From that time on Jesus began to preach,
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near. -
Matthew 4:17
Jesus
preached that the Kingdom of heaven had come near, that it was at hand...but
when we look around at the state our world is in, sometimes it is hard to see
evidence of the kingdom of heaven.
Where
is the Kingdom??
Whenever
a young child opens his/her heart to God and trusts in Jesus...there is the
kingdom!
Whenever
a man gets off of the couch to climb the stairs to his child’s room in order to
kneel and pray... there is the kingdom!
When a
family adopts an unwanted child and raises that child in the knowledge of a
loving God... there is the kingdom!
When a woman
who has been abused and tossed aside her whole life learns to trust again
through the love of Christ... there is the kingdom!
When a
person battling addiction discovers that in Christ there really is hope for
recovery and freedom... there is the kingdom!
When a
young executive refuses to cut corners in his career because he desires to
please God more than men... there is the kingdom!
When an
older man reaches out to a teenage boy who has lost his father, to encourage
him and pray with him, and be a father figure to him... there is
the kingdom!
When a
couple on the verge of ending their marriage after 15 years discovers that
Christ can put the broken pieces of their marriage back together... there
is the kingdom!
When a
child with special needs is played with, laughed with and loved on by a
volunteer... there is the kingdom!
When a
teenage girl decides to be baptized in the jungles of Ecuador in front of all
her friends, because that is where she first learn to trust God... there
is the kingdom!
When a
single mother, struggling to make ends meet, finds that someone from her church
has paid her rent for the next 2 months... there is the kingdom!
When a
man brings $500 worth of Meijer gift cards to the church every few months so
that families in need can go shopping... there is the kingdom!
When a
suburban family sells their home and their business to follow the call of God
to move to Ecuador and start a skate church for street kids... there is
the kingdom!
When
700 people give up a few hours on a Sunday to pack thousands of meals for
hungry children... there is the kingdom!
Wherever
sin is confessed,
relationships
are reconciled,
the
hurting are comforted,
marriages
are restored,
praises
are sung,
prayers
are offered,
God’s
word is applied,
captives
are set free,
God is
worshipped,
the
Gospel is preached,
and
Christ is glorified...There is the Kingdom!!
Jeff
Frazier
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