From: Paul Gage
LIVING
IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD APRIL 14, 2022
Abundant life
greetings to the Saints worldwide,
Jesus tells us in John
10:10, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more
abundantly.” What a marvelous promise! This applies to us today, as we are
living in the Kingdom of God. What would your life be like if you had no
knowledge of God and His promises and thus no hope for Zion? We strive to be
“in the world, but not of it.” As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “I
give unto you to be the light of the world and salt of the earth.” Why? He goes
on to say, “That they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is
in heaven, Matthew 5:15-18.
If we believe that we
are living in the Kingdom of God now, even though we are in the world, we are
to live a kingdom quality life, not only for our benefit, but for the benefit
of others and to glorify God. It is not an easy task, but it is our duty and
responsibility, as Saints, to live for Jesus.
This time of year when
we observe, remember, and celebrate the life of Jesus Christ, especially his
Resurrection from the dead, is perhaps the best time of each year to “show the
world” that we believe in and trust a living Savior. Not as the world and even
many Christians observe this great event, but as Jesus and the early day church
members, especially following Pentecost, by going to the people of the world
and at the risk of death, shared their testimonies of a Savior that lives.
Take time to revisit
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and the Book of Acts to get the whole story of the
time Jesus spent on the earth. They all of course tell the story of the life of
Jesus, but each with some very interesting differences. For example, why is
last Sunday referred to as “Palm Sunday?” All four of the gospels tell of this
great event. John happens to be the one who tells us they took palm branches
and laid them down in front of Jesus. A very minor point, true, but
interesting.
All of the gospels
also tell about the last week in the life of Jesus as well as the events to
take place before and during his return in glory. Therefore, with this
available information, we are called upon by God to share the good news of the
gospel with everyone we can. Many people in the world, as well as Christians,
will refer to this coming Sunday as “Easter.” I prefer to call it RESURRECTION
SUNDAY! The word Easter is only mentioned one time in the scriptures, Acts
12:4, but most Bible scholars feel that the word is a mistranslation and should
be Passover. However, we, of the Restoration should be sure we know the real
meaning of this great event.
As one song says, “New life in Christ, Abundant and free! What glories shine, what joys are mine, what wondrous blessings I see. My past, with its sin, the searching and strife, forever gone! There is a bright new dawn! FOR IN CHRIST, I HAVE FOUND NEW LIFE! HOSANNA AND PRAISE GOD!
Paul Gage
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