Kingdom treasures are meant to encourage its readers and point us back to God’s original plan for mankind.
Many of us fail to realise that the purpose of Jesus Christ was to preach the good news of the gospel to the poor, to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, and to set at liberty them that are bruised and to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. (Luke 4: 18-19)
When we read this, it seems like quite a task – and indeed it is – but the wonderful thing is that Jesus did not intend that that His mission would come to an end after His ascent into heaven.
He gave the disciples clear instructions known as the “great commission” (Matthew 28:18-20). They were to go and teach all the nations and baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost – here it comes brothers and sisters – “teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world”.
In a time when the world is driven by lust, greed, violence, war and terrorism, and the Church has become like the world with its leaders who are worshipped as celebrity Christians instead of God and sexual immorality has found a comfortable place to inhabit in the house of God, then it is high time to stop and ask oneself some very serious questions. For example:
– Where did we go wrong?
– What was and is God’s plan for the church?
– Are we really doing what God wants us to do?
– When we make disciples are they good ambassadors for Christ?
– Are they looking out for the things of Christ and His Kingdom or are they fattening themselves and are occupied with getting rich?
– Are they preaching about the Kingdom?
John the Baptist was a forerunner of Jesus Christ and his message was “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matt 3:1-2)
Jesus came and preached the good news of the Kingdom of heaven. He took His time to teach, often using parables and everyday things and situations of life, to make sure that His messages were very clear, so that we would have good insight into the things of the Kingdom. See Matt.13.
He also gave us a blueprint of what it takes to qualify as a participant of the Kingdom of God in the Beatitudes (Matt. 5:1-10; 18:1-3). When He sent out the 70 disciples, their task was to proclaim that the Kingdom of God is come. (Luke 10:9).
From the Old Testament to the New, prophets foretold the coming of Christ and His Kingdom. Therefore, since these men found it necessary to speak about the Kingdom and we are not doing so in our time, then we who call ourselves children of God have missed something very important. If so be the case, we must surely stop and review the situation as individuals and as a cooperate body in the faith. Let us align ourselves once again with God and earnestly seek His plans for our lives and for the building of His Kingdom here on earth.
May God help us all to accomplish our mission by focusing on the Lord Jesus Christ and the fulfilling of the Great Commission.
To God be every glory!
Natalie Daniels