Seeking the Kingdom of God

By Innocent Mwangi

Can you imagine a Bible without Paul, or, to put it more bluntly, a Bible without Jesus Christ? Now, I guess no one has ever put that kind of question to you.

The Bible is what it is to us today not only because it is the inspired word of God, but also because of the people inscribed therein who allowed God to use them for one reason or the other. In this sermon I want to share with you about a few of these men and women who make the Bible what it is today.

I think of the many luminaries in the Bible who, despite undergoing severe testing, failures and challenges, overcame the very odds that threatened to pull them down. Paul for instance was before conversion a strict adherent of the Mosaic Law. However after conversion, he became one of the staunchest supporter and campaigner of the Gospel. Even when he was physically threatened, he nevertheless ‘pressed on’ with the cause of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He preached the Gospel without fear or favor. He preached to the gentiles, to the Jews, to the fishermen, to paupers and to kings. To borrow from a famous soft drink ad, Paul ate, drank, and slept the Gospel.

He was thrown into jail countless times. He was, to the government of his day, a trouble rouser, an infidel and a dangerous rebel. When he was not busy campaigning for the Gospel in the streets, he would most likely be found in jail – not wailing and crying out ‘how long, O Lord’ – but writing letters to encourage and edify the Body of Christ.

One thing followed Paul wherever he went – trouble! Trouble seemed to have found a permanent friend in Paul. He preached the Gospel so fiercely and plainly such that many were converted. His crusades and street meetings were so charged such that the authorities always termed them as riots. Whenever Paul was in town, a riot would break out. I’m not talking about the kind of riots that are marked by wanton destruction of property that we see today. I’m referring to a people so charged with righteous indignation at their unrighteousness that they would come to the throne of mercy crying out to God to forgive them their sins as Paul invited them to heed the call for salvation. The clamor and excitement with which they did this always made the authorities think there was a riot in the city. No wonder Paul was beaten and jailed countless times. Whenever Paul stood up to preach, people stopped to listen. The sinners were converted and convicted of their sins. The letters written by Paul to the Churches of his time have today become the blueprint of a Christian’s life.

Let us leave Paul alone and visit a gentleman who is more or less just like you and me. His name is Job, him whom the devil sought and got permission to torture, humiliate, and, to use one word, torment. Job had everything going for him. He had a wonderful relationship with his God. He had a beautiful wife, wonderful children and a lot of property. He was very rich. One day, however, without warning, the devil struck. His children were slain, his property was seized, and his body was afflicted with boils. His friends even turned against him and branded him a sinner saying that what he was going through was a nemesis for the sins he had committed. Yet in the midst of all these calamities Job still had the conviction to cry out: ‘I know my redeemer lives’!

Remember Queen Esther; she who pleaded with the King not to have the Jews slain. Were it not for her effort, the entire Jewish race would have been wiped out of the face of the earth. One young lady, whose most remarkable attribute was her beauty, saved an entire generation from extinction.

Then there was another young beautiful lady called Mary – the mother of Jesus. When angel Gabriel came to her with the news that she will bear a son to be called Jesus, Mary responded by saying: ‘let it be done as you have said’. At this time she was engaged to a handsome young man called Joseph. Mary was within her rights to refuse angel Gabriel’s offer. Although she was not being forced to be the mother of the savior of the world, she gladly allowed the will of God to be done in her life. For that act of unquestioning obedience, Mary’s place in eternity is one of glory and high esteem. I can’t help but wonder what would happen if angel Gabriel decided to pay a visit to a modern lady with the same proposition. Your guess as to her reaction is as good as mine, but it would definitely be something like ‘no way’ in capital letters! Thank God that Mary was obedient to the will of God. If she had rejected Gabriel’s proposition, God’s redemption plan for mankind would have been nipped in the bud.

These few examples cannot even pretend to scratch the surface of the many people in the Bible who, in one way or the other, allowed the will of God to triumph in their lives. The Bible has accounts of people from all walks of life, without whose contribution, the Holy Scriptures would be incomplete. These people include windows, the poor, the rich, prostitutes, tax extorters, thieves, etc. God did not only use the high and mighty in the society. He used a rich man, a prostitute, a boy and his lunch box, a poor woman with only two pennies left in her pouch, a widow who only had a little oil and a handful of flour separating both her son and herself from life and death, etc. Through them God has communicated the principles of His Kingdom so that we can apply them to our lives as Christians.

Of course none of these people compares, even remotely, to our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Any ‘bible’ that does not have Jesus Christ as its central theme can only be a manual of the antichrist. Jesus paid the ultimate price – that of laying down his life so that you and I may have everlasting life. However, let us concentrate a little more on other people, who through their actions – some positive, others not too positive – allowed God to use them for the extension of His Kingdom. People who are more or less like you and me, who, nevertheless, opened themselves up to God’s divine plan for mankind’s redemption.

