Ejoka man of peace! Tjena woman of faith! There are doors that GOD opens for you to enter. There are also some that he opens for you to leave. When GOD opens a door, make sure it remains open for those who will come after you. May you be found with the courage to say what is right and the determination to do what is right. Let discernment be your share. May your heart be directed to the love of GOD and the patience of CHRIST! (2 Thessalonians 3:5).
Part 1: GOD is our FATHER and he loves us. We are a family and a body of which CHRIST is the head.
No effective prayer without GOD
In this manner, therefore, pray
Our FATHER who is in heaven
Part 2: We worship GOD alone.
4. Hallowed be your name
5. Thy kingdom come
9 In this manner, therefore, pray [proseuchomai, Strong n° 4336, greek]: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name [onoma, Strong n° 4336, greek];
10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil [poneros, Strong n° 4190, greek] one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. (Matthiew 6: 9-13, NKJV)
5. Thy Kingdom come
❖ For the kingdom of GOD is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the HOLY SPIRIT. (Romans 14:17, NKJ).
❖ Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face. (Psalm 89: 15, NKJV).
❖ The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’s; But the earth He has given to the children of men. (Psalm 115:16, KJV)
❖ We know that we are of GOD, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. (1 Jean 5:19, SG21)
❖ Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” (Matthew 4:8-9, NKJV)
❖ Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of GOD and teaching the things which concern the LORD JESUS CHRIST with all confidence, no one forbidding him. (Acts 28:30-31, NKJV)
GOD is the creator and owner of the earth. From the beginning, he gave humans free will: the freedom to choose him and the freedom to reject him. He entrusted Adam and Eve with the governance of the earth (Genesis 1:26-29). They were supposed to cultivate, maintain, develop, guard, and preserve the earth. They were supposed to rule the earth with the values of the kingdom, including love, integrity, fairness, peace, etc. GOD said " [...] rule over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." (Genesis 1:28). Adam and Eve did not have authority over the devil, but they did have authority over everything on earth. The devil cannot rule where GOD rules. He could not extend the kingdom of darkness on earth as long as Adam pledged allegiance to GOD. In other words, as long as Adam was submissive and faithful to GOD.
In commercial law, there is a type of contract called a contract of use. It is a contract by which one party, the owner, makes available to another, a property belonging to him for a determined period. The contributor remains the owner of his property but he gives the other party the right to occupy it, to use it, and benefit from its fruits. Adam and Eve had a kind of contract of use on the earth with GOD. By disobeying, they exchanged their right for the knowledge of good and evil. They fell into the trap of half-truths. The knowledge of good and evil is neither the desire to do good nor the discernment of good, much less the ability to resist evil.
The forbidden tree is not the tree of knowledge of good, but the tree of knowledge of good and evil. In other words, the tree of confusion, mixture, and lies. As we saw a few months ago, GOD never lies. He is Love, Truth, and Holiness. Just as a cocoa tree cannot produce papayas, the truth cannot produce lies. GOD is eternally and perfectly Omniscient, Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Transcendent, and Immutable. He does not need to lie. He creates all things by his word. Finally, he himself says that he hates lies. Again, GOD never lies.
Sin is the nature of the devil. He is a liar and he sins from the beginning (John 8:44, 1 John 3:7). Sin is any thought or action against GOD's nature (Truth, Love, Holiness), person, or will. The sinful nature is the inclination to sin, to disobey GOD, to speak evil, and to do evil (to oneself or to others). In a way, sinful nature is a genetic code, gangrene that corrupts the mind, soul, and body. The further people get from GOD, the more the code is transmitted and the more gangrene spreads.
Adam and Eve received sinful nature by eating the forbidden fruit. By disobeying GOD, they gave the devil the power to influence Man, what belongs to him, and everything that is subject to him. (Genesis 3, Matthew 4:9, Luke 4:7, 1 John 5:19, John 14:30). In all that is subject to Adam, there are his descendants and all that GOD had given him authority and right of enjoyment over. This is how the devil became the prince of the world.
There is a time marked for the end of the reign of darkness (Revelation 20). The devil is the prince of the world until the end of Adam's contract (1 John 5:19, SG21). GOD is eternally and perfectly Omniscient, Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Transcendent, and Immutable. He is and will always be the owner of the earth. He can intervene at any time on earth. GOD can do everything, but he will not do everything without Man. GOD will not violate the free will he has given to man. But, he will not let Man die without offering him an alternative.
An amendment is a change to all or part of a law, bill or proposed law. An amendment to a contract is a modification, correction, clarification, or deletion of one clause on a signed contract. Through JESUS CHRIST, GOD added an amendment to the law of sin and death, and a rider to the original contract with Adam. The amendment is the law of the spirit (Romans 8:2). The rider is the authority given by JESUS and the anointing received by the HOLY SPIRIT. JESUS gave himself for the remission of the sins. He did it for all without distinction and without exception. But GOD does not impose himself on us. It is up to us to accept his outstretched hand.
