Sunday, 7 December 2014

2014/12/07


The Kingdom of God has far exceeded what is defined by blood relations. The descendants from the seed of Abraham were congregated to receive the promise of God that came into existence by a virgin birth. Jesus Christ died without any offspring from His seed to consecrate His followers as His true blood-relatives, so that men and women of all descendants can be joined to Him, being renewed in the lineage of Jesus as partakers in His body and His blood by the Holy Spirit.

But not everyone will hear the word of God and be saved. If the people heard the gospel Jesus was preaching, He wouldn't have been crucified. There were divisions upon hearing His word, and ultimately God saw it necessary for Jesus to suffer death on a cross, bearing the image of God's condemning judgment for the world upon His Son, so that the world may be saved from the wrath of God through His Son. But even to this day, there are many who hear this gospel who do not receive it.

Therefore, the infiltration of Christ by His Holy Spirit can divide a household. Jesus said, “I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

A unified household, with all its members being followers of Jesus, will bring glory to Christ in the all the ways of His unity, because Christ is not divided. But a household divided by the name of Jesus will also bring glory to Christ in ways that are unfathomable to man. There is a purpose to God relating to the people of this age, though they will not all be saved.

Who is to know the depth of the ways of the Lord, or fathom His glory. A man who is a follower of Christ is to lead His household in the ways of the Lord, but there are no guarantees of those members coming to faith. This man can be obedient to the word of God until death, yet have all his blood-descendants die as sons of disobedience. But this man's fruit still may grow far beyond the nation of his seed to a new generation of partakers in the body and blood of Christ. This is the true power of the blood.

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