Advance the Kingdom of God
by jrdiaz
God's Original Plan
From the beginning God had a very simple purpose and goal: to extend and advance His invisible heavenly kingdom to the visible earth. He chose the third planet in our solar system called Earth to be the extension of His invisible country called Heaven. Then, God created man to administrate and advance this heavenly kingdom on earth so He can fill this earth with the culture of Heaven.
The Fall of Man
God’s original purpose for man was to “let them rule and dominate the earth”1 He delegated the management of the earth to mankind but they sinned and rebelled against God. They fell from ruling and dominating the earth by not living in accordance to His will which was to extend and advance His Kingdom on earth. As a result, they lost the Kingdom and the Holy Spirit that God gave them.
Jesus is the Only Way
To reconcile man to Him, God sent His Son Jesus Christ to take away the sins of the world. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” 2 In other words, God needs to redeem us before He can restore us in His Kingdom. He needs to reconcile Himself to us through His Son Jesus Christ before we can rule again in His Kingdom.
Jesus' first statement in His public ministry was, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 3 His message was not about religion but a kingdom. He came to restore the kingdom that Adam lost. He was misunderstood by religious people during His time and even up to the present time.
His first word in the said statement was “repent”, meaning we have to change our minds. We have to change the way we have been conditioned to think. Repent is not a religious word, but a psychological word. In other words, Jesus Christ was in the mind-changing business.
The Blood of Jesus
When we change our minds and admit our sins, God will forgive us. Jesus died on the cross to redeem us from every lawless deed. His blood is the only blood that can cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The Bible says, “And according to the law [His law] almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.” 4 When our body—our unholy vessel—become holy through His blood, we can now invite His Holy Spirit to dwell in us permanently so that we can become members of His family and citizens of His Kingdom.
Through His Holy Spirit dwelling in us, God will reveal His purpose, vision, and gifts for our lives. Our God-given purpose, assignment, and work will become our contributions to the expansion and advancement of His Kingdom on Earth.
Jesus is King
Before Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross, Pilate asked Him, “Are You a king?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born,…” 5 Remember Jesus Christ was not a religious leader with a religion, but a King with a kingdom. He came to restore the kingdom of God on earth.
Change the World
Jesus' mandate to us was, "go into all the world", not "go to heaven". In other words, we are here to change the world, not to avoid the world. We are here to influence every world—the world of sports, the world of business, the world education, the world of medicine, etc.—through our personal involvement. We need to get involved in the area where God has put us. He has placed us in different field or area like in the marketplace, and workplace so that we can influence them with the culture of heaven. We do this not by separation but by infiltration; not by isolation but by mingling with them.
In changing the world, we need to learn the strategy of our King. His strategy was to employ words rather than warfare and influence instead of invasion. He was replacing bad ideas with good ideas and wrong thinking with right thinking.
The Vision of Jesus
One time Jesus was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord teach us to pray..." So He said to them, "When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." 6 In this teaching, we can see that the vision of Jesus Christ was to advance the Kingdom of God on Earth. His desire was to see the will—the purpose of His Father be done on Earth just like it is in Heaven. His passion was to fill the Earth with God’s culture and glory.
And finally, God’s Kingdom is here on Earth to stay, and it will grow until it fills the Earth and accomplishes everything God intended from the very beginning.
So if you want to know the No.1 Priority of God, this is it—to advance the Kingdom of God.
Notes: 1. Genesis 1:26; 2. John 14:6; 3. Matthew 4:17; 4. Hebrews 9: 22; 5. John 18:37; 6. Luke 11:1-2
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