30th Mar 26 | 13:54
Studies by Book
Luke 17 20-37 Be occupied with the work of His kingdom, till He returns 20 The natural affiliation
📖 Luke 17:20-37
27Aug2020 - *The natural affiliation* - _Luke 17:20-37_ - BE OCCUPIED WITH THE WORK OF HIS KINGDOM, TILL HE RETURNS 19 – Bible reading: _Mark 13:26-27_
_Luke 17:37 And they answered and said to Him, "Where, Lord?" So He said to them, "Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together."_
The Lord began this teaching by answering the question that was asked of Him by the Pharisees. They wanted to know when the kingdom of God would come. He then continued the teaching with the disciples. Though the Lord was revealing the signs of the His return and setting up the fullness of His kingdom, the emphasis was not on the signs but on the occupation of the disciples as they await the return of the Lord.
We have thus taken up this study as to what should be our occupation as His disciples, as we await His return and set up the fullness of His kingdom. I have given below the list of the lessons that we have learnt from this study as to what should we be occupied with, as we await the return of the Lord, to set up His kingdom.
1. Having our heart established by the Spirit of His grace.
2. Being continually born of water and the Spirit.
3. Pursuing righteousness, peace and joy
4. Being surrendered and submitted to the will of God, willingly.
5. Being engaged in the lives of people around us, bringing healing and wellness into their lives.
6. Warning and pleading with people to turn and believe in Jesus, while there is time.
7. Being occupied with the task of building love and oneness in the body of Christ.
8. Being focussed on our God, who is awesome
9. Being witnesses to the gospel of the kingdom of God
10. Being a Noah to our generation
11. Being a person of faith
12. Being a person of holiness
13. Practising godliness with contentment
14. Heeding the warning from the life of Lot
15. Being the seed that falls into the ground and dies
16. Setting our mind on our citizenship in heaven
The analogy that Jesus gave in verse 37 was about a dead body and the scavenger birds that would be naturally attracted to it. The analogy is to show us that at the Lord’s return there will be a *natural affiliation* of those who are occupied with the work of His kingdom, to Him. It will be like a magnet that attracts the iron pieces. This is how it will be for those who are occupied with the work of His kingdom, to be drawn to the Lord, when He returns.
There could be other interpretations as well, to this analogy, but I’m drawing the meaning from the natural flow of the connecting thread of teaching of the entire passage.
_Luke 13:29 They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. Mark 13:26-27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. (27) And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven. Matthew 24:30-31 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (31) And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other._
_I Thessalonians 4:14-18 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. (15) For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. (16) For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. (17) Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. (18) Therefore comfort one another with these words._
God comforts us to be occupied with the work of His kingdom
*Thought to ponder*
```Are you looking forward to the natural affiliation?```