside all the rulers of the world and establish his own ruler (Revelation 19:1-16). Then the dead will have to be raised, and every human being will bow to Jesus as the Lord over the earth (Matthew 25:31-32). Then Jesus will choose those who were most merciful and humble and righteous before God and will establish them as rulers with him (I Peter 5:6).

This great event hasn’t happened yet, but every time we pray “Your kingdom come” we are asking for God to make it happen. So if you like the governments and system of the world the way they are, you need to stop praying the Lord’s prayer. Heck, you need to stop following Jesus, if that’s the case, because he’s looking to take over. But if you forsake Jesus, you won’t be ready when the change does come. So be ready by following Jesus. (Matthew 24:42-25:13)

What is God waiting for?
So why hasn’t this event happened yet? Well, God is waiting for a few thing to happen: First, he needs to allow the governments of the world to become corrupt enough that they are ready to be brushed aside. When they all oppress God’s people, then they will be ready (Revelation 6:10-11). Second, he needs to have his people purified from sin and dependant on Him for obedience so they will be ready to rule. And third, he is waiting on those whom he loves and has chosen to repent so his people will be complete with them (II Peter 3:3-9). Yes, God has waited two thousand years—but if he had come twenty years ago, would you have been ready for him?

The real question is: are you ready now? To pray “your kingdom come” is to claim readiness for God. For God to come into your life and change it to His liking. For God to come into the world and change it forever. Are you ready for that? If you are, then we can pray the Lord’s prayer together.

Kingdom Come is God’s Spirit ruling in our lives.
Kingdom Come is God’s Son ruling over the earth.
Are we ready?