Evidence of a Heavenly Kingdom

Last week I was visited by two Jehovah's Witnesses. I told them I was a Christian, that I attended an evangelical church, read my bible and prayed regularly. Then I asked why they would be motivated to convert someone who already believed many of the same things. I generally understand and have disagreements with the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses, but I wasn't really prepared for her response.

She said, "Shouldn't God's children be doing the same work that God is doing? Shouldn't we be building his Kingdom? Last week I spoke to a woman who prayed the Lord's Prayer every day, but when I asked her what it meant to pray for God's Kingdom to come she didn't have any idea?"

Our definitions of the Kingdom of Heaven may be different, but I could not deny the reality and tragedy of her words. I was totally disarmed. I just shook my head and said, "You are right about that. There is little evidence of the Kingdom of God in many churches today. Many Christians have no idea what it means for God's Kingdom to be expressed on the earth." That conversation has been haunting me ever since.

To understand the Kingdom of Heaven we have to know what the word kingdom means. The biblical definition of kingdom is something other than we would find in an English dictionary. George Eldon Ladd explains it well in his book, The Gospel of the Kingdom. Ladd says, "The Kingdom of God is His kingship, His rule, His authority. When this is realized, we can go through the New Testament and find passage after passage where this meaning is evident, where the Kingdom is not a realm or a people but God's reign." So when Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:33 to seek first his kingdom and His righteousness we are really to seek the rule and reign of God.
Is there evidence in our churches that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus (Mat 28:18)? Is there evidence that Jesus rules? We have that as a doctrine but do we believe it and show it? I confess that I often feel like the Church is the underdog, trying to impact an overwhelmingly powerful world system. That, however, is not what the bible teaches. Consider the power of God for us who believe.

That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. -Eph 1:19b-22

Notice that his authority is "not only in this present age". That means that Jesus has authority and power and dominion now and in the age to come. So how is that power expressed through his body which is the Church? Where is the evidence of his authority? Is our message demonstrated with the Spirit and power or do we simply have clever words(1Cor 2:4)? Does our love for one another demonstrate that we are His disciples (Jn 13:35)? Do we function out of the gifts of the Spirit or out of human talent and ability (1Cor 12:7-11)?

I'm not suggesting that God's power is nonexistent, but that it is rare. I am not suggesting that there should be a Christian state, or some sort of governmental rule, but that we should demonstrate the kingdom in the way that Jesus did when he preached, "The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." He brought the rule and reign of God as he taught, preached, cast out demons, healed the sick, and fed the multitude. Jesus demonstrated that there is a heavenly authority greater than any natural, human, or demonic force at work in the earth.

Is there a corresponding reality within the Church? There are humanitarian organizations, humanistic and atheist people who meet together and do a lot of good things. Does the Church demonstrate a power beyond these? Do we have the power to offer real hope and redemption to the lost? Can we say as Peter said to the beggar, "I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene-- walk!" Do we carry the power of God in such a way that we can say, "what I do have I give to you"?

I understand there are many people pouring themselves out in service and difficult work. There is sweat and continual labor going on within the Church. Every person I know in ministry is very dedicated, and working hard and sacrificing and doing the best that they can. But the truth is that much of that hard work and labor is not resulting in a demonstration of the Kingdom of God. There is little evidence that heaven rules, and that Jesus in fact has power and authority. God will not be glorified, and the world will not be moved by our trendy music, slick professional services, and gourmet coffee. I'm not condemning these things, but they cannot bring a heavenly reality to the earth.

If we are so lacking in the power of God that we no longer resemble the biblical example, then why do we continue to go on with things as usual? Why are we so content to continue on in our work without the power of God? Why do we continually busy ourselves with what we can accomplish by our human ability? Does that kind of work really build up the church into the fullness of Christ? Are we really jealous to see His Kingdom come, and his will be done on earth as it is in heaven?

When will we slow down and ask what has happened to the power of God? Some have actually explained away the power of God, saying it was for Jesus and the early Church but not for us. I can't find that in the scripture, and the only motivation I can think of is that they are unwilling to be moved from their present condition. They are unwilling to be disturbed from the comfort and familiarity of the Church as it is, to consider that things are not as they should be. They say they have all they need, but do not realize they are pitiful, poor, blind, and naked (Rev 3:17). Are we willing to face the reality of our condition and humbly turn to the Lord and ask why?

In the Old Testament, when God's people were not experiencing the blessings of their covenant with Him it was a sign that they had drifted away from devotion to God. Are you willing to consider that the lack (even the expectation) of the power of God is a sign that we have drifted from our devotion to Him? Are we willing to make a drastic turn toward the Kingdom and rule of God?

