Kingdom Enlargement

Isaiah 54:1-5 

"Sing, O barren one, who did not bear; break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not been in labour! For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her who is married," says the Lord. 
2 "Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. 
3 For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left, and your offspring will possess the nations and will people the desolate cities. 
4 "Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more. 
5 For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is His name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth He is called. 

As we prepare to start our ten days of prayer and fasting, let's get ready for God to enlarge us – to increase our capacity to love and serve Him, to be blessed so that we can bless others, and to see an exponential growth in our giftings so that we can play a greater role in the church and in God's Kingdom. There's no limit on God's part. He is limitless, boundless, unconstrained and beyond measure. 

Most of us will have heard of J B Phillips. He was one of the first people to translate the New Testament into modern English. His 'New Testament in Modern English was first published in 1958. But earlier than that, in 1953, he wrote a book called 'Your God is too Small'.  

Psalm 34:3 says, O Magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together. We can't make God any bigger than He is, but we can make Him bigger in our own perception, and we need to do that because He's always bigger than we think He is. He's the Most High, the greatest, the most powerful. He's all-powerful, almighty, all-sufficient. Yet, we often limit Him in our thinking, in our faith, in our expectations. 

As we go into a new year, especially as prayer warriors, we need to remind ourselves of how great our God is. We need to enlarge our vision of Him.  

How does the Bible describe God's greatness? 

Jeremiah 10:6 – There is none like You, O LORD; You are great, and great is Your name in might. 

Jeremiah 32:17 – Ah LORD GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You. 

Psalm 96:4 – For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. 

1 Chronicles 29:11 – Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over all. 

1 Timothy 6:15 – He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. 

Ephesians 3:20 – Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us. 

Our God is truly a great and mighty God. Let's magnify Him so that we can see how great He is as we come before Him in prayer, knowing that He, and He alone can meet our every need and deliver on His promises. 

Let's be challenged to enlarge our vision of God. Have we made God too small in our own eyes? 

We could say a similar thing about the gospel. Is our gospel too small? We might summarise the gospel by saying that Jesus came to pay the price for our sin, so that we can all go to heaven. Now, that's true and amazing, but the gospel is far bigger than that. 

The gospel is about the Kingdom of God breaking out into our world, so that the blind see, the paralysed walk, the deaf hear, the unclean are cleansed and accepted, the dead come to life, the demonised are delivered, the guilty are forgiven, the outsider is welcomed, the hungry are fed, the naked are clothed, the prisoners are released, the poor receive good news… 

The gospel isn't just about pie in the sky when we die. It's also about steak on the plate whilst we wait. Eternal life has already begun. The promise of an abundant life, fullness of life, has already started. We need to embrace it and live out all the blessings that God is lavishing upon us.  

So, as we enlarge our vision of God, let's also enlarge our vision of the gospel so that Kingdom enlargement can take place. 

ENLARGE THE PLACE OF YOUR TENT – NATHALIE RUNGAN

No more waiting, time to rule on the earth.
All He promised set from the time of your birth.
Don't be afraid, the God of the whole earth is here.
Find strength in Him, courage to conquer your greatest fears.

Enlarge the place of your tent,
Stretch forth the curtain of your habitation;
Fear not. Spare not.
Lengthen your cords. Strengthen your stakes.
Enlarge the place of your tent.
Stretch forth the curtain of your habitation.
Fear not. Go forth.
Sing oh barren one sing; His kingdom here.

In His presence, let faith arise in your heart;
By His Spirit, He will direct your path.
In righteousness, God will establish your steps,
For the Great I AM, Yahweh, has given you heaven's best. 

Enlarge the place of your tent…

You will break forth to the left.
Break forth to the right;
There are cities that need to be built. 

Enlarge the place of your tent… 

Prayer 

Father God, as we embark on this season of prayer and fasting, would you enlarge us, stretch us, increase our capacity and expand our reach? Help us to enlarge the place of our tent, stretch forth the curtain of our habitation, lengthen our cords, and strengthen our stakes. May we be diligent in the place of prayer, in Your word, in fellowship, in worship and in witness. May we be fruitful in serving the purposes of Your Kingdom and Your calling on our lives. In Jesus' name. Amen!