14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” – Mark 1:14-15 (NIV)
Do you know what the Kingdom of God is? And do you know what that implies for your now, and for eternity?
Most people, including many who claim to be Christians, think the Kingdom of God is just another name for Heaven. And while that is partially true, there is so much more to it than that! When John the Baptist prepared the people for Jesus’ new message and ministry, the first thing he also said was “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near”. (Matthew 3:2)
Why did both John and Jesus begin their world-changing messages with “repent” and “the Kingdom of God is near”? Because when God chose in his perfect timing to have Jesus come to earth as a fully God-human being, it set into action God’s ultimate plan to offer us forgiveness, redemption, and power to live as brand new creations and to live forever in a new world called the Kingdom of God!
In a wonderful book entitled “God Has A Name” by John Mark Comer (highly recommend), he says
“Jesus’ central, overarching message was that what he called the kingdom of God—the long-awaited age of peace and justice and healing for humanity and for the cosmos itself— was finally breaking in through his life. That Yahweh was about to become king over the world and lead humanity into a glorious new stage of development. So we need to repent, to come over to his side, so that we can enter and enjoy his new reality”.
What Comer is saying here is that God’s Kingdom is much more than a self-improvement technique, or following the rules in the Bible and treating others like we want to be treated, or even letting God forgive our sins so we know we’re “safe” now and have a guaranteed ticket to Heaven when the old ticker stops working! NO, the Kingdom of God is the Good News (the Gospel) that God has stepped personally into human history as a God-man to change course of our world forever! And you and I and everyone are invited to join this new amazing realty called the Kingdom!
So, how do we join this Kingdom? Is there a sign-up sheet or an app? Can we go online to jointhekingdom.com? No, of course not!
To borrow on John Mark Comer’s last sentence above, we need to
Repent….
Come over to his (Jesus’) side…
Enter in and enjoy this new reality!
First, repent….
Repent means to “change your mind” and also involves the desire to let go of all the sin in your life and “turn around” 180 degrees and go in an entirely new direction, led by God! For more description and understanding of repentance, go to my last blog on my blogsite at www.boomers4jesus.org .
Second, come over to his (Jesus’) side…
Wait a minute. You mean Jesus is taking sides?
Yes, but not the “sides” we argue and debate ad nauseam in our culture (Democrat or Republican, conservative or liberal-progressive, etc.)
No, Jesus is talking about spiritual sides of a spiritual battle for our souls, and or destinies, taking place in a spiritual realm we can’t see, but which is very real! It is the battle between God and Satan and his demons (all rebellious fallen angels) and other rebellious spiritual forces in what’s called the “heavenly realms”.
What most people don’t realize that unless you repent and ask Jesus to bring you unto his side (his team), you are automatically on Satan’s team because we are separated from God because of our sinful natures! Yes, I know that will shock many of you, but we are NOT all born as “children of God”! We were all made in God’s image, but sin has tarnished us all and separated us from getting close to God. The ONLY way back and only way to become a child of God is through what Jesus came to do for you on the cross. John says in John 1:11-13:
11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. – John 1:11-13 (NIV)
So, to make it simple….
Receive God’s free gift of forgiveness and new life through Jesus’ death and resurrection for you.Believe that Jesus is who he said he was, fully God and fully man, who came to love you, redeem you, and save you from the power of sin you can’t overcome on your own.
Take your place as a brand new son or daughter of God, now a new member in this amazing, unfolding venture called the Kingdom of God!
Third, enter and enjoy His new reality!
Once we join his team and trust our lives and future to Jesus, he will give us his Holy Spirit to live within us, empower us to overcome sinful thoughts and actions, and live a new, Spirit-led life as Kingdom people!
From the moment you join the Kingdom, your life and character will slowly become more like Jesus!
That doesn’t mean life will necessarily become easier; we’re still in that “spiritual battle”, and once you join God’s team, Satan is all the more diligent to distract, discourage, and prevent you from living the life and plan God has for you.
BUT, once we enter into this new, Spirit-led Kingdom life, you will begin to see everything from God’s perspective, and that will radically change the way you view all of life and your relationships with others!
EVERYTHING will look and feel different over time…
Your relationship with your parents, kids, spouses, close friends, and even those you dislike (maybe politicians?), will look different and you will see them from God’s eyes.
Your view of life, death, illness, and success and possessions will change, and you will find more peace about the tensions in your life.
God willing, I plan to do more blogs and short-clips on what the Bible teaches this new life in the Kingdom looks like and how God enables us to enjoy life now and an amazing future together, forever!
But for now, in our fallen world, will have an unshakable hope in the promise that Jesus will soon return, wipe away all evil from the world, and re-create a new world free from sin and restored to what God planned for us in the original Garden of Eden!
To close, I will share one more quote from John Mark Comer’s book:
“To scripture writers, hope is the absolute expectation of coming good based on the character of God. It’s bedrock trust that no matter how many wrong turns we make or setbacks we face, we can sleep soundly tonight because we know that one day Yahweh will eradicate evil forever. He will make the world into a garden city, a second Eden. He will bless “all peoples on earth” through his Son, Jesus. And it’s all because Yahweh is “abounding in love and faithfulness”.
Fellow Kingdom brothers and sisters, may God bless you each day with His sustaining peace, power, and joy so that might serve him and know the abundant love he has for you!