If we are to truly transform our cities with the Gospel then we have to change our entire strategy. How many churches are trying to get "bigger and bigger" at the expense of true city wide transformation? Most churches measure success by butts in the pews...and money in the plate. Doesn't that sound a tad like a movie theater?
How many people are watching the show and how many are buying tickets?Is that what God has called us to do? Is it any wonder that our churces are filled with "spectators" and not doers? Too many churches are into what I call...Castle Building. Churches who are trying to build castles (i'm not talking about a building) are only worried about how big their church grows. They may even compete with the other churches in town. They may have clever slogans about how their church is "better" than any other church. Or maybe that church is selling itself as more "relevant", "hipper" or "cooler" than the next. I remember in one town that I pastored I was scolded by another pastor about how I was in his "territory". Wow... It's no wonder our cities are so lost.
Jesus has not called us to build castles. He has called us to be engaged in His ever expanding Kingdom. Once churches in a city realize that it's not about them...the city will be better. That city will be better reached with the Gospel. The Kingdom of God is the rule of God over all creation. God is up to something huge. He is up to something that you and I can never compete with or ever dream to outdue. Jesus was all about this kingdom.
Wouldn't it be phenomenal if churches joined each other for the sake of the Gospel? Wouldn't it be great to join other churches in the Missio Dei than the pettiness of doctrinal divide? Folks...it's time to realize we are all on the same team if we have been redeemed. Isn't that what he prayed for us in John 17 before he was arrested in the garden?
Jesus said to seek first His Kingdom. Why are you building your castle?
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. - Matthew 6:33
(for other posts about the Kingdom of God on dansardinas.net click here.
What are you willing to sacrifice so that the Gospel will transform your city? To really reach our cities with the Gospel it's going to take sacrifice. It's going to be at times uncomfortable and awkward. The Gospel cost Jesus and it will cost you & I to share it as well. That's just the plain truth.
Very few Chistians share their faith with the world. The ones that do share their faith, know what to say...but don't know how to express it in their life. Most know how to tell the ABC's of salavation....but don't know how to translate this "good news" into actions. As the old saying goes....actions speak louder than words. When is the last time you showed the world Good News?
My kids are still very young (11, 9 & 6). They are good kids but they are kids. When they do get in trouble they always tell me that they will never do it again. They say that they are very sorry...and they plead for forgiveness. I always forgive them. But, I always tell them the same thing. "Don't tell me....show me". I want them to know now that talk is cheap. You can tell me you are sorry everyday...but if you never show me than I don't believe it.
You can tell the world that Jesus saves. You can tell the world everyday that there is Good News in the world...but if you don't show it...does it matter? The world has heard enough sermons. They need to start seeing some. What are some ways we can show "good news" through actions in our city? After all...how can we talk of the life transforming message of the Gospel if it hasn't changed us? Do share...what are you doing in your city. What are ways we can show love and demonstrate "good news".
What are you willing to sacrifice so that the Gospel may advance? That question may be more complex and deeper than you may think. I'm not talking about how much money you are going to give to your church..or how much time you will spend at the next church event.
Think outside the box. Would you be willing to buy local and spend a little more money? Why? Think of the relationships that can be built with people in your own town! You are also investing into your own community everytime you purchase something from a locally owned business. For the sake of the Gospel this is so, so important. I understand that this is not possible with every purchase. However, the little changes you can make can go a long ways! You can invest in the local transformation of your city financially! It may cost you extra....but it will be worth it! You can then open doors of conversation and earn the right to be heard!
My friend and partner in ministry, Tom Richards, practices and lives this reality. Instead of buying his guitar strings online for much cheaper...he goes and buys them from a local music store. Tom and I meet weekly for a staff meeting regarding The Way Church. Tom loves Starbucks coffee. However, instead of holding our meetings in Starbucks he suggested we meet in a local coffee shop in Cape Coral. The results have been great! We are helping that local coffee shop and have built a nice relationship with the owners, Cindy and Lorraine. I'm looking for other ways to contribute locally! (Although I will still find myself at Starbucks too)
What else can you sacrifice for the Gospel? Buying local is one example....what else can we do? The Gospel is worth it.
