The Kingdom Series - “The Gospel of the Kingdom”

FRESH BREAD

The Kingdom Series - “The Gospel of the Kingdom”

“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” (Matt 24:14).

     The gospel of the Kingdom of God was the focus of the Lord’s preaching (see Mark 1:14), and will be the primary emphasis of the church in the days leading up to the end of the age. Jesus without hesitation confirmed that the end will not come until the good news of the Kingdom of God is shouted as a witness throughout the earth. The Kingdom, Power and Glory of the Lord will be known as in no other generation in history.

     Just prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union, I was given the opportunity to be a part of a mission team into a part of the U.S.S.R. known as the Ukraine. For over seventy years communism had enslaved every aspect of the people’s lives. As for God, they were told He did not exist. If He did, it was only in the minds of the insane and unintelligent. Under communism the government is a ruthless dictator where it seeks to become the people’s master and god. 

Everything is monitored and controlled, except what God has spoken will come to pass.

     I’ll never forget sitting in the bus outside the gates of the Ukraine. The government officials were checking our passports and it was beginning to take much longer than anyone expected. We were wondering if we would be allowed to enter.

     While waiting we pleaded with God to help us get into the country. Then I heard in my spirit Matthew 24:14. I quickly opened my bible to the text to read what I believed would be a word from the Lord.

     It certainly was a word for me and for the entire team. Jesus made the decision to let us through the gates and the barbed wire fence long before the government officials did. As I reminded the others of the truth of that verse, permission was quickly granted for us to proceed into a land previously closed to the gospel.

     If you take time to read the beginning verses of Matt 24, you will discover events taking place on the earth similar to what you might find in a nightmare. There are massive deceptions, war, strange diseases, earthquakes, persecution, offenses, betrayals, hatred, false prophets and teachings and uncontrolled lawlessness. Then as a result of the deception we find many falling out of love with God, with one another and with the truth.

     Jesus makes one final comment about these days when He says, “but he who endures to the end shall be saved” (Matt 24:13). In other words, Jesus warned that prior to the greatest harvest and advancement of the Kingdom of God the world has ever seen that some will be so adversely affected by world events they’ll miss out on all they were prepared for. He even goes so far as to say they would even miss out on salvation. 

     Some will fall captive to offenses, false teachings, betrayals, deceptions and fears of what is happening around them. Yet at the same time others will endure to the end. This will not only lead to their salvation but to the salvation of multitudes and even entire nations. 

     Those who endure these things will be a part of the greatest advancement of the gospel and the Kingdom as the Gospel of the Kingdom is being preached, practiced and portrayed to every nation across the earth.

     The time has come to refocus our attention, arise and boldly announce the Gospel of the Kingdom “in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then (and only then), the end will come”.

David White

    

The Kingdom Series - “Pressing on to Righteousness”

FRESH BREAD

The Kingdom Series - “Pressing on to Righteousness”

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:10-12).

     The early church viewed persecution as a stamp of God’s approval. It was a further confirmation of the genuineness of their faith. Jesus did not say if, but when “they revile and persecute you.”  He then followed up by reminding His disciples, “Blessed are you…” when they persecute you, “for great is your reward in heaven.” 

     Before anyone can remain faithful in the face of persecution they must first be resolute in their pursuit of the Lord’s righteousness.  This in turn leads to our walking in all of God’s promises which are never determined by our circumstances.  Understanding this truth equips us to face any degree of reviling, persecution or evil rejoicing and with gladness that exceeds comprehension.

     When we look at Matthew 5:11-12 we clearly see the promise of the eternal reward when facing persecution for the Lord’s sake.  This is an established truth.  Great will be our reward in heaven!  Jesus then explains how any persecution His followers encountered was compared to what the prophets before them faced.  Yet in Matthew 5:10 the emphasis seems to convey something different than our facing persecution, but rather our gaining what will prepare us to be overcomers when we do.

     In verse 10 the Greek word translated persecuted is the same word used in Philippians 3:14 where Paul, forgetting the things behind says, “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”  Instead of emphasizing an eternal reward as in verse 11, verse 10 seems to focus on the present promises gained when we choose to press on for the sake of righteousness.  This is further emphasized in this same context when Jesus exhorts His followers to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness”, which is followed by the promise, “and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).  

     The Kingdom of God is about the eternal reward reserved for those who are faithful in the midst of opposition and persecution. But it is also about our resolve to press on in the midst of danger and difficulty looking for and pursuing His righteousness. To do this brings the kingdom on the earth and prepares us to walk in the promises that accompany it.

     Resolve in your heart to press on for the sake of righteousness regardless of your external circumstances. If you do this, persecution, although it will come, will be seen as a doorway to great reward.

           

David White  

The Kingdom Series: The Violence of the Kingdom

FRESH BREAD

The Kingdom Series - “The Violence of the Kingdom”

“And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matt 11:12)

     Following the announcement of the government’s intention to renew its two hundred year contract with voodoo, Pastor Tony made a bold declaration on Haitian national radio. He shouted over the air waves, ‘No more voodoo for Haiti’, and ‘Jesus for Haiti and Haiti for Jesus’!

