“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” Matthew 7:1
This verse is one of the most abused verses in the 21st century
This is one of the most quoted verses
Skeptics quote this verse—
Rebellious teenagers quote this verse
Certain religious people quote this when their thoughts are challenged—
When people want to defend their cause they quote this verse
However, when this verse is quoted it is usually ripped out of context—
The tragedy is that many use this verse as a ‘scare tactic’
This verse is one of the most abused verses in the 21st century
The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) is a
Public criticism of the Jewish scribes and
Pharisees for their self-righteousness and abuse of the Old Testament—
Their lifestyle were judged righteously and Jesus came to
Show them this with a heart of LOVE but
He knew that some would rebel
Many people only want to focus on the positive things
That Jesus did and as a result they ignore the fact that
A large part of Jesus’ ministry was about CORRECTION
The Jews were obsessed with the concept of ‘election’
However the reality is that they needed ‘CORRECTION’
Jesus said, “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” Matthew 5:20—
Here the righteousness of the Pharisees were judged—
They were wearing righteousness with their clothes
However they never had it in their hearts!
Many people only want to focus on the positive things
That Jesus did and as a result they ignore the fact that
A large part of Jesus’ ministry was about CORRECTION
The Jews were obsessed with the concept of ‘election’
However the reality is that they needed ‘CORRECTION’
When we judge a teaching, we must judge righteously
We must do it without hypocrisy—John 7:24
Jesus had already judged the Pharisees righteousness
When He taught the Sermon on the Mount—
Soon after the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus
Commanded that His followers make a judgement—
“Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine,
Lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces” Matthew 7:6—Here we must judge who are dogs and who are hogs(pigs)
Again in Matthew 7:15-20, Jesus implied that
The disciples must make a judgement!
In reality there is a simple question that we must ask ourselves,
How can we watch out for false prophets if we can’t make judgements?
[1 Corinthians 5:4-5,11,13b;2 John 9-11 etc.]
Matthew 7:1 is used a lot in the 21st century
Many misuse it but forget that
A large part of Jesus’ ministry was about CORRECTION
The Jews were obsessed with the concept of ‘election’
However the reality is that they needed ‘CORRECTION’
Mark Frank
Copyright 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Kingdom Multiplication
The Samaritan woman who had just met Jesus had sown
Seeds of Truth that blossomed quickly into Kingdom Multiplication—
Jesus knows who to touch in order to bring growth—
We must plant the seed even if we think that ‘they’ cannot be touched!
All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations” (Ps. 22:27-28)
The Kingdom of God is a practical necessity
Religion is not a necessity
However, many choose religion—
Everybody is looking for the Kingdom of God
The Kingdom of God fulfils man!
The Samaritan woman was also looking for the Kingdom of God and
In the process of looking she found it and
Became a tool for multiplication—
God will surprise many of us by using people we least expect
"Through you we push down our foes; through your Name we tread down those who rise up against us. For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me." Psalm 44:5-6
The Kingdom of God is PEACE in this world
“Peace I leave you; My peace I give you. I do
not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts
be troubled and do not be afraid (John 14:27)
The Kingdom of God is a FEARLESS KINGDOM
The Kingdom of God is the Safest Place
The Kingdom of God is the most Secure LOCATION
The Kingdom of God is the Most Stable Entity (KINGDOM)
The Kingdom of God is PRATICAL Necessity
The Kingdom of God fulfils man!
The Samaritan woman who had just met Jesus had sown
Seeds of Truth that blossomed quickly into Kingdom Multiplication—
John 4:1-26
Mark Frank
Copyright 2010
Seeds of Truth that blossomed quickly into Kingdom Multiplication—
Jesus knows who to touch in order to bring growth—
We must plant the seed even if we think that ‘they’ cannot be touched!
All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations” (Ps. 22:27-28)
The Kingdom of God is a practical necessity
Religion is not a necessity
However, many choose religion—
Everybody is looking for the Kingdom of God
The Kingdom of God fulfils man!
The Samaritan woman was also looking for the Kingdom of God and
In the process of looking she found it and
Became a tool for multiplication—
God will surprise many of us by using people we least expect
"Through you we push down our foes; through your Name we tread down those who rise up against us. For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me." Psalm 44:5-6
The Kingdom of God is PEACE in this world
“Peace I leave you; My peace I give you. I do
not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts
be troubled and do not be afraid (John 14:27)
The Kingdom of God is a FEARLESS KINGDOM
The Kingdom of God is the Safest Place
The Kingdom of God is the most Secure LOCATION
The Kingdom of God is the Most Stable Entity (KINGDOM)
The Kingdom of God is PRATICAL Necessity
The Kingdom of God fulfils man!
