Fred M. Mukiri. The Life Community, Thika.
We are living in a season that requires the Church of Jesus Christ to reconnect. The Church is a body; “the Body of Christ.” A disconnected Church cannot function effectively. Paul pleads for unity in his writings.
“For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.” 1 Corinthians 12:12.
As in the body, the connections must be accurate. Not every bone in the body is directly connected to each other. It is bone to “its bone” as in Ezekiel 37. This season demands for divine connections. God connected Paul, Timothy and Barnabas. He also connected Peter and Cornelius. Not only is the Church a body but it also a family and a holy nation. Israel in the Old Testament operated in three distinct facets: 1. Nation.
2. Tribes (12.
3. Households with fathers.
I believe the most important thing today is the divine connection of true fathers and sons. We are not propagating a gender preference but the principle of fathering and sonship. Abigail in the Bible is a woman but her name meant: “Father of joy”. Fathering is by Grace and grace has no gender. True authentic fathering is to represent the Father - heart of God to His sons, His Church. The Last words in the Old Testament is a promise and prophecy by Malachi the Prophet: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse." Mal 4:5-6.
Malachi tells us what went wrong and what will fix the earth’s curse. The demand of the Kingdom of God is family. It is about a Father (God) and his son (the church).
“He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.” Revelation 21:7.
When God created man, He had family and sons in mind, ruling sons, heirs. A family that will accurately manifest Him in creation. When things went wrong the only one who could restore God’s plan was A Son. When Jesus was born, He was the “…only begotten of the Father”. - John 1:14. But after His Cross and resurrection, He is the Firstborn of a family of sons, male and female. Hebrews 1. His purpose is to bring many sons to glory; “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” Hebrews 2:10.
The new wineskin in this apostolic season is: Households of faith, where true Fathers and sons are divinely connected. God is in relationship not religion.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
THIS GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM.
Fred M. Mukiri. The Life Community, Thika.
“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.” - Matthew 24:1.
The Magi came from the East to see the King that was born for they saw His star. Herod the Jewish king, appointed by Rome, was so threatened by the news of a king being born, that he murdered all the boys under 2 years in Judea. The first words of Jesus recorded in the Bible were: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." -Mark 1:15.
• Jesus only preached one Gospel: The Gospel of the Kingdom.
All His parables had one theme: The Kingdom. “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.” - Matthew 4:23, 9:35.
• Jesus said the Kingdom is now preached“…since John the Baptist”, has come and is entered by “forceful ones.” – Matthew 11:11-12.
"The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it”. - Luke 16:16.
• He commanded his disciples to preach and demonstrate the kingdom of God. “And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' - Matthew 10:7.
• He told Pontius Pilate the governor that He was born to be a king. “Pilate then said to Him, Are you a king then? Jesus answered; You say it that I am a king. To this end I was born, and for this cause I came into the world….,” - John 18:37.
• The accusation written on the Cross was THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
• The New Testament Church only preached the Kingdom of God.
The Church today preaches the Gospel of Salvation,(Saving grace) but Jesus and the early Church preached and demonstrated The Gospel of the Kingdom, (dominion grace). When Jesus and the early Church preached and demonstrated the Kingdom, Cities, Financial systems, Kings and Empires were shaken. Paul shook the entire Asia in 2 years with the Gospel of the Kingdom of God; “And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God - Act 19:18. Today we see whole nations declaring they are Christians without any positive change. Corruption, immorality, poverty, violence and lawlessness are the order of the day. Something is lacking in what we preach if this is the fruit of a hundred years of preaching and evangelizing in Africa.
I believe this is what has gone wrong in Africa:
• The Gospel that was preached to Africa was only concerned about getting people saved from hell and ready for heaven.
• It did not prepare us to rule and reign as kings on earth. (Africa)
• Africa is still little babies in Christ.
• We need Christ to be formed in us as a Mature man the full stature of Christ – Galatians 4:17; Ephesians 4:11-14. Too many babies in the world without parents are one of the greatest challenges in the 21st century. This is exactly what the gospel of salvation has done. Thousands of babies in Christ are left as orphans when the tents of the Evangelists go down. Some (5%) are put in the care of other babies in Christ. Churches have become orphan centres with Superintendents taking care of them. There are no spiritual fathers to love and care for them. Where only the Gospel of salvation is preached the following inaccuracies are damaging the Church:
1. People focus on the future heaven and are not living and ruling in this world. “For if by one man's offense death reigned by one, much more they who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by One, Jesus Christ. - Romans 5:17.
