Rediscovering the Kingdom of God: Kingdom Manifesto 3

Jesus’ Begins His Public Ministry

Christ’s coming was first prophesied in Isaiah 61:1-3. After spending time in the wilderness, being thoroughly tried and tested by the devil, and proved to be the Son of God, Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. News about Him spread throughout the whole countryside. He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been raised, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as he always did. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written (Luke 4:13-19):

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,

Because He anointed Me to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent Me to proclaim release to captives,

And recovery of sight to the blind,

To set free those who are oppressed,

To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

Afterwards, he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all the people in the synagogue were intently directed at Him. He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:20-21). Christ’s coming was first prophesied in Isaiah 61:1-3. I often say that Jesus found Himself in the Scriptures. The most amazing thing is that through his testimony I was able to find mine (Rev. 19:10).

Looking closely at the Luke 4:14-19 we can see how Jesus was positioned to preach the good news of his arrival and the benefits of his coming. God designated him to be His representative to the poor, to preach good news to them. His mission was to:

• Preach the gospel to the poor
• Heal the broken-hearted
• Preach deliverance to captives
• Recover sight to the blind
• Set at liberty them that are bruised
• Preach the acceptable year of the Lord

In my personal journey with the Lord, I have been positioned to preach the “good news” on Christ’s behalf. It’s no strange thing to me that God positioned me in the Washington metro area at this appointed time. Scriptures reveal that God sets the boundaries of your habitation: “He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might feel around for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist,” (Acts 17:26-28)

I hope these messages will encourage you to become an agent for change for the Kingdom of God. His desire is for His Kingdom to be demonstrated in every nation: “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come (Matt. 24:14). One way that God’s kingdom is advances is through proclaiming His Kingdom. This pronouncement began with John the Baptist, “Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matt. 3:1-2). Jesus also said to the people, “I must also preach the kingdom of God to the other cities, because I was sent for this purpose” (Luke 4:43). Jesus also takes His ministry of teaching the kingdom of God in word and deed to a new level: He called the twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all the demons, and the power to heal diseases. And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing (Luke 9:1-2). 

We are empowered to preach the gospel to those who are thirsty. There is a beautiful promise in Isaiah 61:4 about a generation rising up to rebuild desolate cities. Isaiah 61:4 says, “…. they will rebuild the ancient ruins, They will raise up the former devastations; And they will repair the ruined cities, The desolations of many generations.” I believe it’s the heart desire of God to release a beautiful anointing that will cause the hard, uncultivated ground of many hearts to be broken up when we sow the word with a view to righteousness in cities and nations that have not experienced revival to finally see it. “Sow for yourselves, with a view to righteousness; Harvest in accordance with kindness. Break up your uncultivated ground, For it is time to seek the LORD Until He comes and rains righteousness on you (Hosea 10:12).

What does it require to proclaim the gospel of the Kingdom? Not much. Every believer has been given spiritual gifts to be used for the purpose of advancing Christ’s kingdom on earth. To do so you must seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a worker who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth, so that you may be fully capable, equipped for every good work. (Matt. 6:33; 2 Tim. 2:15; 3:17). Preaching the gospel, demonstrating the kingdom, and manifesting God’s glory throughout the earth is important as we see gross darkness covering the earth and thick darkness over the peoples (Isa. 60:2). God promises that the whole earth will be filled with His glory and that Jesus will return when the gospel of the kingdom is preached to all nations (Isa. 6:3; Matt. 24:3-31). At this critical hour, we must be attuned to what the spirit is saying to the church (Rev.3:22).

May the grace, joy, and peace of God be yours through Jesus Christ our loving Lord. To Him be glory, now and forever.

Blessings,

Minister Dr. A. Francine Green

Notes:

All Scriptures are taken from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.