The Samaritan woman who had just met Jesus had sown
Seeds of Truth that blossomed quickly into Kingdom Multiplication—
John 4:1-26
Mark Frank
Copyright 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
KINGDOM EXPLOSION
Your throne O God will last for ever and ever
KINGDOM EXPLOSION
THE GOVERNMENT OF JESUS CHRIST
Ambassador
13/7/10
“How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to generation.”
Daniel 4:3
Our Declaration
I stand to acclaim, The King of all Glory—Christ Jesus His Name
I ask you, King Jesus, Fulfil your kingdom desire,
Ignite me and make me a chariot of Fire
Come ride on my life and I will be a chariot of Fire.
“Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus” (Acts 4:29).
“Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendour and the majesty, for everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to You. Yours, LORD, is the kingdom, and You are exalted as head over all.” (1 Chronicles 29:11)
The Emperor of the Kingdom
Jesus holds the ultimate governmental function and therefore commands not only our personal, but also our corporate loyalty. Jesus rules an Empire of both a loving, but also of a holy and fearsome God. For the apostle Paul, it is clear that the Kingdom, not just the church, is what he is called to proclaim. Paul described his ministry partners specifically not as co-workers for the church, but as “my fellow workers for the Kingdom of God” (Col 4:11).
Paul preaches the Kingdom, the rule of Jesus, and those that repent to this apostolic message are added by the father to the Kingdom, and these are exactly those with whom Jesus builds his church! “The father has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of the Son” (Col 1:13). It is God the father who gives those that are saved “the passport of the Empire”; he issues the naturalization, the official right to be legal citizens in the Empire of his son, Jesus.
Prayer 1
Pray that the EMPEROR will DECREE and expand HIS KINGDOM in the COMMUNITY.
The Storm of the Kingdom
The Kingdom of God moves without fear. As empires greatly rise above kingdoms - they are essentially an ever-expanding Kingdom of kingdoms - emperors are a different breed than kings. The expansion of the Empire of God is a dynamic process: “Of the increase of his government
will be no end” (Isa 9:7). In other words: just like a snowball can grow into an avalanche, the expansion of the empire of God will begin small and seemingly insignificant, but will be impossible to stop.The Kingdom starts with the arrival of the king. Jesus says, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Mt 6:33). Rather than making faith a purely private issue, Jesus makes it a deeply political one—the Greek word dikaiosyne most Bibles translate with “righteousness” was in the original Greek language of the days of Jesus a political term meaning “state law”; described the constitution, the law that either God gave to humans, 0r later, a country gave itself. Jesus makes it abundantly clear of Moses was not only the bedrock of the Old Testament theocracy, rule of God, but is also foundational and valid in his Kingdom: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish them but fulfill them (Mt 5:17).
Paul writes it like this: “The Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking,
but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom 14:17). The
Greek word for righteousness is, again, dikaosyne. It is possible to translate it therefore like this: “The Kingdom of God happens where people align themselves into the state law of God, his constitution, in peace and joy”.
Prayer 2
Pray that God’s Name may be made HOLY in the COMMUNITY.
The Political Function of the Kingdom
The Empire is First—the Church is second. Jesus spoke of the Kingdom 69 times, and only twice/thrice of the church, putting the relationship between Empire and Church clearly into perspective. Without humans expressing their loyalty to their King Jesus, the Empire of God has no human members. Only after duly establishing the fact that Jesus was bringing in the Empire did he speak of his intentions “to build my ekklesia”. Rather than a religious meaning, which church history later attached to it, the Greek word ekklesia meant “legal assembly” (Acts 19:39), describing a body of people with governmental authority, equivalent to a parliament or senate.
It describes the political function of the citizens of the Empire of God, and it is its main recruitment and advancement agency. Ekklesia is the spearhead of the rule of God in the sense that the domain of his rule is now entering specifically the domain of darkness (Col 1:13), liberating humans from darkness (Mt 16:18) and transferring them into the Kingdom of Jesus.
Prayer 3
Pray that the Politics of Jesus will receive Great Prestige in the Community.
The Monarchy of the Kingdom
A king is a supreme ruler. An absolute monarchy, the undivided rule of a single person, is not a form of government familiar to most of us. Most people are more aware of the personal profiles of princes and princesses, along with exposés of their errors and excesses, than they are of the monarchy itself.
