In the sermon this past Sunday I was dumbstruck about a simple truth that I had made so complicated and convoluted over the 30+ years of my Christian walk. The Kingdom of God is very real and very easy to reveal to others. Jason's sermon help to bring back a spark of what is really important. What makes a kingdom effective and able to achieve longevity is not its size. Many a powerful kingdoms of human history have gone bye-bye. What makes a kingdom effective are the people of the kingdom who are willing to reach out and share the reality of the Kingdom of God in small ways.

Jesus didn't inaugurate the Kingdom of God by building an army, or buildings, or programs, or comfort lifestyles. He started with 12 ordinary men. So I begin thinking; how can I downsize my expectations to make the invisible ... visible? Why not start with one person? Someone that really don't think they matter? There are lots of these kind of people waiting, wanting, hoping. Lots of them. Many in our church. Hundreds of thousands outside the church. We see them everyday. They cross our path everyday. They are too numerous to miss. Yet we miss opportunity after opportunity to reveal the Kingdom we enjoy and speak of our God is passionate about their welfare.

I loved Jason's analogy about how Jesus left it all behind - heaven that is, but he brought heaven with him and imparted it into the everyday people lives. A woman with an blood disorder for 12 years, Jesus heals her. The woman caught in adultery, Jesus forgives her; the blind man on the side of the road, Jesus heals him; the 5000 hungry crowd, Jesus feeds them; the ruler's daughter who dies, Jesus walks to the man's house and raises her up to life again. Now as you just read these examples, don't focus on the end result or miracle. If you do you miss the whole point. The main point is that Jesus did what He could at that time when a Kingdom opportunity  presented itself. I believe as disciples of Christ we can do the same. That is give others a glimpse of God's Kingdom and not be intimidated by fear or the overwhelming odds of the situation.

In the Lord's prayer are the words "your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven". Call me crazy but I think Jesus meant what he said and said what he meant when he spoke these words. Kingdom revealing is every disciple's responsibility. You recall in Luke 9 Jesus sent out his disciples to reveal the Kingdom primarily through preaching and healing. For our generation today the same mandate holds true. We are to step up as ambassadors and reveal the Kingdom of God to all who would show interest. The opportunities are endless daily. You need not look too far. I admonish (or dare) you to ask the Lord to show you  "people I can reveal you Kingdom to someone in whatever manner". Tomorrow I take off to watch my daughter in a basketball tournament in Tennessee. I expect to have 4-6 kingdom opportunities before I return.  I hope to share them with you next time. And I hope that you will have some good stories to share on this blog of Kingdom opportunities you stepped into. Thanks for listening ....

Larry