The Kingdom of Heaven that Jesus declared to us, is not one that is earthly. It will help if we understood the unique characteristics of this ‘out of this world’ kingdom.
It is not man-made for God alone is the architect.
It is eternal, a kingdom that will endure forever.
It is unshakeable, unstoppable and comes in God’s power.
It is capable of existing in this world but is not overcome by it.
It is not sustained by earthly monetary currencies
It rests in the hearts of the true disciples of Christ.
It seeks the surrender of the human will, not the exertion of human effort.
It is received in the simplicity of a child.
It is entered into by repentance and change of heart.
It is increased in those who submit to God’s government.
It is acquired by giving up everything of worldly value.
It is learnt by heeding the voice of God’s beloved Son.
It is discovered by the revelation of God’s Holy Spirit
It demands the daily discipline of carrying one’s personal cross .
It prefers the least over the greatest.
It is evidenced by the fruit of God’s character.
It is established upon God’s righteousness and truth.
It defies human logic & intellect and acts in opposition to it.
etc
The kingdom Jesus spoke about is no fairy tale. But it exists NOT in the natural sense but a spiritual one. The common mistake we make when trying to understand the Kingdom of God is by naturalizing it to meet our standards of morality and goodness. That's how we have treated much of God's Truth. Treated and tempered it to suit our natural and moral tastebuds.
It is not uncommon to hear God's kingdom referred to in corporate and even political terms at times. But Jesus is not the CEO of heaven neither can we refer to him as a 'leader' (the way some Christian writers like to) . The bible calls him the “suffering servant & lamb of God” which means one who had no special rights or privileges, did what he was told and was dispensable. Jesus himself testified that he did nothing that God the Father did not tell him to do! Now, that’s a follower not a leader! Go chew on that one!!
Jesus challenged the leaders to destroy the physical temple in Jerusalem which took some 40 years to build and claimed he would raise it again in 3 days! Seriously now, was Jesus considering to restore Solomon’s ancient architectural wonder after He reduced it to rubble? Of course not! He was speaking of a different kind of temple. One that had no geographical location. No home address. Not made of brick and mortar. Not built by human hands.
The Kingdom of God is a heavenly one and cannot be compared to any existing earthly model regardless of how ‘biblically ordered’, ‘morally upright’ or ‘divinely inspired’ it is. Even in their most ideal forms, the kingdoms of this world are no match for the Kingdom of God's Son. Heaven does not share our definition of perfection. In fact, Scripture tells us what is most valued among men is detestable in God’s sight (Luke 16: 15b)
Today's Church (or what I call the Organized Religious Institution) has created her golden calves and calls it the Christ. I am reminded of the OT Jeroboam who propagated his own gospel as a substitute for Moses’ law.
Read I Kings 12:26-33 for the story.
Jeroboam made 2 golden calves and presented them to Israel, “ Here are your gods O Israel who brought you up out of Egypt”. He ordained priests who were not Levites and installed them in shrines he built in high places. He offered sacrifices on the altar he built in Bethel to the gods he had made and ordered festivals in the month of his own choosing!
But God had left clear instructions with Moses :
Only one place of worship was allowed ie. the temple of Jerusalem.
Graven images were forbidden and bowing to them was a big no no.
Festivals were strictly during the month of God’s choosing.
Only Levites were qualified to be priests and offer sacrifices.
Blatant disregard for God’s Word led to his downfall.
Jeroboam was afraid the people might return to the rule of David and he came up with his convenient and cost-free option for God’s people. (I Kings 12: 26-27).
Friends, the gospel of Jeroboam IS NOT the gospel of Christ. In fact, the spirit of Jeroboam is dead set against the spirit of Christ. Christ is a threat to its existence and continuing influence because it knows only He is worthy of our complete obedience. Because once God’s people realize they have made their allegiance to a gilded bull, they will repent and begin to follow the Christ who is the head of his Body (the bible calls it the Ekklesia in the original Greek).
