A Remarkable Kingdom Recruitment Strategy

The Lord is eager to see His Kingdom permeate every corner of civil society on Earth. To do so, Jesus gave a grand assignment to all of us just before He ascended to Heaven.

…“All authority has been given to Me in Heaven and on Earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” (Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV)

To accomplish the mission of bringing God’s spiritual Kingdom to planet Earth, (your Kingdom come, on Earth as it is in Heaven)… the Lord chose to appoint many of His believers to join Him in spreading those Kingdom principles and discipling new believers to a mature, disciplined level.

Daniel had eloquently prophesied the eventual, vast glory of this heavenly Kingdom and the glorious One who led it:

“Then the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the Kingdoms under the whole Heaven, Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’”  (Daniel 7:27 NKJV)

That is powerful, persuasive language, but does Jesus put this Kingdom into the hands of just anyone who calls on His name? Apparently not. To help us understand more about the requirements for discipleship, Paul wrote about a powerful, five-step process designed to prepare a host of “sons” ready to accomplish the will of God.

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. (Romans 8:29-30)

This is the sequence which heaven uses to prequalify those called to fulfill the Matthew 28 instruction. There are five activities mentioned in this passage which the Lord is undertaking. Let’s look at these words carefully:

1. Foreknew
2. Predestined
3. Called
4. Justified
5. Glorified 

Let’s unpack each one of those terms to be sure we read them with wisdom:

Foreknew – in Genesis we are reminded that God originally took counsel with Himself saying: “Let us make man in our own image.” He made us as a species, but He also knows us individually, by name. For example, He specifically said to Jeremiah: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

Isaiah also claims: “Listen, O coastlands, to Me, And take heed, you peoples from afar!  The Lord has called Me from the womb; From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name.” (Isaiah 49:1)

Predestined – this is the alignment of purpose and grace. All of us (that includes you) are destined to serve a purpose in the Lord’s Kingdom. He gives grace to those who have such a destiny. Grace is the inexhaustible spiritual fuel supply offered freely to those willing to receive it and to accomplish God’s will on His terms.

Remember John 1:12 – “As many as received Him, He gave them power (Gr. Dunamis) to become sons of God.” So you are destined AND empowered. Period.

Called – Then the Lord reaches out to us. Psalm 40:8 reads: “I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.”

Jesus Himself knew He had a calling by the time He was 12, saying to His mother: “Did you not know I have to be about My Father’s business?” He later said: “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Justified – “But what if I am still messed up? What if I sinned yesterday? I’m just not ready, right?” No…. that is not what the Bible teaches. To be “Justified” is to be declared innocent of all charges. So, the enemy can no longer accuse us before God. You might say… “But I still feel guilty and unworthy.” That’s because the enemy retains the ability to accuse us in our conscience. You are fully liberated in the Courts of Heaven. We must receive that liberty, however, and not hang around the courthouse waiting to be accused all over again. The payment for ALL your silly issues has been covered by Jesus Christ. No more probation; you’re no longer under the Mosaic Law. We have authentic freedom, my friends.

Glorified – This is the final step, where we see the redemptive convergence of all our experiences, talents, God’s grace, our relationships and everything else you can think of. This is where all of our positive and negative issues are rolled together and raised to a level of spiritual value that we could never have achieved on our own. 

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The ultimate purpose of this five-step process is that we would willingly conform to the image (Gr. Eikon) of His Son. The Father is building a family of such spiritual sons, but He has requirements, or qualifications for membership. No willfulness allowed… operate by grace, not human energy… follow God’s plan, not your own… walk by faith, not by sight.

Folks, we are dealing with a brilliant God. He is an incredible strategist, and He has this entire intricate plan thoroughly mapped out. He chooses to work through us, His spiritual sons, to accomplish His will.  He calls and prepares us for His heavenly assignment. He overcomes our self-doubt.

Don’t you just love this way of living?