Christians Bringing a Touch of Christ’s Kingdom to Earth

Posted on June 13, 2019 by russellmckinney

Series: “Christ’s Kingdom” (post #5)

Jesus spent His three-and-a-half-year earthly ministry bringing a touch of His heavenly kingdom to the earth. Then, after being crucified, He resurrected and ascended back to heaven. This left a gaping hole in regards to earthly life being touched by Christ’s kingdom. Fortunately, Jesus had a plan to fill that hole. He left all of His followers with the assignment of picking up where He left off in bringing a touch of His kingdom to each situation in which they found themselves.

Christ’s Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5-7) has been described as His kingdom manifesto. In it He lays out what being a “kingdom citizen” looks like. It’s sad that the world at large oftentimes understands the Sermon on the Mount as being a works-based plan that if lived closely enough produces salvation. To the contrary, the sermon provides a way for the saved person to evidence a salvation that has previously been obtained by the individual believing in Christ as Savior.

If you doubt that the Sermon on the Mount isn’t for lost people, let me point out that it opens with eight beatitudes (blessings). Each beatitude holds a promise within it, and the promises make it clear that Jesus is talking to saved believers. Those promises are:

  1. The saved believer has the kingdom of heaven, which is Christ’s kingdom (Matthew 5:3).
  2. The saved believer shall be comforted by God (Matthew 5:4).
  3. The saved believer shall inherit the earth by one day reigning with Jesus upon it (Matthew 5:5).
  4. The saved believer will be filled with righteousness by God (Matthew 5:6).
  5. The saved believer will obtain mercy from God (Matthew 5:7).
  6. The saved believer will one day literally see God (Matthew 5:8).
  7. The saved believer will be called a son (child) of God (Matthew 5:9).
  8. The saved believer has the kingdom of heaven, which is Christ’s kingdom (Matthew 5:10).

It is interesting that the opening promise and the closing promise of the beatitudes are exactly the same. Jesus says of saved believers, “Theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This identifies for us the audience He has in mind for this particular sermon. He’s talking to citizens of His kingdom. Today we call such people “Christians” (Acts 11:26).

As we study the entirety of the sermon, we learn that it majors upon seriously raising the bar for what passes for normal in human interactions. As evidence of this, here is a point-by-point list of the topics that Jesus addresses in the sermon. I’ll ask you to please read each one slowly and carefully so you can really catch what Jesus is throwing. Here goes:

  1. The kingdom citizen understands that when he or she is unfairly reviled and persecuted for the sake of Jesus, that earns them great rewards in heaven (Matthew 5:11-12).
  2. The kingdom citizen sees himself or herself as being the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16). Both roles are awesome responsibilities.
  3. The kingdom citizen recognizes that the Old Testament is every bit as God inspired and as spiritually valuable as the New Testament (Matthew 5:17-18).
  4. The kingdom citizen understands that keeping God’s commandments and teaching others to keep them gets you called “great” in the kingdom, while breaking those commandments gets you called “least” in the kingdom (Matthew 5:19-20).
  5. The kingdom citizen exhibits an outward and inward righteousness that is greater than the merely outward righteousness of the lost Jewish religious leaders (Matthew 5:20).
  6. The kingdom citizen seeks to reconcile with the person with whom he or she bears an anger without legitimate cause. It’s not enough to merely refrain from murdering the person or calling the person spiteful names (Matthew 5:21-22). There must also be an inner abating of the illegitimate anger.
  7. The kingdom citizen understands that holding on to illegitimate anger ruins his or her attempts to worship God and potentially causes severe consequences with legal authorities (Matthew 5:23-26)
  8. The kingdom citizen resists the temptation to look lustfully at another person (Matthew 5:27-30). It’s not enough to merely refrain from physically acting upon the inner lust by engaging in sexual relations with the person.
  9. The kingdom citizen considers marriage to be especially sacred, with adultery being the only God-approved grounds for divorce (Matthew 5:31-32). (For the record, the apostle Paul later added in the God-approved grounds of a Christian spouse being abandoned by a non-Christian spouse, 1 Corinthians 7:12-15.) 
  10. The kingdom citizen avoids all foolish and false oath taking (Matthew 5:33-37).
  11. The kingdom citizen turns the other cheek when struck rather than cling to the old “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” standard of retaliation (Matthew 5:38-39).
  12. The kingdom citizen exhibits exceedingly gracious, even illogical, behavior when unjustly wronged (Matthew 5:40-41).
  13. The kingdom citizen kindly gives to those who ask to borrow (Matthew 5:42).
  14. The kingdom citizen loves his or her enemies and earnestly prays for them (Matthew 5:43-48).
  15. The kingdom citizen does his or her charitable deeds in private, not seeking the praise of others (Matthew 6:1-4).
  16. The kingdom citizen has a vibrant prayer life that includes various kinds of spiritual principles as part of it (Matthew 6:5-13).
  17. The kingdom citizen forgives those who have sinned against him or her (Matthew 6:14-15).
  18. The kingdom citizen does his or her fasting in private, not seeking the praise of others (Matthew 6:16-18).
  19. The kingdom citizen lays up treasures in heaven rather than upon the earth (Matthew 6:19-21).
  20. The kingdom citizen keeps his or her eye focused upon that which is good, which means that his or her motives and goals are godly (Matthew 6:22-23).
  21. The kingdom citizen serves God rather than riches (Matthew 6:24).
  22. The kingdom citizen doesn’t worry because he or she knows that God will meet every need (Matthew 6:25-34).
  23. The kingdom citizen doesn’t judge hypocritically by condemning others for the same sins he or she personally commits (Matthew 7:1-5).
  24. The kingdom citizen exhibits spiritual discernment regarding to whom he or she imparts spiritual truth (Matthew 7:6).
  25. The kingdom citizen prays persistently in faithful expectation that God will grant each worthy request (Matthew 7:7-11).
  26. The kingdom citizen does unto others what he or she would have others do unto them (Matthew 7:12).
  27. The kingdom citizen understands that he or she will always be in the minority in this world because living God’s way is difficult and relatively few people choose it (Matthew 7:13-14).
  28. The kingdom citizen exhibits spiritual discernment by being able to recognize false prophets by the bad fruits those prophets produce (Matthew 7:15-20).
  29. The kingdom citizen understands that everyone who claims to be a believer in Jesus isn’t truly authentic (Matthew 7:21-23).
  30. The kingdom citizen understands that living out the teachings of Jesus can be compared to building a house upon solid rock, while refusing to live out His teachings can be compared to building a house upon sand (Matthew 7:24-27).

