In this last week on the matter of the Development of the Kingdom of God in the Christian Life and the Church Life we come to, Preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom and Discipling All the Nations for the Spread and Development of the Kingdom of God.
We are mainly focusing on two portions in Matthew, Matt. 24:14 and Matt. 28:18-20, where we see that the Lord commissions us, on one hand, to preach the gospel of the kingdom, and on the other, to disciple all the nations.
We need to have an upgraded understanding of the gospel and have an updated knowledge of the gospel, realising the gospel is of the kingdom.
Gospel preaching is common among the Christians, and it is a work that many Christians have been doing over the centuries, from the beginning of this age of the church, which many also call the age of the gospel.
The age we live in is called the age of the church, the age of grace, and also the age of the Holy Spirit; also, some may call it, the age of the gospel.
Unfortunately, however, the gospel that is generally and popularly preached doesn’t seem to be up to the standard of the gospel of the kingdom as revealed in the word of God.
This expression, the gospel of the kingdom, is found not only in Matthew but also in other books in the Bible, in particular in Acts.
We want to see what is this gospel of the kingdom and, by knowing this, our gospel preaching would be upgraded, so that such a gospel would be preached for a testimony to all the nations before the end would come.
As seen in Matt. 28:18-20, we have also been commissioned by the Lord to disciple the nations; this is the highest commission of the church. In this portion of the word we have what the Protestants and Evangelicals would call the great commission, and it is indeed a great commission, but we want to see the intrinsic significance of this commission.
What is it to disciple the nations, and what is it to baptise the people, the gentiles, the nations, into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit? What does it mean to teach the baptised ones to observe what the Lord has commanded us?
All this is part of the discipling of the nations.
First we need to be those preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and then we need to disciple all the nations. To disciple is more than to preach; it is something further and deeper. Our preaching the gospel of the kingdom and discipling the nations is for the spread and development of the kingdom of God.
Preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom for God obtain a Sphere where He can Reign
In Matt. 24:14 we are told that this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole inhabited earth for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. The gospel of the kingdom must be preached where the human beings live, for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Until and unless the gospel of the kingdom is preached to be such a testimony to the people and the nations, the end will not come.
Today we have the gospel of grace, the gospel of the forgiveness of sins, preached to the whole inhabited earth; but that gospel, as great as it is, will not bring about the end of time, the coming of the end. It is the gospel of the kingdom who will do this.
But who knows this gospel and who is preaching this gospel, and who is testifying of this gospel?
It is the same with the discipling the nations seen in Matt. 28:19, it is toward the consummation of this age. All this – the preaching and the discipling – is with the view of bringing in and ushering in the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens. This is very serious.
We are not here merely speaking of saving souls from hell, sending people to heaven, or benefiting people with blessing, peace, and joy; we are not talking merely about taking care of man’s need.
Preaching the gospel of the kingdom and discipling the nations are with the view to wrap up this age and usher in another age dispensationally. This is how crucial our preaching and discipling is. We may have a lot of gospel preaching today, but it may not bring in the kingdom.
Oh, may we receive this commission and come up to this knowledge in a serious way.
This is not for us to be stirred up in the gospel spirit and go and preach the gospel; we do need to preach the gospel, but we are here to end this age, to cooperate with God to terminate this age and bring in the next age, the manifestation of the kingdom! Amen!
The kingdom of God is a divine sphere for God to work out His plan; it is a realm where God can exercise His authority to accomplish what He intends (see Mark 1:15; John 3:3, 5; Matt. 12:28; Rev. 11:15).
In this universe there’s a sphere called, the kingdom of God, and the kingdom of the heavens is a part of this; the bigger sphere is the kingdom of God, which is just God Himself.
The kingdom of God is where God is, where His life is, and it is where His life would operate, move, and work, so that He may govern, rule, and exercise His authority for Him to work out His plan.
We all know that God has a plan – He has an eternal plan, an eternal purpose, and for this He designed an economy to execute this plan; however, there needs to be particular sphere for that plan to be worked out, and this plan can’t be worked out in any other sphere except the sphere of His kingdom.
For example, the United States of America is a sovereign country with a government, who can lead and carry out their plan only within the sphere of the USA; the executive branch can’t just go to Canada or Iceland and carry out their plan, for that is not the right sphere.
For God to carry out His plan, He needs a sphere, that is, He needs the kingdom of God, a realm where He can exercise His supreme authority; there’s no higher authority than God’s in this sphere, and He does what He intends to accomplish.
This sphere must exist on the earth, it must grow, spread, and develop; the bigger this sphere, the more can God do. Our preaching the gospel of the kingdom is for God to gain a sphere where He can rule and reign, and it is with the view of bringing in the end of this age.
Our preaching the gospel and discipling the nations is for the growth and development of the kingdom of God so that God’s economy can be carried out and His plan be worked out; whatever is in His heart, He can carry out in this sphere.
