Saturday, October 2, 2010

The Kingdom has arrived!

"But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you." (Luke 11:20)

By rescuing this man from the horrors of demonic oppression, Jesus said the kingdom had broken in upon that man at that moment. Jesus would go on to perform many other acts of redemption and healing to show that the Kingdom had arrived on earth. Of course, by means of His death on the cross and victorious resurrection He would provide the ultimate means of healing, redemption and restoration for those wishing to become a part of the Kingdom of Heaven.
This raises a whole new set of questions for those desiring to follow Jesus. Have we lost the true message of Jesus? If the core motif of Jesus ministry was the kingdom of Heaven, why do we talk about it so little?
If those of us who claim to know Jesus do not have the faintest idea, priority, or exposure to the idea of the Kingdom of Heaven, then are we really following Jesus at all?
Because of what Jesus has done, we are reconciled to God now. Our relationships are mended and restored. We become more like God intended us to be now. We enter into a lifelong process of growing into that aim. The apostle Paul even contended that all of creation, in fact, all things would be healed through the work of Jesus. (Ephesians 1:10 and Romans 8:20-21) We are all citizens of the Kingdom!

Peace and love,

Sue

"Then Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me". (Luke 9:23)

No comments:

Post a Comment