Well, by now I trust that you get the idea. The kingdom citizen is called to live out a higher code of morality than the lost person. Again, this higher code doesn’t produce salvation; it evidences it. Even more than that, it causes the kingdom citizen to bring a touch of Christ’s kingdom to every situation in which he or she happens to be. This touch of the kingdom is how we Christians can effectively serve as “salt” and “light” to this spiritually decaying, spiritually dark world, and it’s how we can continue the radical spiritual movement that Jesus Himself began some 2,000 years ago.

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Jesus Bringing a Touch of His Kingdom to Earth

Posted on June 11, 2019 by russellmckinney

Series: “Christ’s Kingdom” (post #4)

“But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.” (Matthew 12:28, N.K.J.V.)

When Jesus was born into the human race, He didn’t bring His heavenly kingdom with Him. What I mean is, daily life for those in Israel — to say nothing of daily life around the world — didn’t change. Why not? It was because the kingdom that Satan had so effectively and prolifically built within the confines of planet earth didn’t fall. To the contrary, it continued to hum right along, just as it continues to do so today.

Even when Jesus began His three-and-a-half-year public ministry by being baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River, Satan’s kingdom didn’t fall. Even when Jesus resisted Satan’s temptations in the Judean wilderness, Satan’s kingdom didn’t fall. Even when Jesus preached His most famous sermon, The Sermon on the Mount, Satan’s kingdom didn’t fall. Even when Jesus healed people, cast out demons, walked on the water, and performed other miracles, Satan’s kingdom didn’t fall. Even when Jesus died on the cross, Satan’s kingdom didn’t fall. Even when Jesus arose from the dead, Satan’s kingdom didn’t fall. Even when Jesus ascended back to heaven forty days after His resurrection, Satan’s kingdom didn’t fall.

And make no mistake, saying that Satan’s kingdom didn’t fall is just another way of saying that Jesus didn’t usher in His kingdom upon the earth. This was something that caused Christ’s disciples no end of frustration. As a matter of fact, do you know what the last question a group of them asked Him was? In the closing moments just before He ascended back to heaven, they asked Him, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6, N.K.J.V.). The kingdom those Jews were asking about was the kingdom the Messiah was prophesied to establish upon the earth according to scores of prophecies from various Old Testament prophets. That kingdom will be Christ’s heavenly kingdom come down to the earth, and I’ll deal with that whole subject more thoroughly in a later post.

For now, though, I just want to explain what Jesus did do during His earthly ministry rather than bring in His kingdom. What He did do was bring a touch of His heavenly kingdom to every place He went and everything He did. As our text verse quotes Him saying to a group of lost Jewish religious leaders, “If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

Jesus wanted people to understand that when they saw Him, they were looking at the “King” of the KINGdom of God. As a matter of fact, I side with all the commentators and Bible scholars who contend that Jesus literally offered the Jews the ushering in of His kingdom upon the earth during the days of His ministry. Consider the following facts:

  1. John the Baptist, the forerunner to Jesus, preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” in the days leading up to Jesus beginning His public ministry (Matthew 3:2).
  2. Jesus, once He began His public ministry, preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). He also preached, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).
  3. When Jesus sent His chosen 12 out on their first preaching trip, He said to them, “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand'” (Matthew 10:7).
  4. Jesus also said to the chosen 12 about that preaching trip, “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:5-6).
  5. The Jews knew that the prophet Elijah was prophesied to come before the Messiah could establish the kingdom age. This was literally the last prophecy from the Old Testament (Malachi 4:5-6). That’s why they were always looking for Elijah as much as they were looking for the Messiah. Well, Jesus actually said to a large gathering of Jews one day, “If you are willing to receive it (the kingdom of heaven), he (John the Baptist) is Elijah who is to come” (Matthew 11:14). Likewise, at a later date, Jesus told Peter, James, and John, “I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him…” (Matthew 17:12).

The point of these references seems clear. If Israel as a nation had spiritually discerned that John the Baptist was the possible fulfillment of the Elijah prophecy, and if they had spiritually discerned that Jesus was the Messiah who could establish the prophesied kingdom, Jesus would have instituted His kingdom during the days of His earthly life. But because Israel (not as each individual but as a national whole) didn’t appreciate the “Elijah” aspect of John the Baptist’s ministry, they similarly didn’t recognize that Jesus was the promised Messiah and consequently rejected Him. And, of course, by rejecting the King they rejected His kingdom. To use Jesus’ words from Matthew 11:14, they weren’t “willing to receive it.”

