Matthew 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a testimony unto all the nations; and then shall the end come.”
To me one of the great signs of His coming is the worldwide preaching of the gospel of His Kingdom. However, it is interesting to note that it is talking about the gospel of His Kingdom. Reformation will bring us back to the truth and reality of Christ’s Kingdom.
Many have been duped by a cheap salvation, a salvation which excludes the suffering of a cross that bids us to come and also die. It has been a gospel where Christ has come to save us from our troubles rather than from our sinful lives. Perhaps this is why so few persevere and go on in their Christian life, or why there is not much difference today between those in the church and those who are on the outside.
When we come to Christ we find that we are not delivered from troubles, but just the opposite. Our lives are full of troubles, and all the more when we find that this fallen world is against us. Because we do not understand what to expect as journey with Jesus, and we have not been trained properly in how to stand up and faithfully face all kinds of difficulties, we fall away and lose out on what we could’ve had with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Being born-again is the beginning of a great journey toward the full maturity that God is wanting for His children. For the church to go on to maturity it must begin with the message. Our message is a message of hope, for it is a call to battle with the promise of victory as we persevere with maturing faith. It is a message that the rightful King is coming to take over. To be saved by the revelation of this glorious Kingdom is an enlistment into the army of the coming King. How does one “enlist” and then refuse needed training?
The preaching of the gospel today seems to be as if the Christian is doing the Lord a favor whenever someone accepts the forgiveness of Jesus Christ. But, the preaching of the gospel is more than forgiveness; it’s seeing Christ’s Kingdom, bowing before Him in full submission and ready for the battle before us, trained and prepared. According to Matthew 24:14 we are to be preaching the gospel of the Kingdom.
It is interesting to note the pattern in Scripture. In Genesis we see the power of God. In Exodus we have not only the power of God being revealed in bringing His people (Israel) out of bondage or slavery, but we see the holiness of God in the giving of His Law, and then the love of God in the Tabernacle of how God dwells with us.
This is something that we are missing today in the presentation of the true gospel. We bring out the love of God – how we see it – but not all the truth about the power and holiness of God. Presenting the Lord’s gospel is like a three-legged stool and with any one leg missing will not hold up anyone who sits on it.
I think it is interesting that when Paul speaks to the man without the Bible Paul starts with the wrath of God. Romans 1:18 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hinder the truth in unrighteousness.” Paul is following the order and reasoning God laid out in Scripture.
Jesus did not come to just be our Savior, but our King. Reformation will bring us back to this truth.