The greatest
thing that man lost in the Garden of Eden is the image of God.
There are two gospels in Christianity. The Gospel of
salvation which is the gospel of Jesus Christ or the gospel of grace. The
second is the gospel of the kingdom. When the gospel of salvation is not
balanced what you have is a Christian who is not balanced, a have baked Christian.
There is no way you can make it by only relying on
the gospel of grace. The bible said by their fruits you shall know them.
Matthew 28:18-19
says: And Jesus came 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 of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit,(NKJV)
The interesting point that Jesus made here is “Go
therefore and make disciples of all the nations”. How do you make disciples of all nations? By preaching the
gospel of salvation and then balancing it with the gospel of the kingdom. You
can have a Christian who does not have the values of the kingdom. This happens
because the gospel of the kingdom is not been preached.
Romans 1:16
says: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God
to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the
Greek.(NKJV)
The gospel is the power that supposed to change the
society. If it does not, then it has lost its salt. The issue in our society is
not violence but Christians that profess Christianity but the value of Christianity
cannot be found in them.
Genesis 1:26
says: Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our
likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of
the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing
that creeps on the earth."(NKJV)
The image of God is the foundation. It is what founds
the foundation of Christianity. You cannot be a Christian without the image of
God. After a man receives this image, he can now have dominion. The goal of any
true minister of God is to produce men and women who can carry the image of
God.
Romans 8:29
says: For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of
His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.(NKJV)
Jesus is the image of the father. The image of Jesus
is also the image of God.
1 John 4:7-9
says: Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that
loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for
God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God
sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.(KJV)
The 1st
Kingdom value is the Image of God: The
most important thing about the image of God is that every Christian that
professes Christianity must have the love of God in him. This is the first
value or quality that a Christian should have. You should be able to love God
and your neighbor. There are several kingdom values that a Christian should
have. We will see them as we move on.
Exodus 33:12-16
says: Moses said to the LORD, "You have been telling me, `Lead these
people,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have
said, `I know you by name and you have found favor with me.' If you are pleased
with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with
you. Remember that this nation is your people." The LORD replied, "My
Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." Then Moses said to
him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.
How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless
you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the
other people on the face of the earth?"(NIV)
Exodus 33:18-22
says: Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory." And the LORD said,
"I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim
my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have
mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But," he
said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." Then
the LORD said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock.
When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you
with my hand until I have passed by.(NIV)
Exodus 34:6
says: And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD
God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and
truth,(KJV)
The 2nd
Kingdom value is Compassion: The
second quality that a Christian supposed to have is compassion. This brings the
presence of God upon a Christian. A Christian supposed to have mercy and
compassion upon others.
The 3rd
Kingdom value is Graciousness:
Being generous to people. This is not philanthropy where people give things and
declare it to the whole world.
The 4th
Kingdom value is Longsuffering, Patience and Endurance: You have to have patience first, then endurance
and then longsuffering. You need to have patience with your neighbors. Learn patience
as a Christian.
1 Corinthians
9:27 says: But I keep under my body, and bring [it] into subjection: lest that
by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a
castaway.(KJV)
Paul was taking about endurance here.
The 5th Kingdom
Value is Goodness: You have to be
kind and nice to people. You have to be able to stretch out your arms and help
others.
Exodus 34:6
says: And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD
God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and
truth,(KJV)
The 6th Kingdom
Value is Integrity:
The Final Kingdom
Value is Forgiveness: you need to
forgive your brothers and sisters and those who offend you. You cannot receive
healing or any of the things that Jesus died for if there is malice in your
heart.
Lastly: Justice. God is the God of justice. The way He deals with the
sinner is also the same way He deals with the righteous.
In the principles of the kingdom you have the
foundation and at the body you have the functionalities of God. Some of these
principles cover the whole universe. You cannot have dominion until you have
cultivated the principles of God.
1 Samuel 15:22
says: But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and
sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than
sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.(NIV)
Obedience to the word of God is better than burnt
offerings. Obeying God’s word is far better than your offerings and sacrifices.
Matthew 23:23
says; "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of
mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law:
justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the
others undone.(NKJV)
Micah 6:7-8
says: Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers
of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body
for the sin of my soul? He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does
the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly
with your God.(NIV)
There are weightier matters in the kingdom. When you
give your life to Christ, you need to settle down and build your life of
integrity, love, compassion, forgiveness, generosity, long-suffering, goodness, patience,
endurance.
