How to Be Great in God’s Kingdom
The Only Way to God
Image source: Alice Donavan Rouse, Unsplash
In a world that increasingly promotes tolerance of other people and religions, it is important to hold to biblical views and not be swayed by unbiblical thinking. Paul said, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2).
Christians can be called arrogant or even hateful when they uphold key biblical truths that are foundational to their faith. One particularly crucial area is by claiming that there is only one God, and that salvation is only through Jesus Christ. However, if you take away or dilute these truths ever so slightly, you have lost the glorious gospel and proclaim a lie.
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”
The Bible makes it abundantly clear that there is only one God. God declares in Isaiah 45:5, “I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me.” With that being the case, a Christian cannot agree with the assertion that other religions are not inherently bad. They are. They break the first of the Ten Commandments by failing to worship God alone (Exodus 20:3). They break what Jesus said is the greatest commandment, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). Is this okay? Certainly not!
When it comes to the matter of salvation, you cannot agree with the claim that there are many ways to God and that God can be found in other religions. That is a lie of the devil. Jesus could not have made it any clearer when He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through Me” (John 14:6). It is only through believing in Jesus Christ that you can know God, experience the peace that comes from having your sins forgiven and enjoy eternal life.
Peter did not hesitate to boldly declare this same truth to the Jewish Sanhedrin that was disturbed because the apostles preached that Jesus is the only Saviour of sinners. After being arrested for preaching Jesus, Peter said, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
“Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:22). God calls people from every nation and religion to come to Him. Why? Because He is the only God and Saviour. This is what you must believe and proclaim.
“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Words of Great Hope for Sinners
“For He [God the Father] made Him [God the Son, Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). These words not only explain the Christiangospel, but show how Christianity is different from all other religions.
This verse speaks about the true nature of Jesus as one who knew no sin. This does not mean that He did not know what sin is, but that He was perfect in all His ways and never committed any sin. Since He was conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit and not in the normal manner, He did not inherit the sinful nature that all other people do. He was born perfect and lived a perfectly holy life.
However, God the Father made Jesus sin for us. What does that mean? It does not mean that He became a sinner, as some falsely claim. Instead, the Father placed all the sins of His people on Jesus, and the Father treated Him as if He had committed those sins Himself. The Father poured out the full force of His wrath on His Son while He was on the cross.
“Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him.”
Why did the Father do this? It was so that His people might possess the righteousness of God. This teaches the wonderful doctrine of imputation. The Christian’s sins were imputed to Jesus Christ and His righteousness is imputed to the Christian. Just as the Father treated Jesus as if He had committed our sins, so He sees us as righteous because Jesus’ righteousness has been credited our account.
Isaiah 53:10 says, “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him.” The word “bruise” is literally “crush” which explains what God the Father really did to Jesus while He was on the cross. Why did it please the Father to crush His only begotten Son on the cross? Simply because He had to in order to fulfil His plan of saving sinners from their sins. His people can only be delivered from the penalty they deserve for their sins because Jesus Christ suffered the wrath of God they deserved for their sins.
Peter explained it in 1 Peter 3:18 saying, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.” Christ, the Holy One, suffered for sinners to bring them to God. His resurrection proves it because it shows He won the victory over sin and death. Death had no power over Him because He conquered death (1 Corinthians 15).
How to Be Great in God’s Kingdom
It is a common thing to seek greatness in the world, but what about seeking to be great in the kingdom of God? Jesus made mention of some specific things during His ministry on earth regarding how to be great in God’s kingdom. I will look at three of those, and trust you will desire to become great in God’s kingdom by doing these things.
Image source: Jessica Mangano, Unsplash
Before going into those things, I will lay the foundation, and that is making sure you are a citizen of God’s kingdom. That is not attained by your good works, but by coming to God in faith, trusting in Jesus Christ to save you from your sins by His death on the cross for you. The importance of faith is stressed in Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
If you are saved by faith, you must live a life of faith by laying aside sin and anything that hinders your progress, and looking unto Jesus as you live for Him (Hebrews 12:1, 2).
The first thing required to be great in God’s kingdom is found in the Sermon on the Mount, which Jesus preached early in His ministry. Jesus contrasted those who will be least in His kingdom with those who will be great in His kingdom. To be great in God’s kingdom you must obey God’s commandments and teach others to do the same (Matthew 5:19). Since God is king, and you are a citizen of His kingdom, you must live accordingto His rules, just as you are required to live according to the rules of the country in which you live.
“Unless you... become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven”
Secondly, you must humble yourself as a little child. Jesus taught this after the disciples asked Him, “Who, then, is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child, then said to His disciples, “Unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). This shows the importance of a changed life. Instead of striving to achieve things on your own, you must be like a little child who humbly depends upon others to help and provide for him. You must humble yourself before God and trust Him to guide and provide for you.
“Whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.”