As we meditate upon the lives of people like Paul, Job, Mary, etc as enumerated above, I would suggest that we ask ourselves this question: when the book of Acts is complete, is your name going to feature as one who allowed God to use him or her for the purpose of His kingdom? What can you point with confidence as your contribution – whether big or small – to the extension of the Kingdom of God? I believe that every Christian has a divine calling, or a duty, to perform a particular task for God. Whether it is cleaning the Church, preaching or praying for the sick, all of these have their place in the kingdom of God.

You may not do such significant tasks as Paul did, or undergo such severe testing as Job, but whatever God has called you to do, do it with all your might and with all your heart. If Jesus could notice the works of such a humble person as the woman who gave an offering of two pennies, He will likewise notice and reward the little things we do for his kingdom.

One of the biggest fallacies today in the lives of Christians is the erroneous belief that only pastors, evangelists, apostles, prophets, and teachers of the Word of God have the mandate of propagating the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This misconception has led to so many of us neglecting the calling of God in our lives. It does not matter how busy we may be in our daily secular duties. The Bible says that even though we are in this world, we are not of this world. What this implies is that the things of the heavenly Kingdom should take precedent over the things of this world we are living in. The Bible says that heaven and earth shall pass away but the Word of God shall forever remain. The world in which we are living is temporal and will soon be wiped for it’s corruptible nature. It is therefore important for us as Christians to lay greater emphasis on the work of the Kingdom of God, which is not only incorruptible, but also endures forever!

One of the most critical issues today among Christians is the overemphasis on personal gratification. We often think of how we are going to make our lives here on earth more comfortable and more prosperous. As a result we spend our waking and sleeping lives thinking and working on how to make more money, acquire more properties, gain popularity, fame and power, at the expense of God’s work. I’m making this statement in the knowledge that I could easily be misunderstood. However, the issue at hand is so crucial such that we need to confront it head on. The most important issue is to know how to walk the thin line that separates God’s work from our own self-gratification. Please understand that I’m not saying that pursuit of material things is wrong. In fact the Bible encourages us to seek such. However it is the order in which we seek these material things which establishes where our priorities lie. The Bible extols us to seek first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness, after which all material and non-material things will be added to us (Matthew 6: 33). This is where most Christians get their priorities wrong. Instead of seeking the Kingdom of God first, they go chasing after ‘things’.

Paul dedicated his entire life after conversion to preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Despite many difficulties and afflictions on his body, he nevertheless stayed focused to the cause he was called to. In between preaching the Gospel, Paul made tents, which he sold and got his daily bread from. However, tent making was not his priority as he was later to admit. He only traded in tents to avoid being a burden to the people he ministered to – even though he knew he was within his rights to be fed by the churches. Paul had one consuming purpose in his life – to press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14). To Paul, this was not just an impressive mission statement but also a way of life. Each and every day of his life, he ate, drank and slept the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the point that he one day remarked that he was ‘crucified with Christ’ (Galatians 2: 20).

As I conclude, allow me to pose this question once again: what will be credited to you when the book of Acts – which is still being written – comes to its eventual conclusion on Judgment Day? Or, to put it more plainly, what are you doing today that directly impacts positively on the Kingdom of God. Are you one of those busy technocrats who have little or no time for anything else? I believe that each one of us have a role to play in the Kingdom of God. You may not be able to go out into the mission fields to preach the Gospel, but you can facilitate such missions through your finances. How much of your time – or your resources – do you invest in the Kingdom of God, which is eternal, as compared to how much you invest in this perishable, corrupt world we are living in. What do you seek first, to please God, or to please yourself?

These are all hard questions that every Christian believer must ask him/herself. Let us not just take it for granted that we are going to heaven. Going to heaven is not an automatic benefit. It’s a benefit that also has its requirements. The most important requirement, I believe, is the one found in Matthew 6:33, that is, ‘seek first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness’. It really does not matter what else you do with your life while in this world. What will tip the balance when your accuser confronts you on judgment day is not your worldly riches or achievements, but whether you sought, first and foremost, to play your part in the Kingdom of God. As you wake up in the morning to report to your duty station or your business, remember to put God and His work above all else. As you distribute your resources to your areas of need, remember God’s work and His servants. After all, come Judgment Day, your worldly riches and achievements will only constitute inconsequential evidence. However, your contribution to the Kingdom of God, coupled with holy and righteous living, will guarantee you not only a place in the continuing book of Acts, but also a place in heaven alongside such luminaries like Paul, Moses, Abraham, Job, among others. The choice is yours now: the Kingdom of God and its righteousness first, or material things. Whatever you choose, remember that heaven and earth will pass away but God’s Word will abide forever! Amen.

I would appreciate your feedback on this message. Let me know whether it has been a blessing to you. Send me an email at img@ssmk.net.