Talk versus Reality

Continuing from the moral of the previous story: Christians talk a good talk, play a good game, say the right words when they feel the necessity, even flash a good smile!  But what is our substance? What are we made of?  What is truly behind the words that we speak and the things we profess to know?
 
If we all say "amen!" at Jesus' words in Luke 17, that "the Kingdom of God is within us...", then we need to step back and think about what God's Kingdom looks like... because if we are honest with ourselves, we can see that the Jesus described in the four gospels and His disciples of today present a stark contrast--as a general statement--though there are, of course, exceptions, and have been throughout the decades and centuries...
 
Here's reality: the Jesus of the bible did wild stuff, as we all know who have read about it -- He healed the sick and diseased; cleansed the filthy of reeking, rotting flesh; expelled demonic spirits who clung to tortured souls who were trapped, with seemingly no way out; He even gave corpses new life!  Jesus talked to the storms--the weather actually listened to this Man!  He commanded a tree to shrivel up and die, walked on the sea as if He was on solid ground...
 
So when talking about Jesus, we're basically talking about a Dude that lived life awake inside of the Matrix, hacking through and pointing the way to Zion:*  He spoke to the human body, dead or alive, and it did what it was told; He commanded the demons to flee, they followed in sync, shrinking in fear; He even spoke to nature itself--and it cooperated... ALL creation bows down to this Man, this Son of God, this King of Glory, the Anointed One to whom all authority has been given in Heaven and on earth... ** and these words right here should be the catapult that thrusts us out of any complacency or apathy we may have lingering inside of us:  Jesus Christ, Yahshua Messiah, has given us His authority!  Do we understand this?  I ask myself the same question...

The church of America has grown in it's complacency and is way overdue at taking the LORD at His Word... if we believe what we say, if we believe the words of the Bible and it's Author, then why do we not prove what we believe?  It's not enough to merely "know", * or pick and choose certain parts out of the gospel **, but taking it for what it is in it's fullness and begin walking this thing out... yes, it is a process, but as people who have been "handed the baton", so to speak, *** we must be taking steps in that direction...****

So here it is -- practically speaking -- we begin by meditating on Colossians 1:9 & 10 -- may we "be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, that" we " may walk worthy of the LORD, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God..." Colossians 2:20-23  We are dead to "the basic principles of this world..."  Luke 17:21  "The Kingdom of God is within you!"  1 Thessalonians 1:5  For the "gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit..."
 
This is the Kingdom with the culture that is within us: something that supersedes merely words, and is something that confirms these words with acts of the Spirit; ranging from prophecy, to exhortations, to miracles, to freeing people from demonic strongholds of the enemy--any and all things demonstrating the power of Yahweh!  Without these things, we seem to be carrying that "burden of proof" on ourselves... we're busy talking about fishing and the gear that comes along with the job, yet we have yet to actually fish-- how is anyone to believe that our gear actually works if we don't show them?

That said, we do not seek the power from Heaven, but we seek the Giver of that power * who gives us a life that lasts eternally... and assuredly, through this sincere seeking of Him in worship and in truth ** with the intention of walking in this truth, *** we will begin to see this power manifest... but it will not happen unless we go for it with a determined focus and a righteous violence!


*Luke 8:1
**Matthew 28:18

*James 1:22
**James 1:21, 1 Timothy 4:1 & 2
***Acts 1:1-8
****1 John 2:6    

*Luke 10:20, Matthew 6:33
**John 4:23 & 24
***3 John 1:2-4