Jason Upton - the word is wide open

All of creation is crying, "Stop telling us that you're a chosen people. Start living like a chosen people!"

The Foolishness That Faith Requires

In hope he [Abraham] believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, "So shall your offspring be." He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. -Rom 4:18-21

When asked about faith this is always the scripture I turn to. The things he saw in the natural did not cause him to distrust God. He believed God was able to deliver on his promises.

The definition of faith has deteriorated in our culture. Many people will say, "I believe in God" or "I have faith in God." What they mean is that they believe that God exists. Although that is a necessary component of faith, that is not the fullness of biblical faith.

Looking at Abraham in Romans 4 we see that there is something else that is essential to faith. Abraham had more than an intellectual agreement with a doctrinal statement. Faith was more to him than just believing in one true God. He heard the word of the LORD, and when he did everything changed. When God spoke he obeyed, believing that God would do what he said.

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. -Rom 10:17

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. -Heb 11:6

How would you respond if a man in your church who was ninety years old said one day that God told him he and his eighty year old barren wife would have a child in the next year? Would you say, "Praise God, let me stand with you and believe for God's word to be fulfilled," or would you smile awkwardly thinking this poor old man had lost his mind?

The only reason Abraham's story is so commonly accepted is that we have the luxury of standing at the end and looking back. We have the rest of the story. We see the fulfillment of the promise so we naturally view Abraham as a hero of faith rather than a fool. However, if we were to stand with him in the middle of his journey we would find little outward evidence to distinguish him from a foolish dreamer with delusions of grandeur.

This is where the foolishness comes into the picture. There are times when faith will require us to stand alone clinging to the word of the LORD, looking like a fool to everyone around us. Read Hebrews 11 (the "faith hall of fame") with this fresh perspective. Each one of those people looked like a fool and a lunatic while waiting for the fulfillment of the word of God.

If we only have faith for what can be accomplished in the natural then our faith rests in the ability of man and not God. The foolishness that faith requires is the willingness to believe that God will do what is impossible in the natural. If God has spoken, faith believes in that word as if it is already a reality.

This sounds hard doesn't it? It sounds like the only way to have real faith is to grit our teeth and muscle our way through it like a good soldier, to force ourselves to believe for the impossible. I've learned by experience that this doesn't work. It relies too much on my own strength and I'm doomed to discouragement right from the get go. So how are we to live out this faith that clings to God's word no matter what comes? The answer is back with Abraham in Romans 4. It says that he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. The secret to faith that endures is to glorify the LORD and to rest in the assurance that God will fulfill his word.

I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever. -Ps 86:12

God's Promise In The Midst of Famine

Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. -Gen 12:10

Think of the amazing journey that he had just taken. In Genesis 12 Abram packed up and moved everything based on God's word alone. He came to his destination where God appeared and promised the land to his descendants. Then Abram built an altar and worshipped the Lord. Perfect. Just what we all want in our walk of faith. God speaks, we respond, God shows up and delivers on His promise, the end. At least that is where most of us would choose to end it. The story however isn't over. What happens next? Famine!

This contradicts every expectation we have about the promises of God. We expect that God's promises will be fulfilled through a process of gradual and systematic accomplishment. We expect Abram to build his house right next to the altar. Then he would raise his family and gradually over generations they would spread out and possess the land God promised. That however was not Abram's experience.

There is no indication that God offered Abram any explanation. His only option was to endure it. In the middle of the fear, confusion, and the difficulty it is tempting to feel foolish about having ever trusted the Lord. That glorious promise of God becomes a stabbing pain. In Abram's experience, he reacted out of fear and got himself into a real mess. I'm sure it wasn't the triumphal journey of faith he had hoped for.

At a certain point there was no evidence that God was with Abram. All we know is that things had gone very bad and the promises of God were nowhere to be seen. Abram ended up in a disastrous situation. In order to protect himself he lied about his relationship to his wife and nearly lost her to Pharaoh. When all appeared to be lost God rushed in to save them. He was right there making sure they made it through. Even when it looked like God was absent, He was jealously guarding His promises for them.

When I finished school I had plans to intern at a well known ministry in a big city across the country. I had my own ideas of how God would fulfill His word to me through a process of gradual accomplishment and forward movement. Those plans fell apart along with every subsequent plan over the next year. I was in a famine, and I was tempted to lose heart. But at certain times God would break in and remind me of His promises. I began to understand that God is jealous to see His promise fulfilled in me. Even with all my weaknesses and imperfections, God has been working to see me through.

It may seem for a while that all of your circumstances stand in direct contradiction to God's promise for you. It may be a long while! Yet all the time God is there guarding that promise, making sure you make it through. Never allow your present circumstances to cause you to doubt the word of the LORD to you.

Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD. -Ps 27:14