Kingdom 102: Restoring the Kingdom and Its Mission Statement
We lost a kingdom, not a religion. I am convinced that many individuals who claim to represent Jesus the Christ refuse to learn and teach the Kingdom message because it will interfere with their cash flow. The bottom line is money and numbers, especially with megachurches and other budget heavy ministries. They would have to confess that what they have been teaching for years is in error.
Every successful organization, whether a business, a non-profit group, a family or other organization; needs a mission statement. It could be a formal or written statement or simply an informal understanding, a mission statement clearly and concisely verbalizes the organization's purpose, philosophy and core beliefs. A mission statement says who we are and what we stand for, whereas a vision statement says where we are going and what we want to accomplish. Every person in the organization should carefully understand and internalize the statement so that all are on the same page (working together) to accomplish the mission. A mission statement assists everyone in staying on course, which is very important because the organization's product, service or message will grow out of its mission statement.
John the Baptist understood the mission statement, as well as his purpose for being. In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.’” If John had any doubts, Jesus the King confirmed who He was. And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”
Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” By Jesus stating what He did to John's disciples, He was confirming that the Kingdom of God was present. When King Jesus initiated His public ministry, His first public declaration was a message that reflected the mission statement for His life: "Repent (turn around), for the Kingdom of heaven is near" From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” As I have stated several times in my writings, repent means "a complete change of mind, and of one's thinking--a whole new mindset or mentality--to a complete change of life direction." Please note: the Kingdom of Heaven refers to the sovereign presence and authority of the Lord God invading and impacting the earthly environment. King Jesus challenged His listeners to change from a mindset that ignored or denied God's Kingdom, to one that acknowledged and embraces its arrival. The Lord Jesus' mission was to proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven. This assignment from His Father reflects His mission statement which He declared one Sabbath in the synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
We all should remember His mission statement, because it is ours as well.
Matthew 3:1-3 Matthew 11:2-6 Matthew 4:17
~~W.R. Luchie
Every successful organization, whether a business, a non-profit group, a family or other organization; needs a mission statement. It could be a formal or written statement or simply an informal understanding, a mission statement clearly and concisely verbalizes the organization's purpose, philosophy and core beliefs. A mission statement says who we are and what we stand for, whereas a vision statement says where we are going and what we want to accomplish. Every person in the organization should carefully understand and internalize the statement so that all are on the same page (working together) to accomplish the mission. A mission statement assists everyone in staying on course, which is very important because the organization's product, service or message will grow out of its mission statement.
John the Baptist understood the mission statement, as well as his purpose for being. In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.’” If John had any doubts, Jesus the King confirmed who He was. And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”
Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” By Jesus stating what He did to John's disciples, He was confirming that the Kingdom of God was present. When King Jesus initiated His public ministry, His first public declaration was a message that reflected the mission statement for His life: "Repent (turn around), for the Kingdom of heaven is near" From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” As I have stated several times in my writings, repent means "a complete change of mind, and of one's thinking--a whole new mindset or mentality--to a complete change of life direction." Please note: the Kingdom of Heaven refers to the sovereign presence and authority of the Lord God invading and impacting the earthly environment. King Jesus challenged His listeners to change from a mindset that ignored or denied God's Kingdom, to one that acknowledged and embraces its arrival. The Lord Jesus' mission was to proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven. This assignment from His Father reflects His mission statement which He declared one Sabbath in the synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
We all should remember His mission statement, because it is ours as well.
Matthew 3:1-3 Matthew 11:2-6 Matthew 4:17
~~W.R. Luchie
