A Kingdom of the Heart

“Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day.”

Titus Flavius Josephus was a Jewish historian who lived from 37 A.D. to about 100 A.D. He lived during the time of the apostles. Josephus was a member of the priestly aristocracy of the Jews, and was taken hostage by the Roman Empire in the great Jewish revolt of 66-70 A.D. His Hebrew name was Yoseph Ben Mattithyahu. Josephus recorded some of the earliest history of Jesus Christ.

While there are those who like to besmirch Josephus and attempt to discount whatever he had to say about Jesus Christ, the fact remains that he is one of the early historians that calls attention not only to Jesus, but also to James the brother of Jesus, and to John the Baptist. Many of the earliest Christians held his writings in high esteem. They saw Josephus writings as ‘a kind of fifth gospel’ because of his regard to Jesus Christ.

While the Jews totally disregarded the writings of Josephus since they saw him as a traitor, the church’s love for him has kept his writings forthcoming for the later generations of believers. There is no question that Josephus was acquainted with the Christian movement. He had to have been aware of Jesus since so many of the people including a great many priests had become obedient to the Christian faith.

This is how the spread of the gospel is recorded in Acts —

“The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.” (Act 6:7)

Journal,

As a young minister I began my meager minister’s library with a handful of books. (Hard to realize its been forty-six years since I took up my call to the Lord’s ministry; 1964.) My ‘meager’ library consisted of four books, a Holman’s King James Bible, a Halley’s Bible Hand Book, a Matthew Henry’s Commentary, and one other book. The one other book was titled, ‘The Life and Works of Flavius Josephus.’

Three of my original four books have long since been replaced. Can you believe that I still have my original copy of, ‘The Life and Works of Flavius Josephus’. That old tattered book sits on my library shelf like an old friend. Every time I think about ‘Josephus‘ I have this nudge to take it up and begin reading it again. Somewhere I became distracted with other studies and never finished reading the entire book. (OK, I get the message. Josephus is at the top of my list.)

One of the things that has always lingered in my mind about Josephus was a statement he made about Christians. He wrote, “And the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day.”

I’ve often wondered why Josephus spoke of the early Christians as a tribe? Keep in mind that the earliest believers where Jewish and the language of ‘tribes’ was deeply instilled in them. For example when the apostle Paul compared his former Hebrew lineage to his new life as a Christian, he said…

“… for we [Christians] are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh, although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee…” (Php 3:3-5)

Paul spoke of his former life as being of the tribe of Benjamin and how he set about to persecute Christians. Now he directs attention to the ‘true circumcision,’ which is a circumcision of the heart and not of the flesh. Those who have this heart circumcision can be known. They glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh. (Even before the time of Jesus, the Jewish nation had become ‘flesh’ centered. They treated other people groups as worthless. Place your cursor over these Scriptures: Matt3:5-9; 23:31-35; Luke 11:52,53; Acts 10:27,28; 1Th2:14,15)

God’s Heavenly Tribe

When Josephus spoke of Christians as a tribe he saw something in Christians that related to kinship. The term ‘tribe’ generally speaks to a group of people related to one another by blood or marriage. From this kinship comes a social distinction. The early Christians were very much related by blood. Their hearts had been sprinkled by the blood of Jesus. They had become a distinct and separate people among the nations. All true Christians remain that way to this very day.

Peter describes Christians as a distinct spiritual people:

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but not you have received mercy.” (1Pe 2:9-10)

“… to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.“ (1Pe 4:13-16)

Paul says that Christians are the true circumcision of God and that our citizenship is in heaven. Thus we are heavenly citizens in earthly bodies. We are a distinct people group. Peter goes on to call Christians a chosen race, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation; that we glorify God in the name Christian.

A Kingdom of the Heart

The kingdom of God’s beloved Son is not of this world. It is a kingdom of the heart. This is why there is no ‘Lo, the kingdom is here.’ Or, ‘Lo, the kingdom is there.’ There are no special anointed places in the earth that contain the kingdom of God. No religious group can lay claim to being God’s true church in the earth.

When Pilate asked Jesus about His kingdom, this is how the conversation went:

“Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, ‘Are You the King of the Jews?’ Jesus answered, ‘Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?’ Pilate answered, ‘I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?’

“Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.’ Therefore Pilate said to Him, ‘So You are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.’

“Pilate said to Him, ‘What is truth?’ And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, ‘I find no guilt in Him.'” (Joh 18:33-38)

Notice carefully that Jesus did not say He was king of the Jews. What He said was that His kingdom was not of this world or of this realm. The earthly kingdom of the Jews was soon to be destroyed. In 70 a.d., it would disappear from the face of the earth.

The kingdom of God’s Son is wholly spiritual, wholly heavenly, wholly eternal, and wholly of the heart. The Lord also said that everyone who is of the truth, that is, everyone who calls upon Him as their Lord and Savior, will have a personal relationship with Him and will always be able to hear His voice.

Jesus is a King. Have you asked Jesus to be Lord over your life? It isn’t hard to enter into God’s kingdom. It all begins with the cross. In the cross of the Lord Jesus is the God’s plan of salvation for all the earth.

I could share a great many Scriptures that set forth God’s plan of salvation. The truth of the matter is simple enough. Both Paul and Peter said, “And it shall come to pass that whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”

David was the one who said that God puts a song of salvation in his mouth. (Psa118:14) Here is God’s salvation plan in a song. Listen with your heart as Robert Parson sings ‘God’s Plan of Salvation.’

There you have. Why not right now ask the Lord to be Lord of all your life.

May the Lord richly bless you in your obedience to Him,

Buddy

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