A wise king once chose a quiet stretch of countryside and there he built a house so vast it was the size of a town, with countless rooms, wide halls, and courtyards. When it was finished, he sent his loyal servants to live inside it. Their work was to prepare every room—sweeping floors, setting tables, lighting lamps, and making each place ready for life. Yet the king gave one puzzling command: the doors were to remain locked. The servants obeyed, working faithfully day after day, hearing the sounds of people passing by outside but never opening the doors to them.
At the right time, the king sent his son, the prince, to the great house. Unlike the servants, the prince carried the keys. He walked through the halls, threw open the doors, and called out to the people from every road and field, inviting them to come in. Families, strangers, and wanderers entered together, filling the rooms with laughter and conversation.
The prince welcomed them to live with him, not as guests but as family, alongside the servants who had prepared the house. And at last the king’s house became what it was always meant to be—a living home where many shared one life under the care of the king’s son.
That Sign at Football Games
In the Old Testament, God worked through Israel to carry out His plan. Then came Jesus, who completed that plan through His life, His death on the cross, and His resurrection from the grave.
Because of what Jesus did, we are now in the Church Age, where all people—not just the people of Israel—are invited into the household of God.
Have you ever seen the signs people hold up at football games for the TV cameras that say, “John 3:16”? That verse tells us what God’s plan was all along and why Jesus is the most important part of that grand plan.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Whosoever. Not just some, but everyone is invited to take part in the goal of God’s plan through Jesus Christ—everlasting life.
Next, we’ll look at how we plug into God’s plan in this new Church Age. Hint: it’s not different from the ways we’ve already talked about.
Child of God, husband, father, grandfather, rabblerouser, songwriter, pot stirrer, waiting for the King.