A Christian Response to the World Around Us- Meditations on the Kingdom of God
We live in a very sad world. Day after day the newspapers carry reports of wars, deaths, assassinations, riots and bombings. Governments are inept and corrupt; millions starve and die from disease. Closer to home, we hear of broken families, abandoned babies, homeless elderly. Humans are the most destructive of all species, endlessly killing each other and destroying the Earth and environment.
Many are very disillusioned with this world and see no possible hope for it. The problems are just so monumental, and their root lies in the very falleness of human nature. How are we ever going to change anything? So we just go on worrying about own lives, in our own struggle for survival.
Even Christians feel this way. We know that we have a Sovereign God who reigns over the Earth and controls all things; yet it is hard to reconcile the state of this world with a Sovereign, good God. We do have the comfort of knowing that once we leave this world and go to heaven we will have escaped all this. And this had led to many Christians thinking that the most important task on earth, is to get people "saved", in the spiritual sense. To get them into heaven. No matter how much we do to help their physical state here on earth, in the end they will die, and this world is going to be destroyed anyway.
Is that the right way to look at things?
Rewind back to the days just before Jesus came. The Jews were pretty disillusioned with the world around them too. Conquered by and living under the Roman Empire, they longed for the coming Messiah to rescue them and restore the kingdom to Israel. And Jesus indeed did come. But nothing much changed. Jesus was crucified on a Cross. The Romans continued to rule.
But of course something had changed. Jesus had proclaimed the good news of salvation; those who believed in Him would never perish but have everlasting life.
But was that all that Jesus preached? The core of Jesus' preaching here on Earth was not just eternal life. John the Baptist's message was, "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand." And time and again, Jesus' gospel was not just the gospel of salvation, but the gospel of the Kingdom. In the book of Matthew he told a series of parables about the Kingdom of God. And in the Lord's prayer, His first words were, "Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdom come..." Evidently this Kingdom of God was very important to Him. And furthermore, he proclaimed that the "Kingdom of God is here..."
So what then is this Kingdom? We usually think of it as a physical realm that is ruled by a King. But that was probably not what Jesus was referring to in His time; after all, the government didn’t change. When we examine the root of the word in Greek, we find that it refers not to a physical realm, but rather a reign. A Kingdom is the authority or sovereignty that a King possesses. Now we can understand why in the Lord's prayer, the words "Thy Kingdom come" are followed by the words "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven". God's Kingdom is present when God's sovereign will is done on earth.
The Bible does tell us that there will come a time when Jesus will come again, to finally destroy all human authority and kingdoms, as well as Satan and all his minions, and establish His everlasting kingdom forever. The mystery of the kingdom is this- why did the Messiah come twice? Why didn't Jesus just come once, accomplish His work on the Cross, destroy all the earthly systems of evil, and claim what is rightfully His? Why is there a lag time between His coming then, and the coming Kingdom?
God has many hidden ways that are beyond our human understanding. But we can understand this, that when He came 2000 years ago, He came to establish His Kingdom, His reign, in the hearts of men. When God established the Kingdom of Israel, he had created a physical kingdom of men, but He did not have their hearts. Time and time again the Israelites strayed from Him in the wickedness of their hearts. It was a repeated cycle of disobedience and judgement.
When Jesus confronted the religious leaders of the day, His eyes pierced through their outward facades of spirituality into the deep wickedness of their hearts. He was concerned about inward obedience, without which outward compliance to traditions and laws meant nothing. In the heart was where He wanted to rule.
And He gathered to Himself a ruddy band of 12 disciples, who of themselves were woefully inadequate. But there was one difference- after His death and resurrection, He bestowed on them the Holy Spirit. And my, what a difference it made. The band of squabbling, fearful individuals became a force of world-changing disciples. The early Christian church grew without bounds, even in the face of the fiercest persecution ever known. Where was the difference? Deep in their hearts. In the apostle Paul's writings we see evidence of a man whose heart was deeply and fiercely devoted and obedient to God, without any compromise.
God wants to reign in our hearts. If he is not Lord there, then He is not Lord at all. Are our hearts fully and totally submitted to Him? The answer is no. And so our entire lives are a quest to bring our hearts in total submission to Him. To take up our Cross and follow Him.
