A Christian is a loyal subject in God’s kingdom, joyfully accepting all that Jesus taught about God’s rule in our lives. Jesus Christ did not fail. He began His kingdom, as He said He would. We can accept the gospel — and the kingdom — right now.
Jesus desires to rule in the HEARTS of men and women, no matter where their earthly citizenship is. His kingdom exists wherever there are people who have truly given their hearts to Him, so that their “citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20).
The kingdom of the Messiah is now a reality, permanent and indestructible. When we become members of this kingdom, our “citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20,21) — and we need not fear the rise and fall of any of the kingdoms of this world.
Although the apostles are no longer preaching in person, the foundation has been laid and the record stands firm. The gospel, as preached and confirmed by the apostles, is just as powerful for us as it was for those who heard them 2,000 years ago.
Here is the truth: we haven’t really been liberated or “saved” if, for all practical purposes, we continue to live in “Egypt.” God requires that we leave our chains behind, not only as a group, but also inwardly, privately, and individually.
Theoretically, a person might change his ways for a number of reasons that have nothing to do with God. Repentance, however, is the reformation of one’s self because of godly sorrow. It has to do with God and it requires a certain kind of heart.
When mankind rebelled against Him, God subjected the world to “futility” (Romans 8:20,21), preventing us from controlling everything we want to control. He lets us learn from the humbling experience of pouring our efforts into a bag with holes in it.
The fact is, we have to be taught what our greatest needs are. We think we know what these are, but our priorities can become dangerously disordered. We have to learn (sometimes the hard way) that it is by God’s word that we live, not by bread alone.
Often our words serve the purpose of saying what we WANT to be true. Yet we need to be careful. Surrounded by other religious people, it’s easy to say nice things. But talk is cheap, as the saying goes. We need to mean every promise we make to God.
Converted to Christ, we set Him apart as our Lord. But living consistently under that lordship takes time. We must yield our hearts completely to His direction. At our baptism, we’re just getting started in learning how to let Christ be our Lord.
A Christian is a loyal subject in God’s kingdom, joyfully accepting all that Jesus taught about God’s rule in our lives. Jesus Christ did not fail. He began His kingdom, ...