Culture of the Kingdom
Today’s Topic: Salvation: A Kingdom Concept or Heaven Concept
Scripture: Colossians 1:12,13; Ephesians 2:6,7
Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Now in the last message we stated just by looking at the youth that there is a need for Kingdom Culture to arise in our various churches. We are aware that there is an identity crises in the church and this results in a loss of purpose and function in the earth. But what has happened? Where are the people like Paul and where did it go wrong for the church today? Well we know we are lacking understanding to what Kingdom culture is but where does the problem begin? It begins at the beginning. Why do people want to be saved? The answer lies in this very question. What has the church made salvation all about? When do not understand this everything after that can be potentially flawed and will be influenced by Satan to mislead you away from your purpose.
The church as we know it today for the most part has no concept of Kingdom. The preaching, teaching and understanding of the Kingdom is really just in the past 20 to 30 years started to take flight again because Paul understood what the culture of the Kingdom was all about but today we do not. Because we do not understand Kingdom we adopt reasons, regardless if they are scriptural or not, to why people should be saved. The biggest one the church uses is so that you will go to Heaven and not Hell. Is this true? Yes! But is it the reason we get saved? Based upon the scriptures, it is not. The reason for the most part people get saved is to be relieved from the burden of sin by the work of Jesus on the cross and go to heaven. The church has made the goal of salvation to go to Heaven. This has become the main “selling-point” or mandate the church uses to get people saved. Here is a revelation:
“Heaven is an end result, but it is not the Goal!”
If Heaven was the goal then there is no more need to stay down here after being saved. I should just be changed and go up to heaven and live with Jesus. That is not what Jesus taught nor exemplified. Jesus stated for us to “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand”. The church has made salvation about going to Heaven. The natural end-result of you being saved is going to Heaven. Jesus after His baptism did not go to Heaven immediately, he exemplified the culture of the Kingdom and taught His disciples how to live and function in the Kingdom of God on Earth. The church has made the Kingdom of God something that is to come later and really speaks nothing to its current operation in the earth presently. The Kingdom of God is present on the earth now and eternal to come. The reason you are saved is to operate and live in the Kingdom of God on earth. What do we think the books and letters of Matthew to Revelation is all about. It is teaching us how to live and what to expect on earth, not what will happen in Heaven per say. It does tells us the events that will but for the most part it teaches and instructs us on Kingdom culture and learning how to rule again on earth. Let’s look at this scripture: Colossians 1:12,13:
“Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints of light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son.”
Now if you read this we see that we are to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints of light. What is the inheritance of the saints? The Kingdom of God is the inheritance. Now Paul goes on to further re-emphasize this point in verse 13 when he says we were delivered from the powers of darkness and translated us to the Kingdom of His dear Son. So the key to us being saved is the translation from darkness to light. In the next message we will look at the translation and get an understanding to show how important it is for us to embrace the Kingdom concept and Kingdom culture.
At the Father’s Service,
Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.
