By Staff
Letter to the Editor
Recently, I have been meditating and considering the present condition of the world – and especially in our city. I see the devastating works of Satan in our surroundings. I have noticed that there have been several murders, the drug culture has revolutionized this generation and has integrated a society of young people to devastating evils. Divorces and broken homes have not ceased to be a plague, there is an inestimable amount of emotional pain and stress imposed upon people in our society by the everyday pressures of life.
I am compelled now to appeal to you that we join and build an intercessory company for the cities and communities in the area. Although there may be different understandings off doctrine, and we may have different names for our fellowships), the fact of the matter is that we who are born again are on church and there is one head of the church – Jesus Christ. We have one God and Father of us all and we have one common enemy, Satan. Although there is controversy among us about eschatology, there is common belief that Jesus is Lord and He sits at the right hand of God the Father. We believe that he rules with final authority in the circumstances of our lives. We also believe that prayer plays a role in the outcome of things concerning our cities, our nation, and ourselves. Brethren, my appeal is that we let intercession be our common ground.
I reference several statements of scripture: Matthew 3:2 and Matthew 4:17, where John the Baptist and Jesus preached "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand". I believe that this reflects the loss of man's dominion through the fall of Adam by sin and from that time, the Kingdom of Darkness had preeminence on this earth. Jesus and John were introducing the beginning of the reestablishment of God's Kingdom government in the earth. Every nation is what it is because of its government. The citizens of every nation experience a life of prosperity, happiness, joy, sorrows, and woes based upon its government. God has helped us to understand that there was and is a need for a higher spiritual government – not only to reinstitute righteousness, peace, and joy; but also to remove and replace the Kingdom of Darkness.
In Matthew 6:10, Jesus instructed his disciples to pray, "Thy kingdom come, they will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven". It is my belief that many of our religious leaders have overlooked the fact that many New Testament blessings cannot be administered to the citizens of the Kingdom or the church without a government in place. Often our organizations are not God's governments, they are our own governments. The focus here is that the government is to come by prayer. We have been praying for peace, a cessation of evil, and for the blessings of prosperity without prioritizing our prayer, of which the Kingdom is first.
In Matthews 6:33, Jesus says, "Seek ye first the Kingdom off God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added". It is the power of the Kingdom that repels evil. If we will note closely in Matthew 10:7 Jesus commissioned his disciples and gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out and to heal all manner of sickness and all manners of diseases. In verse seven, He specifically instructed them and said, "As you go, preach saying the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand". In other words, the government of God is here to execute righteous judgments. In Luke 11:20, Jesus says, "If I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the Kingdom of God has come upon you". He references here that a "strong man armed keepeth his palace, but when a man stronger than he shall come upon him and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armor wherein he trusted and divided his spoils."
Sisters and brothers, my appeal to you again is this, let us come together and build a company of intercessors to pray the Kingdom of God into our cities and communities. This is so that with the Kingdom we can defeat our enemy and restore the blessings of God in our families, church fellowships, and our cities and communities.
If you would like more information, or to discuss this matter further, please call (251) 363-0111 or email hermanmrb@yahoo.com.
Brother Herman Bradley
Atmore