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[03 Aug 2007 | Friday] 12:02 AM

Category: Life
Viewpoint 1: My 2 Month Study Of The Great Commission - Fall 2006

In the last 3 blogs we have gone over The Great Commission's statement "make disciples". Now I am going to go over one of the offshoots of how to accomplish such a daunting task. The Books of Acts ends with this
(NASB) Acts 28:31
preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered.

Thus we need to know how to preach the Kingdom of God if we want to make disciples. Teaching shows up later in The Great Commission. Interestingly, most Christians know how to teach about Jesus, but very few know how to preach the Kingdom of God. My Goal of this blog is to go through the Bible, and make a cheat sheet on the Kingdom of God. Hopefully by the end of this you will have a general idea on how to preach the Kingdom of God.



Strong's entry on the word Kingdom (NT)
Kingdom - Strong's Number: 932
NAS Verse Count - Total: 155
1.   royal power, kingship, dominion, rule
a.   not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom
b.   of the royal power of Jesus as the triumphant Messiah
c.   of the royal power and dignity conferred on Christians in the Messiah's kingdom
   2.   a kingdom, the territory subject to the rule of a king
   3.   used in the N.T. to refer to the reign of the Messiah

Strong's entry on the word Kingdom (OT)
Kingdom - Strong's Number: 4467
NAS Verse Count: 113
1.   kingdom, dominion, reign, sovereignty
a.   kingdom, realm
b.   sovereignty, dominion
c.   reign

Amazingly kingdom is used more in the New Testament then in the Old! The first step is to answers some questions about the Kingdom of God....

Where is the Kingdom of God?
(NASB) John 18:36-37
Jesus 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." Therefore Pilate said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."

(NASB) Luke 17:20-21
Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, `Look, here it is!' or, `There it is!' For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst."

Now check this out... the word midst as used in Luke 17:21, in the Strong's is
Midst - Strongs Number: 1787
NAS Verse Count: Total 2. Matthew 1, Luke 1.
1.   within, inside
a.   within you i.e. in the midst of you
b.   within you i.e. your soul

The verse in Matthew is
(NABS) Matthew 23:26
"You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also."


Where is the Kingdom of God? It is not of this realm... it's within, or inside of you.



What is the Kingdom of God?
(NASB) Romans 14:15-17
For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

(NASB) 1 Corinthians 4:20
For the kingdom of God does not consist in words, but in power.


What is the Kingdom of God? It is righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. It does not consist in words, but in power.



How does one see/enter the Kingdom of God?
(NASB) John 3:3-5
Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?" Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

(NASB) Acts 14:22
strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God."

(NASB) Matthew 5:10
Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

(NASB) 2 Peter 1:5-11
Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.

(NASB) Mark 12:32-34
The scribe said to Him, "Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that HE IS ONE, AND THERE IS NO ONE ELSE BESIDES HIM; AND TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL THE HEART AND WITH ALL THE UNDERSTANDING AND WITH ALL THE STRENGTH, AND TO LOVE ONE'S NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." After that, no one would venture to ask Him any more questions.


How does one see/enter the Kingdom of God? Being born of water and the Spirit, and Through many tribulations/persecutions we enter the Kingdom of God. Believing that God is One, to love God first and to love your neighbor as your self; you are close to the Kingdom of God.



Who is called into the Kingdom?
(NASB) 1 Thessalonians 2:10-13
You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers; just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.

(NASB) James 2:4-6
have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives? Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court?

(NASB) Matthew 5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

(NASB) Matthew 7:21-23
"Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. "Many will say to Me on that day, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' "And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'

(NASB) Mark 10:15
"Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it at all."

(NASB) Luke 9:62
But Jesus said to him, "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

(NASB) Matthew 11:11
"Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.


Who is called into the Kingdom? One who does the will of God. The rich in faith. One who walks in a manner worthy of God. One who receives the kingdom of God like a child. One who after putting his hand to the plow doesn't look back. One who is greater than John the Baptist.



Can we see the Kingdom of God here on earth?
Luke 9:27
"But I say to you truthfully, there are some of those standing here who shall not taste death until they see the kingdom of God."

Matthew 6:10
'Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.


Can we see the Kingdom of God here on earth? Through prayer, yes.



Who Can Not enter/inherit the Kingdom of God?
(NASB) 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

Galatians 5:19-21
Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Ephesians 5:5
For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

1 Corinthians 15:47-50
The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly. Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.


Who Can Not enter/inherit the Kingdom of God? The unrighteous and those who practice the deeds of the flesh.




Wow, thats a lot of scripture... but there is a lot more on this subject. A LOT MORE. Now that we have a basic understanding of what the Kingdom of God is i will go over in my next blog how biblically apply this knowledge. Please let me know if i have any holes here or if your not sure; this is a lot of info.

If you wish to Study even more then the subject of Kings is a great start, also look up the scriptures in the 2 links above in the Strong's Concordance.
 
