"This Gospel of the Kingdom"

by Matthew Chapman

 

 

From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

But He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God. for I was sent for this purpose." (Luke 4:43)

To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. (Acts 1:3)

 

Imagine a conversation in which a follower of Jesus boldly and lovingly proclaimed a message to a non-Christian along these lines.

"I have good news for you! God has a kingdom in which you can abide, where life-everlasting life-reigns. It is available to everyone who will enter, and being in His domain is always an experience of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. It is also the only escape there is from the realm of death and evil in this world that we all know so well. But unless you are born of the Spirit of God, you can neither see nor enter this kingdom. It is closed off to you because of the sin in your life and the vain way you live for yourself in this world. But God's only Son, Jesus, who is the King of this kingdom, has made a way for you to be able to enter."

"He and His Father loved us so much, even when we didn't love Them, that They carried out Their plan to make a way for us. The Father sent Jesus to earth from His throne in eternity, and He willingly came in all the fullness of who He is while also becoming a man with a human body. During the time He was here, He taught all about His kingdom, gave us His commandments, and manifested that truth is only in Him. He then took upon Himself all of our sin and rebellion against God when He died upon the cross. In doing this, He suffered the righteous judgment of death and separation from God that is rightly due to all of us and is everyone's final destiny, forever in hell, which Jesus also called 'the lake of fire.'"

"But Jesus didn't stay imprisoned to death and separation from God! He victoriously rose from death and now sits alive forevermore on His throne at the right hand of God, His Father, and He now has 'the keys to death and hell.' In other words, Jesus alone has become The Way for us to be freed from our prison of death and separation from God, and He only can unlock all the chains of sin that bind us. In Jesus, we can have forgiveness of all our sin and rebellion against God, and be born of His Spirit into a new life, becoming a whole new person, and have fellowship-real, daily, interactive fellowship-with Him and His Father, and become part of His kingdom right now, for the rest of our lives on earth and for eternity!"

"Do you want to be part of His kingdom? Do you want to abide in His life and be His follower? You can. He sure desires that you do, but He will not choose for you-that part must come from you, and it is an "all or nothing" decision. You must believe with all your heart who Jesus is and that He truly did all that He did to atone for our sin by dying on the cross and being raised from death. You must believe that this, and this only, is what makes you righteous before God and able to have a relationship with Him. You must also completely give yourself to Him to live under His absolute rule of your life. Remember, He is King and Lord, and in becoming a subject in His kingdom, He will be the One to govern your life, which means you must repent and turn away from whatever considerations have governed your life up until now in order to do this."

"In doing this, you will be born of His Spirit and become a partaker of His eternal life. You will be transferred from the domain of darkness into His kingdom, and this will begin your new life in Jesus as a child of God. You will then belong to Him and spend a lifetime of learning to daily recognize and enter into the abiding reality of His kingdom-His realm in the Spirit and reign over everything there is, where you too will experience His righteous, peace, and joy. As you follow Him daily, abide in His word and truth and kingdom, and keep His commandments, you will overcome all that is of the world, and inherit His kingdom as your portion and reward for eternity."

"So how about it? What do you say? What is your response to Jesus and His invitation to you?"

Seed produces "after its kind"
Saints, can you imagine the kind of Christians there would be if this kind of seed-"this gospel of the kingdom"-is what was sown into the hearts of men at the very beginning? But this is not at all the gospel that is typically shared with unbelievers. The truth be told, when most Christians think of witnessing to the lost or the work of evangelism, talk of the King and His kingdom is seldom even part of the recipe. What most Christians have been trained with and what usually gets delivered to unbelievers is another kind of gospel message that goes something like this.

"Do you know where you are going to go when you die? Do you have the assurance that if you died right now, you would spend eternity in heaven? God doesn't want you die and go to hell, He loves you and wants you to spend eternity with Him, and He even has a special plan for your life. All you have to do is pray and ask Jesus into your heart, and He will come in, and help you with your life, and give you that assurance. Do you want to pray and ask Him in?"

Noticeably absent in this "modern gospel" is any mention of The King or His kingdom, but rather a whole lot of talk about "where they are going to go when they die" and an easy way for them to get to the right place. Let me ask you a few simple questions. Who does the modern gospel message make the recipient focus on? If you answered "himself," you are correct. It is an appeal to him about his life and how to make it better. Who does the first example of the gospel of the kingdom message make the recipient focus on? Jesus, the King and Lord, and His kingdom and way.

If there is one thing that God has woven into all of creation, it is the reality that seed produces after its own kind. This is true for fruits, vegetables, trees, and all forms of vegetation. It is true in animal and human reproduction. And it is no less true for the messages that are sown into the hearts of men and women and are believed. The "DNA" of that message will produce people who live and walk and choose and talk "after its kind." This being true, the church is reaping what she has sown.

