The Father's Heartনমুনা

Following Christ Means Learning His Kingdom

A true disciple will soon discover there are no shortcuts to the process of Christlikeness; there are only ways to prolong it. Now seeing the multitudes, the Master ascended a nearby mountain, and as He sat, His disciples came to Him (Matt. 5:1).

Jesus came to plant heaven on earth. Thus, not only would His followers need to know His doctrine, but they would also need to know the life of heaven and display both His power and His character.

But how would the Lord bring His disciples into true spiritual life? They were unlike Him in nearly every way. He was sinless; they were sinful. He was powerful; they were weak. He was surrendered while they were ambitious. Their transformation, by necessity, would be a process.

Yet as Jesus began to train His followers, He made it clear that there would be spiritual milestones along the way, markers by which the disciples could measure themselves.

Matthew 5:2 says, “He opened His mouth and began to teach them.” As He did, the most powerful words ever uttered began to accomplish their magnificent objective: conforming humanity’s heart to the standards of Christ. Indeed, in what we today call the Beatitudes, we find the secret to inner transformation.

Consider the first beatitude concerning the poor in spirit; Jesus says, “theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:3). He does not say, “They will go to heaven.” He says, “Theirs is the kingdom” (present tense). At the close of the Beatitudes, again, Jesus tells those persecuted and slandered for righteousness’s sake that “theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Again, present tense.

Our journey begins with the assurance of entering heaven after death. (See John chapter 3.) Christ proclaimed this realm called heaven has come to us on planet Earth. The way in is through the person of Christ, who is manifest to us through the Holy Spirit. Through Jesus Christ, heaven is no longer distant; it is “at hand”—close enough to reach from where we stand.