Daily book quote from "The Kingdom"

Matthew 13:31
    When God is involved, something small can be transformed into something great. A mustard seed was an expression of the time to signify something small or of little significance. If you were to look at a mustard seed you would think that not much could become of it. It is not something that exudes expectation. This is a kingdom principle; In God’s kingdom, people, situations, and circumstances are not limited to how they appear in the natural.
    First we have to break this down a little; we have a “mustard seed”, it is planted and grows, then we have the birds that come and perch in its branches. The typical view would look like this;

*“Mustard seed” - may symbolize the Kingdom of God (in seed form); or the Word of God; or “faith” which Jesus spoke of often; or the Church; all of which may start out small.

*“Planted” - perhaps in an individual; in a community; or in the world as a whole.
*“Grows” - through seeking, study, preaching, teaching and evangelism.
*“Birds” - represent people who come seeking joy, peace, protection, provision, rest.
*“Branches” - represent the many denominations.

 

Daily book quote from "The Kingdom"
    In Matthew 4:23 and 9:35 we read that “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness; when he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”
    From these verses we can see that Jesus not only had a distinct message, the good news of the Kingdom, but also that He had a distinct ministry which illustrated that message, in healing every disease and sickness. Everything Jesus did supported everything Jesus said, and it all had to do with the authority, power, and purpose of God.
    When Jesus spoke those words from Isaiah in Luke 4:18 that the “Spirit of the Lord is on me to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, to give sight to the blind, to release the oppressed” He was letting the kingdom of this world know that the time had come for God to take back what was His; specifically, you and me and all who would believe!

Daily book quote from "The Kingdom"

    The subject of the Kingdom of God was spoken about by Jesus on numerous occasions, and it obviously has great importance. Jesus described his teaching and preaching as a message about the Kingdom of God (Luke 4:43; 8:1). Jesus taught his disciples that they were to pray that God’s Kingdom would come (Luke 11:2). Jesus instructed his disciples to proclaim the Kingdom of God (Luke 9:2), and many of the parables were illustrations used to instruct us regarding what the Kingdom of God is “like.” The Epistles of the New Testament also mention the Kingdom of God often. The Apostles wrote about inheriting the Kingdom of God and the coming of the Kingdom of God. But, the Epistle letters are written to show us what we, as kingdom children, ought to be doing and how we ought to be acting as we prepare for the coming eternal Kingdom. So, it is in the gospels that we really get a better understanding of the concept of the Kingdom of God.
     So just what is the Kingdom of God? That is no easy question to answer. Because the term is used broadly any definition will really fall short in some respects. Nevertheless, I would define the Kingdom of God as “the manifestation of God’s authority, power, and purposes, whether in a person or a place.”