When Heaven Invades Earth

1. The Normal Christian Life is Supernatural.

It is abnormal for a Christian not to have an appetite for the impossible.

Hunger for impossibilities. Christians are designed with a spiritual DNA that hungers for the impossible to bow to Jesus' name. This means expecting and experiencing supernatural signs and wonders as a natural part of everyday life, not just a rare occurrence. The lack of miracles isn't God's will, but often a result of our limited thinking.

Ordinary people, extraordinary Father. The stories of healing and transformation shared are not due to exceptional individuals, but ordinary people serving an extravagant God. They simply made room for God, believing in His goodness and taking risks that God honored with extraordinary results. This demonstrates that anyone can live a life where heaven invades earth.

Power is inexcusable. Excuses for powerlessness are unacceptable because our mandate is clear: raise a generation that openly displays God's raw power. This journey requires a renewed mind, possible only through a desperate pursuit of the Holy Spirit, leading to an authentic gospel of the Kingdom. The Kingdom is not just talk, but power.

2. Jesus Modeled a Life Dependent on the Holy Spirit.

If He performed miracles because He was God, then they would be unattainable for us. But if He did them as a man, I am responsible to pursue His lifestyle.

Jesus' self-imposed limits. Jesus chose to live with the same human limitations we face, having no supernatural capabilities of His own as a man. He explicitly stated, "The Son can do nothing." This was crucial so that His miracles, wonders, and signs, performed as a man in right relationship with God and dependent on the Holy Spirit, would be a model for us.

Our potential is His lifestyle. If Jesus performed miracles as God, they would be beyond our reach. But because He did them as a man, we are responsible to pursue His lifestyle of complete dependence on the Holy Spirit. Our humanity, cleansed by Christ's blood, is now distinguished by how willing we are to live dependent on the Spirit.

Commission restored. Mankind was originally commissioned to subdue the earth, extending God's dominion. This authority was lost through sin but reclaimed by Jesus. His declaration, "All authority has been given to Me... Go therefore," means He got it back so we could use it. We are restored to His plan of ruling, enforcing Calvary's victory by destroying the devil's works through the power we've received.

3. Repentance is Changing Your Mind to See the Kingdom.

Most Christians repent enough to get forgiven, but not enough to see the Kingdom.

Beyond sorrow for sin. Repentance is more than just feeling sorry for sin or turning away from it; it fundamentally means changing your way of thinking. This mental transformation is essential to discover and grasp the focus of Jesus' ministry: the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. It's about surrendering to grace to renew the mind.

Seeing the unseen. Changing our thinking allows us to perceive the Kingdom, which is here and now, though in the invisible realm. This awareness helps us resist the enemy's attempts to anchor us to the visible world. Being born again enables us to see from the heart, and true repentance envisions His Kingdom, making us co-laborers destroying the devil's works.

Living from superior reality. The unseen realm is superior to the natural, and faith is anchored there. Jesus' Beatitudes describe the attitudes of a repentant mind, the "lenses" through which the Kingdom is seen. These attitudes, empowered by grace, allow us to access His unseen world and experience His dominion, illustrating that the Kingdom comes in the presence of the Spirit.

4. Faith Anchors Us in the Superior Unseen Reality.

Unbelief is faith in the inferior.

Faith sees the unseen. Faith is the heart's mirror reflecting the realities of the unseen Kingdom, actualizing what it perceives. It lives from the invisible towards the visible, contrasting with the limitations of natural sight. Jesus expected everyone to see from the heart, judging those who couldn't discern spiritual times as hypocrites, implying this ability is given to all.

Superiority of the invisible. The invisible realm is superior to the natural, dominating it both positively and negatively. Faith is anchored in this unseen reality, while unbelief is anchored in the visible or reasonable apart from God, honoring the natural as superior. Materialism, beyond accumulating goods, is faith in the natural world as the superior reality.

Faith is active and violent. Faith is not the absence of doubt but the presence of belief, an active, aggressive force that grabs hold of Kingdom reality and brings it into collision with the natural world. This "violence" takes the Kingdom by force, whether through quiet pressing in or loud crying out. Faith empowers, connecting heaven's available power to earthly circumstances, making the impossible possible.

5. Prayer Brings Heaven's Reality to Earth.

If you want anything from God, you will have to pray into heaven.