Those who object to this whole line of interpretation point out that if Jesus had established His kingdom at that time, He wouldn’t have been able to die on the cross for the sins of the world, which was His highest purpose in coming to earth. This objection has merit. However, this isn’t the only scriptural case of God dealing in opposing offers that seem to contradict each other.

Think back to the Garden of Eden. God offered bodily immortality to Adam and Eve if they resisted the temptation to eat of the forbidden fruit. The offer was, if they didn’t eat that fruit they would never die. Now, was this offer legitimate? Did God mean what He said? Absolutely.

But the flip side of the coin is that God, in His perfect foreknowledge, knew that Adam and Eve would eventually eat that fruit and plunge the human race headlong into sin. Therefore, even before He created them and made them His offer concerning immortality, He had another plan — the one He knew would truly come to pass — waiting in the wings. And what was that plan? It was Jesus (God the Son) coming down to the earth and dying on the cross for the sins of the human race. As evidence that God knew that Adam and Eve would eventually eat that fruit, Revelation 13:8 calls Jesus “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

You see, in God’s mind two seemingly contradictory futures can be legitimate at the same time. So, did Jesus genuinely offer to establish His kingdom upon the earth before He died on the cross for the sins of the world? Yes. But even as that offer was made God knew in His foreknowledge that Israel wouldn’t accept it. This meant that the prophecies about the Messiah (Jesus) being put to death, prophecies such as Isaiah 53:4-12, were never actually in jeopardy of not being fulfilled.

As I said earlier, in lieu of Jesus being able to formally establish His heavenly kingdom upon the earth, He contented Himself with bringing a touch of the kingdom wherever He went. When He taught, that was the kingdom on display. When He healed, that was the kingdom on display. When He performed miracles, that was the kingdom on display. Each time He did any of these things, He was showing the people of Israel what their nation was shunning.

Sadly for them, they — particularly their ruling religious elite — never repented of their unwillingness to embrace Jesus as Messiah. In a strange way, though, their rejection of Jesus worked out well for the entire world because it allowed Jesus to delay the establishing of His kingdom and die on the cross as the potential payment for all of our sins. This, as I’ve explained, was the plan that God had waiting in the wings. And thankfully for us Gentiles, it’s the plan that allowed the doors of Christ’s kingdom to be thrown open to the Gentiles as well as to the Jews to whom it was originally promised.

Posted in Christ's Birth, Christ's Death, Christ's Miracles, Christ's Resurrection, Prophecy, Series: "Christ's Kingdom", The Sermon On The Mount | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Becoming a Citizen of Christ’s Kingdom

Posted on June 8, 2019 by russellmckinney

Series: “Christ’s Kingdom” (post #3)

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ… (Philippians 3:20, N.K.J.V.)

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God… (Ephesians 2:19, N.K.J.V.)

Colossians 1:13 implies that in order for you to become a citizen of Satan’s kingdom, all you have to do is be born. It makes sense, then, that to become a citizen of Christ’s kingdom you must be born again. As Jesus put it, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3, N.K.J.V.).

Of course, the way to be born again is to place saving belief in Jesus as your personal Savior (John 3:1-16). At the moment of your belief, God the Holy Spirit comes to take up residence inside your body. This indwelling is known as the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Mark 1:7-8; John 14:16-17; Acts 1:4-5; Acts 19:2; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 1:13). The Bible even teaches that if you do not have God the Holy Spirit dwelling inside you, you are not an authentic Christian (Romans 8:9).

The baptism of the Holy Spirit and the born-again experience are one and the same as the indwelling Holy Spirit spiritually regenerates (brings to life) the believer (Titus 3:5). The experience makes you a Christian and changes your citizenship from Satan’s kingdom to Christ’s kingdom. As that Colossians 1:13 verse says of what God the Father has done for the Christian:

He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. (N.K.J.V.)

What this means, Christian, is that you are an official citizen of a heavenly kingdom that you have never seen. You have a residence (John 14:1-2) and an inheritance (1 Peter 1:3-5) awaiting you there. You have a place at the table (Luke 22:29-30). It’s no wonder that 2 Peter 1:10-11 encourages Christians to make sure of their salvation (i.e. their “call” and “election”). By doing this we can be assured that we will “never stumble” and an entrance will be supplied to us “into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Obviously, Christ’s heavenly kingdom is a literal place. It’s not just a state of mind or an ethereal ideal. However, this kingdom should also be understood as a citizenry. Let me use the United States as an example. Is there an actual land mass that we call the kingdom of the United States? Yes. But the kingdom of the United States is more than just a land mass. It’s also the sum total of all its citizens. This is how Christ’s kingdom works as well. It really is a literal place somewhere up there beyond space, but it is also its citizenry. As Ephesians 2:19 describes the kingdom, if you are there you are a member of God’s household and a fellow citizen with all of history’s other saints (Christians).

What makes it difficult for Christians to properly appreciate Christ’s kingdom is the fact that we are still here on the earth. It’s hard to long for a place you’ve never seen, and it’s hard to miss something you’ve never gotten to enjoy. The apostle Paul got a glimpse of Christ’s heavenly kingdom and called it Paradise (2 Corinthians 12:1-6). The apostle John visited there too and left us with an awesome description of God’s throne that serves as the centerpiece of the kingdom (Revelation 4:1-11). Other than these two passages, however, we really don’t know all that much about the place.

