John Stanko | On September 9, 2015

Christ Handing the Keys to St. Peter
(Painted by Pietro Perugino) (1481)

“Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations”

– Psalm 145:13.

Jesus came preaching the kingdom of God. Another phrase for the Kingdom is God’s government, which means Jesus taught that people everywhere must come under God’s rule or authority. Every kingdom has a king and a set of rules by which the people are governed. Therefore, God’s will for you is not to make you a member of a church but a subject of His kingdom under the rule of King Jesus! When you are under that rule,  you will extend God’s kingdom wherever He chooses to send you – school, work, church, neighborhood – by obeying His laws and inviting others to come into the Kingdom through faith in Christ: “He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick” (Luke 9:2). Are you spreading the good news of the Kingdom or preaching religion and membership in a church or denomination? Do you see that when people come into the Kingdom, they will become part of a church because it is the will of the King? If they become members of a church and don’t see themselves as subjects of the Kingdom, then they will settle for a religious experience, and will seek to do the will of man instead of the will of God.

Today’s reading – Psalms 141-145

John Stanko

John Stanko was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and attended Duquesne University where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics in 1972 and 1974 respectively.

Since then, John has served as an administrator, teacher, consultant, author, and pastor in his professional career. He holds a second master’s degree in pastoral ministries, and earned his Doctor of Ministry from Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh in 2011.

John founded a personal and leadership development company, called PurposeQuest, in 2001 and today travels the world to speak, consult and inspire leaders and people everywhere. From 2001-2008, he spent six months a year in Africa and still enjoys visiting and working on that continent, while teaching for Geneva College’s Masters of Organizational Leadership and the Center for Urban Biblical Ministry in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Most recently, John founded Urban Press, a publishing service designed to tell stories of the city, from the city and to the city.