Fewer still are aware that the concept of a monarchy is to be found in the New Testament and that it has a direct connection to the future of mankind. In Matthew 6:9-13 Jesus Christ gave a model for people who wish to learn how to pray effectively. Twice in this prayer outline Jesus refers to the Kingdom of God. First is a plea for that kingdom to "come"; then follows an acknowledgment that God indeed has a kingdom. When we acknowledge that God has a kingdom, we also acknowledge that He is royalty. Jesus would not deny being Messiah King (John 18:33-37). When Pilate questioned Him about His kingship, Christ replied, "For this cause I was born" (verse 37).
Out of ten healed lepers only one came back and thanked Jesus—too many Christians Jesus is the King in theory, but not in practice. Many Christians have been taught the theory that Jesus is their King but not now, not here, not really, and not in any way that counts today! Many Christians may worship the throne, but not the King himself. This makes Jesus a King only in theory but a King in exile—Good people are often admired but seldom rule and this is how many treat Jesus
Prayer 4
Pray that the Kingship of Jesus may be REALIZED in the community and that religion may be washed out of the community.
Kingdom Night and Day
Night and Day the Kingdom of God continues to influence the earth. God will not stop because HE does not want anyone to perish.
And he said, “Thus is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast the seed upon the earth, and should sleep and rise up night and day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth bears fruit of itself, first the blade, then an ear, then full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is produced, immediately he sends the sickle, for the harvest is come.” Mark 4:26-29
We do not understand the mysterious work of the kingdom in the hearts of men and women. “...For as heaven is higher than the earth, My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9)
Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other and the Lord
listened to what they said. In His presence a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared Him and loved to think of Him. Malachi 3:16
Prayer 5
Pray that the community may know God—the ONLY TRUE GOD
KINGDOM EXPLOSION
THE GOVERNMENT OF JESUS CHRIST
Ambassador
13/7/10
“How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to generation.”
Daniel 4:3
Our Declaration
I stand to acclaim, The King of all Glory—Christ Jesus His Name
I ask you, King Jesus, Fulfil your kingdom desire,
Ignite me and make me a chariot of Fire
Come ride on my life and I will be a chariot of Fire.
“Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus” (Acts 4:29).
“Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendour and the majesty, for everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to You. Yours, LORD, is the kingdom, and You are exalted as head over all.” (1 Chronicles 29:11)
The Emperor of the Kingdom
Jesus holds the ultimate governmental function and therefore commands not only our personal, but also our corporate loyalty. Jesus rules an Empire of both a loving, but also of a holy and fearsome God. For the apostle Paul, it is clear that the Kingdom, not just the church, is what he is called to proclaim. Paul described his ministry partners specifically not as co-workers for the church, but as “my fellow workers for the Kingdom of God” (Col 4:11).
Paul preaches the Kingdom, the rule of Jesus, and those that repent to this apostolic message are added by the father to the Kingdom, and these are exactly those with whom Jesus builds his church! “The father has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of the Son” (Col 1:13). It is God the father who gives those that are saved “the passport of the Empire”; he issues the naturalization, the official right to be legal citizens in the Empire of his son, Jesus.
Prayer 1
Pray that the EMPEROR will DECREE and expand HIS KINGDOM in the COMMUNITY.
The Storm of the Kingdom
The Kingdom of God moves without fear. As empires greatly rise above kingdoms - they are essentially an ever-expanding Kingdom of kingdoms - emperors are a different breed than kings. The expansion of the Empire of God is a dynamic process: “Of the increase of his government
will be no end” (Isa 9:7). In other words: just like a snowball can grow into an avalanche, the expansion of the empire of God will begin small and seemingly insignificant, but will be impossible to stop.The Kingdom starts with the arrival of the king. Jesus says, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Mt 6:33). Rather than making faith a purely private issue, Jesus makes it a deeply political one—the Greek word dikaiosyne most Bibles translate with “righteousness” was in the original Greek language of the days of Jesus a political term meaning “state law”; described the constitution, the law that either God gave to humans, 0r later, a country gave itself. Jesus makes it abundantly clear of Moses was not only the bedrock of the Old Testament theocracy, rule of God, but is also foundational and valid in his Kingdom: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish them but fulfill them (Mt 5:17).
Paul writes it like this: “The Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking,
but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom 14:17). The
Greek word for righteousness is, again, dikaosyne. It is possible to translate it therefore like this: “The Kingdom of God happens where people align themselves into the state law of God, his constitution, in peace and joy”.
