The Great Exchange For Service – intercession Part 10 of 5 – Digging Deeper into the uncompromising Gospel of the Kingdom of God – Don’t allow division to cause you to settle for crumps when you can have a full course meal
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Subject – The Great Exchange For Service – intercession Part 10 of 5 – Digging Deeper into the uncompromising Gospel of the Kingdom of God – Don’t allow division to cause you to settle for crumps when you can have a full course meal
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25thof November 2018
Blog link: https://www.otakada.org/the-gospel-of-the-kingdom/
The Great Exchange For Service – intercession Part 10 of 5 – Digging Deeper into the uncompromising Gospel of the Kingdom of God – Don’t allow division to cause you to settle for crumps when you can have a full course meal
Introduction
The Great Exchange For Service – intercession Part 10 of 5 – Digging Deeper into the uncompromising Gospel of the Kingdom of God – Don’t allow division to cause you to settle for crumps when you can have a full course meal
Dear Brethren, welcome to our 10 of 5thseries dealing with division in body of Christ predicated on the different versions of the gospel of the Kingdom of God in our midst. We will drill down the various versions of the gospel message out there and how the bible explains what the gospel of the kingdom of God really is with the intent that it will help us discern, engage and intercede for the misled brethren. We have put together five (5) versions of the gospel messages that does not pane out with the true gospel message and how we should handle them.
Let us start with the bible… 20 bible referencesprovided hereunder for your reading and meditation to help drill the message home…
Key verses:
Galatians 1:9 – If anyone preaches any gospel to you than what was you have received, let him be accursed.
Matthew 4:23New King James Version
And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.
Luke 4:43Contemporary English Version
But Jesus said, “People in other towns must hear the good news about God’s kingdom. This is why I was sent.”
Act 10:38
How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him
Matthew 12:28
But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you
Matthew 19:24
And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God
Matthew 21:43
Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits if it.
Matthew 24:14 New King James Version
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come
Mark 4:10-12,26-32
10-12 When they were off by themselves, those who were close to him, along with the Twelve, asked about the stories. He told them, “You’ve been given insight into God’s kingdom—you know how it works. But to those who can’t see it yet, everything comes in stories, creating readiness, nudging them toward receptive insight. These are people—
Whose eyes are open but don’t see a thing,
Whose ears are open but don’t understand a word,
Who avoid making an about-face and getting forgiven.”
26-29 Then Jesus said, “God’s kingdom is like seed thrown on a field by a man who then goes to bed and forgets about it. The seed sprouts and grows—he has no idea how it happens. The earth does it all without his help: first a green stem of grass, then a bud, then the ripened grain. When the grain is fully formed, he reaps—harvest time!
30-32 “How can we picture God’s kingdom? What kind of story can we use? It’s like a pine nut. When it lands on the ground it is quite small as seeds go, yet once it is planted it grows into a huge pine tree with thick branches. Eagles nest in it.”
26 And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should [f]scatter seed on the ground,27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. 28 For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
30 Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? 31 It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 32 but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”
Acts 1:3,7
To whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of things pertaining to the kingdom of God.7 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Mark 16:15-18
And He said to them, “God into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved: but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe; In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Galatians 5:19-24 The Message (MSG)
19-21 It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.
This isn’t the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God’s kingdom.
22-23 But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
23-24 Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.
Romans 14:17
17 For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
1 John 3:8
He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
Luke 10:5-11,16
But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the labourer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘the kingdom of God has come near to you.’
But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, ‘The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.’16 He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.
John 6:28-29,33,35,51
Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he comes to Me shall never thirst. 51I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
Matthew 6:9,10
In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 7:15-16
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?
Continued…
Many religions have their own “gospels,” and they announce good things. However, they lack supernatural power to deal with people’s sin and rebelliousness and to transform their lives. They lack the power to heal a sickness or to deliver someone from mental or emotional oppressions. They are substitutes for the true gospel.
Even in much of the church, parts of the gospel message have been diluted or abridged into various human versions that lack power.
In some cases, these human versions are even anti-power. The message of the gospel of the kingdom is not being presented as it was by Jesus and the early church. These significant elements have been left out: A call to wholehearted repentance and manifestation of God’s presence by healing, signs, wonders, the casting out of demons, and the raising of the dead. As a result, the church has become accustomed to hearing an incomplete gospel..
Paul said in Galatians 1:9 – If anyone preaches any gospel to you than what was you have received, let him be accursed. As we call believers to unity, it is imperative that we all work from the same biblical perspective. God wants to restore the true gospel in the church, so that the good news can be preached to the world as it ought to be. Let us look closely at what we have out there.
