growinggodskingdomdotlive

The gospel of Christ is the story of Jesus. That story begins in the creation of humans in the image and likeness of God, being given authority over the earth and having the power to decide how to live their life and who to live it for. The result was sin entering the world and everyone having a huge sin problem. God, out of his love and grace, made a plan to offer redemption and salvation to everyone. His plan led to choosing Abraham, through whom he would call out a people and through whom God would send a Savior. That plan ultimately led to God sending his own Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to be born of a virgin named Mary and live among us as a human. He took on our bodies, felt our pains, knew our weaknesses and felt the urges we all feel. He was tempted in everyway like we are. Yet he didn’t sin but went about showing and telling people about God.

The religious people, especially the leaders of his time, rejected Jesus, the innocent son of man and Son of God. They hated him to the degree they made a plot to have him put to death. They thought it was all their idea. But God had planned all along for the Christ to die for the sins of the world. He willingly took our sins upon him and was punished for our sins, so that we can be totally forgiven of our sins and be right with God. He paid the price of sin with his blood and God then placed on everyone who commits to Jesus the very righteousness of Jesus.

The gospel is such wonderful news because it gives each of us the opportunity of being right with God, no matter what we may have done wrong in the past, what we do now or what wrongs we will do in the future. In order to be saved by the gospel, God’s power unto our salvation, we must have faith in Jesus. Our faith will lead us to turn from our sins to God and to walk with him. That faith will lead us to obey the gospel by being baptized into Christ, by being buried with him and raised from the water to live a new life in him.

The gospel is that the blood of Jesus constantly cleanses a person living by faith in Jesus. We live as part of the community of believers called the church and anticipate a day when we will all be together in heaven with all those who have lived for him through the ages.

Leon Barnes

The Good News of Jesus was God sent Him to this world to bring salvation for all.  

The Good News includes Jesus life, death and resurrection.  The life of Jesus is a living sermon on love, compassion, helping our brothers and sisters in the Lord, aiding the poor, feeding the hungry, answering temptations with the word of God, leading others to God, accepting others as they are, praying, and always trusting in God.

The good news is that the Messiah that was prophesied about in various places by various people in the books of the Old Testament, actually came and did all the things that they said He would! Everything about the Jesus story is good news, but the fact that it is a story that starts in Genesis and goes through Revelation makes it even more impacting.

It is great news that God knew us well enough to know that we would need lots of proof, so He provided it by telling people through the ages (Adam and Eve, Abraham, Moses, David, etc.) how He was going to save His people – through a child, given birth to by a virgin, in Bethlehem, through a life spent among us, and then slaughtered like a lamb for sacrifice. When this is all supported by historical, non-biblical writers, it gives credence to Him as our Savior.

Then there’s the best part of the gospel, and that is that even death, which was viewed as the end, wasn’t able to stop Him. He overcame it just as God had planned by waking up from death and spending time with His people before going back to Heaven – more proof for those who need it. So, by beating death in His own body, He beat it for us as well, making salvation not just a great thing for this part of our life, the part on Earth, but also for the next part, the part in Heaven, where we will be able to actually see Him. That’s good news – the Gospel!

Tammy Beck

Our staff recently worked through a process of articulating the gospel. We here have a series of short posts of people explaining the good news of Christ in a concise way.

This project sought to accomplish several things:

1. We want each person keeping the main thing the main thing. The process of putting ideas onto paper helps each individual become more consistent and thoughtful in their dialogue and teaching.
2. We want our church and ministries keeping the main thing the main thing. This exercise helped us simplify our message/ vision/ strategy as a church. Too often we let the tail wag the dog. By boiling down the gospel to its core we can more capably be the church God wants us to be.
3. We want to proactively create a narrative for our discussions, instead of becoming caught up in our unique perspectives. While we do value diversity, often times our communication deficiencies have us talking past one another. By going through this process we were able to discover some of our unnamed assumptions that were impeding true communication.

