Re: The Kingdom Gospel
Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2017 1:07 pm
"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power." 1 Corinthians 4:20
Are the two not synonymous? If we are wholeheartedly following God, wouldn't we want to encourage others to follow our example? I think we should not be apologetic about our understanding of God's will and way.Wade wrote: Ultimately, I want for people to grow closer to God rather than growing closer than what I believe, so a good tract directing that way can be hard to know, as I can't what that person needs to have that accomplished. God does!
I think it happens where others can get the wrong idea from an action because of a different perspective.ken_sylvania wrote:Are the two not synonymous? If we are wholeheartedly following God, wouldn't we want to encourage others to follow our example? I think we should not be apologetic about our understanding of God's will and way.Wade wrote: Ultimately, I want for people to grow closer to God rather than growing closer than what I believe, so a good tract directing that way can be hard to know, as I can't what that person needs to have that accomplished. God does!
The more I think about it, the more I realise the only way to really explain or understand the kingdom of heaven is to read what Jesus said about it. Then it starts to make sense.Wayne in Maine wrote:“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.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it."
Jesus rarely spoke directly to people other than His disciples. Most of the time he taught in a round-about way. When we try to communicate the Good News of Jesus and the Kingdom in a clear articulate and systematic way we are at odds with what Jesus was trying to communicate and to whom he was trying to communicate that message. Rather that "interpret" Jesus for the masses I believe we do best to use the words Jesus Himself used to communicate the good news. Some people will understand it, and choose to follow Jesus. Most won't. Jesus knew that and plainly had a reason for communicating in such an obfuscatious manner.Josh wrote:The more I think about it, the more I realise the only way to really explain or understand the kingdom of heaven is to read what Jesus said about it. Then it starts to make sense.Wayne in Maine wrote:“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.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it."
That's hard to stuff into a tract.
So what is this saying ? Is it saying that once one becomes a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven, one will sell off all their earthly, temporal stuff ? Some might say that to have ears to hear this, they need to literally not own temporal, earthly things.Wayne in Maine wrote:“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.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it."
I might go to Isaiah 53 and Matthew 5: vs 3 - 12.betterpromises2 wrote:What passages/verses would you use if you wanted to share (briefly) with someone the concept of the Kingdom Gospel (as opposed to what John D. Martin has called "the Save Me Gospel"?
Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”Sudsy wrote:So what is this saying ? Is it saying that once one becomes a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven, one will sell off all their earthly, temporal stuff ? Some might say that to have ears to hear this, they need to literally not own temporal, earthly things.Wayne in Maine wrote:“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.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it."
If I have ears to hear, I hear this as saying that once you experience Kingdom life you will have found what you have been seeking through temporal things and in your joy of this discovery, letting go of the importance of temporal stuff comes easy as it will have no attraction.
Is this what others read of these texts ? Do we have ears to hear ?