As we see in the Lord’s prayer, God wants His will to be done on earth. That is the Kingdom of God here and now. What is his will? Certainly not for man to suffer, because He loves man so dearly. It breaks his heart when people starve, suffer and die of disease. Jesus was constantly moved with compassion when he saw the sick and poor, and healed many of them. And now, He wants His will to continue to be done- through us. A man in whom Christ reigns cannot just stand there and watch as the world suffers. We are meant to become, in the words of a song, "the hands of Christ reaching out to those in need; the face of God for all to see."
How do we start? The task is so daunting. We often think that God has given us very little advice on how to improve the state of human affairs on earth. But that could not be further from the truth. The books of Numbers and Leviticus in the Bible detail for us not just a set of mindless laws for the Jews to follow, but an entire social and governance system that God created. It covers the practical issues of money, food, land, employment, treatment of marginalised groups, even health. It is extensive and comprehensive, which is why it is so long. We may think it is inpractical, but in truth it is an amazing system, catering to the needs of all social classes and ensuring that no one was ever disadvantaged or left behind. "God desires that there should be no poor in the land..."
We may think, how can we ever implement such a system? We are not in government! But the amazing thing was, this system was meant to be executed without a human king. In God's original plan, there was never meant to be a human king. It was only because the people of Israel hankered after one, that God granted them so. The system would work when each and every Israelite obeyed God’s laws and carried them out. But of course, they didn’t. God did not reign in their hearts.
God cares for the affairs of this world, enough to think of an entire system of governance. He does not want there to be human suffering and poverty. And we are His agents of change. The laws that God set down for Israel thousands of years ago may not be practical today, but the principles remain the same. Loving your neighbour as yourself. Sharing with and giving to the poor and the needy. Caring for the marginalized and disadvantaged in society. Visiting widows and orphans in their trouble. Loving and nurturing our families. Seeking to narrow, not widen, the income gap. Enforcing justice in the land. Being good stewards of the environment and its resources, and not abusing it.
All of us, regardless of our position in society, can live out these principles in our lives and occupations in the world out there. In the way we relate to the people around us, the poor and needy we encounter, the diligence we give to our work, the way we run our businesses, the way we spend our money, and so forth. That is where the battle is fought. But first Christ must reign in our hearts. We have the Holy Spirit within us, and that makes all the difference!
Rewind back even further, to the dawn of Creation. God created a beautiful world where there was perfect harmony. Perfect harmony between God and Man. Perfect harmony between Man and Woman. And perfect harmony between Man and Nature. Sin came and destroyed that perfect harmony at all 3 levels. Man was estranged from God, turned against one another, and abused the Earth. But God's will is that that perfect harmony should be re-established at all levels, and that is how it will be like in the coming City of God, so marvellously portrayed in Revelation. In the meantime, we are called to work towards that goal, under the Lordship of Christ. At times, I look at this beautiful Earth that we live in, filled with God's magnificent creation. And I think to myself, is this world meant to be a sad, broken wasteland? No! God intended for it to be a land where man resides in God's awesome creation at harmony with each other, with no one poor, suffering or needy, with no wars or destruction. And that is what I am working towards.
This is the message that the world desperately needs to hear. The message that God has and always has had a plan for this world, that is should be something beautiful, not what it is today. And we can inch towards that, if Christians all over the world will unite under the Lordship of Christ and work for the Kingdom of God here on earth. Our lives must be radically different, our values must totally change. Even one man with Christ reigning in Him can make a huge difference. Remember William Wilberforce, and how he succeeded in abolishing slavery despite the huge opposition he faced? How much more millions of Christians all over the world, in every station of society!
You and I can make a difference in this world. The Kingdom of God is here!
God of grace and God of glory,
On Thy people pour Thy power.
Crown Thine ancient church’s story,
Bring her bud to glorious flower.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
For the facing of this hour,
For the facing of this hour.
Lo! the hosts of evil ’round us,
Scorn Thy Christ, assail His ways.
From the fears that long have bound us,
Free our hearts to faith and praise.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
For the living of these days,
For the living of these days.
Cure Thy children’s warring madness,
Bend our pride to Thy control.
Shame our wanton selfish gladness,
Rich in things and poor in soul.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
Lest we miss Thy kingdom’s goal,
Lest we miss Thy kingdom’s goal.
Set our feet on lofty places,
Gird our lives that they may be,
Armored with all Christ-like graces,
In the fight to set men free.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
That we fail not man nor Thee,
That we fail not man nor Thee.
Save us from weak resignation,
To the evils we deplore.
Let the search for Thy salvation,
Be our glory evermore.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
Serving Thee Whom we adore,
Serving Thee Whom we adore.