2. People develop an escape and defeatist mentality; They think that they are waiting for Him to return and take them to heaven to escape the enemy, when in fact He is waiting for them to conquer his enemies; “But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. – Hebrews 10:12-13.
3. We are not only saved from sin and hell. That is not the purpose of salvation. God saved Israel from Egypt and then destroyed most of them in the wilderness. Why? His purpose with them was an inheritance and rulership in Canaan. They had to manifest His glory and supreme rulership to the nations in Canaan. “But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.” - Jude1:5.
Canaan is not a picture of heaven! There were giants and fortified cities. There are no giants and enemies in heaven.
Canaan is a picture of the heavenly kingdom breaking into earth. The kingdom of God demonstrated by his people on earth. This is what the world and especially Africa need! The gospel of the kingdom is teaching people to fish and not just giving them those fish! Poverty will never be defeated by giving people food and money. Poverty is a spirit! It will only be defeated by Spirit. “The Word of God is spirit and life!”
“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.” - Matthew 24:1.
The Magi came from the East to see the King that was born for they saw His star. Herod the Jewish king, appointed by Rome, was so threatened by the news of a king being born, that he murdered all the boys under 2 years in Judea. The first words of Jesus recorded in the Bible were: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." -Mark 1:15.
• Jesus only preached one Gospel: The Gospel of the Kingdom.
All His parables had one theme: The Kingdom. “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.” - Matthew 4:23, 9:35.
• Jesus said the Kingdom is now preached“…since John the Baptist”, has come and is entered by “forceful ones.” – Matthew 11:11-12.
"The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it”. - Luke 16:16.
• He commanded his disciples to preach and demonstrate the kingdom of God. “And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' - Matthew 10:7.
• He told Pontius Pilate the governor that He was born to be a king. “Pilate then said to Him, Are you a king then? Jesus answered; You say it that I am a king. To this end I was born, and for this cause I came into the world….,” - John 18:37.
• The accusation written on the Cross was THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
• The New Testament Church only preached the Kingdom of God.
The Church today preaches the Gospel of Salvation,(Saving grace) but Jesus and the early Church preached and demonstrated The Gospel of the Kingdom, (dominion grace). When Jesus and the early Church preached and demonstrated the Kingdom, Cities, Financial systems, Kings and Empires were shaken. Paul shook the entire Asia in 2 years with the Gospel of the Kingdom of God; “And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God - Act 19:18. Today we see whole nations declaring they are Christians without any positive change. Corruption, immorality, poverty, violence and lawlessness are the order of the day. Something is lacking in what we preach if this is the fruit of a hundred years of preaching and evangelizing in Africa.
I believe this is what has gone wrong in Africa:
• The Gospel that was preached to Africa was only concerned about getting people saved from hell and ready for heaven.
• It did not prepare us to rule and reign as kings on earth. (Africa)
• Africa is still little babies in Christ.
• We need Christ to be formed in us as a Mature man the full stature of Christ – Galatians 4:17; Ephesians 4:11-14. Too many babies in the world without parents are one of the greatest challenges in the 21st century. This is exactly what the gospel of salvation has done. Thousands of babies in Christ are left as orphans when the tents of the Evangelists go down. Some (5%) are put in the care of other babies in Christ. Churches have become orphan centres with Superintendents taking care of them. There are no spiritual fathers to love and care for them. Where only the Gospel of salvation is preached the following inaccuracies are damaging the Church:
1. People focus on the future heaven and are not living and ruling in this world. “For if by one man's offense death reigned by one, much more they who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by One, Jesus Christ. - Romans 5:17.
2. People develop an escape and defeatist mentality; They think that they are waiting for Him to return and take them to heaven to escape the enemy, when in fact He is waiting for them to conquer his enemies; “But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. – Hebrews 10:12-13.
3. We are not only saved from sin and hell. That is not the purpose of salvation. God saved Israel from Egypt and then destroyed most of them in the wilderness. Why? His purpose with them was an inheritance and rulership in Canaan. They had to manifest His glory and supreme rulership to the nations in Canaan. “But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.” - Jude1:5.
Canaan is not a picture of heaven! There were giants and fortified cities. There are no giants and enemies in heaven.
Canaan is a picture of the heavenly kingdom breaking into earth. The kingdom of God demonstrated by his people on earth. This is what the world and especially Africa need! The gospel of the kingdom is teaching people to fish and not just giving them those fish! Poverty will never be defeated by giving people food and money. Poverty is a spirit! It will only be defeated by Spirit. “The Word of God is spirit and life!”
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