Could we be missing It?

Just a thought!

Acts 4
32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them.

I think of this verse a lot when I see church's shooting their wounded........................

formula1 said:

Just a thought!

Acts 4
32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them.

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I think that this bit has been interpreted as socialistic or communistic, as in religious communes etc, but my reading before and after this bit leads me to understand that simply they traded together, did business together and watched out for each other... they shared their lives with each other. They loved each other...not neccesarily because they always liked each other, but because they knew the power in God's love, from doing it or putting it into practice in the here and now.

I should also be noted that often after a conversion one feels tremendous love for the community in general, even when one was embittered by it prior to.

Yes we are missing it and missing alot that we know is God's will. It's like we say, yes that's the way God says we are to do it, but really God's will is for another place, another time and another people and it will all be sorted out after we die, bla, bla, bla...etc...

gordon 2 said:

Yes we are missing it and missing alot that we know is God's will. It's like we say, yes that's the way God says we are to do it, but really God's will is for another place, another time and another people and it will all be sorted out after we die, bla, bla, bla...etc...

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Gordon:

A hearty Amen to these words.

And did you notice why there were no needy among them?
Sure you did. God's powerful grace! And isn't that the Kingdom! You know!!!

I believe this will occur again in America, and I'm betting that it already does in many place across the globe. I just sense God's powerful grace is at work!

formula1 said:

Gordon:

A hearty Amen to these words.

And did you notice why there were no needy among them?
Sure you did. God's powerful grace! And isn't that the Kingdom! You know!!!

I believe this will occur again in America, and I'm betting that it already does in many place across the globe. I just sense God's powerful grace is at work!

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You know I talk a big talk yet you and I know really I am capable of little although I know well that God is capable of making dry bones take on flesh and walk.

Did you notice that when I asked what were people's spiritual take on government budjet cuts the talk was mostly about people abusing welfare! Call me a fool. Call me an idiot. Call me a nut. I almost cry when I read these replies.

Is there another man in the world that thinks from a spiritual perspective, from the christian Kingdom, that it is far more productive and cost effective to bring a state leader or heads of governments to face crime charges ( crimes against there own or other people) in a court of law than to send in the military, sack the country, and cost the country sending in the military and all kinds of resources that could better benefit that society and others????

Yet the world has decided that heads of states and government leaders are mostly immune to prosecution?

If a quarter of the money spent in the military was spent on justice in this sense, it would take time but grace goes a long way.... and if peace is God's will what is there to loose for trying....

Yet we see justice as cutting welfare abuse and our ability to intervene via war in the name of peace? I don't think this is what God had in mind when He asked Jesus to man up?

Like I said, call me a fool... Noah a man who lived thousands of yrs ago was a finer man than most or I will ever be. At least he took a hammer and a chisel and hammered cloth between planks because he knew that the boat was meant to float!

I know for curtain that our boat will float, the Kingdom will float, but for some reason I have no chisels, no cloth, no planks...nothing but faith, trust, relationship.... I so wish that I could bend my back, lift and lay a keel? Or perhaps a keel does exist, and a rib I could fit? Perhaps somewhere the ribs are ready or fitted even. Then I would run to the steam boxes with planks and with giant cleats hold them to the ribs. Perhaps these are on the ribs already and the decks are being planked, then I will work there.... and so on....it will float, because God said to build this Kingdom in our lifetimes.

At my age, all I ask is to see men and women asking to work on the staging or the planning and I will know that though my body rests in the grave, my children will know the blessing He promised me.

Again call me a fool...full of tears.

The word tells believers to be wise as a serpent and meek as a dove. There are those that truly need the help of others. In the great commission Jesus said that we should take care of the widows and orphans. Paul also taught that if a man would not work, he should not eat.

The problem that has developed in America is that a class of citizens has developed that do not fall under the first group and do the second. And yet they prosper in comparison to other people in other nations. This should not be. You shouldn't experience financial increase by having more children or by discovering some new government program that takes from those who follow the " rules " and giving to those who don't.

As for missing it, we all miss it from time to time, however, I am mindful of Matthew 7:21-23:
(KJV)
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And I will profess unto them, I never knew you, depart from me, ye workers of iniquity.

All I can say about that is he isn't referring to unsaved heathens. These are people who may be sitting beside you and me in church every Sunday. In my opinion, we can't waste time pondering what others do or don't do, but rather what we ourselves are doing and the condition of our own hearts as it relates to or obedience and commitment to Christ.

