Be A Kingdom Builder
By Amitabh Singh
“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!” – Matthew 25:40 NLT
The point of this story that Jesus shared is about how we treat the greatest person in the kingdom is reflected by how we treat the least of the people around us. Jesus began his ministry by reading from the book of Isaiah:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
For he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free,
and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”
The gospel we share at PORTICO Community Church is good news for those who are suffering, living in poverty and facing racism. In the parables of Christ, he taught us about the good Samaritan and the prodigal. When we read about Jesus eating with the sinners and tax collectors, we realize the we are called to love our neighbors.
Jesus preached good news to the poor. He showed compassion toward the bleeding women and stopped to heal her (Luke 8). Two chapters prior to that, Jesus said:
“God blesses you who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours.” – Luke 6:20
We, as Kingdom Builders, open our hearts to providing for the physical needs represented at The Mississauga Food Bank. We open our hearts to providing freedom to the oppressed by supporting JFJ Hope Center, helping the widows and orphans.
Jesus and the New Testament provides to us with a roadmap on how we should provide freedom to the prisoners, sight to the blind, set the pressed free, and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
If you ever visit PORTICO’s Mississauga Campus, please take the time to walk into our Kingdom Builders Café. This is how Pastor Doug, our Teaching Pastor, explains Kingdom Builders:
What is a kingdom builder? Maybe your first thoughts drift towards the names of those who walked, travelled, talked and lived with Jesus. Peter, John, Andrew, and James are just a few of those that belonged to the illustrious group known as Jesus’ disciples. Without a doubt they were kingdom builders. However, being a kingdom builder is not just for a select group of men. Following the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, He promised that His Spirit would be poured on all people, regardless of gender, race, class, age, social status and all would be empowered to be His witnesses to the far reaches of the world.
Philip, was a kingdom builder. We first encounter Philip when he was chosen to be a deacon to oversee the distribution of resources to the poor (Acts 6:5). His name appears again on his travels to Samaria where he is preaching the good news of Jesus (Acts 8:4-13). Another encounter takes place on the road connecting Gaza to Jerusalem where Philip is explaining the gospel to an Ethiopian dignitary (Acts 8:26-39). Over the course of his lifetime, this ordinary man, is used by God in extraordinary ways, all in the course of his everyday activities.
That’s precisely what a kingdom builder is: ordinary people, being used by God in extraordinary ways, in the course of their everyday activities.