     Unbelievably Haiti had literally signed a pact with voodoo in the year 1791 basically dedicating the nation to Satan. Two hundred years later, the time had come to renew what had only brought darkness, disease, destruction and death to many. 

     The question to be answered was, would the government again force voodoo upon its people and would the church sit passively by while spiritual darkness captured another generation? Or, would the righteous arise, resist the evil that was planned, intercede, and fearlessly declare God’s will and word over the land? 

     As unrighteousness and ungodliness demand some type of godly response on our part, so any godliness will be followed by some ungodly and unrighteous response from the world. Paul left no room for doubt when he told young Timothy, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim 3:12). Godly living is optional, while retaliation and persecution in response to it is not.   

     Initially the government thought Tony was too small of a voice to challenge or interfere with their plans. A little pastor did not seem like much of a threat to their authority, much less the power of voodoo. Yet God had given this pastor a mandate to dig a hole in the ground and bury voodoo! Therefore, he would not back down from anyone or anything. He could not help but to speak and obey what God had shown him. He again went on national radio, this time calling for a public march against the government’s intentions and openly declaring Jesus as Lord over Haiti. 

     As a result of the acts of intercession, a spirit of confusion came over the government keeping them from signing the contract with voodoo. Yet key government officials wouldn’t give up their quest and as a result were enraged against the pastor. As correctly predicted, the persecution mounted as the government threatened to kill Pastor Tony and anyone who stood with him.

     Tony responded by suggesting that if God required his blood to save Haiti then his blood they could have. He understood that what he would gain for eternity was far more valuable that what he might preserve for a few more years on the earth. But he also was aware and announced that if God did not require his blood, then the government would not be able to touch one hair on his head.   

     Even more furious, the government sent two of the biggest voodoo witch doctors to curse and kill Pastor Tony. But while many in the country were waiting to hear if the pastor would die, surprisingly and suddenly the two witch doctors died. Then the police chief who arrested and took him to jail, without having any prior sickness died. Then the mayor of Tony’s city written about in the March 1985 edition of National Geographic magazine as being the voodoo capital of the world, died. Even a well-known tree often used for public voodoo ceremonies died. But Pastor Tony lived. Because of his courage, resolve and stand for righteousness, the government retreated from its intentions.

      Another pastor, Eddy, had just returned from Bible school in the United States and was inspired by the courage of Pastor Tony. He too was called and committed to stand for truth in the midst of gross darkness. His newly founded church rented a room directly across the street from Haiti’s national TV station in Port AU Prince and was located upstairs above the offices of the political party that supported voodoo.

     One day, angry members of the political party broke through the doors of the church, grabbed Pastor Eddy and tied him up. Then he was taken across the street and thrown down on the side walk in front of the station. 

     In a matter of moments the TV station was alerted to what was taking place and rushed outside to set up their cameras so the execution could be broadcast to the entire nation. The supporters of voodoo wanted to issue a warning to anyone who would try to stand in the way of Haiti remaining under voodoo’s control. Likewise Satan never willingly gives up territory he’s gained without a war waged by those blindly devoted to him.

     However, before they could return with the gasoline to douse Eddy, God sent six trucks of armed soldiers to the scene. Amazingly the soldiers had to kill over one hundred people in order to save him. 

     Today Pastor Eddy is poised to win the presidency of Haiti and a nation controlled by massive political corruption aligned with voodoo could soon become one of the nations where the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our God and His Christ! A former goat nation in every way imagined could become a true sheep nation whose God is the Lord. This is not because a pastor could become president, but because of those who are violently advancing the Kingdom of Heaven. 

     Years later, an earthquake rocked Haiti resulting in much devastation. But the earthquake also opened the door for the gospel to be distributed by multitudes of ministries and missionaries called to Haiti with the gospel of the kingdom.

     The church in Haiti still has a way to go before voodoo is completely buried and the nation is saved. But they would not have experienced the spiritual advancements if Pastor’s Eddy and Tony would have remained silent leaving the nation’s troubles to someone else. These men expected the violence that would breakout against them but were violent in their own right. 

     Jesus taught that the breaking forth of the Kingdom of Heaven on the earth causes a violent reaction both for and against it. This takes place in both the natural and the spiritual realms. It will certainly be resisted by the fury of Hell. But the violent, God’s men and women strategically planted around the world, are poised and ready to take the Kingdom by force.

     To ‘suffer violence’ means to force, to seize or to crowd into. Spiritual advancements can be squandered or seized during seasons of opportunity. But the choice is ours as to which will occur.  

     Passivity or simply hoping evil will go away will not accomplish God’s purposes when dealing with gross spiritual darkness. Jesus did not come to compromise with the devil but to cast him out. He is the stronger One who came to evict the strong man. 

     Jesus said we must take the Kingdom by force. There can be no compromise, no ignoring it, no leaving it for someone else to do, no fear and no hoping it will just go away. 

     Darkness does not flee until the light comes on. Someone has to arise and someone has to shine regardless of the cost. Somebody has to declare NO to the advancing darkness of our time being convinced and confident that, “You (we) are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you (us) is greater than he who is in the world” (I Jn 4:4-5).

      

David White

.