REAL (24): Kingdom Transformation Basics

KINGDOM TRANSFORMATION BASICS

By Josimar Salum & Paul Taylor

Is the gospel we believe the same gospel that Jesus and His apostles proclaimed? Is it possible we are preaching another Jesus? 

Though these questions may scare us we must take a close look into the merits of their premises.

But I fear that somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve through his trickery, so your minds might be led astray from the simplicity that is in Christ. ⁴ For if he who comes preaches another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if you receive another spirit, which you have not received, or another gospel, which you have not accepted, you might submit to it readily enough. I Corinthians 11:3-4

⁶ I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel, ⁷ which is not a gospel. But there are some who trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ. ⁸ Although if we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel to you than the one we have preached to you, let him be accursed. ⁹ As we said before, so I say now again: If anyone preaches any other gospel to you than the one you have received, let him be accursed. Galatians 1:6-9

The Challenge

“Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking (critical thinking).” II Peter 3:1

The great challenge that every Bible reader faces is contained in the classic question that Philip asked the eunuch, after hearing him read the prophet Isaiah in his chariot:

"Do you understand what you are reading" Acts. 8:30

It should be our practice with anyone who teaches to examine the Scriptures to find out if things are accurate. It has been proven that a great majority of people within the church have learned the Scriptures basically from someone else. Christians have grown up drinking from other fountains and have learned very little by their own study of Scriptures. The Jews of Berea were more noble that those in Thessalonica because they received apostle Paul's teachings with all eagerness, but took personal responsibility to check if they were according to the Scriptures.

“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with all eagerness, daily examining the Scriptures, to find out if these things were so. Acts 17:11

Commonly Christians are defined today and even the modus vivendi of the church is defined not exclusively by the Holy Scriptures, but by the following:

ü  Developing of theology throughout church history;

ü  Books, teachings and creeds of old Christian ministers who already died many years ago;

ü  Christian heritage, denominations and past movements;

ü  Readings and interpretations of the biblical text, filtered by preconceptions established by our own history and traditions and by the doctrines and dogmas of the group we are associated with; 

ü  The inevitable worldview produced by our particular mystical experiences, emotional spirituality and even our own psychological predisposition

However today we are challenged by the Spirit of God who guides us into all Truth to answer the same question that Philip asked the eunuch and we must answer without the help of history, traditions, doctrines and dogmas, own worldview, mystical experiences, spiritual and psychological conditioning and within the structures in which we operate and maybe even without the help of someone to explain the text.

It is very frustrating to find out only later that we were still linked to fables, we still share foolish beliefs, which for a lifetime we have believed, preached and taught, lies as truth, human interpretations as divine revelations, and many times when we came up with some “new revelations” were in fact mimes from someone in history. 

Most of us suffer from "parrot syndrome"! We are accustomed to repeating what we heard without thinking on our own and most important without checking it out with the Holy Spirit as we should.

The Holy Spirit is a Person; He is the one who testifies we are God’s son, so we should rely solely on His guidance. Of course we do need brothers and sisters to put us on perspective, but the perspective is not to follow traditions but to realize that it is time for each of us to fellowship with the Holy Spirit, study His Scriptures without someone else’s glasses and rely totally upon Him to guide us to the Truth.

The Truth is not a philosophy, a teaching, a doctrine, the Truth is a Person. The Holy Spirit guides us to Jesus Christ Himself.

THE GOSPEL

Is there a message that can summarize the Gospel of the Kingdom?

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “The Lord reigns! The Kings reigns!” Isaiah 52:7

The message of the Gospel is not about a God far away, indifferent, dead and is impotent. But it is about the Eternal One, the Word who became man without ceasing to be God. (I John 1:1-14) It is about the God with us (Matthew 1:14) And His Name is JJesus Christ. Who reigns? Jesus reigns. 

Jesus Christ, the Savior is the King.

³⁰ But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” Luke 1:30-31

¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord - the King. Luke 2:11

“In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea ² and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” ³ This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” Mathew 3:1-2

The Gospel of the Kingdom is about the King who dies on the Cross for His children. The message of Cross is the message of a gracious King who died in His brothers place.

