“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.” – Matt. 24:14.
The Good-news or Gospel that Jesus presented is the same one that He commanded believers to teach in the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20.
You know, our dear Lord Jesus started to speak about the Kingdom of God from the beginning of His ministry till He died – Matt. 4:17.
When He resurrected, for forty days He spoke about nothing to His apostles apart from the Kingdom of God – Acts 1:3.
Following Jesus
According to Jesus, the purpose for being sent to the earth was to preach the Kingdom of God – Lk. 4:43. And, He said just as the Father sent Him, even so was
He sending His followers to present “this” (or the same) Gospel of the Kingdom to humanity – Matt. 24:14; Jn. 20:21.
This Good-news of the Kingdom of God on earth again is not one of the many messages that a minister can preach or teach.
It is the main message to be ministered by anybody, just as it was Jesus’ main message.
The example of Apostle Paul
The apostle Paul is the one God mainly used to organize the Church of God.
He presented Jesus’ Gospel of the Kingdom to the gentile world especially. According to Apostle Paul presenting the Gospel of the Kingdom was:
The Gospel of the grace of God presented to man
How to be innocent of the blood of all men
The whole Counsel of God for mankind
Let us read about this from the Apostles’ own words to the leadership of one of the Churches he established i.e. in Ephesus- Acts 20:24-27,
“But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I have received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more.
Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.”
The predicted ‘fall’ of the Gospel of the Kingdom
Yes, this great apostle told the churches of Galatia that this Gospel he declared was not taught him by men, but directly by the revelation of Jesus Christ – Gal.1:11-12.
However he prophesied to the leaders of the church of Ephesus that after he dies “savage wolves” would come among them who will pervert or distort this Gospel of the Kingdom – Acts 20:29-30.
In other words, the Gospel of the Kingdom that Apostle Paul championed was going to suffer damage after his death until, (as prophesied by Jesus), it becomes revived again as the surest sign of the end of the Church-age, which is now – Matt.24:14.
Twelve characteristics of the Gospel of the Kingdom
1. The gospel of the kingdom goes beyond being born-again or saved for Heaven into ruling both in Heaven and on earth now.
The phrase born-again was used by Jesus when He spoke to Nicodemus. He was a Pharisee or religious ruler and a political ruler in Israel. So, he was the best picture of ruler-ship before mankind.
But, Jesus told him that being born-again was for him or humans to “see” or “enter” into the Kingdom of God or God’s-kind of ruler-ship – Jn. 3:3, 5.
Yes, this Nicodemus was representing the perfect human-kind of ruler-ship, but Jesus was teaching him that was not Kingdom-ruler-ship, the first kind that God had for him.
This God-kind of ruler-ship that our dearest Jesus was introducing to Nicodemus was once known by man-kind before the sin of Adam.
You know, the Kingdom of God that Jesus talked to Nicodemus about refers to Heaven.
Beloved, Heaven is God’s Throne or a Place of the rule of God – Matt. 5:34; 23:22.
Thus, going to Heaven as a believer is going into God’s Throne or into God’s- kind of ruler-ship. Dear friend, this is God’s Will for all mankind for which our Lord Jesus Christ, the last Adam came to die.
And, this ruler-ship is to start on earth before you go to the Place called Heaven for its re-enforcement, being the Headquarters of the God-kind of ruler-ship.
However, although it is championed by Heaven, this God-kind of rule is meant to ultimately end up where it ‘started’(for created man) i.e. on earth, as in the beginning – Gen. 1:26.
Thus, although Jesus came from Heaven, and was on earth, He said to Nicodemus that He was in Heaven even on earth – Jn. 3:13, “ And no man hath ascended up to Heaven, but He that came down from Heaven, even the Son of man which is in Heaven”.
In other words, Jesus who was on earth at the time was saying: He is in Heaven i.e. in the God-kind of ruler-ship even on earth.
Therefore, the reason for being born-again is to see or know or gain awareness of the ruler-ship of God that mankind lost in the first Adam.
So, ruler-ship in Heaven is guaranteed as long as you are good and faithful in ruling now (as Jesus did) over self, sickness, situations, society, Satan etc.
Now, you do this by receiving the abundance of Jesus’ Kingdom-grace and the free gift of Kingdom-righteousness in Christ; not by the Law of Moses and the religious-righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees – Rom. 5:17; Matt. 25:21; Lk. 19:17; 12:42-44.
2. The Gospel of the Kingdom goes beyond the salvation of individuals to that of people-groups -Matt. 24:14; 28:19; Lk. 4:43.
The Good-news of the Kingdom is to be presented on both individual and group basis.
Our Jesus did this mainly to the Jews as a people-group in His ‘three and half year’ ministry. And this is why He clearly differentiated His ministry to Jews from His ministry to non-Jews – Matt. 10:5-6; 15:24; Acts 3:25-26.
But the Blessed Lord Jesus was an individual and so was limited in reaching out the Gospel of the Kingdom.
