On This Day: Enduring in THIS Gospel of the Kingdom

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14)

 

   I can’t remember the day, but I remember the feeling. It was when I first understood the difference between “the gospel” and “this gospel of the kingdom”. It was HUGE!

   What I realized was that our North American Christianity preached “the gospel” but not “this gospel of the kingdom”. I didn’t even know there was a difference. But once I saw it, there was no turning back.

   To clarify, I know that in the Bible it sometimes summarizes “the gospel of the kingdom” as “the gospel”. But “the gospel” always means “the gospel of the kingdom”.

   So, what’s the difference in North American Christianity? That when people preach, teach, or share "the gospel”, it is not about “the kingdom”. It is about the individual and his/her relationship with God. That’s it. Do they believe in Jesus? Will they receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior? Those are components of the gospel of the kingdom, but the kingdom is never mentioned as THE thing someone must enter.

   This is why we have so many self-centered Christians and churches who think that the Christian life is just between them and God. It is all individualistic. How often do you hear someone say, “What is God’s will for our church?” Isn’t it always, “What is God’s will for my life?” That’s the individual gospel, and it is NOT “the gospel” taught in the Bible.

   What makes “this gospel of the kingdom” different from the North American gospel is that you cannot receive Christ without entering his kingdom. When Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6), he meant, “I am the WAY into the kingdom of heaven.” “I am the TRUTH that brings you into the kingdom of heaven.” “I am the LIFE you experience when you enter the kingdom of heaven”. “And because the FATHER is in the kingdom, you can only come to him by entering the kingdom of God through ME!”

   The first time Jesus proclaimed the gospel, what did he say? He preached, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). How was his ministry after that summarized? “And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction” (Matthew 9:35). What did he say must happen all the way to the end? “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14).

   Please do not be satisfied with the North American watered-down self-centered view of the gospel. If you have received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you are in his kingdom. Act like it. If you have not received “this gospel of the kingdom”, “repent and believe in the gospel” today!

© 2024 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8

Email: in2freedom@gmail.com

Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.)