The Kingdom of Heaven vs The Kingdom of This World

Jesus answered and said, “My kingdom is not of this world. My kingdom is not of this realm.” (John 18:36).

Jesus said to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.” (John 18:23).

Jesus said, “you are not of the world, [you no longer belong to it], but I have chosen you out of the world. And because of this, the world hates you.” (John 15:19).

“Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (The Apostle Paul, Ephesians 6:12).

Despite these clear words from the Bible, and for some strange reason, it seems many Christians, including pastors, theologians, and the like, seem to think that we are warring with people who hold certain political, social and religious views. They seem to think that we are in a war of worldviews and a war of words.

It is in one of these worlds, the weapons of warfare are crafted by the minds and hands of men and women. They range from words of deceit, lies, anger, spite, hate and division to knives, guns, bombs, beatings, torture, imprisonment, and death. These are of the passions of the flesh.

In the Other of these worlds, the weapons of warfare are truth, freedom, righteousness, the Gospel of peace, faith, salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.

One brings death and defeat; the Other brings in peace and life.

I hear pastors and Christian apologists use phrases like, “the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to say nothing” as a defense for using political and social means to wage war against forces that are antithetical to the Gospel of Christ.

The Word of God is both our defense and our offense. It is our full armor against the weapons of darkness and our sword in battle.

How is this so? This is the mystery: Everything that is seen comes from that which is unseen. Every thought and idea originates from the unseen world, whether of darkness or of light, and is manifest in this natural world.

The natural ‘seen world’ is simply the ashes of creation. Fighting in the natural is swinging at shadows of the past. It is fruitless and has no lasting effect.

But engaging the enemy of the kingdom of this world in the Spiritual realm of the Kingdom of Heaven, puts an end to evil at its root.

Therefore, we must take up the full armor of God, so that we will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, we must stand firm. We must belt our waist with truth, and put on the breastplate of righteousness, and strap on our feet the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all this, we must take up the shield of faith with which we will are able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (See Ephesians 6).

We must pray at all times in the Spirit, and with every prayer and request, we must stay alert with all perseverance and every request for all the saints.

This is the way.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

 

 

Here is a Mystery:

There is a Power which exists that is able to transform your life, so radically, so completely, so thoroughly, that those who knew you beforehand, would hardly recognize you afterward. In fact, you would hardly be able to recognize yourself when the process is complete.

You might even have to ask yourself, “Can I really be that man or that woman who went about under my name before?”

You are, in one sense, the same person, but in another sense, you will have become someone utterly different.

This intensely real power, can pick you up today – right now – from the midst of loneliness, failure, ruin, misery, despair or any difficulty, and in the twinkling of an eye, as Paul said, begin to solve your problems, smooth out your difficulties, cut you free from entanglements and place you clear, safe and happy upon the highroad of freedom and opportunity.

Really??? (tell me more?)

• It can lift you out of a bed of sickness and make you sound and well.
• It can set you free so you can go about your life to shape it as it should be.
• It can thrust open the prison door and liberate the captive.
• It has a healing balm for the bruised and battered heart.
• This Power can teach you all the things you need to know, if only you are receptive and teachable.
• It can inspire you with new thoughts and ideas, so that your life’s work may be truly original, meaningful and lasting.
• It can impart new and wonderful kinds of knowledge, as soon as you really want such knowledge – glorious knowledge – strange things not taught in schools or written in books.
• It can find your true place in life, and put you into it, too.
• It can find the right friends for you, kindred spirits who are interested in the same ideas and want the same things that you do.
• It can provide you with an ideal home.
• It can provide you the type of prosperity that means freedom. Not as the world knows prosperity, but the type of prosperity that means true Freedom. Free to be and to do and to go as your soul calls.

What is this Power?

Paradoxically, this Power is nothing, in and of itself. But, It’s True Value is hidden, like a treasure. Hidden within the Person of Jesus Christ.

Jesus the Messiah is the only One who can possess this unfathomable Power. And He gives it freely, to anyone who will believe and ask.

“Oh,” you say. “I have heard all of this before. I am already a Christian,” you say.

Really???

But, did you realize that you must actually ABIDE IN and BE INDWELT by the Person of Christ before you can experience this power?

Jesus is saying that this can only happen, “If you abide (live and find your being in) Me and My Words abide in you”.

Jesus said that a person must “eat His Flesh and Drink His Blood” in order to experience this Power.

Jesus is saying that you must leave everything every behind and follow Him in order to experience this Power. That means everything you know, everything you are, everything you have; every title, every accomplishment, every accolade, every degree, all your influence, all your friends – EVERYTHING.

Jesus said you must deny yourself of your personal desires, your wants, your lusts, deny yourself earthly relations and pursue Him, for this Power to be yours.

You will lose nothing of real value. He will make all things NEW and you will PROSPER even as your soul prospers!

Jesus is saying we must forget what this world has to offer – and spend all of ourselves on Him and His Calling.

Jesus has said, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms on account of My name, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.”

Jesus is saying that once He possesses you, and you possess Him – you are IN Him and He and His Words are IN you – you may ask ANYTHING you will, and It shall be done unto you.

Ephesians 4:17-24, “So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”

Thus, this Power and His Promises are yours.

Let’s remain In His Grip!

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

PS: How can I say these things? I say these things because the Bible says these things.

How can I know these things? I know these things because they have happened to me and to millions of others.

Does this mean I will never have trouble again? NO. A thousand times, NO! The Bible, in Psalm 34:15–19, says,

“The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and his ears toward their cry.

The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”

Believe it or not.