The Anabaptist Voice 10

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Which Kingdom?

The Anabaptist Voice
10/21/2009

Proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom of God: Love, Joy and Peace in Jesus.

Dear friends in Christ,

       How are you? We pray you are well under the wonderful love and grace of our Heavenly Father. We here in southern Arizona are having a beautiful weather. Surprisingly, the temperature was 43 degrees this morning. It had been quite warm with 90s for the last couple of days. Well, October is almost over, so it would be natural to be cool. When we were visiting Canada at the end of September, we could see some trees changing colors, and we were enjoying the beautiful colors there. Over here in Arizona, we see so little change of colors with trees.
       Don is busy as usual with his computer business. He receives 50 to 70 emails daily. It is amazing. Michi is busy working with the Anabaptist songbook. It is taking a long time. She is praying that it should be done soon. She is asking the Lord to show her everything. Right now, she is trying to put the songs in order by their topic. She knows she is only an instrument. God gave her a job, no; He gave Don and Michi a job to make the songbook. Don is such a good helper for Michi. Without him, the songbook would not be done. She is so grateful that God provides what we needs. She is so grateful for her husband.
       Naomi is doing better since yesterday, but she has been dizzy. She fell and got a black eye. She was using her wheelchair for almost all last week. We are glad that she is doing better and is happy. We are blessed to have her.
       Our former foster daughter Stephanie Reedy called from Spokane, Washington. It is wonderful to talk with her. Lord, we pray You will guide her and protect her. Thank you.
       Every Monday evening our oldest son Mike calls us on the way home from work. Last night, all of us, Don, Michi and their five children, Mike, Naomi, Patrick, David, and Jim talked together on a conference call. We talked for more than an hour, and it was wonderful. We would like to have it weekly. What a joy to be able to talk together. This was the first time that we held a conference all with everyone and what joy it was. At the end, Pat’s children, 3 year old Elizabeth and 6 year old Titus, came to the phone and it was a joy also. We want to do it again and again. Thank you, Lord, for our wonderful children and that we could enjoy the family conversations.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you. (2 Cor 13:14)

Your brother and sisters in Christ,

Don, Michi & Naomi Murphy

Tucson, AZ, phone 520-297-1639
www.AnabaptistChurch.org

Jesus said, “People will know that you are my disciples by your love for one another.” (John 13:35)

Good News!

       What kind of good news would we like to receive? That depends to a large degree on our nature. If, for example, we are strong Republicans, good news for us might be bad news for the Democrats. On a more serious note, if we were trapped on the top floor of a building that is on fire, good news for us would be a rescue helicopter coming to evacuate us.
       If a person is burdened with trials and tribulations, such as ill health or financial troubles, then good news would be a way to overcome those problems. A person may feel empty and not worth anything so good news to them would be finding a meaning in life. Some people are overwhelmed with the evil in the world so good news would be a way to see to overcome that evil. Others are depressed and saddened by sin in their own lives and are heavy laden, seeking freedom from these things.
       Jesus Christ came to bring good news to the troubled and heavy laden. He came to usher in a new life for all who desire to be always happy and joyful. Jesus calls, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Mt 11:28-30) He is calling people to come and live in His kingdom, both now and forever.
       The kingdom of God is mentioned about 140 times in the New Testament. It is the common theme in the preaching of the Lord Jesus and His apostles. Jesus began His ministry by proclaiming the good news from God, “The time has come, the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mk 1:15)
       So what is the kingdom of God? It is a place where we can be at peace, where we can be loved and full of joy. While we are alive on earth, it is a place within us, deep in our spirit (Luke 17:21), a state of mind that shields us from the depression and sadness that evil in our life brings. The Bible says that the kingdom of God is a place of righteousness, peace and joy. (Rom 14:17)
       Jesus said that the kingdom of God is so wonderful that once a person recognizes it, he will give up all that he has in order to obtain that kingdom. (Mt 13:44-46)

How can we recognize the kingdom of God?

       To do that a person must be born again, born from above (John 3:3) so that their eyes are opened and they can see the wonder of the kingdom of God, so that they can marvel and appreciate such a state of peace and love and joy for their life.
       In order to be born again, a person must open their heart to the Lord God and be looking for His mercy and grace and accept His love. (Rev 3:20)
       Being in the kingdom of God does not make all of your trials and tribulations disappear. But it does mean that you can be cheerful, with peace and joy, in the midst of them. (John 16:33)

How can we enter the kingdom of God?

       In order to enter the kingdom of God a person must repent of their sins, be baptized in water as a symbol of being washed clean, and be immersed in the Holy Spirit, be filled with the Spirit of God. (John 3:5, Acts 1:8)
       We can only enter the kingdom of God by recognizing Jesus Christ as king. “The Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life. God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:14-16)
       A person who truly believes in Jesus will follow the teachings of Jesus; he will try to obey all of His commands. (Mt 7:21-27, Rom 16:26, James 2:14-28, 1 John 2:3-6) Living in obedience to the Lord Jesus will set the person free from his sin. (John 8:31-32) This ability to live in obedience to Jesus is a process that may be quick for some and slow for others.
       We want to be able to say with the apostle Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal 2:20) In order to reach that goal we have to die to self and live according to the teachings of Jesus and His apostles. Remember that the Lord Jesus came to earth and spent three years preaching the kingdom of God and how to live a life pleasing to God.
       When we accept Jesus as Lord of our lives, the Spirit of Christ begins to grow within us, not unlike a woman when she becomes pregnant with a child. (Gal 4:19) As we die to ourselves, the Spirit grows within us. As first the Spirit may seem very small, has little control of our lives, but as we grow in spiritual maturity, the Spirit of Christ within us exerts greater and greater influence over our thoughts and our actions so that they become as Jesus taught in the Gospels.

The Two Kingdoms

       As we begin to recognize the kingdom of God and its wonders and glories, we also begin to recognize that there is another kingdom here on earth, one controlled by the devil, which we call the kingdom of the world. The apostle John writes, “We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” (1 John 5:19) And the Gospel of Luke also describes the kingdom of the world: The devil led Jesus up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours.” (Luke 4:5-7)
       So what do we see in these verses? We see that as of now there is a physical kingdom, ruled by the devil, and a spiritual kingdom, the Kingdom of God, ruled by the Lord Jesus. The apostle Paul writes about the future, “Then the end will come, when he [Jesus] hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.” (1 Cor 15:24)
       The apostle John writes, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John 2:15-17)

The Future

       Jesus told us that at the end of time everyone who has ever lived on earth will be gathered before Him for the Last Judgment. He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory and judge each person according to his deeds while alive on earth. Those who ended their life living according to the teachings of Christ will be rewarded with heavenly glory. Those who ended their life living contrary to the teachings of Jesus will be punished in the everlasting fires of hell. (Mt 25:31-46, Mt 7:13-27)

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