Kingdom Thoughts
I can't get away from these thoughts about the kingdom of God; it's led me into some serious soul-searching. Every morning I get up and pray that I will be what I'm supposed to be, and most nights I go to bed and pray that I will not fail as miserably tomorrow as I did today. It has brought me to a crossroad of sorts. Not that I haven't been here before, but with a little knowledge this time I have found some reprieve in what I've discovered.
The kingdom of God is a complex topic of discussion and despite my search I haven't been able to define it for most of my life. Something that I read shed a little light, but there are aspects of the kingdom that perplex way smarted people than me, so I choose to tuck that part away and focus on the simple understanding that I have gleaned. In the gospels, some people believe that Jesus' intent in telling parables was to directly point people into the kingdom of God, which is exactly that, His kingdom. The confusion I always had with the term was where it was and what it entailed. Jesus said, in Matthew 12:28 *But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.* Obviously He did cast them out so the kingdom of God was there, and is here. Also, He said in Mark 1:15, *The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.*
I am a little out of my league here, so correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I understand at this point is that Jesus ushered in the Kingdom of God. Now, with His coming, it is here on earth for those who are born again. The completion will come with His return at the end of the age. Here is an interesting definition of the Kingdom of God that we are members of, citizens of, and patriots to.
The hour of fulfillment has come; that is the keynote of them all. The strong man is disarmed, the powers of evil have to yield, the physician has come to the sick, the lepers are cleansed, the heavy burden of guilt is removed, the lost sheep is brought home, the door of the Father's house is opened, the poor and the beggars are summoned to the banquet, a master whose kindness is undeserved pays wages in full, a great joy fills all hearts. God's acceptable year has come. For there has appeared the one whose veiled majesty shines through every word and every parable- the Saviour. From George Ladd's THE PRESENCE OF THE FUTURE
My problem here is that I fall so short. Even when I am praying and seeking God's strength, I narily meet the expectations I have for followers of Christ. This perspective gives me a goal, a hope of the life to come, and the inspiration to LIVE this life in the Kingdom, despite the fallenness of this present age.
Here's another thing that occurred to me this weekend in dealing with the difficulties of children's interactions with each other and feelings getting hurt. Our worldview, in a nutshell, is that we're all in this thing together. I keep thinking of that line from the 80's rap song COLORS, *We're all in the same gang*. We as the body of Christ universal should have this in mind all the time, with our goal set to win the lost; to WIN THEM, not to shield ourselves against the world. I am talking philosophically here, not that we should lay down and let wicked men tear us to shreds. The world lives as every man for himself. The Survivor alliances that are so volitile and such a lie are a perfect depiction of life in this world- every man has allegiance to himself and that's it. It's so simple and yet gave me such clarity. Pray for me to win them and to consistently live the love of Christ every minute of every day.
The kingdom of God is a complex topic of discussion and despite my search I haven't been able to define it for most of my life. Something that I read shed a little light, but there are aspects of the kingdom that perplex way smarted people than me, so I choose to tuck that part away and focus on the simple understanding that I have gleaned. In the gospels, some people believe that Jesus' intent in telling parables was to directly point people into the kingdom of God, which is exactly that, His kingdom. The confusion I always had with the term was where it was and what it entailed. Jesus said, in Matthew 12:28 *But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.* Obviously He did cast them out so the kingdom of God was there, and is here. Also, He said in Mark 1:15, *The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.*
I am a little out of my league here, so correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I understand at this point is that Jesus ushered in the Kingdom of God. Now, with His coming, it is here on earth for those who are born again. The completion will come with His return at the end of the age. Here is an interesting definition of the Kingdom of God that we are members of, citizens of, and patriots to.
The hour of fulfillment has come; that is the keynote of them all. The strong man is disarmed, the powers of evil have to yield, the physician has come to the sick, the lepers are cleansed, the heavy burden of guilt is removed, the lost sheep is brought home, the door of the Father's house is opened, the poor and the beggars are summoned to the banquet, a master whose kindness is undeserved pays wages in full, a great joy fills all hearts. God's acceptable year has come. For there has appeared the one whose veiled majesty shines through every word and every parable- the Saviour. From George Ladd's THE PRESENCE OF THE FUTURE
My problem here is that I fall so short. Even when I am praying and seeking God's strength, I narily meet the expectations I have for followers of Christ. This perspective gives me a goal, a hope of the life to come, and the inspiration to LIVE this life in the Kingdom, despite the fallenness of this present age.
Here's another thing that occurred to me this weekend in dealing with the difficulties of children's interactions with each other and feelings getting hurt. Our worldview, in a nutshell, is that we're all in this thing together. I keep thinking of that line from the 80's rap song COLORS, *We're all in the same gang*. We as the body of Christ universal should have this in mind all the time, with our goal set to win the lost; to WIN THEM, not to shield ourselves against the world. I am talking philosophically here, not that we should lay down and let wicked men tear us to shreds. The world lives as every man for himself. The Survivor alliances that are so volitile and such a lie are a perfect depiction of life in this world- every man has allegiance to himself and that's it. It's so simple and yet gave me such clarity. Pray for me to win them and to consistently live the love of Christ every minute of every day.
- great - i gotta read this seven times to figure out what you just said. thanks for the challenge - because I have nothing else to do. have a great day.
ReplyDeletewell said, we are a society of individualists...but nothing about the gospel says your by yourself. We are God's kingdom on earth, and we are growing.
ReplyDelete