I'm not a hard hearted person by any means, but I also don't have a problem saying no to an exit ramp begger who many days makes more than many of us do by deceiving compassionate people into believing a made up " will work for food " story just to avoid getting a job.

If you believe me to be wrong, offer one some work next time you see one of them. You'll soon learn the truth.

Gordon2
Do you think that it would be ok for the leader of Iran to bring an American pres to trial? We have done this to a fellow in Panama and people where killed.
Does it make you want to cry if someone steals money from a person who works 15to 18 hrs a day so his family can prosper and gives it to people who have more children so their welfare check is bigger.
Jesus said his kingdom is not of this world so you will have to wait till he gets back to experience it, just like the rest of us.

Re:

Just for you Gordon:

Psalm 127:1
Unless the LORD builds the house,those who build it labor in vain.Unless the LORD watches over the city,the watchman stays awake in vain.

1 Cor 3
10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

formula1 said:

Just for you Gordon:

Psalm 127:1
Unless the LORD builds the house,those who build it labor in vain.Unless the LORD watches over the city,the watchman stays awake in vain.

1 Cor 3
10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

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Amen. The foundation for the Kingdom is already there! Now let's man up...

huntmore said:

Gordon2
Do you think that it would be ok for the leader of Iran to bring an American pres to trial? We have done this to a fellow in Panama and people where killed.
Does it make you want to cry if someone steals money from a person who works 15to 18 hrs a day so his family can prosper and gives it to people who have more children so their welfare check is bigger.
Jesus said his kingdom is not of this world so you will have to wait till he gets back to experience it, just like the rest of us.

Click to expand...

Forbid that a tyrant would accuse another head of state of crime before the courts especially that the accused resides in a state with fair justice. But even if the accusation is just, why did not the free people seek it for themselves?

Quote]Jesus said his kingdom is not of this world so you will have to wait till he gets back to experience it, just like the rest of us.[/QUOTE]Acts ch 3:19 Now you must repent and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out,

20 and so that the Lord may send the time of comfort. then he will send you the Christ he has predestined, that is Jesus,

21 whom heaven must keep till the universal restoration comes which God proclaimed, speaking through his holy prophets.

What I read here is that the Kingdom is of our christian world and it must be fully restored before Jesus returns...there is no waiting for it, it is now. We set it up and make it work and Jesus will return, not the other way around as you say. Jesus already set it up for us via his ministry on the Kingdom and calvary... It is true that the Kingdom is not of this world in that it issues from the will of God and not from our natural base instincts. It is in our hearts and not in our predatory nerves.

And lastly, how is justice administered in our communities? Who accuses people of crimes? Do heads of states accuse people of crimes in our communities? Do police accuse? do lawyers accuse. No, public procecutors accuse and from them matters procede to the courts and justice is served.

Now why is this not available for heads of state in the international community who are suspected of crimes? I just don't find that in most cases use of military action is the best way to achieve justice according to the prophets, Jesus, the apostles, most serious christian churches and most serious christians.

Which heads of state in the world today would you as an American want to dispence justice for an American citizen? No country in the world that I know of would hand out justice to an American unless there was something in it for them.
Where there not wars condoned by God in the old testament. He helped Moses win against his enemies.
I understand how you feel but it will not work as you want it to. We can't even dispence justice in this country and we are way better than most other countries.

Are you saying that God will send Jesus when we have restored the whole world to Christianity?

Re:

Matthew 24:14
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Revelation 22
1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

I posted these scriptures to do two things, remind everyone what we should be about and remind every believer of the reward of the coming kingdom.

Don't expect heads of state or governments nor the budgets of governments to do anything for or necessarily against the coming kingdom(though against is far more likely). This coming kingdom all about the testimony of the Gospel going into all nations and when the Father believes it is time, you will see Jesus coming on the clouds of Glory. The whole of Matthew 24 is very freeing in the sense that Jesus tells you what to expect, what to do, and what to prepare for. It is very frightening and humbling to me in that the wrath of the Almighty is coming so swiftly and completely.

I do believe however that every believer in Christ has a deposit of the Kingdom in the Spirit of God living within them. Within them, they contain all the benefits of the Kingdom. As a result, we can influence our world by the doing of His word, everyday, within our own realm of influence. We, in effect, turn the world upside down by bringing the Kingdom of God into the hearts of men and women one heart at a time, one believer at a time, bringing them alive unto God via the Holy Spirit. It is for this we are called, to make disciples of all nations. The plan of Christ was and is exactly this.

