September 2014
 Jim Wies currently serves as the lead pastor at the Maricopa Campus of Church for the Nations and an itinerant prophetic and teaching ministry. His ministry includes teaching and activation on a number of topics such as personal prophecy, revelatory gifts, healing seminars, ministry training and leadership training. As an author he has written “See Jesus” and “The Advancing Kingdom”. In this devotion, Jim shares how we can arise and go forth in righteousness; full of the authority of God himself to press back the domain of darkness and advance the Kingdom of God. |
The Kingdom of God operates quite differently than the kingdoms of this world. The fact that the Kingdom of God is a spiritualreality tells us some important things about how it works. Jesus explained this clearly to the governmental authorities of His day when He said to Pilate:
“My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.
”Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?”
Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world…” (John 18:36-37 NKJV).
The unseen and transcendent nature of the Kingdom is also evident in Jesus’ response to the question of the Pharisees (ecclesiastical authorities) about when the Kingdom of God would come: He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21).
He further baffled the religious leader Nicodemus with His mystical description of the Kingdom’s spiritual, or “otherworldly,” nature. “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’
“Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’
“Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit’ ” (John 3:3-6).
The apostle Paul also brought clarity to this reality when he wrote, “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption” (1 Corinthians 15:50).
We must see that Jesus’ Kingdom dominion reflects the concept that His reign is a spiritual reality that is increasingly being reflected from within the hearts and lives of believers into every area and sphere of society and creation around us. So His dominion is not an outwardly imposed dominion, but a spiritual force that derives from within our hearts. And that dominion is rooted in righteousness, derived by faith, and expressed through love.
In light of this, the concept of “righteousness” needs to be qualified and defined. Paul the apostle showed the difference when he wrote, “Not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith” (Philippians 3:9 NIV). And that kind of righteousness is simply doing the right thing, or in all things loving others as He has loved us. So we must clarify the difference between “self-righteousness” and “faith-righteousness.” Nevertheless, God has provided, and He expects us to walk in righteousness.
So how we obtain righteousness is important, but having settled that, it is still important that we walk in the righteousness He has provided, because it is righteousness that gives us dominion.
The book of Hebrews quotes from Psalm 45:6-7: “But to the Son He says: ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your Kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness [wickedness] (Hebrews 1:8-9 NKJV).
A scepter is an ornate rod or wand that serves as an emblem of regal or imperial power and authority in the hand of a ruler. The scepter in the king’s hand represents his authority and dominion.
We are told in the above Scripture that God’s scepter is described as a scepter of righteousness. That is, His authority is righteousness; or it could be said the authority of righteousness is the authority of His Kingdom. So the extension of His rule is the extension of His righteousness. In fact, His Kingdom is described as a Kingdom of “righteousness, peace and joy, in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).
It is our destiny and purpose to be extensions of God’s rule in the earth. Ephesians 1:22-23 tells us that we are to be His body, the fullness of Him whole fills all in all. He wants to restore to us the dominion abdicated to the devil at the fall of man, and grant us to reign in life in Christ Jesus. We are meant to be extensions of His righteous rule(see the following Scriptures as well).
“For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:17 NKJV).
“You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:9-10).
Yet it is important to see that it is through righteousness that we have dominion. Therefore, as we reflect His righteousness, we express His dominion. Put more simply, our level of righteousness determines our level of dominion. It is through righteousness that we have rule in life.
The point of all this is that we must see that there is authority in righteousness. Righteousness gives us dominion. Unrighteousness robs us of dominion. Francis Frangipane, in his excellent book, The Three Battlegrounds, put it this way: If we want to be able to take ground outwardly (rule in life) we must have first taken the same ground inwardly. Let us arise and go forth in righteousness, full of the authority of God himself to press back the domain of darkness and advance the Kingdom of God.
Prayer Directives
This month let’s pray for the body of Christ and XP Ministries:
- Pray for a revival of grace-filled holiness and faith-based righteousness.
- Intercede for the Body of Christ to be filled with increased insatiable spiritual hunger.
- Pray for the people of God to burn with intense passion for Him.
- Pray for the Body to be touched and changed by His revelation, power and presence.
- Pray that we will value what has been, and all that He has done to date, but also be excited and expectant about what He is now doing and what is breaking forth in the earth (breaking the malaise of the “been-there-done-that” spirit over the Body of Christ).
- Pray that we will discern the times, know His intentions, hear His voice, and follow His lead.
- Pray that we will learn how to simply cooperate with HIS agenda, day by day, to see His Kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
About Jim Wies:
Jim has served the Lord in a variety of capacities for over three decades. During that time he has served the church as a pastor, teacher, author, equipper and conference & seminar speaker throughout the USA, Canada and abroad, providing training and mentoring on a number of topics including personal prophecy, revelatory gifts, healing seminars, ministry training and leadership training. As an author he has written “See Jesus” and “The Advancing Kingdom.”
He currently serves as the lead pastor at the Maricopa Campus of Church for the Nations, www.CFTN.com, and in itinerate prophetic and teaching ministry in association with Dunamis Network in Las Vegas, Nevada, and with XP Ministries in Maricopa, AZ, and is available for church meetings, seminars and conferences.
More about Jim can be found at www.oracle-ministries.org
Resources
Want more? May we suggest:
The Advancing Kingdom – An e- book by Jim Wies and Jonathan Welton
This is a 65 page workbook containing the full notes from the seminar of the same name, covering approximately 16 hours of teaching. It is an excellent resource for understanding the ministry of prophets & prophetic ministry in the church today. Topics include: Prophesiers vs Prophets, kinds of prophets, new covenant distinctives, builders vs bulldozers, levels and spheres of function, common pitfalls to avoid, and the place of the prophet in a five-fold ministry team.
The OFFICE & FUNCTION of the NEW COVENANT PROPHET – An e-book by Jim Wies
To know the real Jesus is absolutely critical to our lives and eternal destiny. A thorough examination of Scriptures will reveal that there are many more facets to who He is and what He has done for us than most people realize. This book is an in-depth look into the multi-faceted person of Jesus Christ. It will inspire you, quite possibly surprise you, and ultimately build you up in your faith in the God who is the creator of all things.
We at XP Ministries thank you for your prayers, partnership, and financial support. May you be richly and abundantly blessed. And remember, God loves you with an everlasting love!
