8...he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9Therefore God has highly exalted him ... 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.Philippians 2:8-11
The gospel is part of the gospel of the Kingdom, a very important part. Jesus said that the gospel of the kingdom be proclaimed throughout the whole world, then the end will come (Matt 24:14). Then we are to proclaim and preach more than a gospel of personal salvation. A kingdom has a lord and Jesus is Lord of this kingdom. The Philippians passage above makes it clear that Jesus came and died to accomplish more than saving us. His victory over sin through life, death and resurrection restores his place as Lord and brings the glory to the Father. Again, Paul speaks of this in Colossians 1:16-18, concluding in v. 18 by saying: "He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent."
Since then, we are Christians, we are now servants of our Lord. He sets the agenda for our lives. We recognize He is not here to fulfill our dreams and make us happy, but we are to submit our priorities and our goals for his approval. We diligently study to know what he wants us to accomplish. We offer our whole lives unreservedly to live devoted to him (Rm. 12:1).
This makes sense when we think about it. Through man's rebellion against God, man fell into sin and death and the whole creation fell under the curse of decay along with man. Then it is only by restoring the Lordship of Christ in our lives to the glory of God that God is reverses the curse of the fall and rescues us. The kingdom and its king must come and triumph. Without the Kingdom there is no good news. Our salvation is dependent on Christ coming as Lord in our lives and the world.
What does all this mean for our lives? 1) It means that we are to proclaim more than Jesus saves. We are to proclaim that Jesus is Lord and not anyone else and that all men owe him allegiance. We are not just to live moral lives. The world is full of good, moral people. 2) It means we live lives dedicated to conforming to the Kingdom of God's culture. 3) It means we seek to harmonize all thinking to reflect the truth as God determines it (2 Cor 10:5. 4). It means we live like soldiers, simple and free so that we are ever ready to take more of the world for Jesus. 5) It means that our Christianity cannot be lived isolated from the world but engaged to take the world for Christ.
To think and meditate further on this. Ask yourself, “What does it mean for me to be a citizen of the Kingdom of God?” and “Since I am a citizen of the Kingdom of God, how then should I live as a Kingdom citizen in this world which is foreign to the Kingdom of God?”
Grace and Peace,
Pastor MacDonald