1 – The Historical Gospel
Many Christians of various denominations are fixed in a historical, traditional gospel that lacks the presence and power of God They believe in a God of history but not in a God who is with us today – a God whose name is in the present tense: “I am who I am”. IF we can’t bring Jesus to the here and now, then His death, resurrection, and ascension to the throne at the Father’s right hand in heaven have no meaning or purpose for our present circumstances.
2- The “Future” Gospel
The mentality of much of the modern church is to present a gospel that simply proclaims forgiveness of sin so that a person can go to heaven when he or she dies. Although that is certainly part of the good news, it is not the whole gospel of the kingdom. It says nothing of reigning with Christ on earth now with dominion authority and power.
Other believers reflect a different aspect of the future gospel. They believe that God can bring healing and deliverance to the people on earth. Nonetheless, since their mind-set is always that God “will” do these things, they never receive or minister them. For example, they may say, “I believe that God will heal, deliver, prosper and bring revival at some point.” In other words, it will happen later, at an unspecified time in the future. Yet God is the God of the now. It is true that He acts according to His sovereignty. However, these believers keep waiting for something that God has already promised and that Jesus has already provided through His death and resurrection
3- The Social Gospel
While the “future” gospel focuses on heaven, the social gospel centers exclusively on the earth; its advocates seek to relieve societal problems, such as hunger, poverty, and injustice. Addressing people’s physical needs and concerns is central to kingdom living, because God wants us to love others as He loves us. However, they often downplay or ignore the spiritual element of a relationship with God the Father through Jesus His Son. They do not seek or rely on God’s supernatural power, through which people can be healed physically, emotionally, and mentally, and through which they have access to God’s abundant provision, power and strength. Therefore, they do not present the complete gospel.
4- The Gospel of Conformity
This human “gospel” leaves people in a spiritual stagnant condition, unable to move forward, retaining their sin and never regaining their authority in Christ. It neither deals with the rot of rebellion nor challenges people to change, so that they are left in sickness, scarcity, and oppression. A gospel that doesn’t produce change is contrary to the kingdom message of repentance that Jesus preached, and it fails to bring about the transformation that Paul urged believers to actively seek.
5- The Motivational and or Prosperity Gospel
This is a “self-help” gospel in which God’s Word is spoken without power; the cross and the resurrection of Jesus are not proclaimed, and the supernatural is absent. It is a gospel adapted to what people want to hear, and it fails to confront them with the destructiveness of their sin, in an effort to avoid offending them. Its main purpose is for people to walk away feeling satisfied with themselves and encouraged to reach their personal goals. While it is good to have goals and to accomplish them, Jesus came to announce much more than that. (Matthew 6:33)
The gospel of the kingdom lovingly confronts us with our iniquity and challenges us to live in holiness through the resurrection life of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus message does not leave us comfortable in our sinful nature.
The other version of the motivational gospel is the prosperity gospel. Please understand that God promises prosperity, and He wants to give us His provision and abundance but if all we think about is money and material goods, forgetting holiness, prayer, and serving others, then we have put the cart in front of the us.
CONCLUSION:
In concluding, churches and ministries that don’t preach the gospel of the kingdom produce a complacent Christianity. They make no room for the supernatural, and they do not believe that all things are possible with God. This is precisely why we do not see the manifestations of God’s power in the church which is the evidence that God is at work in our midst.
As we engage with our brothers and sisters in small groups, fellowships and churches, we need to discern the type of gospel at play. We need to lovingly point out these issues while praying for our brethren that the veil be removed from their eyes that they will walk in ALL that Christ came to give us all and proclaim aright to the world around us. But to abandon and not engage with other believers is folly and recipe for disaster waiting or already happening in our midst.
We travel the whole world to get a convert and make them sons and daughters if the devil. Jesus’s rebuke to the scribes and Pharisees apply nicely here.. Matthew 23:15– “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves… Message says – “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You go halfway around the world to make a convert, but once you get him, you make into a replica of yourselves, double-damned.
Prayer:Our heavenly Father, as we seek the unity of the Spirit amongst the brethren, open our eyes to discern the wolves in sheep’s clothing amongst us as in Matthew 7:15 Luke 10:3. We ask that You expose them for who they really are. If they are unrepentant, we as that You silence them for Your name and Your work sake. Grant unto us boldness and courage to confront and to pray for our misled brethren to amend their ways. As we humble ourselves and are willing to learn from you, help us to stay through to the authentic gospel message to the very end. As many that seek the manifestation of Your power and presence to heal and deliver, Lord visit them today, give them the revelation of You. Heal the sick, provide for those who lack and bring comfort to the brokenhearted in Jesus name we have prayed with thanksgiving.
Shalom!
Monday Ogwuojo Ogbe – E-discipleship at Otakada.org
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Originally posted on November 24, 2018 @ 4:36 pm
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