In the great opening Word of Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians, we find that all God is doing in usis moving on to the praise of the glory of His grace (a glorious celebration), wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved—Ephesians 1:6.

In the Day of the Lord there will be no celebration in honor of our ability to become holy and useful in His Kingdom. It will be a celebration of the glory of His grace. This grace, to which all honor will go, is the means by which God has drawn us from the brink of destruction. By the power and the glory of His grace He is making us fit for His Kingdom.

Even now, while there are things working in us that do not belong in His Kingdom, grace is at work in us. While we would like to know that we are made immediately qualified for His Kingdom, it is taking the longsuffering of our Heavenly Father to bring us on to the point of real “Kingdom Usefulness.” The work that began in His heart at creation, the work carried forward in the redemption, and the patience by which He has dealt with us are all expressions of His grace. Everyday His grace grows in us as He holds onto us with a determination to bring His workto completion in us.

Most people who have wrong things hidden in them do their best to keep them out of sight. But, hiding anything, even deep inside of us, that belongs to the realm of Satan is like having a magnet or a beacon in us, that will attract the anti-Christ spirits of this world. This is very dangerous, especially as we are coming near the end of the age. Wrong things, even though hidden, in us will make us liable to failure when the time of trouble comes on. David, Daniel, Jesus, John and Paul all told of this time that we are beginning to see ever increasing in the world today.

The hour is late. Too many are failing and are living defeated lives because they have allowed darkness to maintain control in their lives. Many believers remain under that dark dominion or stronghold because they feel powerless to overcome it by themselves. These forces of darkness that are running rampant in the world today are most attracted to those strongholds that remain secret in the lives of believers.

Even after I came to Christ, there were some strongholds that tried to rule me. Some of them waited years for their opportune time to rise up and attack. Because I learned slowly that the darkness of my inner man could be overcome and replaced by the light and power of Christ's Kingdom, I suffered—and so did others around me.

When I discovered what is available to me in His Kingdom—through His cross—I found the darkness in me could be searched out, destroyed, and replaced with the righteous rule of His Kingdom. It is significant that Paul, in the Book of Ephesians, brings us first to know our position in Christ before He calls upon us to deal with the things that will corrupt our walk in Christ.

There has never been a more important time for us to be bold and honest before the Lord and give the powers of our inner darkness over to the dominion of Christ's Government. Is there a spot of ground in you where the dominion of His Government has not yet reached? We’re not talking about how far the dominion of Christ will extend in the world—that's easy: there's no spot on the whole globe where His Name has no authority. We’re talking about how far it will extend into our lives.

The right and wholesome Government of His Kingdom can be set up in all of us. This requires a candid openness before the Lord—and sometimes, others—withholding nothing. For some, it may require some doctrinal adjustment. Those who think a believer in Christ cannot hold spiritual darkness are at particular risk.

It cannot be reiterated enough; the deception of anti-Christ and his legion of darkness are coming into a bold new power in the earth today and are seeking out the darkness that remains in the lives of believers.

The prayer that Paul prayed and recorded in Ephesians 3:14-19 gives us direction as we deal with that inner darkness.  In this passage we find the Greek word hína three times, each one pointing to a significant Kingdom principle that we take up in our praying.

The first prayer in this passage, marked by the word hína, directs us toward praying that the government of our inner man will come into line with the Government of Christ. It is the bringing of one's life under the dominion of the Holy Spirit so as to become a fit habitation for Christ. The second is laying hold on the Love of Christ, which surpasses knowledge. Jesus brought a new concept of facing our enemies into the world. He taught His disciples how they would live in His Kingdom. "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, [niv]—Matthew 5:43,44. The third takes these two and leads us to the place where knowing the fullness of God is possible.

What we look to God for in each prayer can never be brought to birth in us by self-will or mental comprehension. It can only come by the Holy Spirit. In verse 16 we find the resource from which He would give us this strength, the abundant wealth of His glory. This unimaginable, limitless resource is necessary to set up an inner government proper for any son or daughter of God’s Kingdom. This is the same abundant wealth we saw in Ephesians 1:18 ...The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

Coming to grips with the limitless resources that are available to us is often beyond our ability to comprehend. I have often found it difficult to grasp or even believe. One day while seeking the Lord for the release of Christ's Government in the lives of some people I was ministering to, the Lord led me to consider along what line I was to make my request. Then I saw that I was to make my request according to the riches of His glory. According to in this Ephesians 3:16 passage is from the Greek word, katá. It means "conforming to, in proportion to, or, in virtue of." He was inviting me to make my request in proportion to, or conforming to, the riches of His glory.

But then—I couldn't really understand all that was meant by His glory. I had some little understanding that it related to His Government. The same word translated glory, dóxa, could also have use in reference to a "dignitary," or high official of government. But how could my limited mind grasp the extent, or wealth, of His glory?

Then He showed me. The closest thing to which I might compare His glory is the sun. It extends its heat and its light, wonderfully, to everyone of the more than six billion people on earth. If in one day, everyone of these people were to soak all the light and warmth of the sun they could receive, it would not diminish its light or heat at all.
Then He spoke to me: the sun is but a mere spark, a flicker in the night, compared with the wealth of His glory. It is here He is inviting us to bring our petition for ourselves, or for another soul. We are simply to ask Him to reach into the amazing wealth of His Government and get what is needed to set up a new government in the life of someone bedraggled and broken down by inner sin and weakness, even if it happens to be our own selves.