Read and comment what themes you see, or what parts of the gospel you find key that we may have overlooked.

It would do me good to remember that God breathed life into a handful of dirt and called it “man.” I take myself too seriously sometimes. Jesus also called us “dirt” in the “Parable of the Sower” (Matthew 13/Mark 4/Luke 8). But not all dirt has the same qualities.

Jesus shared this parable with a “great crowd” of people. He meant for each person who had gathered on that beach to consider what type of soil he/she was. Jesus broke them down into four types:

• Do you allow the unexplained mysteries of the Gospel to prevent your faith from taking hold, like seed that never penetrates the surface?
• Will your faith waiver when trials come and tear you free from your shallow roots among the rocks?
• Are you so caught up in your concern for worldly things that these “thorns” will choke the life out of your faith?
• Or are you so excited to have received the Good News that you go out and share it with others, like seed sown in good soil that bears much fruit?

It seems to me that our congregations (whether we live in Angola or the USA) are made up of all four kinds of soil – just like Jesus’ crowd on the beach. So the first question that we ought to ask ourselves – if we’re striving to be part of God’s Kingdom – is, “What kind of soil am I?”

But I think there’s a second crucial question implied in Jesus’ parable: ‘How can I better prepare myself to bear fruit like the good soil?”

If you told the Parable of the Sower to a group of subsistence farmers (in Angola or Ancient Palestine, for example), they might burst into laughter. “Who spends a week’s wages on seed and doesn’t first till the soil? He is either lazy or foolish!” Even the casual gardener knows you ought to remove the rocks and weeds before you plant the seed. And you never cast your seed on the walkway.

I confess that I have not always been “good soil.” Nor does my life reflect a “thorn-free,” well-tilled garden. My little patch of dirt is more of a mix of the four soil types.

Surely Jesus didn’t mean to reject those in his audience who weren’t serious disciples. Instead he invited them to a more robust faith with deeper roots. He challenged them to grow. His words ought to remind us that gardening requires constant attention. We till the soil, pull the weeds, and do all that we can so that our soil will produce a greater harvest.

If I want to be part of the Kingdom, then I need to work hard to uproot the distractions in my life. I don’t want the cares of this world to crowd out things of eternal consequence. I need to fortify my faith through prayer, Scripture, fellowship, and service, so that I’m ready for the trials that come. Following Christ won’t be easy, just because I received the seed.

We’re all just dirt, but God has planted a seed within us. As we seek to grow God’s kingdom, let us be diligent gardeners, so that we, and our fellow disciples, will bear much fruit.

Robert Meyer

Have you ever received or discovered something that was totally life-changing? I sure have. One of those moments for me and my friends back in Junior High was our discovery of a coke machine that would occasionally deliver a free drink! I’m no Cherry Coke fan, but free is free!So what about you? What was your response? What did the next two or three days look like after you discovered the “Charlie Bit Me” video on YouTube?

(No clue what I’m talking about? Click here: https://youtu.be/bnRVheEpJG4)

Facebook has discovered that when we get excited about something, when we find some valuable piece of information, or when something brings us joy, WE SHARE IT. And if enough people share it, it goes viral. I was reminded of this when Lacey and I received the good news that in November we are expecting to have a baby; in my excitement my first thought was “Who can I tell!?”

When we hear Good News we share it; we simply CAN’T help ourselves.

The Kingdom of Heaven, the past, present, and future work of God through Jesus: his example on earth; his sacrifice on the cross; his glory in the resurrection; his sending of the Holy Spirit; and his triumph over sin and death, is something we call “Good News.” As we should! But like a status on Facebook that we were just sure would be gold, sometimes it seems like the best we have to offer goes unnoticed while the ridiculous and pointless spreads like wildfire.

I admit that sometimes the Good News of Jesus goes unnoticed and unshared in my day-to-day life. Why am I not more excited? Why does waking up early on Sunday seem like a chore? Why do I have to change my life and reorder my priorities? Why don’t I tell my friends, family, or coworkers?

