by A. A. Neale

"Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here'" (John 18:36, NKJV).

Kings love pomp and power. They revel in riches. Good Queen Elizabeth is probably chafing that the author of Harry Potter has surpassed her in net worth.

Jesus was a different kind of King. He gave up luxury for poverty, refused power to embrace weakness, and surrendered the glory of heaven for human simplicity. He passed up every temptation to become a worldly monarch so he could remain firm in building his spiritual kingdom.

The scholars tell us we should understand the word "kingdom" in the New Testament as "rule," because the Kingdom of God (or Heaven, as Matthew prefers it) is centered in the King. I don't have a problem with that, as long as we don't diminish the place of God's church as the current expression of Christ's rule.

But the main point here is that the King has set the standard. Gobs of religions, many of which call themselves Christian, have more in common with Pilate than they do with Jesus. We'd better be sure who's side we're on and whose robes we're wearing, whether it's the gold-laced finery of royalty or the plain peasant cotton of the Lord of the Universe.

Because, when he comes again, he will recognize those who belong to him. And I'm thankful for that.

by J. Randal Matheny

Ever since C. H. Dodd, in 1936, made a severe separation between preaching (kerygma) the gospel and Christian teaching (didache), people have tried to whittle down what we should tell the non-Christian about the church and Christian life.

Recently, as I prepared for Bible class, another little note of interest surfaced. We're studying the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5. As I neared the finish line on one lesson, I consulted the Expositor's Bible Commentary, where James Montgomery Boice offered a perspective on the phrase in Galatians 5:21 about the works of the flesh, "of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, ..."

Boice remarks, "When Paul says that he warned the Galatians of this previously (presumably when he was among them), he reveals that his preaching was never what one might call mere evangelism but that it always contained a strong dose of the standard of morality expected from Christians" (p. 497).

In the next paragraph, calvinist Boice offers the old saw to wiggle out of a bind that "those who keep living in the flesh give evidence that they are not Abraham's seed and therefore will not inherit salvation" (p. 497). But it's his first affirmation above that especially interests me at the moment.

As an intelligent interpreter of Scripture, Boice is aware of the preaching/teaching dichotomy. And, if we understand his point properly, he comes down clearly that evangelistic preaching includes teaching about morals.

From the start, he says, Paul preached about repentance and the difference between right and wrong. And most certainly he preached about God's church, God's kingdom, God's mission.

It's simplistic to say, "Just preach Jesus, and worry later about the rest." Our Lord always made it clear the cost of following him. Changes, repentance, commitment. And how can one repent without knowing the wrong behavior which one exhibits and the godly conduct demanded? Lists of vices and virtues have fallen from modern use, but not from ancient Testimony.

In an age when so-called Christians in denominational churches demonstrate, according to evangelical-friendly U.S. surveys, a conduct equal to the world (and worse, in some cases), the need to preach repentance from evil works and commitment to godly conduct is greater than ever.

All preaching and teaching is necessarily selective, according to the audience, the moment, and the need. But as a general rule, we neglect preaching the full meaning of repentance to the peril of our hearers and ourselves as well.

by J. Randal Matheny

Gideon was a reluctant savior. Called to be a "judge" during the Dark Ages of Israel's history, he considered himself too small to answer the call of the Lord's Angel (Judges 6.17-18). Later, on the eve of battle against the Midianites, he asked for a sign of victory by putting a piece of wool on the threshing floor.

According to Gideon's request, God wets the wool with dew and leaves the ground dry. He further permits yet another test, this time leaving the wool dry while the ground is covered with dew.

The sad moment is often used as an example of what Christians can do, by "putting out the fleece." But Gideon's request is no model for knowing God's will.

First, Gideon already knew what God wanted of him, for the Lord's Angel had informed him. He himself recognized that he wasn't looking for guidance but merely confirmation of the information he'd already been given (6.36).

Second, Gideon's request arose from doubts and fears. His was not an act of faith, but weakness. The Angel had appeared and spoken to him. The Angel had shown his divine origin by consuming Gideon's offering with fire from the rock. The Spirit of the Lord had come upon Gideon. With so many miraculous demonstrations from God, this leader had both a word and a confirmation that he was acting according to God's will. But it still wasn't enough.

Third, the Lord disapproves of those who seek for signs. When Zacariah asked for a sign, the angel caused him to be mute until John's birth. He rebuked him with this explanation, "because you did not believe my words" (Luke 1:20).

When the Jews asked for a sign as proof of Jesus' words, he chided them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet" (Matt. 12:39).