Do you see then just exactly how the witness of the Kingdom will be propagated into all the earth?

Do you also see how important each believer is to carrying this Gospel to all peoples and fulfilling the will of the Father?

Do you not see that the Holy Son of God came to the earth and poured His life into 12 men in a small little desert country just so I could help to bring about the Kingdom in McDonough, GA, USA in 2011? Where is you sphere of influence for the Gospel of the Kingdom?

The wonderful way of the Father is truly beyond my comprehension, but I will 'Man-Up' and do what I can to influence the growth of the Kingdom of God. I encourage you all to lift up Jesus, in the lives of others in your sphere of influence. Each believer is a valuable part of bringing the Gospel of the Kingdom to it fruition!

Come Lord Jesus, Come!

Matthew 24 14 "This Good News of the Kingdom will be proclaimed to the whole world as a withness to all the nations. And then the end will come.

Proclaimed is not only preached, unless I am corrected, which I am willing to be. I read proclaimed here as "being put into effect."

Now as to Revelations 22, remember that this is written in apocalyptic form or as apocalyptic writing which it is said was popular in some Jewish circles at the beginning of the Christian Era. It is richly symbolic. It is not a simple allegory which can be easily translated to other terms. However it is commonly accepted that the author or authors allude to the "enemy" Rome, in the guise of Babylon from Daniel and present the happenings of their own days.

Now the way I understand this scipture is that it does speak of the reward of a coming Kingdom for the authors and the saints who were then minority and under persecutions because christians were not sufficiently in numbers yet to man the intitutions of society and ad-minister from the perspective of the Christian Kingdom, its principles and its justice and especially grace.

Now for us this does not mean that Jesus will come again and put the Kingdom into action because-- he already initiated it. He will return when we "proclaim it everywhere" and work it. When we do this, Jesus will return.

gordo...

I am pretty sure Christianity has been proclaimed everywhere on this earth now and it has been worked. Maybe 2012 is the end.

huntmore said:

I am pretty sure Christianity has been proclaimed everywhere on this earth now and it has been worked. Maybe 2012 is the end.

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It is not Christianity, but the good news of the Kingdom which must be proclaimed as a withness. Christians have not proclaimed the Kingdom very much, sometimes not at all, not even in their own back yards, let alone to other nations. Christians have mostly ministered to the nations like Paul from the foot of the cross from which they have proclaimed individual salvation. The Kingdom has been mostly left on the back burner--so much so that often it is a synonym to "Heaven" or the place we will hopefully get into when the dead will rise and be judged, on "that glorious day".

If you notice there are generally two Kingdoms that christians talk about. One they say is in the heart of the living, the other will follow judgement day. Would it be asking to much that we consider that Jesus was teaching of one Kingdom, and not the twins we make of it.

gordon 2 said:

It is not Christianity, but the good news of the Kingdom which must be proclaimed as a withness. Christians have not proclaimed the Kingdom very much, sometimes not at all, not even in their own back yards, let alone to other nations. Christians have mostly ministered to the nations like Paul from the foot of the cross from which they have proclaimed individual salvation. The Kingdom has been mostly left on the back burner--so much so that often it is a synonym to "Heaven" or the place we will hopefully get into when the dead will rise and be judged, on "that glorious day".

If you notice there are generally two Kingdoms that christians talk about. One they say is in the heart of the living, the other will follow judgement day. Would it be asking to much that we consider that Jesus was teaching of one Kingdom, and not the twins we make of it.

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That is true! In 38 years no one ever proclaimed anything about Christ, The Kingdom of God, no the judgement that will come to me. It actually is so scarce among Christians that someone (can't remember who) said we have no longer become fishers of men, but keepers of the aquarium.

I've started to ask Christians lately how knowing Christ has made a difference in their lives. Most say their sins are forgiven or something along that line.

Many people don't believe in God, or that faith makes a difference. If you can't tell someone how you have been changed and what the difference is that Jesus has made in your life, then you can't possibly share the Good News. In today's society it isn't about the future, it's about the now.

Great comments.
Far to many of us don't even understand what Faith, Belief, and Trust mean (in the spiritual sense).