Matthew 11:12 New International Version (NIV)
12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the
kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have
been raiding it.
Jesus told the followers of John the Baptist, From the days
of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully
advancing and forceful men lay hold of it. In Greek, “forcefully advancing” can
be taken as active or passive. In the passive sense, it refers to “suffering
violent attacks.” This means that violent people were attacking the kingdom.
This is certainly true. However, in the active sense, it would mean that people
were actively advancing the kingdom of God. The idea here is that the Church
has been in a war throughout the centuries. Opposing forces have sought to
destroy the Church, or at least to limit the advancement of the message of the
gospel.
Today, some people point to the seemingly intolerant stance
that Christians have taken, that of believing that the only way to enter God’s
kingdom is by believing in Jesus Christ and receiving Him into your life.
Increasingly, there is a greater emphasis on and acceptance of other religions.
Jesus tells us, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through Me.”
(John 14:6) As a body of believers, we have the advantage of
living on this side of the cross, knowing that Jesus Christ, the Son of David,
came to bring salvation. The church must stand firm in this truth and continue
to advance the kingdom of God forcefully.
Have you found yourself in situations with people who find
Christians intolerant? Do you find yourself defensive of your faith rather than
being on the offense? As you live your life for Jesus, there will always be
people who do not wish to believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to the
Father; however, He clearly said: I am the way and the truth and the life. No
one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6) Opposing forces have tried
to limit and even extinguish the message of the kingdom, but the message and
the Church have prevailed. The King of the kingdom will return some day, and
His question will be: …when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the
earth?
(Luke 18:8) As we advance the good news of Jesus Christ and
His kingdom, we exhibit genuine faith that will stand the test of time.
Thought for today:
Have I become hyper-critical and judgmental?
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