Saturday, July 23, 2016

Any other Gospel - Cursed                                                                                    
Twice Paul said that if any preach any other Gospel (other than the one he preached) let them be cursed.
Gal 1:8-9 --But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.  9 As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

The New Testament says that Jesusa, Phillipb and Paulc preached the gospel of the kingdom of God. 
See footnotes for scriptures:  aJesus: Mat 4:23; 9:35; 24:14; Mark 1:14-15; Luke 8:1. bPhillip: Acts 8:1 and cPaul: Acts 20:25; 28:31.

The kingdom of God is not physical but spiritual because it cannot be seen by natural eyes,  but only by "spiritual eyes" of born-again Christians (John 3:3).
John 3:3 --  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Seeking the kingdom of God and God's righteousness should be the first priority for Christians.
Mat 6:33--seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

The kingdom of God is invisible to the natural eye because it is spiritual. It is a mater of the faith- in the heart. Not everyone can see it even if it's all around them.
Luke 17:20-21-- And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Whoever obeys the law and teaches others to obey will be great in the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:19-- Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

The kingdom of God starts small (like a small seed or stone) and grows to be great (fill the whole earth).
Mat 13:31-32--31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: 32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest...
Dan 2:33, 35, 44, 45-- 34 Thou saw (in a dream) that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image ..... 35 and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.... 44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.  45 ... and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

The kingdom of God started when Jesus was on earth proven by the fact that he cast out demons.
Luke 11:20--But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.

The kingdom of God continues with believers who also cast out demons and seek His Kingdom and righteousness.
Mark 16:15-17--And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils (demons); they shall speak with new tongues;

The Lord's prayer starts with the petition, 'Thy kingdom  come, Thy will be done on earth.' The petition is for  God's will to be done now and in the future in an ever increasing way. We also petition God to provide our needs, forgive our trespasses,  and deliver us from evil and temptation as we forgive others. Note the word 'come' in the original Greek (erchomai) is both present and imperfect tense (see Concordance word #2064 in Strong's Concordance*). The imperfect tense of a verb denotes the continuance of an incomplete past action. Therefore we pray that the kingdom which has already come (in the past) will continue to come now and in the future.

Mat 6:9-13--9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Paul declares that we are receiving (present tense) a kingdom which was being received in Paul's time and continues to be received in our time and will continue for those who serve God acceptably.
Heb 12: 27-29-- 28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: 29 For our God is a consuming fire.

Jesus gave His  Great Commission to Christians  to teach the nations in all the world to obey God's commandments.

Mat 28:18-20--18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Please read 2 Pet 1:2-11 which summarily says Christians need to apply diligence and faith to become partakers of the divine nature  of God, to escape corruption and lusts of the world, to be cleansed of sin, and to grow in love to have an abundant entrance into the kingdom of our Lord and Christ.

Please also read the parable in Mark 4:3-20 about the sower who sowed seed (the word about the KOG).
In this parable there are four types of Christians represented by four types of ground: 1. wayside, 2. stony, 3. thorny,  and 4. good soil.
Wayside:  birds that eat the seed represent the Devil that prevents understanding of the word of about kingdom.
Stony: the seed endures only until affliction or persecution comes because of the word of the kingdom.
Thorny:  the word is choked by worldly cares, love of riches, and lust of the world.
Good soil: the word is heard and received and it brings forth much fruit. Hearing and receiving is more than physical--it includes serious attention toward the word, strong faith, having hunger for righteousness, diligence, perseverance and a strong desire to grow and follow God-- and willingness to give up worldly cares and even suffer for the kingdom.

Questions to consider:  How do we  compare ourselves to the different types of soils identified in this parable? 
Wayside: Do we understand and seek the kingdom and His righteousness? 
Stoney: Are we willing to accept  persecution like Paul, who for preaching the gospel, was stoned and dragged out of Lyconium, he arose and went back into the city to encourage the disciples saying "we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God' (Acts 14:19-22).  
Thorney: Do we love the things of the world more than the kingdom of God and His righteousness? 
Good soil: Are we growing and fruitful for God? If our understanding of gospel is not primarily about a growing kingdom of God here on earth, seeking His righteousness, obeying and teaching the nations to obeys God's commands, or casting out demons, it may not  be the gospel preached by Christ, Phillip and Paul. It may be different and cursed gospel (Gal 1:8-9).  Are we seeking the kingdom of God here and now on earth, and growing in his righteousness and God's divine nature?                  

*Strong's Concordance of the Bible.                                                                         last revision 8/11/16 hgk


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