By his sacrifice, JESUS obtained the remission of our sins, the salvation of men. He paid the penalty for sin (Matthew 26:28, Colossians 2:14-15, Ephesians 1:7, Ephesians 2:5, Galatians 4:3-7, Titus 2:14, Romans 6:23, 1 Corinthians 6:20, Galatians 3:13, Isaiah 44:21-22, 1 Peter 1:18-20) He publicly stripped the authorities and denominations of darkness. He is resurrected and is alive forever. The keys of death and hell are in JESUS' hands, not the devil's (Revelation 1:18). He is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25). He gives life to what was dead and restores what was destroyed. JESUS triumphed so that we, in turn, can triumph. That is why he gives us his life, the authority of his name, and his peace (Luke 10:19-21, Matthew 10:8, Mark 16:16-18, John 14:27).
As a reminder, JESUS is the way, the Truth, the Life and the Resurrection (John 14:6, John 11:25). He is also the Justice of GOD (Romans 3:22), the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:5, Romans 5:1), and the Joy of GOD the FATHER (Matthew 3:17). The HOLY SPIRIT is :
The other comforter (John 14:16),
The spirit of truth (John 14:17),
Sent by the FATHER and JESUS to bear witness to JESUS (John 14:26, John 15:26)
To comfort us, to teach us, to remind us of the words of JESUS, to guide us, to coach us, (John 14:26, John 16:13)
To convince the world about sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:8)
To glorify JESUS (John 16:14)
To assist the Church, the body of CHRIST (Acts 9:31)
To heal (Romans 8:11)
To make us aware of our identity as children of GOD (Romans 8:16)
To help us in our weaknesses and pray alongside us (Romans 8:26)
To help us manifest the character of CHRIST and the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22, 2 Corinthians 3:18)
To equip us with spiritual gifts and teach us to use them (1 Corinthians 12:8-11, Acts 10:38, Acts 13:2).
To clothe us and teach us to handle spiritual weapons (Ephesians 6:13-17)
To call with us the return of CHRIST (Revelation 22:17).
The HOLY SPIRIT is in charge of the education, preparation, equipping, and growth of the saints. He is the one who gives discernment and refutes the lies of the devil. He works for the manifest accomplishment of the will of GOD on earth, in men, through men and together with JESUS for men.
GOD is FATHER, SON, and HOLY SPIRIT. They are ONE. To sanctify the name of GOD means to sanctify the name of the FATHER, the SON, and the HOLY SPIRIT. ⇒ The FATHER gave his name to the SON, who together with the FATHER, gave his name to the HOLY SPIRIT. The HOLY SPIRIT is the one who formed a body to the Word (the SON) so that it could sit among men and be the way through which they receive Salvation. The HOLY SPIRIT (not an angel) conceived the body of JESUS CHRIST. ⇒ Only GOD can contain GOD and only GOD can reveal GOD.
There is no kingdom of GOD without the HOLY SPIRIT. « For the kingdom of GOD is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the HOLY SPIRIT. » (Romans 14:17, NKJV). There are several definitions of righteousness:
The character of what is in accordance with the truth, ethics, and the law.
The just appreciation, recognition, and respect of the rights and merits of each person.
The correction of inequality or the sanction of a fault;
The set of principles, values, institutions, laws, and practices that aim to establish, preserve, ensure and improve the respect of rights, the recognition of merits, and the sanctioning of non-compliance.
Peace is a state, a choice, and a gift. We say that a country is at peace when it is not in a state of war or armed conflict. Peace does not rejoice in injustice, it is not passive in the face of injustice. Passivity does not repair injustice, it postpones conflict. Justice precedes peace. But without love and truth, peace will not last. Peace is therefore the choice of love and truth resulting in the absence of conflict. For us Christians, peace is a free gift from GOD (Philippians 4:7, Matthew 11:28, John 14:27, 2 Thessalonians 3:16, Isaiah 26:3). The joy of the HOLY SPIRIT is not dependent on circumstances, regardless of what is going on around you.
When we say, Thy kingdom comes, we are saying: May love, truth, and communion with the HOLY SPIRIT be ours. May he fully exercise his ministry. May our characters, families, relationships, institutions, and governments witness and reflect your values. In short, may the HOLY SPIRIT make us, images of CHRIST.
** Ejoka = Good morning in Turkana (Kenya)
** Tjena = Hello in Swedish
Des suggestions pour aller plus loin
- Thy Kingdom come, Joshua Selman
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