The Beliefs of John Robert Stevens

Stevens felt that Christianity should not focus solely on building the Church as it waits for Christ’s return, but should have faith to see the Kingdom of God established in the earth. “God does not want people merely to accept a religion; He wants them to change their allegiance, to stop serving the devil and commit themselves to Christ.”¹ Christ is not only the Savior, but also the Lord and King. Stevens pointed out that Jesus was called savior only twenty-four times in the Scriptures, while He was called Lord hundreds of times. Similarly, Jesus talked about the Church only a few times in the New Testament, however, He spoke of the Kingdom on many occasions. Because of this, Stevens taught that a Kingdom emphasis was one of the most important components of a Christian’s faith.

Stevens firmly believed that many—certainly including himself—were called to “seek first His Kingdom” (Matthew 6:33). Jesus’ parable in Luke 14 talks about the man who invited many people to his dinner, but they all made excuses about why they couldn’t come. These were ones who did not seek first the Kingdom, but instead prioritized their possessions, their businesses, and their relationships as more important, and missed the blessings of God’s great end-time feast. To Stevens, this parable had an important lesson to teach; each believer must evaluate whether the Kingdom of God is their first priority. This focus in our lives is the Kingdom emphasis.

Of course, the second half of Matthew 6:33 says that if you seek first the Kingdom, “…all these things shall be added to you.” There is a blessing that comes to those who truly have their eyes set on the Kingdom. However, Stevens did not believe that focusing on that blessing was the proper motivation with which to seek the Kingdom.

The desire for blessings must end, and the hunger for the Blesser must increase. As a result, the blessings accrue. As long as we are interceding for things, we do not receive them. But when we make the Lord the utter joy of our hearts and delight to do His will, then all the other things happen.²

The term Kingdom appears 7,069 times in Stevens’ written materials.
The term Kingdom of God appears 1,221 times in Stevens’ written materials.
The term Kingdom of heaven appears 214 times in Stevens’ written materials.