I heard someone say that “the kingdom of God is life the way that
God intended it to be.” If I insert that phrase in the scripture from Mark it would
read, “The time is fulfilled, and t life the way that God intended
it to be is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” So
what is life the way God intended it to be? I suppose we would have to go back
to the Garden. Mankind in harmony with the Creator God and with each other.
That sounds a little like the 2 greatest commandment doesn’t it? (Matthew
22:37-39) And if we have indeed repented
and believed in the Gospel. And what is the Gospel?
“For I delivered to you first of all that which I also
received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that
He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the
Scriptures, and that He was seen” – 1 Corinthians 15:3-5
And what must you believe?
“if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in
your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with
the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is
made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not
be put to shame.” ….. For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall
they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?” – Romans 10:9-11, 13
How can anyone believe it?
“When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked
His disciples, saying, ‘Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?’ So they
said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of
the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter
answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus
answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and
blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.’” – Matthew
16:13-17
The truth of the Gospel is a spiritual revelation. I cannot convince anyone into heaven – salvation
is by faith and the seed of faith is spiritual not natural. There are a number of very large religions
that will acknowledge that Jesus was a great teacher – even a profit – but stop
short of saying that He is the Son of God.
That would unhinge their faith – what they and generations before them
have believed. It is only the revelation
of God by His Spirit and the Gospel that some might believe and be saved.
And what is our role in the Gospel? We are ministers of reconciliation
– man to God – ambassadors for Christ. Representatives in a foreign land making
known who Jesus is and what He has done. Not just with words but by the way we
live our lives.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old
things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are
of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us
the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the
world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to
us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as
though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be
reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we
might become the righteousness of God in Him” – 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
We live in a dark time in the history of our
nation and the world. We don’t need louder
voices – we need louder lives. Lives that shout out our faith and God’s love
for mankind. Some religions’ solution is
to have a theocracy – and be ruthless in its administration. Man’s solution for establishing the kingdom
of God on earth. Purifying the nation so that no other practice will be
tolerated. But the kingdom of God emanates from a changed heart and is a
witness to a world that has but one destination – eternal separation from its Creator.
To be faithful to our calling, we must live our
message. Steven Curtis Chapman wrote a
song called, “The Change”. I thought I would share a couple of verses.
“Well I got myself a T-shirt that says what I
believe. I got letters on my bracelet to serve as my ID. I got the necklace and
the key chain And almost everything a good Christian needs, yeah
I got the little Bible magnets on my refrigerator
door. And a welcome mat to bless you before you walk across my floor. I got a
Jesus bumper sticker And the outline of a fish stuck on my car
And even though this stuff's all well and good,
yeah I cannot help but ask myself--
What about the change What about the difference What
about the grace What about forgiveness What about a life that's showing I'm
undergoing the change.”
It is not about what we say or look like – but how
we live and treat other people – and that reflects what we believe and our love
for God. Living our lives the way God intended. Giving people a little glimpse
of heaven.
Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it –
Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.
By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His
Glory Alone
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