We live in a very sad world. Day after day the newspapers carry reports of wars, deaths, assassinations, riots and bombings. Governments are inept and corrupt; millions starve and die from disease. Closer to home, we hear of broken families, abandoned babies, homeless elderly. Humans are the most destructive of all species, endlessly killing each other and destroying the Earth and environment.
Many are very disillusioned with this world and see no possible hope for it. The problems are just so monumental, and their root lies in the very falleness of human nature. How are we ever going to change anything? So we just go on worrying about own lives, in our own struggle for survival.
Even Christians feel this way. We know that we have a Sovereign God who reigns over the Earth and controls all things; yet it is hard to reconcile the state of this world with a Sovereign, good God. We do have the comfort of knowing that once we leave this world and go to heaven we will have escaped all this. And this had led to many Christians thinking that the most important task on earth, is to get people "saved", in the spiritual sense. To get them into heaven. No matter how much we do to help their physical state here on earth, in the end they will die, and this world is going to be destroyed anyway.
Is that the right way to look at things?
Rewind back to the days just before Jesus came. The Jews were pretty disillusioned with the world around them too. Conquered by and living under the Roman Empire, they longed for the coming Messiah to rescue them and restore the kingdom to Israel. And Jesus indeed did come. But nothing much changed. Jesus was crucified on a Cross. The Romans continued to rule.
But of course something had changed. Jesus had proclaimed the good news of salvation; those who believed in Him would never perish but have everlasting life.
But was that all that Jesus preached? The core of Jesus' preaching here on Earth was not just eternal life. John the Baptist's message was, "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand." And time and again, Jesus' gospel was not just the gospel of salvation, but the gospel of the Kingdom. In the book of Matthew he told a series of parables about the Kingdom of God. And in the Lord's prayer, His first words were, "Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdom come..." Evidently this Kingdom of God was very important to Him. And furthermore, he proclaimed that the "Kingdom of God is here..."
So what then is this Kingdom? We usually think of it as a physical realm that is ruled by a King. But that was probably not what Jesus was referring to in His time; after all, the government didn’t change. When we examine the root of the word in Greek, we find that it refers not to a physical realm, but rather a reign. A Kingdom is the authority or sovereignty that a King possesses. Now we can understand why in the Lord's prayer, the words "Thy Kingdom come" are followed by the words "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven". God's Kingdom is present when God's sovereign will is done on earth.
The Bible does tell us that there will come a time when Jesus will come again, to finally destroy all human authority and kingdoms, as well as Satan and all his minions, and establish His everlasting kingdom forever. The mystery of the kingdom is this- why did the Messiah come twice? Why didn't Jesus just come once, accomplish His work on the Cross, destroy all the earthly systems of evil, and claim what is rightfully His? Why is there a lag time between His coming then, and the coming Kingdom?
God has many hidden ways that are beyond our human understanding. But we can understand this, that when He came 2000 years ago, He came to establish His Kingdom, His reign, in the hearts of men. When God established the Kingdom of Israel, he had created a physical kingdom of men, but He did not have their hearts. Time and time again the Israelites strayed from Him in the wickedness of their hearts. It was a repeated cycle of disobedience and judgement.
When Jesus confronted the religious leaders of the day, His eyes pierced through their outward facades of spirituality into the deep wickedness of their hearts. He was concerned about inward obedience, without which outward compliance to traditions and laws meant nothing. In the heart was where He wanted to rule.
And He gathered to Himself a ruddy band of 12 disciples, who of themselves were woefully inadequate. But there was one difference- after His death and resurrection, He bestowed on them the Holy Spirit. And my, what a difference it made. The band of squabbling, fearful individuals became a force of world-changing disciples. The early Christian church grew without bounds, even in the face of the fiercest persecution ever known. Where was the difference? Deep in their hearts. In the apostle Paul's writings we see evidence of a man whose heart was deeply and fiercely devoted and obedient to God, without any compromise.
God wants to reign in our hearts. If he is not Lord there, then He is not Lord at all. Are our hearts fully and totally submitted to Him? The answer is no. And so our entire lives are a quest to bring our hearts in total submission to Him. To take up our Cross and follow Him.
