PREACHING FOR JUNE 09, 2024:

Pastor Antonio Russo

CONQUER THE CITY FOR GOD

The last topic was about being witnesses of the gospel, which led to a teaching on spreading the gospel not only in our city, but everywhere. So, we will start by saying that prayer is the first step in conquering cities for God, because spiritual conquest precedes natural conquest, and prayer is essential to prepare people's hearts to receive Christ. Many seek a message that tickles emotions, but this only touches the surface and does not produce change. The responsibility of prayer is individual: we cannot delegate it to others, each of us must bend our knees before God. We discussed evangelization and now we focus on another fundamental aspect of the life of the church: intercession and prayer. Jesus told us that we are blessed if we listen to what the Word of God tells us, but even more if we put it into practice. God’s plan is for His people, invested with the authority of the Kingdom, to exercise such authority seriously here on Earth. Let us therefore speak of maturity: we, the people of God, must take our responsibilities seriously and act accordingly.

Luke 10:19; 19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Jesus has given us the power to trample on serpents and scorpions, and on all the power of the enemy; therefore, we have the authority and the power to do so. Often, however, we do not exercise this authority that has been given to us, remaining passive in the face of circumstances. Jesus exhorts us to counterattack, to use the armor of God, which includes the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, as our piece of attack. We must declare this Word, which has the power to penetrate to the depths of our being, judging the intentions of the heart.

Revelation 5:10; 10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

The words of Jesus reveal to us that we have been made kings and priests for our God and we will reign on earth. We are not called to suffer passively but to exercise the authority that has been bestowed upon us; in fact, Jesus has given us power and authority over the forces of darkness, over sickness, over misery and over evil spirits. As king, we must issue decrees and as priests, we must present needs before God, invoking His mercy and love. We must not base our request on our own righteousness, but on His grace, in fact, we deserve only hell, but God sees us through Jesus, and through Him, we can present ourselves before the Father with confidence. What are the priorities in a believer’s life? We find the answer in the Gospel of Matthew.

Matthew 6:33; 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Our thinking conflicts with the approach we should have, because we often put other priorities before the Kingdom of God. Instead, we should seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, as Jesus taught us, because if we solve other problems first, the devil could create so many that we would never have enough time to serve God. In essence, seeking the Kingdom of God means dedicating oneself to the activity of reigning, the Kingdom itself and its implications, aware that we have been made kings and priests; this concept embraces three fundamental aspects.

1) Exercise authority over the enemy.

We are in a spiritual war and we must fight with determination. It is not enough to think about facing the enemy; we must actually use our authority to drive them away.

2) Minister release to prisoners.

We are not referring only to those who are locked up in a physical prison, but to millions of people who are today prisoners of fear, anxiety, alcohol, drugs and evil. God tells us to use our authority to free these prisoners; it is not we who do this work, but God who acts through us.

3) To transmit blessing to the people.

We must help each person to understand that God has a purpose for their and our lives. After salvation, God left us on Earth and placed us in a community of believers for a specific reason; we were not saved by chance, but because God has a plan for each of us. His desire is that we work for His Kingdom and His work, and that includes blessing His people. Thus, the activity of reigning has to do with exercising the authority that God has given us, confronting the enemy, freeing prisoners and blessing God’s people.

To seek first the Kingdom of God is to exercise control and responsibility over what God has entrusted to us. Religion often tries to make us feel powerless, but Jesus has set us free and has given us the power to act and to win. Therefore, we must not wait for the involvement of others to solve spiritual or practical challenges; we must instead use the authority that God has given us to face them and overcome them, whether it is fighting evil or facing daily difficulties. God has called us to be kings and priests in His Kingdom, and we must not fear death, but live courageously to realize our purpose on earth. The Kingdom of God is built with our active participation and the power of God, going beyond our simple human efforts. With our human effort, we can bring people to a certain point; however, beyond that point, something must intervene that our human effort cannot accomplish, otherwise we have failed to fulfill God’s will in our life. When we begin to deepen our knowledge of the spiritual kingdom, we understand that we are spiritual beings and we begin to experience spiritual combat perseveringly, this means that our prayers become persevering rather than sporadic. During this fight, through persevering intercession, we experience the power of God and see the fortresses of darkness collapse before us. At this point, we get more results than before, because we stop relying only on human effort and understand that there is a deeper level of action that we must take.