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[30 Jul 2007 | Monday] 7:48 AM

Category: Life
Viewpoint 1: My 2 Month Study Of The Great Commission - Fall 2006

In my last blog, I stated there is a connection from Matthew 28 directly to Acts 14. In my attempt to explain, how to make a disciple, Acts 14 will be an important peace of the puzzle. It's not the only peace, and only after i have explained the 3 other viewpoints, will the picture hopefully be complete. I have no idea how many blogs it will take to get there, but hopefully the journey will be worth it.


To try and figure out the end result Acts 14:21 "...made many disciples..." we need to go back to the start of this chapter.

(NLT) Acts 14:1-7
In Iconium, Paul and Barnabas went together to the synagogue and preached with such power that a great number of both Jews and Gentiles believed. But the Jews who spurned God's message stirred up distrust among the Gentiles against Paul and Barnabas, saying all sorts of evil things about them. The apostles stayed there a long time, preaching boldly about the grace of the Lord. The Lord proved their message was true by giving them power to do miraculous signs and wonders. But the people of the city were divided in their opinion about them. Some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles. A mob of Gentiles and Jews, along with their leaders, decided to attack and stone them. When the apostles learned of it, they fled for their lives. They went to the region of Lycaonia, to the cities of Lystra and Derbe and the surrounding area, and they preached the Good News there.

In short Paul and Barnabas preached with power and boldness. They also preformed many signs and wonders. They made some people mad.

(NLT) Acts 14:8-18
While they were at Lystra, Paul and Barnabas came upon a man with crippled feet. He had been that way from birth, so he had never walked. He was listening as Paul preached, and Paul noticed him and realized he had faith to be healed. So Paul called to him in a loud voice, "Stand up!" And the man jumped to his feet and started walking. When the listening crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in their local dialect, "These men are gods in human bodies!" They decided that Barnabas was the Greek god Zeus and that Paul, because he was the chief speaker, was Hermes. The temple of Zeus was located on the outskirts of the city. The priest of the temple and the crowd brought oxen and wreaths of flowers, and they prepared to sacrifice to the apostles at the city gates. But when Barnabas and Paul heard what was happening, they tore their clothing in dismay and ran out among the people, shouting, "Friends, why are you doing this? We are merely human beings like yourselves! We have come to bring you the Good News that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. In earlier days he permitted all the nations to go their own ways, but he never left himself without a witness. There were always his reminders, such as sending you rain and good crops and giving you food and joyful hearts." But even so, Paul and Barnabas could scarcely restrain the people from sacrificing to them.

They heal a lame person, and the entire town thinks they are Gods.

(NLT) Acts 14:19-28
Now some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and turned the crowds into a murderous mob. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, apparently dead. But as the believers stood around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe. After preaching the Good News in Derbe and making many disciples, Paul and Barnabas returned again to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch of Pisidia, where they strengthened the believers. They encouraged them to continue in the faith, reminding them that they must enter into the Kingdom of God through many tribulations. Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church and prayed for them with fasting, turning them over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had come to trust. Then they traveled back through Pisidia to Pamphylia. They preached again in Perga, then went on to Attalia. Finally, they returned by ship to Antioch of Syria, where their journey had begun and where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. Upon arriving in Antioch, they called the church together and reported about their trip, telling all that God had done and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles, too. And they stayed there with the believers in Antioch for a long time.

Fame is fleeting... Paul gets stoned and later they preach the Gospel. They get the church together and reported about their trip.

To summarize chapter 14: To make disciples, you need to boldly preach the Gospel. Signs and wonders and healing will follow you as well as people who don't like you.


Now we are presented with 2 problems... we need to know how to be bold, and we need to know what it means to preach the Gospel. Where did this boldness come from? And how do we know how to articulate, what the Gospel is? If we flip backwards in the book of Acts, we can find the starting point of where they got their boldness. If we go to the last chapter of Acts it gives us a quick glance of what exactly they where preaching.

Starting with Boldness and moving backwards we find
(NLT) Acts 13:46
Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, "It was necessary that this Good News from God be given first to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life well, we will offer it to Gentiles.

(NLT) Acts 9:27
Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the way to Damascus. Barnabas also told them what the Lord had said to Saul and how he boldly preached in the name of Jesus in Damascus. Then the apostles accepted Saul, and after that he was constantly with them in Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord.

So far Boldness and preaching go hand in hand, but they already had boldness... we need to find the source. We need to look further back.

(NLT) Acts 4:29-31
And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give your servants great boldness in their preaching.  Send your healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus." After this prayer, the building where they were meeting shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. And they preached God's message with boldness.

Jackpot! They prayed for boldness and got filled with the Holy Spirit. Acts 4:8-13 supports this...
(NLT) Acts 4:8-13
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Leaders and elders of our nation, are we being questioned because we've done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed? Let me clearly state to you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed in the name and power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth, the man you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead. For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, 'The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.' There is salvation in no one else! There is no other name in all of heaven for people to call on to save them." The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men who had had no special training. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.

Also, lets see what Jesus Said...
(NLT) Acts 1:8
But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Boldness and power comes from the Holy Spirit. Sweet, now on to what it means to preach the Gospel... What did Jesus talk about?

