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Great persecutions under the Romans beginning with Nero and recurring sporadically over the next 250 years. As one Church historian said, “In the popular mind, the early church was above all else a noble army of martyrs”. b. The story of violent opposition to the advancement of the Kingdom of Heaven has continued right on down to this day. The kingdom of heaven STILL suffers violence…! II. Since the kingdom of heaven is suffering violence we need to understand clearly what Jesus meant by these next words, “the violent take it by force”. a. What does he mean by “the violent”? Not violent in the sense of harmful, but violent in the sense of exerting great force and energy. He’s using a generally negative word in a positive sense. b. What does He mean “the violent take it by force”? They take the kingdom to themselves and to others. The kingdom won’t be experienced by anyone apart from the exertion of great force and energy. (Those who have heard but remain outside the kingdom) III. The kingdom of heaven is under violent attack today. The opposition is fierce and relentless, but God has called us to take the kingdom to others. The kingdom is not about geography but about demography. It’s not about land it’s about people! IV. How do we take the kingdom of heaven to others? a. Violence- Not harmful violence like Mohammed or the Crusaders, but out of love for souls exerting great force and energy toward taking the kingdom to them. 1. Violence (exertion of great force and energy) in prayer. (Nations, the church, laborers, provision etc.) 2. Violence (exertion of great force and energy) in love and good works. In the early days of the church the impact of love and mercy upon pagans is revealed in the observations of one of Christianity’s worst enemies, the Emperor Julian (332-63). In his day Julian was finding it more difficult than he had expected to put new life into the traditional Roman religion. He wanted to set aside Christianity and bring back the ancient faith, but he saw clearly the drawing power of Christian love in practice: “Atheism (his view of Christianity) has been specially advanced through the loving service rendered to strangers, and through their care for the burial of the dead. It is a scandal that there is not a single Jew who is a beggar, and that the godless Galileans care not only for their own poor but for ours as well; while those who belong to us look in vain for the help that we should render them”. 3. Violence (exertion of great force and energy) in the spreading of the Gospel. (Planting new churches). Close: Hudson Taylor, fifty years of suffering violence and exerting great force and energy in spreading the gospel in China left under one hundred thousand Christians in the entire country. Today there are estimates that there are perhaps as many as a hundred million believers. .;.іћ 0 Ф б ’ Ђ n Ј h  r x z Њ м ђ kˆЂЃЉЛПќїќ№ъуъ№ъкъкъ№ъ№ъкъуъкъкуъїќъh­§56CJ h­§6CJ h­§CJ h­§5CJ h­§5h­§ .VWѕgh  Ћ Ќ o p І й m n o p  h i  ž = > §ћљљїїїїїїїїїїїїїїїїїїїїїїїїПў> Њ Ћ є ѕ 67ЂЃЛМНОП§§§§§§§§ћ§§§§ 1hАа/ Ар=!А"А# $ %АЅ8@ёџ8 NormalCJmH sH tH 8@8 Heading 1$@&5DA@ђџЁD Default Paragraph FontZiѓџГZ  Table Normal :V і4ж l4жaі _H(kєџС(No List 4>@ђ4 Title$a$5CJ 2B@2 Body TextCJ:P@: Body Text 26CJП џџџџ џџ z™ џџ z™iП 4 .VWѕghЋЌopІйmnophiž=>ЊЋєѕ6 7 Ђ Ѓ Л М Н О С ˜0€€@0С0€€@0ј0€€@0С˜0€€@0ј0€€@0ј0€€@0ј0€€@0ј0€€@0ј0€€@0ј0€€@0ј0€€@0ј0€€@0ј0€€@0ј0€€@0ј0€€@0ј0€€@0ј0€€@0ј0€€@0ј0€€@0ј0€€@0ј0€€@0ј0€€@0ј0€€@0ј0€€@0ј0€€@0СаAаА?џП€аAаА?џП€аAаА?џП€аAаА?џП€аAаА?џП€аAаА?џП€аAаА?џП€аAаА?џП€аAаА?џП€аAаА?џП€аAаА?џП€аAаА?џП€аAаА?џП€аAаА?џП€аAаА?џП€аAаА?џП€ .VWѕghЋЌopІйmnophiž=>ЊЋєѕ6 7 Ђ Ѓ Л М Н О С 9$ИЕTAА?ШГ‘B@€9$ИЕTAА?џП€;$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€;$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џП€9$ИЕTAА?џПЬП > П П <?С ƒ‡С :џ@€<<plг<<•ЅП @ @џџUnknownџџџџџџџџџџџџGTimes New Roman5€Symbol3 Arial"ёˆ№аhД YЦЩUгFШUгFысЛ !№ ДД>4d- .y3ƒ№№џџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџ­§џџAdvancing the Kingdom of HeavenBrian BrodersenBrian Brodersenўџ р…ŸђљOhЋ‘+'Гй0Ј˜ Шдьј ,8 X d p |ˆ˜ ' Advancing the Kingdom of HeavenBrian BrodersenNormalBrian Brodersen6Microsoft Word 11.5.0@BAд @ мКЂЩ@щas3С@цŸоЂЩсЛ ўџ еЭеœ.“—+,љЎ0 hpˆ˜  ЈАИР Ш є'Calvary Chapel-   Advancing the Kingdom of Heaven Title ўџџџўџџџ ўџџџ"#$%&'(ўџџџ§џџџ+ўџџџўџџџўџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџRoot Entryџџџџџџџџ РF€ў;5еЁЩ-€1Tableџџџџџџџџ5WordDocumentџџџџџџџџ"SummaryInformation(џџџџDocumentSummaryInformation8џџџџџџџџџџџџ!CompObjџџџџџџџџџџџџXџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџўџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџўџџџџџ РFMicrosoft Word DocumentўџџџNB6WWord.Document.8