The important thing, though, is for you to have the assurance that you are indeed a citizen of that kingdom. Again, this means that you know Jesus Christ in a saving way. You have placed your belief in Him as your Savior. You’ve been born again. God the Holy Spirit dwells inside you. God has conveyed (transferred) you from Satan’s kingdom into the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

And so I’ll ask you, do you have this matter settled? If you don’t, then you reading any passage about Christ’s kingdom equates to you reading someone else’s mail. You’re reading about a place for which you are not currently destined. You’re reading about people with whom you currently have no eternal relationship. Right now you are a citizen of Satan’s kingdom, and all the good works you can do won’t change that. The only thing that will change it is for you to believe in Christ and thereby be born again. So, if you haven’t, why don’t you do that right now? What are you waiting for? Remember, a whole new kingdom and a whole new group of fellow citizens awaits you.

Posted in Belief, Eternity, Heaven, Salvation, Series: "Christ's Kingdom", The Holy Spirit | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Satan Has a Kingdom

Posted on June 5, 2019 by russellmckinney

Series: “Christ’s Kingdom” (post #2)

In the first post from this series, I explained that Jesus left His heavenly kingdom and came down to the kingdom of this world. But if we stop and think about it, isn’t Jesus (God the Son) sovereign over everything, including the kingdom of this world? Well, that’s an excellent question. Let’s talk about it.

The Bible does offer multiple verses that teach that God is sovereign over His entire creation, including the earth. Here are a few of those verses (all from the N.K.J.V.):

Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; And let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.” (1 Chronicles 16:31)

The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness. The world and those who dwell therein. (Psalm 24:1)

For God is the King of all the earth, Sing praises with understanding. God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne. (Psalm 47:7-8)

…for the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness. (1 Corinthians 10:26)

Okay, so if the earth and everything in it belongs to Jesus (God the Son), and if He reigns over the nations as King of all the earth, how could any part of planet earth not be merely a continuation of His heavenly kingdom? Phrasing the question another way, shouldn’t Jesus leaving heaven and coming to the earth have been nothing more than Him leaving one corner of His kingdom and visiting another corner of it? Doesn’t that make sense?

It only makes sense if everything was as it should have been on planet earth. As we know, though, things haven’t been as they should be on planet earth for a long time. The problem started when Satan and his fellow rebellious angels were banished from heaven. Rather than take up residence in some faraway, dark galaxy and lick their wounds in private, Satan and his gang set their sights on planet earth and took up residence there. Their goal was to ruin the human race, God’s crowning jewel in creation.

And were they successful? Yes. We all know the story of how Satan got Adam and Eve to succumb to his temptation and take the whole human race down into sin. It was because of Adam’s sin that all his biological descendants began to come hardwired with an inborn nature of sin. Consequently, this nature of sin caused them to have a definite bent toward committing acts of sin. So now Satan had all he needed to build his own kingdom within the parameters of God’s earthly territory. He had an army of fallen angels to command and a race of fallen sinners who were highly prone to sinning.

Once Satan had brought his earthly kingdom to full fruition, it was nothing less than a global “system” that permeated all of human life on earth and had him as its ruler. The primary Greek word that gets translated as “world” in the New Testament is kosmos, but kosmos doesn’t refer to the physical rock that hangs in space and gets called “earth.” Instead, kosmos refers to the societal order that is the trademark stamp of Satan’s kingdom on earth.

Consider the following facts:

  1. While God still reigns as the supreme ruler over all creation, including planet earth, He doesn’t reign as the supreme ruler over the world system (kosmos) that Satan has built upon planet earth. That is Satan’s kingdom.
  2. In John 12:31, 14:30, and 16:11,  Jesus Himself calls Satan “the ruler of this world (kosmos).”
  3. In 1 John 5:19, we’re told that the whole world (kosmos) lies under the sway of Satan.
  4. In 1 John 2:16, we’re told that nothing about the world (kosmos) is of God.
  5. In Matthew 12:25-26, Jesus confirmed that Satan does have a kingdom.
  6. When Satan tempted Jesus by offering him all the kingdoms of the world, Jesus didn’t say, “They aren’t yours to give.” He didn’t say that because He knew that all of the human kingdoms upon planet earth are, in actuality, part of Satan’s one kingdom, His world system. 

“And how does a person become a part of Satan’s kingdom?” you ask. The answer is simple: All you have to do is be born. Colossians 1:13 teaches that if a person wants to become a citizen of Christ’s kingdom, that person must be delivered from Satan’s power and conveyed (transferred) into Christ’s kingdom. Notice that no one has to be conveyed (transferred) into Satan’s kingdom. Each of us became a citizen of that kingdom the moment we were born.

To illustrate the situation, think of Satan as a broadcaster who beams his signal unceasingly to all parts of the earth day and night. Now think of each person as being born with an inner antennae that is tuned to Satan’s signal. As 2 Corinthians 4:4 describes it, Satan is the god of this age who blinds our minds. This causes us to walk, as Ephesians 2:2 describes it, “according to the course of this world (kosmos), according to the prince of the power of the air.” That “prince of the power of the air” is none other than Satan.

You see, people walk according to the course that Satan has established within his kingdom. Certainly this doesn’t alleviate the personal responsibility that each individual bears for his or her sins, but it does explain why it’s so easy for individuals to give in to the worse side of their nature as they live on planet earth. What makes it so easy is the fact that Satan has built a world system that appeals to the sinful side of human nature. Imagine someone building a playroom for little children and then bringing little children into that playroom. It’s not that the children have to play, but everything is certainly put on a tee to get them to play.

This explains why Jesus coming down to the earth amounted to Him invading an enemy kingdom. Yes, the planet itself was still under His authority and control. That’s why He could calm the winds, silence the raging waves, walk on water, and turn water into wine. But the people who lived upon the planet were not under His authority and control. To the contrary, they were citizens of Satan’s kingdom, and as such they were under Satan’s authority and control.

