Recognizing…Receiving…Becoming…Continuing
The kingdom of God is spiritual and it is a personal experience; it is within individuals who recognize their need of Jesus as their Savior. Not only recognition is necessary, also receiving Christ is essential. Becoming a follower of Christ is to be ‘born again’ into God’s family. The God of the Bible becomes our Father…He adopts all who turn to His Son as Savior, as Redeemer.
Recognizing…your need to be saved from your sins…all of us sin…we cannot meet God’s standards of righteousness without Christ. (Romans 3:23)
Receiving…Jesus Christ as Savior is to be saved for eternity…there is no other way. (Romans 10:8-13)
Becoming…a child of God is to be adopted by God the Father…we are His forever and ever. (John 1:12-13)
The kingdom of God is available to everyone. Will everyone enter into God’s kingdom? Not according to what Jesus said and taught. Why? Because people refuse to recognize their need for Jesus, or they reject Jesus as the only way into God’s presence. So they do not become a child of God.
(NASB) Luke 17:20-21 “Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, ‘The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed;
21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.’”
God’s kingdom is real. God’s kingdom is available for all who turn to Him for salvation through belief in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
Perhaps you received Christ as your Savior at a young age…that is good. To go on in your Christian life is to grow and mature to new levels of understanding of God and what He has to say. We are not to stay as babies but growing more and more in love with the Lord and growing in our understanding and how we are to live our lives pleasing to God.
The kingdom of God is for His children to continue to recognize their sins and seek His forgiveness…we are to continue to receive His forgiveness and what He has done for us on the cross…we are to continue to become children that are maturing as God’s children.
Are you continuing?