John 3:1-6; 1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he can not see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he can not enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

We are talking about the new birth, when Jesus meets Nicodemus, a doctor of the law, and surprises him. The concept expressed about what is born of the flesh is flesh, explains that this represents human efforts, while what is born of the Spirit is spiritual, indicates the need for a deep inner transformation. Jesus teaches us an eternal principle: flesh begets flesh and the Spirit begets Spirit, which means that with human effort we can accomplish certain things, such as organizing conferences, cults or concerts, but these efforts only bring us up to a certain point.We can bring people to the gates of the Kingdom of God, but we cannot let them in, for true transformation takes place only through the action of the Spirit. Our task is not to convince people as a salesman would a product; we must pass on the life of God and facilitate a supernatural experience. When we pray and intercede, you fight spiritually and the barriers that keep people bound fall, allowing them to see clearly and decide whether to accept Christ. Our intercession and prayer invite the Holy Spirit to convince them of sin, judgment and justice, beyond what our words can do. To enter the Kingdom of God requires spiritual combat, which requires learning to act effectively in the spirit, for our human efforts, alone, stop at a certain point and do not produce a lasting impact. Now, through an example we will speak of Jesus and of one of the many spiritual experiences that he has lived. About 2000 years ago, Jesus lived on earth, but His life took place in a spiritual dimension that His contemporaries could not understand. A significant episode occurred when Jesus entered a synagogue in Capernaum, known as the city of Jesus, where an extraordinary event occurred.

Mark 1:21-28; 21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught. 22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes. 23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. 25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. 26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. 27 And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him. 28 And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.

Jesus began to teach with authority and, seeing a man possessed by an unclean spirit, set him free with a few words. This man was usually quiet in the synagogue, but he did not reveal himself until Jesus entered, bringing with him a spiritual authority and power that was not visible in the physical world but operated in the Kingdom of God. Jesus did not arrange a fast and prayer with the disciples at that time; he himself had fasted and prayed regularly, being constantly connected to God. You see, Jesus had spent 40 days in the desert, where He had met spiritual entities and they knew Him and feared Him, because the unclean spirit of man recognized Him. Do spiritual entities know us? Do they fear us and fear us, or do they not consider us? They will know us because battle, intercession and spiritual combat are fought and won in the secret place. Human effort leads to limited results in life, but as preachers of the Gospel we desire to see people saved. But, to succeed, we must face the principalities and powers in our secret place, winning the battle through prayer and intercession in God’s presence. The Bible records the experience of seven exorcistic brothers who went to free a possessed man and said, "In the name of Jesus Paul preaches, we beseech you to leave this man." And the demon replied, "I know Jesus, and I know Paul, too, but who are you?" All seven left humiliated. Why don’t we win in the spiritual world? We must make ourselves known and seek intimacy with God, warring in the Spirit and in intercession. Jesus, as our elder brother, gave us the example and said that we will do even greater works than His, because He left us with authority and power. We cannot justify His actions by saying that they were only possible because He was Jesus; He was a man like us and He fought with the strength of a man. Jesus had something special: a unique quality and spiritual authority that shocked everyone. His efficacy in freeing the captives stemmed from the fact that he worked in a spiritual realm and always sought the presence of the Father. The real battle is won in prayer, not by appearance or knowledge, but by access to a deep spiritual dimension. A modern example of this spiritual power is the story of a worshiper who, through singing and prayer, brought miracles and deliverance. Before every public meeting, he prayed intensely, defeating spiritual entities and binding the demonic power that blinded people. During his concerts, people were deeply touched and felt the need to get closer to God. This spiritual level is also accessible to us, and God invites us to reach it through prayer and intercession.

2°Corinthians 4:4; 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Satan blinds the minds of those who do not believe and, the more we persist in unbelief, the more we give him power to turn away from the truth, because the purpose of "the god of this century" is to keep people in darkness, far from the Gospel and with hardened hearts. Jesus taught us a fundamental principle to combat this reality: "Before kidnapping the farm, you must bind the strong man". This means that, to free people from the power of evil in their lives, in our families, in our neighborhoods or cities, we must first neutralize "the strong man", that is, the negative influence that dominates over them. This makes us understand the importance of evangelization and intercession, which are inseparable and must proceed together, because spiritual victory is not achieved only by human efforts. Although we can make great efforts to learn songs, dances and mimes to attract people, these efforts can only take them to the gates of God’s Kingdom; it is our intercession and our persevering prayer that allows them to actually enter the Kingdom. Moses, in his confrontation with Pharaoh, was not simply speaking to a man, but was actually facing the spiritual entities hidden behind him. When God sent Moses to Pharaoh, he gave him these words: "Let my people go”, and Moses repeated this request seven times, number representing perfection, in chapters 5-10 of the Exodus. This teaching reminds us that battles are won not only by natural force, but by divine intervention. When we are aligned with God’s will, even if we are in the minority, we can win spiritual battles; therefore, it is not a matter of human strength, but of the Spirit of God acting in us. And finally, look how powerful our intercession is:

Job 22:21-30; 21 Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee. 22 Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart. 23 If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles. 24 Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust, and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks. 25 Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver. 26 For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God. 27 Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows. 28 Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways. 29 When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person. 30 He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands.

The concept of "making peace with the Lord" implies adherence and conformity to His will; reconciliation with God means living in His Shalom, which goes beyond the simple meaning of peace. To receive blessings, we must make peace with God, listen to the instructions from His mouth, humble ourselves before Him, eliminate injustice from our lives and consider Him as our precious treasure. When we return to the Almighty, we will walk in His favor and see our prayers answered and the power of prayer and intercession become extraordinary because moved by His mercy.