What a resource for us all! We can't even begin to comprehend its greatness. Is there enough power, light, grace, strength, and enabling ability available to work in every soul there is, even those we know so well and who seem to be bound so terribly? Oh, my! Yes, there is!

After revealing the resources available to us, Paul goes on to make use of two of the power words we discussed in the previous booklet. Both of them add to the dimension of that resource. One word is kratéo, translated strengthened, meaning to take control and set up a new government, establishing a new rule.

Might is from that powerful and basic word for "power" dúnamis, also used by the Lord Jesus in Acts 1:8 where He said, But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you. It is "the power of ability." When we face all kinds of inability, the Government of Christ's Kingdom comes to our aid and releases its ability in us. The dúnamis power by which one’s inner man is to be governed is that same power that worked in the tomb to set Christ free from the government of death. We find its remnant in our word "democracy," a government under the people, or in "theocracy," a government under God.

I first became aware of these words from John 20:23. There the Verb form, kratéo, occurs. Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain they are retained. It occurs in the words retain and are retained. It might well be translated, "...whose so ever sins you bring under government they have been brought under government." It is here we begin learning we are to minister His Government to others.

This is an important matter, perhaps one of the most mishandled and misunderstood verse in the entire scriptures, so allow me to get a little more technical. The word retain in whose soever sins ye retain is a Present form of the Verb kratéo. The words are retained in the latter part of the statement are a Perfect form of the same Verb. This means that at any present time, when you retain sins, they shall already have been retained. Quite simply and clearly, this directs us to the finished work of the Lord Jesus.

When we enter into this act of government in the life of another person—remember Jesus said “whose soever”—we do it on the basis of the work the Lord Jesus has already finished. His perfected work comes into play and there is a release of power from His Throne. So, while we become the agent of its release, it is, actually and in deed, His completed work.

Some of you have read the little booklet, Putting Off the Old Man, in which I told of the man who came to me and released me from the government of a deep bitterness and enmity that was ruling in me and over which I had little control. That man exercised what Jesus said in John 20:23. He retained my sin. But, he did it in the name of Jesus which meant that he released in me the work that Jesus had already completed for me. It was a work of His Government, an act of His Kingdom. In one precious moment, someone came to me and released the finished work of Christ into my life, based on the work Christ Jesus completed when He died, was resurrected and then ascended to the Right Hand of the Father.

Another statement from Him to confirm this is Matthew 18:18. He said, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. From the John passage and from this Matthew passage we find four statements that all make use of Perfect Tense Verbs. They indicate that when you do a certain work, at any present time, it shall already have been perfected. Whose so ever sins you remit, they shall already have been remitted. Whose so ever sins you retain, they shall already have been retained. Whatsoever you shall bind on earth, it shall already have been bound in heaven. Whatsoever you shall loose on earth, it shall already have been loosed in heaven.

We become the agent through whom the finished work of the Lord Jesus finds its release into a situation or into a life. With the authority He has given us, we become the executors of His work in the earth.

This finished work of His becomes the basis for all our living and victory. It is the source to which we look continually to find the resource for every demand, the strength for every kind of weakness, and the provision for every kind of need. In it is the foundation of His Government.

The destructive government ruling in some for whom we are called to pray is so strong that it tests our faith to believe they can ever be free. It's almost like they are enclosed in their tomb, sealed and doomed to remain in their darkness. But then, some intercessor begins to care, and begins to know the Word of God that speaks of their release. The intercessor who makes supplication based on the Word of God has the hope of a resurrection that will reach into any dark circumstance of any soul. Believe it!

There is one more passage at which we should look. It's that intriguing account at the end of Luke's Gospel where we find some men walking along the road, bewildered and confused over all that had happened over the recent days in Jerusalem. Jesus came with them, but they were ignorant of Him. Their eyes were holden that they should not know Him (Luke 24:16). In holden we have our word kiatéo.

What does this mean? It means there was a stronghold on their minds. Their perception was under the government of their old way of seeing things. They saw as natural men saw, but they could not perceive or understand what they were seeing. A kind of blindness governed them so they could not know that the Lord was with them.

There are two parallel statement in this Luke passage. See them together. But their eyes were holden that they should not know Him—:16. And their eyes were opened, and they knew Him—:31.

There's something interesting about the words know and knew in these verses. They're both from the Greek epiginósko, which means "to acknowledge." But, something else interesting about the word holden as it is used in this passage. The way it is spelled lets us know this was a condition that had existed over a period of time. It was their custom not to see.

So, it is possible to know the Lord without acknowledging Him. It is possible to see His handiwork, hear His Word, even to love Him in great measure, and still not acknowledge Him. This is when one's eyes are holden.

Just think of it! The Kingdom of Christ breaks down our blinding customs allowing us to become aware of the mighty power that awaits us as we step into the condition of acknowledging Him.

NEXT...
Agápe Love...The Highest Quality of Kingdom Life 

Berean Publications
PO Box 38
Elk Park, NC 28622-0038

Visit Us at http://www.maschil.com

© Berean Gospel Fellowship. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Permission to reprint in part or in whole is usually granted.