Weekly Prayer: The Kingdom Is Now!

Opening Prayer:

Lord, open our hearts and minds that as we read Your word and commune with Your Spirit, we may hear with joy and hope what You say to us today.  Amen!

Matthew 10: 1-15


Thoughts:

I think it should shock us to realize the kind of power Jesus gives his disciples.  He gives us authority over all of the forces of evil, sin, disease, and death!  Then he charges us to go out and counteract these forces with the healing, forgiving, resurrecting power of God's loving Kingdom!  I know what some of you are thinking, "It's great that Jesus and the disciples did that kind of thing back then before they had science and medicine, but that stuff doesn't really happen any more."  Others may read Jesus' call for us to cast out demons and immediately have images from the movie "The Exorcist" playing in their minds, heads twisting a full 360 degrees and throwing up green goop (that movie still gives me the creeps!).  Those running these films in their minds may be asking, "Is that what Jesus has in mind for me to do to follow him?" 

Regardless of how we feel about it, the fact remains that Jesus calls his disciples then and now to be a force in the world to counteract evil, sin, and death in whatever forms they are presented.  The Bible doesn't have a problem acknowledging that forces of evil and our sinful choices are at work to destroy God's good creation.  The Bible also doesn't have a problem with reminding us that the ultimate forces of our loving God and His Kingdom are greater!  The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ conquers evil, sin, and death! 

So where does that leave those of us seeking to follow Jesus?  It leaves us on the same mission as the 12 disciples in Matthew!  Jesus calls us to go into our neighborhood, office, family, soccer field, and restaurant, prayerfully casting out evil, bringing healing, and proclaiming the forgiving, saving love of Jesus Christ our savior!  We must live the Kingdom way of life and help people see what God is doing to save his creation by proclaiming the Kingdom!

Life Questions: 

How is God asking me to show the Kingdom of God to someone this week?  Is it through prayer, through kindness, through forgiveness, through healing, or service? 

Closing Prayer:

God of grace and God of glory pour your power on us, your people, so that we may advance your Kingdom of healing love in the name of Jesus Christ our King!  Amen.

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