Parables of the Kingdom

Photo by Warren Wong on Unsplash

Glory to God!

These past weeks we have been looking at what it means to live the Kingdom life and yesterday Richard shared a message entitled, Kingdom Love. Looking at Matthew 13, we noted how Jesus explains the Kingdom using 7 parables:

1. The parable of the sower and the seed. 13:3-9; 18-23
2. The parable of the wheat and the weeds. 13:24-29; 37-43
3. The parable of the mustard seed. 13:31,32
4. The parable of the yeast and the dough. 13:33
5. The parable of the hidden treasure. 13:44
6. The parable of the fine pearl. 13:45,46
7. The parable of the fishing net and the fish. 13:47-50

As we went through each of the parables, Richard showed us how one can interpret each parable from God's perspective and man's perspective. From God's perspective:

1. God sows His Word that we are to receive and understand in order to produce a crop.
2. God sows the good seed into the world, the sons of the Kingdom.
3. God sows His Son as the least in the Kingdom of heaven to produce a tree of life.
4. God sows His Son to influence the world with the knowledge of God and His love.
5. God sacrifices His Son to purchase us as His treasure.
6. God sacrifices His Son to purchase us as His fine pearl.
7. God will sort out those who belong to Him and His Kingdom and those who do not.

From man's perspective:

1. We are to share the good news of the Kingdom and God's Word.
2. We are to live as Sons of the Kingdom in this world.
3. We are to humble ourselves and die to ourselves to gain Christ and His Kingdom.
4. We are to influence the world with the Kingdom.
5. We are to sell all to purchase the Kingdom and live the Kingdom life.
6. We are to sell all to possess the Kingdom and live the Kingdom life.
7. We are to remain in Christ and be found to be "good fish" when Jesus comes again.

Richard then showed us very practically how we can understand the Kingdom and live the Kingdom life by recognising that God is love and that everything in and about God's Kingdom is rooted in His agape love (see 1 Jn 4:7-11). Looking at the parables from the perspective of God's love we noted the following:

1. We are to share the good news of God's unconditional love and allow the truth of His love to be rooted and established in our lives so that we produce the fruit of His love.
2. We are to live lives of love as sons of the Kingdom of God.
3. We are to lay down our lives for one another to produce a tree of love that people can find rest in as they encounter and experience Christ's love.
4. We are to influence the world and the Church with God's love.
5. We are to "sell everything" to possess God's love and live in it.
6. We are to "sell everything" to purchase this love that is like a fine pearl.
7. We are to remain in God's love to be found in Him when He sorts out those who belong to Him and those who do not.

 Love was sown, so that love is grown.

We praise God for His revelation to us and for teaching us what it means to live the Kingdom life.

Notices

29.08 - KLF Prayer Meeting at 19:30 at Leipziger Str.60
01.09 - Welcome Coffee from 15:00 - 17:00 at Leipziger Str.60
23.09 - 17:00 Special KLF Church Family meeting after regular church meeting

Living the Kingdom life

Photo by David Clode on Unsplash

Glory to God!

What a surprise! Two weeks ago our Kingdom Life family prepared a surprise party for pastor Richard's 50th birthday. He thought he was going to have a quiet dinner out with Frances and the Blairs when suddenly he found himself welcomed to a room, prepared, decorated and filled with our Kingdom Life family. Despite the extreme heat, many came to celebrate the occasion, enjoy good food and have a lot of fun together. Thanks to everyone who contributed and participated to bless and honour pastor Richard. It was a wonderful evening.

These past two weeks we have been looking at what it means to live the Kingdom life. In his message entitled, Transforming Love, Richard showed us from Romans 12:1,2 how our lives are transformed:

• as we receive revelation of the depth of God's mercy and love toward us (Eph 3:17-19)
• as we grow in our love for God and worship Him with our lives
• and as we renew our thinking and live according to God's thoughts and ways (Isaiah 55:6-8).

Using the example of a chameleon and a butterfly, Richard challenged us to see whether we live our christian lives superficially by trying to keep appearances, or putting a tick in a spiritual box or whether we are truly being transformed from within so that we become what God has created us to be in Christ. We noted that the kingdom of this world is not the Kingdom of God and that the believer must learn to live from the reality of God's Kingdom to "test and approve God's good, pleasing and perfect will."

Yesterday we heard wonderful testimonies of lives being saved, healed and transformed by God as people experienced His tangible presence and power on the streets of Frankfurt and at a youth camp. Hallelujah! We also saw a presentation of our mission team's trip to Butuan City in the Philippines that took place in July. It was very special to hear Katrin's testimony of how she experienced the Philippines for the first time and to hear about her first impressions of the people, Kingdom Life Butuan, the culture of the country and what God did during their visit. You can find out more about their trip here.

Continuing with the subject of living the Kingdom life, Richard spoke to us yesterday about Revealing God's Kingdom. We noted how Jesus always spoke about the Kingdom and how He used parables to help people understand the nature and purposes of God's Kingdom. This is what we saw:

• God's Kingdom is not the kingdom of this world. John 18:36; James 3:13-18
• A kingdom is ruled by a king and is made up of all that belongs to him and is subject to him.
• A kingdom is established as its subjects submit to their king and to his values, laws, customs and culture.
• The believer is rescued out of the kingdom of satan and placed under the rule and reign of Christ. Col 1:13; Eph 2:1-9
• Those who belong to God and His Kingdom reveal it with lives of faith, hope, love, worship, prayer, etc.
• Those who accept Christ as King demonstrate their love for Him and submission to His rule and reign by being obedient to Him. John 14:15; Rom 1:5
• Those who live the life of the Kingdom adopt the values, laws, customs and culture of God's Kingdom. Eph 4:17-32

The Lord is emphasising the difference between the kingdom of this world that is ruled by the "god of this age" or "the ruler of the kingdom of the air" and the Kingdom of God that is ruled by Christ, the King of kings. As we learn to live as those who belong to God and His Kingdom, obeying Jesus and adopting His thoughts and ways, God will establish and expand His Kingdom through us. Hallelujah!

Notices

29.08 - KLF Prayer Meeting at 19:30 at Leipziger Str.60
01.09 - Welcome Coffee from 15:00 - 17:00 at Leipziger Str.60
23.09 - 17:00 Special KLF Church Family meeting after regular church meeting