Jesus preached the Good News of the Kingdom, so we must embrace HIS agenda.
What did Jesus teach us about the KINGDOM?
IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD, THE KING IS THE HEALER OF ALL THINGS.
Matthew 4:23 (ESV) And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.
THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS A RIGHTEOUS KINGDOM.
To live in the Kingdom we must turn from evil.
Matthew 4:17 (NKJV) From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Repentance also means to change you mind, to change your thinking, to think like God thinks.
WE MUST SUBMIT TO OUR GOOD KING AND LEARN HIS WAYS.
“The King of Love my shepherd is whose goodness faileth never. I nothing lack if I am his and he is mine for ever.”
Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
And do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS ONE. IT IS A KINGDOM OF UNITY.
1 Corinthians 10:17 (NKJV) For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.
John 17:20-21 (NKJV) "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;
that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
You may be stuck with a way of thinking you learnt from your church but you are not open to fresh inspiration from the Holy Spirit and from ideas from believers outside your tradition.
If so, you need to REPENT, think again, listen to God and listen to inspired thinking from believers outside your denomination or local assembly.
GOD IS LOVE AND HE LOVES NOT ONLY YOU BUT THE NATION WHICH YOU BELONG TO.
Patriotism is of God because God is love and He loves your nation and your people.
BUT THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS INTERNATIONAL AND OUR PRIMARY CITIZENSHIP IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.
Galatians 3:28 (NKJV) There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
There must be no discrimination amongst God’s people. Patriotism must not be contaminated with sinful pride, racism, prejudice or exclusive nationalism.
THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS A KINGDOM AT WAR.
Matthew 10:7-8 (NKJV) And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
We have an enemy, Satan, the adversary of God. The Kingdom of Darkness afflicts people with sickness; demons possess and destroy lives.
We have received the free gift of forgiveness, a new life and the right to exercise the authority and power of Jesus.
We must use this power to heal and restore lives, to rescue people from the prisons of sickness, rejection and from the control of demons.
THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.
Matthew 6:9-12 (NKJV) In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come...
YOUR WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.
In Heaven there is no sickness and no poverty, so we must resist these things as our enemies.
In heaven there are no denominations, so we must embrace ALL believers here as our brothers, demonstrating actual fellowship and practical love.
You can always trust Jesus.
You can trust Jesus when you are sick.
That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick.
This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.” Matthew 8:16-17 (ESV)
And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power.
Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. Acts 10:38 (NLT)
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Heb13:8 (NKJV)
You can trust Jesus when you are guilty.
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 Jn 1:8-9 (ESV)
You can trust Jesus when you feel rejected.
However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. John 6:37 (NLT)
All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. John 6:37 (NKJV)
You can trust Jesus when you don’t know if God accepts you.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 (NKJV)
The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake.
He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 2 Peter 3:9 (NLT)
...for he longs for all to be saved and to understand this truth: 1 Tim 2:4 (TLB)
You can trust Jesus when you feel pressurised, tired and overwhelmed.
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 (NLT)
You can trust Jesus when you feel empty and unsatisfied.
And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. John 6:35 (NKJV)
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.
I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10 (NKJV)
You can trust Jesus when you feel alone.
"But I will send you the Comforter—the Holy Spirit, the source of all truth.
He will come to you from the Father and will tell you all about me. John 15:26 (TLB)
Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.
And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20 (NLT)
You can trust Jesus to speak to you.
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow
Me. John 10:27 (NKJV)
You can trust Jesus when you are grieving over the loss of what was precious to you.
for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." Luke 19:10 (NKJV)
You can trust Jesus to care for your children.
He will feed
His flock like a shepherd;
He will gather the lambs with His
arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young. Isaiah 40:11 (NKJV)
- You can trust Jesus when you are afraid to die.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,
for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4 (NIV)
Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.
Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. John 11:25-26 (NLT)
This life is often difficult. We have such high hopes and lovely dreams until reality hits us, people come against us or routine grinds us down.
We can easily lose sight of our dreams and lower our expectations of life.
But if we read the Bible, God tells us to keep on believing more and more, not less and less.
When our earthly bodies grow weary, He calls us to Himself and reminds us we not only have a home in heaven but we will live in heavenly bodies like Jesus Himself after He returned from the grave.
For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands.