Therefore, what Jesus offered people was a choice. They could remain citizens of Satan’s kingdom or accept Him as Savior and in so doing transfer their citizenship to His kingdom. And this is the same choice that Jesus is still offering people today. They can remain citizens of Satan’s kingdom or become citizens of His. In our next post, we’ll learn what the Bible has to say about this transfer of citizenship, and so until then I hope you’ll stay tuned.

Posted in Angels, Choices, Creation, Demons, Depravity, God's Sovereignty, Salvation, Satan, Series: "Christ's Kingdom", Sin, Spiritual Warfare, The Devil | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Jesus Has a Kingdom

Posted on June 3, 2019 by russellmckinney

Series: “Christ’s Kingdom” (post #1)

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” (John 18:36, N.K.J.V.)

Jesus didn’t say that He doesn’t have a kingdom. He said that His kingdom is not of this world. In other words, His kingdom is a heavenly one, not an earthly one. Jesus Himself referred to it as “the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 4:17) and “the kingdom of God” (Matthew 12:26).

This kingdom was a major focus of Christ’s preaching. The gospel of Luke says that Jesus and His chosen 12 apostles went through every city and village, preaching and proclaiming the “glad tidings of the kingdom of God” (Luke 8:1, N.K.J.V.). Similarly, when Jesus sent the chosen 12 out to preach on their own, the message they preached was “the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:2, N.K.J.V.).

As further proof of how inextricably linked Jesus is to His kingdom, even the gospel message itself is referred to as “the gospel of the kingdom” (Matthew 9:35; 24:14 N.K.J.V.) and “the word of the kingdom” (Matthew 13:19, N.K.J.V.). Furthermore, Jesus began many of His parables with the words, “The kingdom of heaven is like…” (Matthew 13:24-52, N.K.J.V.). Clearly, He wanted people to understand that His kingdom is a very real kingdom, one that stands in direct contrast to the kingdom of this world.

The Bible teaches that Jesus voluntarily left His kingdom and came down to this earth to interact with its kingdom. He did this as a rescue mission to allow each member of the human race the opportunity to be saved from having to spend all eternity being punished for their sins. Philippians 2:9 describes this as Jesus making Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bond-servant, and coming in the likeness of men (N.K.J.V.).

Sadly, the “kingdom” aspect of the message of Jesus has gotten lost in all of our preaching about His virgin birth, His sinless life, His miracles, His teachings, His sacrificial death, and His glorious resurrection. Don’t get me wrong, we should be preaching all of these other things. They are necessary. They are fundamental. They are all part of the package of the message of Jesus. But there’s another part of that same package, and it’s the part about Christ’s kingdom. And we dare not omit that part because Jesus certainly didn’t omit it.

So, to familiarize us again with the idea of Christ’s kingdom, I’m going to devote the next few posts to the subject. We’re going to learn the basics of what the Bible teaches about this kingdom, and, most importantly, we’re going to learn how this kingdom has a direct bearing upon not only the Christian’s eternal existence but also his or her earthly one. Therefore, Christian, I hope that you will join me for this little series. I know that the material we’ll be covering has become a well of great blessing in my life, and I truly believe that it will do the same for you.

Posted in Christ's Birth, Christ's Death, Christ's Miracles, Christ's Resurrection, Discipleship, Heaven, Series: "Christ's Kingdom" | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Two Things a Woman Can Do to a Man

Posted on May 31, 2019 by russellmckinney

Proverbs chapter 31 is the Bible’s best passage on womanhood. It speaks of two things a woman can do to a man. She can either break him or make him.

Breaking him is mentioned in verse 3 where the mother of King Lemuel gives him the following advice:

Do not give your strength to women, Nor your ways to that which destroys kings. (N.K.J.V.)

Some believe that King Lemuel was none other than Solomon, the man to whom the book of Proverbs is primarily attributed. Under this interpretation, Lemuel — which means “belonging to God” — was either a descriptive name Solomon gave himself or a pet name his mother (Bathsheba) gave him. However, it’s also possible that Lemuel was a fellow king that Solomon either knew personally or at least knew by reputation. Either way, the verse teaches that a king can be destroyed by giving his strength to women.

It was common in ancient times for kings to have harems. Solomon himself had 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kings 11:3). Needless to say, if Lemuel was in actuality Solomon, he definitely didn’t take his mother’s advice on this matter. But can a group of women, to say nothing of one woman, really bring down a king or any other man? To find the answer, all we have to do is look at scripture. Here are five examples that prove that it can happen:

  • Abraham had sexual relations with Hagar (his wife Sarah’s maidservant) and produced a son named Ishmael (Genesis 16:1-16). That certainly brought Abraham’s testimony and walk with the Lord down a notch.
  • Esau married two Canaanite women (Genesis 26:34-35) and then married an Ishmaelite woman (Genesis 28:8-9). But those three wives only pushed him further outside of God’s will.
  • Jacob got himself involved with the two sisters Rachel and Leah. After marrying both of them, he then got himself involved with Bilhah (Rachel’s maidservant) and Zilpah (Leah’s maidservant). The children produced from these four relationships and the inner family jealousies that came from the women and the children brought all kinds of trouble to Jacob’s life (Genesis chapters 30 and 31).
  • David’s affair with Bathsheba and his subsequent killing of her husband Uriah brought much tragedy upon David’s children (2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12) and tarnished his legacy (1 Kings 15:5).
  • Solomon’s many foreign women turned his heart to the worship of their false gods, a sin that cost his son Rehoboam the united kingdom of Israel (1 Kings 11:1-13).

