The Gospel (Good News) of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God
By Gordon Coulson
The Gospel (Good News) of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of
God
What
Will God’s Kingdom be Like?
Jesus
Christ and the Problem of Sin
Introduction
Many people believe there is a God, the creator of all things, but they are not sure if he is personally interested in their lives. They don’t understand why he permits the evil we see in today’s world. Why are there wars, hunger, diseases and suffering? Why are the majority of people today living at or below the poverty line, while a few privileged ones have more money than they can spend in a lifetime? Why do governments today abuse their own citizens and make war with other governments, often for purely materialistic or political reasons? Will there ever be a time on this earth when people will live together in peace? Will we ever see a government that truly cares for the people it governs?
And what about human nature? In today’s world, we see greed and self-interest reigning in human hearts. In rich countries, people are literally dying from overeating, while in poor countries thousands starve to death daily. How can a world be created where love of God and love of neighbor govern our everyday decisions? A just and peaceful world can only exist when its people highly value justice and peace and truly care for each other. People must be transformed into something better, but is this possible?
Thankfully, God has given us the answers to all these questions in his word, the bible. The bible is a collection of sixty-six books which were written by forty of God’s servants over a period of sixteen hundred years. Yet these sixty-six smaller books are amazingly unified into one larger book, the bible. The bible contains detailed prophecy, much which has already been fulfilled, and the remainder which awaits fulfillment. For example, in the book of Daniel, written in the sixth century B.C.E., there are detailed predictions of the rise of world powers: Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greek and Roman (see Daniel 2:31-43, 7:1-26, 8:1-25). Even though these prophecies were written, in some cases, centuries before the events they describe, they were fulfilled in astonishing detail. There are over three hundred prophecies describing the birth, ministry and death of Jesus Christ—centuries before he was even born. Yet these are just a few examples—there are hundreds more. Fulfilled prophecy, along with its amazing harmony and divine wisdom, is proof that the bible was inspired of God, and is like no other sacred book.
Unfortunately the clear message of the bible has been corrupted by churches and religious leaders claiming to represent God. Christian missionaries have often used their positions to further the business and political interests of their own countries. Corrupt religious leaders have used Christianity to satisfy their own greed or lust for power rather than help their followers come to know Christ. Sadly, Christianity has often been used to subjugate people rather than to free them. But this is not the Christianity taught by Jesus Christ and his apostles in the bible. Jesus said:
8"Do not be called Rabbi; for
One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9"Do not call
anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10"Do
not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. 11"But
the greatest among you shall be your servant. 12"Whoever exalts
himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.
(Matthew 23:8-12)
36Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom
were of this world, then my servants would be fighting so that I would not be
handed over to the Jews; but as it is, my kingdom is not of this realm."
(John 18:36)
You will be surprised to learn that the Christianity taught in the bible is generally different than that commonly taught by most churches. You will be happy to know that this authentic, biblical Christianity is freely available to all who sincerely wish to have it.
The Kingdom of God
What is this kingdom Jesus spoke of that is “not of this
world”? It is the realm of God, the place of great joy where God reigns among his
creation. It comes to us in two
stages. The first is the inauguration or
birth of that kingdom at Jesus’ first appearance on earth two thousand years
ago. At that time God’s kingdom broke
into this world quietly, subversively, in the person of Jesus. As Jesus gathered disciples to himself, these
were also brought into the
The
For
He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of
His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
(Colosians 1:12-14)
…for
the
And so the
The book of Daniel prophetically describes this consummation.
In the time of those kings [the kingdoms of this world that
are in opposition to God’s rule], the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that
will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush
all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.
(Daniel 2:44)
13I [Daniel] kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the
clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man [Jesus Christ] was coming, and He came
up to the Ancient of Days [Yahweh, God the Father] and was presented before
Him. 14"And to Him [Jesus] was given dominion, glory and a
kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve
Him. His dominion is an everlasting
dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be
destroyed.
(Daniel 7:13-14)
At God’s appointed time, his kingdom under Jesus Christ will remove the governments of this world, and replace them as sole governing authority. Since we have already witnessed much fulfilled prophecy in striking detail, we can be assured that this prophecy will also be fulfilled. Knowing God’s kingdom will replace the kingdoms of this world, it should be clear that Christians must not mix in politics or support wars, for this would divide our loyalties. Those churches or religious leaders that do mix with the political powers have either not understood this clear bible teaching or choose to ignore it.
