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Building up believers and the New Testament church

Fellowship With God

An Eternal Kingdom

Jesus said that His kingdom was not of this world. He also said that the kingdom of God does not come with observation (Luke 17:20). He said that we cannot enter into this kingdom (or even see His kingdom) unless we have been born from above (John 3). Paul said that what we see around us with natural eyes will all pass away, but that what is unseen will last forever. These scriptures and statements are familiar to most of us, but the key question is whether these truths have become part of us, controlling our way of thinking and living here on this earth.

God builds for eternity. He is not building in the kingdoms of this world. His kingdom does not consist of houses and lands, governments and nations, things that are seen and heard by the natural senses. We may know these things in our minds but do we really know them in a way that changes and controls us? If we have been born again, we have a measure of spiritual vision and spiritual hearing enabling us to begin to recognize the kingdom of God. We may see dimly, but if we are responding to God in faith, our vision is growing. Spiritual hearing may become dull for various reasons, but if we are in a right relationship with God, the voice of God is getting clearer and clearer. Apart from this spiritual sight and hearing, we cannot be in fellowship with Jesus in the kingdom that He is building.

We must let this truth judge what occupies our goals and ambitions. Too often we acknowledge the truth (in our mind) and then move right ahead in what we want to do rather than laying all else aside to let God have His way in all things. Our motive, so often, is wanting to do something for God. We want to offer up to God the work of our hands, and we may also want recognition for ourselves. God does not accept the work of our hands and never has, from the time of Cain until now. God only accepts what He can do in and through us. This strikes a death blow to our pride and it is meant to, for that is what caused Lucifer to fall and that is what brought sin into this world.

There will be no sin in heaven. Heaven is pure because there, all things are of God and He is complete in himself. On earth, now is the time that God is separating a people unto himself. If we are in relationship with God now, living His life, all things are of God now in His kingdom here on earth. God cannot dwell with sin either in heaven or on earth. Have we accepted the implications of that truth as it pertains to us now? Have we allowed God to judge everything that falls short, so there may be purity in His testimony in the church?

If God is building for eternity, why should we want to be part of anything less? Why would we put God's resources into anything that is passing away? Why would we want to build only to see our work come crumbling down? Paul said that some would build that way and in the end they would see all their work destroyed--while they themselves would barely escape (see I Cor. 3). Who would want to be found there? Lest any of us experience this in any measure, let us come honestly and with deep humility before God, asking that everything that is not of Him be revealed now, not on the final judgment day.