Building the Kingdom July 2019
Matthew 25: 31- 40 (NKJV)
31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of 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 took Me in; 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 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
A Kingdom is a territory that is ruled by royals. The Kingdom of God hinges on the relationship between the Divine and human beings. We transcend to the vertical, heavenly realm, by way of the horizontal interaction with our fellowmen. (1 John 4:20)
Many of us live our lives walled like the city of Jericho. No one went in nor came out. Sometimes, we won’t let anyone in, and we won’t’ come out of our comfort zone to accommodate anyone. When we are influenced by the forum of public opinion, we forget what God says. What does the Spirit say? Our dictates must be from God so that as His sheep, we recognize His voice and refuse to be swayed between opinions. We feel justified when we tell Him how good we have been and how we have served Him and others. Isn’t it time to acknowledge how good He is, what He has done and what He still has planned for us? Our platform may not be Mt. Carmel like Elijah’s, but it is right where He has us now: in our family; next to the man in the street; our co-workers and/or; the hurting person sitting in church. When will our eyes be opened to the needs of our contacts?
Whose Kingdom is it anyway? When God is honored in the highest place, we acknowledge His majesty, authority, wisdom and might. His word says if He is revered, He will draw all men unto Himself. We are nowhere in the picture to promote our efforts. He does the conversion of people if we exalt Him.
Construction is never an easy task. It takes a team of engineers of varied skills to produce an excellent, sturdy, specific edifice. By city standards, it must meet codes and regulations that the city deems necessary. God has given us codes and specifications for His approval:
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Do all in the name of the Lord Colossians 3: 17
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Do heartily unto the Lord. Colossians 3: 23
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Serve the Lord’s Christ. Colossians 3: 24
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Do not strive. 2 Timothy 2: 24- 25)
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… Do God’s will from the heart. (Ephesians 6:6)
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Cast our cares on Him. (1 Peter 5: 7)
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Look for His coming. (Titus 2: 13)
To build the Kingdom of God, we have been given some building blocks:
Block one: Jesus Christ the foundation (Ephesians 2:20)
Block two: All things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3)
Block three: The Lord is our Helper. (Hebrews 13:6)
Block four: He is with us to the end. (Matthew 28:20)
Block five: His promises are yes and amen (2 Corinthians 1:20)
Block six: the command to become Fishers of Men (Matthew 4:19)
Obviously, these are just a few, but as we advance in the study of the word, we will occupy until He comes. All the blocks are people-centered at their roots. They have nothing to do with building a structure that will ultimately be temporary. The Kingdom that we should aggressively be building, is the soul that is destined for the hereafter. As Nehemiah purposed to build the walls of Jerusalem, the city where the tabernacle was housed, although he had some willing workers, he felt the responsibility to spearhead the project. (Nehemiah 3)
As we evangelize and trust the Holy Spirit to bring about regeneration in lives, our faith takes preeminence in allowing God to work. We then must submit ourselves as usable, available vessels.
When the disciples asked Jesus if He would restore the kingdom then, (Acts 1: 6), they had a different concept of what the kingdom was. To them it was only a territory over which an earthly king would reign. God’s Kingdom is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. (Romans 14: 17)
In Matthew 25, the Kingdom is associated with ten virgins of whom five were unprepared when the king returned. This speaks to preparation and accountability on the part of those who are waiting. The Kingdom was also compared with an investor that entrusted His employees with merchandise over which they were to be stewards. This addresses increase and expansion, NOT dormancy. Finally, the Kingdom is contrasted with our meeting the needs of our fellowman.
In our daily encounters, there are many who literally have those needs, but there are also those who are spiritually impoverished. Our bowels of compassion propel us to extend ourselves to meet both physical and spiritual needs. How then do we build the Kingdom if we fail to multiply its dwellers?
The Samaritan woman at the well (John 4) met the description of being sick, naked, imprisoned, thirsty and hungry. She needed the provision that the Kingdom Builder supplied. Apparently, her desire to enhance the Kingdom far outweighed the vessel she carried because she left it behind and traded it for her new-found supply. She became instrumental in evangelizing her city.
We have all been equipped with at least one talent. While we wait for the King’s return, how will we seek to please Him? The command: be fruitful and multiply… can also be applicable to increasing the Kingdom. When we seek to populate heaven, it should bring us joy because we are participating with making disciples of all men (Matthew 28: 19, 20). When we embrace that mandate, our life-long goal will be to build the Kingdom.
Dr. O. A. James
REFLECTION
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What does it mean to become Fishers of Men?
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How can we satisfy that order?