4You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is
hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an
enemy of God. (James 4:4)
It is true, of course, that governments of this world provide many basic needs and services, for which we pay taxes. They also provide a stabilizing force without which there would be chaos and anarchy. The apostle Paul, a disciple of Jesus Christ, recognizes this in his letter to the Romans:
1Obey the rulers who have authority over you. Only God can give authority
to anyone, and he puts these rulers in their places of power. (Romans 13:1)
Paul recognizes that God has allowed these worldly governments to exist, even though he intends to destroy them and replace them with his kingdom in the future. So we are not to oppose the governments of this world, or stir up opposition against them in any way. As Christians, we are to obey the laws of the land, and pay our taxes honestly. But is our obedience to our governments absolute? Not at all--Jesus gives us the principle:
19"Show me the coin used for the
poll-tax." And they brought Him a denarius. 20And He said to
them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" 21They
said to Him, "Caesar's." Then He said to them, "Then render to
Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are
God's." 22And hearing this, they were amazed, and leaving Him,
they went away.
(Matthew
22:19-22)
If our government were to ask us to
do something in violation of clear bible teaching, we would have to
refuse. That is, we must “render...to
God the things that are God’s.” This is
precisely what the apostle Peter, another disciple of Jesus, did when the
governing authorities commanded him to stop preaching the good news of Jesus
Christ and the
27When they had brought them, they
stood them before the Council. The high priest questioned them, 28saying,
"We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet,
you have filled
Christians do their best to live a
peaceful, honest life, obeying the laws of the land and contributing in a
positive way to the community they live in.
However, their first allegiance is to God and his Christ. God’s commands will always overrule man’s
laws if there is a conflict. Christians
belong to God’s kingdom, not this world’s kingdoms. They witness to the world about the great
spiritual blessings of being in God’s kingdom now, and warn the world that a
time is coming when Jesus will return in kingly power to remove this world’s
governments and rule over the earth.
They invite everyone to come to Jesus now, become his disciple, and get
a taste of the
What Will God’s Kingdom be Like?
The bible describes that future time when the kingdom rules over the earth.
3And I heard a loud voice from the
throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will
dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among
them, 4and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there
will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying,
or pain; the first things have passed away." 5And He who sits on the throne
said, "Behold, I am making all things new " And He said, "Write,
for these words are faithful and true." (Revelation 21:3-5)
It will be a glorious time, a time when God will dwell with men, and there “will no longer be any death”, or mourning, or crying, or pain.
It will be a paradise. No longer will the rich own everything and the poor masses be left destitute.
21 They will build houses and dwell in
them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 22 No longer
will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. (Isaiah
65:21-22)
It will be a time of peace, even among the animals.
6And the wolf will dwell with the
lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the
young lion and the fatling together; And a little boy will lead them. (Isaiah
11:6)
It will be a time of plenty. The earth will give its harvest in abundance.
The threshing floors will be full of grain, and the vats will overflow with the new wine and oil. (Joel
2:24)
1The wilderness and the desert will
be glad, and the Arabah will rejoice and blossom; Like the crocus. (Isaiah
35:1)
The dead will be resurrected and there will be a judgment.
There shall certainly be a
resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. (Acts 24:15)
39And this is the will of him who sent me, that I [Jesus] shall lose none
of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. (John 6:39)
13And the sea gave up the dead which
were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they
were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. (Revelation 20:13)
Most importantly, it will be a time when the truth of God and his purposes will be known by all. Mankind will be united in the true worship of God our Heavenly Father.
The
earth will be full of the knowledge of Yahweh [the name of God the Father] as
the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:9)
When can we expect God’s Kingdom to begin its rule? We can’t say for sure. The many bible prophecies concerning that event suggest the time is near. However, Jesus plainly stated that even he didn’t know the time, only his Father, God Almighty did (Acts 1:7). Therefore we should continue to pray that God will soon establish his kingdom rule over this earth, and live our lives in expectation of that time.
What about sinful, imperfect human nature? How does God address this problem?
Jesus Christ and the Problem of Sin
The Origin of Sin
The bible teaches that our original parents, the first humans created by God, Adam and Eve, were misled by an evil angel known as Satan the devil (Genesis 3:1-19). God had put them in a beautiful garden, and given them dominion over all the animals. There was only one restriction. He commanded them not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge, and assured them that if they did eat of it they would die. They had two choices: obey God and live forever in paradise, or disobey God and forfeit their eternal life. The issue was God’s sovereignty, his right to rule.