(NLT) Acts 1:3
During the forty days after his crucifixion, he appeared to the apostles from time to time and proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. On these occasions he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.

Jesus likes to talk about the Kingdom of God, and so did the apostles.

(NLT) Acts 19:8
Then Paul went to the synagogue and preached boldly for the next three months, arguing persuasively about the Kingdom of God.

(NLT) Acts 28:23-31 - The ending of Acts
So a time was set, and on that day a large number of people came to Paul's house. He told them about the Kingdom of God and taught them about Jesus from the Scriptures from the five books of Moses and the books of the prophets. He began lecturing in the morning and went on into the evening. Some believed and some didn't. But after they had argued back and forth among themselves, they left with this final word from Paul: "The Holy Spirit was right when he said to our ancestors through Isaiah the prophet, 'Go and say to my people, You will hear my words, but you will not understand; you will see what I do, but you will not perceive its meaning. For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.' So I want you to realize that this salvation from God is also available to the Gentiles, and they will accept it."

For the next two years, Paul lived in his own rented house. He welcomed all who visited him, proclaiming the Kingdom of God with all boldness and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him.


So far I've traced making disciples from The Great Commission, to Acts 14 where we learn that the apostles made disciples by boldly preaching. We also learned boldness comes from the Holy Spirit and we are to preach the Kingdom of God. For my next blog which topic should i cover... the Kindom of God or the Holy Spirit?
 
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[27 Jul 2007 | Friday] 8:52 AM

Category: Life
Viewpoint 1: My 2 Month Study Of The Great Commission - Fall 2006

(NASB) Proverbs 25:2
It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.

I believe that the particular words used in the scriptures are significant. For this reason, I use the Strong's Concordance when I study scripture; it gives a deeper understanding of scripture, and It reveals connections to other scriptures. In my study of The Great Commission, i will use Strong's heavily to connect the dots.




(NASB) Matthew 28:18-20 "The Great Commission"
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

I felt inclined one night to look into the Greek meaning of the word disciples in the Great Commission. The reason is that, in my mind, it seems like The Great Commission's main point is, for you to make disciples.
Disciple - Strong's Number: 3100
NAS Verse Count - Total: 4. Matthew 3, Acts 1
Definition 
1.    to be a disciple of one
    a.    to follow his precepts and instructions
2.    to make a disciple
    a.    to teach, instruct
After looking it up, this particular Greek word is only used 4 times total in the entire bible; one of the times being in The Great Commission! Comparing this to the other word disciple in the bible, Strong's Number: 3101, there is a slight distinction between the two, epically in the word usage.
Disciple - Strong's Number: 3101
 NAS Verse Count - Total 246. Matthew 69, Mark 42, Luke 36, John 73, Acts 26.
Definition
1.  a learner, pupil, disciple
After looking at this, I came to the conclusion that something was lost in the translation; much like the Greek have many words for love, we generally translate it as love and leave it at that. There has to be some reason why Strong's Number 3100 is only used 4 times in the entire bible; we need to see the context of its usage. (Below when the word "disciple" is bolded and underlined, it is Strong's Number 3100)

(NASB) Matthew 13:52
And Jesus said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old."

(NASB) Matthew 27:57-60
When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away.

(NASB) Matthew 28:18-20 "The Great Commission"
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

(NASB) Acts 14:20-22
 But while the disciples stood around him, he got up and entered the city. The next day he went away with Barnabas to Derbe. After they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God."

After looking at the above scriptures, the one that stands out the most is the one from Acts. It is surrounded by the other Greek word for disciple: Strong's Number 3101. I use this connection to propose that right here they did what The Great Commission commanded them to do. Therefore if we want a road map of how to accomplish the Great Commission we need to dive into Acts Chapter 14.



With that I'm signing off... My next blog will talk more about Acts 14. I leave you now with how Acts 14 Ends

(NASB) Acts 14:27-28
When they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to report all things that God had done with them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. And they spent a long time with the disciples.
 
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[25 Jul 2007 | Wednesday] 11:55 PM

Current mood:  contemplative
Category: Life
These verses in the bible have tremendous power, they have been on my mind for years. I've been thinking about them quite a bit, and i keep coming back to them. The Great Commission is an amazing passage in the bible. In time i am going to share all i have on it.

(NASB) Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

I have 4 opinions on The Great Commission and somehow i am going to tie them all together. The first viewpoint is my own, and i focus on the phrase "make disciples". The second viewpoint is that of Pastor Jaeson Ma and the order everything is written. Third viewpoint has to do with a sermon i herd on Authority/Discipleship by Pastor Steve Murrell and the role of the church. The 4th viewpoint is from some opinions I've herd from close friends about a lack of manly men in the church.

Over the next couple of days/weeks i plan on writing up my thoughts on all of this. Please pray that i can write everything down that God has shown me, that it will be divinely inspired and it will be Him speaking through me.

Before i do all of this, I would like you to listen to these 2 Christian songs. The contrast in the songs is remarkable.

Casting Crowns - If We Are The Body (2003)


Hillsongs United - Solution (2007)
 
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