Friday, October 17, 2008

Kingdom of Heaven Suffers Violence

Kingdom of heaven suffers violence and violent men take it by force.
Matt 11:12

How do men use violence to attain the kingdom? Through many tribulations we will inherit the kingdom of God. It is by enduring trials correctly allows us to access the kingdom. And by enduring correctly these trials we gain the crown of righteousness.

I have thought and been taught that prayer is the violence. Yet James 1:12 shows that it is enduring trials. Looking unto Jesus in prayer in the midst of the trial. If we can see Jesus during trials and let His peace and love flow to us, we've got pay dirt.

The kingdom is not enjoyed with the wealth of the world. It is not physical or can be seen. It is relational.

Knowledge is not the basis of spiritual growth. It is relationships. Love is with relationships not knowledge. Knowledge is important but its not the foundation. Strength does not come from understanding. Strength comes from exercise. Both physical and spiritual.

Our relationship with Jesus fuels our relationship with others. The more we have of Jesus, the more we are able to reach out to others from the kingdom of God, instead of from our own strength!

Trials show us what is of our strength and what is from God. Trials teach us to rely on Jesus and not ourselves. John 16:33 Peace comes from Jesus in the trial as we rely on Him!

No peace, no Jesus, no kingdom of God.

In ages past some have accepted trials as the means of gain. The scripture says that we gain the kingdom through trials not in them. It is through the trial. We take the kingdom by force by going through the trial in obedience. And what is our obedience? It is to walk by prayer and faith, looking unto Jesus. Col 2:6

2Pt 1 talks of living according to the promises.It is by the promises that we gain the true nature. The promises don't talk about being sick or living in defeat. It is our use of the promises to live through the trial that allows us to have victory. Paul was content in Jail! Our circumstances don't dictate our spirituality.

Isa 52:1 awake and put on your strength

3 comments:

  1. Thank you for this. We had a guest speaker at church this weekend who kept saying "take the Kingdom of God with violence". This helps clarify what he probably meant. I wish he had given more context though because misunderstanding things such as this can have "violent" consequences.

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  2. There is not many instances where physical violence would be justified. Our efforts are spiritual. We are not fighting other people. We are fighting against Satan's forces.

    2 Cor 10:3-5, James 4:7, Eph 6:12

    The church is built on the rock of Jesus not our physical strength. Matt. 16:18

    But notice it is not Satan in the passage that suffers violence. It is the kingdom of God. We enter the kingdom of God through the efforts of faith and obedience with love.

    Faith is in God's promise to us for something we do not have. The trial is walking from not having the promise to receiving it in the future. The violence is our not accepting the status quo.

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  3. This violence is a holy violence not a physical violence. This violence denotes a strength. Its a fervency and zeal to make it into heaven. Its a desire to endure. The Kingdom of Heaven is a place we must strive to enter. Self must be denied, the mind must be altered, hardships must be endured. We run from sin, wrestle with sin, fight sin, the old corrupt nature is forced to die. We labour to get in the kingdom and we take it with intense force.

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