{"id":352938,"date":"2026-09-17T15:42:39","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T19:42:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/?p=352938"},"modified":"2026-09-17T16:29:34","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T20:29:34","slug":"why-entering-and-remaining-in-the-kingdom-of-god-is-essential","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/post\/why-entering-and-remaining-in-the-kingdom-of-god-is-essential\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Entering and Remaining in the Kingdom of God Is Essential"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"border-left: 7px solid #365b81; height: 25%; padding: 21px;\"><big>On <strong>Wednesday (September 16)<\/strong>, the meeting held at the <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.otemplodesalomao.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Temple of Solomon<\/a><\/span> in Brazil had the participation of <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.universal.org\/en\/bispo-macedo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bishop Macedo<\/a><\/span>, who addressed the importance of entering and remaining in the <strong>Kingdom of God<\/strong>. He reiterated in this meeting that the <strong>Salvation of the soul<\/strong> should occupy first place in life, above money, success, relationships, or any other accomplishment.<\/big><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><strong>What It Means to Enter the Kingdom of God<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>According to the bishop, entering the Kingdom of God does not simply mean attending a church, receiving a blessing, or being baptized in water. This decision involves a change in direction: submitting one\u2019s own will to the Word of God and allowing His teachings to guide one\u2019s thoughts, choices, and behavior.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"background-color: #f2f8fc;\">\u201cThe Word of God is like food for the soul because it reveals what He expects from those who desire to follow Him. And knowing the teachings of the Bible must be accompanied by a willingness to put them into practice,\u201d<\/span> the bishop reminded those present.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-352948 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/quarta-BM9-1024x569-1.png\" alt=\"Why Entering and Remaining in the Kingdom of God Is Essential\" width=\"1024\" height=\"573\" srcset=\"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/quarta-BM9-1024x569-1-300x167.png 300w, https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/quarta-BM9-1024x569-1-318x177.png 318w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Blessings Are Not the Same as Salvation<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>He also emphasized the difference between receiving a blessing and having one\u2019s life directed by God. After all, a person can achieve something, solve a problem, or experience healing without that, by itself, meaning that they are living under God\u2019s direction.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"background-color: #f2f8fc;\">\u201cDo not measure your spiritual life by the answers and blessings you have received. The focus should be on your relationship with God and on inner transformation,\u201d<\/span> he taught.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><strong>\u201cSeek First the Kingdom of God\u201d<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>The bishop also drew attention to a common tendency: placing material accomplishments at the center and as the main objective of life. Regarding this,<strong> the Lord Jesus warns<\/strong>:<br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote style=\"background-color: #f2f8fc; padding: 2em; border-left: 5px solid #ccc; margin: 1em 0;\"><p>Therefore do not worry, saying, \u2018What shall we eat?\u2019 or \u2018What shall we drink?\u2019 or \u2018What shall we wear?\u2019 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:31-33)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\nThe reflection presented at the meeting was about the importance of establishing the right priorities. Work, studies, career, family, and stability all have their place in life, but according to the teaching presented, none of these accomplishments should occupy first place, which belongs to seeking the <strong>Kingdom of God and the Salvation of the soul<\/strong>.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-352949 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/quarta-BM16-1024x573-1.png\" alt=\"Why Entering and Remaining in the Kingdom of God Is Essential\" width=\"1024\" height=\"573\" srcset=\"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/quarta-BM16-1024x573-1.png 1024w, https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/quarta-BM16-1024x573-1-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/quarta-BM16-1024x573-1-768x430.png 768w, https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/quarta-BM16-1024x573-1-318x178.png 318w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"background-color: #f2f8fc;\">\u201cYour greatest wealth is your soul, and for us to have peace, Jesus had to die on the cross and pay the price. Salvation requires a conscious decision to commit yourself to Him. The Kingdom of God is the Holy Spirit reigning within you, guiding your mind, directing your thoughts, and giving you direction in this world. That is why it must come first,\u201d<\/span> he stated.<\/p>\n<p>Following this, Bishop Macedo led a prayer for those who desired to make this commitment to God.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Putting the Kingdom of God First in Daily Life<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>After the seeking of <strong>the Holy Spirit<\/strong>, Bishop Renato explained, in practical terms, what it means to put the Kingdom of God first in life.