In church, there is always a need for volunteers - people are constantly being enlisted to make refreshments, serve coffee, drive the church van, direct Sunday traffic, make announcements, greet visitors, dust pews, host speakers, sponsor flowers, play the keyboards, babysit, arrange chairs, record sermons etc. There is no disgrace in these little things that many humbly and selflessly perform. The real shame is we have glamourized these menial tasks for mass appeal. We’ve got people thinking they are ‘ministering to God’ with their ‘gifts’ and that God is immensely pleased when people ‘serve’ the agenda of the church.
I may be shattering some illusions here but God’s goal for your life is infinitely more sacred and satisfying than passing the collection plate and washing the communion cups.
The point I am trying to make is this.
Christ DID NOT come so we could serve a man-made institution and be subject to her wardens.
Were that his mission, Jesus should have made it his life’s work to
Reform religion
Regulate worship
Revamp theology
Reorganize resources
Replenish finances
Recruit members
Raise leaders
Reduce conflicts etc
(And all the million other things church leaders do before they crash and burn to the ground!)
The blessing of owning land, numerous descendants, having more than enough and being a blessing to all the nations of the earth - This was the proud legacy left behind by Abraham, their founding patriarch. But Israel’s king would seize all of this for himself and his own. What a tragedy! God already knew what His people were capable of when they became a great nation. They would quickly forget the God who delivered them after more than 400 years of slavery in Egypt and reject Him for worthless gods. Freed from one bondage, Israel goes seeking for another.
That’s History repeating herself. And we are guilty of no less!
By faith, we became heirs of Abraham’s promise and citizens of God’s kingdom. But like Israel we reached for the very thing that put us in its power. And before we know it, we’re slaving for a counterfeit kingdom and its self-serving agenda. But as long as Christ is not the King, it will not stand.
The answer is not finding the right church to belong to. Its being connected to Christ who is the Head. St. Paul said WE BELONG TO CHRIST - not an institution (even if it dates back 1,700 years!)
When we are rightly connected to Christ then we are His church!
Don't believe anyone who tells you that you NEED to belong to one. It's a lot of Bull! (pun intended!!)
It is not man-made for God alone is the architect.
It is eternal, a kingdom that will endure forever.
It is unshakeable, unstoppable and comes in God’s power.
It is capable of existing in this world but is not overcome by it.
It is not sustained by earthly monetary currencies
It rests in the hearts of the true disciples of Christ.
It seeks the surrender of the human will, not the exertion of human effort.
It is received in the simplicity of a child.
It is entered into by repentance and change of heart.
It is increased in those who submit to God’s government.
It is acquired by giving up everything of worldly value.
It is learnt by heeding the voice of God’s beloved Son.
It is discovered by the revelation of God’s Holy Spirit
It demands the daily discipline of carrying one’s personal cross .
It prefers the least over the greatest.
It is evidenced by the fruit of God’s character.
It is established upon God’s righteousness and truth.
It defies human logic & intellect and acts in opposition to it.
etc
The kingdom Jesus spoke about is no fairy tale. But it exists NOT in the natural sense but a spiritual one. The common mistake we make when trying to understand the Kingdom of God is by naturalizing it to meet our standards of morality and goodness. That's how we have treated much of God's Truth. Treated and tempered it to suit our natural and moral tastebuds.
It is not uncommon to hear God's kingdom referred to in corporate and even political terms at times. But Jesus is not the CEO of heaven neither can we refer to him as a 'leader' (the way some Christian writers like to) . The bible calls him the “suffering servant & lamb of God” which means one who had no special rights or privileges, did what he was told and was dispensable. Jesus himself testified that he did nothing that God the Father did not tell him to do! Now, that’s a follower not a leader! Go chew on that one!!
Jesus challenged the leaders to destroy the physical temple in Jerusalem which took some 40 years to build and claimed he would raise it again in 3 days! Seriously now, was Jesus considering to restore Solomon’s ancient architectural wonder after He reduced it to rubble? Of course not! He was speaking of a different kind of temple. One that had no geographical location. No home address. Not made of brick and mortar. Not built by human hands.
