Building God’s Kingdom Requires Action
1st Corinthians 4:20 (NLT)
For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.
Romans 14:17-18 (NLT)
For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too.
Matthew 7:21 (NLT)
“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.
Matthew 6:33 (NLT)
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Right Off the Bat We Have Several Verses That Tell Us We Must “DO” Something:
Live a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit; and serve Christ with this same attitude.
Live by God’s power, and not just talk.
Doing the will of God the Father.
Seeking the Kingdom of God above all else and living righteously.
Matthew 6:10 (NLT – Part of the Lord’s Prayer)
May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
The phrase “your kingdom come” is a reference to God’s spiritual reign. God’s Kingdom was announced in the covenant with Abraham, is present in Christ’s reign in the hearts of believers, and will be complete when all evil is destroyed and God establishes the new heaven and the new earth.
When we pray “your will be done,” we are praying that God’s perfect purpose will be accomplished in this world as well as in the next. And how does God accomplish his will on earth? He does it largely through people willing to obey him. This part of the prayer allows us to offer ourselves as doers of God’s will, asking him to guide, lead, and give us the means to accomplish his purposes.
Since we now know that we are going to have to actually do things in order to build’s God’s Kingdom, what are some of the things that we will have to do to accomplish this? We will have to study; as well as take care of the physical and spiritual needs of others.
Task #1 – Study the Bible
Joshua 1:8
Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.
2nd Timothy 2:15 (NLT – An Approved Worker) and 2nd Timothy 3:16-17
Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth … All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
Because God will examine what kind of worker we have been for him, we should build our lives on his Word and build his Word into our lives. It alone tells us how to live for him and serve him. Believers who ignore the Bible will certainly be ashamed at the judgment. Consistent and diligent study of God’s Word is vital; otherwise we will be lulled into neglecting God and our true purpose for living.
For Timothy, the “holy Scriptures” were the books of the Old Testament. The Old Testament is important because it points to Jesus Christ. At the same time, faith in Christ makes the whole Bible intelligible.
The Bible is not a collection of stories, fables, myths, or merely human ideas about God. It is not a human book. Through the Holy Spirit, God revealed his person and plan to certain believers, who wrote down his message for his people. This process is known as inspiration. The writers wrote from their own personal, historical, and cultural contexts. Although they used their own minds, talents, language, and style, they wrote what God wanted them to write. Scripture is completely trustworthy because God was in control of its writing. Its words are entirely authoritative for our faith and life. The Bible is “God-breathed.” Read it, and use its teachings to guide your conduct.
1st Peter 3:15 (NLT)
Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.
Some believe that faith is a personal matter that should be kept to oneself. It is true that we shouldn’t be boisterous or obnoxious in sharing our faith, but we should always be ready to give an answer, gently and respectfully, when asked about faith, our life-style, or our Christian perspective. Can others see your hope in Christ? Are you prepared to tell them what Christ has done in your life?
Task #2 – Taking Care of Physical Needs
Matthew 25:31-46 (NLT – Jesus Tells About the Final Judgment)
This parable describes acts of mercy we can all do – simple acts that should be freely given and freely received. Even if we do not have the “best things” to offer; someone would still be better off with a sandwich and a couch, instead of going hungry and being without a place to spend the night.
Jesus demands our personal involvement in caring for the needs of others. Even though the government and churches have programs to help those in need, that does not permit us to ignore the needs of others – our neighbors – when it is within our capacity to help.
God will separate his obedient followers from pretenders and unbelievers. The real evidence of our belief – of our faith – is the way we act. To treat everyone we encounter as if they were Jesus is no easy task. What we do for others demonstrates what we really think about Jesus’ words to us: Feed the hungry, give a drink to those who thirst, show hospitality, give clothes to those that need them, care for the sick, and visit those in prison.
What category would our actions place us in?
The category of a righteous, true believer; or
The category of the unrighteous – those that do not believe or ones pretending to.
There are many times that taking care of someone’s physical need can open the door to taking care of their spiritual needs.
I do not recall where I heard this saying first, it might have been at church or at school, but I believe it applies fairly well to us today: “People do not care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”
It isn’t always the case, but taking care of someone’s physical need(s) can get them to the point where they trust you enough to at listen to what you have to say – to listen to the Gospel. Sometimes we have to make friends with people, perhaps take care of a need, or use a shared interest or hobby and nurture the relationship before we can introduce them to Jesus.
It isn’t always the case, and taking care of need doesn’t always allow us to preach or teach or if we are able to teach and preach, we may not always see results right away, but that does not give us an excuse to not help someone – even if they have no interest in what we have to say – we can serve them in Jesus name and plant a seed or water one.
Who knows, the little good you do can snowball and someone else may see the harvest.
