Advance the Kingdom in Violence

Mark 7:24-30
Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre.g He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. 25In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet. 26The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.
27“First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.”
28“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”
29Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”
30She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

Advance the Kingdom in Violence

At first reading this language may sound a little harsh and yet we have to understand that Israel was God’s people, so in the context of God’s spiritual order the Messiah was first promised to them, because they were the children of the promise, even of Abraham, Genesis 18:18 says, ” Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.” There was an order to the blessing, first the Jew and then the Gentile.
Jesus, in His earthly ministry, had come to proclaim the kingdom to the house of Israel. When this Syro-Phoenician woman came to Him begging on behalf of her possessed daughter she was really coming in a time that was out of God’s time and order for her to receive of kingdom impartation, thus Jesus spoke what He did about it not being right to take their bread and give it to the Gentiles.
This woman answers with such wisdom and faith that it moves the heart of Jesus to step out of divine order and impart to her the request that she desired. She has insight into the mercy and grace that is in God’s heart. While He does move in divine order and on behalf of His chosen people, He still responds to the faith of the Gentiles. The Roman officer in Matthew 8:5 was another example of God moving out of divine order and time to release to them what wasn’t yet to be released.
What does that speak to us?
It tells us that there is realm of faith that moves God’s heart to release kingdom into the earth that is not yet in season to be released. It is not an ordinary faith, but an extraordinary faith that moves God’s heart. It is interesting to note that both of these examples didn’t come to Jesus asking for themselves, it was their intercession on the behalf of another. What can happen when we begin to take bold and extreme faith and ask God to move through us in a supernatural way on behalf of others? Matthew 11:12 says, “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.” The forcefulness of the kingdom is the faith that seizes and lays hold of it. It advances in faith and it is faithful forceful men and women that lay hold of the those things that are out of spiritual season to bring them into spiritual season. 2 Corinthians 4:18 says, ” So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
Let us be those violent men and women of faith that bring forth God’s kingdom and manifest it in the earth by our extreme and violent faith.

Blessings,
#kent

Advertisement

The Path of No Return

John 18:4-11
Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”
5″Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.
“I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) 6When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
7Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?”
And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.”
8″I told you that I am he,” Jesus answered. “If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” 9This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.”
10Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)
11Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”

The Path of No Return

There is a place of decision in our lives where we must choose. We wrestle with the flesh and the strong sense of self-preservation that wants to preserve this life. There is a cup that is set before us. It is the cup of which Jesus had to drink of. He prayed if there was any other way, but there was no other way, but the way of Calvary. It was out of greater love than He had of self that Jesus willing drank that cup that led Him down a path of no return. The path of glorification will lead us through Calvary. We can draw our sword and choose to fight it in the flesh as Peter did. We can run away from it, we can deny it, we can even betray the Lord as Judas did, but we have a destiny before us as Jesus did.
At the Last Supper after Judas left to go and betray the Lord, Jesus speaks these words in John 13:31-32, “When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. 32If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.”” The death that Jesus was to suffer and die, was also the glorification of the Father and resulted in Jesus being glorified in Him. The former glory of an earthly life had to pass away that the greater glory might be revealed. That glory is revealed in us as we choose to drink that cup of death to self and walk in His footsteps. Jesus says in John 17:10, “And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.” In Romans 8:16-17 the word says this of us as His people and disciples, “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” The sufferings of Christ are inherent in the glorification. It is a cup that we share with Christ as we drink of His blood, His life and eat of His flesh, His body given for us that we might know Him and the power of His resurrection. His disciple followed on to drink that cup as they gave their lives in service and sacrifice to Him. It is our cup also. The demand of this path may or may not be so extreme, but where He leads us we must follow. It is a path of no return, no turning back, but it is the path to glory.

Blessings,
#kent