The Gospel of the Kingdom

God’s Eternal Purpose in Christ

This book, The Gospel of the Kingdom – God’s Eternal Purpose in Christ, is the first book in the series “The Lord of All Things – A Trilogy of Truth.” It presents the essential truths of the gospel message in practical applications to encourage unbelievers to put their trust in Jesus, and to encourage believers to grow in the faith.

This book reveals God’s plan of love and mercy to redeem every person in the world back to Himself. It reveals how any person, no matter who they are, where they are from, or what they have done, can receive this gift of God’s mercy. It also reveals how those that choose to receive this gift become a new creation reconciled to God, having all their past sins forgiven.

This book includes a basic primer on living the Christian life, both individually and as a member of the body of Christ, the church. It also reveals scriptural truths concerning life after death and the coming judgment.

Every chapter of this book focuses on at least one specific truth as presented in the scriptures concerning Jesus Christ our Lord and our lives as His followers. Some chapters also focus on exposing some of the more popular false teachings common in many churches today.

To combat these false teachings, we proclaim Christ, the living Word of God. When we do, the light of His life in the word will expose these false teachings as lies.

Therefore, my goal in this book is simply to proclaim Christ, and the truth as it is in Christ. My desire is to let the light of the Word shine through the words of this book. As you read through these books, you may experience the light of God’s word shining on you and revealing things in your life that are displeasing to God.

If you are uncomfortable with having the light of the Word shine upon you, upon your beliefs, and upon how you are living your life, perhaps you will not want to read any further. However, if you truly desire a fresh start in your life, if you desire a closer walk, a closer relationship with God, and are willing to be made a little uncomfortable, you will want to continue reading. If something is exposed in what you believe or in how you are living that is not pleasing to God, perhaps your desire for the truth will lead you to repent, turning back to God and drawing closer to Him.

It is not my intention to offend anyone, but to speak the truth as it is in Christ and to allow the light of the Word to shine through. My prayer is that the Word would draw the unbeliever to Jesus, and bring every genuine believer into a more intimate relationship with our Father in heaven, that we all might walk as Jesus walked, following in His steps!

This book presents these truths in practical applications for our individual Christian lives and for our corporate church life. These truths are presented to encourage believers to walk in faithful obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit, believing the truth as set forth in the scriptures.

God is glorified as we demonstrate our love for Him through our obedience to Him and through our love for one another. We do this by speaking the truth to one another in love, encouraging each other to gladly suffer for Christ and to endure faithfully to the end.

These books have been designed as a resource for Bible study for both individuals and groups. The questions at the end of each chapter are intended to stimulate thought and discussion concerning the truths covered and how these truths apply to our lives.

It is my hope that these books will help each reader and each listener come to a deeper understanding of our God and of His ways. I pray that every person that reads or listens to these books will come to know Jesus as “The Lord of All Things” in their own lives.

~ Jon von Ernst