Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Prescriptions for Kingdom Living



Those who have placed their faith in Christ are given the privilege of living under the authority and power of God's kingdom in the present; however, there is a forward looking dimension to the life of faith as well--an expectation of the consummation of God's kingdom when God's final judgment will be delivered.  This reality begs the question: How are we then to live during this in-between time?  

Here are two prescriptions for kingdom living to consider:

Prescription #1: Don't live in anxiety while awaiting the fulfillment of God's kingdom.

When Jesus taught about the fulfillment of the kingdom, he said to his disciples:

The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.  People will tell you, "There he is!" or "Here he is!"  Do not go running off after them.  For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other.  (Lk. 17:22-25)

The spiritual climate of the first century was filled with speculation and sensationalism regarding the coming of the Messiah.  Theological fads and sensationalism--especially when dealing with the end-times/eschatology--have the tendency to breed an anxiety in people's hearts.  Jesus warned his disciples to stay away from false teachers and false teaching surrounding the coming of the Messiah.  God desires us as well to resist anxious thoughts and rather place our trust in the sovereignty of God's plan and timing regarding Christ's return.  Anxiety is crippling precisely because it represents a failure to trust in God.  

The Apostle Paul wrote these words about anxiety to the church in Philippi:

The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  (Phil. 4:6-7)   

I think it's interesting that Paul begins this section with the statement "The Lord is near."  When we are anxious about something, we easily forget about the nearness of God's presence.  We overlook Him.  There have been several times in my life when I have misplaced something quite valuable and important.  As the anxiety level increased in my body, I became increasingly "scattered" and unable to focus.  Consequently, the item I was desperately searching for was actually right in front of me, but I was too stressed to see it.  In a similar way, worry prevents us from seeing God's presence in the present!

Prescription #2: Don't live in the future while awaiting the fulfillment of God's kingdom.

Although we are called to live with an attitude of expectancy toward the future coming of Christ, we are also called to live fully in the present.  Our anticipation should never prevent us from seeking God now, in this very moment.  In the context of Jesus' teaching on the future fulfillment of the kingdom, he interjects the importance of living out God's mission in the present:

But he first must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. (Lk. 17:25)

The cross of Christ, which includes Jesus' suffering and death, represents a present reality for Jesus in this verse.  Jesus couldn't experience the triumph of resurrection without enduring the cross.  The consummation of the kingdom only comes as a result of the Messiah's obedience unto death--even death on a cross.  Jesus knew that to obey the Father meant to obey every step to Calvary.  Just think what would not have happened if Jesus wanted to somehow live in the triumphant future and skip the present mission before him.  According to Luke, these things would not have taken place: teaching more parables, blessing little children, healing a blind man, calling a man named Zachaeus down from a sycamore tree, moving triumphantly into Jerusalem, celebrating the Last Supper/Passover with his disciples, etc.  

Henri Nouwen writes these words about the importance of living fully in the present:

Patience is a hard discipline...Patience asks us to live the moment to the fullest, to be completely present to the moment, to taste the here and now, to be where we are.  When we are impatient we try to get away from where we are.  We behave as if the real thing will happen tomorrow, later and somewhere else.  Let's be patient and trust that the treasure we look for is hidden in the ground on which we stand.

May we all seize the opportunities that lie before us today--opportunities to glorify Christ through our thoughts, words, and actions....right now.


Thursday, June 13, 2013

The Kingdom of God---both "Now" and Later"



During some of my early years, my family lived in a neighborhood in Indiana that contained several homes that were under construction.  Due to the construction process, there were numerous fairly high dirt piles that were situated on various lots.  As you can imagine, these dirt piles represented a playground utopia for the neighborhood kids.  The most popular game utilizing the dirt was "King of the Hill," a game that had the sole purpose of determining who was the greatest in that particular dirt kingdom.  The rules of the game were quite simple: try to get on top of the hill and then remain on top by pushing everyone else down the dirty slope.  It truly was an exhilarating feeling to be the one who was able to conquer the hill and remain in power for an extended period of time!

