Clarity in the Kingdom of God
“Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others." Habakkuk 2:2
Ask 50 people what the Kingdom of God is and you are apt to get 50 different responses! My husband has a saying, "If they can name you, they will define you." In other words, if you allow people to call you whatever they want to, they define how others will see you. That is what happened to the Kingdom of God! Since the first century believers, the Kingdom as Jesus taught it, began to change because of the way people described it. They named it Christianity and labeled it as a religion. With religion comes doctrines, interpretations of scriptures, denominations and their denominational laws, traditions and positions...and here we are. Did Jesus come to start a church while He was here? Did He tell His followers to build a church building and tell everyone to come to their church building so they could hear Jesus preach? Of course not!
For to us a Child shall be born, to us a Son shall be given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. There shall be no end to the increase of His government and of peace, [He shall rule] on the throne of David and over His kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from that time forward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this. Isaiah 9:6-7 AMP Isaiah prophesied the birth of Jesus Christ and that He would bring His government (Heaven's government) with Him to earth. It wasn't about a religion. It was about bringing His Kingdom to earth.
Even the definition of the Greek word ecclesia was taken and modified to fit their religious definition of church. Ecclesia in ancient Greek is defined as: a political assembly of citizens of ancient Greek especially: the periodic meeting of the Athenian citizens for conducting public business and for considering affairs proposed by the council. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary) They were citizens, called out to make decisions pertaining to their government. The Greek word for church is "kuriakos". The meaning of "Kuriakos" is understood by its root: "Kurios," which means "lord." Kuriakos ("church") means "pertaining to the lord." It refers to something that pertains to, or belongs to, a lord. The Greek "kuriakos" eventually came to be used in Old English form as "cirice" (Kee-ree-ke), then "churche" (kerke), and eventually "church" in its traditional pronunciation. A church, then, is correctly something that "pertains to, or belongs to, a lord."
When King James' translators inserted the word "church" in the English versions, they were not translating the Greek word "kuriakos", as one might expect. Rather, they were translating ecclesia as kuriakos. At the time of the King James translation, religion had already named and defined Christianity and religion. Church was an integral part of that religion. (Ben Williams Library)
As a Believer, religious beliefs and traditions are such a part of all that we know that it is difficult to separate the Kingdom from religion. Where do you start?! If you want to truly know the life and ministry of Jesus and the Kingdom of God, study the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Jesus' instructions are clear if we listen with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Most of the time when Jesus told a parable, He began with "This is what the Kingdom is like..." or "The Kingdom is like...". He is giving us a clear image of what our lives in the Kingdom of God should look like right now.
But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:33 NKJV This is to be our priority. Leading up to this scripture, He talks about our worries concerning all of our needs. He lets us know that none of those things matter as long as we FIRST seek His Kingdom and His righteousness. But how do we do that?
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me. John 14:6 For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him. John 3:16-17 Jesus, our Lord and Savior, is the door to the Kingdom. He died for our sins and to give us access to the Father and all God has for us in His Kingdom. We must first repent of our sins and accept His gift of salvation and eternal life. This gives us access to life in His Kingdom.
For the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. Romans 14:17-18 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Galatians 5:22-25 We can not be righteous on our own. We become righteous through studying God's Word and being guided by the Holy Spirit living in us. The more knowledge of God's Word we have in us, the more clearly the Holy Spirit will speak and lead us.
If you love Me, obey My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it isn’t looking for Him and doesn’t recognize Him. But you know Him, because He lives with you now and later will be in you... But when the Father sends the Advocate as My representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. John 14:15-17, 26 Jesus tells us right here how we live in His Kingdom. It is only through the Holy Spirit. He will teach you everything! He will remind you of everything Jesus taught! He comes from God the Father, sent to live in us and be our Governor (over God's territory--us)! We lack power in our lives because we haven't tapped into the source God gave us! We have allowed religion to name and define the Holy Spirit as the "Holy Ghost" that "shows up and shows out" at "church" and we feel goose bumps and get excited. No! The Holy Spirit is here to guide us and lead us into all the truth of the Kingdom of God. Jesus walked among the people and taught them when He was physically on this earth, but when He went back to the Father, God sent us the Holy Spirit to live IN us, walk with us, guide us and operate through us. Powerful!
I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in Me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in My name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask Me for anything in My name, and I will do it! John 14:12-14 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, "May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea," and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too. Mark 11:22-25 Now, as you live as a citizen in the Kingdom of God, these scriptures of just some of His promises of life in the Kingdom. You seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Come to the Lord Jesus and make your requests known. He supplies the needs of His citizens. Provision and protection are among the rights of the citizens in the Kingdom of God!
The Lord Jesus came to introduce us to the Kingdom of God. Religion renamed it, and because of that redefined it. It became something it was not meant to be. At times, understanding the gospel message of the Kingdom is like looking at the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle and realizing someone has combined the pieces of another puzzle with yours. All of the blue pieces may look the same, but not all go in your puzzle, for example. But with focus and clarity the complete picture of Kingdom living while we live here now will be revealed to you!
Keep seeking, keep studying, keep praying and keep listening as the Holy Spirit leads you into all Truth!
