Article - The Kingdom of God

The Kingdom of God

For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. –Romans 14:17

Many people have intermingled serving God with the things of the world. One of the most popular teachings amongst religious circles today is the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel. This is the idea that God wants us to enjoy perfect health, amass great wealth and enjoy material prosperity. According to proponents of this theology, these rewards can be reaped when Christians faithfully obey and serve the Lord.

In the above verse, Paul draws a contrast between the things of the world and the service of God. There were those in the church at Rome that were disputing days of the week and whether or not it was acceptable to eat meat sacrificed to idols. Some thought that it was inappropriate to worship God on any other day besides the Sabbath. Others thought that they could worship God any time. There was one group that thought it okay to eat meat sacrificed to idols while another group thought it sinful to eat this meat. Paul writes that these arguments are fruitless. He teaches that these worldly things do not make up God’s kingdom, but righteousness, peace and joy are the results. This principle rings true today.

We cannot equate financial gain, material wealth and a life free from sickness with the kingdom of God. The fact of the matter is that our Christian walk is fraught with tribulations. In John 16:33 Jesus says that, “In this world ye shall have tribulation.” Just a brief examination of the life of Christ supports this fact of life. Jesus was born in the poorest of conditions. He had nowhere to lay his head. During his public ministry he was constantly troubled by the religious elite of his day. Then, he was crucified for the sins of his people. His life was full of turmoil. While we will never be called upon to suffer as our Savior, we should expect tribulation in our lives. Jesus also said, “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you (John 15:18).” Our days upon this earth will be troublesome.

It is a blessing to know that Jesus also taught that he has overcome the world (John 16:33b). Enduring pleasure will never come from the things of this world. Meat and drink only brings a temporary fulfillment. Sustained righteousness, peace and joy come from the Holy Ghost! This is true in our families. Some think that the key to a happy home is a lot of money in the bank, a luxury car and a grand residence. There are numerous broken marriages and families that disprove this theory. One cannot turn on the television without hearing of another occurrence of family and personal problems amongst the rich and famous of America. The old adage that money cannot buy happiness rings true.

The Bible also teaches that the church is not identified by worldliness but by an adherence to the things of God. In an effort to fill the pews, many religious institutions have adopted worldly practices. Scriptural worship has been adjusted to reflect the changing culture. The doctrinal truth of the Bible has been scuttled for the flesh pleasing ‘meat’ and ‘drink’ of the world. The problem with this is that God is not glorified in this action. He is unchangeable. When a church starts down the path of imitating the world, it must constantly reinvent itself to remain attractive to the ever-changing culture. If this continues a church will fail to have any identity with the things of God. If we are going to truly enjoy the blessings of the Spirit of God, then we must seek first the kingdom of God.

Michael Green, Jr. is pastor of Palm Chapel Primitive Baptist Church (www.palmchapel.org) in Crestview, FL. Palm Chapel meets every Sunday at 10:30am and Wednesday at 6:00pm. Pastor Green can be contacted at (850) 689-3383 or by email at pastormichael@palmchapel.org. Pastor Green warmly invites you to come and worship at Palm Chapel Primitive Baptist Church.