Kingdomcity is well-known among our Christian community. It has a unique identity as a global church, not confined to one locality but comprising a family of Christ from diverse ethnicities and nationalities. As a church that believes in the victorious identity of the Body of Christ, it is currently equipping a whole generation of believers through a series on the topic of ‘The Church that God Intends’.
Among the identities of the Church that God intends is to be loved as the Bride of Christ, to function with vitality as the Body of Christ, to belong like a Family, and to advance like an Army. Last Sunday, Pr Jemima Varughese shared about the essence of the Church as a victorious army.
Pr Jemima established early on in her sharing that we are in a war. Revelations 12 describes the battle between Lucifer and his armies against God. That war is still ongoing, and the devil is desperate because he knows his time is short. As we read the statistics of recent years, we know that there is an increase in brokenness in this world.
Today, there are 1.4 billion people still struggling with mental illnesses. In 2022, global statistics listed 928,000 suicides and 10 million deaths from cancer. 3.8 million people in that same year from alcohol-related issues, pointless deaths that could have been avoided. The enemy is out to steal, kill, and destroy, and Ephesians 6:12 describes their nature. As Christians, we are fighting a war that we cannot see physically, but we can see and sense it spiritually, and we know we are in a war. Pr Jemima shared that witchcraft and pagan worship have risen so much among teens over the last 20 years, no longer viewed as dark and dangerous forces but as something ‘cool’.
Pr Jemima conveyed that we need to defend the spiritual territory that has been won for us. So many of those who came before had fought for us many things. Missionaries traveled all the way to Asia, many with sacrifices in their lives – some even with their lives – so that we may have access to the Gospel. Throughout history, we read of people like William Tyndale, who died as a martyr for translating the Bible into a common language so that ordinary people could read the word of God. In many countries, many of our forebears fought for freedom of religion. Many saints fought for our faith, and we need to defend what has been fought for us.
Among the things we need to defend is our unity (1 Peter 5:8). The number one strategy the devil attacks is in the area of our unity. He cannot steal our salvation or our faith in God, but traditionally, he has had much success when it comes to sowing dissension in the Body of Christ. Our house, family, and churches will not stand if we are not united (Matthew 12:25). We need to be connected to our churches. Pr Jemima conveyed that unity is not just for peace or having a nice house or life. There is power in unity. The devil comes to cause discord, but Matthew 18:19 tells us that whenever two or three of us agree on anything we ask for, it will be done in Heaven. Some of us may need to sow forgiveness.
The army that God intends the Church to be is an advancing one. As a Church, we have a collective responsibility to go out and make disciples. It is not just the responsibility of a select few but of the whole Body of Christ. We are called to be passionate about people, not just for a season but for a lifetime. We need to keep the momentum going perpetually. A revival is coming, and we need to get ready for it.
It has been said that the Church is the only army that advances on its knees. The prayers of the righteous are powerful. We got to pray. When we pray corporately, this also brings unity. Pray for our families, for our cities, and for our churches. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 says that our weapons have divine power to demolish strongholds. When we pray and declare, we are bringing down strongholds over our homes, families, and communities. Ephesians 6:18 encourages us to pray in the Holy Spirit or to pray in tongues. When we are praying, we are communing with God, aligning things with Him, and downloading the mind of Christ. Pr Jemima encourages us to start every day communing in the Spirit with the Lord.
God’s army not only advances, we are anointed for victory. We carry the presence and the aroma of the victory of the Anointed One (2 Corinthians 2:15). People should be able to see Christ just through our aroma alone. Jesus’s blood is a powerful weapon, it breaks every legal right the enemy has on our testimonies, and our testimonies echo a victory. When we take communion, it is not just a religious ritual. Jesus said to take it as a remembrance of Him. Whenever we take communion, we remember and renew our blood covenant with Jesus. The blood of Jesus seals us together as one army, and there is immense power behind what the communion represents. Foremost, it seals and reminds us that we are His people.
Pr Jemima shared about the Asuza Street Revival. It was an army of people coming together on April 9, 1906, and where the power of God moved mightily. Many people were impacted, and that impact reached out across the world. Churches and denominations were born, revivals started in other places, and missionaries were commissioned by God to reach far places. It all took place in just three years. Sadly, dissension came in, broke the unity, caused deep disagreements, and ended the revival. ‘Imagine if it had been sustained for 10, 20, 30 years,’ Pr Jemima expressed. ‘It was offense and unforgiveness that stopped that army from advancing.’
As a people of God, we need to release unforgiveness, whether on people who have offended us or for ourselves. We need to renew our blood covenant with the Lord, letting His blood run through our veins and taking on the power of the blood so that whatever the devil may throw at us, it will just fall off because we are sealed in His blood, saved by the price that He paid.
Note: This is an adaptation of a sermon shared by Pr Jemima Varughese at Kingdomcity Subang on 26th November 2023. You can find the full sermon at https://www.youtube.com/live/hl-yuddW-no?feature=shared
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