The disciples struggled with this concept, especially after the mother of James and John came to Jesus and asked that her two sons be given the right to sit next to Him in His kingdom. Jesus gave them a third principle for being great in God’s kingdom, when He said, “Whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant” (Matthew 20:26). That goes against the human instinct for greatness. People think that they become great by being in authority over others, but Jesus said you are great if you serve others. He set Himself before them as the example to follow: “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).
Paul expanded further on this in his letter to the church at Philippi. He wrote, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind [being humble] let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3, 4). He went on to show Jesus as the supreme example of humility they must follow (Philippians 2:5-8). Do you desire to be great in God’s kingdom? Think carefully about these things, and look to Jesus to help you practise them in your life.
What Happened in September
Click the different dates to find out historical Christian events that happened in the month of September. These are listed in chronological order by year.
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The first New Testament translated into the German language was published. Martin Luther began the translation while locked up in Wartburg Castle as a safe haven from Roman Catholics who sought to kill him for his biblical beliefs.
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Nicholas Ridley and Hugh Latimer appeared before a papal council in England. They were charged with believing and teaching that the real body of Christ is not present in the bread of the Lord’s Supper, and that His blood is not present in the cup. They were also on trial for believing that the Roman Catholic mass was not a sacrifice of Christ that can bring forgiveness to sinners. They were declared guilty of heresy and burned to death on 16 October 1555.
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George Whitefield preached his last sermon and died the next day, aged 55. He preached at least 18,000 times during his lifetime in Britain and North America. Many of his sermons were preached outdoors because many ministers disliked him and would not allow him to preach in their churches.
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Henry Francis Lyte preached his last sermon and died on 20 November 1847, aged 54. He was a pastor in England who wrote many hymns. One of his most famous hymns 'Abide With Me' was published shortly before his death.
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Charles and Thomas Spurgeon were born in England. They were twin sons of Charles Spurgeon, the famous British Baptist pastor. Both sons became pastors. Thomas also came to New Zealand and pastored Auckland Baptist Tabernacle.
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Robert Thomas arrived in Korea to begin mission work. Korea is now divided into two countries. The North Korean regime has banned all Christian churches, and severely persecutes Christians. There is religious freedom and many churches in South Korea. Please pray for spiritual revival in both North and South Korea.
Hymn - Tell Me the Old, Old Story
1. Tell me the old, old story
Of unseen things above,—
Of Jesus and His glory,
Of Jesus and His love.
Tell me the story simply,
As to a little child;
For I am weak and weary,
And helpless and defiled.
2. Tell me the story slowly,
That I may take it in,—
That wonderful redemption,
God’s remedy for sin!
Tell me the story often,
For I forget so soon!
The early dew of morning
Has passed away at noon!
3. Tell me the story softly,
With earnest tones and grave;
Remember, I’m the sinner
Whom Jesus came to save.
Tell me the story always,
If you would really be,
In any time of trouble,
A comforter to me.
4. Tell me the same old story
When you have cause to fear
That this world’s empty glory
Is costing me too dear.
Yes, and when that world's glory
Shall dawn upon my soul,
Tell me the old, old story,
“Christ Jesus makes thee whole.”
By Katherine Hankey, 1866
The Story Behind the Hymn
Katherine Hankey was born in England in 1834 as the daughter of a wealthy banker who also faithfully attended church on Sundays. She taught Sunday School classes for young girls, and organised and taught Bible classes for young, working girls in London. Katherine Hankey was a gifted writer who used her God-given ability to write poetry and various Christian tracts to give to her students.
Later in life, she travelled to South Africa to work as a nurse on the mission field. While in her early 30s, she suffered from a severe, unknown illness. She was bedridden for a year. However, she did not do nothing during that year. She wrote a long poem, from which come two hymns. The poem was called “The Old, Old Story” and consisted of two parts. Part One was written in January 1866 and is called “The Story Wanted.” Part Two was written in November 1866 and is called “The Story Told.”
Part One consists of eight stanzas which make up the hymn we know as ‘Tell Me the Old, Old Story’. This hymn combines two stanzas into one so that we have a four stanza hymn.
William Doane heard the poem being read one day and was so impressed with the words that he asked for a copy. A few weeks later, he took out the piece of paper and read the poem again while he was riding on a stagecoach from New York to the White Mountains in the United States of America. Upon remembering the impact the poem had upon him and others who heard it being read, he began composing music for the words. He combined two of Katherine Hankey’s stanzas together to make it a four stanza hymn, instead of eight. A simple chorus was also added:
Tell me the old, old story,
Tell me the old, old story,
Tell me the old, old story,
Of Jesus and His love.
He completed it before the end of the journey and immediately put it to use as the guests at the house he was staying in sang it for the first time that night. William Doane was an accomplished composer of hymn tunes, and composed over 2000 tunes for hymns during his lifetime.
We hope you enjoyed the excerpts from this month’s volume of The Christian Informer.
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