Jonah's story is contained in Scripture. It is to there that Jesus sends us. And it is there we will discover the will of God for our lives.

In this case, Gideon is a prime example of what we should not do.

by Phil Sanders

The resurrection provides us the confidence to give our lives to Jesus Christ.

When you think of what it means to confess Jesus as Lord, you may need a sufficient reason for that kind of commitment. The Lord wants us to sanctify Him as Lord in our hearts (1 Peter. 3:15), to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1), to daily take up our cross (Luke 9:23), and to put Him first in all respects (Col. 1:10).

Why are you a Christian?

For me, I am a Christian because of the resurrection. Oh, this is not the only reason; but it is foundational. Jesus, as risen Lord, is worthy of my every sacrifice and obedience.

The early disciples died claiming he arose from the dead. I cannot so easily set that aside. They saw Him, heard Him, touched Him, and were convinced by many undeniable proofs (Acts 1:1-3).

Here is a list of his appearances:

1. To Mary Magdalene (John 20:11)
2. To the other women (Matt. 28:9,10)
3. To two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:12-32)
4. To Peter (Luke 24:34)
5. To ten of the eleven, not including Thomas (Luke 24:33; John 20:24,25)
6. To the eleven, including Thomas (John 20:26-30)
7. To seven apostles (John 21)
8. To all the apostles (Matt. 28:16-20)
9. To all the apostles (Acts 1:4-9)
10. To 500 brethren at one time (1 Cor. 15:6)
11. To James (1 Cor. 15:7)
12. To Paul (1 Cor. 15:7)

Jesus proved Himself by fulfilling His prophecy to arise on the third day (Matt. 16:21). One can easily fix how he is to die, but to predict one's resurrection is another matter. Jesus is really the Lord. That realization makes all the difference.

If Jesus is Lord, I need to confess Him, obey Him, follow Him, love Him, serve Him, follow Him, and share Him with the world.

One last point: God will judge the world one day through a Man whom He has raised from the dead. He furnished proof to us of His Lordship by raising Him. (Acts 17:30-31) If He arose--and He did, you will stand before Him one day for judgment. Are you prepared?

Phil

by Warren Baldwin

"God said it, I believe it, that settles it." That saying was posted on the office door of one of my college professors in 1976. Later, I saw a simplified version of that which simply read, "God said it, that settles it." The author of the shorter version was simply trying to say, "It doesn't matter whether I believe it or not, what God says is truth."

Such a confidence in the truth of God's Word is commendable and certainly is to be expected of all who are Christians.

But such confidence is also waning in our society. Not just confidence in the Bible, but confidence in anything that poses itself as a standard of thought or behavior. Replacing confidence in the Bible or some other authority is an attitude of relativism. Relativism is "the doctrine that knowledge, truth, and morality exist in relation to culture, society, or historical context, and are not absolute." In other words, there is no standard of right or wrong that is true for all people at all times. Society determines what is right or wrong.

Relativism has been identified as one of the traits of current thinking referred to as postmodernism. Postmodernism is the rejection of Enlightenment thought which elevated human reason over other aspects of life. Enlightenment thought believed in human goodness and progress. Man could do anything, including ending war, defeating disease, and figuring out God. And we tried, with science, technology, and increased learning. But we failed, didn't we?

After several hundred years of rather futile efforts in ending war, defeating disease, and figuring out God, a new generation of people grew up who "knew not the god of the Enlightenment." This generation tends to reject the conclusions of preceding generations about the goodness of man and inevitable progress. They look around and say, "Your technology, science, and religion have not dealt adequately with the problems of war, disease, or hunger. There has to be a better way." And what previous generations held dear as valid solutions to all problems current generations reject. And they often reject religion with it. God, Bible, church.

This is a problem, isn't it? Yes and no. I prefer to call it a challenge.

Postmodernism is a challenge because it forces those of us who believe "God said it, that settles it" to think seriously about how we can reach this current generation of thinkers with the Gospel. Even though relativism may characterize postmodern thinking, I believe many postmoderns are on a search for truth. They want something stable to hold on to. What will we offer them? We can reject them as being uncaring and unspiritual, but that is certainly not what God calls for us to do. We can also scold them for not listening to us, but that won't accomplish anything except to further alienate them.

What insight has God given us into how to reach out to people who might at first tend to reject the spoken or written Word? What did Jesus say we should hold out to people to attract them to Him? How will people know that we are legitimate disciples of Jesus and not just phony copies? The answers to these questions might give us some insight into how to reach the young person living next door to us. Or even the young person living in our own homes.