Forty Days of Preaching the Kingdom

January 3

(Acts 1:3 NIV) "After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God."

(John 20:26-31 NIV) "A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" {27} Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." {28} Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" {29} Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." {30} Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. {31} But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."

(1 Corinthians 15:1-8 NIV)  "Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. {2} By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. {3} For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, {4} that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, {5} and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. {6} After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. {7} Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, {8} and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born."

After His resurrection, Jesus spent forty days appearing to people, convincing them that He was alive. He walked among them. He ate and drank with them. They touched Him and listened to Him as He preached about the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is mentioned over fifty times in the Gospels, and was Christ’s favorite topic following His resurrection. It is the most important topic we can consider. How we respond to the Lordship of Christ is crucial. It is the most lasting thing about us. How we think of Jesus affects the course of our life, and will determine our eternal destiny. Jesus wants to be more than just our Savior from sin. He also wants to be Lord and King of our life. Only when we live as citizens of Christ’s Kingdom can we experience life to its fullest, and live beyond our means spiritually. We never outgrow our need for teaching about the Kingdom of God. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day