From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Matthew 4:17

In the previous post we discussed that a gospel isn’t some divine plan to guarantee our eternal home, but rather a type of story that announces a king’s triumph and the arrival of a new kingdom (reign or rule). And while this might make us feel uncomfortable at first, when we push past that discomfort, we are greeted with a deeper and more powerful understanding of the gospel of Jesus and the Gospels in the bible.

In the early part of Jesus’s earthly ministry he was sharing the good news (gospel) that God’s kingdom was nearby. A kingdom had come to replace the previous kingdom. God’s rule over the world was replacing death’s rule over the world.

And if you read the previous post on gospel as kingdom language, you know that a gospel needs messengers to go out from the throne and bring news of the victory and the victor everywhere that now belongs in that new kingdom.

As we read through the Gospels, we see the connection between the gospel message and messengers who deliver it.

 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’

Matthew 10:7

After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him,

Luke 8:1

These messengers are tasked with not only taking the message to the inhabitants of the villages and cities, but they also go to the religious and political rulers to announce there is a new king in charge. This was as dangerous at it sounds.

“But be on your guard; for they will hand you over to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them.  And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. 

Mark 13:9-10

We can find endless number of verses that depict either Jesus, the twelve, or others traveling from place to place announcing that God’s kingdom has arrived and God was rule had been established. The act of announcing this story of a victorious kingdom and king had a name that was not a religious term, but one from the lexicon of kingdom. That word was preaching.

The term “preach” actually comes from a Greek word that means to proclaim, declare, announce, or deliver a message. In ancient times, it referred to an announcement being made by the official spokesperson or herald of a king. This person was handpicked and acted as the official representative of the king or government. Their main responsibility was to announce the desires, orders, news, policy changes, or any other message that the king or government wanted to share with the people in a clear and undeniable manner.

Jesus often spoke about his purpose to announce the gospel of God’s kingdom.

But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

Luke 4:43-44

Some people heard the news and responded well. In many of the stories describing the life events of Jesus, there were crowds following him. They were exciting or curious about this message that Jesus shared with them. And we can imagine why. If we lived as subjects of a foreign power that took our resources for their empire-building wars and activities, while also having a religious system corrupted by its proximity to that same imperial power, we would gladly welcome the announcement that someone else was in charge now. It literally was a message of good news to the poor and weary.

But others heard Jesus announce the arrival of God’s kingdom and rightly understood it as a threat to their status and position in the other kingdom. The higher up one was in the worldly kingdom, the more there was to lose when a new kingdom arrives. Especially a kingdom that operates on a completely different set of values. And so the rulers and leaders had a problem with the gospel and with the one who was preaching it.

One day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and proclaiming the good news, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him.  “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?”

Luke 20:1-2

In Luke 20, Jesus shows up at the temple in Jerusalem and starts announcing a new kingdom. A kingdom where the poor and the sinner are welcomed at the table of the king. A kingdom where status and wealth are not indications of virtue or success. And so we read that the chief priests, teachers of the law, and the elders (all people with status and power in the previous kingdom) approach Jesus and basically ask, “who said you could do this? who sent you? What “king” made you a messenger of this gospel?” And Jesus’s response in verse 8 was, ” I’m not going to tell you who sent me.”

The religious leaders wanted to know who was challenging their power and position by making claims of a new kingdom. Who did they need to deal with? And Jesus, while connecting his mission with John the Baptist, ultimately left them wondering.

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Pop Quiz!!! What’s the difference between preaching and teaching?

And not like teaching in general, but what is the difference between preaching the gospel of Jesus and teaching from a book in the bible? Is there a difference?

I’m a bit embarrassed to say that while I could probably have answered that question well enough at some point, it wasn’t until more recently that I could clearly articulate the difference between preaching and teaching. And as a pastor who was tasked with preaching I should have had a better understanding.

Just as happened with the words kingdom and gospel, the word “preaching” made so much more sense when I realized it was a kingdom word and not just a religious word. Preaching is what is done when someone announces something on behalf of the king, like a gospel . A gospel is the story of a victorious king which concludes with a call for allegiance or faith. So I was preaching when I was announcing the story of Jesus which culminated with him on the throne in heaven. I was his representative or messenger telling his story and inviting others to pledge their allegiance and fidelity to king Jesus.

As I understood preaching in the context of a spokesperson or representative sharing the king’s announcement, many more scriptures came to life in a new way.

“Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

Luke 10:16

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.  The one who has believed and has been baptized will be saved; but the one who has not believed will be condemned.

Mark 16:15

The purpose of preaching a gospel is to call the hearers to faith in the king. The word apostle means, ” the sent one” and is used to describe an authorized representative of the one who sent them. So when Paul is called the apostle to the Gentiles, it would have been scandalous for some that the messiah, God’s chosen king, would send messengers to non-Jewish people for the purpose of inviting them to faith and fidelity to God’s kingdom.

The gospel is a royal proclamation, and its messengers are essential to its mission. Just as a kingdom’s heralds announced the victory and rule of a king, Jesus’s disciples—then and now—are sent to declare the good news of God’s kingdom. This calling is both a privilege and a challenge, as it often places messengers at odds with the powers of the previous kingdom.

When we proclaim the gospel, we act as the King’s representatives, carrying a message of triumph, a call to allegiance, and an invitation to experience the values and life of a new kingdom. Like Jesus, the Twelve, and the apostles, we are sent to all people—whether the poor and weary or the rulers and authorities—to announce that the reign of God has come near. It’s a message of hope to those longing for justice and renewal and a challenge to those invested in the old kingdom’s ways.

Preaching, then, is not merely a religious activity but a kingdom task. It is the act of standing in the authority of the King who sent us, declaring his victory, and inviting others into his reign. To be sent with such a message is both a sacred duty and a profound act of trust. We carry the words of the King to the world, knowing that, as Jesus said, “Whoever listens to you listens to me.” Let us embrace this calling with courage and faith, proclaiming the gospel so that all might hear and respond to the reign of King Jesus.

 Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh,  who was declared the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,  through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles in behalf of His name,  among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;

Romans 1:1-6

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Additional Scriptures and Discussion Questions

Read the following passage from Romans 10:9-15, keeping in mind what we’ve explored so far with these kingdom words:

 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord (King),” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. ¹¹ As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” ¹² For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord (king) is Lord (king) of all and richly blesses all who call on him, ¹³ for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Next week’s Topic: Faith

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