Every boy likes to dress up in his favorite superhero costume. As soon as he puts that costume on, he becomes that Superhero. If it’s a Superman costume, he runs around the yard, arms extended, pretending to fly. If it’s Spiderman, he crouches on the living room furniture and sprays fake spider webs from his wrists. When he puts on that costume, he believes that all the powers of that superhero are at his disposal. Regardless of where he is from, how wealthy or poor his family is, every boy loves to dress up as his favorite superhero.
Wearing The Presence of God
Similarly, the garment of God, his Presence, is available to the greatest and to the least. Thankfully, God does not show favoritism against male or female, the rich or poor, (see Romans 2:11). We all can wear his Presence because he extends his hand inviting us to abide therein. He offers an invitation to an intimate relationship. Now let’s just think about that for a moment. Read slowly. The creator of all creation longs to have a relationship with you. Jesus put it this way:
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Matthew 13:44).
What if you are that treasure that Jesus spoke of? God, full of joy, ‘sold everything he had’, (sent his Son to die on the cross paying the ransom for our sin). The Father’s joy is not found in the sacrifice of his Son, but rather, in the prospect of having a relationship with you. Upon accepting his invitation, you become the bride of Christ. His Presence, your wedding gown. Wearing his Presence identifies you as his bride, and being married to Christ, you are one. Paul put it this way:
“But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him” (1 Corinthians 6:17).
Now if you and Jesus share one spirit, how magnanimous are you, now that you are one with Christ (See John 17:21-23). Like your childhood superhero, when you clothe yourself with the Presence of God, all the resources of heaven are at your disposal. In effect, you become a “superhero”. Being one with Christ, how should you then live? What example did Jesus leave?
Bringing The Kingdom
Jesus only did what he saw the Father doing (John 5:19). He knew his purpose and carried it out because he was one with the Father. Jesus said:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed . . .” (Luke 4:18).
Advancing the Kingdom is doing the Gospel. Advancing the Kingdom occurs when you follow his example. It conveys the heart of God as an expression of love, “to proclaim good news to the poor“, to “proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed“. You see, doing the Gospel is the heartbeat of God. Loving people with the love of the Father is the heartbeat if God. Serving people as Jesus Served, is the heartbeat of God.
Not only does Jesus demonstrate how we are to advance the Kingdom, but he even gave us the authority to take ground anywhere we set our foot (see Matthew 28:18-20). We can advance the Kingdom simply by wearing his presence while we go about our day, just like Jesus did by loving and serving others.
How To Be A Christian Superhero
Like a sound marriage, the Presence of God and the Kingdom of God are intimately related. When coupled, they produce a power encounter. To put it plainly, when you wear the Presence of God while doing the Gospel, power encounters occur. Let’s look at a few examples in the life of Jesus.
Jesus, clothed with the Spirit [wearing the Presence], Jesus told Lazarus to “Come out!”, [doing the Gospel], and Lazarus was raised from the dead [the miraculous occurred] (see John 11:43).
Jesus, clothed with the Spirit [wearing the Presence], spit on the ground, made mud out of it and pasted it on a blind man’s eyes [doing the Gospel]. Then he told the man to “Go wash in the pool of Siloam”, and having done so, he came back seeing [the miraculous occurred] (see John 9:1-7).
Jesus, clothed with the Spirit [wearing the Presence], fed 5,000 thousand men, besides women and children [doing the Gospel] with “five loaves and two fish”, “. . . and they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over” [the miraculous occurred]. 43 verses later, Mathew records that he did it again by feeding 4,000 men, besides women and children, with “seven loaves and few small fish”, “. . . and they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over” [the miraculous occurred] (see Matthew 14:13-21; 15:29-39).
Do you see the pattern here in just these few examples? Jesus was always wearing the Presence of God, and when he ministered to people, (advancing the Kingdom), the the miraculous occurred. The objective is not the power encounter. The objective it to glorify God.
The Holy Spirit Is Drawn to Kingdom Activity
When you wear the Presence of the Lord, and are about the business of doing Kingdom activity, (serving others, loving others, showing kindness to others, praying for someone to healed, etc.), those Kingdom activities attract the Holy Spirit. Like a shark is attracted to blood in the water, so the Holy Spirit is attracted to Kingdom activity. “Great whites (think Jaws), can detect one drop of blood in 25 gallons of water and can sense even tiny amounts of blood in the water up to 3 miles away“. That is just ridiculous. The Great White shark, (also known the “Bus Shark”), is 1/3 the size of a school bus. A school bus! If one of God’s creations has that ability, how much more would he be able to “sniff” out the aroma of his own presence that is applying the Gospel by serving others, loving others, showing kindness to others, or praying for someone to be healed?
Your focus should be on wearing His Presence and doing the Gospel, period. This is where real ministry occurs. It’s where your oneness with the Spirit of God shines, and like an insect drawn to the light, so too, the Holy Spirit is attracted to Kingdom activity. When you clothe yourself with the Presence of God, looking for opportunities to advance the Kingdom, all the resources of heaven are at your disposal. Now that you know, what will you do with that? Isn’t is encouraging to know that you are an integral part in bringing healing and restoration to others?