Satan, an evil angel who opposes God, misled Eve. He claimed that what God had said was untrue and that if she ate of the Tree of Knowledge, her eyes would be opened and she would be like God knowing good and bad. Of course these were all lies, but Eve foolishly chose to listen to Satan rather than God. Then she convinced Adam to follow her in disobedience—giving him some of the forbidden fruit to eat.
Because they listened to Satan and disobeyed God’s explicit command, sin was introduced to humankind. Sin simply means a failure to obey God’s commands. This sinful tendency was passed on to all of Adam and Eve’s offspring—the entire human race. God then evicted Adam and Eve from paradise, and removed his spirit from them. They grew old and died, just as God had said. Ever since this rebellion, it is impossible for humans to live a sinless life and have direct communion with God based on their own merit.
Compounding the problem, Satan is still alive and well, and continues to mislead humankind.
9The great dragon was hurled down–that ancient serpent called the devil,
or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his
angels with him. (Revelation 12:9)
We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. (1 John 5:19)
So God had a dilemma. His first created humans had rebelled against him, and had produced what would eventually be billions of disobedient, sinful offspring and a world misled by Satan. Yet God, despite our stupidity and rebelliousness, continued to love us and wanted to redeem us from our foolish course. There is nothing we can offer God to redeem ourselves, since we are imperfect and own nothing that God did not already give us. So God would have to give something to satisfy his own principles of justice.
The Problem of Sin Solved
What could God give, that would be so precious and of such
high value that all of sinful mankind could potentially be redeemed? The answer is his only-begotten son
Jesus. There is nothing more valuable or
precious than someone’s firstborn. Jesus
existed in the heavens with God for eons prior to his coming to earth (Proverbs
8:22-31). He would have to be
miraculously transformed into a human, and be born of a woman in order to
provide a perfect human sacrifice. The
perfect life of Jesus would be a ransom (rescuing) sacrifice for the perfect
life Adam that was lost in
5Have this attitude in yourselves
which was also in Christ Jesus, 6who, although He existed in the
form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but
emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the
likeness of men.
8Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled
Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
(Philippians 2:5-8)
18Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had
been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with
child by the Holy Spirit. 19And Joseph her husband, being a
righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away
secretly.
20But when he had considered this, behold, an
angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of
David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been
conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
21"She will bear a Son; and you shall call
His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." (Matthew
1:18-21)
God declares that this sacrifice is sufficient to redeem all men, and then provides the sacrifice. God’s scale of justice is then satisfied completely.
21For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:21-23)
God would give his only son as a sacrifice for our sins in order to satisfy his universal laws of justice. Any person that believes in this sacrifice and repents of his sins will be forgiven and be considered righteous in God’s eyes. In this sacred offering, we see the deep love of God for his creation.
16"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John
3:16)
Jesus willingly accepted this assignment, and came to the earth two thousand years ago to teach people about God’s kingdom, and to give his life as a sacrifice. After three and a half years of ministry, he was falsely accused by the religious leaders, who then pressured the Roman government into executing him. He willingly suffered abuse and torture, and finally crucifixion: he was nailed to a wooden cross and left to die.
But [God] demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
Yet Jesus did not remain dead. Three days later, he was resurrected by God, his Father. He appeared to more than five hundred disciples, teaching them and strengthening them for the preaching work ahead. He commanded his disciples to…
“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and
teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you
always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
Shortly after this, his disciples witnessed his ascension back to heaven (Acts 1:9-11). However, he promised to return. It is with great anticipation that his disciples look forward to this event, for when Jesus returns a second time, it will be to gather his disciples to himself, inaugurate God’s kingdom over this earth, and resurrect the dead.
30At that time the sign of the Son of
Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They
will see the Son of Man [Jesus Christ] coming on the clouds of the sky, with
power and great glory. (Matthew 24:30)
28Do not marvel at this; for an hour
is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His [Jesus’] voice, 29and
will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those
who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment. (John 5:28-30)
Who is Jesus Christ?
Since Jesus Christ is king of God’s kingdom, we might ask, what kind of person is he?
He is compassionate.
33When Jesus therefore saw her
weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in
spirit and was troubled, 34and said, "Where have you laid
him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see." 35Jesus wept. (John 11:33-35)
He loves children.
13Then some children were brought to him so that he might lay his hands on
them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them. 14But Jesus said,
"Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to me; for the
kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." (Matthew 19:13-14)
He can cure the sick and heal any ailment.
And large crowds
came to him, bringing with them those who were lame, crippled, blind, mute, and
many others, and they laid them down at his feet; and he healed them. (Matthew 15:30)
He can raise the dead to life.
