[23] Jesus went
throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of
the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
Matthew 4:23 (NKJV)
[23] And Jesus went
about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the
kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the
people.
Most people are aware of the gospel message. Few understand
it. Many misunderstand it. There are the four spiritual laws. The popular
"The Story". We hear it in its
various forms from church pulpits all over the world. However, there seems to
be something missing from the gospel message. This something is its context.
What is this context? It is the “Kingdom” aspect. We must remember it is the
gospel of the Kingdom.
When God created humanity He was to be our King. We were to
live as citizen of His Kingdom. However, because of the Fall humanity has determined
to rule itself without God. One of the results of this was the loss of true
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control. God’s kingdom needed to be restored. Not by human hands but by
God Himself.
Ephesians 2:17 (ESV)
[17] And he came
and preached peace to you who were
far off and peace to those who were near.
We begin to see this in the first recorded words of Jesus.
In the Gospel of Mark 1:15 it states '(Jesus) and saying, “The time is
fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the
gospel.”
Luke 4:18 (NIV)
[18] “The Spirit of
the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for
the blind, to release the oppressed,
The good news is of God Kingdom for those that have been let
down by the nations of mankind, the institutionalized religions of humanity and
ourselves as individuals. We hear the social mantras of humanity and also see
this euphemism in all political systems throughout history, “The rich get
richer and the poor get poorer.”
Humanity cry’s out against it and wants it at the same time. Depending
on where someone is at on the social scale. However, one thing is for sure is
that as a result of these inequities we see poverty, injustice, sickness and
oppression. The people in Jesus day that were the disenfranchised longed for a
new ruler with justice and fair governing. Jesus came to do away with all faults
of humanity and to restore things to the way they were meant to be, pre-Fall.
This was to be done by rescuing those that wanted this by making them a new
creation and at the same time giving them a new Kingdom to live for. A new hope
to be a part of. A new perspective of life itself.
It seems to be that
when a person becomes a born again child of God that person becomes a citizen
of God's Kingdom and the life they are to live is in the context of this
Kingdom. This Kingdom is here and now but not in the same way as the kingdoms
of man. This Kingdom would indicate a separation from one kingdom and then
being attached to another kingdom. We see this theme throughout the Bible. God
selects someone out of the kingdoms of man or nations of man or earthly
governments to be separated to Himself and to live according to His ways only.
We see this in Noah, Abraham, the Israelites and now Christians.
Hebrews 11:10, 13-16
(ESV)
[10] For he (Abraham)
was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and
builder is God… [13] These all died in faith, not having received the
things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having
acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. [14] For
people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.
[15] If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they
would have had opportunity to return. [16] But as it is, they desire a
better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be
called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
Philippians 3:20
(NIV)
[20] But our
citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord
Jesus Christ,
This is part of the gospel message. This is part of
repentance. Changing allegiance from the systems of the world to the Kingdom of
God. Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of
this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the
Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.” We see this reaffirmed in the New Testament.
Acts 28:31 (NIV)
[31] Boldly and
without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord
Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 6:17 (NIV)
“Therefore come out
from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will
receive you.”
Do we see this in the Christian culture today? Is a kingdom
of God mindset taught and preached? Is there a call for people that want the
gift of eternal life to be separated from the kingdoms of man? I don't mean in
a "commune" way. Or so kind of intellectual esoteric sanctimonious
way either. But a people that live and follows Jesus as King and Lord in every
way He taught us or have we adopted the ways of the world and made it a part of
the Kingdom living. I would say yes. In America we create Jesus in the image of
our patriotism. We teach God and country. Christianity takes political positions
that creates barriers between people who identify themselves as conservatives
versus liberals. We become so politically minded we become no gospel good.
Pastors and so-called Christian leaders take political positions for monetary
gain. I don’t remember Jesus or the disciples teaching the church to take up
political positions. No they spread the good news of another political position
that was not of this world. They told us to go and invite people into God’s
political cause not humanities. However,
what may be even worse than the politics of humanity being a part of the body
of Christ is the love of money.
Luke 16:13 (NIV)
[13] “No servant
can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he
will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and
Money.”… “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God
knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's
sight.
For example when we read in the New Testament about the
collection of treasures from Gods people it is to meet the needs of fellow
believers. It’s not to make a profit. It’s not to buy property as a group of
people to build a building. It’s not to upgrade a sound systems. We see
elaborate stages with expensive lighting. We see huge holiday displays with
thousands of light and decorations. We see Christian bands with massive light
shows. We see ministers making six figure incomes while people in the
congregations are living of food stamps however the pastors still try and
convince all their parishioners to giving a tenth no matter how poor they are
because its Gods will. Church
"staff" have health coverage while congregants have none. In the New
Testament the collection of money is always to meet the needs of the believers
and nothing more. However, we see local communities of believers coming
together and using a worldly business model to run a church or to make
decisions about where money goes. They make decisions about the works of the
church from a monetary perspective. This is the ways of world, a product of the
kingdoms of man not the gospel of the Kingdom of God.
We have local churches getting in bed with local governments
to avoid paying taxes. Where local government legislate how a local church must
set of the rules for governing even if it isn’t biblical. Then when the church
is called out on it they begin to do mental gymnastics to justify their choice
all for the sake of money. They yoke themselves together with them for the sake
of money. What ever happen to “give to Caesars
what is Caesars and to God what is God’s”.
A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough. This
is how the enemy gets a foot hold. I can’t help but think as we adopt the
wisdoms and philosophies of the world to guide and direct the church, which is
a part of the Kingdom of God, what other areas of Christian life is affected in
a way that is opposite from following Jesus. A watered down gospel message to tickle
peoples ears so that no one might be offend and leave and take their money with
them. Jesus said follow me as your King,
as your Lord. When we invest the money, (which is meant to meet the needs of the
saints), into material possessions then aren't we more prone to adopt the
wisdom's and philosophies of the world to protect these worldly possessions? We
justify using violence to protect these assets. James 4:2 (ESV) "You
desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you
fight and quarrel." We justify taking up weapons to kill those that have
been labeled enemies. Even though Jesus tells us to follow him and obey him and
to love our enemies and to let God take revenge.
2 Corinthians 6:17
(NIV)
[17] “Therefore come
out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I
will receive you.”
The gospel of the Kingdom of God has now become the
institutionalized religion of man because of our desire to hold onto our earthly
treasure at all costs, even disobedience to our Savior.
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