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Christ Preaching His Kingdom (with audio)
Christ Preaching His Kingdom
“And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.” – Matthew 4:23
There are three actions words that stick out. They are: teaching, preaching, and healing. These three actions are different and yet they purposely come together in the Kingdom ministry of Jesus Christ.
First, teaching. The Jewish synagogue was the central place for the community to worship God and to teach about God. The synagogue is where King Jesus showed up to teach about His Kingdom.
Next, King Jesus went about preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom outside of the synagogue. Preaching is different from teaching. Preaching is declaring abroad what has already been taught. Teaching passes on information about God, while preaching proclaims God with an impassioned cry out to the people declaring God’s truth – whether people want to believe it or not. Understand that King Jesus is the example that there is never preaching without teaching and there is never teaching without preaching. That’s why the churches who do both are usually fewer in number. Obviously, we can get a large numbers of people in church buildings with games, give-aways, programs, pot-luck dinners, and music-laser shows. However, if you follow the simple example of Jesus and teach and preach the Gospel of the Kingdom sadly there is little interest.
Lastly, we read that King Jesus came healing every kind of sickness and disease. Obviously He had compassion upon the people. However, the healings first of all confirmed that His message of the Gospel of the Kingdom has come down from heaven. The healings were signs proving that what He was teaching and preaching was true, and that He is the King of this Kingdom. Understand that miraculous healings are not everyday occurrences. That’s what makes it a miracle. Yet we have these self-proclaimed healers taking the name of God in vain. If they were authentic then why don’t they walk the halls of the nursing homes and the children’s cancer ward? Why don’t they go out into the community like Jesus did teaching, preaching, and healing? Only God heals, if He chooses to do so, but it is not in the quality and quantity as in the first century, and there is a reason. It is because those were signs for that day confirming the Gospel of the Kingdom.
Understand that teaching is true information about the Kingdom. Preaching is the true declaration about the Kingdom. Healings are the true evidence that the Kingdom has come (Matthew 12:28). King Jesus’ message was and is very simple. In His Kingdom, there is forgiveness of sin, salvation from hell, mercy for the guilty, grace for the needy, hope for the hopeless, and love for the unlovely, and that He takes the guilty, needy, hopeless, and unlovely sinner and makes them a beautiful child of the Majestic God (1 John 3:2). Yes, He makes the believer royalty (1 Peter 2:9).
David C. Hale, pastor
Published in the Marshall County Tribune, Lewisburg, TN
Christ Preaching His Kingdom (Audio)
How do we explain the different RACES?
From the beginning of creation it was God’s will for man to populate the whole earth, but in Genesis chapter 11 we read the historic account that human society was of one language and determined with one mind to stay together (Genesis 11:4). Due to their disobedience to the LORD, He confused (or confounded) their language, so that they could not understand one another. In doing so, the Lord “scattered them upon the face of all the earth” (Genesis 11:5-9). As a result of the different languages, people married those whose language they could understand. This arrangement produced separate INBREEDING groups.
Over a few generations these inbreeding groups produced specific characteristics, including different color eyes, different shape of ears and nose, along with different shades of skin color. What most people do not know (and the media along with academia will not inform so as to continue racial strife) is that there is only on color of skin. It is called melanin. Some who are darker have more melanin, and those who are lighter have less melanin. Nevertheless, despite different characteristics, different languages, different shades of skin color, we all have blood flowing through our bodies, we all are given a soul, and we all are created in the image of God according to (Genesis 1:27).
As foreign as this may seem to this generation, “racial barriers” are broken down by the preaching of the gospel of God’s love and grace and not by Political Correctness. Political Correctness is based upon tolerance while Biblical Correctness is based upon love. Now let me ask you, “Which would you want, someone to just tolerate you, or for someone to love you?” My choice is that I want to love and be loved. If you are honest with yourself that would be your choice as well.
Regardless of the race haters and racial instigators – racial barriers can be broken down whereby different people celebrate their cultural differences under God’s love and grace. In fact, there are many Biblical examples of racial barriers being broken by the simple preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In Acts chapter 2, Jews from every “nation” believed. In Acts chapter 8, there is the bringing in of the Samaritans and the Ethiopian eunuch into Christianity. Acts chapter 10 records the preaching of the gospel to many Italians in the house of Cornelius. While in Acts 17:16-34, the gospel is preached to the Greeks in Athens. Therefore, if any racial barriers are to broken down it will come through the Church of Jesus Christ being BIBLICALLY CORRECT.
The truth is that the original manuscripts of the Bible do not use the word “race” to describe different people. Rather, God uses the words “NATIONS, TRIBES, KINDRED, TONGUE, and PEOPLE.” If you find a bible that uses the word “race” it is because the translators were influenced by an evolutionary mind set simply because the concept of “race” was purely invented for convenience in evolutionary biological and anthropological studies. Such concepts led to the pseudo-scientific belief (false-belief) that one race is superior to others. Once again, this is an evolutionary mind set. This historical truth cannot be emphasized too much. Even though we cannot and should not label all evolutionary scientists as racist in their personal philosophies, but like it or not, this humanistic philosophy can be traced throughout history as promoting racism. All a person has to do is read the writings of Charles Darwin and see the “race” language he used to promote his white Anglo-Saxon heritage as superior.
The Bible teaches that there is only “one blood” or one race of men upon the face of the earth – the human race (Acts 17:26), and that freedom from this sin cursed world is for “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). So I encourage you (regardless of the culture or color of the church), find a fellowship of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and learn the bible. As you come to the knowledge of God’s sovereign grace, you too will see “race” – erased!
“And (GOD) hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;” Acts 17:26
Lifting Up Praise
“Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.” – Psalm 103:1,2
Does the Bible have authority over the unbeliever?
We have already established the fact that the Scriptures are the Word of God (see question How Do We Know the Bible is True?), and therefore, all the Scriptures carry the authority of God. Since that is has been clearly established, we need to simply accept in child-like faith these plain scriptures:
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Romans 3:23
Since every human being is a descendant from Adam & Eve all truth that God has revealed applies to all people everywhere at all times. The Bible clearly teaches that we all proceed out from our first parents.
“And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.” Genesis 3:20
As it is said of our first parents that they were created “in the image of God” (Gen 1:27), so it is that everyone reflects that same image of God. The image of God primarily consists of the fullness of having life with special ability to make logical & reasonable decisions, and the ability to freely love. Therefore having the image of God stamped into our very being, we are without a doubt connected to God and we are bound to a relationship (whether good or bad) with our Creator. The unbeliever’s “unbelief” does not change the fact that the unbeliever has been created by God and is accountable to Him. God requires obedience and acceptable worship to Himself alone from all His creatures.
No matter how hard one fights God’s authority – No matter how one tries to do their own thing – No matter if one considers themselves to be politically tolerant – No matter if one calls themselves a “free-thinker” – No matter if one tries to undermine the Holy Scriptures or ridicule believers. If one chose not to believe in God, or decides not to serve God, that does not eliminate God’s existence or His authority!
“For the word of the LORD is right; and all His works are done in truth.” Psalm 33:4
The unbeliever, in spite of his unbelief, is still responsible to obey whatever God says. Anything God says is authoritative to all people, at all times, and in all circumstances. Lastly, we believers were once unbelievers. The question is how did we come to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ? Answer: We were unbelievers who read the authority of God’s word, (the Holy Bible).
“…yea, let God be true, but every man a liar;” Rom.3:4
REASONS 4 BELIEVING 