Anticipating the Unshakable Kingdom of Jesus

Text: Rev. 1:10, 17. “I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet…. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.’”

We have gathered here to celebrate God’s faithfulness to the India Pentecostal Church for a hundred years. There is much to celebrate on this centennial as God has brought us a long way from our humble beginnings. Our story is a story of vision and faith. It is a story of suffering and sacrifices. Our pioneers experienced hunger, thirst, and rejection. They suffered beatings, exclusion, and isolation. We are the beneficiaries of their sacrifices.

It is easy to congratulate ourselves for our growth and strength in our globalized world, but what we really need is a new vision of Jesus, and a new encounter with the Holy Spirit. 

Globalization came and we were living in an optimistic world of affluence. We were anticipating more wealth and other benefits globally. World leaders were bragging about the open-border businesses and universal progress. Continents and nations were celebrating globalization. It looked like we were beginning a very stable and prosperous period of human history. We were planning to enjoy the new world order of globalization.

Then suddenly came the COVID pandemic and it shook our world. Supply chains collapsed and nations began to shake. Environmental crises followed to shake the world. From Gaza to Ukraine, and from South America to East Africa, mega conflicts are now shaking the world. The world systems are shaking, and mighty nations are shaking.

History teaches us that all man-made empires shake and fall. The Babylonian empire shook and fell. The Mido-Persian empire, the Greek empire, the mighty Roman Empire, Byzantine empire, the Ottoman Empire, the British empire, and the Soviet empire, all shook and fell.

Human kingdoms perish because kings and leaders are mortals; they die. But the kingdom of God has an ever-living King whose name is Jesus. In the fullness of time, God sent his son Jesus into our world to inaugurate His kingdom.

Even His disciples misunderstood Jesus’ teaching on the kingdom of God. They expected a kingdom like the Roman Empire. When Jesus was crucified, these disciples were depressed and disillusioned. They thought it was all over. But death was not His end or the end of His kingdom. Jesus was raised from the dead! It was only Friday, but Sunday was coming!

Something amazing was happening at Calvary on Friday. It was a battle between good and evil, and good won. It was a battle between darkness and light, and light won. Through His death, Jesus was destroying the power of the kingdom of darkness. Calvary destroyed satan’s ultimate evil plan for mankind.

The resurrected Jesus went up to heaven. Before He went up to the Father, Jesus had said these words: “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:1-3). This is good news; This is our hope.

Our shaking world reminds us that we are at the dawn of an unshakable and everlasting kingdom. As we anticipate that kingdom, we have three duties here on earth:

Be a sign of the kingdom of God, like a highway sign to heaven.

Be an Instrument of the kingdom of God, doing kingdom work in our communities like Jesus did.

Give the world a foretaste of the coming kingdom.

To give a foretaste of the kingdom, we need to have a taste of the kingdom of God now. One gets a taste of God’s kingdom when one has an encounter with the Holy Spirit.

John the Apostle had an encounter with the Holy Spirit in Patmos decades after the day of Pentecost. In our text we receive John’s testimony of this encounter in Patmos:

I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day.

I heard a heavenly voice on that day, and I saw Jesus, the one who is Alpha and Omega.

It is one thing to claim to be a Pentecostal, it is another thing to experience the power of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost is the presence of God with the people of God. Pentecost is the power of God that empowers us. Pentecost is the glory of God that sanctifies us.

Modern Pentecostals are people who had a fuller revelation of the Holy Spirit. A hundred years ago, our pioneers not only had a fuller revelation of the person and work of the Holy Spirit, but they also had an overwhelming encounter with the Holy Spirit. They realized that the Holy Spirit is active in the world now. They also learned the many biblical truths about the life and work of the Holy Spirit. 

Our pioneers paid a high price for this biblical revelation. On this anniversary, we must pledge to be faithful to what God revealed to them from the Word and they passed on to us. We must embrace it, experience it, and pass it on to a new generation.

When one has a true encounter with the Holy Spirit, like John, one will hear the voice of the Master and see His face. When John saw Jesus in His glory, he fell at His feet. Jesus touched him with his wounded hands and told him, “Don’t be afraid, I am the first and the last.” In that encounter, he received a glimpse of the eternal city whose builder and maker is God.

And John heard that voice again: “Behold, I come quickly; my reward is with me” (Rev) 

The King is coming back!

The King is coming soon!

His kingdom is forever!

It is an unshakable kingdom!

As we anticipate the coming of the Lord, let us be a sign and an instrument of the kingdom of God!

And let us give a foretaste of that kingdom to our shaking world!