What is the Kingdom of God? Pr Jeremie Manirakiza, Burundi, Africa

What is the Kingdom of God ?  

Pr Jeremie Manirakiza ()

Pr. Jeremie Manirakiza, from Burundi, East Africa, is a man of God, a true son that truly preaches the Gospel of the Kingdom - Josimar Salum  

The Kingdom of God is the rule of Christ over the whole  creation.

Jesus reigns over the entire universe and upon the earth as well forever. 

“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. This one will be great and will be called Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end. Luke 1:28-37.

Jesus did not come on earth to plant churches and denominations. The purpose of Jesus was to come to establish a kingdom and rule over it eternally.  And He, in the Kingdom, is building the Church that the gates of hell will not prevail against. 

 How do we enter the Kingdom of God ? 

When we are born again, we are given the right to become children of God and to become citizens of the Kingdom of God.  

Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the Kingdom of God unless they are born again. " (John 3:3)

 The gospel of the salvation versus the Gospel of the Kingdom. 

Some preachers preach the gospel of salvation, which is only a small part of the message. The gospel of salvation is focused mostly on the fact that Jesus paid for our sin. It is wonderful, but it is just the basic of it. It puts its emphasis on heaven and rapture. According to them, we are saved to go to heaven. According to them Jesus will rapture us and we will escape earth to be taken away to heaven.

In fact, they really have a tendency to escape the reality of this world. ‬‬

When Jesus was praying for his disciples, he said this: "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one." (John 17:15)

Jesus taught us to pray His will: “Your Kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭10‬ ‭‬‬

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.” Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ 

Observe carefully that the Holy Spirit says that our citizenship in heaven, FROM WHICH we also eagerly wait for the Savior. 

The Kingdom Gospel is the message of faith. It is the message of the cross. It is the message of Christ Jesus making all of His disciples not only sons of God but kings and priests. 

The message that invites us to live a life for Christ, to bring his Kingdom down and to accomplish his will on earth, to apply the kingdom principles in all aspects of life and to introduce the kingdom culture not only in the church but in the marketplace. 

Consequently, the Kingdom message will transform society as are the Salt of the Earth and the Light of the world and will disciple people that will like us shall submit under the authority of Christ.

“To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever Amen.” Revelation‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬-‭6‬‬‬

“Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever! Revelation‬ ‭11‬:‭15

#ASONE

CHRIST CALLED YOU TO FREEDOM Josimar Salum

CHRIST CALLED YOU TO FREEDOM

Josimar Salum

There is nothing more harmful to a person than solidifying his beliefs. When you stop asking, you stop learning.

Dogmas are beliefs that have become petrified and defy any confrontation. Each one builds his confession of faith, his creed, and guides his life according to the traditions of his parents, his church and himself. 

It is not the Truth that counts, but whether it is accepted. The effect of literalism on human life is to lead one to deny his likeness to God and even his nature as a being that thinks, chooses, concludes and is free.

The greatest Master in the universe called his students to follow him, not to build convictions. People tend to copy others and repeat what others do without questioning, without weighing, without investigation, without examination and without their own experiences.

If you are part of a group where you hear one or more of these phrases or expressions often, take it as a sign that you are under witchcraft, you have no freedom and you are a member of a cult.

1 - “You are part of the best community you could be in.”

2 - “It is forbidden to think.”

3 - “Do not question anything. Just obey.”

4 - "Don't question, just pray."

5 - “You have to decide which side you are on.”

6 - “You have to trust me.”

7 - "I won't explain, because you don't have the maturity to understand."

8 - “When I think you are ready, I will speak openly.”

9 - “Never question an authority.”

10 - “We know what is best for you and your family.”

11 - “It is a privilege for you and your family to be with us.”

12 - "God spoke to us..."

… And he didn't speak to you.

Anyone who takes upon himself the prerogative of exclusively listening to the voice of God in order to transmit it to you, becomes a mediator between God and yourself. Drop out of this! Urgently!

Traditions are invariably practices that emerged from things that went right for a given moment and that were perpetuated through repetitions even when they no longer worked. People err much more because they maintain traditions at the expense of knowledge of the Scriptures and the power of God. They rely on practices and no longer venture to follow Jesus alone.

Jesus is no longer Jesus of Nazareth, but a religion, a faith, a belief, a prayer, a tradition.

Jesus wants us to be his friends, but we stop coming to him to follow the faith. Faith becomes our focus and not Jesus. When living life becomes a religious practice, life ceases to be natural.

Children learn all the time because they ask. Curiosity and doubt are the best tools to foster learning. Without the burning desire to move forward, monotony will become your companion.

You will always be able to improve. You can always surpass your limits. The limit is simply an imposition of fear. Limits only exists for those who establish them.

If what you do will always remain what you do, there is no more room in your life for creativity, improvement and change.

You don't follow Jesus, but your beliefs. That's why church meetings get boring, there's no more life. Life at home, at work, at play becomes a bit of your beliefs.

Development will always find a way as waters always find a way. The fountain only stops gushing if a lid suffocates it. The river will always run its course. If a dam interrupts it, the volume of its waters will break the barrier.

Make a man stop thinking and he will easily become a slave.

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free! Therefore, stand firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1

#ASONE

Translated from Brazilian Portuguese into English by: Filipe S.S. Gouvea

The Most Underrated Weapon of the Enemy (and 6 Ways to Overcome it) Kris Vallotton

THE MOST UNDERRATED WEAPON OF THE ENEMY ( AND 6 WAYS TO OVERCOME IT )

Kris Vallotton

Shame is one of the most underrated and yet powerful weapons that the enemy wields against the children of God! Often, it melts in our thought-lives until it encapsulates the lenses through which we see the world, dictates our decisions, and slyly holds us captive to secret sin.

