Preaching the kingdom of God

Preaching the kingdom of God

 

(Acts 28: 30-31)『And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him,  Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him. 』

Paul preached two things. It is all about the kingdom of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. In Acts 1:2-3『Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: 』

Today, how many people can preach the kingdom of God? Almost everyone says, "If you believe in Jesus, you will go to heaven." Very few people talk about the kingdom of God. After John the Baptist was captured, Jesus in Mark 1:15『And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. 』 The kingdom of God and the repentance of sinners are connected. So, the gospel is the key to explaining the kingdom of God. The Gospel is not "believing in Jesus," but "repent and return to the kingdom of God." And, it is to be born again and establish the kingdom of God on this earth. The gospel becomes the kingdom of God on earth. Of course, believers  live in this world and die and go to the kingdom of God, but it is God's will to form the kingdom of God on this earth.

In order to achieve the kingdom of God, the fight against Satan is inevitable. Satan has not been able to obey God's Word, and has been judged in the kingdom of God and brought into the world of matter. But he took power. Of course, because God allowed it. Satan is deceiving humans against God. The Garden of Eden symbolizes the kingdom of God. Adam and Eve, who were innocent, were tempted by Satan and fell. And the seed of evil, greed, is passed on to their descendants. That is why they continue to live in sin. Because of the crucifixion of Jesus, Satan is brought down from the powers of the earth to the earth, causing men to oppose God until the Lord returns to the final judgment. God wants the Saints to fight Satan and restore the kingdom of God on earth.

Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected. Jesus did not show the resurrected body to anyone, only some of those who were together, and told them the work of the kingdom of God. To better understand the work of the kingdom of God, we can understand it well through the conversation Jesus made with Nicodemus in John 3. Nicodemus was a rabbi (teacher) at the time. He came to Jesus in the middle of the night and said, "You are the one sent by God." Jesus said, "If you are not born again with water and the Holy Spirit, you cannot enter the kingdom of God." It means that we must be born again to enter the kingdom of God. It means to take off the physical body (old man) received from the parent and put on the spiritual body (new man) received from God. It is to wear a vestment suited to the kingdom of God.

In Romans 6:6, 『Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. It can be said that the old man was Satan's mark that was planted by Satan. However, the old man must be nailed together with Jesus. The old man planted by Satan has no way of doing it for himself. So, through the death of his son Jesus, God offers a way out of evil sins: "Dying Together." Why did God predestined human salvation before the creation? This is because it has to do with Satan's rebellion.

All who follow Satan's temptations are against God. The only way to return to the kingdom of God is to take off the clothes of the old man, to be born into a spiritual body and to wear the spirit body. If you do this on earth, it will also be done in the kingdom of God. It is not simply "believing in Jesus," but repenting of Satan's servants and being born again and getting out of Satan's rule. Jesus was resurrected and spoke for 40 days about the kingdom of God. So, as in the Gospels, we must also communicate the work of the kingdom of God. Paul wrote mainly to the church of the regenerated. This is why Paul's epistles differ from the Gospels. That is how dangerous it is to teach Paul's epistles to those who first came to believe in Jesus.

In the Bible, Jesus or his disciples preached about the kingdom of God, but there is no content. It is said that Paul entered the synagogue in Acts 19:8 and spoke about the kingdom of God for three months. In Acts 28:23, 『And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testedified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening. 』

It says that the saints should be the subjects that make up the kingdom of God. The Holy Spirit comes upon the born again. Water represents death for sin, repentance, and God's rebirth of the Holy Spirit to those who have died with Jesus. Today believers have not repented and been born again, but the church tells them that they have received the Holy Spirit from God. They speak in tongues, see visions, say that they have had a mysterious experience, and are given the Holy Spirit. No matter how mysterious the experience, if you are not united with Jesus who died on the cross, you cannot achieve the kingdom of God on earth. If we cannot establish the kingdom of God on this earth, how can we die and enter the kingdom of God? Most churches today do not speak of the kingdom of God. In other words, the first part of the gospel is missing. So those who are not born again cannot know about the kingdom of God.