I Told of the Coming Kingdom

Meditations based on readings from

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ

November 15, 2019

I Told of the Coming Kingdom

Page 193-194

Luke 17:20-37

The Pharisees were trying to pin Jesus down to a specific timetable for the coming of God’s Kingdom. Unfortunately, some people misinterpret this passage as apocalypse, dealing with the end of time. However, when taken in the context of the entire Gospel of Luke, it becomes clear Jesus is referring to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by Rome, which occurred approximately thirty years after Jesus spoke the words.

Jesus says if you are looking for signposts, you will miss the Kingdom. Jesus is trying to get the people to look around and grasp what was happening in their own time. Jesus’ response is not about what is going to happen in the far distant future; he was talking about what was happening in their lifetime. The rebellious attitudes of the people, against God and the Romans, could only end one way: badly. Jesus was trying to help the people understand that God was giving them an invitation. Come, take hold of the Kingdom and become a co-laborer with Christ in the building for God’s Kingdom on earth.

It has been said that measurement is a sign of what we actually value. A few weekends ago, several of the churches that I follow on social media were celebrating baptisms of new followers of Christ – scores of them. It is clear these churches measure and value their work in making disciples for Jesus.

My Takeaway: This invitation of Jesus, to take hold of the Kingdom and become a co-laborer with him in the building for God’s Kingdom on earth, Jesus extends this same invitation to you and me today. We build God’s Kingdom by making disciples. If we don’t measure our work, if we don’t value our work in making disciples, I’m pretty sure we won’t be making many disciples for Jesus.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Copyright © 2019 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

• Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

• The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.