If you’re wondering if the force of shame has, even in subconscious ways, slipped in and begun to influence your inner world, answer these questions honestly:

What is your knee-jerk response when you make a mistake — do you find yourself defending your behavior, minimizing its impact or anxiously scrambling to do whatever it takes to make the embarrassment go away?

Have you ever felt like everyone is against you, that you’re not as good as others, or that no matter how hard you try, you can’t do anything right?

Have you ever heard that little voice in your head say, “You don’t fit in. Nobody likes you.” Or how about, “How could God love you? I mean he really knows everything about you.”

If you answered “yes” to any of these statements, it’s likely that shame is speaking to you.

Conviction is from God; Shame is from Satan

When Adam and Eve first sinned in the Garden of Eden, conviction was an appropriate symptom of their disobedience. That’s right! 

Conviction is built into our conscience to let us know when we have done something that threatens our connection with God. In other words, conviction is actually a good thing as it helps protect our intimacy with the Father. It’s like a warning light on a car’s dashboard that lets you know when something needs attention before the engine ignites and inevitably blows up.

Conviction says, “You did something wrong,” like when the apostle Paul said, “we all have sinned…” (Romans 3:23 TPT). It speaks to something you’ve done that you can repent from in order to find true connection again. Yet, shame goes further: it speaks to who you are.

Shame is a core (even subconscious) belief of unworthiness. It says, “You are wrong…You are bad…You are not good enough.”

But What if You’re Not Perfect?

Shame always seeks to seduce its prey into perfectionism. When we listen to shame, we will never feel secure in our identity. We will always need to do more to prove that “we are okay,” while never actually appeasing shame’s appetite for approval.

The pursuit of feeling worthy by being better, more successful, thinner, smarter, wealthier, accomplished, or even in “good” business, is a futile attempt at cultivating a godly sense of worthiness.

The apostle Paul states in Ephesians 2:10 that, “Even before we were born, God planned in advance our destiny and the good works we would do to fulfill it!” That means you cannot earn worthiness. We are worthy of God’s love because of his grace – nothing more.

Additionally, we were God’s treasures before we ever became Christians – “Christ proved God’s passionate love for us by dying in our place while we were still lost and ungodly! (Romans 5:8 TPT).” When God created Adam and Eve, He said that they were “good;” they had intrinsic worth as his treasures.

Shame Attacks Your Identity and Destiny

Shame often mockingly begs the question: “Who do you think you are?

This is the devil’s odious attempt to convince us that we do not have a supernatural identity as children of God. If the accuser can make his case and win, then he can derail us from our divine destiny.

When Jesus was baptized, he heard the Father say, “This is my son…” Identity. Interestingly, Jesus did not preach a message, heal a sick person, or prophesy until he first heard of his true identity. 

We can only fulfill our supernatural destiny to the degree that we believe our supernatural identity.

After his baptism, Jesus was led out into the desert to be tempted by the devil. Two times, the devil assaulted Jesus’ identity with contemptuous challenges, “If you are the Son of God, turn these stones into bread.” And then, “If you are the Son of God, jump off the Temple’s roof.” See Luke 4.

The devil was attempting to tempt Jesus into performing to prove his identity because he knew that if Jesus took the challenge, it would demonstrate that he did not really know who he was. Moreover, he would have to spend the rest of his life proving his identity over and over. What I’m getting at is that knowing our true identity in God prevents performance for approval.

6 Ways to Silence the Voice of Shame

If you find yourself in a constant struggle to prove that you are good, to perform for acceptance and to portray your “perfection” to the world, try these keys for getting free from the shackles of shame:

1. LEARN HOW TO RECOGNIZE GOD'S VOICE FROM THE DEVIL'S VOICE.

Ask yourself, “Is what I’m hearing the truth or a lie?” Try writing down all the times shame speaks to you during the day. You may be surprised at how often shame is speaking.

2. LEARN HOW TO BE VULNERABLE.

Shame loves secrecy. However, the truth will set us free. Being open and honest requires great risk, but also reaps great reward. Begin with yourself, God, and then reach out to someone who can give you good feedback. Telling someone that you have been listening to shame will release you from the power of secrecy and silence shame.

3. LEARN TO RECOGNIZE YOUR FEELINGS

Empathy is the antidote to shame. When we are able to discern and identify our feelings and the feelings of others, it creates a pathway to finding out what we need from God, others, and ourselves. Ask yourself, “What am I feeling right now?” “What do I need?”

4. LEARN TO TAKE EVERY THOUGHT CAPTIVE.

It’s normal to be tempted to believe and act in negative, hurtful, and dysfunctional ways in response to the shame messages spoken to you. Shame is silenced when we take ownership of our mistakes, accept our limitations and deficiencies, as well as interpret other people’s motives correctly. Take responsibility in submitting shaming thoughts and feelings to become obedient to Christ’s perspective (2 Corinthians 10:5).

5. LEARN HOW TO LISTEN THROUGH THE EARS OF FAITH.

Ask yourself, “What does God want to say to me about my identity right now?” “What does he think about me?” Additionally, begin reading Scripture from the perspective that God is for you, that you are a good man or woman, that you are a saint saved by grace, an overcomer, the apple of his eye.

6. Learn to be grateful.

The fact is that you are wonderfully made (Psalms 139:14). Being grateful for how God has made you in all of your limitations and imperfections will help you to replace shame with acceptance and love. Every time you hear shame messages left on your mental voicemail, erase them with gratitude. Thankfulness prepares the way for breakthrough.

About the Second Coming and Rapture

The Scriptures teach the second coming of Jesus.

"This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)

"14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." (I Thessalonians 4:16-17)

"Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him," (II Thessalonians 2:1) it is one event only.

The traditions of men teach other way, but not according the the Lord's word.