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Read Acts 2:41
"So then, those who had received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about 3,000 souls."
Thoughts
Our thoughts today come from Bible Scholar, Sean Finnegan. He wrote an article, "The Kingdom and Your Response" on the Kingdom Ready blogsite back in July, 2011 and it fits perfectly here today, as our conclusion to our Advent Devotionals. Listen to Sean's words ~
"So then, those who had received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about 3,000 souls."
Thoughts
Our thoughts today come from Bible Scholar, Sean Finnegan. He wrote an article, "The Kingdom and Your Response" on the Kingdom Ready blogsite back in July, 2011 and it fits perfectly here today, as our conclusion to our Advent Devotionals. Listen to Sean's words ~
The Coming Kingdom
Before the Kingdom comes, a terrible time of darkness, violence, and
tribulation will come. Just when it seems that all hope is lost,
Jesus will come in the clouds, resurrect his followers, and establish his reign on the earth.
Jesus will come in the clouds, resurrect his followers, and establish his reign on the earth.
For the first thousand years, Jesus will rule the earth
from Jerusalem. During this time, many regular people will also be living. Thus,
it will be the responsibility of the followers of Christ to function as priests
to these people and administer the government.
While this new theocracy is proceeding, the earth
itself will be restored, like an antique car, to its former state of perfection
(the Garden of Eden). After the thousand years, everyone who was not part of the
first resurrection will be judged, Satan will be destroyed, and then God Himself
will come perpetually to dwell on the earth with His children.
In order to give you an understanding of the Kingdom, we have selected ten
attributes to explain:
- The faithful of all ages will inherit the land that was originally promised to Abraham. Planet Earth will be totally restored to Paradise. There will be no famine, no pollution, no harsh weather, no natural disasters, and no deserts. The entire creation will be changed to facilitate the worship of God. In fact, a jewel filled, custom designed city made by God Himself, New Jerusalem, will come down out of heaven and be established over the Old Jerusalem. This new city will be made of all sorts of precious stones and gold. You may have heard of the “pearly gates;” they are a feature of this massive and beautiful New Jerusalem.
- The saints will enjoy resurrected bodies for eternity. This means they will never again be afflicted with broken bones, deterioration, bad eyesight, bruises, scrapes, disabilities, etc. Those who are lame today will in that day leap like deer, and those who are blind today will see with perfect clarity in the Kingdom. The bodies will be immortal; so, no matter what happens, death is not a concern.
- Rewards will be given to the saints for the deeds they have done in this life. Those who endured persecution or were martyred will be given rewards for their faithful service to the Ruler of heaven and earth.
- There will be peace—no more war, violence, anger, bullying, or anxiety. In fact, even the animals will be at peace with each other and mankind. That means that you would be able to have a lion as a pet. The carnivorous animals will be changed to herbivores and will no longer be afraid of humans.
- Justice will be pervasive in the Kingdom. The poor, orphans, downtrodden, and less fortunate will get their just due. The arrogant, wicked, and rebellious will be destroyed so that there will never again be someone to take advantage or harm the people of God.
- All the people in the final Kingdom of God will be holy. They will no longer be tempted to sin. The struggle will have been won, and they will be empowered to live righteously every moment of every day forever. Never again will the saints need to repent, feel guilt, or experience shame towards God because of sins committed.
- The citizens of the Paradise of God will be filled with unimaginable joy. Singing, dancing, and celebration will abound. Furthermore, nothing will be in existence to take away joy—no more pain, suffering, or weeping. The only tears that will be shed will be because of happiness.
- You will be able to have fellowship with the saints. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Peter, Paul, and John will make up your dinner party along with anyone else who has entered the Kingdom. Loved ones will be reunited and spend as much quality time as they desire. What’s more, Jesus himself will be present and available for conversation and companionship. Since you will have infinite time, you can spend however much time you like with each person who is living in the Kingdom of God.
- We will get our knowledge of God directly from the Source. No longer will there be misconceptions about His nature, plan, and intentions. God Himself, Yahweh, the Father of all, will teach us everything we need to know. We will know Him as well as He knows us today.
- The Father will be dwelling on the earth; we will be living with Him forever. The Bible teaches that He will light up New Jerusalem so that even the sun will dim in comparison to His glory. We will be able to speak to Him face to face and enjoy His love directly. We will see the Holy One and experience Him firsthand.
