Skip to main content

Kingdom



Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants' fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. John 18:36

    Worldliness: we are warned of it in the Word of God frequently. Even though you hear it spoken against in Bible studies and sermons, it still creeps into congregations every year. Yet it does not usually start on a Sunday or Wednesday meeting. It usually starts with compromise from the people. This is evident in the days of old as men failed to obey the commands of God. In one generation after the death of Joshua, the people of Israel knew not Jehovah, nor yet the work which He had wrought for Israel (Judges 2:10). A nation that was called to be the people of God descended into a nation in which every man did that which was right in his own eyes. (Judges 21:25). Brethren, this is why we must always be on guard for the temptation to fall into the snare of worldliness.

    In order to combat this, we can learn from the words of Jesus. His kingdom is not of this world; it never was and never will be. If we are seeking to be acceptable to men more than presenting acceptable worship and service to the Most High God, is it not sin? Jesus said that worldly kingdoms would have fought with worldly measures. God intentionally set up this kingdom unlike the kingdoms of men. The kingdoms of men fight and sacrifice all to preserve the life of their kings. The kingdom of God was so designed that the King of Kings would sacrifice His life to save yours. The next time you are tempted to view the church/kingdom in a worldly manner, remember the words of Jesus and what they meant for His church/kingdom.

Grace and Peace, 

R.D. Beavers 


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Are You Uncomfortable With Sin?

                        Benjamin Franklin was quoted as saying, I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of the means. — I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. In my youth I traveled much, and I observed in different countries, that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer. To sum up this thought, if we want to get someone out of poverty, we need to make them uncomfortable with it. Think about it. If someone is in relative comfort, being taken care of by everyone else and not doing for themselves, then they will remain in poverty. If on the other hand, they have to rely more on themselves to get out of their situation, they may get ...

Can a Christian Celebrate a Secular Christmas?

         Can a Christian celebrate a secular Christmas? This is a good question and one that deserves an honest answer. This week I read the following, “If you don’t talk about Jesus at Christmas time, you miss Jesus. If you do not sing those scriptural songs focusing on Jesus, you miss Jesus. You might have grown up in a church where “Christmas” was a “Jesus-free” day.” These were some accusations leveled against some brethren by a well-known preacher in our brotherhood. In this article, I wish to set the record straight on how it is rather simple to celebrate a secular Christmas and it not be a “Jesus-free” day. I contend that no day is “Jesus free” for a New Testament Christian.            First, this brother accuses the church “of not knowing what to do with Christmas. They celebrate it in their homes, but avoid it at all costs in church.” I contend that the preachers who preach the whole counsel of God know what to do with...

Why Should I be Merciful?

Why should I be merciful? This is a question that you may not have asked yourself before. Maybe mercy is something that you are given often. For others, maybe we have forgotten the goodness of the mercy God has shown to us. Jesus said after all, "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy" (Matt.5:7) To answer the question, we must first define mercy. What is Mercy           M ercy which comes from the word eleeo ( ἐ λεέω) and describes the act of showing compassion and pity on someone. God perfectly exemplifies mercy. Paul recognized the mercy that God showed him while he sinned in ignorance. I thank him that enabled me, even Christ Jesus our Lord, for that he counted me faithful, appointing me to his service; though I was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: howbeit I obtained mercy , because I did it ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord abounded exceedingly with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. Faith...