The prayer that Jesus taught his disciples ends with these words, "Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory for ever" (Matt.6:13-KJV). All these three belong to God alone.
1. Thine is the Kingdom
The phrase "the kingdom of God" can be better understood in our day as "the government of God", since we don't normally use the word "kingdom" nowadays. The government of a country has authority over every one of its citizens. So to be under the government of God means being totally under His authority.
Do we allow God to control and restrain us in our speech? This is the first area we could examine ourselves in.
What about the money we earn? Are we lavish in spending it? God cannot anoint and bless those who are careless in the way they spend their money. When God give us much, He tests us to see how we spend it.
How do we spend our time? Does God have a say in it? It is a great challenge to see that Jesus knew the Scriptures thoroughly by the age of 12. At that young age, He also had a sense of responsibility about his Father's business. God is greatly grieved when His children do not spend time studying His Word, but yet have time to read other books and to watch TV programs.
Heaven is a place where everyone accepts the authority of God. This is why it is a place of joy and peace. Our lives and homes can be like that too, if we submit to the government of God in every area.
2. Thine is the Power
We must acknowledge that all power belongs to God (Psalm 62:11). When we see God as Almighty having all power, it will free us from the fear of men and fear of the future. Psalm 112 (Living Bible) says that "...such a man will not be overthrown by evil circumstances . God's constant care of him will make a deep impression on all who see it. He does not fear bad news, nor live in dread of what may happen. For he is settled in his mind that Jehovah will take care of him." God's power can also free us from all our sinful habits. We must acknowledge that God has all power to do that for us too.
3. Thine is the Glory
We must give God the glory due unto Him. This involves giving thanks to Him for what He has done for us. Praise and thanksgiving will characterise our lives increasingly if we are growing spiritually. We must not be like the ungrateful lepers who never returned to give thanks to the Lord (Lk.17:17). We must also be careful to give God the glory for anything that we have accomplished - for everything comes from the ability that He has given us.
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Zac Poonen ( - Present)
God called brother Zac Poonen to a new work early on in his Christian experience. The movement is now called Christian Fellowship Churches where the New Covenant of New Testament Christianity is clearly preached.Brother Zac Poonen has written 25 books most of them being on the deeper Christian life. Many of these have been translated into a number of languages and have been circulated widely around the world. He clearly and passionately shares the narrow way of Christian discipleship that is neglected by so many modern preachers.
Recommends these books by Zac Poonen:
Through The Bible by Zac Poonen
The Final Triumph-A verse by verse study of the book of Revelation by Zac Poonen
Beauty for Ashes by Zac Poonen
Zac Poonen is a former Indian Naval Officer who has been in full time ministry in India for nearly 50 years as a Bible teacher and preacher. He holds responsibility for a number of churches in India and abroad. He currently pastors the Christian Fellowship Church in Bangalore, Karnataka.
He has written more than 25 books and numerous articles in English - which have been translated into many Indian and foreign languages. His messages are available on audio and video format.
Like the other elders in his church, Zac Poonen also supports himself and his family through what he describes as "tent-making" and does not receive any salary for his services. He does not receive any royalties for any of his books, CDs or DVDs, that are published by Christian Fellowship Centre, Bangalore.