Jesus Introduces The Kingdom
CHANGE YOUR MIND
The apostle Paul was, "... preaching the Kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him," Acts 28'31.
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Jesus introduced the New Covenant Kingdom of God. But John the Baptist came first: "In those days John the Baptist came preacibng in the wilderness of Judea and saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!' For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:
The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the LORD;
Make His paths straight.’” Matthew 3'1-3.
So John heralded the message of The Lord and the Kingdom, and fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy (40'3).
He came to stir the people's hearts and minds in preparation for the one who would introduce them to the Good News of the Kingdom of God which, some time later, the Holy Spirit would bring into reality.
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The Kingdom of God is referred to often in Bible teachings, preachings and studies. Things like inheriting it, building it, extending it and seeking it of course. However, for the most part, they are vague about what the kingdom is. After all, Paul talks about God "... who calls you into His own kingdom and glory," 1 Thessalonians 2'12..
And Jesus represented it and demonstrated it in His everyday ways of living in accordance with His own words in Matthew 6'10: "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven". So:
"When He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, 'The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, "See here!" or "See there!" For indeed, the kingdom of God is among you',” Luke 17'20-21.
Perhaps these Pharisees had been on the Mount when Jesus' told his fellow Israelites to pray: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven," Matthew 6'9-10. Jesus was doing just that! The Kingdom of God was among them because He was doing His Father's will, demonstrating what God's kingdom really is.
If the Lord was representing the Father's Kingdom then, what is it's relevance today?
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At the start of His public preaching Jesus challenged all the people of Israel by saying, loudly and clearly: “The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the good news” (Mark 1'15).
With these words He introduced His two-fold Good News: His New Covenant and New Covenant Kingdom of God.
First is His Covenant which promises salvation. As the apostle Paul said: "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners ...," 1 Timothy 1'15. Jesus Himself said: “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture," John 10'9. (A picture of salvation and kingdom living).
Genuine born-again Believers know that His is the greatest of all kingdoms. But how is it to be understood? Is it something to be prayed for every day as in praying for it to come? Is it for the present age, or the future?
To fully understand what the Kingdom of God is requires action. In the New Testament Greek language it's metanoia. In English it's translated repent. In plain English it means change of mind - change your mind! That's decisive thinking. And that's the beginning. Paul says:
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God," Romans 12'1-2.
The Kingdom will of God can be found in the scriptures from John 1'1 to revelation 3'23 for those who seek.
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Jesus was still teaching and instructing His Disciples about the Kingdom of God right up to His ascension to heaven. It was as though He was leading them through the final sessions of their three-year-plus Kingdom orientation. Luke, inspired by the Holy Spirit, goes straight to it at the beginning of his very significant account that came to be called the Acts of the Apostles:
"The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God," Acts 1'1-3.
The Lord had said at the beginning of His earthly ministry that the time had come and that the Kingdom of God is at hand. So it shouldn't be surprising then that it came in reality a few years later when the Holy Spirit came. It had been demonstrated by Jesus, in the way He lived each and every day. Then, subsequent to the coming of the Holy Spirit, it began to be demonstrated by His Called-Out People in the way they lived their lives each and every day.
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Towards the end of His earthly ministry, Jesus prophesied that: “... this good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations and then the end will come," Matthew 24'14. And that prophecy was echoed in His final words just before He ascended to heaven:
“... you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth,” Acts 1'8.
At this point the Apostles could have been unnerved at the enormity of the commission He had just given them. However, they knew they had the promise of the Holy Spirit. Jesus had already prepared them some time earlier by telling them that ...
“... when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you," John 16'13-14.
There was another very significant occasion earlier than that adds to His words of assurance. At that time the Father spoke. And what He said would have had great impact. It was during the time when Peter, James and John were with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. Suddenly the Father spoke from heaven and said: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”. Those last two words resound down through time. They are as relevant today as they were then. (See Hear Him! on the Menu.)
"Hear Him"! means Jesus is first and foremost the Truth. He is the word of the Kingdom man. And that's what He said the Holy Spirit would do when He came: "He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you". Another very significant to note is that, in each one of His seven letters Jesus says: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says" (Revelation 2-3). Every born again person has the choice of doing just that.
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Following Pentecost the Lord's Kingdom message had become the Apostles' message and therefore very important to them also. They, and later Paul, were crucial in the founding and forming of the Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit inspired them and motivated them to preach and teach and write. The New Testament came into being and it conveys Christ's New Covenant Kingdom of God through the scriptures of Acts 1'1 to Revelation 3'22 and some from Matthew, Mark, Luke and particularly John.
So what is the Kingdom of God then? Paul answers that question very clearly. He says: "... the kingdom of God is ... righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit".
Then he adds: "For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God," Romans 14'17-18.
The last two verses of the Acts of the Apostles show that from the Day of Pentecost onwards Christ and Kingdom teachings were front and centre:
"... Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him," Acts 28'30-31.
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So, Christ's New Covenant Kingdom of God came into being on the Day of Pentecost after Jesus was glorified in heaven (John 7'39). That Kingdom is the reality that He desires to be demonstrated on earth through His Called-Out People, every day.
The Kingdom articles on this website aim to do that.
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Next: "You Must Be".