About the Kingdom By Rev. J.

Patrick Bowman The importance of seeing the Kingdom, receiving the Kingdom, and acting on behalf of the Kingdom can not be stressed enough. John Calvin (10 July 1509 27 May 1564), the father of Reformed theology, says, For though we very truly hear that the kingdom of God will be filled with splendor, joy, happiness and glory, yet when these things are spoken of, they remain utterly remote from our perception, and as it were, wrapped in obscurities, until that day. My question is, until what day? Yes, I believe in a future kingdom when Christ returns in glory, but what about the preparation for His return? We live in "that day." There are present day, here and now aspects of the Kingdom of God that need to be implemented by the body of Christ before His return. It's as simple as this: "Without Him, we can't. Without us, He won't." Can we learn to see, receive, and act for the Kingdom of God? Yes, we can, and we must if we are to be empowered to walk out the Gospel and impact the world around us. That empowering comes as the chrism (consecrated anointing oil) of the the Holy Spirit is spiritually poured over the heads of those who are willing to look that they might see, open themselves to new possibilities that they might receive, and move in faith that the Kingdom be manifest in their lives. Just as Zerubbabel received a word while rebuilding the temple (Zech 4:6), God is also saying to us, " Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,'' says the LORD of hosts. The message of the Kingdom is a message of relevancy, of intimacy and immediacy; in other words, here and now. People are not impressed with our there and thens. When people are hungry and hurting they want results, not speculation. The kingdom of God addresses people where they are and when they are. Our societal norms and systems need to be transformed by the presence of the kingdom working through here and now people who recognize the kingdom, receive the kingdom, and act on behalf of the kingdom. Only when the fullness of seeing, receiving, and acting are present is the church "the fullness of Him that filleth all in all" (Ephesians 1:23).