Freely You Have Received; Freely Give

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 

Hebrews 12:28 (NKJV)

 

In the book of Matthew, Chapter Six, we read these words of Jesus. He was teaching His disciples how to pray, and He told them to ask God the Father, "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

What comes to mind when you think of God's Kingdom? What do you think this kingdom is like? Imagine you work for an advertising agency and you need to come up with a good ad campaign for the Kingdom of Heaven. What would you say about it? How would you make it sound enticing so others would want to be a part of it?

Jesus, in a sense, was given this task by His Father. He sent Jesus to earth from the heavenly Kingdom realm to show us what it was all about. If you study His teachings and observe how He lived, as we can read about in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), you will see He lived a different kind of life than the average Jew living at that time.

Some were super-religious and went by a bunch of rules in order to appear more righteous than others, more devoted to God, and better than everyone else. Other people were greatly oppressed by the religious leaders, society, and the government--many by all three. Still others were somewhere in the middle: not overly religious, nor poor and helpless. This is the category many of the disciples fit into. They were working-class, ordinary Jews who had businesses to run and families to feed, and they encountered Jesus along their life-journey.

But Jesus had a similar message for everyone. In a nutshell it went something like this: "The Kingdom of God is near, and it's for you. Come and receive God's love, find forgiveness for your sins, and follow Me. I'll show you what this Kingdom is all about."

He healed the sick, the lame, the deaf, and the blind. He raised some from the dead. He delivered others from demons. He multiplied a boy's small lunch to feed everyone who had come to be close to Him. He calmed a storm on the sea. In other words, He cared about people and met their needs. He spoke about love and giving, and receiving what God had for them. In fact, receiving what God had for them was the very means by which they could also display God's Kingdom to others.

There is too much to get into here, and I encourage you to read about Jesus for yourself. To look closely at how He lived and what He taught and how He showed God's love: how He "advertised" God's Kingdom. And to consider what may be lacking in your understanding of it.

The writer of Hebrews reminded the early Jewish Christians of this Kingdom. In Chapter Twelve it says, Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart...Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy...you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem...Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

The word for thankful in verse 28 can also be translated as "grace". Thankfulness is a part of grace...being grateful for what God has graciously given us, but I prefer the NKJV and other versions that simply use the word grace here, because I think it more accurately describes what the writer was trying to say.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

Of the many words Jesus spoke to His disciples, there is one phrase that I believe summed up His teaching. He said it before sending them out to preach the message of God's Kingdom themselves. He had already demonstrated His methods of "advertising God's love", and He sent them to do the same:

As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. (Matt. 10:7-8)

Freely you have received; freely give...

In other words, "Since you have received so much...show grace to others; this is how you truly serve God...understanding everything He has done for you and showing that same love, forgiveness, and hope--freely, graciously, thankfully."

To give, one must first understand, receive, and see the glory of God. Do you? Have you received all of it? Not just enough to get by, but to be consumed with His love? To be a walking advertisement of what His Kingdom is all about?