"From that time on, Jesus began to preach, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near'." (v.17)
"If I am to be a follower of Christ, I must believe what Jesus believed and teach what Jesus taught" - John Wimber.
The gospel - the good news - that Jesus taught was the kingdom of God/Heaven (one and the same) is here; right here, right now. The kingdom of God/Heaven means the reign of God - his administration is now in session. In the same way that a new president will come into office and begin doing what he's promised by passing new legislations or by overturning previous legislations in order to accomplish his plan, God has begun to reign and to fulfill all that he's promised. God, said Jesus, is here now and is implementing the administration of Heaven. As it is in Heaven, God is setting things on earth.
What does the kingdom of God look like? Is the gospel (sadly, gospels) that we hear preached today the same gospel that Jesus proclaimed? Our good news should be the same as his, shouldn't it? This is what we find out, if we want to follow him.
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