We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. 2 Cor 5:1-2 (NLT)
But we don’t have to live out our earthly days in mediocrity and weakness. On the contrary, in our weakness we can turn to God and He will demonstrate His power on our behalf.
And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."
Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Cor 12:9 (NKJV)
This text is sometimes used to prove that the Apostle Paul suffered from a chronic illness and Jesus refused to heal him. It is used to teach that we should not confidently expect Jesus to heal us when we are sick.
A closer look at Paul’s story quickly shows this argument is quite wrong.
Five different times the Jews gave me their terrible thirty-nine lashes.
Three times I was beaten with rods.
Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I was in the open sea all night and the whole next day. 2 Cor 11:24-25 (TLB)
... They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead.
But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe. Acts 14:18-20 (NIV)
Paul could not have continued his mission without repeated experiences of miraculous healing.
What should you do when you feel weak and burdened?
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Mt 11:28-30 (NKJV)
- Our life experiences are often far from easy and our burdens are often heavy but Jesus will add His strength to your strength.
How can you turn to God?
- Have you put your whole life in His hands?
For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. Romans 5:6 (NKJV)
Jesus willingly carried all our burdens to the cross, our sin and guilt, our failures and disappointments, our sickness and infirmities, our weakness and death.
He died so that you and I could live.
Jesus is the miracle worker. He can turn your darkness into light, a tragic defeat into an incredible turnaround.
He can turn a mentally ill person into someone who changes lives with love and power and peace. I have seen it. I have experienced it.
If you are in darkness, call out to Him.
'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.' Jeremiah 33:3 (NKJV)
Isaiah 43:1 (ESV) But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.
God did not abandon the Jews when the majority of them rejected Yeshua their Messiah. When the Nazis murdered 6 million Jews, God still had a plan. Less than 3 years later, the nation of Israel rose from the ashes in spite of ruthless aggression from millions of Arabs and opposition from Britain.
Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.
Several Arab nations attacked Israel in 1948. The Jews were hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned but God was with them and they survived as a nation which could not be destroyed.
Why does God stand with Israel?
Because He made a covenant with Abraham.
Genesis 12:2-3 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonours you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
But what about the Arabs? Wasn’t Ishmael also the son of Abraham?
Genesis 17:19 (ESV) God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.
The Apostle Paul was in deep anguish over the unbelief of his Jewish compatriots who persecuted him and other Christians.
Romans 11:1-3 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin.
Romans 10:1 Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.
What can we learn from this?
- Firstly, we can trust God to be faithful to His people and to His covenant.
- Secondly, we must prove our faithfulness to God by acknowledging Him as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the God of Israel even to this day and for ever.
- Thirdly, we must prove our love of Jesus (or Yeshua) as the King of the Jews by honouring, helping and loving the Jewish people and the nation of Israel.
- Fourthly, we must know that through our faith in Jesus Christ (or Yeshua the Messiah), we too have a covenant with the God of Israel and the Father of all mercy.
Whether you are a Jew or a non-Jewish believer in Jesus, you can trust in God to be faithful to the end, to be with you trouble and to bring you through the hard experiences of life.
Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
As Gentile followers of our Jewish Messiah, we can confidently pray with David, the shepherd king of Israel.
Psalm 23:1-4 (ESV)
1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
GOD WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN. HE IS WITH YOU.
The Bible is a wonderful guide book, full of wisdom and practical principles for living. It can be used as a do-it-yourself handbook for a successful life.
The Bible tells us that the God who created all things is completely good. If you honour Him and do good, you will be a blessing to others and you will be blessed yourself.
Mt 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
- Mt 12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them ....
The Bible gives us commandments, laws for living. If we keep God’s laws, we will have a better life. The Ten Commandments give us the minimum standard for a good life but God is not just a judge who sets minimum standards but the God of all goodness who wants us to be like Himself.
Genesis 1:27 (ESV) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Think about it. You were made to be like God: wise and good, loving and kind, creative and inventive, intelligent and resourceful, full of supernatural power, able to speak words of command, so that the lions and tigers and winds and waves obey your voice.
But isn’t this rather extreme? This is not usually taught in churches.
But what does the Bible say?
Adam and Eve disobeyed God and lost their glory. Human life became a struggle for survival, a time of waiting before we die, a hard road to build to travel while we endeavour to do something worthwhile and pass on something of value to our children.
