Last night I had a discussion with my FriendSpeak reader on the Kingdom of God. For those of you who don't know, FriendSpeak uses the story of Luke in English to both teach people how to speak Ebglish better and to introduce them to the Bible. My FriendSpeak reader is a visiting professor from Korea doing post-doctoral work at the University of Kansas. His English skills are amazing, and I am awed by his love for God. He loves pursuing new knowledge.
Yesterday's conversation lasted 35+ minutes as we discussed the coming of the Kingdom of God. He wanted to know what the Bible said about the Kingdom. Here is what I wrote this morning. I would love your insight. What did I say right? Did I get any of it wrong? Please, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
__________
The Kingdom of God
The Kingdom of God is an enigma. Throughout the New Testament we are told various things about the Kingdom. It seems to be both a present reality and a future orientation. The Kingdom of God is better translated as “the reign of God,” where God’s rule is established.[1] This takes place in the present, in our own lives, as we seek to follow the way of Jesus Christ and live by his example and his teaching. As we become more like Christ, the reign of God becomes better established in our own lives. This is also a future reality: God’s reign will not ultimately triumph until the end of time, “when every knee will bow on earth and under the earth, and ever tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:10-11).
Theologian Stanley Grenz puts it this way. “The kingdom of God is that order of perfect peace, righteousness, justice, and love that God gives to the world. This gift is eschatological (“at the end of time”), for it comes in an ultimate way only at the renewal of the world consummated at Jesus’ return. But the power of the kingdom is already at work, for it breaks into the present from the future. Therefore, we experience the kingdom in a partial yet vital manner en route to the great future day.”[2] In essence, the coming of the Kingdom of God creates a new way of life for us today.Because our lives are ruled by our belief in Jesus Christ, we begin to influence and change the world because of our faith. We put the Great Commission into action: “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28). Our hope is to help others becomes citizens in the Kingdom of God.
In Mark 1, Jesus begins his ministry by proclaiming, “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:14-15).[3] This takes place after the temptation of Jesus in the desert.
Luke, however, goes a slightly different direction. Luke makes Jesus’ first discussion about Isaiah 61 (Luke 4:18-21). Lulke seems to equate the Kingdom of God with people’s physical and spiritual lives being healed. When God reigns, things are made right and people are made whole.
Jesus has a bunch of different parables about the Kingdom of God:
The Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:1-, Matt. 13:1-15; Luke 8:4-10): The Kingdom of God grows as a man sows the “seed” (the Gospel).
The Parable of the Growing Seed (Mark 4:26-29)
The Parable of the Mustard Seed (Mark 4:30-34; Mt. 13; Luke 13): The Kingdom is like a mustard seed; it starts out small, then grows big.
The Parable of the Yeast (Luke 13:20-21)
The Parable of the Priceless Pearl and the Hidden Treasure (Matthew 13:44-46): The Kingdom is worth everything you own; you must be willing to part with everything in order to receive the kingdom.
The Parable of the Net (Matthew 13:47-52): The Kingdom of Heaven will gather everyone together, and then will weed through the good fish and the bad fish. Jesus tells us that the final fulfillment of the Kingdom will come at the end of time, when the Son of Man returns.
There seems to be both a present aspect of the Kingdom and a future aspect of the Kingdom:
Luke 17:20 – “Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is withinyou.”
-The Kingdom of God is tied to the presence of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38 gives us a clear example. The Holy Spirit is our seal, our marker that guarantees us a place in the final Kingdom (Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30)
-This begins on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2), and continues on through believers today.
We are also told that the Kingdom of God has already been brought about:
Luke 9:27 – “I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”
Matthew 21:31-32 – “Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.”
In summary, the Kingdom has both a present and a future orientation. God’s rule exists in our lives because we have given our lives over to him. The Holy Spirit lives inside of us and guides/counsels us on how to live. By teaching others about God and Christ, we help spread the Kingdom in the world, because others will accept him and receive the Spirit as well. However, the Kingdom will not become a full reality until Jesus returns and the world sees the glory of God.
I hope this helps. I have enjoyed writing it for you. I would love to discuss it with you more!
In Christ,
Daniel
[1] This seems to be the best use of the Greek term basileia (βασιλεια).
[2]Stanley Grenz, Theology for the Community of God, Eerdmans: 1994, p. 22.
[3] Matthew makes a similar statement from Jesus in Matthew 4:17: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Matthew uses “kingdom of heaven” and “kingdom of God” interchangeably. Matthew equates heaven to the place where God rules as sovereign.
"How many Church of Christ members does it take to change a lightbulb?" Answer: "CHANGE! We don't do that, because we are always right!"
Well, I just took the "How Church of Christ Are You?" Quiz on Facebook, and I wanted to share my results:
Apostate Change Agent You have forsaken your first love and God has removed your candlestick. Your itching ears have turned you against sound doctrine and you have given up true worship. It would have been better for a millstone to be tied around your neck and cast into the sea then for you to lead others astray with your false teaching. You just can't figure out why the Church of Christ across town shuns your congregation and you often find your church talked about in brotherhood papers and websites. You read books by Max Lucado and your favorite preachers are Rubel Shelley, Mike Cope, and Jeff Walling. When people ask what church you attend you wince and say "Church of Christ - but it's not like what you are thinking". Yes, you have fun at church with your small groups, hand clapping, praise teams, and Christmas musicals but you won't be smiling and clapping in HELL.
Wow! I had no idea I was so liberal. Go me!
A couple of points of discussion: 1. Now, I read a little Max Lucado when I need mind-numbing Christian fodder. I think Ruebel Shelly is just fine (but they misspelled his name); Mike Cope is no longer preaching; and Jeff Walling and I have had dinner together.
