Various Teachings From Various Verses

He told them still another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough."  Matthew 13:33

The yeast in this parable is the word of God.  The flour and dough are the people of the whole world.  This parable shows us that the word of God will work its way through the whole world, including every person on the earth, before the end comes.  This is consistent with what Jesus says in Matthew 24:14 and what is prophesied in Daniel 2:35.

Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you."  Luke 17:20-21

The kingdom of God on earth is not a physical entity.  The kingdom of God is the invisible church, the universal church of Christ.  It is the Holy Spirit in everyone who is born again, and all who are born again make up the kingdom of God on earth.  The fact that no one says "Here it is" or "There it is" disproves every claim of a "one true church".  The true church is not a physical entity, but the invisible church.

He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.  James 1:18

The kingdom of God in Matthew 13:33 is the word of truth mentioned here.  The kingdom of God in Luke 17:20-21 is also the word of truth mentioned here.  It is the yeast that is worked through the dough.  It is the kingdom of God that is within the believer.  The word of God plays an important role in being born again.  The Holy Spirit does all the work, but the Spirit spreads the seed, which is the word of God, by way of the church, and the seed grows in a believer by the work of the Spirit.  Thus he is born again - born of the Spirit.

The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!"  And let him who hears say, "Come!"  Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.  Revelation 22:17

The bride is the church of Christ.  The Spirit and the bride work together, because the Spirit is in the bride.  So they both say "Come!" to the world, inviting everyone to take the free gift of the water of life (the Spirit).  We as Christians have the task of calling to the world and inviting them to come to Christ.  Spreading the word of God is how we do this.  Its how the yeast works through the dough, and its how the kingdom of God is planted in the believer.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.  -Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20