The ‘Gospel’

The term Gospel simply means ‘good news’. What is normally understood by the term ‘gospel’ is the gospel of Salvation. What it really refers to is The Gospel of The Kingdom of which the Gospel of Salvation is only the entrance too.

Gospels Mentioned in The New Testament

Jesus only spoke about the Gospel of The Kingdom and in Acts 28:31 Paul states he preached The Kingdom of The Father (the gospel of good news of that kingdom). The Gospel of Salvation is mentioned only once by Him, as it is a part of the Gospel of The Kingdom. Unfortunately the church has majored on the Gospel of Salvation to the detriment of the other Gospels and by doing so does not preach the Gospel Paul and Jesus preached (the true full gospel) which is the totality of our relationship, in all its aspects, to The Father, Jesus and The Holy Spirit.

A list of Gospels mentioned in the New Testament is as follows:

What is The Gospel all about?

It is about the fact that God desires a personal relationship with each one of us and that the life and death of Jesus made this possible.

It is about a relationship with Jesus and The Father, with all its rights, rewards, relationships and responsibilities, possible only because of who Jesus is (God) and because of what He did at Calvary (removed the barriers to this relationship).

It is the knowledge that through this relationship we can live a purposeful and meaningful life now and after death with Jesus, The Holy Spirit and The Father in heaven forever.

It is the knowledge that through this relationship with Jesus and The Father we will escape hell and the judgment to come, going to heaven instead.

It is the knowledge that the Father in heaven Loves us as His children and will protect from His enemy all we give Him and will provide all we need to serve Him and live in this special relationship in the manner required of us and that because of this relationship our life has meaningful purpose.

It is not just a belief system but a lifestyle. Without application of your belief in the tenets of Christianity your faith is just a dead faith and one that does not deliver you from God’s judgment to come.

The chapters in this book are comments on The Kingdom of God in the hope they will help you apply the basic principles of Christianity to your life as well as make you appreciate each member of the Trinity so you will draw closer to them in an increasingly intimate relationship.

Why don’t people defend The Gospel and Jesus?

Everyone is called to preach the gospel of The kingdom and to demonstrate The kingdom of God but not all do this. Why?

A History of Salvation

In the beginning, mankind happily lived under God’s rule and provision in a personal face-to-face relationship with Him. Mankind chose to reject God’s authority listening instead to the empty promises of God’s enemy and was driven out of the presence of God losing their personal relationship with God. They were also driven thus out of the perfect environment God had made for them as well as coming under God’s judgment for breaking His law. Subsequently, everyone has at some time rejected God’s authority and come under His judgment for doing so.

The only one who could do something about the judgment punishment for this rebellion was God, as man was unable to meet the requirements of God for dealing with this punishment. God could either pay the penalty that was required by His law through personally meeting its requirements or leave mankind in their predicament. God being a God of Love chose to pay the penalty on behalf of mankind, so He sent Jesus to die and pay the penalty in place of mankind.

This Jesus did at Calvary!

By His death, Jesus paid the penalty for all mankind’s rebellion (including yours and mine) removing the barriers separating them from God so they could once again relate to God on a personal basis (if they so desired to relate to Him). However, for this to apply to you, action must be taken on your part.

You need to believe Jesus is God, became a man, died and rose from the dead and thus able to meet the requirements of God in regard to your eternal judgment and punishment, that He died on the cross at Calvary for you and that all He promised you will occur, providing you no longer live in rebellion against God and try to live as He wants you to (as found in The Bible) being guided by The Holy Spirit in this. You must make Jesus Lord of your life, serving others in the same way He serves them and us.

You must understand that this is nothing to do with your ability to meet the requirements of God’s punishment, as you are incapable of doing so, no matter what you do. Jesus alone can do this. As such, what He has done is sufficient and the only way for you to be restored to God and what He taught us is the only way to live as God requires!

The Christian life is all a matter of beliefs, attitudes desires and purposes and not just doing things to work your way to heaven. What you do is a result of your attitudes not the cause of them. Your attitudes are conditioned by what you believe, accept and think. It begins with accepting what Jesus taught, did and said He will do for, as well as making Him Lord of your life with all that this means.