Mind you that I’m not for a moment excusing the roles these men played in their own downfalls. I’m simply pointing out that history is replete with men who at least for a time have given their strength to women rather than to serving the Lord and have paid a high price for it. Even in recent times, how many politicians, celebrities, and sports stars have made the news cycle because of their sordid relationships with women? The list is a long one, to be sure.

But now let’s turn our attention to what Proverbs chapter 31 says about how a woman can be the making of a man. The passage’s description of the virtuous woman is one of the most beautiful passages in all the Bible. I won’t cover the entirety of the passage here, but I will offer seven highlights from it:

  • The heart of her husband safely trusts in her (v.11).
  • Her husband will have no lack of gain because of her (v.11).
  • She does her husband good and not evil all the days of his life (v.12).
  • She willingly works with her hands (v.13).
  • She does the shopping for the food the household requires (v.14).
  • She provides food for her husband as well as the rest of the household (v.15).
  • She is a smart businesswoman who makes a profit outside the home (v.16, v.24).

And what does being married to such a woman do for a husband’s social standing? It causes him to sit in the gates of his city among the fellow elders (v.23). Ancient cities did not have courthouses, tax offices, register of deeds offices, etc. All official business was conducted by the city’s elders when they met in conference at the city’s gate. Therefore, the point of verse 23 is that everything this wonderful wife does for her husband allows him to become a prominent citizen of his city. You see, she’s not his rival or his nemesis. She’s his edifier, his promoter, his helper (Genesis 2:18). Her goal is to get him, not her, a spot among the elders at the city gate.

Such a woman is surely worthy to be praised by not only her husband but also by her children (v.28). Her own works even eventually reach a point where they themselves are praised in the gates. This shows that other men recognize it when a man has a Proverbs c.31 wife, and they don’t speak of her in lowly, subservient terms. They don’t look upon her as being a doormat. To the contrary, they understand that she is fulfilling God’s will for her life by pouring herself into the lives of her husband and her children.

Summing up the whole situation, it all comes down to a simple choice. A woman can either zap a man’s strength or be his strength. She can tear him down or build him up. She can help him get demoted or promoted. She can be his undoing or his doing.

Unfortunately, our schools today are not teaching any classes that prepare young women to be Proverbs c.31 wives and mothers. Then again, that was never supposed to be the world’s job anyway. Instead, God has given that teaching assignment to the older women (Titus 2:3-5).

But if you want to know how they are doing on carrying out that assignment, all you have to do is look at the state of our marriages and homes today. Even as we thank God for each woman who is doing those things that build up her husband, we must admit that there are far too many women who are not doing such things. And make no mistake about it, we are all the worse for it. I say that because in God’s plan for marriage and the home there really is no substitute for the Proverbs c.31 woman.

Posted in Adultery, Children, Divorce, Family, God's Will, Headship, Husbands, Marriage, Motherhood, Submission, Wives | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Running To and Fro

Posted on May 29, 2019 by russellmckinney

I had to drive over to Asheville, N.C., yesterday for a routine medical visit. From where I live in Spruce Pine, N.C., the drive takes a little over an hour both ways. But it isn’t a leisurely drive. The two-way trip involves going down one mountain, going up and down a second mountain, and then reversing the whole process on the return trip. In between are bypasses and interstates where NO ONE is running under the speed limit, including me. In my defense, I was just trying to keep from getting rear ended.

By the time I got home I felt like I was Burt Reynolds collapsing after a Smokey and the Bandit or Cannonball Run film. (Yes, those two references clearly slot me as a 52-year-old man.) Seriously, it can’t be just my imagination that there are more cars on the roads these days and everybody is driving faster. As you read that, keep in mind that I don’t live in a big city that has rush-hour traffic. I live in a small town in the rural mountains of western North Carolina. I actually grew up in a house that was located on a gravel road!

Daniel 12:4 says that in the time of “the end” (the Bible’s term) “many shall run to and fro” (N.K.J.V.). Well, if we aren’t running to and fro these days — with our cars, trains, airplanes, buses, and motorcycles — I don’t know what such a time will look like. The flying cars of the Jetsons? (Again, I’m showing my age with that reference.) Actually, commentators tell us that the Hebrew verb form that is used for “run to and fro” refers to the rapid movements of people as they seek something. “Seeking what?” you ask. That’s a good question. Ideally, they are seeking God and His truth, but obviously that isn’t the case with a great many individuals.

That same verse in Daniel also says that in “the end” “knowledge shall increase” (N.K.J.V.). It has often been pointed out that up until the start of the 20th century life on earth looked pretty much like it had looked for centuries. Horses were the primary mode of transportation. Candles were the primary source of light at night. Books were the primary means of imparting information. But then came electrical power lines, airplanes, automobiles, radios, televisions, and eventually computers. I myself was born in 1966, and my two sons would barely recognize that world.

So, does all this mean that we really are living in Daniel’s prophesied time of “the end”? I certainly wouldn’t bet against it. No one will ever be able to accurately predict when Jesus will return to walk this earth again, but what we know for sure is that there is a whole lot of Bible prophecy that simply hasn’t come to pass yet. And unfortunately for this world and its spiritually lost inhabitants, those unfulfilled events are devastatingly, catastrophically bad. As a matter of fact, Jesus said that if those days weren’t shortened no one would be left alive on planet Earth (Matthew 24:22). Think about that statement.