Unfortunately, this game closely reflects our desire as humans to live in such a way that we believe we are actually in charge.  Our pride often rules the day; then, we forget about God's Kingdom and we fail to remember that God is the true Ruler over all.  When Jesus came preaching the Kingdom, he was clearly stating God's supremacy over all else in the world.  He was proclaiming himself to be the King.  Even the prophecy surrounding the coming of Jesus Christ foretold the nature of this King and the nature of God's Kingdom:

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.  The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; his kingdom will never end. (Lk. 1:32-33) 

One of the characteristics of God's Kingdom--the reign of God--is that it has a now ("already") reality and a later ("not yet") fulfillment or consummation.  In other words, God's rule is definitely in effect now, but it will one day in the future be experienced in its fullness.  We are living in the present tension "between the times."  In Luke 17, the Pharisees approached Jesus and asked him when the kingdom of God would come.  This question reflects the anticipation of the Messiah, the Son of Man who is prophesied to establish God's Kingdom.   Theologian John Bright, in his book, The Kingdom of God, writes:

But if Jesus be indeed the Messiah, that confronts us with a further question: what is the nature of his Kingdom?  It is a question that follows inevitably.  To acclaim anyone as Messiah is to announce in him the coming of the Kingdom of God, for it is precisely the business of the Messiah to establish the Kingdom.  Messiah cannot be separated from Kingdom....when Messiah comes, the Kingdom comes.  If Jesus, therefore, is in any sense the Messiah, then he has come to make actual the victorious rule of God over his people which Israel's faith had long awaited.

Therefore, in the coming of Christ is the coming of the Kingdom, and Jesus speaks of this truth when he said to the Pharisees, "...the kingdom of God is in your midst" (Lk. 17:21).  Jesus is the embodiment of the Kingdom and he was standing right in front of the religious leaders who failed to recognize him as Messiah, and, consequently, failed to recognize his kingdom authority.  

Since we are living between the now and later aspects of God's kingdom rule, one of the questions we often ask is: "How long?"  This question gets fleshed out in many personal ways:

"How long must I live in this pain?"

"How long until the wrongs of the world are set right?

"How long must I live with tears, mourning over the effects of sin and evil that I see all around me?"

The Psalms in the Old Testament contain several references to this "How long?" question.  Here are a few examples:

"Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint; heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.  My soul is in deep anguish.  How long, Lord, how long?" (Psalm 6:2-3)

"How long, Lord?  Will you forget me forever?  How long will you hide your face from me?  How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?" (Psalm 13:1-2)

The "How Long?" question is even posed in Revelation 6 by the martyrs who are wondering when they will finally be vindicated:

They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?"  Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been. (Rev. 6:10-11)

There are a couple interesting aspects of this passage.  First, the martyrs are given white robes.  According to many scholars, the robes represent justification by Christ as the martyrs await the final judgment.  In other words, the robes are a "now" experience of justification as they wait for the "later" fulfilled justification.  Second, the martyrs are told to wait a little longer.  Even though our seasons of waiting may seem to be extremely long, we need to remember that from God's perspective, it's just a little longer.  No matter what you are going through that's causing you to cry out, "How long?", you can know that you won't be waiting forever.  It's a temporary season of waiting that will one day come to an end and these words will be fulfilled:

He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.  (Rev. 21:4)




Tuesday, June 4, 2013



Enter with the password: "Thank you!"  
Make yourselves at home, talking praise.  
Thank him.  Worship him.

[Psalm 100:4 from The Message]

In our culture, the word thanksgiving tends to be associated primarily with a holiday when people take time off work and eat excessive amounts of food.  For Christ followers, thanksgiving is to be a way of life, an overarching attitude that continuously discovers God's grace and miraculous provision throughout the various seasons we walk through.  I think we sometimes struggle to live with thankful hearts because we develop a sense of entitlement in our relationship with God.  We somehow come to believe that God owes us a certain type of  life, standard of living, level of health, and amount of income.  Then, when something happens to us that bursts our plans and agendas, we become bitter and forget to thank God for all his blessings and benefits that remain constant and true through the storms.  King David wrote these powerful words about the importance of remembering to be thankful:

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.  Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits--who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. (Psalm 103:1-5)

We would serve ourselves well to regularly meditate on these verses.  

When a job is lost due to cutbacks in the company, maybe the earthly benefits (paycheck, healthcare) are gone for a season, but we can know that God's benefits will never end.  There is still forgiveness and healing in Christ.  

When an unexpected diagnosis alters a life and becomes a potential source of anxiety and depression, we can know that God delivers from the pit of despair and he reaches out with hands that are loving and compassionate.  

When a marriage is strained and seems to be on the way to a sure divorce, we can remember that God satisfies our desires with good things and there remains the possibility of renewal and reconciliation for those who humbly seek him.  

Are you living with a heart of thanksgiving?  

Do you daily remember God's benefits?

Take a few minutes and write a "Thank You" card to God and list some of these benefits.  It will give you a renewed, hopeful perspective for the day! 

  

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