Prayer 2
Pray that God’s Name may be made HOLY in the COMMUNITY.
The Political Function of the Kingdom
The Empire is First—the Church is second. Jesus spoke of the Kingdom 69 times, and only twice/thrice of the church, putting the relationship between Empire and Church clearly into perspective. Without humans expressing their loyalty to their King Jesus, the Empire of God has no human members. Only after duly establishing the fact that Jesus was bringing in the Empire did he speak of his intentions “to build my ekklesia”. Rather than a religious meaning, which church history later attached to it, the Greek word ekklesia meant “legal assembly” (Acts 19:39), describing a body of people with governmental authority, equivalent to a parliament or senate.
It describes the political function of the citizens of the Empire of God, and it is its main recruitment and advancement agency. Ekklesia is the spearhead of the rule of God in the sense that the domain of his rule is now entering specifically the domain of darkness (Col 1:13), liberating humans from darkness (Mt 16:18) and transferring them into the Kingdom of Jesus.
Prayer 3
Pray that the Politics of Jesus will receive Great Prestige in the Community.
The Monarchy of the Kingdom
A king is a supreme ruler. An absolute monarchy, the undivided rule of a single person, is not a form of government familiar to most of us. Most people are more aware of the personal profiles of princes and princesses, along with exposés of their errors and excesses, than they are of the monarchy itself.
Fewer still are aware that the concept of a monarchy is to be found in the New Testament and that it has a direct connection to the future of mankind. In Matthew 6:9-13 Jesus Christ gave a model for people who wish to learn how to pray effectively. Twice in this prayer outline Jesus refers to the Kingdom of God. First is a plea for that kingdom to "come"; then follows an acknowledgment that God indeed has a kingdom. When we acknowledge that God has a kingdom, we also acknowledge that He is royalty. Jesus would not deny being Messiah King (John 18:33-37). When Pilate questioned Him about His kingship, Christ replied, "For this cause I was born" (verse 37).
Out of ten healed lepers only one came back and thanked Jesus—too many Christians Jesus is the King in theory, but not in practice. Many Christians have been taught the theory that Jesus is their King but not now, not here, not really, and not in any way that counts today! Many Christians may worship the throne, but not the King himself. This makes Jesus a King only in theory but a King in exile—Good people are often admired but seldom rule and this is how many treat Jesus
Prayer 4
Pray that the Kingship of Jesus may be REALIZED in the community and that religion may be washed out of the community.
Kingdom Night and Day
Night and Day the Kingdom of God continues to influence the earth. God will not stop because HE does not want anyone to perish.
And he said, “Thus is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast the seed upon the earth, and should sleep and rise up night and day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth bears fruit of itself, first the blade, then an ear, then full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is produced, immediately he sends the sickle, for the harvest is come.” Mark 4:26-29
We do not understand the mysterious work of the kingdom in the hearts of men and women. “...For as heaven is higher than the earth, My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9)
Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other and the Lord
listened to what they said. In His presence a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared Him and loved to think of Him. Malachi 3:16
Prayer 5
Pray that the community may know God—the ONLY TRUE GOD
Thursday, July 1, 2010
An opportunity in the Kingdom of God
"This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a testimony unto all the nations; and then shall the end come" (Matthew 24:14)
Religion gives you ‘things’ to do—
The Kingdom of God gives you an opportunity to be!
Religion makes you work for salvation
In the Kingdom SALVATION [what Jesus did] works for you
Jesus did not bring a religion
Jesus brought a KINGDOM—
"I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed." Daniel 7:13-14
Religion means to search—you are not satisfied
When you find the Kingdom of God you are fulfilled
Religion gives you ‘things’ to do—
The Kingdom of God gives you an opportunity to be!
Religion makes you work for salvation
In the Kingdom SALVATION [what Jesus did] works for you
Mark Frank
Copyright 2010
Religion gives you ‘things’ to do—
The Kingdom of God gives you an opportunity to be!
Religion makes you work for salvation
In the Kingdom SALVATION [what Jesus did] works for you
Jesus did not bring a religion
Jesus brought a KINGDOM—
"I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed." Daniel 7:13-14
Religion means to search—you are not satisfied
When you find the Kingdom of God you are fulfilled
Religion gives you ‘things’ to do—
The Kingdom of God gives you an opportunity to be!
Religion makes you work for salvation
In the Kingdom SALVATION [what Jesus did] works for you
Mark Frank
Copyright 2010
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