“Jesus then began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. ² At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. ³ But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ⁴ Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. ⁵ He sent still another and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed.⁶ “He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ ⁷ “But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ ⁸ So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.⁹ “What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. ¹⁰ Haven’t you read this passage of Scripture: “‘the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; ¹¹ the Lord (the King) has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” Mark 12:1-11

"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” Luke 12:32

The Kingdom means the kingship, sovereignty, authority, rule of God, both in the world, and in the hearts of men; hence: the Kingdom, in the concrete sense has arrived, because Jesus has arrived.

There was one king in the land, Caesar. That meant that all you possess is to be surrendered to him. Everything you have and own, woman, children, assets, wealth, everything belongs to him. Now the Kingdom has come, there is another king in the land. His name is Jesus. To see and enter in His Kingdom you must be born again.

³ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” ⁴ “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” ⁵ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. ⁷ You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:3-8

This new birth has nothing to do with changing religions. It is not a new religion. It is actually renouncing everything to be able to follow the King. In the Kingdom there is no place for religious activities.

“In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.” Luke 14:33

This message was not directed to wicked people, to gentiles, but to people who thought they were sons of God.

You're not saved because you have received Jesus as your only savior, but as your only Lord and King. You're not saved because you confess Jesus as your savior, but because you submit to His Lordship. It is very easy to accept Jesus as savior, but the Lord requires surrender, personal loss, renouncing of goods, everything. You do not need to die for Christ to be saved, but if you are not willing to die for Christ you are not saved.

THE KINGDOM

Daniel 2:31-44 prophecies the Kingdom. It is a narrative of king Nebuchadnezzar dream and what it meant.

“But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.” Daniel 2:35

⁴⁴ “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. Daniel 2:44

¹⁵ The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.” Revelation 11:15

⁵ And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, ⁶ and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. ⁷ “Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”; and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.” So shall it be! Amen. ⁸ “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:5-8

 ¹⁹ Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, ²⁰ and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. ²¹ Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. Acts 3:19-21

REPENTANCE

Greek: Metanoeo - I repent, change my mind, change the inner man (particularly with reference to acceptance of the will of God). From “meta” "changed after being with" and noiéō, "think") – properly, "think differently after," "after a change of mind"; to repent (literally, "think differently afterwards"). It expresses mental direction.

Definition: to change one's mind or purpose

It is to think completely different the way you always have thought. It is not just talking, it is not crying, it is not even to confess with your mouth. It is a deep change in your mind in a way that thoughts, words, actions, your whole life style, everything is totally affected. 

"Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” Matthew 3:8

You bear fruit according to the matching value of your repentance. Repentance is change of thought, change of mind. From the Greek word “metanoia” when I say I repent means I change my mind. Repentance is the change of the inner man (particularly with reference to acceptance of the will of God), repent.

ATTENTION:

Many members of Christian churches protect themselves from a message like this. Thinking because they are already members of a Christian church, considered believers and followers of Christ; they don’t put themselves in a position to rethink their lives to test if they are really followers of Christ and sons of His Kingdom indeed.

Repentance has a direct impact on behavior. It is a conscious, consistent and purposeful action. People show their feelings while they are in the process of repenting, however feelings are not repentance. It is a decision that takes a conscious and deliberate decision to change decades of lifestyle, procedures, theologies, beliefs, and ways of acting. It will introduce new words, new thoughts and new actions and make you walk in new paths.

MAN HAS LOST THE IMAGE OF GOD

One must understand that sin is not only what we think, act, say and do contrary to the moral law of God. To sin is to think, speak, act and do what God does not think, does not speak, does not act and does not do. It is profoundly not being like He is.

⁵ “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:5

²⁶ And God said; Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. ²⁷ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Genesis 1:26-27

God created Adam, male and female and commanded them to have dominion and subdue the whole earth and everything in it. But they did not have immediate dominion over the whole earth, if they had, it would have been unnecessary for God to give them direct orders that they should only take care of the garden within limited space. God marked initially a territory within the earth indicating its limits “to the banks of some rivers.”  The Garden of Eden was described in this manner. Was Adam, male and female citizens of the garden? No, they were citizens of God’s Kingdom. And their greatest privilege within that Kingdom was freedom.

Take dominion was their mission, the whole earth was up to be subdued and they had to exercise dominion over every creature and everything, except other human beings. Man was not ordered to subjugate his woman. Both had equal rights and co-equal authorities under God. They would expand the borders of the garden proportionally and enlarge their kingdom by the multiplication of their descendants. A couple needed only a garden to take care. Their descendants would need more geographical area. Occupation by people not by proprietorship established citizenship. They were not owners of the garden and they would not even become proprietors of land on the earth after they fully occupied it.

