He brought me Out
June of 2008 ‘God’ or ‘The Holy Spirit’ or ‘My Higher Self’…. whatever you choose to label it, spoke to me and said study the words of Jesus only when you study the word from this day forward. No Paul, No David, No Moses, No John… just Jesus, the red letters.
I was out of work… had just moved back to SC from the QC (Charlotte, NC)…. I wasn’t working and had plenty of time to dedicate to my studies. I downloaded original transcripts, Greek translations, and pulled books from the biblical texts from the library and dove into the word… words from Jesus only.
I came to know Jesus in a more intimate way… the closer I got to him, the more I realized that I couldn’t partake in ‘church’ as it functioned at that time.
Jesus’ teaching on seeking The Kingdom of God are clear. It is so interesting to me that this text isn’t preached more from the pulpit. I was a church ‘goer’ for many, many years… sometimes 3 or 4 times a week. I can’t even count on one hand the number of times I’ve heard this preached or taught. Why? Would you say this was pretty important information on attaining your place in The Kingdom of God?
Luke 17:21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.”
This teaching simply states; look within yourself to find the Kingdom of God… or as some say… Man Know Thyself… It points towards meditation as well as learning more about your body/its organs and how they function.
We can easily see God’s creation all around us. We marvel at the beauty of the sky, the clouds, sun, stars, the mountains in all of their wonder… the vast ocean and its power; waterfalls and much more… Yet the creation of our temple; the vehicle that carries us through this life experience- we fail to marvel, explore, embrace and know fully.
Jesus left clear instructions on how we are to find the Kingdom of God, we should take his words to heart, study them… continue to seek instruction on a deeper revelation of this truth and be thankful that we are able to read this teaching in today’s text.
I notice in some translations they have already begun to translate/change even those two precious words.
‘Within you’ has been translated to ‘among you’ as well as ‘in your midst’… Beloved there is a big difference between within you and among you. Big difference.
There are some studies that estimate the word meditation was taken out of older versions of the bible. I’m no expert and haven’t done enough research to fully validate these reports; but it resonates within me that this could be a strategic plan to keep the masses in the dark or somewhat misguided in their search for God. The most important search/quest of man since the beginning of humanity… thousands and thousands of years ago. The earliest documentation of man’s quest for or seeking of ‘God’ goes back over 30,000 years.
If you can’t agree with me on anything else, maybe you can agree that the big guys at the top of the food chain maintain their position at the top of the food chain by keeping us where we are. They maintain power not only by keeping us at a certain level financially; but also by keeping us somewhat in the dark spiritually or shall I say… keep us at a certain level when it comes to higher knowledge and fully understanding our individual power. I tell you beloved; Jesus wanted us to know about our individual power, he wanted us to know about the essence of God each of us carries everywhere we go… let’s look more closely at this Kingdom of God.
What do Christians of today refer to when they talk about the Kingdom of God? A few that come to mind are…
-Building New Churches
-New additions to the church building
-More Tithers and Givers building The Kingdom of God through giving financially
-Missions Trips
-Community Functions/Gatherings
-Prison Ministry
-Prayer Ministry
– And much, much, much more…
None of these things are bad; they are primarily good and the people who make this happen will be rewarded or have been rewarded for impacting the lives of those who were in need. I’m certainly grateful for all the church has done to impact my life as well as my family.
I want to look at this from another angle. Let’s take a different perspective on the typical way a church functions and the fact that it thrives on keeping its members in a needy position. Christians/believers ignorance to the knowledge of who they truly are and what they carry with them daily keeps them in a weakened state. Time and time again I have witnessed men and women of ‘God’ including myself measure or compare their level of success in the Kingdom of God with their level of worldly possessions, material wealth and positions in society as well as corporations.
Looking within and embracing the truth of who you are will not only bring you to a place of awareness of the power of God that is freely yours; it will also set you free from some other bondage that believers suffer through.
What am I referring to?
The Bondage of being ‘Blessed’… Lord set us free and begin to reveal to us the true definition of a blessing.
Let’s look at the text again.
Luke 17:21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.”
(New Living Translation)
You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.”