The relationship of King and citizen

David, as King knew the relationship of a king to his citizens and realised the comparison to that of his relationship with God. He expressed this near the end of his life in 1 Chron 29: 11 ff I quote below:

The passage is really self explanatory but I reinforce a few things

v 11 Everything is God’s and so all Glory for anything done goes to God. We are only His servants and can take no credit for the expression of His Kingdom. Even as a faithful servant we have done only what we are suppose to have done. The fact God thinks we are worthy to use is the basis of our self–worth, self–values and self–esteem and not in anything we have done as He is the one keeping us alive, empowering us to do His service and providing what we need to do it. In this sense everything is done "In Jesus".

v 12 Promotion comes from God so man’s methods of accreditation through study or election of peers are not the way people are to be promoted. God is to promote which means we are to ask Him who He wants in a place or position and not work it out through diplomas or reason. As for wealth and importance, that is also God’s to give and so we should not be asking for these but obeying and receiving them through service (Mat 6:33 applies). He will give you what you need. To ask for more may a sin of greed, lust or compensation for a hurt depending on why you want it.

v 13 Instead of complaining or telling God what/and or when He should be doing things or that He needs to keep His promises in our timing we should be thankful He has thought of us and has the best for us in store.

v14, 16 Who are we that God looks to us and desires a relationship with us. He does not need us as He has the angels but He Still uses us in spite of our weaknesses and rebellion at times. Even then we are only using what God has given us and our giving back to him is only from the abundance he allows us above what we need to live and serve Him..

v 15 Our Citizenship is in heaven and we are strangers to the prince of this world and temporary travellers in this kingdom of evil.

v17-20 are the attitudes we should have resulting from love for our King and what He has done for us as well as the desire to serve Him and be like Him.

The Kingdom and the individual

The Kingdom is more important than the individual in the sense that they must promote the Kingdom for people to know about it and enter it. For this reason the citizens of the kingdom must concentrate on The Kingdom and its purposes as in this they will achieve their true purpose and fulfilment. This is Lordship in action.

Accordingly, out of love for The King and His purposes they place the wishes of the king before their own and what furthers the kingdom before their own desires and do whatever is beneficial for the furtherance of the kingdom even if it is at their own comfort, expense or even their own life.

They do this for the King as they want others to benefit from being in the Kingdom having the same relationship with the King as they have with the King.

We need to examine our life carefully to see what is in us that stops us promoting the Kingdom of God and then deal with it no matter what the cost. Then we will be able to promote The Kingdom and Jesus, its Lord, and people will know why they need Jesus and why they should be citizens of The Kingdom.

A Christian who loves others as God does, will place this need for the promotion of the kingdom and Jesus before their own pleasure, no matter what the cost, as they see the importance of people following their King, Jesus and being citizens of The Kingdom of God and escaping hell, the prison for all whom reject Jesus and The Kingdom of God..

What is our relationship to God?

Those who are in a righteous (correct) relationship with Jesus and thus God, are called "sons of God". This refers to being adopted by God as a "son" of His with all the rights of the natural born son, Jesus. The Divine Jesus we worship. The man Jesus calls us family (relatives by adoption of His Father). Accordingly, God looks after us as His son because we love His natural born son, Jesus.

What Father, who loves their son, does not provide for their needs. Hence we can trust Mat 6:33 unless we don’t trust God’s Love (in which case we may need deliverance). The Father has given us Jesus and everything we need to be able to have a righteous relationship with Him and The Father. What more can He give us but the physical things we need to live and this He promises and does.

So remember your relationship to God as an adopted son with all the rights and responsibilities of an adopted son and as long as you trust His love you will be content with what He does to and for you.

Our Position in Jesus

As a citizen of The Kingdom of God we are ‘In Jesus’, in His area of authority and control, under His protection and Grace. This position is a result of His Love and His Grace towards us and is also a result of our faith In Who Jesus is and what He has done for each of us,

We are immersed in His Grace and Protection, in a position He can use us and Bless us and as we maintain the Lordship of Jesus in out life we can never be successfully attacked by Satan. Our position in Jesus and the attitudes required to keep us in that position (Lordship) protects us.

