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“This time you have perfect hearing in the lower tones in your left ear,” said the stunned audiologist after I received prayer for healing. I’m dumbfounded, because an earlier test clearly showed poor hearing in that range.

In my twenties, when I would ride in the passenger seat of a car I began to realize I could barely hear what the driver had to say. I thought it probably wouldn’t hurt to get my hearing assessed.

Well, the weekend after I got my hearing evaluated, at church, the pastor said, “Someone here has difficulty hearing out of their left ear and I think it only has to do with low tones.”  I’m like, who? I look around.  No one responds.  I know its for me.  

I’m like, my hearing situation is not a major issue.  I don’t need it fixed, but I go up to the pastor.  He asks if he can gently place his hand on my ear. 

He says something like, I don’t remember exactly,” Holy Spirit come and heal her ear,” or something like that.  All of a sudden, I feel this “pop” in my left ear and the music the worship band is playing sounds really crisp.  The pastor asks me if anything happened.  I mumbled about getting my hearing checked and now it sounds better, and he says, “Why don’t you have it evaluated again. “

I did not need that healing.  Lots of people need healing from things much more serious. I am wondering, “Why did God do this?”  I started paying more attention to Kingdom of God references our pastor mentioned.  It comes to me.  Jesus is king.  He is king of my life.  When his perfect rule, reign and authority comes, like it will be in heaven, everything is set right.  Everything.  Even something as small as my minor hearing problem. I get hungry to know and experience this Kingdom of God — because I want that power and purity to change much more important things in my life.

In Revelation 21:4 it says, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death, or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

In eternity, heaven, God’s perfect rule, reign and authority will exist.  As a result people will no longer die.  Things that cause loss and grief will no longer occur.  There will be no more pain.  

Before eternity, we discover a historical man named Jesus draws a lot of followers because of his message and what he does to back up that message as proof that what he is saying is true.

In Matthew 9:35 Jesus’ primary message was that he has arrived as king — with God’s perfect rule, reign and authority with love — the kingdom.  He then demonstrates the authority of that kingdom/his kingship by healing every illness and condition that weakens people.

In Matthew 10:1 Jesus gives his first 12 followers his same authority.  In verses 7 & 8 Jesus tells them what he wants them to do.  Later, he tells his other followers and us the same instructions.  He basically wants them and us to do what he had just been doing.  To proclaim the kingdom of God and then demonstrate its authority and compassion through healing.

For some of us, the first act of obedience is to surrender to Jesus as king of our life.  For some of us obedience is to continue to surrender more areas of our life to Jesus as king over it.  Jesus be king of my relationships. Jesus be king of my circumstances.  Jesus be king over my thought life.  Jesus be king over my emotions. 

For others, we may be curious to know more about the kingdom of God and how to partner with Jesus in proclaiming and demonstrating it.  At Heartland Vineyard Church you may join a neighborhood group to form relationships, watch this modeled, ask questions, and try.  Another way to learn more is to take the class Reality: Life with the Holy Spirit and the Kingdom of God this coming winter.  

Others of us, who have been partnering with the Holy Spirit to bring the kingdom wherever we go, can continue to seek more opportunities for obedience. 

Jesus proclaimed and demonstrated a new authority.  Let’s go out and seek it with all that we are.