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NASB | Luke 9:2 And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Luke 9:2 Then He sent them out [on a brief journey] to preach the kingdom of God and to perform healing. [Matt 10:5] |
Bible Question: Exactly what did Jesus mean by "preach the kingdom of God"? Let us imagine we are His disciples in Jesus' time. We were sent by Him and enter a village. Then, what were we suppose to do there? Can you list what actions to take to preach the kingdom of God? Tell me some details in the act of preaching. Thank you. |
Bible Answer: I would have to say the most powerful and emphatic way to "preach the kingdom of God" is to imitate God and be a truly devoted disciple. Now of course, we as humans can't possibly imitate God the Father quite as well as we can and should imitate His Son, Jesus Christ. Naturally that's because Jesus spent three and a half years here on earth as a human, 100 per cent as well as 100 percent deity. How can that be possible? Only by God. So what do we see in Jesus' life that is so different with what we see in our world? We see extreme cases of Mercy and Love as in the situation of the woman caught in the act of adultery, John 8. Naturally a big question here is where is the man involved in this adultery, but we must move on. Instead of the world's natural inclination to punish, Jesus would much rather forgive and encourage her to "sin no more." As a matter of fact, the ONLY time Jesus rose to anger is when He saw the abuse heaped onto the poor crowds around the temple in Mark 11 and John 2. Another extreme picture of contrast is that of Jesus' handling of His own trial before His execution. The mockery of this trial is truly one of the biggest example of man's shameful behavior of all time. Yet Jesus was as "silent as a lamb" just as predicted in Is 53:7 and proven true in His cross examination with the high priest in Matt 26. Yes, we must share the ultimate Gospel News of how to become a christian with our fellow man but don't you see, it is so much more powerful when that part of the sermon is preached AFTER the person watches and confirms that this Christianity business is very real with the person sharing this Gospel. Yes the most effective way of sharing Christ Jesus is to follow Paul's advice, "imitate [Paul] even as I imitate Christ." 1 Cor 11:1. There are many more ways of imitating Christ that draw attention NOT to ourselves but to Him we're imitating. The world is so tired of seeing cheap imitations but imitating Christ must be a life of total sacrifice because it has to be real and genuine. It must include those instances when we have to give up what we want in preference to what He wants. Of course, this is just my opinion and I hope it starts a good strong series of comments and discussions from others. God bless you in asking a good question. One more suggestion to those who haven't seen it; I recommend your getting a copy of "The Passion of Christ" directed by Mel Gibson. A true depiction of just how much our God and His Son loves us, the whole world. If you can watch that film and NOT end up with tears in your eyes, then you have my sympathy. |