The Kingdom of God

 

In Mark 1:14-15 it says, “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’”

 

When Jesus began His earthly ministry, He came proclaiming the kingdom of God.

 

So, what is the kingdom of God? The kingdom of God is the rule of Jesus in people’s lives. It is acknowledging and living out in our everyday lives the reality that Jesus is Lord.

 

The term kingdom of God or kingdom of heaven is used over 70 times in the New Testament and most of those are from the words that Jesus spoke.

 

Luke 4:43 says, “But He said to them, ‘I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for that purpose.’”

 

Jesus says that He must preach the good new of the kingdom of God. It was not an option for Jesus Walls is about making the proclamation of the good news of the kingdom of God the purpose of our lives.

 

Luke 8:1 says, “Soon afterward He went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him.”

 

Jesus taught the twelve apostles to make the priority of their lives the proclamation of the good news of the kingdom of God by watching Him do it.

 

Jesus did not just teach the twelve good theology, but He showed the reality of the kingdom of God by proclaiming it and so they could see the power of the kingdom of God at work in people’s lives.

 

1 Corinthians 4:20 says, “For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.”

 

The kingdom of God is not just knowledge of God or knowing the right words and terms. It is about the power of God to transforms sinners to saints, the lost to the found, and making us who were enemies of God into His children.   

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about experiencing the presence and power of Jesus in our lives every day.

 

Luke 9:1-2 says, “And He called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.”

 

Jesus gives the twelve the power and authority to cast out demons and to heal people so that they could proclaim the kingdom of God. Jesus makes the priority of the twelve to proclaim the kingdom of God and He gives them the power and authority over demons and the power and authority to verify the truth of their message by doing miracles of healing.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about trusting in the power and authority God has given us as His disciples so we can proclaim the kingdom of God.

 

Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

 

Jesus makes it very clear here that above anything or anybody we as His disciples are to seek His kingdom. First here does not mean first in a list. It means first above all else. Our list is seeking the kingdom and nothing else.

 

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about seeking the kingdom of God and the righteousness of God’s kingdom above anything else.

 

Acts 1:3 says, “He presented Himself alive to them after His suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.”

 

Even after Jesus’ death and resurrection Jesus continues to proclaim the kingdom of God.

 

 

Notice Jesus does not come proclaiming the kingdom of Israel. Jesus does not come proclaiming how we can be better people. Jesus does not come proclaiming how we can be more religious.

 

Jesus came proclaiming the kingdom of God. Jesus came proclaiming how we can we become new people. Jesus came proclaiming a righteous relationship with God.

 

We need to be careful that we proclaim the kingdom of God and not a kingdom of America. We need to be careful that we proclaim how people can become new creations in Jesus and not how to have a better life. We need to be careful that we proclaim a righteousness that comes through faith in Jesus, not the law.

 

The kingdom of God is about a transformation of people’s hearts and lives. Our weapon for brining about change is the good news of the kingdom of God, and not political change or trying to force people to live morally. When a person surrenders their life to Jesus and enters the kingdom of God then and only then will they be able to live as God commands us to live.

 

Building the Kingdom of God by Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                                 Joe