As I ask myself these questions, Matthew 13:44 often works its way into my mind: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”

In my life, though, Matthew 13:44 often looks like this, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which Morgan found and covered up. Then in his joy he went and sold all that he had, but on his way back he got distracted at the car dealership, Wal-Mart, and Home Depot!”

The world offers a million things that make it nearly impossible for us to make it back to buy that field!

And we can’t share what we do not yet possess!

In our shortsightedness we often forget that the greatest treasure of all is waiting for us back in that field, and IT IS OUR JOY.

Jesus is a treasure that cannot be outdone. But when my life doesn’t quite reflect that I possess such a great treasure Matthew 13:44 reminds me to keep my eyes on the life Jesus brought, brings, and will bring. And when I do I am reminded that the Kingdom of Heaven is my joy, and it is worth my anything and my everything.

Morgan Hines

         Matthew records Jesus explaining the kingdom of heaven in several different parables. The kingdom of heaven is like a field, or a mustard seed, or wheat and tares, or a hidden treasure, or a dragnet, or leaven, or perhaps a very expensive pearl. All of these parables help the reader see some aspect of what the kingdom of heaven is, and this is very important because Jesus has been busy telling the multitudes that the kingdom of heaven has come near, and that even those who mourn and those who are poor in spirit will be welcomed. Now they needed to know – welcomed into what?!

We must really get a grip on the answer to that question as well. If we view the kingdom as some faraway place that we go to when we die, it loses its effect on our everyday reality. It is something far in the future that requires very little of us today. On the contrary, if it is a kingdom that we can be a part of now, if the benefits of citizenship there are available to us in this life, then it changes everything.

My favorite of the kingdom parables is the one in which He compares the kingdom of heaven to “…a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”

It is my favorite because it draws a beautiful picture of how amazing this “kingdom come near” is. Life in the kingdom is so overwhelmingly desirable, that there would be nothing that I wouldn’t give up to be able to have a piece of it. I want full citizenship! Eternal life in the kingdom of the heavens starting right now, here on earth – sign me up!

I referred to this parable as my favorite, but that is only true in some respects. It is also my least favorite because it is very convicting. Think about this:

• If the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure that I would sell everything in order to own, I have to ask myself, “Am I willing to, or have I even thought about, giving up everything to gain access to His kingdom?” Would I give up my time? My comforts? My shows? My music? The list goes on and on. In this parable, the man doesn’t even seem to have to think long and hard about it before he sells everything to buy the property that would make the treasure his. When it comes to the kingdom, we don’t have to buy or sell anything to get in, but if we want access to all the benefits of citizenship, we’ll have to give up those things that are focused on me and what I want and focus on God and what He wants.
• How many times have I complained about personal sacrifices or inconveniences related to the kingdom, completely missing the fact that being part of the kingdom of heaven is worth ANY sacrifice? If I had to be tortured or even die to gain access to the kingdom, would even that be too much?

The challenge is to live every day as if our citizenship in the kingdom of the heavens – the most wonderful treasure we can imagine – is dependent upon us ‘selling’ everything. We enter by God’s grace, but it is worth any and every sacrifice required of us here.

Tammy Beck

Probably one of the best-known parables of Jesus is the story of the Good Samaritan.  You remember I’m sure, but allow me to paraphrase the story for you: a man was traveling and fell among thieves, he was beaten and left for dead.  Now, a preacher came by and saw him, he said ‘hello, nice to see you’ but was late for a meeting so he walked by the other side.  Then a fellow Arkansan came along and saw him, he said ‘How ‘bout them Hogs…Wooo Pigs, Sooie!’ but was in a hurry to get to the Razorback game, so he went by the other side.  Finally, a hip-hop homeboy who happened to be a Muslim rolls up on him… (Now here’s where the story gets strange), he turns down his jam box, gets out of his car with the 20-inch rims and he of ALLpeople is the one who stops to render aid to the fallen man!  Not only that, but he takes him to the hospital ER and uses his own credit card to pay for the man’s medical treatment! – YOU REMEMBER, I said I was paraphrasing the story, right?

