alexandria

Jesus teaches here that, the Kingdom of God can only be received if you have been born again. you have to be baptized with water and with the Holy Spirit and you have to stop sinning and follow Jesus and God, with true faith and knowledge, the major importance of these things, if you want to receive the Kingdom of God, is that without them you cannot be born again and will not receive the kingdom of God. No I do not think that Nicodemus understands him, because he is thinking of the birth when a baby comes from the womb, not the spiritual birth, which can only be received through water, a symbol of the cleansing of the body and spirit and the Holy spirit is the gift that God gives us to dwell in us, so as to direct us to becoming Gods children by being our conscience. the reason why he does not understand is because, he does not understand the Kingdom of God and he cannot see in a spiritual way because he is thinking of the earthly type of birth.

Jesus teaches us that the Kingdom is so valuable, that you cannot buy it as you would pearls, gold or other treasures here on earth, you can not earn it and you can not steal it. The Kingdom is the greatest treasure we could ever hope for but to receive it we have to accept Jesus and follow him and do his will. The Kingdom, if we accept it willingly and eagerly, also gives us eternal life to be lived out in the Kingdom. The reason we are tempted to value it so little, is that we tend to let the worldly treasures and cares consume us, and it is hard to believe that there is such a wonderful, beautiful place just waiting for us when we leave this world that tends to rule us. we are human and have free will and sometimes that free will tends to make us doubt the reality of God and his Kingdom and it is hard to value something we can not see. Knowing Jesus and God personally and having the word of God, the bible, tends to help us to appreciate its true value. Having christian friends and having christian values, which today is really hard to find because Satan always seems to put emphasis on the bad things that happen and people tend to lose heart, but if you are grounded in your faith you become stronger and more determined to overcome the bad and you tend to appreciate even more, the true value of the Kingdom of God. My testimony, if given properly and with knowledge, can definitely help a seeking friend to value the Kingdom more. The testimony you give has to not just be telling them they need to be born again and accept Christ into their heart, but you need to have enough knowledge on how to explain this concept to people. Most people who have not been raised in a Christian family, or with a christian background, do not understand this concept at all, so you have to be careful just how you explain it to others as it will push them even further away from God.

Poverty and self-sacrifice is an inadequate religion because poverty and self-sacrifice is not how people see themselves. People have the earthly view when it comes to poverty and self-sacrifice, if you are poor then you must not be blessed by god but if you have what you need and seem to be a Godly person and have a positive outlook in life, then you must be a person who follows God and he has blessed you. Poverty and self-sacrifice is also associated with being unclean so of course we assume this to be true. I do not believe that poverty and self-sacrifice are proof of an inadequate religion, but an inadequate leadership. Jesus asks the man to follow him because he wants everyone to follow him and be saved, but when wealth, or the concerns in life get in the way, then we don't even recognize Jesus and this makes Jesus very sad. Jesus knew before he even asked him to follow him that he would choose not too, the man did not even know who Jesus was because he was so caught up in his wealth and riches that he didn't recognize Jesus and the gift of eternal life he was offering to him. The sense in which this was a great privilege was, that Jesus himself was the one asking him to follow him, now, today we have to trust others, who ask us to follow Jesus that they are leading us in the right direction. To have Jesus himself standing next to us, in the flesh, asking us to follow him would be an honor so unbelievable, that we would have to have a strong faith to even believe that it was truly Jesus and not some Nut. He rejected the offer, because he was more concerned about his wealth, than he was about following Jesus, I also think that he did not totally comprehend what Jesus was offering him, or that Jesus was the Son of God. I believe that that is why it is so hard to have wealth and follow Jesus too, as wealth, if not kept in proper perspective, can blind you to Jesus and the awesome gift he offers that cannot be bought with money, only with true faith and love for Jesus.

I think the reason Jesus requires the rich young ruler to divest himself of his fortune, was because he was testing him, when he asked Jesus how he could get into the Kingdom, he was in a sense telling Jesus he was not a follower and his wealth was more important to him than being a follower of the true God. When Jesus told him to give all of his possessions to the poor and follow him, the young ruler went away disappointed. Jesus knew what was really in his heart. I guess the reason this troubles us so much, is because we are always striving to have more, even if we do not need more and we are not trusting God to provide. As we get older we tend to wonder why we wanted or thought we needed so many things we did not need. I do not think it means we cannot have wealth and be saved but it is how we look at that wealth, if it is more important to us than God or other people then yes it is definitely going to keep us from entering into the kingdom.

The hidden treasure, and Pearl of great price, both have in common the fact that they were so valuable, that they could not be bought by just anyone and they were prized beyond anything imaginable. People do not sell all they have for just any treasure, but these two treasures were of such great value and so rare that they were priceless, just as the Kingdom of God is priceless and worth everything you own here on earth. The main point of these parables is to get through to people that certain things are so valuable, that to own them is to be secure in everything, the people who found these two treasures knew the value of them, and were willing to give everything they owned to obtain them. These two treasures that Jesus talks about, are just a small example of what he was really talking about and that being the Kingdom of God which is the treasure of all treasures. It should affect our lives in such a way, as to distance ourselves from earthly treasures and focus on receiving the most valuable treasure of all, that being the Kingdom of God and spending eternity there. We must try to conquer our love for material wealth here on earth and focus our treasure hunting on obtaining Gods Kingdom and his gift of eternal life there in his Kingdom with him forever. It should affect our lives in such a way, that we will become a beacon shining in the night and everyone will see, and want this valuable treasure which we have received from God because we realized it's value and turned our focus towards obtaining the treasure of Gods Kingdom, instead of obtaining more treasures here on earth.

