BIBLE: Bible Instructions Before Leaving Earth

Mark 1:15 “And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” (KJV) “The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!” (NLT)

God wants us to have joy.

The joy of the Lord is my strength!

Habakkuk, when he looked at his situation, chose to rejoice in spite of circumstances. God is looking for people who will rejoice no matter what. He is looking for soldiers who will boldly come to Him and rejoice regardless of what’s happening. Know in Whom you have believed. Be persuaded that He will see you through. He hasn’t brought you this far to leave you.

There should always be an expression of joy when we greet one of the Body of Christ. It doesn’t matter what the devil wants to do, the Kingdom of God is at hand. This means that the Kingdom is available. It’s there for you to access and to be a part of. This Kingdom has only one king and His name is Jesus.

There is the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven, and the Kingdom of Jesus, but it is only one Kingdom. God is the king of this Kingdom and His name is Jesus. We have got to check our status. There are friends of the Kingdom, people who love the church but might not be part of the Kingdom.

How do you know you’re part of the Kingdom? Jesus looked at Nicodemus and said, ‘You must be born again.’ If you’re not born again, you can’t see the Kingdom, you can’t enter into the Kingdom. ‘You must be born of the water (full-immersion baptism in Jesus’ name) and of the spirit (Holy Ghost baptism). Then, the Kingdom is IN you. You are no longer ‘friends of the Kingdom,’ you are now part of the Kingdom.

You can’t see the Kingdom of God with your physical eyes, but you can know it’s there. You can see it in operation.

The Kingdom is bigger than one church here in Chicago. It’s not in words or location, it’s in power. It’s in God’s people.

In order to be in the Kingdom, you must fulfill the requirements. If you’re not able to speak, and you’re in the Kingdom, it’s all right. When you’re in the Kingdom, there is something about you.

The Kingdom of God is not meat or drink, but righteousness (doing right in the sight of God), joy (without it you’re not in the Kingdom: ‘With joy you shall draw from the waters of salvation’), and peace.

Citizenship in the Kingdom gives you joy which gives you access to heavenly things. Jeremiah said this felt like ‘fire shut up in my bones.’ You can’t have joy and sit and look sad on the outside. Joy on the inside makes you beautiful on the outside. Even with issues and problems and sickness, with joy, you’re still all right. This joy isn’t from the world.

The Kingdom belongs to God.

Mat 6:10,13 “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”

When you have the Holy Ghost, nobody has to tell you whether or not you’re in the Kingdom. When you’re in the Kingdom, the King takes care of His citizens.

There is an advisory for Kingdom citizens: anything you want it’s in the Book—Bible: Biblical Instructions Before Leaving Earth.

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. If we follow our king, we can’t go wrong. It’s not always easy, but God always makes a way. ‘God is for me.’

We waste our time sometimes thinking about trivial stuff. Instead of fighting against one another, we should fight against the devil and our enemy. There should be no ‘friendly fire.’ If one person backslides, it weakens the body. If we can encourage repentance, this strengthens the body.

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God.

God is after everything gone wrong.

There are people in church when things are rough, they are close to God, but when things are good, they don’t even bother to go to church anymore. When you’re Kingdom-minded, you are always seeking God, always praying, always connected to Jesus. This stores up in one of God’s vials. Your vial needs more prayer because God is getting ready to do something.

The steps of a good man are ordered by God. If God orders them, all you need to do is walk.

We worry too much and it gives us high blood pressure. There will always be problems, but God made a way.

There are situations that you will face, but God has already made a way.

Why has God done this? We weren’t a people, far from God. We couldn’t even go near to make sacrifices. But, when Jesus came, we were translated into His Kingdom. The veil was rent in two. We have access to the throne, coming humbly but boldly into His presence to receive grace in the time of trouble.

We of the Kingdom are privileged. But, before you can activate these privileges, you must make sure your place is secure. It is our responsibility to focus on what we need to do as a Kingdom person.

‘Let this mind that was in Christ be in you.’ Jesus is about the Kingdom. We are here as workers to build the Kingdom, not tear it down. A Kingdom divided by itself cannot stand. No fussing and fighting amongst each other, no gossip. Love one another. Talk to each other, build. Don’t embarrass. In heaven, the stuff we worry so much about, won’t matter.

There is a call from God. Be careful what you say about one another. Your anointing will speak for you. God protects His own.

Jesus said, ‘My Kingdom is not of this world or else my soldiers would fight. My Kingdom is from above, it is eternal.’ Our time here is temporary. We will leave either by death or rapture, but we will leave. We must make sure we’re ready for heaven. It’s not time to ‘get ready,’ it’s time to ‘be ready.’

The dead in Christ shall rise first. The trumpet will be so loud, the dead shall be woken up. However, the trump is not meant for everyone who has died, only those who are in Christ. They shall be caught up to meet Him.

Don’t worry about death, to live is Christ, to die is gain. Having Jesus on the inside is the great peace.

Look at the royal Kingdom in England. See their behavior. We are misfits if we don’t act according to the royal Kingdom that we are a part of. We sin at times, but we have an advocate, an high priest who is willing to forgive. Get up, dust yourself off, and follow Jesus. If you see a brother fallen down, don’t kill him, instead restore him in a spirit of meekness. Let problems unite, not divide.

Family is family. You are part of God’s family. Act like it.

Joy is spontaneous. Jesus made a way. Realize this joy because He made a way and praise God!

‘Great is the Holy One in the midst of thee.’

Sometimes, you’re in a situation where you can’t even pray. Cry out to God. Praise Him anyway. See that weight will lift. A closed mouth can’t be fed. Shout to God, giving Him glory. When you send up your praise, God is not slack concerning His promise. It WILL come, be willing to wait in faith, knowing He will keep His promise. Thank Him in the waiting.

You may not want to feel pain. Going to heaven is not a bed of roses, but that’s all right, they didn’t like Jesus either. It didn’t stop Jesus from establishing the Kingdom and working the work of the Kingdom until He gave up the ghost. They couldn’t stop Him, they helped Him. Everybody who hates you promotes you.

Ads sell. Sometimes you buy stuff you don’t want because the ad is so catchy. You can brag about Jesus. Celebrate Him and He will beautify you.

He prepares a table before you in the presence of your enemies. Let goodness and mercy follow you all the days of your life. Goodness and mercy follow and even overtake you. As a Kingdom person, you have every right to claim these. Check yourself.

The Bible says that we are royal, peculiar, extra-special to Jesus.

Sometimes people have problems to bring Jesus glory. In every one of us is glory, the glory of God residing.

Rom 8:18 “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

More Questions for Personal or Group Study:

1. What was your life like before you met Jesus? How is it different now?
2. What are your priorities? Are they in line with what the Word of God says? What in your thinking and actions do you need to change?
3. Read John 15:1-11. What does Jesus compare Himself to? What does He compare us to? What does that mean? What does Jesus promise us? What are we to do? How does that look in everyday life?

Excerpted from a sermon preached by Everton Wellington.

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