Posted: 11/07/03
TOGETHER:
Advance the kingdom of heaven
Clearly the theme of the kingdom of God was central to Jesus' gospel message: “Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 'The time has come,' he said. 'The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news'” (Mark 1:14-15).
Perhaps you have heard your pastor say, “We must be about kingdom business,” as you were urged on to a vision that was not centered on just what was good for your local church.
Can we be concrete about what the kingdom of God is? Note what any kingdom anywhere is. A kingdom is a territory that is under the rule of a king. The kingdom operates where the king's rule is respected, his name is honored, his laws obeyed and his taxes paid. The lines on a map may say that an area of land is in the kingdom, but if in that province no one takes the word of the king seriously, then it is part of the kingdom in name, but not in reality.
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| CHARLES WADE Executive Director BGCT Executive Board |
That is why Jesus taught us to pray earnestly: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Jesus wants the will of God to be done in the earth, and everywhere it is, the kingdom of God is present.
The Apostle Paul imagined the Christian communities to be outposts of the kingdom of heaven at work in the world. In the midst of a corrupt and dying world, where “many live as enemies of the cross of Christ … their mind … on earthly things, … our citizenship is in heaven.” Or as Moffatt translates it: “We are a colony of heaven” (Philippians 3:18-20).
Our king reigns without benefit of sword or the engines of war. He has chosen to be content to let the rule of truth, peace, love and grace conquer the hearts of men and women. And wherever there are people who love Jesus and want to become like him, the kingdom of God is extended. That is why Jesus invited his hearers to “follow me.” And why they were called disciples.
We advance the kingdom of God by learning more and more every day what it means to grow to be like him and then actually following his way. The four Gospels are the textbooks for the life of Christ–when you know him there, you know him now. If we don't know what Jesus did, we can't even begin to know what Jesus would do!
In “The Divine Conspiracy,” Dallas Willard makes an intriguing observation: “The really good news for humanity is that Jesus is now taking students in the master class of life.”
When you hear the direction of Jesus sending you and your church into the world to preach the gospel to the poor, to proclaim deliverance to the captives, healing for the sick, and God's grace and favor and you do it, the kingdom of God is there. When you eat with sinners, feed the hungry, examine your heart and repent of any self-righteousness, embrace the outcasts, welcome the children, take seriously the questions and aspirations of women as well as men who would follow Jesus, call for and live out a purity of life that flows from the heart, enter into prayer that draws you into the heart of God, you begin to see signs of the kingdom of God when it is in motion.
The theme for our Baptist General Convention of Texas annual session in Lubbock is “Your Church … Advancing God's Kingdom.” When we move out into our communities and world, being the presence of Christ, there the kingdom of God is advanced.
As I look at the program of our convention meeting and anticipate what we will be doing, I rejoice, for we are about the Father's kingdom business.
We are loved.
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