1) Jesus again predicts his death and resurrection. But they didn't understand any of this. The significance of his words was HIDDEN from them, and they failed to grasp what he was talking about (vs 31-34).
2) Then Luke describes how a blind beggar gets healed by making a raucous and shouting, “Jesus, SON OF DAVID, have mercy on me!” (vs 34-43).
How is it that a blind beggar could see that Jesus was the promised Son of David, The Messiah, and be healed? And just before, the disciples failed to grasp the significance of his words? Why is it that understanding and revelation hidden within the pages of the Bible are grasped by some and not by others? Sometimes our strengths are our greatest handicaps when it comes to understanding the spiritual things of the Kingdom.
Showing posts with label Kingdom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kingdom. Show all posts
Monday, April 1, 2013
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
A Piece of Heaven
Luke 17:20-21 One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?” Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already WITHIN YOU.”
The Pharisees asked when God's Kingdom would come, not knowing that it had already arrived. The Kingdom of God is not like an earthly kingdom with geographical boundaries. Instead, it begins with the work of the HOLY SPIRIT IN PEOPLE'S LIVES and IN RELATIONSHIPS. We must resist looking to institutions or programs for evidence of the progress of God's Kingdom. Instead, we should look for WHAT GOD IS DOING IN PEOPLE'S HEARTS. - from The Life Application Study Bible, emphasis mine :)
So, BELIEVE! because it's written in black and white in your Bible! YOU carry Heaven within you every where you go. You are the gate between the broken world and Heaven. And it is your choice whether to open that gate and allow the love of God to pour through you and onto the people around you. This is what it means to die to yourself and live for Christ. It means you choose to be inconvenienced and you choose to obey the Spirit when he asks you to stop and love someone...to love the unlovable...to love angry people...to love people who think and do things differently...to love your enemies....to love people over stuff...to love people over ministry...
As we approach Good Friday and Easter, may we be again, overwhelmed by His love and allow it to flow freely through us.
The Pharisees asked when God's Kingdom would come, not knowing that it had already arrived. The Kingdom of God is not like an earthly kingdom with geographical boundaries. Instead, it begins with the work of the HOLY SPIRIT IN PEOPLE'S LIVES and IN RELATIONSHIPS. We must resist looking to institutions or programs for evidence of the progress of God's Kingdom. Instead, we should look for WHAT GOD IS DOING IN PEOPLE'S HEARTS. - from The Life Application Study Bible, emphasis mine :)
So, BELIEVE! because it's written in black and white in your Bible! YOU carry Heaven within you every where you go. You are the gate between the broken world and Heaven. And it is your choice whether to open that gate and allow the love of God to pour through you and onto the people around you. This is what it means to die to yourself and live for Christ. It means you choose to be inconvenienced and you choose to obey the Spirit when he asks you to stop and love someone...to love the unlovable...to love angry people...to love people who think and do things differently...to love your enemies....to love people over stuff...to love people over ministry...
As we approach Good Friday and Easter, may we be again, overwhelmed by His love and allow it to flow freely through us.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)