God's kingdom has its beginning in the history of creation together with humankind. It has a long history. At the summit of this history stands Christ. "The reign of God is at hand" He spoke of it from the beginning of His messianic teaching and He perseveringly, tirelessly, announced this Kingdom to be chosen people.

"After John  had been arrested, Jesus went into Galilee. There he proclaimed the Good News from God. 'The time has come' he said 'and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.'" - Mark 1:14-15 -

The message Jesus began to proclaim in Galilee after John the Baptist's imprisonment was the good news of the kingdom of God.When Jesus appeared to His disciples after the resurrection, He continued speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

"In my earlier work, Theophilus, I dealt with everything Jesus had done and taught from the beginning until the day he gave his instructions to the apostles he had chosen through the Holy Spirit, and was taken up to heaven. He had shown himself alive to them after his Passion by many demonstrations: for forty days he had continued to appear to them and tell them about the kingdom of God." - Acts 1:1-3 -

What did Jesus mean by the kingdom of God? When Jesus announced that the kingdom of God was drawing near, many of His hearers must have recognized an echo of those visions recorded in the Book of Daniel [Old Testament] These prophecies declared that one day "the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed." - Dan. 2:44 - Jesus' announcement indicated the time had come when the authority of this kingdom would be exercised.

The nature of this kingdom is determined by the character of the God whose kingdom it is. The revelation of God lay at the heart of Jesus' teaching. Jesus called Him "Father" was "Abba" - Mark 14:36 - the term of affection that children used when they addressed their father at home or spoke about him to others. It was not  unusual for God to be addressed in prayers as "our Father." But it was most unusual for Him to be called "Abba." By using this term, Jesus expressed His sense of nearness to God and His total trust in Him. Jesus taught His followers and believers to look to God with the trust that children show when they expect their earthly fathers to provide them with foods, clothes, and shelter.

This attitude is especially expressed in the Lord's Prayer, which may be regarded as a brief summary of Jesus' teaching. In this prayer the disciples were taught to pray for the fulfillment of God's eternal purpose (the coming of God's kingdom) and to ask Him for our daily bread, forgiveness of sins, and deliverance from temptation.

In Jesus' healing of the sick and proclamation of good news to the poor, the kingdom of God was visibly present, although it was not yet fully realized. Otherwise, it would not have been necessary for Jesus to tell His disciples to pray, "Thy kingdom come" - Matt. 6:10 - One day, Jesus taught, it would come "with power" and some of them would live to see that day. "And he said to them, 'I tell you solemnly, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power.'" - Mark 9:1 -

The children of the kingdom of God should not insist on their legal rights but cheerfully give them up in response to the law of love. In the kingdom of God the way to honour is the way of service, with all our soul, heart, mind, and strength. In this respect, Jesus set a worthy example, choosing to give service instead of receiving it.

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Sunday, May 24, 2009

I have through years of reading, pondering, reflecting and contemplating, the 3 things that last; FAITH . HOPE . LOVE and I would like to made available my sharing from the many thinkers, authors, scholars and theologians whose ideas and thoughts I have borrowed. God be with them always. Amen!

I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SAY TO YOU BUT THEY WOULD BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU NOW. BUT WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL LEAD YOU TO THE COMPLETE TRUTH, SINCE HE WILL NOT BE SPEAKING AS FROM HIMSELF, BUT WILL SAY ONLY WHAT HE HAS LEARNT; AND HE WILL TELL YOU OF THE THINGS TO COME.

HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -