A Kingdom Of Power by Apostle Johnson Suleman: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

You Are Called into a Kingdom

1 Corinthians 4:20 — the kingdom of God is not in word but in power. God's way is not a matter of mere talk. It is living by God's power. For the kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk — it is living by God's power.

You are not just called by a king. You are called into a kingdom. You are saved by a king, but you are enlisted into a kingdom.

Between the book of Malachi and the book of Matthew was 400 years — called the silent years. In those years there was no vision, no prophecy, no revelation, no instruction, no rebuke. Heaven was silent. And how heaven broke out was through a man called John the Baptist. Repent was the first word that came after 400 years. Why? For the kingdom of God. Change your way of thinking — because the king wants to establish a kingdom.

All through the Old Testament, the presence of God dwelt in tents, tabernacles, the ark. But after 400 years, he said, "I have a plan to dwell among men."

The kingdom of God is not heaven. It is not a location. Luke 17:21 — neither shall they say, lo here, or lo there, for the kingdom of God is within you.

The word kingdom is broken down: the king in his domain. When the kingdom of God comes upon a man, he begins to manifest several elements. Romans 14:17 — the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. When the king comes upon you and you begin to emit righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, it can be said the kingdom of God has come upon you.

The kingdom of God is manifesting God's nature on the earth. It is unveiling the full character of God. It is bringing the culture of God on planet earth. This kingdom is made of power. This kingdom is not in words. This kingdom is in power, in ability, in demonstration.

Power coerces. Power imposes. When power is displayed, it imposes on you. It requires conviction from you. Power is not a negotiator. Power is an imposition.

Jesus was talking to a woman by a well. They went back and forth. At the woman's mockery of his claims, Jesus said, "Let's enter matters. Go and call your husband." She said, "I have no husband." He said, "You do have a husband. As a matter of fact, you have had five. The one with you now makes six." In verse 19, the woman changed her statement: "I perceive you are a prophet." That is what power does.

1 Corinthians 1:24 — Christ is the wisdom and the power of God. Two components that will humble this end time: the wisdom of God and the power of God. Once you are in this kingdom, wisdom is your nature, your culture, your lifestyle.

The wisdom that God accepted in Abel's offering was not about size or volume. When God cursed the ground for man's sake, Cain went to what was cursed and brought from it. Abel avoided giving God an offering from the cursed ground. When man rebelled against God, animals rebelled against man — but Abel conquered the animals and submitted them to God. That was the wisdom of Abel's offering. What will humble this end time is the wisdom of God and the power of God.

The wisdom of God is a virtue — embedded in patience and longsuffering. It is the orchestration of God, the navigations of God. There is wisdom in creativity and wisdom in preservation. Joseph wore the rainbow — what his father gave him was a seven-color coat, representing the rainbow. And whenever God saw Joseph coming, God saw the seven spirits of God, the seven letters to the seven churches, the seven eyes and seven arms. No wonder they put him in the pit and he survived. They put him in Potiphar's house and he survived. They put him in prison and he survived. That was the wisdom of God.

What Is Power?

Power is God's super imposed on your natural. Power is a divine element that unveils God's intention, expectation, and permutation on the believer.

Power is the imposition of divinity as immunity on humanity.

When power comes, you are immune. When power comes, you are preserved. You are exempted. Jesus said, "Tarry in Jerusalem." All the disciples gathered in the upper room. Even Mary was there — having just lost her son. She understood: if I could carry him for 9 months, why can't I wait for 50 days? And as she waited, the Spirit came.

Platforms for Extracting Kingdom Power

1. The Scriptures

   Matthew 22:29 — ye do err, not knowing the scriptures or the power of God. The first platform for power is the scriptures. The scripture is not the New Testament — Jesus referenced a writing before Matthew. The New Testament is the fulfillment of the scripture. Anytime you engage in the knowledge of the scriptures, you are engaging in the power of God. Satan is the best theologian — but he's still a devil. He quoted relevant scriptures to Jesus in the wilderness. Jesus countered him each time until he exercised authority. Knowing the scripture is not just intellectual — it is the seat of authority.

2. Belief

   John 1:12 — as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe. What you believe determines what you become. Belief is the platform for engaging with the spirit, for triggering the supernatural, for turning a life around. Mark 9:23 — if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. There is a connection between belief and possibility. Everyone who believes enjoys access to the power.

3. Refusal to Be Ashamed of the Gospel

   Romans 1:16 — I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation. Not being ashamed of the gospel is where the power is. There is a covering a man enjoys when he refuses to be ashamed. Jesus said, he that confesseth me before men, I will confess before my Father.

4. The Holy Ghost

   Acts 1:8 — ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you. This power comes by your connectivity to the Holy Ghost. Acts 19:2 — have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed? Because it is received as you believe. When a man engages with the Holy Ghost, he engages with power. The Holy Ghost is a power extractor. When you are filled with him, you are filled with power.

Why You Need Power

• Power changes times and seasons. Acts 1:6-8 — they asked Jesus when he would restore the kingdom. He said, it is not for you to know the times and seasons. But you shall receive power. The duty of power is to change times and seasons. In Luke 13:10, a woman was bowed together for 18 years. She could not lift herself. Power broke that time and season instantly.

The Four Kinds of Bondage Power Breaks

• Hard bondage (Exodus 1:14) — where until you beg, you don't feed. You depend on others. If they don't support you, you can't exist.
• Kept in bondage (Exodus 6:5) — there are people with a power assigned to monitor them. Anytime they are about to break free, something triggers them to use their own hand to destroy the very thing that would give them rest. I was preaching in Liverpool when a young lady began to scream, "Take me home." When I ministered to her and then confronted the one who had followed her in, she confessed: "My assignment is to follow her everywhere so she doesn't enter where she will be helped." As they were separated, what prayer alone could not accomplish was resolved instantly.
• House of bondage (Exodus 13:3) — there are families where nobody goes beyond a certain limit. There is a satanic structure of failure wired into the fabric of every system. Brother fails, sister fails, uncle fails, auntie fails, nephew fails, cousin fails. Anyone from a house of bondage — I see you breaking free.
• Bondage of corruption (Romans 8:21) — carrying good seed mixed with bad seed. God promised Abraham a child. When Satan knew he could not stop it, he made sure Ishmael came first. If I can't stop it, let me corrupt it.
• Lifetime bondage (Hebrews 2:15) — those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. Primary school hard, secondary school hard, university hard, master's degree hard — lifetime bondage.

Power Belongs to God

Psalm 62:11 — God has spoken once; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God. There are powers, but there is one power.

The city of Ephesus worshipped the great goddess Diana — and the image fell down from Jupiter. What was fighting the believers in Ephesus did not come from this world. There are spirits from other regions of creation that have no understanding of the workings of the earth. That is why some behavior makes you wonder. 1 Corinthians 15:32 — Paul said, when I got to Ephesus, I fought the beasts. To deny the activity of the diabolical is to equally deny the reality of the supernatural. The supernatural is the antidote for the diabolical.

These signs shall follow you — because the sign that follows you determines your outcome. For some, subtraction follows them. For others, addition. For others, division. But there is someone here — multiplication is coming.

Power of God in my life, change times and seasons. Let my life reveal the manifold wisdom of God. In Jesus' name, every power that has kept you in bondage, in stagnation, in limitation — today it is swallowed up. Amen.

God's purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in heavenly places. True Christians gathered in churches — this extraordinary plan of God is becoming known even among the angels. The things that will happen through your life will be what angels talk about.