Deborah A Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed. Thank you
Ask 50 people what the Kingdom of God is and you are apt to get 50 different responses! My husband has a saying, "If they can name you, they will define you." In other words, if you allow people to call you whatever they want to, they define how others will see you. That is what happened to the Kingdom of God! Since the first century believers, the Kingdom as Jesus taught it, began to change because of the way people described it. They named it Christianity and labeled it as a religion. With religion comes doctrines, interpretations of scriptures, denominations and their denominational laws, traditions and positions...and here we are. Did Jesus come to start a church while He was here? Did He tell His followers to build a church building and tell everyone to come to their church building so they could hear Jesus preach? Of course not!
For to us a Child shall be born, to us a Son shall be given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. There shall be no end to the increase of His government and of peace, [He shall rule] on the throne of David and over His kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from that time forward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this. Isaiah 9:6-7 AMP Isaiah prophesied the birth of Jesus Christ and that He would bring His government (Heaven's government) with Him to earth. It wasn't about a religion. It was about bringing His Kingdom to earth.
Even the definition of the Greek word ecclesia was taken and modified to fit their religious definition of church. Ecclesia in ancient Greek is defined as: a political assembly of citizens of ancient Greek especially: the periodic meeting of the Athenian citizens for conducting public business and for considering affairs proposed by the council. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary) They were citizens, called out to make decisions pertaining to their government. The Greek word for church is "kuriakos". The meaning of "Kuriakos" is understood by its root: "Kurios," which means "lord." Kuriakos ("church") means "pertaining to the lord." It refers to something that pertains to, or belongs to, a lord. The Greek "kuriakos" eventually came to be used in Old English form as "cirice" (Kee-ree-ke), then "churche" (kerke), and eventually "church" in its traditional pronunciation. A church, then, is correctly something that "pertains to, or belongs to, a lord."
When King James' translators inserted the word "church" in the English versions, they were not translating the Greek word "kuriakos", as one might expect. Rather, they were translating ecclesia as kuriakos. At the time of the King James translation, religion had already named and defined Christianity and religion. Church was an integral part of that religion. (Ben Williams Library)
As a Believer, religious beliefs and traditions are such a part of all that we know that it is difficult to separate the Kingdom from religion. Where do you start?! If you want to truly know the life and ministry of Jesus and the Kingdom of God, study the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Jesus' instructions are clear if we listen with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Most of the time when Jesus told a parable, He began with "This is what the Kingdom is like..." or "The Kingdom is like...". He is giving us a clear image of what our lives in the Kingdom of God should look like right now.
But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:33 NKJV This is to be our priority. Leading up to this scripture, He talks about our worries concerning all of our needs. He lets us know that none of those things matter as long as we FIRST seek His Kingdom and His righteousness. But how do we do that?
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me. John 14:6 For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him. John 3:16-17 Jesus, our Lord and Savior, is the door to the Kingdom. He died for our sins and to give us access to the Father and all God has for us in His Kingdom. We must first repent of our sins and accept His gift of salvation and eternal life. This gives us access to life in His Kingdom.
For the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. Romans 14:17-18 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Galatians 5:22-25 We can not be righteous on our own. We become righteous through studying God's Word and being guided by the Holy Spirit living in us. The more knowledge of God's Word we have in us, the more clearly the Holy Spirit will speak and lead us.
If you love Me, obey My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it isn’t looking for Him and doesn’t recognize Him. But you know Him, because He lives with you now and later will be in you... But when the Father sends the Advocate as My representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. John 14:15-17, 26 Jesus tells us right here how we live in His Kingdom. It is only through the Holy Spirit. He will teach you everything! He will remind you of everything Jesus taught! He comes from God the Father, sent to live in us and be our Governor (over God's territory--us)! We lack power in our lives because we haven't tapped into the source God gave us! We have allowed religion to name and define the Holy Spirit as the "Holy Ghost" that "shows up and shows out" at "church" and we feel goose bumps and get excited. No! The Holy Spirit is here to guide us and lead us into all the truth of the Kingdom of God. Jesus walked among the people and taught them when He was physically on this earth, but when He went back to the Father, God sent us the Holy Spirit to live IN us, walk with us, guide us and operate through us. Powerful!
I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in Me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in My name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask Me for anything in My name, and I will do it! John 14:12-14 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, "May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea," and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too. Mark 11:22-25 Now, as you live as a citizen in the Kingdom of God, these scriptures of just some of His promises of life in the Kingdom. You seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Come to the Lord Jesus and make your requests known. He supplies the needs of His citizens. Provision and protection are among the rights of the citizens in the Kingdom of God!
The Lord Jesus came to introduce us to the Kingdom of God. Religion renamed it, and because of that redefined it. It became something it was not meant to be. At times, understanding the gospel message of the Kingdom is like looking at the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle and realizing someone has combined the pieces of another puzzle with yours. All of the blue pieces may look the same, but not all go in your puzzle, for example. But with focus and clarity the complete picture of Kingdom living while we live here now will be revealed to you!
Keep seeking, keep studying, keep praying and keep listening as the Holy Spirit leads you into all Truth!
Deborah A Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed. Thank you
