Did ever pursue something that you knew was bigger then any of your wildest dreams?  So much more then the typical stuff of worldly fame and fortune?   Common childhood pursuits of being a world class athlete, movie star, or an elite businessman or woman pale in comparison to what is at stake for those of us called to messengers of the kingdom of Christ.  What I am presenting to you today is bigger then any of these kind of pursuits.  Much bigger.  Our calling as ambassadors of Christ is as big as anything that you have read about in a history book and bigger then the most action-packed movie you have watched on the silver screen.


The word of God declares the leaders of His kingdom as those who have been enlisted as soldiers in an army that will one day completely destroy all of His enemies one day soon.  Think of it, to finally put down all the lies of this world system and government, what a day that will be! Everyday we must endure these lies that government is our god, science is our bible, entertainment and sport are our worship.  These re-heated and re-cooked roman-like methods of controlling the masses and are not available to the soldiers of the cross of Jesus Christ.  No we are reaching for a much higher goal and operating on a significantly higher plane.

How, you might ask?  Because the Word of God declares it to be so for those of us who have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and have clung to His cross as our only hope of salvation.  We are those that groan under the weight of these lies and false promises that fill our air.  These demonic impressions of happiness in this world, but as followers of Christ, we have divorced ourselves from these vain promises and have entered greater and more elevating thoughts.  And as those who see clearly the divide between the world and Christ have entered the most intense conflict ever waged on this planet. 2 Cor. 5:4-5 says, "For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.  Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a pledge."  As you can imagine we are in a more vigorous battle to become eternal beings with an eternal perspective.  This war within our flesh will be harder to overcome, more then anything we might pursue in this human realm.  BUT, Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, as such, He does things in our lives that take us deeper into our humanity.  We see our emptiness without Him, we see the coming destruction of our world, we see the glory of His face.  Christ does this for us because He is drawing us into this spiritual battle between the strongest powers of darkness and the impenetrable light of His glorious kingdom. 


Remember how the original disciples of Jesus fought over being the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?  Once they realized that Jesus was very special, the anointed One of the God, they wanted to know which one of them would occupy positions closest to His throne.   Peter, James, John, and the others were wanting to position themselves either side of His throne and do you know what?  They have landed by the throne of Christ as I write these words.  They did receive the high position they sought while on earth, but in order to receive this great reward they had to die to self and fight the fight of their lives.


This heavenly kingdom is amazing!  Heaven's world touching down on our world is incomprehensible, this reality is so true that we can only perceive it in the murkiness of our struggle to comprehend it!  Don't stop reaching for more of God and don't let your vision weaken. God will not be mocked when He promises to cover one of His anointed servants with His favor.  
 
We know His touch is sure and good and we need it so bad, but many times it seems like our winning and gaining understanding of the grandeur of these things are just outside of our reach.  Yet in all this we struggle on; and the certain knowledge of heaven remains our hope and it moves our work here on earth forward.  We are thus called to tell others to bow to King Jesus, by the way we walk in His Kingdom showing that He is the soon coming King.  Though we see darkly, we know enough to enter into this epic war between good and evil to take His message past our fears.  We believe by the steadfastness of our faith that His kingdom is far greater then any kingdom here on earth that great rewards await us at His glorious throne.

If you are called to expand His kingdom today then you are on the frontlines of a great battle.  The clash of swords and the lunging and contorting of mighty warriors are raging over our heads in ways that we can only imagine.  Paul tells us in Eph 6:12 that we are fighting principalities and powers in heavenly places:

 "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual [hosts] of wickedness in the heavenly [places]."

Standing on Restoration & Revival
 
When you share with a group of believers in a city or region that God is going to restore their area, at that moment, you have just said to the spiritual authorities and inhabitants of the region that you plan by the Lord's appointment to unseat them from the their place of tyranny in that city or region.  Just like Joshua displaced the inhabitants of Canaan by destroying them at the Lord's directive, so we, bring the battle to these demonic forces and to all their dead religious works, which is accompanied by closing the hearts and minds of God's people.  By using witchcraft, idolatry, denominational pride, and cultic religion, the enemy holds an area in a place of dead stagnation in performing the clear mandate of Christ to execute the Great Commission.  The Lord always wants us to operate in power in any area of His kingdom but so few of us are willing to count the cost and engage the enemy of men.  We are waiting for someone else, a preacher, prophet, or prayer warrior to take on these battles.  In doing so we lose our blessing in the world to come and we never see real life and peace come to our world.