Task #3 – Taking Care of Spiritual Needs
Romans 10:14-15 (NLT)
But how can they call on him (Jesus) to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent?
In telling others about Christ, an effective witness must include more than being a good example. Eventually, we will have to explain the content, the “what” and the “how” of the GOSPEL. Modeling the Christian life is important, but we will need to connect the mind of the unbeliever and the message of the GOSPEL. We must take God’s great message of salvation to others so they can respond to the Good News.
Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT – The Great Commission)
Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
When someone is dying or leaving us, his or her last words are very important. Jesus left the disciples with these last words of instruction: They were under his authority; they were to make more disciples; they were to baptize and teach these new disciples to obey Christ; and Christ would be with them always.
We are to also go – whether it is next door or to another country – and make disciples – to build the Kingdom. It is not an option, but a command to all who call Jesus “Lord.” We are not all evangelists in the formal sense, but we have all received gifts – talents – that we can use to help fulfill the great commission. As we obey, we have comfort in the knowledge that Jesus is always with us.
So, Let’s Sum Up These Two Passages – Romans 10:14-15 and Matthew 28:18-20
People need to call on Jesus to save them; but they cannot call on Jesus unless they know about him and believe; but they cannot know about Jesus unless they are told; and people cannot be told about Jesus unless others go and speak; but people cannot go and preach unless they are sent.
The Great Commission sends all of us out into the world:
To make disciples
To baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
To teach the new disciples to obey all of Jesus’ commands.
Sounds pretty easy, right?
We are to study the Bible.
We are to take care of the physical needs of others.
We are to take care of the spiritual needs of others.
This enables us to build the Kingdom of God.
Again, sounds pretty easy, right? Go, help people, and talk to people about Jesus; but what are we to talk about, what are we to say, what is the Gospel and what should people that believe in God, do or not do?
Simply put, the G.O.S.P.E.L. can be broken down into the following:
God’s – Only – Son – Provides – Eternal – Life
You go back to the beginning, back to the book of Genesis, and tell people that God created the heavens and the earth – what we live on and what is above us was created by God. You tell them that God created mankind, both male and female, in His image, and in the beginning, everything was perfect.
Humans were created with a free will, the ability to choose between right and wrong, to obey God or to rebel. Man chose to sin in the Garden of Eden by disobeying God and following the desires of their own heart. When man sinned, he was separated from God and driven from the garden; and sin cursed what was created. Man would have to sweat and labor for his food and fight thorns and thistles; the pain in childbirth was increased; sickness and death entered the world.
However, that was not the end of the story. God already had a plan in place to remedy the sin problem. His only Son – Jesus Christ – would come to earth, be born in a manger, grow up in wisdom and in stature and in favor with both God and all the people in his community.
He was 100% God, but also 100% person – Jesus faced the normal routines of daily life and faced the same physical, mental, social, and spiritual issues we do; yet He never sinned.
Because Jesus lived a perfect life, He was the ultimate sacrifice. The only one to break the curse and hold of sin and death. Jesus willingly went to the cross and died for the sin of man – everyone who has ever lived and everyone that ever will live – He died for my sin – He died for your sin. After he was crucified, he was placed in a tomb, but the story does not end there. Three days later, He arose after conquering sin and death, which now no longer have to be our masters.
Jesus is now in Heaven with God the Father, interceding on our behalf. He is talking to God for us and saying that we are His. Jesus did not leave us alone on earth, but sent the Comforter – the Holy Spirit – to be with us, and to guide us.
The Holy Spirit guides those that seek to introduce people to the only one that can save them – that being Jesus Christ. Everyone in here has either been worked on by the Holy Spirit and is now saved, or the Holy Spirit is working on you and wants you to be saved.
When true believers go out and preach, teach, or do good deeds for others, it is so God will receive the glory and that people will know the truth. The truth is spread all through the Bible – not a single falsehood, lie, or contradiction in the whole book.
The point of preaching and teaching is to put people at their forks in the road, to make people think, to cause them to form a conclusion about who Jesus is and whether or not to accept Him as their Lord and Savior or to remain in rebellion which can take many forms.
1st Corinthians 6:9-11 (NLT)
Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people – none of them will inherit the Kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Galatians 5:19-25 (NLT)
When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.
Folks, that is the Gospel – that is how we build God’s Kingdom. We preach, teach, and do good to and for others, so they will know Jesus Christ – we are to make the introduction and trust the Holy Spirit to do the rest.
If you are an active, Kingdom Builder, please keep up the good work.
If you have been pretending – not 100% committed – or are not even in God’s Kingdom please do not let this opportunity pass by – do not leave today without taking care of business with God. You have head Scripture preached, you know the truth, and now must act accordingly.