2. Yes, I was a part of a praise team. I even lead one for a while. They help people hear the parts, expecially on new songs. Plus, really well-done worship can be a HUGE benefit to the entire congregation, many of whom AREN'T SINGING ANYWAY!
3. I don't mind clapping, but I am not a huge fan beacuse most people don't know how to do it. I love small group house churches; the first century church did, so I might as well also.
4. I think I got this category because (a) I am not concerned with the name on the outside of the building; (b) I think women have a bigger role than we have given them; not preaching, but also not reserved for craddle roll only; (c) I am not concerned with typical C-of-C issues like food in the building, one/many cups, FULL immersion (where the hand floats up), clapping, big C or little c in our name, or even instrumental music. (Yes, that makes me an Apostate!) I am concerned, however, with people actually living out their faith Monday through Saturday rather than simply paying it lip-service on Sundays with things like, "All ___________ (fill in the blank with any other denomination) are goin to hell," or "Church of Christ is the only right way." That is what matters to me!
So, think of it this way. Am I an apostate change agent? Absolutely, if this is what it means. We need change in order to reach our culture. If we don't change, we become just as relevant to our world as the Amish. They are distinctive, they live out their faith, they make nice quilts... No one really wants to become Amish.
Now, I am not advocating complete and total rejection of who we are and what makes us distinctive. I like a capella music; I love our adherence to the Lord's Supper; I like that the Bible is our only authority. But come on people, let's figure out what matters and what doesn't. Our churches would be much better, and more relevant, places.
Last week I taught a class about the weak and the strong from Romans 14-15.
In Romans 14, Paul is talking about the difference between the Jewish and Gentile Christians. This has really been the backdrop of the entire book. The Jewish Christians had formed the foundation of the Romans church throughout its history. We find Jews from Rome present on the day of Pentecost, cluing us in that maybe God used them to originally found the church. (Sorry to all of the Catholics who think Peter did it; you are wrong.)
In 49 AD, however, the Roman Emperor Claudius expelled all of the Jews from Rome. Seutonius tells us that there were fights concerning the teachings of "Chrestus," which caused such an uproar that the Emperor just decided to sack them all. [“He expelled all of the Jews from Rome over the instigation of Chrestus…” (Claudius 25.4)] This edict applied to both Jews and Jewish Christians; there was no difference at the time. Acts tells us that Priscilla and Aquila came to Corinth because they had been kicked out of Rome (Acts 18). When Claudius dies in 54 AD, his edict is null and void. Thus, the Jews begin to return home. But when they returned to church they found it vastly different than how they had left it. Gentiles had moved into positions of power. They were not celebrating the Passover, adhering to the Sabbath, or doing any of the other Jewish practices that had been a part of the Roman church before.
The Jewish Christians are at odds with the Gentile Christians over what is necessary. They feel that certain days should be considered holy. They refuse to eat food that has been sacrificed to idols (really the only butcher shops in the city of Rome were attached to the temples). Thus, the Agape feasts were broken, hollow affairs in which the two groups did not associate. It was into this Sitz im Lieben that Paul writes about the "Weak" and the "Strong."
The Jewish Christians were decidedly Jewish: they still kept the Sabbath; they celebrated Jewish feast days; they kept the kosher laws; they circumcised their children. The Gentile Christians were decidedly Gentile: they did NOT keep the Jewish laws; they did not worry about circumcision; they ate whatever they wanted. Both groups thought that they were the stronger Christians.
Here is what Paul tells us: "Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand."
Paul argues that the Jewish Christians are the "weaker" group. Paul, the "Jew of Jews, the Pharisee of Pharisees," argues that the Gentile Christians are the stronger. Yet he also says this: "Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall. So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin."
Although they were the "Stronger" Christians, they were supposed to do whatever was necessary for those whose faith was "weaker." That is what it means to be a "Strong" Christian!
Who are the stronger Christians among us? The truth is, we all believe that we are the stronger Christians. Each of us believes that we are right. Our way of doing things is best, our traditions are the correct ones, our church is THE CHURCH and all of the others are wrong. It's what we believe!
So what does this mean for us today? What are your thoughts?
One hundredth post! What a milestone! I have been on Blogger since April of 2008, so I guess that means that I post, on average, about once every 3.7 days. Go me!
Just wanted to share a milestone with you. Here's another one: wedding in 66 days! Whoo hoo!
As a young child, my life was full of anticipation. I couldn’t wait for Christmas to come or for my birthday to roll around. I remember being eager to see my dad at the end of the day when he came home from work. I remember I couldn’t wait to grow up so I could have a job, drive, and do anything I wanted to do. Everything seemed like a new adventure, and every day had something to look forward to. I lived my life anticipating what lay in the future.
Many of us anticipate things in our lives today. We cannot wait for summer to come. We cannot wait to graduate college. We can’t wait to start our new career, buy a new house, or drive a new car. I know that I cannot wait to get married this summer. Our lives are full of anticipation. We are eagerly awaiting the day when we will achieve all that we have wanted to achieve.
How many of us feel that way about heaven? Can you eagerly wait to get there? Is it something you look forward to with anticipation?
I have heard that as you get older you begin to anticipate heaven more. Life is like a vacation: as it begins you love every minute of it, but as it goes on you can’t wait to get back home. So don’t feel bad if you don’t anticipate heaven right now. But we do need to be ready for when it comes. In Matthew 25, Jesus tells a parable about ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom. Five of them, however, did not anticipate his coming and forgot to bring oil. They are eventually left out of the party. We must anticipate that God could return any moment, and live our lives in such a way that we are eagerly awaiting his coming.
I look forward to the day when heaven becomes a reality because of John’s vision in Revelation:
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the HolyCity, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 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.” He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!"
What an amazing thought! Let’s live in anticipation for the day that God will make all things new.
