'Turning Toward the Kingdom'
“From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’” (Matthew 4:17)
Jesus didn’t begin His ministry with a list of demands or a burden of religious effort. His message wasn’t “try harder” or “do better.” His call was simple, powerful, and life-changing: turn. Turn because a new Kingdom — God’s Kingdom — has drawn near.
To repent is to face the right direction. It means re-orienting your heart and life toward the rule and reign of God. The Kingdom is here. It is near. It is available. But to enter it, we must turn into it.
I’ve stood on Lake Windermere in England on foggy mornings when the mist hangs low and gray. You can’t see much at all — yet you can sense what’s out there. Another world, just beyond the veil. That’s what the Kingdom of God is like. Unseen, but near. Real. Waiting. And Jesus says, “Turn toward it.”
The truth is, turning is always a choice. Jesus invites us to turn toward the Kingdom — toward Him. But we have options:
We can keep going in the same direction we’ve been going.
We can stand still, uncommitted, saying nothing.
Or…we can turn toward God.
That decision — to turn toward God or away from Him — determines everything.
When Jesus stepped out of the desert and began His ministry, the first words on His lips were clear and definitive to His mission: “Repent, for the kingdom of God has come near.”
And what does repentance look like in real life? Scripture gives us a picture. The story immediately following Jesus’ call to repentance is the story of Peter and Andrew and how they responded to Jesus’ call. Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee when He saw two fishermen — not Boudreaux setting his trotline and Thibodeaux checking his crab trap — but Peter and his brother Andrew - ordinary men doing ordinary work. Jesus looked at them and simply said, “Come, follow me.” And immediately, they dropped their nets and followed Him. Their lives were never the same.
Jesus is still saying the same thing today: “Come, follow Me.”
People come to Munholland for many reasons. Some are searching for meaning, direction, purpose — something life hasn’t provided. Some come because they have a “drug” problem — they were drug to church as kids, every Sunday! And now, years later, life has disappointed them, and they’re searching for the faith that once brought peace. Others come because raising children has awakened deeper questions that “because I said so” can’t answer.
Wherever you find yourself today, hear His voice. Jesus is calling you, just as He called Peter and Andrew:
Come, follow Me.
Blessings to all,
Jonathan