One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, "When will the Kingdom of God come?"

Jesus replied, "The Kingdom of God can't be detected by visible signs. You won't be able to say, 'Here it is!' or 'It's over there!' For the Kingdom of God is already among you" (Luke 17:20-21, NLT).

When Christians get together and include Jesus in their gatherings, unexpected and remarkable spiritual processes occur. It's a brilliant feature created in us by our Heavenly Father, first released in our 1.0 versions, Adam & Eve. We had once walked and talked in intimacy with God in the Garden of Eden. But when sin entered the garden our capacity to process relationships with God and others was ultimately corrupted. Each generation, regardless of external upgrades and changes, has corrupt defaults set at the very core. Only our Creator can perfectly asses the problem and provide the right redeeming solution. He's done so through the sacrifice of Jesus. One early Sunday morning, the worship team was practicing their set for the upcoming service. They typically get together twice a week: once on Monday to select songs and have some initial practice time & then once again on Sunday morning. For some reason everything was too quiet. No matter how hard the musicians played or how loud the vocalists sang nothing was coming through the speakers. The soundboard checked out: all the levels were properly set. Microphones were on and the batteries were fully charged. Nothing made sense. We were at a loss, so we called our tech guy, Hunter. Quickly he departed for the church, promptly fixing what all of us had missed. The amp had failed to

be turned on.

No amp, no power, no sound.

It was a simple fix of which we were both embarrassed and grateful for Hunter's assistance. So often, like the Pharisees in the above passage, we miss the obvious fact that God’s Kingdom is among us. Yet, and just as often, the fix occurs when we intentionally include Jesus in our gatherings. He is not far off and out of reach. Jesus is among us when we Christians are with one another. He graciously fixes our corrupted cores when we repent and ask for forgiveness. His warranty is always good & He's never too busy for us. So the next time you gather with some fellow Christians, remember to include Jesus in a time of prayer and/or a scripture. Unexpected and remarkable spiritual processes will occur.

For the Kingdom of God is already among you.