MAN IN THE MIRROR
MAN IN THE MIRROR
What would you like to see when you look into the mirror?
HELPING HANDS
There are many fantastic organisations that offer help. Here are some examples.
§ Medicin Sans Frontiers (aka ‘Doctors without Borders’)
§ Save the Children Fund
§ Rotary Club
§ People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
§ Green Peace
And here are some more examples of organisations that help.
§ Habitat for Humanity
§ International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
§ Goodwill Industries
§ The Innocence Project
§ Amnesty International
Have you heard of these organisations before? Do you know what the difference is between these two groups?
One word- DUTY! I’ll explain.
THE KINGDOM OF GOD ACCORDING TO MATTHEW
In the Apostolic Scriptures, Matthew introduces the concept of an earthly ‘kingdom of God’ in Chapter 6:10 (emphasis mine, KJV).
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done IN EARTH, as it is in heaven.
And in Chapter 25, Matthew goes further to explain in detail what the kingdom of God should look like. Compassion. People caring for and helping one another. In this chapter, Christ reminds us how much He values compassion.
In fact, because He values it so highly, Christ explains that, at judgment time, our very entry into the kingdom of heaven will depend upon the record of our efforts to build an earthly kingdom of God! Matthew 25:35-40 (KJV) says:
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink:
HELPING HANDS
There are many fantastic organisations that offer help. Here are some examples.
§ Medicin Sans Frontiers (aka ‘Doctors without Borders’)
§ Save the Children Fund
§ Rotary Club
§ People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
§ Green Peace
And here are some more examples of organisations that help.
§ Habitat for Humanity
§ International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
§ Goodwill Industries
§ The Innocence Project
§ Amnesty International
Have you heard of these organisations before? Do you know what the difference is between these two groups?
One word- DUTY! I’ll explain.
THE KINGDOM OF GOD ACCORDING TO MATTHEW
In the Apostolic Scriptures, Matthew introduces the concept of an earthly ‘kingdom of God’ in Chapter 6:10 (emphasis mine, KJV).
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done IN EARTH, as it is in heaven.
And in Chapter 25, Matthew goes further to explain in detail what the kingdom of God should look like. Compassion. People caring for and helping one another. In this chapter, Christ reminds us how much He values compassion.
In fact, because He values it so highly, Christ explains that, at judgment time, our very entry into the kingdom of heaven will depend upon the record of our efforts to build an earthly kingdom of God! Matthew 25:35-40 (KJV) says:
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink:
I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison,
When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch
Believers have a DUTY to help.
BUT THE KINGDOM OF GOD ACCORDING TO LUKE AND PAUL...
Do you know that the greatest single obstacle to us having a more compassionate world comes from a false teaching?
Most Christians have been taught, falsely, that God and Christ prefer piety to pragmatism. But, the members of God’s remnant know that this is not true!
In the Pauline writings, we are given a different definition of the ‘kingdom of God’ than the one that we are given in Matthew.
In Luke, we are told that the kingdom of God is ethereal. It is not tangible. It is inside us. What does this definition teach us? It teaches us that it is not what we do (i.e. WORKS) that matters but, rather, it is who we are (i.e. pious believers).
NO! NO! NO! Faith and prayer are not all that matter!
This version of the kingdom of God does not create social activism! This version of the kingdom of God results in piety! Paralyzed pious parishioners. In this version, believers are encouraged to sit and pray in the midst of the hungry. In the midst of the homeless. In the midst of the sick, the widows, the orphans, the prisoners, the immigrants, the lonely and the naked. Hear Luke 17:20-21 (emphasis mine, KJV) says:
And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he
Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS
Or consider what Romans 14:17 says (emphasis mine, KJV):
For the kingdom of God IS NOT MEAT AND DRINK; but righteousness, and peace,
Really Paul? Is that what the kingdom of God is supposed to be? No food and water for the hungry. No practical help for those in need! Rather, your solution to life’s problems is piety? Really?
FAITH AND WORKS
Please read James 2:17-26!
So what do we have here? We have two OPPOSING definitions of the earthly kingdom of God- the Apostolic Scriptures version and the Pauline writings version.
They cannot both be correct.
So, as Isaiah asked, whose report do you believe? What do you think the kingdom of God is? Piety or pragmatism?
I believe that Christ teaches us that what we DO for others, because of our faith, is what matters most!
CHRIST SAID:
§ I expect you to LOVE one another (Matthew 22:37-40).
§ I expect you to be SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE (Matthew 25:31-46).
§ I expect you to act righteously and I will hold you PERSONALLY ACCOUNTABLE for your actions (Revelation 20:12-15).
BE INSPIRED!
I applaud the efforts of every humanitarian organisation that was ever founded. And it doesn’t matter to me whether they are secular or faith-based. Help is help! But I believe that as members of God’s remnant, we have a special DUTY and obligation to help others (Matthew 25:31-46)!
So when you look at yourself in the mirror, what do you see? I hope that you see a person who has FAITH AND WORKS!
How should you start? Don’t get overwhelmed! Just commit to finding a way to help at least one person- EVERYDAY.
And please visit John S. Dickerson’s wonderful website- www.jesusskeptic.com, to see examples of individuals who were INSPIRED by their faith to become social activists and help others.
And the answer to my question at the beginning of this article? The organisations in the second group were all started by persons of faith (Jewish and Christian). LOVE AND DUTY MADE TANGIBLE- welcome to the earthly kingdom of God!
AND FINALLY, IS OUR GOD’S REMNANT PUZZLE COMPLETE?