I guess the takeaway from this post is that you shouldn’t sink your roots down too deep into this world. Remember, Jesus isn’t trying to save this planet or its satanically energized world system. To the contrary, He’s saving people OUT OF it all and guaranteeing them a residence in heaven with Him. Yes, it’s true that one day He will return to this earth and usher in His glorious 1,000 year reign upon it. Until then, though, we’re just going to get more and more of what we’re getting now. Of course, if the traffic keeps increasing we’ll eventually have to make every road an eight-lane super highway, either that or take to the skies in George Jetson cars.

Posted in Christ's Second Coming, Christ's Return, Current Events, God's Word, Heaven, Personal, Prosperity, Salvation, The Bible | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Does God Want You to Get Out of the Way or Get Involved?

Posted on May 27, 2019 by russellmckinney

Does God want the Christian to stay out of the way and let Him sovereignly bring His will to pass? Or does God want to actually use the Christian to bring that will to pass? The answers to these questions are, respectively, “yes” and “yes.” Let me explain.

There are many Bible passages in which God just hauls off and brings His will to pass without any help from anybody. Some classic examples would be Him bringing the great flood upon the earth (Genesis chapter 6-8), Him striking Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar with a mysterious condition that caused Nebuchadnezzar to become beastlike (Daniel 4:1-37), and Him miraculously impregnating the virgin Mary (Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38).

On the other hand, there are a whole bunch of other Bible passages in which God works through people to bring His will to pass. Some classic examples would be Him working through Moses to accomplish the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt (Exodus chapters 3-12), Him working through Nehemiah to get the walls of Jerusalem rebuilt (Nehemiah chapters 1-6), and Him working through the apostle Paul to get churches started in areas that were predominantly Gentile (Acts chapters 13-28).

What this means for Christians today is that there is no cookie-cutter approach that we can use to determine how God wants us to handle any given situation. Each situation is unique. Sometimes God will want us to take a hands-off approach and let Him handle things by Himself. Other times He will burden us to wade into the fray and act as His voice, arms, hands, and feet. Obviously, figuring out what we need to do (or not do) in each situation requires a lot of prayer, dying to self, and being obedient to the voice of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Let me offer a practical example of how this plays out in the real world. Let’s say that a Christian parent has an insider’s knowledge of all the potential teachers to whom his or her child might be assigned for the upcoming school year in the local elementary school. One teacher has the reputation of being a strict disciplinarian. Another one has the reputation of leaning heavily toward the arts. Another one has the reputation of producing excellent test scores. One is a man. The other two are women. Two are middle-aged. The other one is relatively young in the profession.

Okay, should that Christian parent request that his or her child be assigned a certain teacher? Or should the parent refuse to get involved and trust that God will sovereignly place the child under the teacher that He knows the child needs most? Decisions. Decisions.

Before you give your final answer, here are a few things you’ll want to consider:

  • If a teacher’s personality is the complete opposite of the child’s, perhaps that teacher can build something needful into that child that is lacking in the child. Remember, we grow the most when we are taken out of our comfort zone and forced to deal with unfamiliar circumstances.
  • Perhaps the fellow classmates the child will have in a certain teacher’s class will be of even more benefit to the child than the teacher. After all, lifelong friendships are oftentimes begun in elementary school.
  • If the parent is the overly protective, controlling type who has real trouble trusting God with the welfare of the child, God might want the parent to stay out of the decision simply because He wants that parent to learn to trust Him with the child. In such a case, the choice becomes as much about the parent as the child.

Can you see how tricky decisions can become? Can you see why you must get in tune with God and let Him guide you in regards to what He wants you to do (or not do)? And this is just using the one example of whether or not God wants a parent to dictate the elementary classroom to which a child gets assigned. The fact is, you can take this same basic template and apply it to a million different situations that crop up in life.

I’ll admit that a one-size-fits-all approach to decision making would be a lot easier. What it wouldn’t be, though, is of God. We can even see this in the life and ministry of Jesus. He was so complex, so unorthodox, so unpredictable. The chosen 12 stayed in close proximity to Him for three years and hung on His every word, but even they never could predict how He would handle a situation. For those men, the key was to always listen to Jesus and do exactly what He said. That advice worked for them 2,000 years ago and it will still work for us today.

Posted in Children, Choices, Decisions, Discernment, Discipleship, God's Omnipotence, God's Omniscience, God's Sovereignty, God's Will, God's Work, Obedience, Parenting, Prayer, Problems, Service, Submission, The Holy Spirit, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Biblical Case Against Abortion

Posted on May 24, 2019 by russellmckinney

(all scriptural references are from the N.K.J.V.)

I feel very much led of the Lord today to offer the Biblical case against abortion. This has nothing to do with me being political, sexist, racist, or anything else someone might accuse me of being. It’s all about me being called to teach the Bible, God’s written word.

Eight years ago I wrote a post entitled “What the Bible Teaches About Abortion.” I’ll use much of the material from that post in this one. My reason for doing this is simple. The Biblical case against abortion hasn’t changed any in the past eight years, just as it won’t change any if another eight, eighty, or eight-hundred more years pass.

Evidence #1: According to the Bible, a baby in the womb is a full-fledged life.

  1.  Psalm 139:13-16: “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb…My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret…Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed…”
  2. Psalm 22:10: “…From My mother’s womb You have been My God.”
  3. Isaiah 49:1: “…The Lord has called me from the womb. From the matrix (inward parts) of My mother He has made mention of my name.”
  4. Job 10:8-12: “Your hands have made me and fashioned me, an intricate unity; yet You would not destroy me. Remember, I pray, that You have made me like clay. And will You turn me into dust again? Did you not pour me out like milk, and curdle me like cheese, clothe me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews? You have granted me life and favor, and your care has preserved my spirit.”
  5. Jeremiah 1:4-5: “Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: ‘Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you…'”
  6. Luke 1:13-15: “But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.'”
  7. Galatians 1:15: “…it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace…”

Evidence #2: According to the Bible, a mother’s life is NOT more important than the life of her baby. Furthermore, a mother’s love should compel her to be willing to literally give her life for her child if the situation calls for it. 