The Things of God

We do not hold of value the Things of God and so do not give them the reverence and defence of the as we should. We squander them away and as stewards of them will be called to account for how we deal with them.

Because of the way we deal with God’s things people do not see God in us as He wants to be seen by them so consider Him no different to any other God. We are all people see of God on earth and so have a heavy responsibility to show God in all we do as well as to protect what is His.

If God is not honoured or worship by our life people see no reason for following Him. Those led by The Holy Spirit (the sons of God) show Him and protect His things. Those who do not do this need to examine carefully why they do not stand up for God and His Things.

Remember! Jesus said that those who do not stand up for Him and by this reject Him, even by apathy or indifference will be rejected by Him on the day of Judgment.

All that belongs to Jesus or is given to Him to be Lord of is protected by Him so as we go into the world (the enemy’s kingdom) Satan cannot harm it. Those who are not of The kingdom of God or things not given to Jesus to be Lord of are not protected from the enemy but can only be attacked as allowed by Jesus as they are still His spoils of war to control as He will.

Idols

There can be no conscious idols in the rtue follower of Jesus as this places these things before Jesus. Satan has to have idols so he can hide Jesus through them and has to make activities on earth that give people fulfilment and self esteem trying to show that the Christian life and The kingdom of God are of little pleasure compared to what He offers. This is why you have to be very careful what you pursue and give your affections and will too, so that it does not become an idol or block a full and proper appreciation of Jesus and The Kingdom of God.

Jesus and His Kingdom must always be our focus or else we will be led astray by Satan. This is why we are to be careful and give everything to Jesus so The Holy Spirit can guide us and keep us from idolatry in any form. Anything put before God or His work is an idol. Television is one of the greatest idols in the western world followed by the cult following of movie stars, rock stars, sport stars and similar.

Remember, Satan will either deceive you or distract you and having things that are idols does this.

What will you give up?

Our perception of what is in heaven will determine how hard we want to get there and what we will give up to get there.

Jesus said that nothing in this world was worth holding onto if it stopped you getting to heaven or reduced your rewards in heaven. That alone should make us look to rewards in heaven and not on earth so that we reject the rewards (pleasure) Satan offers us and do the Will of God as that is what will result in rewards in heaven (of which one is salvation).

Faith requires us to believe God is a rewarder (Heb 11:6) but does not tell us where these rewards are. Jesus only ever spoke of rewards in heaven and not on earth and said God would provide all we need (which would included any rewards on earth) if we sought the furtherance of His Kingdom and developed the relationship we have with Him (righteousness).

Paul never spoke of rewards on earth and said that God would supply all our need in Jesus.

There is also the corollary of reaping what you sow (Gal 6:7-8) so that rewards are a result of obedience to God and of nothing else.

There appears no room in this system for prosperity theology. To want more than God wants you to have is to ask for trouble as Satan will use it to sidetrack and mislead you. God will proposer you, not for your personal pleasure (but that will be in there) but to help others in their financial distress.

As you look for prosperity as the world declares it to be you take your eyes off that in the next (heaven) with the consequent change of focus from Jesus to what you want. Remember, God will prosper you His way and it will be best for you in eternity. As Paul said:

Where your focus is will be where your reward is and will determine your objectives in life.

Prayer and The Kingdom

In a kingdom you go to the king and ask him for what you would like, but always His will is to be done. You must, of course, automatically do His will.

We are citizens of The Kingdom of The Father and so must always do things in accordance with His Will. As we are His children, we can ask for things but it must still be in his will.

Jesus, in ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ taught us what to pray for and told us to say at the beginning "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven". This was an admission of God’s sovereignty.

