What Manner of People Ought We to Be?
Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:15-16
Mark 1:15-16, “…Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
One of Christ’s central teachings during His earthly ministry focused upon “the Kingdom” and its arrival on the scene in His person and appearance. However, as modern-day believers, we’re often likely to focus on our individual repentance and acceptance of Christ into our lives and spend far less time integrating Christ’s call into His Kingdom. If we’re to be the saints He has called, it’s essential each and every one of us better understand and incorporate His Kingdom into our lives and calling if we’re to be the people He has called us to be in these momentous days.
My Place in the Kingdom
One of the hardest things we wrestle with as missionaries is that the Lord’s Great Commission is very specific in our call to “…go and make disciples” (Matthew 28). So, let’s ask the all-important question…how do we discern who is a fully-devoted disciple of Christ? How do we recognize if our efforts are those Christ would recognize as being in accordance with His divine commands? Jesus Himself gives us divine insight into the manner of people He is calling us to be. In Matthew 6:33, Jesus said, “…But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness…” Christ is letting us know that finding our first and best expression as His followers, as His disciples, will inevitably revolve around finding and operating well in His Kingdom.
At a recent Sunday church service, we were challenged by the guest pastor that a great disciple discerning question that we can ask one another is, “Do you know your place in God’s Kingdom?” What a wonderful clarifying query that cuts to the heart of our fidelity to Christ AND His call to be an active part of advancing His Kingdom! We are each called to be a people that know our place in His Kingdom and when we know and operate in that space, we can expect to experience more of the fullness of Christ as we align our purposes and actions with His Kingdom priorities.
Our hope and prayers for us all in the coming days are that we might each be the Kingdom people we’re called to be. We’re praying that as we live out that beautiful gift in our ministry on and to the continent, the Lord’s Kingdom, through us all, will impact and transform the lives of His people in Africa…for our good, and most certainly, for His glory! Lord, may we be THOSE people, in Jesus’ name!!!