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us, but he does expect trend and effort.
Jesus tells us why he came to earth.
And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also; for therefore was I sent. (Luke 4:43)
People have differing views as to the purpose of Jesus' incarnation on earth. Here, Jesus himself tells us. He came to preach the gospel, the good news of the kingdom of God.
Jesus teaches a new and very personal idea about the kingdom of God.
And when he was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God will come not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or lo, there! for behold, the kingdom of God is within you. (Luke 17:21)
Imagine! The kingdom of God is within you. This is a stunning but misunderstood teaching of Jesus. There are several aspects of the kingdom of God. One is the spiritual: the kingdom is not a material realm. Another is the outward kingdom: the Father and His angels off in heaven somewhere. And then there is the kingdom within. Jesus is talking about this inner kingdom when he says that the kingdom of God is within you, actually a part, or fragment of the Father himself, sharing your life, going through all your ups and downs with you, and if you desire it, guiding you like a compass back to the Father. This is not a nebulous spirituality, wafting through you, as might be imagined for a spirit being, and as might be the case in some situations, but rather a definite focalization of the Father, in you.
If we have become separated from God, Jesus tells us what the Father requires in order for us to come home to Him, to rejoin His family, our spiritual family.
The Parable of the Prodigal Son. (Luke 15:11-32)
Many people do not give much thought to the parables that Jesus taught. They are often quoted, and seldom explained. But parables are simple stories with a single, clear message. You don't have to be a theologian or a rocket scientist to understand them. In this parable, Jesus says that our spiritual Father will welcome us home as soon as we sincerely want to return to Him. In the story, even though the repentant son was still a long way off, when his father saw him coming down the road, he ran to greet him in love and welcome him back into the family. This is how our Father in heaven responds to us, His children, always with an attitude of love and forgiveness. No matter how far down the road away from the Father you think you are, if you want to return home, the door is open.
Jesus tells us how we can have our sins forgiven.
For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. (Matt. 6:14)
Forgiving others is a difficult thing for us to do. In reality, the Father's forgiveness is always there, available to us. By forgiving others, we tap into that forgiveness, we open the door to it.
In a conversation with a man named Nicodemus, Jesus teaches about being "born again."
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water (physical birth), and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (John 3:5)
God is spirit. When you love God and desire to do His will, you are born again, born of the Spirit. It's that simple.
Jesus tells us to be perfect.
Be you therefore perfect, even as your Father who is in heaven is perfect. (Matt. 5:48)
Nobody's perfect, as the saying goes. Perfection is not our condition, but it is our goal. The Father knows that we have been created with a "human nature," after all, it was He who created us. It will take effort on our part to become more perfect, more spritual, more like God. There is no time like the present to start. In the words of Lao-tzu, "A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step."
Jesus tells us about God's family.
Jesus says, "Our Father..." (Matt 6:9; Luke 11:2)
When Jesus uses the term Father, he is talking about his father and our Father. God is a loving father above all else and we are his children. If we know that we are a son or daughter of God, we will naturally want to act like one.
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