God’s Kingdom, His will and dominion were not limited to heaven nor limited to earth. His Kingdom was heaven and earth combined, one Kingdom and Adam male and female were their citizens. Only sons of God were the people of His Kingdom. They were citizens not because they were inhabitants of the Kingdom, but because of who they were. It was not their habitation that made them citizens of the Kingdom, but their identity. Who were they?  Where did they come from? It was not the limits of their land that made them citizens, but Sonship.

However outside the borders of the Garden there was another kingdom that they should conquer, subdue and take dominion; it was the kingdom of darkness. When man and woman decided to be independent from God through disobedience by which sin came into the world it generated disorder in the world. Through treachery, treason and betrayal they have lost their citizenship. They have lost their citizenship when they denied their Sonship. God expelled them not only from their territory of dominion, but out of His Kingdom. In other words, they have lost their Sonship of God first - their image of God, their identity, who they were, and the immediate consequence was that they lost their citizenship. They were expelled from the garden and became slaves of the kingdom of darkness. There are no citizens in the kingdom of darkness, only slaves. The Kingdom of heaven also has slaves that are not treated like slaves – they voluntarily submit to the King. For the King they are called sons and kings.

In any country of the earth you become its citizen by birth or by naturalization. In the Kingdom of God you don’t become a citizen by naturalization, but by becoming and being a son of the King. You must become a son of the King to be a citizen of heaven. But citizens of Heaven don’t live in heaven, they live in the Kingdom. The heavens belong only to the King, the earth He has given to His sons. From heaven comes our citizenship, because it is in Heaven that the will of God is done fully. Our inhabitation comes from heaven which means we will receive a spiritual body from Heaven like Jesus Himself received. But our citizenship is in heaven.

“And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Philippians 3:20

DISCIPLES OF THE KINGDOM

When we think about the disciples going throughout all nations we don’t think about them living their lives and dying to go to heaven as the ultimate goal, but we consider each of them being transformed into the image of Jesus according to the perfect will of the Father; the desire of the Holy Spirit; the eternal purpose of the Son.

And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. ²⁸ And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰ And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. Romans 8:27-30

God’s children hear His voice.

“²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27

 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. John 5:24

Here Jesus word is not about reading the Scriptures, or preaching and learning doctrines. It is about naturally practicing and obeying what you have heard Jesus saying through your relationship with Him.

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. ¹² And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. ¹³ And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. ¹⁴ Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. ¹⁵ And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:11-15

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² Before him will be gathered all the nations and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. ³⁴ Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ ³⁷ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? ³⁸ And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? ³⁹ And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ ⁴⁰ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ ⁴⁴ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ ⁴⁵ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ ⁴⁶ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Matthew 25:31-46

The obvious conclusion is that nobody can follow Jesus without being born of the Spirit. How do you or I become a citizen in the Kingdom of God? We must be born again.

The Kingdom metamorphosis operates as following:

 1 - NEW BIRTH (JOHN 3: 3-5)

We are born again to enter the kingdom of God. Not to go to heaven, but to enter the Kingdom of God.

Col 1:13-14 = empire of darkness into the kingdom of the Son of His Love.

I Peter 2: 9 = Priests and kings, from darkness to Light.

Ex 19: 6 = priestly kingdom (kings and priests)

I John 3:2-3 = "We shall be like Him."

2) TRANSFORMATION

The Old Covenant x the New Covenant

"We are transformed from glory to glory in the same image."

II Corinthians 3:17-18

Jesus knew no sin = I Jo. 3:8-10; 5:18

3) THE BODY TRANSFORMED

Philippians 3: 20-21 - "To be conformed to His glorious body."

I Corinthians 15: 43-49 - (v. 49 - inherit the Kingdom of God); vs. 50-54

(v. 52 - The last trumpet is the seventh one)

I Thess. 4:13-17 = the Coming of the Lord

Romans 8:18-23 = the redemption of our body

Eternal life is the immediate result of the new birth for immediate enjoyment. (John 3:16)

God never promised heaven to man.

"The heavens are for our God and the land He gave to the man." Psalms 115: 16.

The promise of God is not heaven, but a new heaven and new earth! 

I Peter 3:3-14 shows us that the existing heavens and earth are totally destroyed by the New Creation!