39Jesus said, "Remove the
stone." Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to him, "Lord, by
this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days." 40Jesus
said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the
glory of God?" 41So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised
his eyes, and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42"I
knew that you always hear me; but because of the people standing around I said
it, so that they may believe that you sent me." 43When he had
said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come
forth."
44The man who had died came forth, bound hand and
foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said
to them, "Unbind him, and let him go." (John 11:39-44)
He has authority over the forces of nature.
26He said to them, "Why are you afraid, you men of little
faith?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became
perfectly calm. (Matthew 8:26)
He can miraculously feed large crowds.
19Ordering the people to sit down on
the grass, he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward
heaven, he blessed the food, and breaking the loaves he gave them to the
disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds, 20and they all
ate and were satisfied. They picked up what was left over of the broken pieces,
twelve full baskets. (Matthew 14:19-20)
He has been given all authority by God. Satan has no power over him.
18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has
been given to me in heaven and on earth. (Matthew 28:18)
31"Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will
be cast out. (John 12:31)
30I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is
coming. He has no hold on me. (John 14:30)
Jesus is the perfect representation of his Father Yahweh, God Almighty, and does his father’s will.
15He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all
creation. (Colossians 1:15)
16Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent
me. (John 7:16)
42He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, "My Father, if
this cannot pass away unless I drink it, your will be done." (Matthew
26:42)
We know that Jesus has intense love for mankind, because he laid down his very life for us even though we are undeserving of this grace. What a contrast to man’s governments, which often abuse their own citizens and make wars with other countries. God’s government under our righteous king and savior, Jesus Christ, will be a benevolent government, which truly loves and cares for its subjects. The many miracles Jesus performed are just a taste of what he will do when God’s kingdom rules over the earth.
What We Need to Do
Jesus Christ is very much alive. He has been raised from the dead by God, his Father, and now sits on a throne at the Father’s side. He has a keen interest in us as individuals. If we believe that the governments of this world cannot create a just, peaceful society, and if we recognize that we are sinful and imperfect, we need to come to Jesus Christ and ask to be his disciple. Through Jesus Christ, we can worship Yahweh, our Heavenly Father, creator of all things.
23But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship
the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be his
worshipers. (John 4:23)
44No one can come to me [Jesus] unless the Father who sent me draws him;
and I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6:44)
Repentance and Baptism
We need to repent of our sins, and ask God to forgive us in Jesus’ name. Then, we must be baptized (immersed) in water to symbolize our dedication to Christ publicly. Note the Apostle Peter’s advice to the Jews of the first century.
36"Therefore let all the house of
Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ--this Jesus
whom you crucified."
37Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart,
and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we
do?"
38Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of
you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins;
and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39"For the promise is for you
and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will
call to Himself." (Acts 2:37-39)
When we are baptized in water, in
the presence of God and fellow believers, we make a solemn commitment to follow
Christ wherever he leads. We declare our
old life in the flesh dead, and promise to obey the commands of Jesus and live
as a spiritual person for the rest of our lives.
The Holy Spirit
Notice that if you repent and are baptized in water in the name of Jesus Christ, “you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” This was the very Holy Spirit Jesus promised would be given to them some time after his death and resurrection.
4Gathering them together, he [Jesus]
commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had
promised, "Which," he said, "you heard of from me; 5for
John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not
many days from now." (Acts 1:4-5)
The Holy Spirit is the power of God, which is given to disciples of Jesus. This Holy Spirit operates on the minds and hearts of true believers, teaching them the truths of God’s Word and enlightening the believer about God’s purposes and will.
27As for you, the anointing [by Holy Spirit] which you received from him
[God] abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as his
anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just
as it has taught you, you abide in him. (1 John 2:27)
The Holy Spirit unites the believer to Jesus Christ. A spiritual connection is made between the believer’s heart and mind and their Lord. The scriptures liken this arrangement to a physical body. Jesus Christ is the head of this body, and the individual believers make up the body itself. True Christians, then, function in unity under their leader and head, Jesus Christ.
12For even as the body is one and yet
has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are
one body, so also is Christ. 13For by one Spirit we were all
baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we
were all made to drink of one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:12-13)
5I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in me and I in him,
he bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)
It is important for the new believer to progress in the truth of God’s word, the bible, asking for Holy Spirit to help in the understanding and application of this truth.