Say what? Yes I just said that. This is probably the only time that dealing drugs; can be used as a positive example for illustrative purposes. Maybe you've heard it said this way. "Practice what you preach!" Jesus called the people who didn't live this kind of life "hypocrites". The english word hypocrite is the greek word ὑποκρίτης. It literally means to act. Or it has the connotation to "wear a mask". It is somebody who is not true to the message that they are proclaiming. Here is something important to note here. We've all been hypocrites. We've all known a hypocrite. We have all decided, at one time or another, to not be who we were meant to be. We have all worn a mask hiding who we truly are inside.
We could use many different examples here for hypocrisy. The one example I want to focus on is how we treat the Gospel. The Gospel is literally Good News. It's the Good News about what God is doing in the universe through Jesus Christ. It is the Good News that God has not given up on the world. As a follower of Christ my life should be overflowing with Good News. Why is it then so many Christians are known for bad news? Just the name "christian" has so many bad memories for so many people. I would like to submit to you that when my life hides the Good News I am a hypocrite.
When I love, forgive, care and sacrifice, I am telling the world that there is hope. I am showing that there is Good News. When I hate, hold grudges, neglect others and consume myself with me....I am proclaiming bad news. When I treat others as Jesus would treat them....I proclaim to the world Good News!
There are two choices. I can choose to add to the brokenness of the world or I can choose to join God in putting it back together. I am a hypocrite when I claim to be a person of Good News but constantly proclaim Bad News.
Already in just a little over 2 weeks Google+ has nearly amassed 10 million users. Google+ is the companies newest venture into social networking. The previous attempt (Google Buzz) is still considered a failure. However Google+ appears to be a winner because some say it merges the best of FaceBook & Twitter in one platform. So far I agree.
A lot of the buzz (no pun intended) from Google+ was the only way to get in was for somebody to invite you. This was, of course, in typical Google fashion. They normally resort to the invite only approach when releasing a new product. For days...my Twitter & FaceBook news feeds were littered with people trying to get invites to the new social network.
One invite opens the door for many, many others to hear about Google+. Last Friday, while walking around Downtown Disney & waiting for my wife...I noticed that one of my friends on Twitter had some invites. I quickly replied and was instantly invited to sign up. In the 4 days since I joined I have invited 7 people to join me on the Google+ journey. And now those people have also invited many others...who will invite many others. You know where I'm going with this, right?
This got me thinking....what can we learn from Google+ Evangelism? Evangelism is simply the "proclamation of Good News". Google+ is growing by leaps and bounds by the multiplication of invites. I know we've heard this before but it sounds a lot like the Great Commission is suppose to work, no?
I tell and invite you about the Good News. You tell others...who then share it with others...who then share it with others! Here are some of my observations.
1. People are searching & looking to be invited on a new journey. I asked a few times and then wound up with an invite. I've seen several people hungry enough to ask numerous times until they got in. Some people are tired of FaceBook. No doubt, there are many who are searching for something better in this world. God has called many to salvation. Who are you looking for? Who are you going after?
2. People are inviting others to Google+ because they believed it to be powerful. I believe that many times we cease to evangelize beacause we doubt the goodness and power of the Gospel. We know the Gospel. But how often do we practice it? I've seen many rave about the awesomeness of Google+. How many Christians are really proclaiming the POWER of the Gospel as Paul says in Romans 1? Isn't the gospel a much more rewarding journey than a social network?
What if anything can we learn from Google+ Evangelism?
I'm not going to wax eloquent today. Listen to the words of the prophecy...they speak of Jesus. Thank you, Jesus!
Isaiah 53 (NIV)
1 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By oppression[a] and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken.[b] 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
10Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes[c] his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. 11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life[d] and be satisfied[e]; by his knowledge[f] my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,[g] and he will divide the spoils with the strong,[h] because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Before I begin...I want to share how I became aware of Rob Bell.