The point of the story is to illustrate that being a neighbor is not just saying nice things to people but actually doing what needs to be done in order to help!  Who is my neighbor is a question that is still being asked today in a myriad of different ways and situations that Christians are confronted with daily.  Maybe it’s being asked by the co-worker who is under pressure on the job.  Maybe it’s the classmate who is being bullied at school.  Perhaps it’s a single mom who is at her wit’s end with what to do with her demanding child.  The question’s being asked… but what will our answer be?

One can look at the parable from many different angles.  Some would argue that the preacher was doing some very important work that was for the GREATER GOOD, so you can’t really blame him for passing by!  Others would argue that this was the ‘BIG GAME’ & you can’t reasonably expect one to miss it after all, we all deserve a little R&R in our busy lives, don’t we?  The fascinating thing about this story is that in the end Jesus doesn’t draw a conclusion on the matter He asks each person to contemplate the illustration and He simply says in Luke. 10:37, “… now you go and DO likewise…”

When we think about ‘growing God’s Kingdom one person at a time’ we must remember that we are truly ambassadors for Christ.  We represent daily what it means to be a Christian and we can do more to influence others to Christ by our actions than by our words!  When we think about it, maybe the question isn’t ‘who is my neighbor?’ but rather ‘AM I THE KIND OF NEIGHBOR I OUGHT TO BE?’

~ John Phillips Jr ~

While Jesus told tons of stories about the nature of his kingdom, one of the most powerful ones is found in Matthew 13 alongside several others. Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away” (Matthew 13:24-30) When the wheat began to grow the weeds appeared with the wheat. The workers asked the owner if they should go out and pull up the weeds. He told them not to do so since in pulling them up they would also uproot much of the wheat, but to wait until time for harvest and then the harvesters would gather the weeds out first and throw them into the fire then gather the wheat.

When Jesus explained the parable to his disciples he said the kingdom is the world, the one who planted the good seed was the Son of Man and the good seed was the people of the kingdom. The one who sowed the weeds was the devil. The harvesters are the angels and the harvest will be at the end of the world when the angels gather out of his kingdom all that offends to cast them in the fire so that the sons of the kingdom may shine like the sun in His kingdom.

There are many great lessons from this story but let me focus on a couple. One is the fact the children of God, the disciples are the good seed or the wheat. We often want to go back to the parable of the sower and make the seed the word. But it is we, the disciples that must grow, spread and increase the harvest for the Lord. Now the weeds that are sown all around the disciples of the Lord will always torment us. The devil is constantly busy sowing weeds in the kingdom so that there will indeed be those around us who claim to be disciples themselves but who seem to always be leading people away from what is right rather than to the right.

How are we as followers of Christ to handle the problem of weeds? Many times in church we lose focus on the wheat because we see so many of the weeds in the field and believe we must do something to destroy all the weeds. Many times the preacher or the leaders of the congregation become experts in killing weeds. They have studied weeds and know where they went wrong and are intent on driving them out of the church or kingdom of the Lord. The sad thing is when we begin to focus on the weeds; it invariably leads to taking the eyes off the wheat, which is the people of God, the Disciples of Christ. Now think about it. What if the wheat farmer becomes so intent on killing weeds that he neglects the wheat? He may have very clean fields, but not much wheat.

In church we need to remember the point Jesus made. We can’t get the weeds out of the field. If we try we will destroy much of the wheat, the disciple crop at the same time. Leave them alone until the harvest and the angels of God can gather them without a single mistake. Too often when we try to get the weeds out we actually take out many struggling disciples who are trying, growing, but still weak and need help, encouragement and love. The Lord at the end of the harvest is the only one to handle some things.

Leon Barnes