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly
Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" (Luke 11:13)
We should desire to be a good witness for Jesus Christ and try hard to progressively become more Christ-like in our personalities and daily living. The Holy Spirit assists us in this.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness,
self-control; against such things there is no law. 24Now those who belong to Christ
Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians
5:22-24)
Christian Fellowship
Since Christians are united to Christ in one spiritual body, it is very important to find other Christians to meet with. This does not have to be a formal church, but can be a simple, informal meeting in your home with others of like faith.
20"For where two or three have gathered together in my name, I am
there in their midst." (Matthew 18:20)
A word of caution, however, is in order. Not all people calling themselves Christians live truly Christian lives. Jesus indicated this in his parable of the wheat and tares (Matthew 13). We should be discerning but not judgmental. The following principles may help in finding other sincere Christians to fellowship with.
True Christians:
- Are motivated by principled, Christian love. They are sincerely interested in helping their neighbors and their brothers and sisters in Christ. They wish for all people to come to know God as they have.
- Consider the bible to be the final authority on all doctrine, not church traditions, church leaders, or theological systems devised by men.
- Recognize
only one ultimate leader of the congregation, Jesus Christ, and one God
Almighty, the Father of our Lord Jesus.
Men can assume leadership positions in a church, but they are
servants of Christ only. Any man or church which attempts to
replace Christ’s unique position as head of the congregation should be
rejected.
- Are firm on the separation of church and state. They remain neutral in the conflicts of this world. They know that only God’s Kingdom will solve this world’s problems and look forward to its establishment with great anticipation.
- Are humble servants of Jesus Christ. They are not interested in glory for themselves, but give all the glory to their Heavenly Father.
- Never attempt to coerce someone into believing something. They recognize that belief must be voluntary, guided by the individual’s conscience.
If you are looking for Christian believers to fellowship with, pray to God in Jesus’ name that you will find some. The guidelines above may help you, but the best help is God himself. You could also try starting a small group in your own home. Simply find one or two other people that are interested in studying the bible. Invite them to your home for a meal. Pray together for forgiveness, for wisdom, for daily needs, for direction from God, for each other, and for those you know that need help. Read and discuss the bible together, and apply the things you learn to your own lives. Share these truths with others, and invite them to join your home group. Sing spiritual songs, and offer thanks and praise to our Heavenly Father, Yahweh, in the name of Jesus.
The Christian Communion Meal
On the night of Jesus’ arrest, he was sharing the Passover
meal with his disciples. The Passover
was an annual celebration whereby Jews remembered their deliverance from
14When the hour came, Jesus and his
apostles reclined at the table. 15And he said to
them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds
fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”
17After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take
this and divide it among you. 18For I tell you I
will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
19And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave
it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of
me.”
20In the same way, after the supper he took the cup,
saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for
you.” (Luke 22:14-20)
Christians continue to keep this celebration in memory of Jesus’ sacrificial death. They gather regularly to share bread and wine in memory of their Lord. Some observe it annually, others celebrate more often. The bible is not specific on the frequency. The important thing is for all Christians to celebrate it regularly, meditating on the meaning of the bread (his body) and the wine (his sacrificial blood of the new covenant), while we patiently await his return in glory to establish God’s kingdom over the earth.
Summary
Six thousand years of history have proven that mankind is unable to govern himself effectively. Only God’s kingdom can bring about a just, peaceful world. God intends to do this, and promises to replace earth’s governments with a kingdom headed by his son Jesus Christ.
However, the problem of sin remains. Humans inherit sin and imperfection from their parents and so are not able to commune with God directly. A mediator is needed, and this mediator is provided by God himself in the person of his son, Jesus Christ, who died as a sacrifice for our sins, but who was resurrected and now sits at the right hand of God in heaven. He will return in the future to establish God’s kingdom over the earth, to resurrect the dead, and to bring about an era of peace, justice, freedom, righteousness and true worship that has never been seen on this earth since the beginning.
If we believe these promises in the bible, then let us become a disciple of Jesus Christ and tell others of this good news. Let us repent of our sins, and be baptized in water as a symbol of our dedication. Let us seek other sincere Christians to fellowship with. Let us celebrate the memorial of our Lord’s death regularly. And let us continue to pray as our Lord Jesus Christ taught us:
9You
should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, help us to honor your name. 10Come and set up your kingdom, so
that everyone on earth will obey you, as you are obeyed in heaven. 11Give us our food for today. 12Forgive
us for doing wrong, as we forgive others.
13Keep us from being tempted and protect us from evil. (Matthew 6:9-13)
Last updated August
17, 2007