A new brother in Christ recently shared his testimony with our small group here in the Middle East. With tears in his eyes and excitement in his voice, he said, “Since finding Jesus, I have this fire burning inside me for God and His kingdom. I want to know all about Him and tell everyone I know about Him.” As he shared his newly found passion, it was one of those moments that caused everyone in the room to pause and ask themselves, “When was the last time I felt this level of excitement for God and His kingdom?” More importantly, “What must I do to recapture it?”

As believers, we know the kingdom of God is not a place of fiction, but is very real. We also know it is not just in the future, but is here in the present and meant to be experienced on a daily basis. History tells us there have been many times when God has uniquely moved His people, individually and collectively, to this kind of great passion for His presence. The greatest must have been the first century when Jesus—the very King of the kingdom—was present in the flesh.

Having been prepared by John the Baptist, first century Jews and Gentiles alike were now hearing God’s very voice through Jesus of Nazareth. They heard His Good News that the kingdom of God was now assessible to all who would repent and receive it. This message resulted in multitudes of people to begin “forcing their way into it” (Luke 16:16). (For a couple of examples of this, refer to Mark 2:3-11 when four men tore a hole in the roof of a house to get their paralytic friend in front of Jesus. Or, Luke 8:43-48, about a woman, desperate for healing, forcing her way through the crowd just to touch Jesus’ robe). The message was clear—the kingdom of God was at hand and anyone who would repent and believe (trust) in the Son of God could enter it. By the grace of God and in spite of all the obstacles of the Pharisees, Jesus was lighting a new fire in the hearts of people for the Father and His kingdom. The greatest movement of God in history had begun and it could not be stopped.

Our prayer here at M3 is that God would move in the hearts of every believer around the world and stir a new passion for Him and His kingdom. In the Ministry Spotlight below, you will see examples of people today rushing into His kingdom. Much like those oppressed by the religious Pharisees and rulers in the first century, many coming to Jesus live in places where they are persecuted or even put to death for believing in Him as the Son of God. But I’m confident they would tell you, “He is worth it!” The freedom and “new life” Jesus offers are worth the cost, no matter what that cost might be.

There’s no doubt that God is on the move in places all over the world, especially in the 10/40 window. Multitudes are coming to Jesus for the first time or returning to Him with a new excitement. Our ministry partners in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East regularly share stories and images like the ones below and we are so grateful to get to call them partners in His kingdom work. We would love for you can be a partner too. Just click on the “Join Us” button below for more information on what that partnership might look like. You can also connect with us on social media through the links at the bottom of this page.

For His Global Glory!