How Did We Lose the Gospel of the Kingdom? Pt 1
There are three ways that we lost the gospel of the Kingdom.
First: We made the Kingdom and the Church the same. That was our first mistake. In Protestantism we sang in our hymns:
"I love thy kingdom, Lord,
The house of thy abode,
The church our blest Redeemer saved
With His own precious blood."
First: We made the Kingdom and the Church the same. That was our first mistake. In Protestantism we sang in our hymns:
"I love thy kingdom, Lord,
The house of thy abode,
The church our blest Redeemer saved
With His own precious blood."
"I love thy kingdom, Lord...the Church." You see, they imply that the church is the kingdom.
Second: Now the Roman Catholic Church went all the way, having made the kingdom synonymous with the Church, and having made the Church infallible. Keep in mind, that "infallible kingdom" is falling all to pieces from within. In both cases, the Protestant and Catholic, and their attitude of humanity was this: If the Church and the Kingdom of God are the same, then the Kingdom of God doesn't matter, but...
I have a news flash...it does!
Keep in mind, the Church without the Kingdom is irrelevant, but the Kingdom without the Church is always relevant. Suppose the Church takes its true position, and points to the kingdom and its total relevancy; then and only then, the Church becomes relevant in the Kingdom's relevancy. It then stands for the big--the ultimate-- and then it becomes big and ultimate because of what it stands for (Jesus and the Kingdom). It loses it's life to find it again.
Third: We lost that Kingdom in linking it up with the Parousia (meaning the return of Christ). The belief is: we can do nothing until the return of Jesus the Christ; nothing corporately. We can redeem individuals now, but the Kingdom won't come until the King comes.
Please note: Now there are two sets of passages that tell of how the Kingdom of God is to come. One set tells that the Kingdom will come with gradualism:
Constitutional Scripture: Mark 4:26-29 (The Parable of the Growing Seed) And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, 27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. 28 For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
Constitutional Scripture: Mark 4:30-32 (The Parable of the Mustard Seed) Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? 31 It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 32 but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”
Please note: The Kingdom of Heaven is like leaven which, hidden in the dough, leavens the whole lump.
Constitutional Scripture: Matthew 13:33 Another parable He spoke to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.”
Focus Point: These and other passages teach the coming of the Kingdom by gradualism; person to person, community to community, and nation to nation. Now on the other hand, there are passages such as the parable of the nobleman, who went abroad to receive a kingdom and returned; depicting Jesus' coming to the Father to receive a kingdom after He returned. This refers to the apocalyptic or the sudden coming of the kingdom when Jesus shall return with holy angels to set it up. Some people take the gradualistic set of passages; while others take the apocalyptic view--the sudden. Well I can't do that, for both sets seem integral parts of the account. So I take both the gradualistic as well as the apocalyptic. Both of them give me the complete picture. I can be the ambassador or agent of the coming of that kingdom now. The apocalyptic gives me my hope; my hope that the last Word will be spoken by Jesus the Christ and that last Word will be victory. But I want to assure you, I have no timetable or map of the future. Our King, Jesus the Christ, made this statement:
Second: Now the Roman Catholic Church went all the way, having made the kingdom synonymous with the Church, and having made the Church infallible. Keep in mind, that "infallible kingdom" is falling all to pieces from within. In both cases, the Protestant and Catholic, and their attitude of humanity was this: If the Church and the Kingdom of God are the same, then the Kingdom of God doesn't matter, but...
I have a news flash...it does!
Keep in mind, the Church without the Kingdom is irrelevant, but the Kingdom without the Church is always relevant. Suppose the Church takes its true position, and points to the kingdom and its total relevancy; then and only then, the Church becomes relevant in the Kingdom's relevancy. It then stands for the big--the ultimate-- and then it becomes big and ultimate because of what it stands for (Jesus and the Kingdom). It loses it's life to find it again.
Third: We lost that Kingdom in linking it up with the Parousia (meaning the return of Christ). The belief is: we can do nothing until the return of Jesus the Christ; nothing corporately. We can redeem individuals now, but the Kingdom won't come until the King comes.
Please note: Now there are two sets of passages that tell of how the Kingdom of God is to come. One set tells that the Kingdom will come with gradualism:
Constitutional Scripture: Mark 4:26-29 (The Parable of the Growing Seed) And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, 27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. 28 For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
Constitutional Scripture: Mark 4:30-32 (The Parable of the Mustard Seed) Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? 31 It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 32 but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”
Please note: The Kingdom of Heaven is like leaven which, hidden in the dough, leavens the whole lump.
Constitutional Scripture: Matthew 13:33 Another parable He spoke to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.”
Focus Point: These and other passages teach the coming of the Kingdom by gradualism; person to person, community to community, and nation to nation. Now on the other hand, there are passages such as the parable of the nobleman, who went abroad to receive a kingdom and returned; depicting Jesus' coming to the Father to receive a kingdom after He returned. This refers to the apocalyptic or the sudden coming of the kingdom when Jesus shall return with holy angels to set it up. Some people take the gradualistic set of passages; while others take the apocalyptic view--the sudden. Well I can't do that, for both sets seem integral parts of the account. So I take both the gradualistic as well as the apocalyptic. Both of them give me the complete picture. I can be the ambassador or agent of the coming of that kingdom now. The apocalyptic gives me my hope; my hope that the last Word will be spoken by Jesus the Christ and that last Word will be victory. But I want to assure you, I have no timetable or map of the future. Our King, Jesus the Christ, made this statement:
...And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons
which the Father has put in His own authority".
~~ Acts 1:7
which the Father has put in His own authority".
~~ Acts 1:7