If we follow the Bible as our guide book and pray to God for help, we can experience some good on this earth but God planned so much more for us.
We can catch small glimpses of this in the Old Testament prophets.
Isaiah 65:23-25 (ESV)
23 They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity, for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the LORD, and their descendants with them.
24 Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,” says the LORD.
Many Bible scholars consider this is so way out, that they try to interpret as a vague symbolic picture of people living in peace with each other. But in the beginning it was not so.
Ge 25 God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to produce offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.
There was no death or killing in the animal kingdom until Adam and Eve turned away from God and so brought DEATH into the world.
But God had a plan.
1 Corinthians 15:21-23 (ESV)
21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.
In the beginning, God created all things. God created life, not death. How did God create? He SPOKE words of power and love.
Genesis 1:3 (ESV) And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
God wants to bring your life out of darkness and disappointment.
He wants to turn on the lights for you.
John 8:12 (ESV) Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
How do you follow Jesus? First you must meet Him.
Revelation 3:20 (ESV) Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
Jesus is calling you now through these words. Talk to Him. He is listening and He will answer.
God has a plan for your life.
Before the creation of the world, God saw you clearly as you are now. He saw your past, your present and your future, including your potential future, the future that He desired for you and still desires for you.
Ephesians 1:5 (TLB) His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by sending Jesus Christ to die for us. And he did this because he wanted to!
Ephesians 1:5 (NKJV) having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will..
God’s plans for your life are always for your good.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV) For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
If you have put your life in the loving hands of God by trusting in Jesus Christ, His Son, you can be assured that you are His dearly loved child and a highly valued member of the royal family of heaven.
If you have not yet put your life in the hands of the One who will always love you, you can hear His voice calling you now, probably not with your natural ears but in your spirit as you read the words of God from the Bible.
John 14:6 (NLT) Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
It is clear that this world is a mess and God did not mess it up. Why do we need locked doors, police forces and security alarms? It is not to protect us from God but from our fellow human beings.
If your heart is broken, think how God must feel. He created you and me to be His children. If your children have ever turned away from you or ignored you for years at a time, you may have some idea what it feels to be rejected by someone you love.
God has prepared a home in heaven for His children but He will not allow anyone in who does not belong there.
1 Corinthians 2:9 (NLT) That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”
God wants to share His love with sons and daughters who really love and appreciate Him. If he let anyone else into heaven, it would no longer be heaven.
In the beginning, the angels of God all loved and served their creator who loved them. God did not create hell for you and me but for the devil and his followers, the rebels who enjoyed heaven, who knew God and all His goodness but preferred their own way. The devil cannot come back to God. He rebelled with his eyes open and he can only look forward to eternal punishment.
Matthew 25:41 (NLT) “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.
But we can choose. God has made a way for us to return to our Father in heaven.
John 3:16 (NLT) “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
If you are not certain of your relationship with God, you can ask Him to help you now. If He sent His son to die for you, will He not answer your call and help you find your way home?
Matthew 11:28-29 (NLT) Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Just talk to God now and He will hear. Ask Him to forgive you and He will. He wants to give you eternal life, right now. Just ask.
Jeremiah 33:3 (NKJV) 'Call to Me,
and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not
know.'
Many people see Britain and Europe as Post-Christian. Liberal theology and Post Modern Theology give Christianity a secondary status, competing on equal (or less than equal) terms for respect with other religions and lifestyles.
BUT GOD is real and GOD is GOD. The Bible is HIS message to ALL human beings.
The Bible is totally true because GOD is all wise and fully able to communicate in words as well as in other ways.
True Christianity is the way of Jesus, who is the only SON OF GOD who lived with the HEAVENLY FATHER in perfect love and unity from Eternity past without beginning and His Kingdom will live on after secular post modernism, Islam and all other human movements are gone and forgotten.
Here are some links to prophetic messages published which indicate God's plans and purposes for supposedly post Christian Britain and Europe, and especially Germany.
WHERE SIN ABOUNDED, GRACE MUCH MORE ABOUNDED!!
This is just a selection from one prophetic website but there are others.There is a remarkable consistency in the various messages about Britain and Germany in particular over the last 22 years at least.
I have personally read and feel happy about the prophecies over Germany and Julia Loren's recent prophecies over Germany, England and Wales.. I have not checked every message on the website but it is up to each reader to prayerfully discern what you believe God is saying.
God bless you from Bill
