Not of This World
"My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would
fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my
Kingdom is not of this world."
— John 18:36
So often the world misconstrues what Christians say. It draws
erroneous conclusions because it never takes the time to really listen
carefully to the gospel message. Jesus said, "My Kingdom is not an
earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from
being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this
world" (John 18:36).
The early Christians were insulted and criticized for what they were
doing and were even accused of treason. It was suggested they were
actually advocating the overthrow of Caesar, which really was not the
case. It was a complete misunderstanding of what the objectives of the
Christians really were. Anyone who would give even a careful listen to
what they were saying would realize these Christians were not seeking
to establish an earthly kingdom. They were not seeking to overthrow
Caesar or Rome.
Yet it is worth nothing that the first-century Christians made no attempts
to conquer paganism by reacting blow by blow. Instead, they out-
thought, out-prayed, and out-lived the unbelievers. Their weapons were
positive, not negative. They prayed, preached, and proclaimed the
message of the gospel.
As a result, these Christians dramatically impacted their world. In the
end, they prevailed. In retrospect, where is Rome today? It is no longer
a world power. Do we remember the names of the great emperors of
Rome? For the most part, no.
There have been numerous attempts throughout history to destroy the
Christian faith. But they will always fail for one simple reason:
Christianity is Christ. He will prevail in the end and establish His
kingdom. And because we are with Him, we will win in the end too.
"My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would
fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my
Kingdom is not of this world."
— John 18:36
So often the world misconstrues what Christians say. It draws
erroneous conclusions because it never takes the time to really listen
carefully to the gospel message. Jesus said, "My Kingdom is not an
earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from
being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this
world" (John 18:36).
The early Christians were insulted and criticized for what they were
doing and were even accused of treason. It was suggested they were
actually advocating the overthrow of Caesar, which really was not the
case. It was a complete misunderstanding of what the objectives of the
Christians really were. Anyone who would give even a careful listen to
what they were saying would realize these Christians were not seeking
to establish an earthly kingdom. They were not seeking to overthrow
Caesar or Rome.
Yet it is worth nothing that the first-century Christians made no attempts
to conquer paganism by reacting blow by blow. Instead, they out-
thought, out-prayed, and out-lived the unbelievers. Their weapons were
positive, not negative. They prayed, preached, and proclaimed the
message of the gospel.
As a result, these Christians dramatically impacted their world. In the
end, they prevailed. In retrospect, where is Rome today? It is no longer
a world power. Do we remember the names of the great emperors of
Rome? For the most part, no.
There have been numerous attempts throughout history to destroy the
Christian faith. But they will always fail for one simple reason:
Christianity is Christ. He will prevail in the end and establish His
kingdom. And because we are with Him, we will win in the end too.
| Not of this World |
| C4W Devotions are used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000 Riverside , CA 92514 |