And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Matthew 24:14

The Gospel of the Kingdom is not complicated, nor have been any of His commands.  They are simple and plain to all who have understanding.  Too simple, perhaps for some, and yet, in all of our modern culture, they are perhaps the most overlooked texts in our church society.

Consider.  Everything is taught on, and yet we still seem to lack the gripping power when we speak as Jesus did, and the people were amazed at his teaching, teaching as one with authority.  We lack the heart and character that he had, often settling for a production and an entourage, rather than a heavenly following.  And, we lack the demonstration of the miraculous

We must understand something.  The Kingdom is, and it is real.  While it may or may not be fully here, depending on your interpretation of End Times events, Jesus clearly demonstrated that the Kingdom was among us then, and it has only been increasing since then (Isaiah 9:7).  And, the basic premise of the Gospels is that it is such Good News that it is worth losing everything else for.

We see from the New Testament that the only thing that distinguished the New Covenant believers from the Old is their faith in God, and in Jesus Christ.  In fact, this was what Jesus said was Eternal life, to know God and Himself (John 17:3).  Knowing them is Eternal Life itself.

So, we see that the only thing that raised up Lazarus from the grave was faith, and the only thing that prevented the disciples from casting out the deaf and dumb spirit was the lack of faith (apistis in the Greek, or doubt, unbelief, or complete lack of faith).  Surely, even as Paul wrote, it is by faith that we are saved through grace.  If we did not have faith, the grace would be there, but would be of no effect.  Like the blood of passover on the doorposts that kept the angel of death from visiting the household, so if the person does not believe in that grace, it is of no effect whatsoever, and the curses and judgments already existing under the Law fully apply to them.

So, while every believer has faith, it is often under utilized  under taught, and not sought after.  Jesus never even said it was the amount of faith present, but rather its mere existence that both brought about salvation, but also the miraculous.

So, we come straight back to the Gospels.  We must look the square in the eye.  Jesus was full of the Spirit, and the author of Faith itself, so He is teaching from start to finish from the perfection of faith and power, for He is perfect.  Therefore, everything of His life and teaching, from the Sermon on the Mount to the Crucifixion are a demonstration of this Kingdom, including the resurrection, and including His ascension and “coronation”, if you will, when He was brought before the Ancient of Days and given power, authority, and a Kingdom (Note in Matthew 28:18, Jesus clearly states that all authority in Heaven and in Earth have been given Him at that point, a point reverberated by Paul in Ephesians 1:21-23, where everything had, past tense, been put under his feet).  It was all filled with the Spirit that came down upon Him at the baptism; it was all fully endued with wisdom and knowledge, speaking only the Words He was given to speak by the Father, and it was all in the demonstration of the Kingdom that was then present, as He said, if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you (Luke 11:20).

So, we see the Beatitudes, then, are not something one can simply “put on” as good behavior, but they must be the outworking of a greater thing called the Kingdom that has come inside of us via the Holy Spirit.  We see, then, that the Be-attitudes, are simply the full grown fruit of the outworking of faith in the heart of the believer through the power of the Holy Spirit within them, in the context of the Kingdom that has come to bear upon a soul.  That person, saved, is not only saved from their sins, but also from their sinfulness.  That which is not “worked out” yet, is of course only worked out through a life of the sanctification process, through which there is often real struggle and real pain and real tears, does not indicate the failure or the falseness of that seed, but its genuineness is proved by the testing of one’s faith, as they overcome.

But, the binding agent, and the mark of true discipleship in the Christian walk is faith.  And, as faith could be considered that solid rock hidden beneath the sand upon which we must build all true Christian experience, so too, perhaps, the anointing could be likened to the solid that is heated and become liquid, and the manifest glory like a vapor.  But, it all comes from faith.

The mark of a true community of believers is true Gospel Faith.  We can talk about the word “faith” that people use nowadays, such as “what faith is so-and-so”, but that is not faith at all.  Faith, true Godly faith, is not a mental notion at all.  It is the actual substance of what you hope for.  It is not hope, nor a mental notion.  It is that thing, as real as anything, irregardless of what your natural mind, or anyone else’s thinks.  Hence, it is the proof of the thing not seen, demonstrating to the spirit world the absoluteness of the object.  Hence, when faith comes, you don’t just “know for sure”, you are sure, because it is as plain as day because, whether anyone else can see it or not, it is ‘right there’, even if it ‘takes a moment’ to arrive.  And, once you’ve seen by faith, you’ld better buy that field (Matthew 13:44).

So, the mark of the true Christian community is whether they grow in faith.  Of course, through community, fellowship, the teaching of the Word, Worship, and other godly activities, but does faith come alive?  This is the mark of division.

But, also, for the personal growth, have you identified faith?  Have you identified that spiritual thing?  Not that it is always exactly the same, but if faith was in a room, would you sense it?  If faith was in a beggar at a gate called beautiful, would you be able to discern it to call a beggar to his feet?

The Gospel call is upward, higher and higher, from faith to faith and glory to glory.  If we have mastered one level, let us press on to master the next, and so be changed.  Until we are like Jesus, with perfect faith and perfect understanding.

But, as we look at the Gospels, they only work in the life of faith.  They simply make no sense any other way, simply because they do not work that way.

When we are in faith, God comes to our aid.  When we doubt, as is often evidenced by our anxiety, fear, complaining, murmuring and anger, especially towards the leaders who are trying to shepherd us (like they did to Moses), we wonder, where are you God?  Is it that simple?  Yes!  Only believe.  Only trust.  Only have faith, true faith, that God is going to show up, on time, in enough supply, in perfect insight.  Only, be prepared to lose everything along the way.  Well, I suppose God is primarily after the things in us that we want to rely upon the most, to have our affections attached to the most, and the fleshly feelings we feel so comfortable with, but when you consider the glories He affords in this life, let alone the next, we know that even though we only see in part, His everlasting Kingdom is far more glorious and wonderful than anything of this life could ever possibly compare.

And, that is the essence of faith.  Can we believe in what we do not see greater than what our eyes are telling us.  Can we see Beyond, into the unseen realm, into the Eternal brought within, to what He has afforded to us?  Can we set aside the great distresses all about us that want to distract us; can we keep our eyes off the storm?  Yes, there are practical things that need to get done.  No, we can’t just ignore life.  But, as we take a step, and choose to believe His grace is sufficient for us in our weakness, He proves Himself greater than any obstacle, any trial, any other power or force this world has ever seen.  They just can’t compare.

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he thatovercometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

1 John 5:3-5