A Servant Of God

Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you."
Luke 17:20-21  NIV

Some say that the verse should read, "The kingdom of God is among you."  Either interpretation of the line indicates that the kingdom of God is at hand and is very near to us but we cannot see it with our natural eyes. If the kingdom of God is very near and at hand, and we can't see it then it must be a Spiritual kingdom that resides within us. Jesus said,   "If you love me, you will obey what I command.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever--the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him.  But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you."
John 14:15-17  NIV

We should remember that God deals with each individual heart. God does not need a crowd, He does not need a group. You as an individual can repent, believe on Jesus Christ to be your Savior and enter the kingdom of God whether you are all by yourself or whether you are surrounded by a multitude. God does not need an army and he has not established a headquarters in Florida, Texas, California or Rome.  God is wherever you are when you sense your need of him and call out to him. The bible says in  Luke 15:10  "Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repents."

Jesus said in John 3:3 "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

Jesus said in John 14:22-26  "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."

The above verses from John 14 indicate that God wishes to have a personal relationship with those who are born again, up close and personal. It is possible for the Spirit of God and the spirit of man to have communion with one another and it is possible for man to learn from the Counselor.

Jesus said,  "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well.  From now on, you do know him and have seen him."

A person who is far from God must realize their need of God and must believe that Jesus Christ is the way to God. There is no other way. Jesus Christ is the way that God has provided. I believe when a person, in sincerity, asks Jesus to forgive them of their sins and turns from their sins, the Holy Spirit does something within that person's heart and they become a different person inside, a new creature or creation in Christ Jesus. Old things pass away and things become new within the spiritual part of the person. I believe this experience is what the scriptures refer to as being born again.

We cannot be born again by any of our own works or by our own goodness. Jesus spoke to some who were confident and proud of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else and the Lord told this parable:  "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'  "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'  "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

We must realize our need of Christ, and believe him in order to be born again.

Being born again is the beginning of a new life. It is not the ultimate purpose or goal of the new life but it is the beginning. There is much more to come as the Holy Spirit moves to establish the kingdom of God within the new life. During the period of time in which we now live, the kingdom of God is within the life of a born again believer but the kingdom needs to be firmly established and it is a daily process and work of the Holy Spirit to help the kingdom to grow and flourish within us. It is not a snap of the finger or easy process but it slowly comes about as we are obedient to God and allow Him to rule and reign over the different areas, desires, thoughts and issues within our heart. I am a work in progress and I sense my need of God's help and mercy as He works to establish and grow His kingdom within me. It is his work, not our work, as we permit him to rule and reign within us. That is exciting! The kingdom of God within us at this time, a Spiritual kingdom, is not the literal kingdom which shall be established by Christ when he returns to this earth but it is the Spiritual kingdom of Christ living within us and the Holy Spirit guiding, correcting and teaching us.

   THE PEOPLE ARE DESERVING 
      But just what do we, the people, deserve?   Whew! That's a scary thought.

   The links below will take you to other websites.

   THE TOUCH OF THE MASTER'S HAND  This link will take you to the MUSIC
               page of my primary web site where the song by Sally Rogers is located.
               It is a beautiful song and well worth the listening.

   MUSINGS OF MICHMOKY   Thoughts come like a feather on the breeze

   FLAVOR ME JOYFUL   Have some joy and fun in life  

   LONG OLD JOURNEY  The tongue is a fire, a world of misfortune

   LIGHTS OF HOME   The lights of home bring warmth to the soul

   A LANTERN YONDER  at Annexcafe Look, I see a lantern yonder.

   TASTE AND SEE   That the Lord is good.

 

   PILGRIM JIM'S TREASURE FIELD   Link to my primary web site with information and stories about my family, friends, music, memories, genealogy and my early journey with Jesus.

Thank you, and I hope you are blessed this day.
                                                                                      

     pilgrimjim