Rulership and Judgment

On one occasion during the final days of Jesus’ ministry, the mother of Jesus’ close disciples James and John came to Jesus and said: “Give the word that these my two sons may sit down, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” (Matthew 20:21) Clearly, she was not speaking about something in the heart of her sons. She understood that the Kingdom involved rulership with Jesus, and she wanted her sons to have a share in it. In fact, Jesus did promise his 11 faithful apostles that they would be in his Kingdom and “sit on thrones” and “judge” with him. (Luke 22:30) To his followers, then, Jesus’ Kingdom was to be a real rulership—an administration, a government.

What about the people in general in Jesus’ day? Did they understand the Kingdom to be just a personal transformation, or did they expect something more? Well, shortly before Passover 33 C.E. when Jesus was entering Jerusalem riding a colt, the crowd welcomed him and some cried out: “Save, we pray, the Son of David!” (Matthew 21:9) Why did they cry out that way? No doubt they had come to recognize that Jesus was the promised Messiah and that God would give him an everlasting Kingdom, “the throne of David his father.” They longed for the salvation, peace, and justice that they Kingdom would bring.—Luke 1:32; Zechariah 9:9.

Going Kung Fu Christian! (Part 2 of 3)

Good morning everyone. This is the second part of my article. I wish you are still following. Let me continue now …

But the main area to which the ‘Chinese applied this term was spiritual discipline. They knew (and so do we) that the way to excellence in all life started with the training and conditioning of your soul.

Which leads me to a question…? Are you a kung fu Christian?

No, I don’t mean like a black belt in Bible and you’re able to use your fish symbol like a Chinese throwing star… HAI YA!

I’m talking about the training and conditioning of your spiritual life with Jesus Christ. You see, the Christian life is not simp0ly fire insurance from hell, it is so so SO much more than that. To simply trust in Jesus as your only hope of salvation and then leave it at that is like accepting a free ticket to a martial arts movie instead of playing a key role IN the movie! God has a major part for each and every believer, but trust me, it is no walk in the park.

Why? Because if you don’t train, you won’t be ready for the fight. You are up against a bully more powerful than any other in the universe. His goal is to “steal, kill, and destroy” you (John 10:10), and he has been studying spiritual martial arts far longer than you. Fortunately, you have a Trainer and a training manual that will bring you victory every time you engage… but you have to be disciplined and follow your Mater, Jesus Christ.

One of the greatest ‘ kung fu Christians’ of all time is the Apostle Paul. Here is his training advice:

All athletes are disciplines in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step.

Third and last part will come soon :) …..