The Incomplete Gospel

Even as early as the 1700's, men like George Whitefield and the Wesley brothers were preaching the gospel of salvation.  Fast forward to the 1950's and the advent of men like Billy Graham who preached the same gospel to hundreds of thousands of people.  I came to understand about my own need for a savior when I was 9-years-old in 1964.  The gospel of salvation is absolutely necessary.  But also incomplete.

We were taught that:

1. We needed to be saved because of our sin.
2. We needed to be discipled.
3. We needed to tell other people about Jesus.
4. We needed to be ready for the rapture.
5. And that the ultimate goal was to go to heaven and forever be with God.

Mostly true.  But over the past 3 years, through Zach Neese and his book, How to Worship a King, through Paul Burleson at our pastors/wives retreat, and through LLBD (and in that order), I've been confronted with the gospel of the kingdom.  I never realized that this is the gospel Jesus brought and taught.  (Read Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John and underline every time you see which gospel Jesus teaches about.  I was amazed!)  You see...with the gospel of salvation, I never felt any future--except to wait for heaven--and very little purpose.  To fulfill the gospel of salvation, the only future I saw was to be involved in full-time ministry.  Spend your life evangelizing and then wait for the rapture.  I feel like we did a horrible injustice to generations of people.  They got saved...and then had no idea what to do next.  It felt dead.

But the gospel of the kingdom is so much more!  It's a government.  It has a constitution, the Bible.  It has a monetary system, it has territory, and it has rulers/ambassadors.  It is righteousness, peace and joy.  And all of a sudden, the gospel becomes SO MUCH MORE!!  And I'm involved in ways I'd never imagined.  I'm not just waiting for the rapture or heaven---I'm trying to make earth look like heaven.  Isn't that what Jesus taught us?  

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
 Give us this day our daily bread.
 And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.

And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

I'm still learning. But this is so much more exciting!! It's breathtaking to know I'm a part of something so big. And it's even more exhilarating to know I have PURPOSE! God wants me to rule...and serve right here on earth. That was His original plan. He wants me to be His ambassador to bring others into this kingdom which will only expand His kingdom. He wants me to help them discover their purpose. He wants me to possess territory. Even my prayer life has changed. If I'm making earth look like heaven, I need to know the heart of the Father to even know what to ask for or how to come in agreement with Him. I need to ask and know His desires for right here, right now. And He has everything we need for this kingdom, this territory, He is establishing through us. Just...WOW!