The Kingdom part 4
Jesus was a Kingdom man. Probably because He is the King of kings. Probably because the Kingdom is the realm where the King rules and reigns. So wherever Jesus went... that's where the Kingdom was. So when Jesus was lifted up from the earth on the cross, and drew all men into Himself, and planted Himself into all men... we not only entered into the Kingdom we BECAME the Kingdom. So now, wherever WE go that's where the Kingdom is. Because that's where the King is. He lives in us. We live in Him. Here's the key though: "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17). It's that word repent. Number 3340 in Strong's Greek Concordance, meaning, "to think differently or afterwards, that is, reconsider." We've somehow twisted the idea of repenting to mean, "Stop doing bad stuff and start doing good stuff." Even though good and evil are different branches of the same tree. It's not about good and evil. It's about life, and that more abundantly. It's about the OTHER tree. The Tree of Life. It's about something happening that chnages the way we think about, well, everything. And the thing that happened was the cross. The thing that happened was that the Kingdom went from being at hand to being within. Jesus said up until John the Baptist the Kingdom suffered violence and the violent took it by force. What happened with John the Baptist though? He baptized Jesus, fulfilling all righteousness, and brought us out of the Old Covenant and into the New Covenant. Out of the priesthood of Levi and into the priesthood of Melchisedec. Out of the world, and into the Kingdom! No longer do we have to try to force our way into the Kingdom through the violence of human effort. It was our Father's good pleasure to GIVE us the Kingdom. To GIVE us righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. To fill us to overflowing with the Holy Spirit--the love receptor--so that we could stop trying to earn something that cannot be earned. So that we can simply begin to receive it and release it. To seek within in order to find what we have, instead of looking for love in all the wrong places. But, again, the key to it all is repentance. Because the Kingdom is not of this world. So we can't understand it with a carnal mind. Spiritual things only make sense to the Spirit. Those who are led of the Spirit are the Son(s) of God. Because the Spirit of Truth leads and guides us into all truth. Leads us into our true identity by testifying of Jesus, who IS our true identity! The Holy Spirit reveals who we really are by revealing who God really is. By showing us what it means to have the perfect One living inside of us. By showing us what it means to have everything we need. God has blessed us with all Spiritual blessings. He has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness. He has given us the Kingdom. Because He has given us the King. He made us in His image, and then on the cross He conformed us into the image of His Son. And now we can stop trying to be someone we're not, and we can be who we are. Who we are in Christ. Who He is in us. We can live IN the Kingdom because we ARE the Kingdom. And that ever-expanding Kingdom (that ever-expanding LOVE) changes everything!