Topic: Empowered to Advance the Kingdom of God  [Church of God Mission International] Above Only Daily Devotional 8 September 2021

Click HERE for Previous Above Only

Above Only Daily Devotional

By:Archbishop M E Benson Idahosa

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 08

Empowered to Advance the Kingdom of God

Acts 1:3, 6-8(GNB)

For forty days after his death he appeared to them …They saw him , and he talked with them about the kingdom of God….they asked him,” Lord,will you at this time giveth the kingdom back to Israel?”*Jesus said unto them,”The times and occasions are set by my Father’s own authority, and it is not for you to know when they will be. But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

After Jesus rose from the dead, He spoke to His disciples about the kingdom of God (Acts1:3).His Disciples then asked Jesus if He was going to restore the kingdom of Israel,which meant fighting off the oppressors and making Israel an independent, super power. (At that time,Israel was being ruled by the Romans.)The disciples’ minds were still on the advancement of the physical kingdom of Israel rather than on the advancement of the spiritual Kingdom of God. Jesus didn’t come to restore the kingdom of Israel.He came to establish the kingdom of God.The advancement of God’s kingdom is not about the reign and rulership of men but the reign and rulership of God.It is about God’s life,God’s will and God’s ways prevailing all over the earth .

Jesus had to return the minds of His disciples to what they needed to focus on. Not only that, He needed them to recognize that they were now in charge. All that He had accomplished was accomplished for them to receive His life so that they could go forth and represent Him as His witnesses to advance the kingdom of God in all the world. This is why they needed the empowerment of the spirit.
Like that stone in King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream that crushed the image off different materials and grew into a mountain and filled the earth(Deut.2:34-44),we are empowered by the spirit of God to go in the authority of Christ and advance the kingdom of God everywhere we find ourselves.We are empowered to colonize every sphere of life by enforcing the life and culture of God’s kingdom there.We are the saviours from mount Zion that will take over and possess every other kingdom for our lord(Obad.1:21).

Faith Declaration:
By the empowerment of the spirit,I go forth as an ambassador of Christ to spread the influence and culture of God’s kingdom.

Bible In One Year Reading Plan:

Isaiah1:1-2:22, 2 Corinth 10:1-18,Psalm 52:1-9,Proverbs 22:26-27