Do We Testify About The Kingdom of God?

I recently heard a sermon on the last book of Acts in which the apostle Paul declared what he was preaching at the end of his life just before he was beheaded for his faith. Paul said he “Testified” about the kingdom of God, or in other words he witnessed to those around him about his faith and acceptance of the authority of Christ in his life. His testimony persuaded people that Jesus is who he says he is: the Messiah of God and the savior of the world.

Acts 28:23

When they had set a day for Paul, they came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening.

Paul, who wrote most of the New Testament that Christians rely on for biblical truth, defined himself as a “Kingdom Man” who trusted Jesus explicitly. If there is anything that should be a solid standard for all Christians to agree on, regardless of what denomination they belong to, it is that Jesus commands us to seek “First” the kingdom of God. However, I suspect that few embrace the idea in a practical way in their everyday life. Why is it we claim to follow Jesus but ignore the most important command Jesus gave his followers? I think many have embraced a gospel other than the one Jesus preached and Paul wrote about.

We all know, or at least we should know, the passage in the gospel of Matthew in which Jesus gave us this command to seek first the kingdom. Jesus didn’t say if you like the kingdom, or if you find it interesting, but for us to seek it first. Why? What is so important about the topic of the kingdom and why does it have to be first?

Matthew 6:33

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

The two most important topics Jesus preached about as he started his public ministry was our need to repent or change our thinking; and the second was the importance of the kingdom. Our thinking about the kingdom needs to change, but why? Is it possible we have a rather mystical view of the topic of the kingdom rather than a practical one? Is it possible we keep the topic of the kingdom of God vague in our thinking so we don’t have to be accountable to it? My belief is that many of those who claim to follow Jesus do so out of a hollow idea of Christianity and a watered down idea of who Jesus is to us.

Scripture makes the kingdom all about the authority of Christ in our lives. It is about accepting and surrendering to God’s rightful authority to direct how and why we live our lives. Surrendering to Jesus to be forgiven is all about the exchange of us being in charge and now placing God in charge. However, many who claim Christ as their savior do not in any real practical way enable him as the Lord of their lives. They just accept him as their forgiveness.

Without true surrender there is no true forgiveness no matter what a preacher may declare. We should remember what Jesus said about people who claim to be aligned  with him and his authority but don’t embrace his authority.

Matthew 7:21-23

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’

“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

Jesus was constantly trying to unravel the way the pharisees and sadducees had twisted the word of God to the point where a relationship with God was only about keeping the Jewish law, rather than knowing and trusting God daily. Jesus, at the end of this discourse, called such people who refuse to embrace God’s authority “Lawless” because they refused to surrender their will to God. If there is one thing God hates it’s pretenders!

So the question is: do we “Testify” both with our words and our actions that Jesus is Lord, or do we merely “Claim” Jesus is our savior? If we were in a court of law and being charged over being a Christian would there be enough evidence to justify convicting us? Jesus states that one day we will stand before God and the universe giving an account of our life and our words.

It is easy to claim the Christian faith when there is no penalty for lying. But, when we stand before God at the judgment day, when our whole life is presented before the throne of God and the heavenly host, our kingdom living will be revealed as real and apparent or it will be revealed it was not. The truth and the reality of our confession or the falsehood will be revealed. Then Jesus will pronounce that we are welcomed into his heavenly kingdom or cast out into darkness.

Don’t wait until it’s to late to embrace the Kingdom of God and his rightful authority.

Embrace the same kingdom teaching that Jesus required and Paul preached.

Acts 28:30-31

And he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered.

My desire in this article is not to condemn anyone but to pull back the curtain of false ideas about what it means to follow Jesus and seek his kingdom. May the grace of God captivate your heart to the point of renewed surrender and confession that Jesus is the Lord of your life.

Questions:

1. Is your view of the kingdom of God a mystical one or a real, tangible one? Only the real kingdom of God will stand the test of the judgment day of Christ.
2. What priorities do you have that support a kingdom mindset? Only when you make the kingdom a priority will it make a difference in your relationship with God.

May the Holy Spirit help us seek the kingdom each and every day,

Pastor Dale