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Jesus´ Goal in Coming to Earth

Jesus' Goal in coming to Earth.

Jesus taught us to pray,
Our Father Who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven...Matthew 6:9,10.

This prayer would indicate that the kingdom of God had not yet been re-established in the earth at the time Jesus spoke those words.
In Acts 1:6,7, after His resurrection, the disciples asked Jesus the question,
Lord, is this the time when You will re-establish the kingdom and restore it to Israel?

In reply, Jesus not only acknowledged that the kingdom of God had not yet been restored on earth, but He directed their minds to the process in which they would be involved in the restoration of the kingdom. 2 Corinthians 4:4 confirms this fact in definite terms.
The god of this age (Satan) has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.

Who are the "unbelievers" in our day?
Are they those who do not know God, or are they those who claim to be followers of Jesus but teach things that water down the true Gospel message?
Jesus did not so much concern Himself with the pagan Romans as He did with the Jews who claimed to be God's "Chosen people!" Why? Because His most dangerous enemies were not the outright heathen, but "those of His own household." Matthew 10:36.

Yes, Satan is still running around loose in this world, harassing the saints on every hand. His most effective bait is the "peace and safety cry" that has hypnotized much of the Christian world. So-called Evangelicals have fallen for this piece of cheese like hungry mice.

Let's get to the point! Fine! Hebrews chapter eleven lets us see what a saint's life looks like.
From the beginning of human history God's people were identified by,
1. Their readiness to turn their backs on everything they possessed in anticipation of a better eternity. They literally gave up everything that they might serve Jesus.
2. Their readiness to suffer all manner if indignities and rejection and their willingness to die for their faith. Many of them did.

By contrast, what are the buzz-words in Evangelical circles today? What are we told?
"We are the King's kids."
"Jesus paid it all so we need not suffer poverty, or sickness, or any discomfort."
"If you have faith, none of these evils will affect your life."
"It is just as easy to be healed as it is to be saved" is being broadcast world wide.
Implied meaning? If you are not healed, you may not be saved either. Not very encouraging to 999 people out of every thousand who attend or listen to such talk! Yet they keep coming and eating the sand.

Probably the most dangerous of all, is the theory that before any major catastrophe strikes the earth, we will be beamed up in a secret rapture to some safe spot somewhere up in space.

The implied message? Don't waste time preparing for the coming conflict, because we won't be here anyway. What a comforting and sleep inducing "peace and safety cry!" This is the theme with which the Jews comforted themselves in the days of Christ. "God will never allow us to dash our feet against a stone," was their favorite text. "We are the apple of his eye. No harm will come near our dwellings." They believed this until God sent the Romans to sack their beloved Jerusalem in 70 AD. That wasn't supposed to happen to the "chosen people!"

If we read the Gospels we find that Jesus spoke far more often about the restoration of the Kingdom of God to its rightful Owner, than about personal salvation. Even His parables often began with a statement such as, "The kingdom of God is like unto..."

Why are we invited to receive Jesus? Is it simply because my salvation is the end goal of Christ's sacrifice in His mission to planet Earth?
Jesus said to His disciples, "Follow Me." Follow where? To do what?
It was a call to unite with Him in the battle of the ages in the war against evil. What happened to those who followed Him? How did they live their lives? Again, read Hebrews chapter eleven.
Were rewards for this life the main concern of those saints?
Or are most of their rewards stored up for the life to come?
If we who are [abiding] in Christ have hope only in this life and that is all, then we are of all people most miserable and to be pitied. 1 Corinthians 15:19.

Now, don't get me wrong! As we saw earlier, we do enjoy many rewards in this life!
But they are secondary to what we will receive later.
It is a matter of priorities!
Let's take a little self-test. If you are given the choice between saving yourself or saving your neighbor, which will you choose? Now read John 15:13.

Love one another!
Jesus stressed the commandment of love to one another more than any other.
The Old Covenant of Law could be summarized in two words: Don't hate!
It dealt with negatives.
The commandments Jesus gave focus on the positive!
He changed the focus to: Love God, and love your neighbor!

The Christ-centered faith is a faith of responsibility - of true unselfish love.
God will reward us in proportion to how we pass His love on to others!
Why didn't either Jesus or the disciples present God as a doting Father up in the sky whose job it is to cater to our every carnal desire? God is not our valet or bell boy!

We are called to volunteer as soldiers in the army of Jesus Christ.
It is a calling to put our lives on the altar for god and for each other.
God has not called us to ride a gravy train.
God gave us no such promise!
What then, is the objective and goal of this army?

It is to join with your Commander, and walk beside Him, allowing His love to flow through you like water from a fire hose, watering everyone and everything with His love.

That is the reason Jesus provided for us a full range of spiritual weapons with which to maneuver our way safely through the perils of this life. Ephesians chapter 6 is clear that these weapons are not only for defensive purposes, but are designed to enable us to follow our Lord right into the heart of the enemy's territory. The key here is that the weapons Jesus made available to us are not the kind used be worldly armies. The sword of the Spirit is not given to kill those who do not agree with our social or capitalistic philosophies. The sword of the Spirit is designed to help us distinguish between life-giving truth and self-centered human ambitions.

What was Jesus central goal in coming to earth?
For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He...gave up His only- begotten Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish...but have eternal...life.
For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge...the world; but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him. John 3:16,17. (Amp).

This goal will not be accomplished by killing people we may consider our enemies. Jesus taught us to put away our carnal weapons, and learn to wield the life-giving sword of the Spirit. Our calling is to accompany our Commander as He continues to walk through the earth, letting His light shine even in the darkest places. Do we know what this means?

I remember Dorothy saying to me one day that God had just revealed something in her spirit. It was shortly after we had been betrayed by Christian people, who were seeking to build a following for themselves. We were devastated! How can so-called Christians do that?
We felt we had been used!
The words of this chorus flowed through her heart like a soothing balm:"
I would be poured out as wine upon the altar for you.
I would be broken as bread to feed the hungry...

Then, clear as a bell, came the question,
Didn't I hear you pray that song?
Didn't you mean what you said?
I thought you wanted me to answer your prayer!

Then came the phrase that brought peace and an unexpected joy:
I walked today where Jesus walked...Amen!

The Christ-centered faith is a walk of living to bless others.

Samuel Pestes www.sendingthelight.com