Two thousand years ago, a
carpenter from Nazareth named Jesus burst on the scene with a vision
that has changed the world. Everywhere He went Jesus inspired the imaginations
of many people by painting a picture of a spiritual and relational movement
like none that had ever existed before.
Some would go without food
just to be near Him. Others would travel miles to hear Him tell about a God who
loved them personally. They thronged to hear Him teach about a phenomenon He
called the “Kingdom of God.” They found it hard to believe
that God’s gift of forgiveness and salvation was for everyone.
For three years, Jesus
Christ proclaimed the Good News of the Kingdom and then He was betrayed,
arrested, beaten, and murdered on a cross. His followers thought the
Kingdom-vision was dead.
But three days later Jesus
rose from the grave, and His Kingdom dream was as alive as He was. He opened
their minds to see that the kingdom He had been teaching about for three years
was not a political kingdom, but a far greater one, a spiritual kingdom—the
rule of God in people’s hearts,
Does God rule in your
heart?