Almost! As we continue to put the pieces of our puzzle together, we now KNOW that a member of God’s remnant:
1. Worships God and not Christ.
2. Keeps sabbath on Saturday.
3. Has the testimony of Jesus Christ (i.e. the Apostolic Scriptures).
4. Accepts that Christ’s ‘gospel of the kingdom’ is the MAIN message of the New Testament.
5. Accepts the duty and the obligation of having faith and works- i.e. building the earthly kingdom of God.
*****
‘HARVEST TIME Prophecies’ is the blog post site of TNG Academy. Our blog post site gets its name from Matthew 13:30- i.e. the separation of wheat and tares that will occur at harvest time (i.e. the endtimes). Remember, the ‘wheat’ symbolises Godly things and the ‘tares’ symbolise things of the devil.
The purpose of these blog posts is twofold. Firstly, they are written to encourage more focus on Christ’s core message- i.e. the ‘gospel of the kingdom’. And second, they are written as an aid for our discipleship journey- i.e. improving our understanding of God’s expectations of us. I hope, these posts assist you on your journey of ‘becoming’!
Visit our website- WWW.TNGACADEMY.ORG, to get copies of our Bible study books. Which books would I recommend for you to read first? Start with these three-
#theapostolicscriptures
#gospelofthekingdom
#Remnant
#endtimes
Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison,
and ye came unto me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred,
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred,
and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch
as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Believers have a DUTY to help.
BUT THE KINGDOM OF GOD ACCORDING TO LUKE AND PAUL...
Do you know that the greatest single obstacle to us having a more compassionate world comes from a false teaching?
Most Christians have been taught, falsely, that God and Christ prefer piety to pragmatism. But, the members of God’s remnant know that this is not true!
In the Pauline writings, we are given a different definition of the ‘kingdom of God’ than the one that we are given in Matthew.
In Luke, we are told that the kingdom of God is ethereal. It is not tangible. It is inside us. What does this definition teach us? It teaches us that it is not what we do (i.e. WORKS) that matters but, rather, it is who we are (i.e. pious believers).
NO! NO! NO! Faith and prayer are not all that matter!
This version of the kingdom of God does not create social activism! This version of the kingdom of God results in piety! Paralyzed pious parishioners. In this version, believers are encouraged to sit and pray in the midst of the hungry. In the midst of the homeless. In the midst of the sick, the widows, the orphans, the prisoners, the immigrants, the lonely and the naked. Hear Luke 17:20-21 (emphasis mine, KJV) says:
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:
Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS
WITHIN YOU.
Or consider what Romans 14:17 says (emphasis mine, KJV):
For the kingdom of God IS NOT MEAT AND DRINK; but righteousness, and peace,
and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Really Paul? Is that what the kingdom of God is supposed to be? No food and water for the hungry. No practical help for those in need! Rather, your solution to life’s problems is piety? Really?
FAITH AND WORKS
Please read James 2:17-26!
So what do we have here? We have two OPPOSING definitions of the earthly kingdom of God- the Apostolic Scriptures version and the Pauline writings version.
They cannot both be correct.
So, as Isaiah asked, whose report do you believe? What do you think the kingdom of God is? Piety or pragmatism?
I believe that Christ teaches us that what we DO for others, because of our faith, is what matters most!
CHRIST SAID:
§ I expect you to LOVE one another (Matthew 22:37-40).
§ I expect you to be SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE (Matthew 25:31-46).
§ I expect you to act righteously and I will hold you PERSONALLY ACCOUNTABLE for your actions (Revelation 20:12-15).
BE INSPIRED!
I applaud the efforts of every humanitarian organisation that was ever founded. And it doesn’t matter to me whether they are secular or faith-based. Help is help! But I believe that as members of God’s remnant, we have a special DUTY and obligation to help others (Matthew 25:31-46)!
So when you look at yourself in the mirror, what do you see? I hope that you see a person who has FAITH AND WORKS!
How should you start? Don’t get overwhelmed! Just commit to finding a way to help at least one person- EVERYDAY.
And please visit John S. Dickerson’s wonderful website- www.jesusskeptic.com, to see examples of individuals who were INSPIRED by their faith to become social activists and help others.
And the answer to my question at the beginning of this article? The organisations in the second group were all started by persons of faith (Jewish and Christian). LOVE AND DUTY MADE TANGIBLE- welcome to the earthly kingdom of God!
AND FINALLY, IS OUR GOD’S REMNANT PUZZLE COMPLETE?
Almost! As we continue to put the pieces of our puzzle together, we now KNOW that a member of God’s remnant:
1. Worships God and not Christ.
2. Keeps sabbath on Saturday.
3. Has the testimony of Jesus Christ (i.e. the Apostolic Scriptures).
4. Accepts that Christ’s ‘gospel of the kingdom’ is the MAIN message of the New Testament.
5. Accepts the duty and the obligation of having faith and works- i.e. building the earthly kingdom of God.
*****
‘HARVEST TIME Prophecies’ is the blog post site of TNG Academy. Our blog post site gets its name from Matthew 13:30- i.e. the separation of wheat and tares that will occur at harvest time (i.e. the endtimes). Remember, the ‘wheat’ symbolises Godly things and the ‘tares’ symbolise things of the devil.
The purpose of these blog posts is twofold. Firstly, they are written to encourage more focus on Christ’s core message- i.e. the ‘gospel of the kingdom’. And second, they are written as an aid for our discipleship journey- i.e. improving our understanding of God’s expectations of us. I hope, these posts assist you on your journey of ‘becoming’!
Visit our website- WWW.TNGACADEMY.ORG, to get copies of our Bible study books. Which books would I recommend for you to read first? Start with these three-
- WHAT IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD?
- MENE MENE TEKEL UPHARSIN!
- THE APOSTOLIC SCRIPTURES.
#theapostolicscriptures
#gospelofthekingdom
#Remnant
#endtimes
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