May we give the Lord more room in our being so that He can freely work out whatever He intends to do and accomplish in this universe, and in particular on earth!
Lord Jesus, upgrade our understanding and appreciation of the gospel of the kingdom. May we be those who cooperate with You by preaching the gospel of the kingdom in the whole inhabited earth for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come! Amen, Lord, may we cooperate with You to enlarge the sphere, the realm in which God can exercise His authority and can accomplish what He intends to do! We give You more room in our being, Lord, so that You can freely work out what You intend to do on earth in us and through us.
Preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom to Rescue Men from their Rebellion against God and His Authority
The main reason that the gospel of the kingdom needs to be preached is that there’s a fundamental problem in this universe – the rebellion against the authority of God (see Isa. 14:12-14).
In this universe there’s a resistance, an obstacle, a push-back, another sphere, another plan, another intention, which is of Satan, Lucifer, the fallen archangel.
God wants to do a lot of things – He wants to work Himself into man to have a sphere where He can rule, and He wants to eventually have a full expression of Himself in the universe so that He may exercise His authority in His kingdom.
But there’s someone else who is struggling and fighting against the authority of God.
In Isa. 14 we see the primal rebellion, even before man existed; Lucifer, the archangel of God, declared independence and rebellion against God by saying, I will ascend to heaven, I will exalt my throne, I will sit upon the mountain of assembly where God is, and I will make myself like the Most High.
This is where all rebellion in this universe finds its source; this is a fundamental problem. As we are preaching the gospel of the kingdom we need to realise that this is the situation in the universe.
Satan intends to violate God’s sovereignty, usurp God’s authority, overthrow God’s throne, and establish his own kingdom (see Matt. 12:26; Eph. 2:2); he wants to establish his own kingdom as a substitute to God’s kingdom.
When man fell, he didn’t just disobey God but he rebelled against God; he put God’s authority aside, denied God’s authority, and rejected God’s rule (Gen. 3:6, 11; Rom. 5:12; 1 John 3:4).
Satan lured man into rebelling against God, and man was poisoned by this rebellious will to become a son of disobedience, rebelling against God.
Look around us today: aren’t we living in a time of extreme lawlessness? Such a thing has been predicted, and lawlessness is the term that describes the situation today, which is much like that before the flood.
The world at that time was characterized by violence, immorality, and lawlessness; men today, being one with Satan, being full of Satan, have joined Satan in rebellion against God.
Such a rebellion started a long time ago and it continues today, getting worse and worse as time goes by. Man puts God’s authority aside and rebels against God.
If we listen to the way people talk today and read what they write in the newspaper and online, we will realise that there’s no more fear of God; man does what he wants, rebelling against God and His authority.
We don’t have only Satan and the evil spirits and the demons who rebel against God in the spiritual world, but we also have the same rebellion in the human society today by satanic men, devil-filled men, demon-possessed men, who rebel against God.
We need to speak these things more and more to this generation and we need to realise what situation we live in. This is why we need to be preaching the gospel of the kingdom so that we may rescue men from their rebellion against the authority of God!
Lord Jesus, cause us to realise the state of rebellion in society today. May we be filled with You and fully submissive to You inwardly, getting rid of any disobedience and rebellion, and may we preach the gospel of the kingdom of God! Amen, Lord, rescue so many from Satan’s usurpation and rebellion! Pluck many from rebellion and darkness and bring them into the kingdom of God! Amen, Lord Jesus, we pray for many devil-usurped men and demon-possessed people to have a turn, believe in the gospel of the kingdom, and be saved and transferred into the kingdom of God, the sphere of God’s rule and glory!
This article can also be read in the Romanian language / Citiți acest articol în limba română vizitând următorul link, Să predicăm evanghelia împărăției ca să-i eliberăm pe oameni din rebeliunea lor împotriva lui Dumnezeu.
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by bro. Minoru Chen for this week, and portions from, Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1957, vol. 2, “What the Kingdom Is to the Believers,” chs. 2-3, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The Development of the Kingdom of God in the Church Life and the Christian Life (2019 spring ITERO), week 8, Preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom and Discipling All the Nations for the Spread and Development of the Kingdom of God.
- Hymns on this topic:
# Come let us speak till the kingdom of the Lord comes down. / Yes, let us speak till the kingdom of the Lord comes down. / Why hold your peace? / The Word release. / Let us speak until the kingdom of the Lord comes down. (Hymns #1294)
# We must move today in the wheel of God’s ultimate move, / Go forth, disciple all nations, teach the divine truths, / The kingdom’s gospel spread to all earth inhabited, / Till lampstands shine throughout all the earth, / Hasten the day of the Lord’s return, / Hasten the day of His return! (Song on, God’s Move Today)
# Submitted to God’s ruling, / All virtue thus will win; / Rebellion to His Headship / Is but the root of sin. / The evil aim of Satan- / God’s throne to overthrow; / Our aim and goal is ever / His rule to fully know. (Hymns #941)
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