Jesus preached the gospel of the kingdom of God:
Mark 1:14-15 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel [euaggelion] of the kingdom of God,
15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Jesus understood His message and fulfilled His mission:
Luke 4:43-44 And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.
44 And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.
Jesus’ 12 disciples accompanied Him when He spread the gospel to each locality:
Luke 8:1 And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings [euaggelizo] of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him,
Then Jesus’ commissioned His 12 disciples to preach the kingdom of God .... as they had witnessed His preaching:
Luke 9:1-2 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.
2 And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.
The old testament went up to John the Baptist, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord (Isa 40:3, Mal 3:1, Matt 3:1-3, Mark 1:1-3, Luke 1:17, 3:1-6). The gospel of Jesus Christ was for the new testament, because He was the mediator of it (1 Tim 2:5; Heb 8:6, 9:15, 12:24), for all people:
Mark 1:1-3 The beginning of the gospel [euaggelion] of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger (John the Baptist) before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
Luke 3:6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
Jesus showed where to DIVIDE. (also John 1:17)
John the Baptist concluded the old testament.
The beginning of the new testament was with the gospel of Jesus Christ .... an ‘every man’ opportunity:
Luke 16:16 The law and the prophets were until John:
since that time the kingdom of God is preached
[euaggelizo],
and every man presseth into it.
Heb 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
Jesus knew the urgency of preaching the kingdom of God,
and told a certain man to forsake a funeral to get on with preaching it:
Luke 9:59-60 And he said unto another, Follow me.
But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.
60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead:
but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.
During 40 days after His death and resurrection, before He went back up to heaven, Jesus taught more about the kingdom of God:
Acts 1:1-3 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus,
of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
Philip preached the kingdom of God:
Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
After Jesus’ death and resurrection (1 Cor 15:3-4), He appeared to Peter, and the 12, and over 500 brethren at once, and James, and all the apostles, and Paul (1 Cor 15:5-8) .... who all preached (1 Cor 15:11) the gospel by which you are saved (1 Cor 15:2).
Paul and Barnabas both preached the kingdom of God all over many places:
Acts 14:19-22 And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead.
20 Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.
21 And when they had preached the gospel [euaggelizo] to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch,
22 Confirming the souls of the disciples,
and exhorting them to continue in the faith,
and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
Paul preached the kingdom of God at Ephesus:
Acts 19:8 And he (Paul - Acts 19:6) went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.
Acts 20:25 And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.
Paul spent all day long .... preaching the kingdom of God .... for 2 entire years .... when he was confined to house arrest .... before he was executed for Christ’s sake:
Acts 28:23 And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging;
to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God,
persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.
Acts 28:30-31 And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him,
31 Preaching the kingdom of God,
and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.
Jesus preached the kingdom of God, the 12 apostles did, Philip did, Paul did, Barnabas did. Paul was thankful for his helpers in the minstry .... as he preached the kingdom of God:
Col 4:11 And Jesus, which is called Justus, who are of the circumcision. These only are my fellowworkers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me.
Paul also wrote to the Corinthians (1 Cor 6:9-10, 15:50) and the Galatians (Gal 5:21) about the kingdom of God. He encouraged the Thessalonians in their patience and faith in all their persecutions and tribulations that they endured (2 Thess 1:4) for the kingdom of God’s sake:
2 Thess 1:5 Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:
What’s it worth .... to preach the kingdom of God?
It will surely bring loss and suffering .... in this life.
But the eternal rewards .... in the next:
Luke 18:29-30 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake,
30 Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time,
and in the world to come life everlasting.
Would YOU preach the kingdom of God? ‘Mid-Acts-hyper-dispensationalists’ don’t. I didn’t either when I was one of them.
But now, I will charge with Paul:
1 Thess 2:11-12 As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children,
12 That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.
This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"
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