Originally published in "The Lord's Coming Herald & Wesleyan Bible Prophecy Advocate," Fall Edition 1996
Why No Revival
To many preachers are trying to build
Christ's kingdom. That's right. We have little or no sweeping revival today
because too many Christian workers are trying to "build the kingdom."
Think about it! Can we really "build" Christ's messianic kingdom? Did Jesus ever
tell His disciples to go out and build His kingdom? I don't think so.
You see, the kingdom doesn't need to be built by us, it
already exists. Christ established it 2,000 years ago, and it has been in
existence ever since. Christ's kingdom does not need to be built in the world
today because it already fully exists within the world today. All we have to do
is to enter it, live in it, appropriate the blessings and benefits of it, enjoy
it, and proclaim it to others.
Think about it! What is your understanding of the nature
of the kingdom? Do we mean that something needs to be added to Christ's finished
work on Calvary to see His kingdom made complete? If so, then doesn't logic
dictate that "building the kingdom" becomes an avenue for achieving salvation by
our own works?
Nowhere does the Bible tell us that we have to help Jesus out
by trying to build His kingdom. Calvary was a finished work. The kingdom is
redemption from sin, and that is a free gift. One does not work for a free gift
(Romans 11:6; Ephesians 2:8-9). Neither do we have to "build" Christ's messianic
kingdom, for that is really only a subtle way of denying (subverting) the true
nature of his kingdom while going about to establish our own righteousness and
not submitting unto the righteousness of God (Romans 10:3).
The New Testament tells us that we enter Christ's messianic
kingdom by being born again (John 3:3). We receive it (Hebrews 12:28). We are
translated into it (Colossians 1:3). We are citizens of it (Ephesians 2:19). We
live in it's power (Mark 9:1; Acts 1:8). We preach, proclaim, or herald it
(Matthew 24:14). True revival comes from a simple offering-not feverish
building-of it!
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