THOUGHTS ON THE ETERNAL KINGDOM
IS IT THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM?
Recently a
friend of mine posted a picture on Facebook of a group sharing The Gospel in an
open-air meeting overseas. My thoughts went to what
Jesus Christ said about The Gospel of The Kingdom will be preached to the whole
world and then the end will come. My
next thought was, “Is what is being preached The Gospel of The Kingdom?”
In
what we call The Lord’s Prayer, the first thing Jesus said we should pray for was
that His Kingdom would come and His will would be done on Earth as it is in
Heaven. It is clear from this that The
Gospel of The Kingdom is more than getting saved from Hell and going to
Heaven. It is about receiving The
Eternal Life of God so we can do our part to bring God’s Kingdom on Earth as it
is in Heaven.
The
first thing John the Baptist and Jesus preached was “repent for The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand”. In Matthew 10:7 Christ
told His followers to preach the same thing. Jesus said that The Kingdom is not a place you
go to, but something that lives within you when you receive His Eternal Life.
The rich young ruler was a good man and a faithful church goer, but he knew
from The Gospel of The Kingdom Jesus preached that something was missing. His question was, “what must I do to inherit
Eternal Life?” Jesus made it clear in
Luke 14:26, 27, and 33 that there are three things that must be surrendered to
God in order to receive Eternal Life: relationships, goals and ambitions, and
possessions. The Gospel of The Kingdom is a message that leads people to
surrender these things to the Lordship of Christ.
Most
people want to escape Hell and go to Heaven.
Some are even willing to say that they believe Jesus died on the cross
for them and say a prayer so they can get there. Saying a prayer won’t get you to Heaven if
there is no repentance or heart surrender. Only through repentance and heart
surrender can you be birthed into God’s Kingdom and receive His Eternal
Life. There is no record in the Bible of
early preachers of The Gospel leading someone in a prayer. Instead they spoke the truth of The Kingdom
in such a way that people would ask them what they needed to do to be saved.
Paul said there were two things he preached everywhere he went, “repentance
toward God and faith in The Lord Jesus Christ”. Many today talk about faith in
Jesus but fail to mention repentance or the need for Christ’s Lordship. Paul
preached these things because he understood that God’s Kingdom is coming on
Earth as it is in Heaven in the hearts of people. He knew that for this to happen there needed
to be deep repentance and a turning away from all that offends God and is
contrary to His Kingdom. Paul understood
that being birthed into The Kingdom required falling in love with Jesus Christ,
and that the person being birthed must surrender their heart and will to His Lordship.
There are many today inside and outside the
church who have not heard The Gospel of The Kingdom. Many would receive The Kingdom if they heard the message of The Kingdom. This
message is the world’s only hope. It is the only message that will bring God’s
Kingdom on Earth as it is in Heaven. When
God’s Kingdom fully comes, there will be peace on Earth and everyone’s needs
will be met. These things will not
happen any other way.
Question: Is the message you are
sharing about salvation The
Gospel of The Kingdom?
SCRIPTURES:
Matthew 24:14, and 6:10; Matthew 3:2, 4:17, and 10:7; John 3:16 and 17:3; Acts
2:38; Luke 17:21; Romans 10:8; Matthew 19:16; Mark 10:17; Luke 18:18 and 14:26,27,33;
and Acts 2:37, 16:30 and 20:21
Henry &
Rita
Please share this important message
with as many people as you can. We would love to help you
know
more about making The Eternal kingdom your number one priority,
please
contact us.
Phone: (228) 255-9251
POSTAL
ADDRESS: P.O. Box 633 Grapevine, TX 76099 USA
Copyright 2018 Brothers & Sisters in Christ