Praying heaven down. The Lord's Model Prayer is the clearest instruction on bringing heaven's reality to earth. It has two priorities: intimacy with God expressed in worship ("Hallowed be Your name") and bringing His Kingdom to earth ("Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven"). Biblical prayer is always linked with radical obedience.

Heaven sets the standard. Praying "Your Kingdom come" means asking God to superimpose the rules, order, and benefits of heaven onto earth until it looks like His world. This applies to all areas:

• Daily bread: Abundant supply, as in heaven.
• Forgiveness: Relationships modeled after heaven's forgiveness.
• Deliverance from evil: Freedom from temptation and the evil one, as in heaven.
  When His rule collides with darkness (sin, sickness, demons), His world wins.

Prayer is the vehicle. God has chosen to act in human affairs in response to prayer. We are His delegated authority on earth, and prayer is the vehicle for His invasion. Those who don't pray allow darkness to continue ruling. The enemy's greatest deception targets the purpose and effect of prayer, trying to keep us from this powerful tool.

6. The Holy Spirit is the Agent of Kingdom Invasion.

The Holy Spirit is the agent of heaven who makes these kinds of encounters possible.

Surpassing the greatest. Jesus stated that the least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than John the Baptist, the greatest Old Testament prophet. This new standard is possible through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, which John himself needed. This baptism makes available a lifestyle of power and dominion that surpasses anything known under the Old Covenant.

Fullness for overflow. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is not just a one-time event but an entrance to a lifestyle of power, requiring many fillings because "we leak." God's ultimate goal is for believers to overflow with His fullness, not just speak in tongues. This overflow, released through faith and compassion, dispossesses hell's strongholds and takes possession for God's glory.

Presence terrifies hell. The Holy Spirit encompasses the Kingdom, enforcing Jesus' lordship and marking territory with liberty. Anointed ministry causes a collision between the world of darkness and the world of light, where light always triumphs immediately. The Holy Spirit has no battle wounds; Jesus is Lord. His presence terrifies hell because it brings the reality of His dominion.

7. The Anointing Equips Us to Destroy the Devil's Works.

The spirits of hell are at war against the anointing, for without the anointing mankind is no threat to their dominion.

Christ means Anointed One. "Christ" is not Jesus' last name but a title meaning "Anointed One," pointing to an experience. Jesus, as a man, received the Holy Spirit's anointing to live beyond human limits and destroy the devil's works. This anointing is the equipment necessary for supernatural ministry, linking Jesus the man to the divine power needed to reveal the Father and His realm.

Antichrist opposes the Anointing. The "antichrist" spirit is against the "Anointed One." It works to influence believers to reject the Holy Spirit's anointing, reducing the gospel to mere intellect without supernatural encounter. This spirit tolerates talk of past power but denies its present availability, working against faith by anchoring trust in human reason rather than God's empowering presence.

Anointing transforms. The anointing is the tangible presence of the Holy Spirit upon someone for supernatural endeavors. It not only equips for ministry but also transforms the vessel it flows through, as seen when the Spirit came upon Saul and "turned him into another man." This encounter with the anointing is key to personal growth and victory over character flaws.

8. Teaching Should Lead to Encounters with God.

Any revelation from God's Word that does not lead us to an encounter with God only serves to make us more religious.

Teaching and doing. Jesus, the model teacher, never separated teaching from doing. He combined proclaiming the gospel with signs and wonders, commanding His disciples to do the same. Teachers are to instruct to explain what they just did or are about to do, making room for God to move through action, not just words.

Experience validates truth. Simply knowing truth is insufficient; it must change circumstances for good. Teaching must be followed by action that allows God to move. Personal experience with God's power is crucial; without it, knowledge can lead to pride. Moving in the impossible through dependence on God short-circuits pride and builds true faith.

Power vs. words. The Kingdom of God is not in word (logos) but in power (dunamis). Paul warned the Corinthian church against teachers with many words but little power, contrasting them with spiritual fathers who demonstrate power. Christianity is a relationship, not a philosophy. God encounters make concepts powerful, and we must require this of ourselves by seeking until we find.

9. Our Identity is "As He Is, So Are We in This World".

While most of the Church is still trying to become as Jesus was, the Bible declares, 'As He is, so are we in this world.'