In the Garden He asked the Father to take His cup of suffering away but said "nevertheless not My will but Thine." This was not an admission of doubt, but of the sovereignty of The Father. It was a request for suffering to be removed but Jesus then said He accepted it because of the benefit to others it would bring. In fact, because of the benefit it would do to mankind He embraced this ‘Baptism of Suffering’.

Jesus also said that if we prayed in accordance with The Father’s Will, it would be done. So when ever we pray in accordance with the revealed will of God we do not need to pray "nevertheless thy will be done" as we know what His will is and we know it will be done.

But where His will is uncertain people pray as if to say to God’ do it" and ignore the sovereign right of God to act as He wants to for His purposes. They say, to add "in accordance with Thy Will" is to show doubt or lack of faith.

God is sovereign! All must be in accordance with His Will. Where his Will is not clear do not pray but to pray and add "but your will be done" is almost a form of rebellion as you make your will the important one.

Then there is also the problem of praying without knowing what God’s Will is, as only prayer in accordance with His Will is answered. Should we pray without knowing what God’s will is?

In these cases, where we do not know what God’s Will is can we pray anything? We have the promise in Rom 8:26,27 where The Holy Spirit helps us and intercedes for us so we should pray as we should.

If we are led by The Holy Spirit and live in accordance with Matt 6:33 do we need to ask God for anything? Prayer cannot be to ask God for the things as He promises to supply the needs we Have if we seek His Kingdom and His Righteousness and The Holy Spirit prays for what we do not know what to pray for so what is left to pray for.

All i can think of is the expansion of the Kingdom of God and labourers for the harvest, the Casting out demons from citizens of The Kingdom, asking God for the territory of Satan and the signs that would follow those that believe in Jesus. The Holy Spirit will tell you what to pray for.

To pray anything outside the Will of God is wrong and may be sin (rebellion) and so we need to be led by The Spirit of God as we pray and then as Jesus says you know it will be done (Jn. 14:13-14).

This prayer is different to the one where you cry to God for help and comfort as well as guidance and strength to go on. That perhaps is what prayer really is. To pray according to God’s Will is really declaring the Will of God and he can use that to bring into existence the prayer as it is His Will.

You have to be careful with selfish prayer as Satan will try and answer it his way as God is not going to answer it.

The Two Kingdoms

Despite all the political divisions made by man there are really only two kingdoms: The kingdom of God and the kingdom of His enemy, Satan (the devil). Before a person becomes a follower of Jesus they live under the principles of the kingdom of Satan and have the attitudes and purposes of that kingdom. When they decide to follow Jesus they do an 180% turn in their attitudes and purposes to those of The Kingdom of The Father.

Remember that there is only one kingdom on earth, that of Satan. The Kingdom of Heaven is not on earth, except in the followers of Jesus, that is why they are pilgrims and strangers in a foreign land, doing all they can to take others with them on their pilgrimage home to heaven.

Thee is no fence between the two kingdoms so it is impossible to sit ‘on the fence’ between them. There are truly no fence sitters in this battle. You are either in one kingdom or the other. Fence sitters may actually belong to the Kingdom of Darkness as Jesus is not their Lord, the condition required for salvation from the kingdom of His enemy.

Evangelism and Representing The Kingdom

Paul did not just preach, but like Jesus demonstrated the authority of God over the kingdom of darkness. This type of evangelism sets it apart from what most churches do today and is the only evangelism that shows the world that the rule of Jesus is better and more powerful than that of Satan and that Satan was defeated at calvary by Jesus.

If the church does not show the power of God over Satan then it is all philosophical head arguments as nothing is in the preaching to make it different from any other ‘messiah’ or ‘saviour’. Accordingly the person being spoken to will pick the messiah or faith that best suits them.

This is why other religions and cults can convert people as they promise them things that will help them and do provide for them in this world, while the church preaches without power and has nothing to really show the person that they are different to other cults or sects.

People saw the power of God and believed. Words caused them to think, but the power of God made them act!

This power of God will be demonstrated more and more in the times to come which is why there will be revival as those who have been hidden will be revealed and those that are visible now will be removed and ponder what happened or will repent in sack cloth and ashes and follow Jesus as they should have in the first instance.