As we see in the Lord’s prayer, God wants His will to be done on earth. That is the Kingdom of God here and now. What is his will? Certainly not for man to suffer, because He loves man so dearly. It breaks his heart when people starve, suffer and die of disease. Jesus was constantly moved with compassion when he saw the sick and poor, and healed many of them. And now, He wants His will to continue to be done- through us. A man in whom Christ reigns cannot just stand there and watch as the world suffers. We are meant to become, in the words of a song, "the hands of Christ reaching out to those in need; the face of God for all to see."
How do we start? The task is so daunting. We often think that God has given us very little advice on how to improve the state of human affairs on earth. But that could not be further from the truth. The books of Numbers and Leviticus in the Bible detail for us not just a set of mindless laws for the Jews to follow, but an entire social and governance system that God created. It covers the practical issues of money, food, land, employment, treatment of marginalised groups, even health. It is extensive and comprehensive, which is why it is so long. We may think it is inpractical, but in truth it is an amazing system, catering to the needs of all social classes and ensuring that no one was ever disadvantaged or left behind. "God desires that there should be no poor in the land..."
We may think, how can we ever implement such a system? We are not in government! But the amazing thing was, this system was meant to be executed without a human king. In God's original plan, there was never meant to be a human king. It was only because the people of Israel hankered after one, that God granted them so. The system would work when each and every Israelite obeyed God’s laws and carried them out. But of course, they didn’t. God did not reign in their hearts.
God cares for the affairs of this world, enough to think of an entire system of governance. He does not want there to be human suffering and poverty. And we are His agents of change. The laws that God set down for Israel thousands of years ago may not be practical today, but the principles remain the same. Loving your neighbour as yourself. Sharing with and giving to the poor and the needy. Caring for the marginalized and disadvantaged in society. Visiting widows and orphans in their trouble. Loving and nurturing our families. Seeking to narrow, not widen, the income gap. Enforcing justice in the land. Being good stewards of the environment and its resources, and not abusing it.
All of us, regardless of our position in society, can live out these principles in our lives and occupations in the world out there. In the way we relate to the people around us, the poor and needy we encounter, the diligence we give to our work, the way we run our businesses, the way we spend our money, and so forth. That is where the battle is fought. But first Christ must reign in our hearts. We have the Holy Spirit within us, and that makes all the difference!
Rewind back even further, to the dawn of Creation. God created a beautiful world where there was perfect harmony. Perfect harmony between God and Man. Perfect harmony between Man and Woman. And perfect harmony between Man and Nature. Sin came and destroyed that perfect harmony at all 3 levels. Man was estranged from God, turned against one another, and abused the Earth. But God's will is that that perfect harmony should be re-established at all levels, and that is how it will be like in the coming City of God, so marvellously portrayed in Revelation. In the meantime, we are called to work towards that goal, under the Lordship of Christ. At times, I look at this beautiful Earth that we live in, filled with God's magnificent creation. And I think to myself, is this world meant to be a sad, broken wasteland? No! God intended for it to be a land where man resides in God's awesome creation at harmony with each other, with no one poor, suffering or needy, with no wars or destruction. And that is what I am working towards.
This is the message that the world desperately needs to hear. The message that God has and always has had a plan for this world, that is should be something beautiful, not what it is today. And we can inch towards that, if Christians all over the world will unite under the Lordship of Christ and work for the Kingdom of God here on earth. Our lives must be radically different, our values must totally change. Even one man with Christ reigning in Him can make a huge difference. Remember William Wilberforce, and how he succeeded in abolishing slavery despite the huge opposition he faced? How much more millions of Christians all over the world, in every station of society!
You and I can make a difference in this world. The Kingdom of God is here!
God of grace and God of glory,
On Thy people pour Thy power.
Crown Thine ancient church’s story,
Bring her bud to glorious flower.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
For the facing of this hour,
For the facing of this hour.
Lo! the hosts of evil ’round us,
Scorn Thy Christ, assail His ways.
From the fears that long have bound us,
Free our hearts to faith and praise.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
For the living of these days,
For the living of these days.
Cure Thy children’s warring madness,
Bend our pride to Thy control.
Shame our wanton selfish gladness,
Rich in things and poor in soul.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
Lest we miss Thy kingdom’s goal,
Lest we miss Thy kingdom’s goal.
Set our feet on lofty places,
Gird our lives that they may be,
Armored with all Christ-like graces,
In the fight to set men free.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
That we fail not man nor Thee,
That we fail not man nor Thee.
Save us from weak resignation,
To the evils we deplore.
Let the search for Thy salvation,
Be our glory evermore.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
Serving Thee Whom we adore,
Serving Thee Whom we adore.
