How to Build The Kingdom of God!
By Dr. Ken Matto
Mark 1:15 (KJV) And saying, The time is fulfilled,
and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
A few days ago a question came to me via E-Mail and
that question was “How to build the Kingdom of God.” I am sure this question may
be on the minds of many Christians, especially in the day we live in when we see
mega churches which house 20-30,000 people and many think that is building the
Kingdom of God. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Kingdom of God is
built on this earth one soul at a time.
What the Kingdom of God is Not
Luke 17:20 (KJV) And when he was demanded of the
Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The
kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
The Pharisees had now demanded to know when the
kingdom of God should come. The word “demanded” is a stronger word for “ask”
which is the same type of response the authorities want when they “demand” an
answer from a prisoner. The Pharisees like the rest in Israel were looking for a
physical kingdom and even the disciples had hoped that Jesus was going to bring
in the Kingdom of God. Jesus then gives them a reality that the Kingdom of God
does not come with observation. It will not come in by any who observe the law
nor will it come in by anyone who will be making close observances to the
happenings. It would not come slowly by observing political movements which
could seem to be progressive in nature. It will not be a political kingdom of
any kind. The Pre-tribulation group teaches that there is going to be a thousand
year reign of Christ on earth and that is a total myth since that 1,000 year
reign would have to come with “observation.”
Romans 14:17 (KJV) For the kingdom of God is not
meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
When Paul was discussing the situation concerning the
eating of certain foods, he makes this statement under the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit. We are being told that the Kingdom of God is not found in things
like food or drink, or anything external. The Kingdom of God, in this present
age, is invisible to the world. The only time the world can see a glimpse of the
Kingdom of God is when the church comes together on Sunday morning. The
Christian is saved in their souls and the great manifestation of the Kingdom of
God is not going to come until the last day when the believers receive their
glorified spiritual bodies for eternity. Until then the Kingdom of God is
dispersed all over the world. The Kingdom of God is not just a church or a
denomination. For the Kingdom of God is made up of only the true Elect of God
because it is only they which the Holy Spirit indwells. So the Kingdom of God at
this time is found in the true believers who have received their resurrected
souls and the present manifestation of the Kingdom is the works that the
believer does motivated by their salvation.
Then What is the Kingdom Of God and Where is
it?
Luke 17:21 (KJV) Neither shall they say, Lo here!
or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
Then they will not claim that the Kingdom of God is in
different places around the region or world, especially the nation of Israel,
which is where they believed that the physical Kingdom of God would come in and
the Romans would be ejected from that area. Now since it is not going to be a
visible, political kingdom, Jesus states that the Kingdom of God is within you.
Those who have become saved have been transferred from the kingdom of Satan to
the Kingdom of God. (Col 1:13 KJV) Who hath delivered us from the power of
darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: The book
of Colossians was written between 60-64 A.D. when the above verse was penned. At
that time there was still no visible Kingdom of God which means it is a
spiritual Kingdom and not a visible political Kingdom. This also includes the
mythical thousand year reign of Christ teaching.
Summation
So we have read that the Kingdom of God is not a
physical Kingdom whereby someone can point to it. The Kingdom of God resides
inside the believer in the person of the Holy Spirit. Only those who are born
again through the Lord Jesus Christ are in the Kingdom of God and it does not
matter where they are located, for the Kingdom of God is inside every believer,
from the four corners of the earth.
How Then Do We Build The Kingdom of God?
Mark 1:15 (KJV) And saying, The time is fulfilled,
and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. In
Mark 1:15, we read that Jesus stated the Kingdom of heaven was at hand. There
were no buildings, congregations, denominations, universities, etc. The Kingdom
of God was at hand and that meant people were going to be brought into the
Kingdom through the Lord Jesus Christ. The way someone enters the Kingdom of God
is through a belief in the gospel. God is the one who opens their spiritual eyes
and qualifies His Elect to believe. The essence of the message of Jesus was that
the time was now fulfilled or completed and the long awaited kingdom of God was
now at hand. Jesus uses the term “repent” and those who heard John would have
already been familiar with that term. The gospel of the salvation of grace is
now at hand and comes through the Lord Jesus Christ. No longer will any
forgiveness of sin come through the Mosaic law once Christ goes to the cross.
(1 Cor 15:3-4 KJV) For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also
received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; {4} And
that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the
scriptures: Jesus had the power and authority to destroy sin in this
present world. When a person becomes saved, sin is totally expunged from their
soul but Christians still have to deal with it in their flesh. The ultimate
coming of the full kingdom of God will be when the last one is saved on the last
day and then comes the New Heavens and the New Earth. Till then, every person
who becomes saved, is representative of the Kingdom of God at present.
Building the Kingdom of God
There are two ways that the Kingdom of God is built on
this earth:
1. The first way is to evangelize. Whenever you hand
out a tract, support missions, support a local Christian radio station, start a
website, become involved in ministry, etc., you are building the Kingdom of God.
When a person becomes saved, what you have done is plundered the kingdom of
Satan and brought them into the Kingdom of God. Let me clarify one major thing.
We do not save anyone. Our responsibility is to get the Gospel out to the world
and when one becomes saved, it is God who saved them. Colossians 1:12-13
(KJV) Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of
the inheritance of the saints in light: {13} Who hath delivered us from the
power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
What we do is assault the Kingdom of Satan in hopes that people will become
saved. That is why we engage in evangelizing the lost, to get people into the
Kingdom through the salvation in Christ.
2. The second way we build the Kingdom of God is to
disciple younger Christians. If you are older in the faith, then when you take a
younger Christian under your wings, you are in essence preparing them to assault
the kingdom of Satan plus you are helping to train the next generation. Once
they are saved, they need to learn their King James Bible because it is the
sword of battle. Hebrews 4:12 (KJV) For the word of God is quick, and
powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing
asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of
the thoughts and intents of the heart. Then once they become trained, they,
in turn, train the generation after them. This is how it has been done for 2,000
years.
Summary
Once we realize that the Kingdom of God is within us
and we enter in through salvation, we take the mystery out of it and destroy the
complexities that many theologians have created. The process is simple: First,
you evangelize to get them into the Kingdom and, secondly, you train them in the
Scriptures and then get them out into the world assaulting the Kingdom of Satan.
This is what the Pilgrims did. The Mayflower Compact teaches us that they were
“advancing the Christian faith.” There is no great mystery to the fact that we
must do the same thing and that is the essence of the Great Commission.