The heart condition at the very foundation of what is believed by the disciples of the modern gospel at their inception is one of self-centeredness and not repentance. Is it any wonder then that the spiritual condition of Christians in much of the world today is so pitiful and compromised? Should we be surprised that the presence of the Lord Jesus is so scarce and even altogether absent in so many "churches" (religious organizations)? I am not denying that some people manage to genuinely get born-again through hearing and believing the modern gospel, but they are severely handicapped from birth in terms of overcoming in this life, running the "well done, good and faithful servant" race, and being a fruitful branch who consistently abides in the Vine. They congregate together to find the Jesus on whom they have believed, the Jesus who came to help them with their life, and leave with something far less than His resurrection power.

In contrast, disciples who come to the Lord through "this gospel of the kingdom" find it far more normal to genuinely "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness," because they understand from the very start that this is expected of them by the King. Sure, there are "rocks" and "thorns" in their own hearts that must be removed, motives to be purified, and temptations and the draw of the world to be overcome. But they know that their King has overcome the world, and that they are in Him, and He has abundant resources to deal with such things, so they are of good cheer and tenaciously continue moving forward in God, persevering through all sorts of difficulties, hardships, and trials. They know their life will indeed be helped along by the Lord Jesus, but this is in the category of "all these things will be added to you" rather than a self-absorbed pursuit. Their overriding concern is that the King is pleased and gets what He wants in us, through us, and among us.

 

Baggage from The Reformation

So how did we end up with such a warped, watered-down "gospel" that is all about "where we are going to go when we die" and not about the King, Jesus, and His kingdom, and the life we are to live now in Him? Yes there is a heaven and hell, and there are real eternal consequences for our choices and deeds in this life, but is this the biblical example of an evangelistic approach? Consider the New Testament record:

Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word. And Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ to them. And the multitudes with one accord were giving attention to what was said by Philip, as they heard and saw the signs which he was performing. For in the case of many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice; and many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed. And there was much rejoicing in that city. But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike. (Acts 8:4-12)

And [Paul] entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. (Acts 19:8)

"But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, in order that I may finish my course, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will see my face no more. Therefore I testify to you this day, that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. (Acts 20:24-27)

And when we entered Rome... they came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God, and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening. And some were being persuaded by the things spoken, but others would not believe. And he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters, and was welcoming all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered. (Acts 28:16-31)

How did we come to present a Jesus to the world who is as fixated on us as we are, who will gladly take us as we are, give us eternal life, and has little other requirement of us other than we drink in His "free gift"? There are many facets of the answer to these questions, but I want to focus on one primary "cause" that has led to this "effect."

In simple terms, the event known as The Reformation that began in 1517 was a huge reaction by certain Catholics to the Roman Catholic religious system and its practices that had, by that time, been established for centuries. It was a very corrupt system that kept average people ignorant of the scriptures and enslaved to the traditions and dogma of "The Church" as it was handed down from the Pope, through the hierarchy, and propagated locally through what they were told by their parish priests. People were told that they must faithfully attend mass, adhere to the teachings of The Church, perform acts of penance and "buy indulgences" to atone for their sins, and do many other such things in order to be saved. Eventually, men like Martin Luther finally studied the scriptures for themselves and rediscovered the wonderful truth that salvation is "by grace through faith in Jesus" (Eph. 2:8-9, et al.) instead of by believing and doing all those things they were told by The Church to believe and do. As I said before, this set off an enormous reaction to the Roman Catholic Church.

Among the many things "The Re-formation" set in motion, including the establishment of "re-formed" religious systems to compete with the Roman Catholic Church (and each other), is that it framed the dispute over what it takes for a person to be saved as THE overriding issue of Christianity rather than a wholehearted return to the Lord Jesus Himself and His focus and teaching on the kingdom of God. The very nature of such a dispute led men to approach finding the answer by breaking things down until they could identify the very minimum of what it takes to go from being unsaved to being saved so that they could define it theologically and, in their minds, make known the truth.

One can sympathize with why they did this, but their approach in handling the situation set in motion consequences that these "reformers" probably never intended. In the process of trying to figure things out, this "minimum requirement" mentality developed and prevailed, and the scriptures were dissected apart to the point that certain truths were separated from their intended context. Thus "salvation by grace through faith" became a fragment of truth that was thoroughly divorced from its place in "this gospel of the kingdom." There is certainly nothing wrong with "salvation by grace through faith," and it is one of the truths in Christ that needed to be recovered and made known. But taken alone by man who, in himself, is short-sighted, earthly-minded, and self-centered, it became an end in itself, rather than a key part of the life, the spiritual kingdom, and the eternal purpose to be entered into now.

