kingdom generation
What Kind of Gospel Do We Preach? By Pastor Paul D. Young
What is our purpose? What are we here for? (I am speaking of the “church”, those who claim to be born again Christians.) When ever the purpose of a thing is not known, abuse is inevitable. Let’s look at what the focus of the church as a whole here in America has been. I grew up in church, my dad was a pastor and now I have been in the ministry for over 34 years. I have watched as the focus of the church has been on the “gospel”. But what is the “gospel”? If you look the word up in the Greek it means, ‘good news’. That is a description, not the destination. If I tell you that out in the parking lot there is a very nice red. Your response would be, a nice red what? Car, bike, truck, or what? In the English language we call it an adjective, a word or phrase that describes something. So the question is, what are we describing? Most of the church is preaching the ‘gospel of salvation’. The main focus is on getting people ‘saved’, evangelism, revival, church growth or some combination thereof. Wait a minute! Is that what Jesus did? Is that what we are told to do? What kind of gospel are we to be proclaiming? Lets go to the Bible and see what it says. Matt 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. The gospel of the kingdom. Matt 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a
witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. Again, the good news of the kingdom. The church has got to realize that the gospel of salvation is not the same as the gospel of the kingdom. The church today has been built largely on the gospel of salvation. Please understand that the gospel of salvation is in the gospel of the kingdom, but not the other way around. The gospel of salvation solves the problem of your relationship with God. The gospel of the kingdom is designed to solve the problems of cities, states and nations. Let me explain. By preaching the gospel of salvation as our purpose, we have erected a wall between the believers and the world. We have fostered a “us & them” mentality, where believers think that we are against the world. So we retreat into our church buildings, talk about how bad it is ‘out there’ and worry, fret & stew, convinced that the world is going to you know where. Instead of producing men and women who have answers to the problems of the world, we’ve produced a hand wringing, fear filled people who see the rapture as their escape out of this mess. And we postpone any idea of ‘kingdom’ until the sweet by and by or the millennial reign or anywhere other than right now. But what did Jesus say? Matt 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.Well, that’s a little hard to do when you think that the king-
dom is anywhere but here. Jesus spoke once in private to one man (Nicodemus) about being born again. Yet in public or with his disciples he spoke of the kingdom over 50 times (that’s just in the book of Matthew). In Church we preach, teach and proclaim salvation publicly and only speak of the kingdom in private. We’ve got it backwards. I am not against preaching salvation, but if we do not give people the proper context - that it is to bring them into a kingdom, they develop a distorted view of what it is that they have become a part of. Then they end up focusing on getting themselves to heaven when we should be focusing on bringing heaven to earth. Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…”. Then in another place he told us to “Occupy till I come” If you focus on the church, you miss the kingdom. The word “church” in the New Testament means the “called out ones”.
Called out to or for what? To manifest the kingdom on earth. We are called to bring heaven on earth now. We are called to bring real life to the problems of the world. Our focus should be the kingdom, but how can it be when most Christians have heard little to no teaching on it. A few years ago I preached a Sunday morning series on the kingdom. I started in September and did not finish until the middle of March. That was every Sunday morning and I barely scratched the surface of the subject. The model of the kingdom calls those who have been born again “kings and priests” (Rev. 1:6), who are to be equipped with the principles of the kingdom so that they can be ambassadors to this world. Not separated from it, but bringing the influence and power of the kingdom to the problems of Cont’d On page 15
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NutriNotes: Cont”d From page 8 Regardless, most foods labeled “natural” are not subject to government controls beyond the regulations and heath codes. Even “Made with organic ingredients” can be used on any product with at least 70% organically produced ingredients.” When it comes to processed foods, it is true organic may not be superior to artificial or synthesized. Most importantly, what is the cumulative effect in general of “natural flavors” on the human body, your body? Do they add to the overall toxic load, and filtering of the liver and kidneys? One thing we do know is that they do not add nutrients to whatever foods they are added to. If you are uncertain about these additives, there is a healthy alternative. “Natural” is not the same as “organic” “Foods certified by the National Organic Program (NOP) must be grown and processed using organic farming methods without synthetic pesticides, bioengineered genes, petroleum-based fertilizers and sewage sludge-based fertilizers. Organic livestock cannot be fed antibiotics or growth hormones.” The Creator’s fresh, whole foods come without labels and lists of ingredients to be
concerned and educated about. There are no costly patents on them. Shopping the perimeter of the store, especially in natural foods stores and supermarkets’ organic, fresh foods sections with their “Designer foods” (designed for our bodies by their Creator) are usually safer and more nourishing. Dollar of dollar, organic apples are also far less expensive than chips. Best is to grow as much of your own as possible. Did you know Scripture provides the Creator’s specific instructions for eating in the time? And that it reveals which end-time diet is a “doctrine of demons”? Dr. Zook’s new book, Eatin’ After Eden – The Meat Of The Word, explains the real and counterfeit diets as you’ve never heard it before! In a scientific, scriptural, and easily understood presentation, Dr. Zook reveals the shocking consequences of America’s rejection of His diet and His dietary plan from Genesis to Revelation. “This is one of the most important books ever written for this end time!” wrote Dr. J. Rothacker. Get your copy of this phenomenal truth for life at www.EatinAfterEden.com, or www.Wheatmark.com/ books (click on Health, Mind & Body or SEARCH).
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Carson Palmer – Cincinnati Bengals QB Although Carson Palmer, first-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals, is aware of how sports success breeds headlines, the idea of “fame” is a bit foreign to him. “I still don’t consider myself to be famous,” he says. “You’ve just gotta be yourself. I may be better than some guy at throwing a football, but he may be better at figuring out a lawsuit or doing taxes.” Nevertheless, the stats and awards the 6’ 5” 230-pound signal-caller has accumulated make a great case for his fame. The fifth player in USC history to win the Heisman Trophy, Palmer rewrote the Trojans’ record books. He set numerous career marks at USC, including most total offense yards (11,799, also a Pac-10 record). Although Palmer has not always enjoyed “fame,” he has enjoyed a relationship with Christ since he was a kid. “I’ve been a Christian as long as I can remember. I’ve always been in church with my family through high school and college.” Carson Palmer seems to understand the daily challenges and responsibilities that come with carrying the name of Christ in
such a high-profile profession. Although he cannot predict what those challenges might be, he has an assurance that God has a master plan for his life.
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