We gathered at TAVA this week on Maundy Thursday. Ps Ben reminded us of John's account of the Last Supper, where Jesus said:
Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:34-35)
As we continue to journey together as one church, may we be bound by this command of Jesus: to love one another.
For us at Jacob's Well and Diakonia, this week's topic was not easy to understand and we started the session with a plethora of questions in our hearts. But as we warmed up, with the leading of the Holy Spirit, the session came alive and we were able to pick up golden nuggets of truth from the session.
What does advancing the kingdom mean? How do we advance it? Why must we advance it? How do we do it successfully? What must our mindset be? Our attitudes?
To advance means to go forward. God’s kingdom is already here on earth. He has already started the fire on the altar but we must keep it burning. It is our responsibility to bring it to the next level, very much akin to the relay race where the present generation runs the race and passes the baton on to the next generation. Revival should be an ongoing process and as Bill Johnson says, no revival ever ended because of excess. They always ended because of man’s control. So in essence, revival can be sustained by us giving our absolute “Yes” to Jesus.
Ronnie shared that we are to take God’s kingdom back by force from the enemy. We are to take back dominion of the earth. The Good News is that we can surely do it. We are already fighting from a position of victory! Resurrection Sunday is proof that we serve a risen Christ! The enemy has been defeated. And as Pastor Angela said, “we are the army of God”. We are competent ministers of God (2 Cor 3:5/6); we are equipped.
Anita also shared that we must have a renewed mindset so that we can accept what God is advancing for us; the mind of Christ. As Bill Johnson says, not only do we need to repent from our sins, turning our backs to sin, but we also need to face forward towards God’s Kingdom with faith. Faith is an important element for us to have, for mysteries abound in God’s Kingdom. There are mysteries that we do not understand yet so we need to have faith that though God’s kingdom is here now but “not yet”. There is more to come (the best is yet to be) . Trust Him to reveal them to us in due course, in accordance to His Will.
True worship is also critical because it releases the anointing of the Holy Spirit on us. We will receive revelation from God and this releases His power required for miracles in healing, deliverance and conversion. In worship we are the living sacrifice. We are to abandon ourselves, for worship is about Him and not us. We need to continually press in to “put a demand” on His anointing.
We are all called to be part of God’s kingdom and to advance it.
Prepared by
Hougang Home fellowship (Jacob's Well and Diakonia)
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