Jesus Christ rules over all.
To follow this Lord is
to serve Him wherever we are,
without fitting in,
light in the darkness,
salt in a spoiling world.
This fall, I get to continue in the joy of spending some time with young people connected to Emmaus City Church engaging the Scriptures alongside one of my favorite reflections on God called Deep Down Faith by Cornelius Plantinga Jr. I've read this book four times now and Plantinga, like C.S. Lewis in many ways, has a gift for discussing profound thoughts in whimsical, rich, and accessible ways for young and old alike. Some previous Deep Down Faith posts include:
Today's post will focus on Jesus and a bit of what He meant when He said, "The Kingdom of God has come near" (Mark 1:15).
The Universe is God's Kingly Realm
All the Bible, all Christianity, and all world history is the story of the universal war between sin and holiness, evil and good, the kingdom of darkness and the Kingdom of light. The warring is not just on the side of the rebels. God the King doesn't simply hand over His world to them. God doesn't just give up on His rebel children and say, "To hell with you." For the universe belongs to God. Our world belongs to God. He wants it back. And He has taken certain steps to get it back.
The Bible traces these steps. God makes a covenant with Abraham and seals it with Moses and the law. God rules His people Israel through priests and judges and kings and prophets. Later God establishes Jesus' Church, among whom the Gospel may be preached, sacraments celebrated, and people shaped to look and act like God.
For the whole universe is God's kingly realm. And all these things — covenant, prophets, law, church, sacraments — are the tools of God's kingly reign. They are all part of what could be called God's reelection campaign. God wants the whole world to acknowledge again that He is the King and that our world belongs to Him.
Why? Is God so weak and insecure that He needs lost of praise and acknowledgement to build Him up? No. God wants us to recognize His kingship because it's true: He is King, and our world does belong to Him. And He wants to protect us from falling under the rule of other kings who will sooner or later destroy us.
The gospels tell us the most important part of this story. They tell us of the turning point in this universal war: when a man from Nazareth leaves His home, moves out into Galilee, and begins to preach. "Repent," He says. "Lay down your arms. For the Kingdom of God is coming near."
The world has become enemy-occupied territory. It has become the Kingdom of the evil one. "Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise."
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| "It Is Finished" by Sally Lloyd-Jones |
To Serve Him Wherever We Are
To follow this Lord is
to serve Him wherever we are ... (in)
our sexuality ... marriage and family ...
education ... our work,
even in dull routine ...
rest and leisure ...
science and technology ...
politics ... for
The whole universe
belongs to God the King
belongs to God the King
and Jesus the Lord.
A thoughtful Christian
once put it like this:
Of every square inch
in the universe,
Jesus Christ says,
A thoughtful Christian
once put it like this:
Of every square inch
in the universe,
Jesus Christ says,
"It is mine."
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| Disciple Definition by C René Padilla |
In Medicine and Health Care
Christians fight against drug abuse, including alcoholism, and try to help its victims with tough love. In the kingdom of darkness, athletes, rock stars, and actors sometimes celebrate the high life of drug abuse till it wrecks or kills them. But in the Kingdom of God, one's body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. God lives in us, and we must keep His house clean.
In Earthkeeping
Christians fight against abuse of nature. Christians and others reclaim the earth with skillful animal care and with expert soil, water, and forest management. In the kingdom of darkness, people strip and rape the earth for profit. They foul clean air and pollute pure water. They neglect and abuse animals. But in the Kingdom of God, the earth and its fullness are treated with respect. For they come from the hand of God.
In Sexuality
Christians fight against the attitude that women are men's inferior servants. Christians see men and women as equal partners serving God together and trying to build each other up. Christians also fight against the use of sex to trap, humiliate, or make money off people. In the kingdom of darkness, sexual partners are disposable tissues and bones. In the Kingdom of light, sexuality is for imaging God in love and trust. It is a gift of such power and beauty that is is protected by the covenant of marriage.
In Education
Christians fight against the idea that learning is just for getting jobs and making money. In the kingdom of darkness, learning happens without the light of God's Word to shine on it. Learning is used to make people powerful but not to make them wise. But in God's Kingdom, education is for deepening our wonder at the greatness of God and His world. It also prepares us to serve wisely all across the Kingdom of God itself.
In Politics
Christians fight against the use of power to frighten other nations or to take advantage of the weak citizens of one's own nation. In the kingdom of darkness, citizens ride over elderly and poor people, children and minorities, and all those who don't matter except when they vote. But in the Kingdom of God, governments protect the freedoms and rights of all citizens — and even make extra allowances for those who are disadvantaged.
Our religion is not just for devotions and worship. We also serve God when we take care of our bodies, care for animals and plant trees, respect the dignity of the other sex, learn a math lesson well, serve the poor and elderly — and do all of this because we are citizens of the Kingdom of God.
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| How Does the Kingdom of God Shape Our Political Discussion? |
Doubts & Secrets of the Kingdom
Every once in a while Jesus' disciples would ask about the Kingdom. "Lord," they would say, "Lord, if it isn't too much to ask, when will You restore the Kingdom?"
Of course, they knew Jesus had done some good things. But it didn't seem like enough! Shaping up a few ragged beggars — that wouldn't budge King Herod. Healing some sick folks, befriending a prostitute, or having dinner with a weasel like Zacchaeus — that wouldn't shake up a man like Caesar!
Looking at the Roman army and the Roman tax system and all the arrogant Roman power, the disciples must have struggled hard to believe that Jesus was King. Everything they could hear and see told them there was no king but Caesar.
For such doubts Jesus tells one of the secrets of the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God, He says, is like a mustard seed. A man reaches with two fingers into his seed pouch and draws out a tiny seed. The seed is so small you can hardly see it. But the man sows this seed into the ground. Slowly, over the months and years, the seemingly lifeless seed grows into a ten-foot shrub.
The Kingdom is like that. At the time of sowing, progress may look small and slow. But one day there is the tree.
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| Seeds of Hope by Bette Dickinson |
That is God's way in history with His Kingdom. Who would have thought that God could make a great nation out of Abraham and Sarah — two barren people old enough to be on Medicare? Who could have known what God would do with one man named Luther — a monk who nailed some protests to the door of a church building and thus launched the Protestant Reformation? Who would have thought that a weary black woman named Rosa Parks could start a movement that would help millions of people?
On Good Friday who could have predicted what God would do with the dead body of Jesus, our Lord — a seed sown in the ground for three days? Only somebody who knows the secret of the Kingdom.
Prayer Starter
Pray "Your Kingdom come,
Your will be done ... "
The LORD Most High is awesome,
the great King over all the earth ...
God has ascended amid shouts of joy
the LORD amid the sounding trumpets.
Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
For God is the King of all the earth;
sing to Him a psalm of praise.
God reigns over the nations;
God is seated on His holy throne.
+ Psalm 47:2, 5-8
May God's Kingdom come, His will be done.
Que le Royaume de Dieu vienne,
que sa volonté soit faite.
愿神的国降临，愿神的旨意成就。
Nguyện xin Nước Chúa đến, ý Ngài được nên.
Jesús nuestra Rey, venga Tu reino!
🙏💗🍞🍷👑🌅🌇
With anticipation and joy,
