I originally wrote this in an email to a friend explaining how the Lord began to develop this desire and urge to follow Him more seriously.  I thought it would be a good addition to the site.

*Really try to imagine yourself in this situation*

    Let’s say you’re in a grocery store and you’re just out to grab a gallon of milk.  As you’re walking towards throught the store you notice a young woman pushing a young child in a wheelchair.  You see that the kid is in real bad shape and has probably been in the chair for quite some time.  You also see that the young woman isn’t doing to well either, she looks depressed and distraught, beaten up by the world around her.  Immediately you’re filled with compassion because you feel as if they need help and there is nothing you can do. 

    What if there was something you could do?

    What if right there on the spot you could turn to the woman and write a check for $100,000 (and it wouldn’t hurt your financial situation whatsoever)?  That would be a great feeling to you and she would experience a great joy in the gift.  That certainly would be great and nice but money does run out, it can be lost, stolen, and in the end it just ends up providing a temporary fix to a very permanent problem.  The check you write has no ability to help that kid in the wheelchair and it has no ability to touch the broken spirit of the woman.
 
    It’s a possibility that that $100,000 could help with medical bills and procedures for the child in the wheelchair, but those fixes are only as good as they are available.  Hospitals are not guaranteed, Katrina proved to us that it just takes a little bit of water to take out dreams, homes, hospitals, etc. and you have nothing to say about it.  All human ability is contingent upon just that, human ability, which is limited.
 
    Another "great and noble thing" you could do is tell her that Jesus loves her.  The Christian thing to do would to offer her hope in Christ.  But what happens after you walk away and all you’ve given them was a few words.  You go home to your family while she returns home and nothing has been changed.
 
    Ask youself this question, if Jesus was in that store, what would have happened?  Do you think He would’ve given them $100,000?  Would He send them to get medical work done?  Would He say "I love you" and walk away? 
 
    You know Jesus didn’t just say "I love you", He proved it, He demonstrated it.
 
    Put yourself back in that store with that woman and child.  This time, you walk up to her.  Kneel down to look at the child. Smile and say, "Did you know Jesus loves you and your child here?"  She would give a courtsey, "Yes, I know.".  But you look at her and say, "No, He really does love you.  Watch."  And you take the child by the hand and stand him up and tell him to walk.  A mother who has never seen her child walk sees the impossible happen.  All of the sudden your words mean something, there is substance behind the love!  She now sees Jesus is alive and well, He is all powerful, He DOES love us, and if He can heal my child’s physical condition then it means He can heal my spiritual condition.
 
    Your words are no longer empty promises but they contain the real power of God.  This is what the Apostle Paul meant when he said in 1 Corinthians 4:20 "the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power." and also in 1 Thess 1:5 "…our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power…" 
 
    It’s also why Jesus said this: 

 "Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…." He said to the paralyzed man, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." 25 Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. "
Luke 5:23-25

    You see, the answer isn’t to acquire more money to donate or help the needy.  The answer is the power of God in operation.  The proof that Jesus really is King like we say he is.  We don’t need to spend our time trying to build our "American Dream" while the world is dying around us.  We don’t need to set a portion of our income to help the needy.  We need to set apart our whole lives to fulfill the commision and call of the Kingdom.

    This isn’t churchianty.  This is the true Kingdom of God in operation.  God is real and alive, and He is all powerful.  Unfortunately you don’t see this in the church today.  Everybody says, "Jesus loves you." but they don’t have the backing of the power of the Kingdom behind them to show it to the world.
 
    Jesus told us what are job is:

Matt 10:7,8 "As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. "

    That’s it, pretty simple and clearcut.  You tell people the Kingdom is here and you demonstrate it. Everybody else made it so complicated.
 
    If you read the Gospels (http://www.howtobecomeamissionary.com/how-to-study-the-bible/) you will see that Jesus’ message to His disciples was to simply stop living for this world, live according to the Kingdom of God, and go take that Kingdom to the hurting world you are in.
 
    So I ask myself, how much of my life is living up to that kind of commission?  And you don’t judge by yesterday, or tomorrow, you just it by today.  You’re only as good of a follower of Jesus as you are today, it’s true, tomorrow doesn’t exist, and yesterday doesn’t count for today.  So when I look at the things around me, what am I spending most of my time on?  And why? Is there a way I can free up more time to serve the Kingdom appropriately?  Of course there is, but it requires a sacrifice, death to yourself so that Christ may live through you. 

    This is what Luke 14:25-35 is about.

There are some brothers and sisters out in Georgia who are really letting the Kingdom go forth in power.  For a great inspiration, check out: http://kingdompoweronthestreet.blogspot.com/