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"background-color: #f2f8fc;\">\u201cIt means not allowing any person, situation, or accomplishment to come above Salvation and your relationship with God. In a relationship, for example, a single person should not enter into a relationship with someone who does not desire to follow the Lord. The same principle should be applied to professional and financial life. If an activity provides a good income but depends on lies, deception, or wrong practices, putting God first means being willing to leave that path, even if it causes an immediate financial loss. That is putting the Kingdom of God first. It is not saying in church, \u2018You, Lord, are first. I love You.\u2019 That is easy. It is, in everyday life, in practice, going against your own self, your own will, and doing the will of God,\u201d<\/span> he explained.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-352950 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/quarta-BM15-1024x575-1.png\" alt=\"Why Entering and Remaining in the Kingdom of God Is Essential\" width=\"1024\" height=\"575\" srcset=\"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/quarta-BM15-1024x575-1.png 1024w, https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/quarta-BM15-1024x575-1-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/quarta-BM15-1024x575-1-768x431.png 768w, https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2026\/09\/quarta-BM15-1024x575-1-318x179.png 318w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><strong>The Study of the Armor of the Kingdom of God<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Anyone who would like to learn more about the <strong>Armor of the Kingdom of God<\/strong> can participate in the meetings held on <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/tag\/wednesday\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wednesdays at 7PM<\/a><\/span> at <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/locations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Universal Church<\/a><\/span>. During these meetings, participants can learn, in practice, how to apply the teachings of the Word of God to everyday life.<\/p>\n<p>Everyone is welcome, regardless of religious beliefs or background. <strong>Come as you are.<\/strong> For more information, please call <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"tel:18883324141\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">1-888-332-4141<\/a> <\/span>or text\u00a01-888-312-4141.<\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; margin: 20px 0;\"><a style=\"display: inline-block; background-color: #203769; color: #ffffff; padding: 14px 28px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 5px; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; box-shadow: 0 3px 6px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15); transition: background-color 0.3s ease;\" href=\"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/locations\/\">Click Here for Nationwide Locations of The Universal Church<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; margin: 20px 0;\"><a style=\"display: inline-block; background-color: #203769; color: #ffffff; padding: 14px 28px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 5px; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; box-shadow: 0 3px 6px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15); transition: background-color 0.3s ease;\" href=\"tel:18883324141\">Call 1-888-332-4141 for More Information<\/a><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n<span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">If you live in a city without one of our locations or cannot commute due to health reasons, we invite you to join our\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/post\/tuc-virtual-church\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Virtual Church<\/span><\/a><\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> via Zoom and phone conference.<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; margin: 20px 0;\"><a style=\"display: inline-block; background-color: #203769; color: #ffffff; padding: 14px 28px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 5px; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; box-shadow: 0 3px 6px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15); transition: background-color 0.3s ease;\" href=\"https:\/\/ulfn.org\/virtualchurch\/\">Click Here for more information on the Virtual Church<\/a><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; On Wednesday (September 16), the meeting held at the Temple of Solomon in Brazil had the participation of Bishop Macedo, who addressed the importance of entering and remaining in the Kingdom of God. He reiterated in this meeting that the Salvation of the soul should occupy first place in life, above money, success, relationships, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":248,"featured_media":352947,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[323],"tags":[6245,6391,6122],"site":[],"class_list":["post-352938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-a-school-of-faith","tag-bishop-macedo","tag-kingdom-of-god","tag-wednesday"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352938","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/248"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=352938"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352938\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":352959,"href":"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352938\/revisions\/352959"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/352947"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=352938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=352938"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=352938"},{"taxonomy":"site","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/site?post=352938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}