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Jesus is King

Jesus is King

This is stunning. God raised Jesus from the dead and He is in charge of running everything. The totality of what God did is staggering. Jesus is in charge of everything.

There is not a single thing that is exempt from His rule. He always has the final word. God is God. He is in charge. His church is His agent on earth carrying out His will. He speaks and acts through us.

So, do I act on this belief daily? Do I conform to what He wants me to do right now?

All this energy issues from the Messiah: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, the Messiah rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is the Messiah’s body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence. Ephesians 1:20-23

The power of God is seen in the resurrection of Jesus the Messiah into an incorruptible body. This is stunning. We also have the same power of God in us through His Holy Spirit.

In the Old Testament, people measured God’s power by His creation or by His miracle at the Exodus of Israel from Egypt. But today, we measure God’s power by the miracle of the Messiah’s  resurrection.

Much more was involved than merely raising Him from the dead, for Jesus also ascended to heaven and sat down in the place of authority at the right hand of God. He is not only Savior; He is also Sovereign King of God’s country (aka King of God). No authority or power, human or in the spirit world, is greater than that of Jesus the Messiah, the exalted Son of God. He is “far above all,” and no future enemy can overcome Him, because He has been exalted “far above all” powers.

But how does this apply to you and me today? Paul explains the practical application. Because we are believers, we are in the church, which is the Messiah’s body—and He is the Head. This means that there is a living connection between you and Jesus.

Physically speaking, the head controls the body and keeps the body functioning properly. Injure certain parts of the brain and you handicap or paralyze corresponding parts of the body. Jesus is our spiritual Head. Through the Spirit, we are united to Him as the members of His body. This means that we share His resurrection, ascension, and exaltation. We too are seated, in the heavenlies, and all things are under our feet.

No wonder Paul wants us to know “the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward”! Apart from this power, we cannot draw on our great wealth in the Messiah.

The power of the Holy Spirit, through the resurrected, ascended Messiah, is available to all disciples — by faith. His power is to “us-ward who believe” (Eph. 1:19). It is grace that supplies the wealth, but it is faith that lays hold of the wealth. We are saved “by grace, through faith” (Eph. 2:8–9), and we live “by grace,” through faith (1 Cor. 15:10).

In the four Gospels, we see God’s power at work in the ministry of Jesus the Messiah, but in the Book of Acts, we see that same power at work in ordinary men and women, members of the body of the Messiah. What a transformation took place in Peter’s life between the end of the Gospels and the beginning of Acts. What made the difference? The resurrection power of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8).

The greatest power shortage today is not in our generators or our gas tanks. It is in our personal lives. Will Paul’s prayer be answered in your life? Will you, starting today, begin to know by experience God—God’s calling—God’s riches—and God’s power?