BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

3 0 : B V O V persecutions." They entered into the realm of God's kingdom to escape trouble, and to have courage and strength in dangerous or even deadly situations. The Lord wants us to expand our hearts to know what that means. What is the Kingdom realm? Is there a place in God where the enemy can't touch us? I say, "YES!" As we journey on, we will look for keys in Paul's words, his actions and his worship. His whole life was a worship to the Lord as he went where the Lord sent him. When God gave Paul a vision of a man from Macedonia (and Thessalonica, Philippi and other cities in the Bible), asking him to come help them, Paul, Timothy, Silas and Luke went to Philippi. Acts 16:13-18 says, "When the Sabbath day came, we went outside the gates of the city to the nearby river, for there appeared to be a house of prayer and worship there. Sitting on the riverbank we struck up a conversation with some of the women who had gathered there. One of them was Lydia, a businesswoman from the city of Thyatira who was a dealer of exquisite purple cloth and a Jewish convert. While Paul shared the good news with her, God opened her heart to receive Paul's message. She devoted herself to the Lord, and we baptized her and her entire family. Afterward she urged us to stay in her home, saying, 'Since I am now a believer in the Lord, come and stay in my house.' So we were persuaded to stay there." Superkids, prayer and worship are important keys to living in the Kingdom realm. When the missionary team and I went to Philippi, we stopped first at Lydia's river. You could feel the presence of the Lord there. We stood on that same riverbank where Paul met Lydia. She and other women had gathered at the river to pray and worship God. When Paul told her about Jesus, the Holy Spirit opened her heart to receive Jesus as her Lord. She gave herself fully to the Lord and her family did too! She asked Paul and the team to stay at her house and they did. Lydia is known as the first person to become a Christian in Europe! The doorway to the kingdom of God is the heart and Lydia was the doorway to the heart of Philippi. Prayer and worship becomes the meeting place with God's presence. I believe this little meeting at the river prepared Paul for what he would face in the days ahead. This month, I challenge you to have conversations with Jesus every day. This is prayer. Open your heart to go deeper, to know Him more, and to hear His message to you. This is worship. This is the beginning of your journey into the Kingdom and into a place of protection and victory! So, off we go! Commander Kellie Commander Kellie's Corner Kellie Copeland is responsible for Covenant Partner Relations at Kenneth Copeland Ministries and is the developer of the Superkid Academy curriculum. Through her ministry and as "Commander Kellie," she fulfills the mission of drawing people of all ages into a personal, growing and powerful relationship with Jesus Christ. Superkid, this month Commander Kellie's Corner is coming to you from the land of GREECE! Around the time I was to write to you, I took a mission trip near the town of Thessaloniki. We've been working our way through Ephesians, Apostle Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus. Guess where that is? Greece! A big part of Paul's ministry was to the Greeks, so much of his writing occurred there. It was no easy job, but Paul was so in love with Jesus he didn't let anything, including being stoned (Acts 14), stop him from doing what Jesus had asked him to do. We ended last month with Acts 14:22, "At each place they went, they strengthened the lives of the believers and encouraged them to go deeper in their faith. And they taught them, 'It is necessary for us to enter into the realm of God's kingdom, because that's the only way we will endure our many trials and persecutions'" (The Passion Translation). I couldn't get that phrase in the second part of that verse out of my head! I just kept thinking, We need to take a side journey! We need to see how to enter into the Kingdom realm. Again, the Lord would bring that thought: We need to take a side journey. Little did I know that Jesus already had it planned, but there I was in Greece, headed to the city of Philippi, and it hit me: I'm on a journey where Paul journeyed and the Superkids are going on a journey with me! I got excited for you to know what Paul experienced and how he endured! What we've learned in Ephesians is only part of what the Lord wants us to see. In the book of Acts we can see the way Paul—well, ACTED! We see how Paul LIVED out the words in the letters he wrote to the churches (the Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Thessalonians). Look at that phrase from Acts 14 again: "It is necessary for us to enter into the realm of God's kingdom, because that's the only way we will endure our many trials and Commander Kellie's Corner Journey to the Kingdom! My granddaughter Kate at the Lydia river Kellie Copeland is responsible for Covenant Partner Relations at Kenneth Copeland Ministries and is the developer of the Superkid Academy curriculum. Through her ministry and as "Commander Kellie," she fulfills the mission of drawing people ® Thessaloniki

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