Basically what Jesus tried to leave with us was the fact that people will say to us or try to convince us that the Kingdom of God is over here; that they might try to make us believe that it is somewhere that it actually isn’t.
We are so caught up in receiving a “blessing”; that new house, new car, promotion, getting ordained, those new robes, what color should the new carpet be, finding a wife, that husband riding in on a white horse, that position or validation in some form or fashion….. We completely lose sight of the miracle of the very breath that flows through our lungs.
Let’s admit it brothers and sisters… If we were to see two people and take inventory of the possessions that they have and their financial position in life; we would be so quick to label the individual with more of the above as the one who is blessed. Right? We’ve been conditioned to see things this way.
The deeper truth regarding the ‘treasures’ we find in the Kingdom of God have been hidden from the masses. Hidden right before our eyes.
It’s normal for church goers to struggle financially; tithe faithfully while ‘keeping up appearances’…because you know we must have a new dress every so often… even if it’s not in the budget. Even if we’re not truly blessed with the Joy of the Lord, by George… we gone look like we got Joy… and the pocketbook to match!
We dance, buck and jerk… proclaiming that this is our Year of Blessings!!! In church jumping around and screaming at the Devil to “Give us our Stuff!!!” When all of that Stuff is empty and void of the Peace that passes all understanding. The Peace that passes all understanding that is freely given in abundance yet overlooked for a genuine pearl necklace with a payment plan.
Ok… let me focus.
You see… once we grasp this teaching fully… once we are awakened to the fact that we have everything that we need. If ‘God’ doesn’t do another thing for us, ‘He’ has done more than enough.
That if we don’t make it to the Altar on Sunday morning; ‘God’ will gladly meet us at the altar of our hearts right where we sit.
That if we never receive another material gift or new thing; that we truly already have more than we need.
That if we can’t reach Pastor or the Intercessors for a prayer request; that ‘God’ already knows the situation and the need; that we can simply close our eyes- connect with ‘Him’ and not even need utter a single word and ‘He’ hears us……
That if there is no praise or worship leader or psalmist there to escalate our emotions to shout Glory and give ‘God’ the Praise …. Our creator is equally Glorified and Exalted through our quiet moments of inward reflection and appreciation.
I’m not a Church basher, and if I’m perceived that way know that it’s not my intention. If you must label me as anything… call me a Kingdom Builder. It’s my mission and purpose in life to assist with equipping You with the knowledge and awareness of just how awesome and amazing You are!
You carry with you The Kingdom of God. It’s high time you knew it, embraced it and walked fully in it!
I do look forward to the day that I’m connected with a ministry that I can serve with and join in the quest to truly equip the people of ‘God’ to live a life free of all bondage, even the bondage that may be hard to see or realize.. The bondage and limitations that are placed on us inside the church.
That people begin to live completely free from fear; that we know regardless if we have a church home or not we are still a part of The Kingdom of God.
I wrote this song many years ago…. I never imagined that I would one day sing this song and reference being brought out with being brought out of the bondage that sometimes we receive from ‘the church’.
He brought me out
HE BROUGHT ME OUT, OUT, OUT
OF THE HOUSE OF BONDAGE
HE BROUGHT ME OUT, OUT, OUT
OF THE LAND OF SIN
HE BROUGHT ME OUT, OUT, OUT
OF THE HOUSE OF BONDAGE
HE BROUGHT ME OUT, OUT, OUT
OF THE LAND OF SIN
YOU’VE GIVEN ME LIBERTY
YOU’VE SET ME FREE
AND PUT YOUR SPIRIT IN ME
NOW I LIVE IN VICTORY
THERE’S A NEW SONG I SING
A NEW DANCE IN MY FEET
I’LL PRAISE YOU ETERNALLY…
FOR BRINGING ME OUT
No more striving to be that. You are already that. No more pressure to have that. You are valuable with or without that. No more pressing to get that. You are already whole and complete beloved. Rest in the Peace that Passes all understanding regardless of your surroundings or how things appear.
Awake and Connect with The Kingdom of God which is within you. It was there when you were born, it will always remain with you. There is nothing you can do to change it.
Love, Light & Truth
Divine Connections © 2012
Awake. Connect. 