I think that our passage teaches us to be ready, with a strong faith in Jesus and God, and to know that if we are ready and prepared, we do not have to worry or be concerned about being left behind. If we believe, without doubt, as Noah did, there is no question that we will be taken with jesus, to his Kingdom to reign forever and those who are left behind, are those who refused to accept Jesus and to follow God faithfully. Those who are left behind will be judged accordingly. It should affect our lives in such a way, that we will not question or doubt that Jesus is the only way, the only truth, and the only light, which guides us to this point and prepares us for Gods final reign with his faithful followers in his Kingdom. So we will make every effort to be as God wants us to be, free of sin and as faithful to God the Father, God the Son and God the holy Spirit as it is possible for us to be, with the help of God. Our lives will be affected in such a positive way, that everyone will see the light of Jesus shining through us and our lives will be lived for God, not for material possessions. Our testimony should always be a positive one and we should always be prepared to defend our belief in god, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. If we ask God for guidance and for the right words in every situation, we should be able to testify, for our God, in such a positive way that those who question us will also want what we have. Our love for our neighbors, should always shine like a beacon in the night and we have to remember that our neighbors does not just mean those who live in our community, but also those who live in other countries. We are called to love all our neighbors, meaning everyone, even if we do not agree with their doctrine, or their beliefs which can, if we let it, cause hatred and wars and this is what we don't want. If everyone in the world practiced this one commandment, imagine what a wonderful beautiful world this would be.

The indications Jesus gives in this passage that he will suddenly come in his Kingdom without further warning are, for us to go on with our lives but to always be watching and waiting, being prepared at all times to expect his coming at any moment and not to let our earthly possessions or our burdens keep us from being prepared. We are to live as holy a life as possible and be prepared at any moment to be taken or left behind. The implications of this for our attitude, is that we cannot be so involved with our earthly possessions and earthly cares because our attitude toward these things will either destroy or save us depending on what we hold as being most important, our possessions or our eternal reign with Jesus and God in the Kingdom. Our lives are in our hands, depending on how much we want the KIngdom or wether we want what will be left behind, we are told that when this time comes, no matter where we are, we are to be prepared to leave as we are and not to go back or look back for what has been left, our valued possessions should be those that we receive in the kingdom, not the earthly ones.

The sense in which the Kingdom of God was present in the Person and ministry of Jesus was, Because Jesus was God come to earth in the form of his son Jesus, the Kingdom of God was Jesus, in the sense that he came to earth as a man to show and teach us about the Kingdom of God, that, if we let it, will also be present in us through our belief in Jesus as the son of God and God himself and the Kingdom of God which is right here on earth and in Heaven. The Kingdom of God is present today in all believers and in the Holy Spirit whom God sent to us to keep us on the right path and to help us become the true believers that God so wants us to be and live as a symbol of his Kingdom which can only exist with true believers who willing follow Jesus and God and fill his Kingdom with love and peace.

Continual asking, seeking, and knocking is so essential to our looking forward to the Kingdom because it shows that we believe God and his Kingdom does exist and it shows that we want to have a closer relationship with God. When we persist, it shows that we believe that God is the only true way to receive that which we believe we need and by doing so it reveals to us the Kingdom of God and the awesomeness of that Kingdom. We sometimes give up too easily because, being only human, if it does not happen right away we begin to think that God is not listening, or that he just is not answering us. We lack the faith to keep believing that even though we haven't yet received what we asked for, we then assume he is not going to answer and we are not going to get what we asked for. We can only gain boldness and persistence in prayer by believing, without doubt, that we will receive what we are asking for as long as it is for our good or the good of others. When we have a strong enough faith to believe that anything is possible when it comes to God, boldness and persistence are just naturally a part of that faith.

The factors that make a disciple especially good soil for the growth of the word or message of the kingdom, is that he is grounded in the word of God and can be a good example or witness to those who are not grounded. He probably has a strong faith and trusts in God to provide everything he might need and he is confident in his faith in the Lord that even though bad things may happen to him, God is always there to help him through the tough trials that may come his way. So he hears the word, he then keeps the word in his heart, and as he believes and doesn't doubt in gods word, he becomes stronger and stronger in his faith and trust in God and because of this he wins others over to God through his faith and trust. I believe that the reasons for 30-fold, 60-fold, and 100-fold might possibly be the strength of the faith and trust these have in God. 30-fold is someone who has heard the word and received it with joy but has a hard time trusting in God when trials and tribulations come, so even though he is strong and is a good example to others, he does not have the confidence to win as many people over to God but he does win a few. 60-fold is someone who not only hears and receives Gods word with even more joy and excitement than 30-fold, and is somewhat stronger in his faith and trust in God to provide everything he may need, but here again when tough times and tribulations come he does not completely waiver in his faith and trust, at first but as they may become stronger and more defeating he then starts to doubt a little but his faith is still strong enough to win even more people over to God. Last but not least i believe the 100-fold receives the word of God and keeps it with him at all times, in his heart and in his mind, as he grows in the word which he is constantly running through his mind and heart, he becomes stronger and stronger in his faith and trust in God. This disciple has become so strong that he never doubts that God is by his side through all the good times and the bad times and he is the best example of all three because his faith and trust is so strong people are won over to the Lord just by looking and seeing how he reacts to everything.