If you knew you were called to serve Christ in this way when you first got saved you might have run from this intense adventure.  Thankfully, for most of us, Jesus introduces us to this battle slowly so we are not overwhelmed and our feeble minds can handle the implications of this kind of call on our lives. This is the work of restoration in our heart, the individual man or woman of God.  First our hearts, our Canaan, then on to our family and friends and then onto the world around us.  

 
Have you felt this call on your life?   Can you sense the implications of what you and I have gained by the gift of eternal life?  As His sons and daughters of the kingdom of heaven?   Do you want to be part of seeing something amazing happen?  Or, are you content to just occupy a place in a pew?  Will you just hang out with your old friends and play it safe?   Are you going to stay in the "known" realities of your religious existence?  If you are a Jesus follower, then you will not be happy just hanging out in a place of stagnation, no, His righteous blood shed for your salvation will animate you to accomplish things in His power that you thought were impossible.


Eph. 2:10 "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we should walk in them."

During the decline in the land of Israel, some of the prophets of that time were lifted up to see the land of Israel from a heavenly perspective; these prophets of God saw how much defilement was in the land from God's perspective.  When God starts revealing the sins of the land to you the sight of our sins will turn your stomach sour.  Once the Lord takes a man or woman aside and reveals heavenly things to them, they partner with God and His Son in a way that forces them to do hard things.  

 
Sadly you will identify with the direness of our situation by realizing you too were wrapped up in the same sins as your neighbors.  You will petition the Lord to bring the winds of refreshing to your heart and then to cleanse the land of its defilements.

Our forefathers told their countrymen to turn back to God, so we must do the same work until the restoration of all things is finally realized in the earth and Jesus comes to sit on David's throne:

 Acts 3:19-21 "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began."

These verses frame our vision with our crusade we dubbed, "takin back the streets for Jesus".  I have quoted these verses before the leaders of the town of Pilot Mountain to inform them of what God is seeking to do in their city.  Did they get it?  As of today most do not even seem to have a clue what God is going to do in their town in days to come.  But in time, God's words will be accomplished either at the day of His appearing, or hopefully, they will eventually have all that the Lord was desiring to bring to pass for them.  All in all we will be vindicated in that day when the Lord comes in power and glory to judge the saints of God. 
 
When you and I make the right choices on the big stuff of our life here on earth, if you decide to plumb the depths of God's grace, you too will be a part of something so amazing that only "the day" will reveal its glory to you.  


Finally, when we get things rolling and people are jumping on board with us, realize that you are still in a war.  The battle is the Lord's as we stay focused on Him.  We must slowly, in much patience and grace, enjoin God's people to see the kingdom coming and to occupy the earth for Him until He comes.  

Victory is ours for sure, but there will be demonic responses!  Satan doesn't let go of his subjects without a fight.  Satan doesn't fight fair.  Satan will attack you personally; he will influence your family and friends that you are a little eccentric.  Maybe even mentally unstable.


He will get the forces of religion to partner against you.  The modern day American church will become one of your enemies, this will drive you crazy and it will not make sense, so many times you will be left scratching your head in disbelief over the silly stuff that comes against you, but nonetheless, this is part and parcel of what it means to be a servant of Christ in our time.


Do not lose heart.  The Lord tells us that those who suffer with Him will also reign with Him.  Hang on to His precious and exceedingly great promises!  The promises of God's kingdom and it's ultimate triumph in the universe will be your spiritual nourishment, just like our Lord boldly proclaimed to Satan in the wilderness, "man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God"

Today, dear man or woman of God, I beseech you to cry out to God and ask Him for a strategy to win your war in your world.  To bring enlightenment from His Word to take to your world.  Ask for grace to endure and He will meet you right at the point of your need.  Don't lose heart, keep pressing on with your eyes set on the author and finisher of your faith... Jesus Christ!  He did it for you.  He pulverized Satan's throne at the cross and ratified this reality by blasting a hole in a rich man's tomb.

Carry your burdens to Him and He will carry them for you even when you are completely exhausted.  When we give Him the battle, He comes and destroys our enemies in ways that hinder their progress in future battles.  Is. 61:4 "...He acts for those who wait for Him" We love Him because He first loved us, and chose us to be His vessels to do His work, don't let the enemy win over your mind, hold on to the promises of God!

In Christian Fellowship,

Jonathan