August 1, 2021: The Kingdom of God (Luke 17:21), an interpretation and sage words of advice by Esther Nogic. In these troubled times where our cultural and governmental institutions continue to fail us, we must always remember that we can find The Kingdom of God within us .. but it will require that we pass the test of faith.
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The Kingdom of God is within you, Luke 17:21. It is this verse that brought me back to the church and it is this verse that encouraged me to walk away.
Do you remember the movie Pollyanna? The town wanted to raise money for the children’s shelter by throwing a bizarre. Bought, paid for, and funded by the townspeople. Well, Aunt Polly ran that town and she went to the local preacher and made it clear that he was to discourage this bizarre. She wanted him to fill the people with some good old fashion fear. This just goes to show you who actually has quite a bit of power in town. The townspeople begged and pleaded for him to make an announcement at the end of the service promoting the event. They thought all hope was lost and the preacher would stand with rich Aunt Polly. However, to everyone’s great surprise, he did promote the bizarre at the end of church service. When C19 hit, I was so hopeful and honestly excited because I thought we were going to have our very own Pollyanna moment.
Believers of God, followers of Christ, we had an incredible opportunity during C19. In the chaos there was light. This was our moment to grow the church, to show the world that fear has no place in our hearts, that God has us all in His hands. We are known to Him, this is what unites us, this is what makes us equal. Every church folded. The church was never meant to conform to the world but to stand on its own. They chose fear. The one institution that was needed more than any other, stopped following scripture and started following government. I guess they have been for a while, it was now finally on full display. They chose to display “Love thy neighbor, take thy vaccine” signs, fly BLM and LGBTQ+ flags, host political fund raisers, organize systemic racism and white privilege book clubs and be outspoken supporters of planned parenthood. They can do all this but can’t sign a petition about protecting the rights of our children because it’s too controversial. How naïve of me to think we were in a position to be the miracle when this is the corrupted foundation many of our churches stand on.
I don’t feel like I belong here, do you? I’m here to do God’s will and bring Him glory, to be one ripple for Him and then go home. I have felt isolated from several churches - Catholic, Protestant and even non-denominational. They lost a deeply involved and devoted member, but it’s because of them that the world has gained a disciple. The buildings will come down and their money will dry up unless they are bold enough to stand with Christ.
Do not get discouraged friends. This is a test of faith. Seek the truth, follow it and you cannot be destroyed. There are millions of us. We, God’s people, are the majority. We are the church. We were born for such a time as this. Suit up and know that the best is yet to come.
Ephesians 6:10-18 The Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
By: Extremely American Esther Nogic