Beyond the suffering servant. The declaration "As He is, so are we in this world" refers to Jesus in His triumphantly resurrected, ascended, and glorified state, not just the suffering servant headed for the cross. The Holy Spirit was sent specifically to shape us into the image of the glorified Son, enabling us to attain "to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."

Resurrection power. The Christian life is found because of the Cross, energized by His resurrection power. His blood forgave our debt, but His resurrection brought us into abundance. This changes our identity from merely "sinners saved by grace" to heirs of God, called to live a lifestyle empowered by resurrection, not just self-denial.

Embracing His nature. Being "as He is" involves embracing key characteristics of His glorified state:

• Glory: His manifested presence resting upon us, making the Church glorious.
• Power: Being clothed with the Holy Spirit's ability (dunamis) for supernatural ministry.
• Triumph: Living from His secured victory over hell, sin, and the devil.
• Holiness: Revealing the beauty of God's nature through a life separate from evil.
  This identity establishes security and boldness for engaging the world.

10. Spiritual Warfare is an Offensive Invasion.

The real Christian is a royal fighter.

Offense, not defense. The Church has been too focused on reacting to the devil's plans, playing defense. The Great Commission puts us on the offensive; we have the ball and are meant to carry it effectively, making the enemy's plans irrelevant. We must stop being distracted by his antics and discussing what's wrong because of him.

Biblical warfare principles. Effective spiritual warfare involves understanding key principles:

• God leads us only into battles we are equipped to win; obedience is the safest place.
• God prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies, emphasizing intimacy over warfare intensity.
• Refusing fear terrifies the enemy; confidence in God is a sign of his destruction.
• Submission to God is key to personal triumph and enforcing Calvary's victory.
• The Church is on the attack, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

God stirs up opposition. God sometimes increases His people and makes them stronger than their enemies, then stirs up the enemy's hatred. This isn't to create problems but because He delights in seeing the devil defeated by those made in His image, who choose a love relationship with Him. We are His delegated authority, executing written judgment.

11. Powerlessness is Costly; Miracles Reveal God's Nature.

Nevertheless, a powerless Church is far more costly in terms of human suffering and lost souls.

Revealing God's nature. Signs and wonders are essential because they reveal God's nature. Their absence steals precious revelation from mankind. We owe the world an encounter with God, which must include great power. Representing God without demonstrating His supernatural power is a major shortcoming, as the supernatural is His natural realm.

Power exposes and compels. Miracles expose sin and bring people to a decision, as seen when Peter, after the miraculous catch of fish, cried out, "I am a sinful man." Jesus stated that if He hadn't done mighty works, people would have no sin (meaning their sin wouldn't be exposed and require a decision). Power removes the middle ground and forces awareness of God.

Benefits of the miraculous. Beyond revealing God and exposing sin, signs and wonders:

• Bring courage, reminding us of God's past works.
• Are key to reaching "sin cities" that would repent if exposed to outpouring.
• Release God's glory, displacing darkness with His presence.
• Direct people to give glory to God and give Him glory themselves.
• Unify generations by providing shared testimonies of God's activity.
• Affirm Jesus' identity and validate the Church.
• Help people hear and obey God's word.

12. Infiltrating Society with the Kingdom is Our Mandate.

Any gospel that doesn't work in the marketplace, doesn't work.

Leaven's influence. The Kingdom of God is like leaven, subtly but overpoweringly influencing its surroundings. This parable illustrates the Kingdom's ability to infiltrate and transform society, not the Church being corrupted by sin. God intends to place believers in the darkest situations to display His dominion, as the brilliance of a diamond is clearest against black velvet.

Old Testament examples. Daniel and Joseph serve as prophetic examples of leaven in dark, pagan systems (Babylon and Egypt). Despite personal injustices, they maintained absolute devotion and uncompromising purpose, demonstrating the power of holiness and using their spiritual gifts (prophecy, wisdom) to influence kings and save lives. Their loyalty and forgiveness, even towards those who wronged them, displayed the Kingdom's purity and power.

Taking it to the marketplace. Jesus invaded every realm of society, going where people gathered (villages, cities, marketplaces) and becoming their focus. We must take the gospel of power out of church walls and into the marketplace. This involves believers using spiritual gifts in their workplaces, schools, and communities, demonstrating God's love and power through service and miracles, proving that the gospel works everywhere.

Last updated: May 5, 2025