How to Become Part of God's Kingdom

“And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good? 14 Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it. 15 Yet the LORD set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day. 16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn. 17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe.

 Deuteronomy 10:12-17

 God has a Kingdom, and He wants you to be a part of it, but how do you become a part of it?

          First, you must understand that God wants a loving and intimate relationship with you. He doesn’t want you to simply follow some list, or do some righteous chores. In this passage in Deuteronomy chapter 10, we see that God wants us to fear Him, walk with Him, love Him, and serve Him. God loves you, and He wants you to love Him.

          To enter God’s Kingdom you must read His Word, the Bible, in order to understand and know what He requires of you, so make sure you read, and check out everything I am about to tell you for yourself.

1. Believe that Jesus is who He said He was (He said He was the Son of God)

2. Obey Him because He is God and He has authority over you

3. Repent from your evil deeds and sins of your past, turn your life over to Him

4. Confess that Jesus is the Son of God and that He is Lord of your life

5. Be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit

           Belief in God and Jesus is the foundation. If one does not even believe that Jesus was the Son of God, and they don’t believe that God is a good God that loves them, then why in the world would they obey what He tells them to do to be saved? But, just believing that Jesus came to earth and believing that God exists is not enough. Jesus said He was the Son of God. If you believe Him, then you will obey and follow what He says.

          God is in the authority position in His Kingdom, so we are called to obey Him and follow His commands.

          One of the most important things God calls us to do when we enter His Kingdom is to repent (Luke 13:3, Acts 2:37-38). When God asks us to repent, He is asking us to turn back from our sins, our sinful habits and our old sinful lifestyle. We used to live a life as a slave to sin, when we repent we put God back on the throne of our life, and we kick sin off of it.

          Confession is the next crucial step. We must confess that Jesus is the Son of God and that He is now the Lord of our lives (Romans 10:9-10). If you are not willing to give God and Jesus the Kingship and the Lordship over your life, then you won’t be able to be a part of God’s Kingdom.

          In order to be saved and be welcomed into His Kingdom we are told to do one more thing: be baptized (Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38). Mark 16:16 says, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

          In Acts chapter 2, we get to read an account where we see the Kingdom of God grow. Peter preaches to a large group of people, and he tells them that Jesus is the Son of God and that they were responsible for killing Him. Acts 2:37 says, “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and asked Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter then responds in the next verse, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This promise belongs to you and your children and to all who are far off—to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.” Then in verse 41 we see that “(t)hose who embraced his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to the believers that day.” About three thousand people were added to God’s Kingdom in one day because they believed God, and they obeyed what He told them to do.

          So, what if you believe in Jesus and God, and you believe that God loves you, but you don’t really feel like, or maybe you just don’t want to obey everything He tells you to do. Maybe you could follow some of the things He asks of you, but you don’t want to do the hard things. God wants you to be a part of His Kingdom and His family because He loves you and He wants to see you live a good life, but He requires you to recognize Him as King of His Kingdom. You are not the king. Besides, when God commands you to do something, He is commanding you to do it because He knows that it will make your life better.

          God wants a loving and intimate relationship with you, and He wants you to dwell securely in His Kingdom, but you must believe, obey, repent, confess, and be baptized.

      Once you have decided to join God’s Kingdom, and His Family, how can you be a warrior for His Kingdom?