  1. Genesis 35:16-20: Then they journeyed from Bethel. And when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel labored in childbirth, and she had hard labor. Now it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to him, “Do not fear, you will have this son also.” And so it was, as her soul was in departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-Oni: but his father called him Benjamin. So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). And Jacob set a pillar on her grave, which is the pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day.
  2. John 15:13: Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
  3. 1 John 3:16: By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Evidence #3: According to the Bible, an unborn child has the same standing with God that an adult has. Even though we no longer live under the Old Testament law that God gave to Israel and are wrong to try to enforce its penalties, a basic principle from that law can still be applied to the abortion debate. That principle is described in Exodus 21:22-25. 

  1. Exodus 21:22-25: If men fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman’s husband imposes on him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

In closing, I’ll offer a few more Biblical thoughts on this subject. These stand rightly alongside all the passages I’ve already cited. Hopefully, the previous passages resonated with you, but if they didn’t maybe these will.

  1. A man and a woman can have sex, but only God can create life. Thus, He is the only one who should have any say over how that life is ended. Psalm 8:4-5 says: “What is man that You are mindful of him, and the Son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor.”
  2. The argument that a deformed fetus can be aborted without repercussion because such a child doesn’t come with God’s full “stamp of approval” is not a valid one. In Exodus 4:11, God says to Moses, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord?”
  3. In Job 3:11, Job asks, “Why did I not die at birth? Why did I not perish when I came from the womb?” Think about it, you have to be alive to begin with in order to die or perish at birth.
  4. In Genesis 25:23, God refers to Jacob and Esau as two nations even as they were still fetuses in Rebekah’s womb.
  5. A Christian woman has no right to say, “My body is my own, so I’ll do what I want to with it.” Why not? It’s because 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says to Christians: “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
  6. Psalm 106:34-43; Deuteronomy 12:31; 2 Kings 17:17; and Ezekiel 16:20-21 describe how the people of Israel learned the idolatrous ways of the people of Canaan and ended up sacrificing their sons and daughters to idols, which in reality was sacrificing them to demons. God called these sacrifices the shedding of innocent blood, and His wrath was kindled against Israel as He began to abhor His own people. Should we Americans not expect Him to respond to us the same way in the wake of the millions of innocent babies we have aborted? Keep in mind that Proverbs 6:16-19 says that God hates “hands that shed innocent blood.”
  7. Christians simply do not have the option of remaining silent on the issue of abortion. Proverbs 31:8-9 says: “Open your mouth for the speechless, in the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.”
Posted in Abortion, Bible Study, Children, Current Events, Fatherhood, God's Word, Motherhood, Parenting, Scripture | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Simple Reminder

Posted on May 22, 2019 by russellmckinney

A little girl was prepped and ready for a dangerous operation that could potentially end in her death. In his efforts to comfort her, the surgeon said, “Before we can make you well, we must first put you to sleep.” The little girl responded, “Oh, if you are going to put me to sleep, I must say my prayers first.” Then she folded her hands, closed her eyes, and prayed the prayer she prayed every night before she drifted off to sleep:

Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake; I pray the Lord my soul to take. And this I ask for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

The operation was a success. Even more than that, it had an unintended effect. That night that surgeon prayed for the first time in thirty years.

Christian, it is simply impossible for you to know the multitude of ways in which Jesus can use your efforts for Him. A kind word. A timely phone call. An encouraging text. A helpful email. Discreetly bowing your head in a restaurant before a meal. Inviting someone to church. Offering to drive a young person to a Christian youth event. Quoting an appropriate scripture when a situation at work calls for it.

The point is that you must live your Christianity. Call it “Christianity in shoe leather” or “Christianity with boots on.” It’s that way of life in which church attendance becomes a pit stop or a tune up rather than a once-a-week Super Bowl event. It’s when the location for “doing church” becomes the whole world rather than just a big building with a steeple atop it. It’s why the great preacher Vance Havner used to say, “The best edition of the Bible is the flesh-and-blood edition.”

I’m reminded of the story about the missionary who was traveling through the interior of China. He came upon a group of natives and proceeded to tell them about Jesus. To his surprise, the natives said to him, “Yes, we knew that man. He used to live here with us.” The missionary tried to explain that he was talking about a man who had lived many centuries ago in another land, but the natives stuck to their claim. “No,” they said, “he lived here in this village.” Then they took the missionary to their local cemetery. There they pointed out the grave of the medical missionary who had lived among them, served them, cured their sicknesses, and ultimately died in their midst.

That’s the idea! Because Jesus is no longer upon this earth in bodily form, those of us who have believed in Him as our personal Savior must allow Him to, in a sense, live His life over again through us. We must be His arms, His legs, His eyes, and His voice. But if the best we can do is pray every now and then, read our Bibles when we have nothing else to do, go to church when all the stars align, drop a little money in a church offering plate if we have some excess, and think and operate like the world the rest of the time, then we aren’t fulfilling our mission. And so, Christian, I ask you right now, “How does Jesus want to use you to point someone to Himself?” For a little girl on an operating table one day, it was a child’s prayer heard by a surgeon. What will it be for you?

Posted in Church, Church Attendance, Commitment, Discipleship, Doing Good, Faithfulness, God's Work, Good Works, Influence, Ministry, Service, Witnessing, Work | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment