The Kingdom of Heaven
Last night, several of us went with Val to an evening service at her church in San Marcos. Although the music was a bit edgy (for me), it finally ended when a young man was introduced as a guest speaker.
This piece is primarily intended for the benefit of those who were with us last night. Hopefully other readers will also be edified.
Having been a christian for 32 years, I have found that the Holy Spirit will inaudibly but clearly speak to me if I am in a situation of spiritual darkness or error. That did not happen last night. On the contrary, He told me to stay and listen for the next three hours.
It was a simple message. The Kingdom of Heaven is here.
I must digress for a moment but promise to return to the events of last night.
In his letter to the Church at Galatia, Paul says, "I have been crucified with Christ and no longer live but Christ lives in me". The Kingdom of Heaven is here in every living Christian.
The phrase "Kingdom of Heaven" appears 31 times in the New Testament and never in the Old Testament. Why? Because Jesus did not begin to live in us through the Holy Spirit until He returned to Heaven after the resurrection.
The Kingdom of Heaven is here.
What are our orders from the King? Heal the sick. Raise the dead. Care for the needy. Preach the Gospel. Thats it.
The Church of Jesus Christ has followed these orders from it's beginning until this moment, and will continue to do so until it is called Home. However, in the matter of miraculous healings and raising dead people back to life, the only record we have of men other than the Lord exhibiting this power is recorded in "The Acts of the Apostles".
As I promised, lets go back to last night's service.
The first hour or so, the speaker described several events where the Holy Spirit directed him to certain people in need of physical healing. Through the power of prayer, miraculous and instantaneous healings were described.
During the next couple of hours, people with various diseases were asked to stand and come up to the front. Besides the speaker, many people laid hands on them to be healed. When cancer patients were asked to come forward, we all went up and laid hands on Val that she might be healed.
And then an odd thing happened. I sat down and began to feel as if my body was lighter than it's normal weight. I had a sense of well-being as if a burden had been lifted from me. This continued for some time and I only mention it because Val described similar feelings as we were in the parking lot leaving.
And so beloved, I leave you with the mystery. What happened last night? I don't know. I am back to where I started. The Spirit told me to stay. The young man's message was true.
The Kingdom of Heaven is Here.
posted by McCrea Family at 12:31 PM
5 Comments:
Dear Nancy, Richard, Val and Chris...
As I sit here tonight writing this...my head is STILL spinning over the events of last night! I have NEVER been to anything of that sort before...and therefore, had absolutely no idea what to expect from such a night. I must admit that I entered the evening with a small element of fear following me. So I prayed...that our Lord would open my mind and my heart to the evening and give me a sense of protection...and He answered. When Osil, Val and I sat down...sitting behind us were Nancy and Richard...a very STRONG sense of protection surrounding us. As the service began and throughout much of the first part of it...I would turn around and look at you Richard and Nancy...and just seeing that you both were all right...your peace and comfort, made me all right...and because of that...I listened. And then Jason began to speak...and he began to pray...and we began to pray...and it all became clear.
It was a night I will remember always. It is a night I will be forever grateful to have experienced. Our Lord is with us...and I felt it. Not only did I feel Him, but today I saw Him. I saw Him in Val...Val...there was something different in you today...your smile was brighter, your laugh was joyful, you walked tall and strong. You are walking with Him...and He with you, it is clear!
I slept 1/2 hour total last night. Just up thinking and praying some more....wondering and asking so many questions. Richard...I am very, very thankful to you for writing this blog about last night. Your words are a great source of comfort to me and because of them I am able to accept last night for exactly what it was...a glorious night. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
And as I pray tonight, I pray prayers of thanks. I thank God for bringing us to that special place last night. I thank Him for blessing me with AMAZING time spent with you and your family. I thank God for lifting the weight off of you Val, Nancy and Richard. I thank God for Jason's words...The Kingdom of Heaven is here...and I thank God for keeping His promise!!!
I pray that God will continue to bless you and your family... and that the lightness you felt last night, you all will feel everyday of your lives.
And as Richard said...I too, do not know what happened last night. What I do know is that what happened was ALL our Lord...every single bit of it. And for that, I am eternally grateful.
God bless each and every one of you!
In His name,
Kerry Randall
Thank you Mr. Sloan for sharing your experience last Sunday night. I'm grateful to hear it was uplifting for Val and all who were there to support her. I had the opportunity to share the afternoon with Val on Sunday and as she got ready for the service, your beautiful daughter came down the stairs glowing in anticipation of the evening. I prayed that the service would be inspirational for all and I'm thankful it was!!!!
Val- I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed our time together. You're so genuine and I am blessed for having you as my friend. I admire your strength and willingness to share your feelings. I know I have said "I'm here for you" and I want you to know you have been there for me. I have known you for sometime now and have witnessed you always being there to lend a hand to others. That is a beautiful quality and one that is recognized by many. You have a heart of gold, and God sees all that you do! I treasure our friendship!
Deanna
I just had to share this. I was not at church Sunday night with Val and the rest of you. I was at home working on Valley Christian School’s May memory verse. (Val’s son Ryan attends Valley) When it is my month to choose the scripture I take it very seriously and spend considerable time in prayer and reading. Throughout the weekend I was wavering between several passages, but just not feeling settled on a topic. Suddenly at 9:01PM (it shows on my computer log) I switched gears to an entirely different subject – God’s new choice is found below. I couldn’t understand the change, until Monday when Osil stopped by the classroom to share what had happened the night before. As she began to talk about prayer and God’s kingdom I got “Holy Goosebumps”. I think you will see why. Praise God for further confirmation for all of you that were there!
Believing and Trusting Our Lord,
Ginny McMillan
May Memory Verse
Obedience: act of obeying
Matthew 26:41
Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
Philippians 4:6-7
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Matthew 6:9-15
In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Wow. I enjoyed reading about such a blessed Night. Such peace follows when the Holy Spirit moves.
Thanks for sharing. jan in BAMA.
Hi McCrea Family!
What a gift listening is! Thank you for the reminder of what a gift it is to be still and listen to The Highest!
The Ensor's
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