This Kingdom, this Paradise, this Utopia, is on its way. Its arrival is
imminent. God Himself has promised it and will accomplish it in His time. Why
hasn’t Jesus come back yet? What is taking so long? The Bible teaches that God
is very patient because He wants everyone (including you) to have a chance to
accept the message before it is too late.
Our Response
Are you ready? If not, there are certain required actions that you must
take. Just as when you are going on a long trip, there are preparations to be
made. According to Jesus, you must hear, understand, accept, and hold fast to
the gospel of the Kingdom, and then you must bear fruit—live the way that he has
commanded.
- Hear: Everything starts with this. If you do not hear the message of salvation, then you are dead in the water. But hearing is not enough…
- Understand: There is no magical formula in
Christianity. Just saying the words of the sinners’ prayer is not enough. You
must truly understand that the Kingdom is coming and that Jesus died for your
sins so that you could enter it. Furthermore, you should understand two key
words: (1) Christ and (2) Lord.
The term “Christ” means “anointed.” But anointed for what purpose? Jesus is the Christ anointed to be the King of the Kingdom. Therefore, every time you read Christ, you may substitute mentally: the King of the Kingdom. Secondly, “Lord” means boss or master. If Jesus is your Lord, then you will do what he says. Even so, having this understanding is not enough… - Accept: You have to accept the gospel as truth. Faith is the basis of everything. Additionally, there needs to be repentance—true heartfelt sorrow and a desire to change anything and everything for the one who died for your sins. Confess that Jesus is your Lord and be baptized in his name. Commit to following his words for the rest of your life. Yet, even acceptance and belief are not enough…
- Hold it Fast: God honors your right to choose. If you change your mind and decide that you do not want to be in the Kingdom, He will not force you to be there. If you truly desire to be with Him forever in Paradise, then there is nothing that He will not do to help you get there. As with marathon racers, the beginning of our faith is not as important as the end. You must hold fast to your faith until the end. God does not want part of you, He wants your whole life. Still, holding your faith fast until the end is not enough…
- Bear Fruit: Your life as a Christian is like a fruit tree. If you have received the seed of the gospel and it has taken root in faith, then you will have corresponding fruit—actions. Rather than living the old way according to your own desires, you need to live according to what God desires for you. Those who demonstrate the fruit of immorality, impurity, sex outside of marriage, jealousy, outbursts of anger, and drunkenness will not inherit the Kingdom of God. However, the fruit of the spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
All of these elements are essential. You must hear the message of salvation
(the Kingdom and the Cross). You must accept it (believe it, repent, confess,
and be baptized). You must hold it fast a lifetime. You must bear fruit—behave
the way God wants. Christianity is no cakewalk but the glorious future Kingdom,
and fellowship with God today, make it all worthwhile."
(written by Sean Finnegan)
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Prayer
Dear Father in Heaven,
Dear Father in Heaven,
Today, we not only celebrate the birth of Your son, Jesus, but we also
celebrate the fact that this isn't all that there is! You're not finished
with us, yet! We wait expectantly, for the second coming of Jesus, to the
earth, to accomplish what You have set forth for him to do. He will
fulfill Your word and bring about justice, peace and joy, as he rules from the
throne of David, in a Kingdom that has no end.
Let us not miss this opportunity that You have given us, to receive eternal
life in this Kingdom! Let us not let another moment go by, without first,
making sure that we are saved and born again, confident that we will someday
inherit this Kingdom that is to come. Open our hearts and our minds to
Your beautiful truths and amazing promise that You will accomplish, through Your
son. If we haven't already made the decision to be baptized, let
us do so today! Help us see the urgency of this and procrastinate no
longer!
If we haven't already, let us understand, accept and believe these truths,
and then begin a new life, living in total, committed, radical submission to our
Lord Messiah and following his words, faithfully, unwavering! Let us then
begin to see the fruit of a believer come forth in our lives, and see that You
are indeed, working in us, through Jesus, transforming us, changing us, renewing
our minds, forgiving us, and conforming us to the image of Your son.
We await expectantly for the day, when we will all be made perfect
together, completed by You, at the day of our Lord's return. This is the
hope for which we are called. This is the reason we celebrate. This is the
purpose for which You sent Your son. This is the eternal life which You
have promised. This is why we live, hope and have our being in You.
In You, we will never be disappointed. Your word is trustworthy.
Your word is true. And we know, Your word will be accomplished and
fulfilled soon.
Come Lord Jesus, Come.
In our Lord Messiah's name, JESUS, we pray,
Amen.
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The above post is the work of Angela Hays Moore.
Some editing has been
done.
It was taken from:
