The New Testament in Contemporary Language
( by Eugene H. Peterson)

This is the book, God chose to speak to me through. "The Message" is a bible written in "modern day", "down to earth" language. It was appropriate for me and my intellect, at the time.

Here is page 48, with the title "To Enter Gods Kingdom"

Here is what God wanted to say to me (it is about what holds people back from Gods kingdom)

To Enter God's Kingdom

One day children were brought to Jesus in the hope that he would lay hands on them and pray over them. The disciples shooed them off. But Jesus intervened: ‘Let the children alone, don’t prevent them from coming to me. God’s kingdom is made up of people like these.” After laying hands on them, he left.

Another day, a man stopped Jesus and asked, ‘Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

Jesus said, “Why do you question me about what’s good? God is the One who is good. If you want to enter the life of God, just do what he tells you.”

The man asked, “What in particular?”

Jesus said, “Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, honour your father and mother, and love your neighbour as you do yourself."

The young man said, “I've done all that. What’s left?”

“If you want to give it all you've got,” Jesus replied, “go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me.

That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crestfallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn't bear to let go.

As he watched him go, Jesus told his disciples, ‘Do you have any idea how difficult it is for the rich to enter God’s kingdom? Let me tell you, it’s easier to gallop a camel through a needle’s eye than for the rich to enter God’s kingdom.”

The disciples were staggered. “Then who has any chance at all?”

Jesus looked hard at them and said, “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it.”

Then Peter chimed in, We left everything and followed you. What do we get out of it?”

Jesus replied, ‘Yes, you have followed me. In the re-creation of the world, when the Son of Man will rule gloriously, you who have followed me will also rule, starting with the twelve tribes of Israel. And not only you, but anyone who sacrifices home, family, fields- whatever- because of me will get it all back a hundred times over, not to mention the considerable bonus of eternal life.

This is the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first.

Here are some notes from the Life Application Bible (NIV version) about the passage above.

(Matthew 19:16) To this man seeking assurance of eternal life, Jesus pointed out that salvation does not come from good deeds unaccompanied by love for God. The man needed a whole new starting point. Instead of adding another commandment to keep or good deed to perform, the young man needed to submit humbly to the lordship of Christ

(Matthew 19:17) in response to the Young man's question about how to have eternal life, Jesus told him to keep God's Ten Commandments. Jesus then listed six of them, all referring to relationships with others. When the young man replied that he had kept the commandments, Jesus told him that he must do something more - sell everything and give the money to the poor. Jesus' statement exposed the man's weakness. In reality, his wealth was his god, his idol, and he would not give it up. Thus he violated the first commandment (Exodus 20:3; Matthew 22:36-40).

As my friend Paul said to me during that lunch time "what's holding you back", so God tells us through the passage above, that different things are used as excuses for not following Jesus. I.e. their to busy, they haven't got time etc.

If you want to enter Gods kingdom, don't let your disbelief of either my testimony or anything else stop you, just investigate Jesus

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