 The
Foundations of the Kingdom
The kingdom of God has certain foundations. If we are going to
participate in the kingdom we must be personally prepared. Therefore the kingdom
foundations must be personally laid in our lives and be experiential. Only then can we go
on with God. HEB 6:1 Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us
press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of
faith toward God, HEB 6:2 of instruction about baptisms, and laying on of hands, and the
resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. HEB 6:3 And this we shall do, if God
permits. God can only permit us to go on to full maturity after the foundations are laid.
First we must have the foundations in our own lives and then we
can help others get the foundations in their lives. After a lost person repents of his
sins and turns to Jesus Christ in faith and receives the cleansing of the blood of Christ,
we must be able to lead him on to the next experiences. This is the meaning of laying the
foundations. These experiences roughly follow Heb 6:1-3.
The pattern of progressive growth into the Kingdom of God can be
seen in
2PET1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of
God and of Jesus our Lord; 2PET 1:3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us
everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called
us by His own glory and excellence. 2PET 1:4 For by these He has granted to us His
precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of
{the} divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. 2PET 1:5
Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral
excellence, and in {your} moral excellence, knowledge; 2PET 1:6 and in {your} knowledge,
self-control, and in {your} self-control, perseverance, and in {your} perseverance,
godliness; 2PET 1:7 and in {your} godliness, brotherly kindness, and in {your} brotherly
kindness, love. 2PET 1:8 For if these {qualities} are yours and are increasing, they
render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2PET 1:9 For he who lacks these {qualities} is blind {or} short-sighted, having forgotten
{his} purification from his former sins. 2PET 1:10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more
diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice
these things, you will never stumble; 2PET 1:11 for in this way the entrance into the
eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
Whenever these qualities are ours and are increasing God makes an entrance for us into His
eternal Kingdom.
Since the Kingdom is the goal, God has commissioned us to preach
the gospel of the kingdom. This is not just a gospel of blessings. Rather it is the
message that Jesus Christ is coming again as the sovereign king and judge of all mankind,
including believers. This is a real Kingdom. Not a magical kingdom like Disney land. This
is a real Kingdom with a real King. This is a highly disciplined Kingdom where there will
be no dishonest gain or crooked politics. No one of questionable character can
participate. God has exacting requirements for those who participate in the administration
of His eternal government. Therefore, a clear vision of God's eternal purpose must be
ministered so people will press on into the Kingdom of God. LUK 16:16 "The Law and
the Prophets {were proclaimed} until John; since then the gospel of the kingdom of God is
preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. Paul calls this ministry planting and
watering but he clearly says that it is God that causes the growth and gives the increase.
Ministry can only lead us to God, after this it is the believer own responsibility to
maintain a vine branch relationship with Jesus Christ. Ministry cannot provide you with a
relationship with God or personal experience and growth. That is each believer's
responsibility. Whenever a ministry tries to cause growth they cease to work with God and
begin to work in the place of God. They will surely fail. Ministries can lay foundations
that lead us to Christ but the believer's experience is with Christ. Maturity is
recognized when God speaks and man does. Then when man prays God does. Maturity is seen
when there is a cooperation between God and man to fulfil the purpose of God. One aspect
of spiritual growth is the exercising of SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY. Not man exercising authority
over man as we see in the world. SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY is over God's enemies. All believers
have been given authority over the powers of darkness. However, new believers, as well as
immature old believers, have no real effectiveness against God's enemies. While all God's
children haven been given spiritual authority few are effective in using that authority.
If we attain to a measure of spiritual growth we will effectively participate in more of
what Jesus Christ has provided for us at Calvary. I'm not speaking about appropriating the
blessings of God, but fulfilling the purpose of God and bringing joy to God's heart. 2CO
5:14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all,
therefore all died; 2CO 5:15 and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live
for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. Immature believers
identify themselves as those who are just living for themselves. If we just maintain a
born again experience without growing in effectiveness of manifesting God's Kingdom upon
this earth we are not pleasing to the Lord. Much church activity is not a clear indication
of spiritual maturity or effectiveness for the Kingdom. Effective work is when God speaks
and man obeys by doing. What then is the solution to ineffective, fleshly activity in the
church? THE CRUCIFIED LIFE. Not living for ourselves but living for Him, to do His will by
laying down our own ideas, plans, opinions, debates with God and doing things that God
never told us to do. Another identifying mark of maturity is THE CRUCIFIED LIFE. This is
not a matter of one trip to the altar. This requires a daily dying to ourselves. SELF is
the greatest enemy of maturity and causes most of our failures. This would include self
will, self-pleasing, self-confidence, self-centeredness, self-consciousness,
self-government, self-importance, self-indulgence, self-interest, selfishness, self-love,
self-pity, self-reliance, self-righteousness, self-sufficiency, etc. All these things
result in a lack of self-discipline, self-control, and self-restraint. Because there is no
self-surrender there is no self-sacrifice. When there is no self-sacrifice there can be no
crucified life. Therefore, the church is plagued with both FLESHLY ACTIVITY AND FLESHLY
IN-ACTIVITY. Both are ineffective. The great problem then is getting the church to grow so
it can function as the body of Christ in each locality. Laying all the proper foundations
in each life is the pre-requisite for the functioning body, if it is |
