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Lesson
Seventy Eight |
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In Your Bible Read This
Matthew 13, 1-52
Here Is Your Memory Verse
The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord
and of his Christ and he will reign forever and ever. Revelation
11.15
Afterwards Talk About
This
Talk about where you see the righteous and compassionate rule
of the Kingdom of God breaking into life in your city and nation.
How does it come?
Something To Do Before
Next Time
Find some of those people who God’s Kingdom belongs to,
and go
to them as ambassadors bearing gifts and good news.
Invite them to a better Kingdom
Written Diploma Work
From the Kingdom parables of Matthew 13 explain in two pages
the mysterious advance of Kingdom. The Kingdom section
of lesson 3 gives you an outline to follow.
Meditate Word By Word On
This Verse
Daniel 7, 13-14
- Spend a Minute to Change the World
- Pray For Taiwan - 22,000,000 Chinese peoples
- 70% Chinese folk religions, rapid industrial growth and wealth
- Be sure to teach this lesson to others.
- Always pray and prepare well adding your own verses and stories to bring it to life.
We often read about the Kingdom of God (or of heaven) but what do we know about our homeland, our history and our King?
What Is The Kingdom, And Where Is It?
Is it just another name for the church? Who is in it, and who is not? Where did it come from? Can anyone come in? What is life like in the Kingdom? Does anyone care about the poor? What is the economy like? What do the people do? Does the Kingdom have any enemies? Will it rise and then fall? The disciples also wanted to know more about the Kingdom. Let’s see what we can find out. Matthew 18.1; 20.21; Luke 19.11; Acts 1.6.
1. What Is The Kingdom?
Put simply, a kingdom is a place where a King rules. In order for a kingdom to operate, properly and healthily, it needs two things. Firstly, a King, whose word is final and whose power is absolute. Secondly, a band of happy subjects, who are keen and able to the will of the King.
God’s Kingdom was prepared before the creation of the world and people had been looking forward to its coming for a long time. The Church is just one part of it. It is one of only two kingdoms each with a ruler and citizens, but only God’s Kingdom is called ‘good news’ and it cannot be shaken.’ It has keys, secrets and treasures that we can discover, in fact some people sell all they have to gain them. It is not of this world but eternal and invisible until a man is born-again, and then it is easily seen and explored.
Matthew 25.34; Mark 11.10; Mark 15.43; Luke 8.1; Hebrews 12.28; Matthew 16.19; John 18.36; Matthew 13.52; Matthew 13,44-45; Luke 17, 20-21; John 3.3.
2. Who Is In God’s Kingdom?
The King is Jesus
Jesus preached about the Kingdom all the time and said people should repent and turn towards it. Once Jesus taught his disciples about the Kingdom for forty days so it must have been important and there must have been a lot to talk about. We do know that it was established at the high cost of his own body and blood.
Luke 4.43; Matthew 3.2; Matthew 4.17; Acts 1.3; John 18.36; Luke 22.30.Who Does The Kingdom Belong To?
It belongs to God, the Father, then to the poor in spirit and to the penniless poor who follow Jesus. It belongs to the persecuted, to the children, and to the street people. Sometimes people have to go on a long journey to reach the entry point of the Kingdom of God and some people even choose not to marry to be more available for Kingdom service. People can be very enthusiastic to enter.In God’s Kingdom you can be ‘least’ or ‘greatest.’ Position is determined by obedience and by being an example to others. The ‘least’ disciple is said to be greater than any Old Testament hero. Sadly some people will be thrown out for not accepting Jesus and some who today think they are ‘first’ will be last and the ‘last’ in may be the first.
Luke 11.2; Matt. 5.3; Matt. 5.10; Matt. 18.4; Matt. 21.31; Matt. 25.14; Matt. 19.12; Matt. 18, 1 and 4; Matt. 5.19; Matt. 8.12; Luke 7.28.
3. Where Can You See God’s Kingdom?
The disciples saw the entry of the Kingdom and it is near wherever you find forgiveness from the heart, power to bring order, right living, peace, joy, generosity and equality with changed minds to do God’s will. The Kingdom rules where God’s people represent him well as priests and when they are alert for the King’s return. In his Kingdom there is considerable provision for hungry, naked, thirsty, sick and imprisoned people.
Matthew 18.23; Luke 12, 32-34; Matthew 25.1; Matthew 25.35.
How Do You Enter The Kingdom?
Never by buying your way in with money but only through the grace and love of God and the finished work of Jesus. You enter by the callings of God, his righteousness, doing Father’s will, trusting like little children and humbling your heart. You enter and remain in the kingdom by accepting the clothing that God provides, cutting off all evil activities, being born again spiritually, enduring many hardships and willingly caring for the least.
Mark 10.23; Luke 18.24; Col. 1.12,13; 1 Thess. 2.12; Matthew 5.20; Matthew 7.21; Matthew 18, 3-4; Matthew 22.12; Mark 9.47; John 3.5; Acts 14.22; Mat. 25, 34; 40.
4. What Work Do You Do In The Kingdom?
Kingdom people pray for the Kingdom to come and they seek God’s Kingdom rule first. Work is sacrificing on behalf of the Kingdom, casting out demons and sickness, preaching ‘good news’ in all nations and trusting God not human effort for provision, whilst using the King’s money well. More hard work is resisting all ruinous division, religious coldness and unbelief, and never, ever looking back.
Matthew 6.10; Matthew 6.33; Luke 18.29; Matthew 12.28; Matthew 10, 7-8; Luke 9.2; Acts 8.12; Acts 19.8; Luke 12.31; Matthew 12,.25; Matthew 23.13; Luke 10.11; 9.62.
5. The Destiny Of The Kingdom.
The Kingdom is forcefully advancing and destined to grow side by side in tolerance with the kingdoms of this world. It will penetrate all human society without man’s help, fuelled by an inner life.
There are signs which point to the final coming of the Kingdom and the return of Jesus as King forever over a pure and holy people. His Kingdom will be a place of feasting and he will destroy all enemies and hand over the Kingdom to his Father.
There will be lesser sub-kingdoms within the Kingdom but the wicked will not inherit a place now or in the future. Jesus’ followers inherit a new spiritual body to enter the Kingdom.
Matthew 11.12; Matthew 13.24; Matthew 13.31; Matthew 13.33; Matthew 24.14; Matthew 24.31; Matthew 25.10; Luke 13.29; 1 Corinthians 15.24; 1 Corinthians 6.9; Galatians 5.21; Luke 1.33; Revelation 11.15; 1 Corinthians 15.44.
- To Close Pray For The
- World's Most Unreached Peoples By Name
- Taken from the Joshua Project 2000 Unreached Peoples List
- at www.ad2000.org these people have no church and as yet
- no cell, church or mission has committed themselves
- to prayer, adoption or church planting among this people.
Uzbekistan |
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| People Name | Language | Population |
| Azerbaijani | Azerbaijani, North | 38,000 |
| Parsee | Parsi (Parsee) | 190,000 |
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