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Covenant Series
“Enlarging the Kingdom”

Scripture:
Acts 2:42-47 “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. 44And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 45And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. 46And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, 47Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”

Introduction:
We are blessed to be in covenant with God, and as a result, be in covenant with one another. He is our God, we are His people. (Hebrews 8:10) Because we are in covenant, we are bound together to fulfill the will of Father in regard to the establishment of His Kingdom.
Proper definitions of the word covenant include:

1. An agreement, usually formal, between two or more persons to do or not do something specified.
2. Ecclesiastical. A solemn agreement between the members of a church to act together in harmony with the precepts of the gospel.

1. Our Lord Jesus was concerned with the Kingdom being established on earth.
2. He taught us to pray about bringing heaven to earth. “On earth as it is in heaven.”
3. Everywhere Jesus went and everything He did was directed by Father God and was all about bringing the resources of heaven into the lives that He touched.
4. Jesus gave us His authority to His disciples to continue bringing the Kingdom just as He did while here.

Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19Go £therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” £Amen.”

1. The early church had members added to it because they were committed the Word and to one another.
2. Their love for one another was so strong that others wanted to be part of their fellowship.
3. AS the Apostles moved in signs and wonders, the church grew.
4. Jesus said “Greater works than these shall you do because I go to my Father.”

Acts 5:12-16 “And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch. 13Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly. 14And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. 16Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.”

1. Signs and wonders come out of the unity that a church experiences.
2. On the day of Pentecost, they were in one accord and 3,000 souls were added to the Kingdom.

1. Another very practical way to enlarge the Kingdom is to live a lifestyle consistent with the Kingdom of God.

I Timothy 4:12-16 “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, £in spirit, in faith, in purity. 13Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. 14Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. 15Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. 16Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.”

1. Our testimony, our teaching and preaching should be so filled with gospel truth and anointing that it draws others to the Kingdom.
2. We must ACT like the one we’re being conformed to so that others will be drawn to Him.
3. If we truly love each other and allow the love of God to flow through our lives, souls will come into the Kingdom. People are looking for an honest and true expression of real love today.
4. Getting our spirit right will go a long way in winning the lost. I believe this has to do with the development of the fruit of the spirit in my life.

Galatians 5:22-25 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
Proverbs 16:32 “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.”

1. A faith-filled life releases Kingdom resources to help us walk in victory, demonstrate Christ-like character and minister signs and wonders.
2. If we live in purity, no one will have any need or reason to neither fear us nor be uncomfortable around us.

1. We’re in covenant. Let’s work together in harmony to see the Kingdom established through the ministry of Bethesda.