Jesus Preached A Kingdom

Matthew, chapter 4, is a record of Jesus' temptation for 40 days and nights on the mount of tempation.  Matthew records that after spending those 40 days and nights on the mount, Jesus settled in Capernaum. 

Then the scripture says in Matthew 4:17, "From that time, Jesus began to preach and say "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand."  This passage sets the stage for the message Jesus preached.  

Most often, we preach and teach individual salvation.  Our goal is to save souls; individual souls.  We're taught to go tell friends, relatives and others we come across, about salvation that's available through Jesus.  We get them to say a sinners prayer, then hopefully lead them to our church.  

What we most often focus on is individual salvation, within the context of church life.  Then within church life, we focus on getting them involved in the life of the church.  This, of course, involves regular church attendance, listening to praise and worship music, then the pastor's sermon. 

We want to get them involved in home groups of some sort, or Sunday School, where one can study and learn with other believers.  All of this is in the context of church life. 

Unfortunately, the result is when Christians most often think of calling, they think of it in terms of church life. But God never thinks in terms of churh life.  He thinks in terms of His Kingdom.  It's always about His Kingdom.  

God's Kingdom is over all the earth, not just church life.   

As you see, there are eight spheres of influence in the world.  So, this changes how we should look at calling and destiny.  Often, what the church does is commit a "brain drain" from these spheres of influence, trying to get people involved in church life, when they get saved.  

You may not sense a calling to the church/religion sphere. Your passion or calling be in business or education.  You could sense a calling in the area of media.  God wants the gospel of the Kingdom to be spread in all eight spheres of influence.

We are called to go and preach the gospel to all creation (Mark16:15) What gosepl are we to preach?  The same one Jesus did...the gospel of the Kingdom.

Second, in Matthew 28:19, Jesus told us to "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations".  The nations include all the systems and structure within those nations.  Those systems and structures are included in all the eight spheres of influence contained in societies.  

So, in the same way as Jesus, we are called to preach and make disciples of the Kingdom, throughout all the structures and systems of the eight spheres of society.  

For which sphere are you called?