Kingdom Principles

Introduction

Religion is what man does until he finds the Kingdom. Religion prepares man to leave earth; the Kingdom empow ers man to dominate earth. Religion focuses on Heaven; the Kingdom focuses on earth. Religion is reaching up to God; the Kingdom is God coming down to man. Religion wants to escape earth; the Kingdom impacts, influ ences and changes earth. Religion seeks to take earth to Heaven; the Kingdom seeks to bring Heaven to earth. Perhaps this is why Jesus addressed the religious leaders of His day so strongly when He said: Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hyp ocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.…Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are (Matthew 23:13,15). Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!” Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?” (Matthew 15:1-3).

Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tra dition (Matthew 15:6b).

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