The people in the kingdom first are lepers, and then they are believers. To be a leper means to be unclean; to be a believer means to be a person of faith in the Lord Jesus. On the one hand we are lepers; on the other hand we have a certain realization of the Lord Jesus. Realization is faith. Some people say that it is hard to believe, or to have faith. But actually, once you have a realization of something, it is more difficult not to believe. If you say it is difficult to have faith, it means that you do not know what faith is. Faith is the realization of a certain thing. If you have ever seen or realized what the Lord Jesus is, it will be difficult for you not to believe in Him. Likewise, some say that it is easy to stumble and fall, but really it is difficult to fall. How many times have you fallen during the last thirty days? I have not fallen for a number of years. Actually, it is easier to stand than to fall. If you try to fall, you will find it difficult. In the same way, it is not difficult to have faith. Don't accept the lie that it is hard to believe. We all must declare, "Hallelujah! It is easy for us to believe." It is easier to believe than not to believe. Even if the heavens were to disappear and the earth were removed, I could not help believing. Can you give up your faith? Can you stop believing in the Lord Jesus? If you tried to give up your faith and to stop believing in Him, refusing to be a Christian anymore, you would find that you simply could not do it. Hallelujah! We all have faith.

The citizens of the kingdom are people of faith, not people who are qualified by natural birth. Nothing from our natural birth counts for the kingdom. The Lord Jesus said that many shall come from the east and from the west to be in the kingdom of the heavens, but the sons of the kingdom, those who are Jewish by their natural birth, will have no part in the kingdom (Matt. 8:11-12). This shows that the entrance into the kingdom of the heavens does not depend upon our natural birth. No one is qualified to enter the kingdom by his natural birth. It does not matter whether you were born nice or tough, slow or quick. Whatever you have by nature means nothing as far as the kingdom is concerned. You must be a person of faith.

These cases illustrate some basic principles. The case of the leper illustrates that we are all unclean. The case of the centurion illustrates faith, including the principle that we are not qualified or disqualified by our natural birth. The only thing that matters is faith, and faith is the realization of what the Lord Jesus is. The more we look unto Him, consider Him, and trust Him, the more we are in the kingdom and become citizens of the kingdom.

Both the cleansed lepers and the people who by natural birth have no share in the kingdom can receive the wonderful matter called faith. It simply comes. It is difficult to tell how it comes or from where it comes. Perhaps you and your classmates listened to the same gospel message. They did not receive faith, but you did. And once you have received it, you can never rid yourself of it. Day after day, it will bother you. You may even try to cast it away, but you cannot. What is the source of such faith? Acts 13:48 reveals that having faith proves we have been predestinated by God. Before the foundation of the world God predestinated you and marked you out. If you try to escape or flee from this faith, you cannot because you have been predestinated. I have no doubt that you have been predestinated. That is why you believed when you heard the message of the gospel. Actually, you were chosen before you were even born. Even if you tried to give up the Christian faith, you would be unable to do so because God has chosen you before you were born. Thus, you have faith. The source of faith is God's predestination. We all have such faith, and we all are citizens of the kingdom. Although none of us are qualified to enter the kingdom by our natural birth, we may enter by faith. We have become citizens of the kingdom of the heavens by faith.