“Your responses to life’s situations, your behaviour and actions are the result of your theology not of your intellect or emotions”.   We concluded with this last time I wrote going on to say that, we have come to a world that react rather than living out convictions from the foundation of life actually from the Christ, who is our foundation….to believe is to live out our belief, this has an impact on our view and should reflect what new birth is in reality.     If this cosmos rules in our life then it is questionable, if the other place the Kingdom has been either seen or entered, it will alter our way of life.

The word may have entered the mind, even been welcomed by the emotions even germinated thought through influence but we have to see that only when we have come to live by the Spirit (Romans 8 “…led by the Spirit are we not the sons of God…”)  birthed in us is a power greater than any other.   Christ has incarnate himself in us by the Spirit, that is Christ in you the hope of glory will now rule our direction, emotions, actions and decisions.     A power works with in transforming, forming and conforming us to Christ causing us to become those who are taking on board his interests, his cause as our first cause.   The company we keep, Money decisions, Homes we build , our families  all become expressions and demonstrations of the Kingdom of God, we are disciples of the Kingdom.    The Holy Spirit is so integral to the coming, the establishing of the Kingdom, the coming of the promise of Holy Spirit was a demonstration for early Christians that surely the Messiah had come and his Kingdom is here.   We can not have the Kingdom of God with out the Holy Spirit Romans 14 says it is not external things “…eating and drinking…” but that the “…Kingdom of God is righteousness, joy and peace in the Holy Spirit…” that is the Kingdom of God  in the Holy Spirit, as a great teacher Ern Baxter always stressed.

This is the reason we should not get excited about a kind of Christianity that marginalise the Holy Spirit.  How do we marginalise? through over planning, through not giving room for the Holy Spirit in direction and influence in lives.     Do not allow life  to become a system of lists that replaces any form of listening to the Spirits voice, actually not allowing us to learn the art of listening.   To give preeminence to the Holy Spirit means letting go of control and trusting another.    If we are not Holy Spirit directed we will end up making much of minors and little on major issues in our walk and Kingdom life.     Years ago it was getting lost on such issues, minor ones, such as “they had a drink of alcohol”, compliance to dress codes, attendance at all meetings, to show commitment, whilst at the same time allowing people’s attitudes  to stink, allowing un-forgiveness in hearts to remain, divisive conversation and gossip being the major issues we should have been dealing with.   The fight of the cosmic system that continues to try to ‘run’ the agent of the Kingdom of God in this world.

There is a  challenge in getting trapped into programs to ‘attract’ rather than being centers of Holy Spirit activity  where the kingdom of God is manifest, that is what is attractive.   Imprisoned by wrong expectations we have created in people’s hearts a faith of minimum cost and involvement whilst giving maximum rewards and benefits.

There is areal sense on the one hand of God working purpose and advance in some parts of the world, of people turning to Christ, yet we still have a church that has promoted a religion rather than the advancement of the Kingdom of Heaven.   Many Christians have weekly round trip tickets from the Kingdom of God to the Kingdom of…???… Returning to spirituality on Sunday.

To advance the Kingdom of God is to serve God in our generation, it is to serve Gods purpose, God aims and objectives, taking up the Fathers interest and living according to Gods’ will rather than mine.

Actions

1        Bring our own lives in line with Divine rule (not a common term these days but how else should we say it?) letting a Godly order come in our lives

2        Determine for yourself all you have, and see it as totally available for the advance of the Kingdom of God – a son of the kingdom (see blog…???)

3         Recognise you are joined to the body of Christ, discover where you are to be planted by God with a people and function, be yourself there, not a title, but invest you into the lives around you.

4       Rule and overcome in your world (personal, circumstantial, Spirit, possessions…)

5         See your own life as extending its’ influence to the ends of the earth as Abraham’s seed

6         Deal with the enemies of progress in your life.

1. Possessions – the materialistic chains of the Cosmos, it is not a problem having stuff,  it is a problem  when the stuff has you.

1. Ambition – ungodly drives that conflict with the Kingdom of God
2. Position – status,platforms of life you will seek to protect
3. Relationships – when they bring other kingdoms to distract you
4. Possessiveness – you are a steward and servant you don’t own any one

May you aim to see Gods order and God’s image and likeness restored to our world in fullness, the coming of the Kingdom of God.