Have you ever wondered why Jesus chose fishermen for the majority of his first disciples? Not exactly the most respected, refined, educated group of guys to represent His Kingdom. Then there’s the fragrance! Hmmm?

Today as I was doing some manual labor, the Lord dropped some revelation on me:

Fisherman were tradesman. A fisherman learned his trade by working alongside his Dad or someone who didn’t just tell him about fishing, but showed him how to fish on the job! They were natural hands-on learners.

In our circles, many run to Prophetic conferences and Healing Conferences and Kingdom conferences, and they gain lots of knowledge, but we are not seeing the world turned upside down. I know there are some out there doing the works of Jesus, but compared to the number going to conferences, a meager few.

So, here’s the thing. Jesus had the disciples watch only for so long. Then he sent them out, without him, to DO the works of the Kingdom! This Kingdom lifestyle, it’s hands-on!

No doubt they too were nervous. They weren’t sure they could do what Jesus did so easily. But they stepped up and applied their knowledge and transformed it into experience.

When the 70 were sent out for the first time, they “returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name!” Luke 10:17 NIV. They were surprised! They didn’t know if the stuff would “work.” But they went out and gave it a try.

After He sent them out the first time, they worked right alongside him. Sometimes without great success. Even that was a learning experience. (See Mark 9:17-29) Our modern culture likes to have methods. Winging it is worrisome. But when you realize it is not the least bit about you or your performance, it is entirely liberating!

Doing the work of the Kingdom is not about your expertise or your certificate that says you know how to do it. It is about the Holy Spirit demonstrating through you, an earthen vessel, HIS power and love and you demonstrating your faith that He will be there for you. It is about Holy Spirit demonstrating what the finished work of Jesus Christ bought for us; the fullness of salvation.

Here’s the thing, sisters and brothers. If we are given this amazing authority and commanded to go and do everything we have seen Jesus do and we bury it, who can complain that the hospitals are full, our friends and family are suffering from all the works of the enemy and the world is getting worse and worse. It’s on us.

I propose that instead of going to one more conference, you first put to work what you have already received. If you have a Bible and read it, you have enough to get started.

In the ‘Parable of the Talents’ in Luke 19;:11-27 more is given to the one who does something with what they are already given. The one who buried it lost even the little he started with. Jesus has already given us access to the ‘talents’ we are supposed to steward and make multiply. He has given us His authority to heal, to deliver, to cleanse, to raise the dead.

If you want to heal cancer, start praying for someone who has cancer. The worst thing to happen if they are not healed is that they still have cancer. But if, instead, you bury your ‘talent’ and won’t even start there, out of fear that the Lord will punish your imperfection, you won’t ever have something to give him back. That did not end well for the servant in the Parable of the Talents.

The story of Peter and the boys fishing all night is an excellent example of expertise not affecting the outcome. Peter, a professional, earning fisherman is thought to have been a business owner with many boats. This same Peter had been fishing all night, using all his knowledge and experience and yet had caught nothing. Then Jesus came and told him to throw the net on the right side of the boat.

I’m sure Peter was thinking, “Oh! Why didn’t I think of that!? The right side? Brilliant! Thanks Jesus!” By that point he had probably thrown the net from every possible side with no catch. None of his known methods had worked… until, led by the Spirit (who led Jesus), he was astoundingly successful!

What better way to increase the Kingdom than to demonstrate it to the afflicted. The guy who was possessed by a legion of demons got set free and became an instant evangelist. We are not simply healing people, we are enlisting them!

When the 70 returned joyfully elated that even the demons submitted to them in Jesus’ name, he told them not to be amazed, because the greater miracle was their salvation. The victory of Jesus’ suffering and death is already accomplished for us. We need to put our hands forcefully to catching the abundance netted for us in the resurrection.

The enemy is advancing on your family and mine. It is a time to grab hold of all that the Kingdom of Heaven offers to us and to the world. Stay focused on how you have seen the Kingdom of Heaven demonstrated (if only in the Bible). Grab hold of it with your two hands and take it by force!