With Power

 

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK

WITH POWER

Mark 9:1

9:1 And he said to them, "I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power." 

NIV

Jesus certainly did not mean his disciples would live until the day of either the rapture of the church or the Last Day of Judgment. So then what would they see before they died? They would see the kingdom of God come with power. We know they all lived through the day of Pentecost and received the power of God from on high. The Holy Spirit came upon them with power, and they spilled out in the streets of Jerusalem praising God and Peter actually stood up on his soapbox and preached one of the all-time best sermons ever in that thousands believed in the Lord Jesus. If that is not the start of the kingdom of God coming with power, what is? Everyone, except Judas, witnessed the fall of the Jewish nation in AD 70, and the whole Jewish system fall apart. They witnessed the church growing with the power of God at work. We also live within the kingdom of God with power. We witnessed His kingdom come into our lives with power. We know nothing happens unless His kingdom is at work with power. How would anyone ever imagine the kingdom of God without also imagining great power? It is possible that we could live within this kingdom and not experience its power. That is we could be living, in some sense, as a crippled Christian, trying to live under our own power. The only way we can stand our ground is to put on His armor, which is His power in our lives. If we are living in His armor then we have His sword, His very words with which to defeat the enemy of our souls. This is the power that resides in the kingdom of God. His kingdom has come, and it is here now with all the power we would ever need to survive in this world, to finish the race, and finish it in style. His disciples saw the advance of the kingdom of God with all its power. Although we are evidence of His kingdom coming into our lives, we also should be able to see His kingdom advancing with power in the lives of others. We know His kingdom is still spreading throughout the world, and in other countries with great power. What we have to make sure is that His power continues to advance in our lives. We cannot remain stagnant in our walk, or just walk in a ho-hum sort of way, ordinary way, living our own path and including being a Christian as part of our lives. No, we are supposed to live in His kingdom with the power of God at work in us and through us. We are supposed to see the kingdom of God come with power.