Kingdom Family Spectrum 1
On 8 January 2017, I loudly encouraged NLRC churches to focus once again on the family, especially our families in God’s Kingdom and His purposes. This makes our families Kingdom Families. In the same breath, I also taught that the Bible tells us the Church is also a family, it is God’s Family. In this light, we must see that the church exists for God’s Kingdom. Hence it is also Kingdom Family. So the concept of Kingdom Family is two-fold, applying to our natural family and the church as a family.
Families are Emotional Systems
Both the natural nuclear family and the church family are emotional systems. Saved and born again in the spirit, we are new creation in Christ and perfectly righteous through Christ in the spirit. But our soul, that is our mind and emotions need to be converted. This is a big process. Failure to see this has kept genuinely born again believers in the bind and control of the flesh, the world and the devil. This makes them ineffective in their faith. My call is for families to be successful and healthy families in their physical, spiritual and especially their emotional state so that they enjoy what Jesus says in John 10:10, to live life abundantly (wholesomely), in spirit, soul and body.
Anxiety
Jesus and Paul the apostle emphasized the need to refrain from anxiety. Stress, hurts, offences, and anxiety are weights that prevent Christians from enjoying their abundant life. Someone gave this apt illustration. Stress is like a glass of water. Held for one minute, it is nothing. Held for an hour, your arm will ache. Hold it for much longer, you feel numb. Much longer still, it paralyses the arm. Stress and anxiety are like that glass of water. The right thing to do is to put it down. In the words of Paul: cast all your cares upon the Lord; be anxious for nothing but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Jesus addresses anxiety in ten verses in Matthew 6:24-34. That was in the context of the Lord’s Prayer. We cannot be in prayer and still stay anxious. This contradicts the idea of faith. Trust in the Lord.
The Big Thing is God’s Kingdom Purpose and Destiny for you
Let God’s Kingdom purposes and destiny be your main focus. It is the biggest thing in the universe. It is God’s Kingdom that brings all other things in this world under its rule and dominion, especially all things that pertain to the evil one. Things that have harmed people with addiction, selfish plans, greed that hurt others, diseases, corruption and perversions; these things must be brought under God’s just and righteous jurisdiction. The world is full of these. Unfortunately, sometimes, many Christians are still suffering these things. They have inner conflicts and are at a loss. To win over these and not let worldly issues dominate our life, we live for God’s higher cause and bigger purpose. When you do not have a big thing small things become big. Pains, hurts and worries will dominate and some people get into a downward emotional spin. Others get into depression. It is not worth it. Live for God and be lifted to a higher plane.
Here is the Good News of the Kingdom. Sin is already judged at the Cross. Believers do not need to stay under condemnation as Christ has borne all our sins. Whenever we confess our sins and ask God to forgive us, by what Christ has done in his death, shedding of his blood, God readily forgives us and is able to cleanse all our unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). God is waiting for us to effect what Christ has done for us at the Cross and resurrection. Once forgiven, God casts our sins from the east to the west, never to be remembered. Do not stay condemned and guilt-ridden. Whenever there is anything in our life that the Devil can accuse us for, he will claim his right to torment us. Job was a classic case. He was a righteous man but his children were not. That is why he made offerings daily hoping to atone for their lifestyles of dishonour to God. His children’s sins alone, was enough to give Satan the legal ground to torment Job who stood in intercession. But we the New Testament believers have Jesus our Intercessor who intercedes for us unceasingly before the
Father (Hebrews 7:25). He is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
The question is executing what Christ has done for us to live with an inner freedom. Repent from motives or behaviour that displeases God so that the devil has no place to keep accusing you. The devil is legalistic. He builds a case against us if we can.
The Holy Spirit will be able to vindicate you and judge the devil and his demonic cohorts to dispel their presence and mischief in your life. These include freedom from sicknesses, generational curses, obstructions to answers to prayer and breakthrough that you need. It’s only ignorance that prevents Christians from freedom from things that must be brought under the judgment of God our Righteous Judge and King. We need to see to it that we are individually set free from the wiles of the enemy, and to protect our family especially the ones who are young and vulnerable. My focus on families is so that they all come under God’s Kingdom authority, power, protection and provision.
In freedom, we are able to enjoy God’s spectrum of His glory in our families. Within each family, and I mean both your nuclear family and the church as God’s Family, there are many talents and many opportunities God wants to manifest His manifold wisdom, supernatural works and glory. If we align our life under Him, we enter into the flow of His grace and favour from His Throne of Grace. This river of grace includes healing power, gifts of the Holy Spirit, voice of God that leads in every situation, in your home, at school, at work or in your business. This is Kingdom Family Spectrum.
Love,
Pastor Jeremiah Yap