The Kingdom of God is a heavenly one and cannot be compared to any existing earthly model regardless of how ‘biblically ordered’, ‘morally upright’ or ‘divinely inspired’ it is. Even in their most ideal forms, the kingdoms of this world are no match for the Kingdom of God's Son. Heaven does not share our definition of perfection. In fact, Scripture tells us what is most valued among men is detestable in God’s sight (Luke 16: 15b)
Today's Church (or what I call the Organized Religious Institution) has created her golden calves and calls it the Christ. I am reminded of the OT Jeroboam who propagated his own gospel as a substitute for Moses’ law.
Read I Kings 12:26-33 for the story.
Jeroboam made 2 golden calves and presented them to Israel, “ Here are your gods O Israel who brought you up out of Egypt”. He ordained priests who were not Levites and installed them in shrines he built in high places. He offered sacrifices on the altar he built in Bethel to the gods he had made and ordered festivals in the month of his own choosing!
But God had left clear instructions with Moses :
Only one place of worship was allowed ie. the temple of Jerusalem.
Graven images were forbidden and bowing to them was a big no no.
Festivals were strictly during the month of God’s choosing.
Only Levites were qualified to be priests and offer sacrifices.
Blatant disregard for God’s Word led to his downfall.
Jeroboam was afraid the people might return to the rule of David and he came up with his convenient and cost-free option for God’s people. (I Kings 12: 26-27).
Friends, the gospel of Jeroboam IS NOT the gospel of Christ. In fact, the spirit of Jeroboam is dead set against the spirit of Christ. Christ is a threat to its existence and continuing influence because it knows only He is worthy of our complete obedience. Because once God’s people realize they have made their allegiance to a gilded bull, they will repent and begin to follow the Christ who is the head of his Body (the bible calls it the Ekklesia in the original Greek).
In church, there is always a need for volunteers - people are constantly being enlisted to make refreshments, serve coffee, drive the church van, direct Sunday traffic, make announcements, greet visitors, dust pews, host speakers, sponsor flowers, play the keyboards, babysit, arrange chairs, record sermons etc. There is no disgrace in these little things that many humbly and selflessly perform. The real shame is we have glamourized these menial tasks for mass appeal. We’ve got people thinking they are ‘ministering to God’ with their ‘gifts’ and that God is immensely pleased when people ‘serve’ the agenda of the church.
I may be shattering some illusions here but God’s goal for your life is infinitely more sacred and satisfying than passing the collection plate and washing the communion cups.
The point I am trying to make is this.
Christ DID NOT come so we could serve a man-made institution and be subject to her wardens.
Were that his mission, Jesus should have made it his life’s work to
Reform religion
Regulate worship
Revamp theology
Reorganize resources
Replenish finances
Recruit members
Raise leaders
Reduce conflicts etc
(And all the million other things church leaders do before they crash and burn to the ground!)
The blessing of owning land, numerous descendants, having more than enough and being a blessing to all the nations of the earth - This was the proud legacy left behind by Abraham, their founding patriarch. But Israel’s king would seize all of this for himself and his own. What a tragedy! God already knew what His people were capable of when they became a great nation. They would quickly forget the God who delivered them after more than 400 years of slavery in Egypt and reject Him for worthless gods. Freed from one bondage, Israel goes seeking for another.
That’s History repeating herself. And we are guilty of no less!
By faith, we became heirs of Abraham’s promise and citizens of God’s kingdom. But like Israel we reached for the very thing that put us in its power. And before we know it, we’re slaving for a counterfeit kingdom and its self-serving agenda. But as long as Christ is not the King, it will not stand.
The answer is not finding the right church to belong to. Its being connected to Christ who is the Head. St. Paul said WE BELONG TO CHRIST - not an institution (even if it dates back 1,700 years!)
When we are rightly connected to Christ then we are His church!
Don't believe anyone who tells you that you NEED to belong to one. It's a lot of Bull! (pun intended!!)
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