The Children for Christ by Andrew Murray

and are the messengers of His power. Of that kingdom the mark is, that
in God everything is love and blessing, in His subjects everything
obedience and joy.
And how can this heavenly kingdom be here on earth? When God
created the heavens and the earth, it was with the object of securing
new territory in which His heavenly empire might be established. But
the power of another kingdom, the kingdom of Satan, interfered, and
in the fall of man the coming of the kingdom was delayed. For four
thousand years it was promised and hoped for, but the kingdom of
heaven was not yet on earth.
And how did this kingdom come? It was in the fulness of time, when
the King Himself came to earth, that the message was heard: The
kingdom of heaven is at hand, the kingdom of heaven is come unto you.
He came, first in His own life as a subject and a servant, to show us what
the spirit is that animates all the subjects of the kingdom — implicit
obedience, delight in doing the will of God. In that obedience unto
death He broke the power of Satan and of sin, showed forth the
wondrous love with which as our King He loved us, and set us free for
the blessed life of serving and obedience like His own. And then, when
as King ascending to heaven, He took His seat upon the throne, the
kingdom could come. In the outpouring of the Holy Spirit the kingdom
came in power, and was set up in the hearts that had been prepared to
receive Him, and to enter the kingdom.
And who were the subjects of this kingdom? Jesus had said: `Except a
man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nothing less
than the Spirit of God, the Spirit of heaven, coming in and taking
possession of a man, could fit him to enter, or even see the kingdom, or
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