So, this time round, because of the all-embracing reach of the Holy Spirit, who came to replace our dearest Jesus, the Gospel of the Kingdom would be directed to “all nations” as people-groups – Matt. 24:14. It is so that each people-group witnesses or tastes the great powers of the world to come.
You know, “nations” are not just geographical land territories, but people-groups as well – 1 Pet. 2:9; Gen. 25:23. Actually, the Greek word translated ‘nations’ in Matt. 24:14 and 28:19 is the word ‘ethnos’, out of which the English word ‘ethnic’ is derived.
This Greek word refers to a group of people, irrespective of geo-political boundaries, who have similar lifestyles, habits and therefore circumstances. Thus, the Gospel of the Kingdom is to be presented on group basis also. Why?
So that, it addresses the specific needs of people-groups, who have similar outlook on life, ways of doing things, or habits.
This is aimed at enabling all people-groups in their positive uniqueness to be witnesses of God’s Kingdom or rule in their own positive peculiarities, before our Jesus comes again.
The Kingdom of God
The Kingdom of God is God’s Royalty, Rule and Realm which is characterized by: peace, purity, power, prosperity, preservation, possibilities, potential, passion, His Presence, His purpose, His praise, and persecution on this earth.
Anywhere that God is ruling, these twelve components must be there, else the rule of God there is limited. So, God’s word is to be applied to specific people as was done by the writers of the Bible like Apostles Peter (1Pet. 1:1), Paul(Gal.1:2), and John (Rev. 2:1).
You know, most of our written Scripture were to particular people-groups, and by extension to all peoples of the earth. That is how Kingdom-ministry is like.
Therefore, in declaring His mission on earth, Jesus said “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent” – Lk. 4:43. Please note that Jesus did not say He was to preach in other cities (i.e. to individuals) but to other cities (i.e. to people en bloc).
3. The Gospel of the Kingdom goes beyond redemption of mankind to the restoration of mankind.
Beloved, Jesus Christ came on earth to do two things: to redeem and restore mankind – Acts 3:19-21.
Redemption means ‘to buy back’. It is an initial work and involves the Gospel of salvation.
This is very critical and important to God. Now, restoration means ‘to put back’. It is the ultimate work of our dearest Jesus and involves the Gospel of the Kingdom.
In other words, redemption is a sub-set of the bigger set-up of God for mankind called restoration.
This is why Jesus will not come back on earth physically, until His ultimate purpose of restoration of all things, that were spoken by prophets, since the
beginning of the world, is fulfilled – Acts 3:21.
It is also why the one surest sign of the end of this age is the re-presentation of the Gospel of the Kingdom, not just on individual basis, but on group basis for the restoration of all people-groups to their rightful places and purposes in the human family.
When this occur, every people-group, (no matter how you choose to group them), can witness or experience the rule of God or what God has for them in their positive peculiarities or uniqueness, as a group.
You know, people can be grouped on basis such as by age, ‘race’, profession, gender etc.
The most important thing in grouping for ministry is that, there should be something unique and common to them that needs to be ministered to. Only this warrants their being grouped for Kingdom-ministry, not for religious ministry.
4. The Gospel of the Kingdom goes beyond Heaven as the ultimate destination of saved people to the earth being our final eternal destination – Rev. 21:1-4; Gen.1:26; Is.46:10; Is. 66:22-24.
Dear servant of God, the Gospel of Jesus’ Kingdom aims at taking responsibility for the earth, which is the place for man to rule – Ps.115:16; Jn. 5:27; Matt.4:8-10; Gen.1:28.
The Gospel of the Kingdom therefore involves taking responsibility for the effect of one’s wrongs or mistakes on other people, when one was not born-again.
This is called restitution. Restitution is not to atone for ones sins, but to show true repentance and responsibility for the effect of one’s past errors on others.
So, it is not enough to repent of your former bad deeds.
Ones you truly repent, you should show it by helping the society which is adversely affected by your past bad decisions in your ignorance, and ‘those individuals’ who still suffer from your former deeds.
This is why some individuals that Jesus ministered directly to engaged in activities that alleviated the effects of their past sins on people – Lk.19:8; 22:31-32; Acts 9:4; Gal. 1:23.
So, the Gospel of the Kingdom makes you care about what is going on in the earth, because this will determine the extent of your rule in future – Lk. 19:11-27.
5. The Gospel of the Kingdom of God goes beyond preaching Jesus as Savior to preaching Jesus as Lord as well – Rom. 10:9-10
Actually, it is because our dearest Jesus is Lord over Satan, sin, sickness, poverty, death, curses, nature etc. that He can save you from them. So, salvation from sin is not complete until one acknowledges the Lordship or ruler-ship of Jesus Christ.
Dear friend, Jesus Christ is not just a sweet Savior, but an uncompromising Lord or Controller, who must be put in charge of your life.
Yes, the Holy Spirit came to enforce the Lordship of Jesus, without which He is not ‘with you’ in any other right things that you say about the Lord Jesus Christ – 1 Cor. 12:1-3.