The "reformers" of that time then argued and literally fought over the correct application and communication of this scriptural truth. Sadly, "salvation by grace through faith" did not come to be seen as a glorious "free gift" by a merciful and gracious King, so that the recipient could then "see" and "enter the kingdom of God " (John 3:1-8), abide in His realm, fulfill His purposes, and live obediently under His absolute rule. Instead, as stated earlier, it came to be seen as an end in itself, and because the tremendous reaction to the Roman Catholic Church continued unabated for several centuries, anything associated with salvation that had to do with obedience and good works was branded (sometimes rightly so) as "legalism" and rejected as a false doctrine of salvation by works. Truly there is absolutely nothing we can do to earn salvation, but the message of the salvation God offers through His Son, Jesus Christ, got completely taken out of the context of His "gospel of the kingdom."

In time, the way to communicate this recovered truth of "salvation by grace through faith" was made into a formula which, in its essence, is: believe these theological truths and you are saved-period. Fast forward through nearly five hundred years of obsessing on this, and you have the modern gospel message typified earlier. And so today, after generations and generations of people having this reaction-driven fragment of a message being preached and recycled as THE gospel, it has mutated even further into an easy-believism message of minimal requirement so that one can know "where they are going to go when they die"!

Today, the fruit of this is widespread. Good men of God grapple with how to break through the deeply-embedded "fire insurance" perspective most Christians have toward salvation and get them motivated to serve God wholeheartedly. It is now considered spiritual growth in a Christian when he decides to "embrace Jesus as Lord, not just as Savior." It is commonly held that all who "make a profession of faith in Christ" at some point in their life are saved simply for doing so and will go to heaven when they die, regardless of how they lived. And while obeying the commandments of the King is good and even encouraged, in the end, (when you boil it all down theologically), doing so really only merits you some extra rewards over those who do not. Such beliefs only add to the low-motivation lethargy among Christians. In addition, churches are filled with people who understand enough to keep themselves inching forward in God, but who are self-absorbed and worldly, and who look at each step along the way to find what is the minimum required of them to please God and yet keep their life going according to their own pursuits, ambitions, and considerations. Truly, seed produces "after its kind."

How do we clean up this mess?
That is the logical question, but I do not think it is the question we need to be asking. What we need to be seeking is this: What is the King requiring of us right now? What has He called us to, and, by His Spirit, is still calling us to today? What does He want? The Roman Catholic religious system is still around, holding sway over a significant population of the world, as are the other competing systems that evolved from it. The Lord never led for those messes to be cleaned up. His way has always been to call a remnant out and lead them on in His way.

What He is leading for is for us to live awake to Him and His kingdom. He sent His Holy Spirit to us, not to be neglected or ignored, but to be yielded to, filled with, and led by. And by the Spirit, we are to learn to "see" and "enter" the abiding reality of His kingdom right now, which we have right to, by virtue of the new birth (John 3:1-8). For many of you, this will require a new foundation to be laid in your life, or, to use modern lingo, it will require a radical "paradigm shift." The Lord certainly knows how to dismantle a flawed foundation and lay in a new one-seek Him about this, and trust Him.

One way to get started is to saturate yourself for a good, long while with reading the Gospels. Get reacquainted with Jesus the King. Take in His words, observe how He walked and how He conducted Himself among men while on earth, and become "imitators of Christ" (1 Thes. 1:1-2:13, 1 Cor. 11:1). Make "The Sermon on the Mount" a particular focus of study and allow His words and His heart to deeply penetrate yours. Don't take it and make it into a new list of rules to try to keep. Instead, see the King, embrace how we are to live under His reign, follow Him, and learn to so walk. You can also read the first chapter of Second Peter and take to heart the "way" he shows "to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ" in which, and I quote, "the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ WILL BE abundantly supplied to you" (2 Pet 1:1, 11). In so doing, you will learn to more and more "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness" and "set your mind on things above, not on the things that are on earth [because] you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Matt. 6:33, Col. 3:1-4).

Those with eyes to see can discern that we are in the last days. Things are happening in the world today that are just as Jesus said they would be (Matt. 24, Luke 21, et al.). People worldwide, and especially in the United States and Europe, are in the very condition that Paul said they would be (2 Tim. 3:1-17). Mockers are prevalent, just as Peter prophesied they would be, working to undermine any belief that the Lord Jesus will return and insisting that these days are no different than any time in history (2 Pet. 3:3-18). We have the opportunity to shake off our sleep and lay aside whatever sin so easily besets us and live awake to Him and His kingdom with whatever time we have left.

Regardless of whether you live to see His actual return or your time upon earth simply expires, don't you want to be found ready by Him and go in with Him to the wedding feast? Don't you want to "now. abide in Him, so that when He appears, [you] may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming" (1 John 2:28)? Then "make the most of your time, for the days are evil" (Eph. 5:14-21). And as you do, know that we also have an added bonus in Christ: we are not only to be "looking for" but actually even "hastening the coming day of God" (2 Pet. 3:11-13). At least one way we can do this is learn to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the world, for, as the Lord Jesus said, "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached to the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end shall come" (Matt. 24:3-14). Besides that, don't you want to plant "the seed" that is "the word of the kingdom" which will produce the "disciples of the kingdom of heaven" that He is worthy of (Matt. 13:3-23, 52)?

 

 

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