Mankind is Prone to Drift From the Truth
While the Lord Jesus was here on earth, He always stayed focused on His assignment and His mission. Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him and tried to keep Him from leaving them; but He said to them, “I must preach the Kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.” NKVJ
Our Lord and King knew His purpose and instructed His disciples to do the same: One day Jesus called together his twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. Then He sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. “Take nothing for your journey,” He instructed them. “Don’t take a walking stick, a traveler’s bag, food, money, or even a change of clothes. Wherever you go, stay in the same house until you leave town. And if a town refuses to welcome you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.” So they began their circuit of the villages, preaching the Gospel and healing the sick.
Keep in mind that this message of the Kingdom must be preached by those who claim to be His citizens; especially those who claim they are His children and follow His principles and commands. There are so many people who claim to love the King and yet fail to honor His Word in their lives. King Jesus made this statement to all those who claim to love Him. “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. No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. Could this be the reason so many Christians fail to have the Governor (Holy Spirit) operating in their lives? Could it be that they give lip service and have no power? I find it strange that so many believers and leaders are looking for the King’s return but fail to preach or even acknowledge the Kingdom gospel even though that was the only message Jesus taught. If you want to know when He shall return with His Holy angel, read what He stated must happen first:
Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to Him privately and said, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?”
Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.
“Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come. Please note He said that the gospel of the Kingdom “will be preached throughout the whole world”, not it might be preached. This might surprise many of you reading this, but the Lord Jesus never preached to His audience that you must be born again. He spoke those words to a religious leader and teacher early in the morning. There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
“What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”
Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’
Now, am I saying we don’t need to be born again? No! Jesus is our salvation, He gives us access to the Kingdom of God and to the Father. I am saying that Jesus’ focus was to teach us about the Kingdom of God. It was his only message and focus. Those who claim to know the Lord Jesus need to get with His program—learning the Kingdom concept and preaching and teaching it to others. We are to spread the gospel of the Kingdom everywhere we go! Know that the evil one doesn’t want you to embrace the Kingdom message. If people aren’t preaching the Kingdom gospel, it extends his time on earth to deceive mankind. Until this Kingdom gospel is delivered and preached around the world, the King’s return will be delayed, according to Matthew 24:14.
Please note this passage in the Lord God’s constitution. It was only when the Lord God’s representative, Noah, was in the Ark that the flood waters began to come. “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came and destroyed them all.
Also note here that it was only when Lot was out of the city when it began to rain down fire: “And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot. People went about their daily business—eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building—until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
Then the King made this statement: Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed. On that day a person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. A person out in the field must not return home. Remember what happened to Lot’s wife! If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it. That night two people will be asleep in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour together at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.”
It is our responsibility and number one priority to stay focused on this Kingdom. It is your responsibility and first priority to seek the Lord God’s Kingdom, not a new message, material possessions, not money, not fame but His Kingdom first. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
Luke 4:43; 9:1-6 John 14:15-18 Matthew 24:3-14 John 3:1-7
Luke 17:26-27, 28-29, 30-36 Matthew 6:33-34 All NLT except where noted
~~W.R. 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
Our Lord and King knew His purpose and instructed His disciples to do the same: One day Jesus called together his twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. Then He sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. “Take nothing for your journey,” He instructed them. “Don’t take a walking stick, a traveler’s bag, food, money, or even a change of clothes. Wherever you go, stay in the same house until you leave town. And if a town refuses to welcome you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.” So they began their circuit of the villages, preaching the Gospel and healing the sick.
Keep in mind that this message of the Kingdom must be preached by those who claim to be His citizens; especially those who claim they are His children and follow His principles and commands. There are so many people who claim to love the King and yet fail to honor His Word in their lives. King Jesus made this statement to all those who claim to love Him. “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. No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. Could this be the reason so many Christians fail to have the Governor (Holy Spirit) operating in their lives? Could it be that they give lip service and have no power? I find it strange that so many believers and leaders are looking for the King’s return but fail to preach or even acknowledge the Kingdom gospel even though that was the only message Jesus taught. If you want to know when He shall return with His Holy angel, read what He stated must happen first:
Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to Him privately and said, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?”
Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.
“Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come. Please note He said that the gospel of the Kingdom “will be preached throughout the whole world”, not it might be preached. This might surprise many of you reading this, but the Lord Jesus never preached to His audience that you must be born again. He spoke those words to a religious leader and teacher early in the morning. There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
“What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”
Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’
Now, am I saying we don’t need to be born again? No! Jesus is our salvation, He gives us access to the Kingdom of God and to the Father. I am saying that Jesus’ focus was to teach us about the Kingdom of God. It was his only message and focus. Those who claim to know the Lord Jesus need to get with His program—learning the Kingdom concept and preaching and teaching it to others. We are to spread the gospel of the Kingdom everywhere we go! Know that the evil one doesn’t want you to embrace the Kingdom message. If people aren’t preaching the Kingdom gospel, it extends his time on earth to deceive mankind. Until this Kingdom gospel is delivered and preached around the world, the King’s return will be delayed, according to Matthew 24:14.
Please note this passage in the Lord God’s constitution. It was only when the Lord God’s representative, Noah, was in the Ark that the flood waters began to come. “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came and destroyed them all.
Also note here that it was only when Lot was out of the city when it began to rain down fire: “And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot. People went about their daily business—eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building—until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
Then the King made this statement: Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed. On that day a person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. A person out in the field must not return home. Remember what happened to Lot’s wife! If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it. That night two people will be asleep in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour together at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.”
It is our responsibility and number one priority to stay focused on this Kingdom. It is your responsibility and first priority to seek the Lord God’s Kingdom, not a new message, material possessions, not money, not fame but His Kingdom first. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
Luke 4:43; 9:1-6 John 14:15-18 Matthew 24:3-14 John 3:1-7
Luke 17:26-27, 28-29, 30-36 Matthew 6:33-34 All NLT except where noted
~~W.R. 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