I first became aware of Rob Bell by attending the C3 2005 conference in Grapevine, Texas. The conference was hosted by Pastor Ed Young at Fellowship Church. Rob spoke once and what he spoke on captivated the entire room. Rob said that true discipleship was "being covered in the dust of your Rabbi". A statement that rattled and still rattles my brain as I think through its implications. It revolutionized my thinking on discipleship. When I got home I instantly began searching for more teaching from Rob. I then discovered that he was the guy behind all of those cool "Nooma" videos. I had never watched one but had heard much about them.
From there I dove into Velvet Elvis, Sex God, Jesus Wants To Save Christians & Drops Like Stars. Each one of these books was a great experience. They challenged me and made me ask the questions that made my journey more rewarding. I then went out and purchased every single Nooma that came out. I attended 2 of his speaking tours "The gods aren't angry" & "Drops like Stars". I even went out to a pastor's conference he hosted at Mars Hill named "Isn't She Beautiful". I never fully agreed with 100% of the content, but then who do you fully agree with? I took the great truths I learned and became more aware of what God was doing in and through me in the world. To say that Rob had been a help and inspiration to me as believer & pastor would be an understatement.
I heart Rob Bell. I admit it. However, after reading the book that perception of Rob is changing. I need some therapy after reading this. I can't justify some of the things that he says that I believe are in complete contradiction to Gospel of Jesus. I can't say I'm really surprised. I have read and heard many things by him over the years that made me wonder. Well.....here we go.
Before you jump to any conclusions I invite you to read the book yourself. Or...hear from Rob explain it.
Synopsis : What is the main message of the book?
God is Love. Because God is Love..nobody will spend an eternity apart from God in "Hell". A truly loving God can't send anyone to a literal place of torment for eternity. God gets what He wants....(that none should perish). God's love will eventually melt the hearts of all people and everyone will come to know God's Love. Although Rob doesn't say it (it is obviously implied)....there is no literal place called Hell. The Hell that the Rob talks about is only a present reality. We choose Hell when we reject God's Love. It is important to note that Rob is NOT a universalist. He still believes that a person has choices to reject God's Love. Christian Universalism says that all will go to Heaven...no matter what they do or want. In Rob's theology...people still choose God.
HELL
Rob begins the book with a story about Gandhi. Someone at a church event put up a note about Gandhi, saying "Reality check: He's in hell." I agree with Rob here when he knocks down this idea about who is in hell. Who really knows that? Only God. Only God knows a person's heart. To say confidentially that someone is 100% in hell is pure speculation.
Rob questions "Of all the billions of people who have ever lived, will only a select number "make it to a better place" and every single other person suffer in torment and punishment forever? Is this acceptable to God? Has God created millions of people over tens of thousands of years who are going to spend eternity in anguish? Can God do this, or even allow this, and still claim to be a loving God?" (page 12 on iBook version of "Love Wins")
In the book Rob argues that Hell is determined by our choices. Rob argues that Hell is all around us. Rob speaks of Hell as the evil that is in the world. A broken, suffering and groaning creation that is yearning for justice. It is through all of this mess that people realize that they need "good news". The Gospel is the hope that God has not given up on the world. Through this gospel we can be saved from our personal hell and end the hell around us. Rob teaches that it's through God's love that these hell's are defeated. Rob says he does believe in hell because he sees the destruction people bring on themselves with their sin and poor choices.
Let me add this note here. I agree halfway with Rob. There is hell all around us. There are Tsunami's, Earthquakes, murders, pride, social injustice, abuse, violence, slavery, poverty, porn, starvation, diseases, financial nightmares, marital unfaithfulness, etc. There are people hurting everyday, everywhere. These "hell's" can't be ignored. We are living in the consequences of a fallen world. However....that's where Rob stops. For me hell is not just a present reality......it's also a very real future reality as well. You can't ignore or replace a future hell for the current hells we all face now in this lifetime. At the same time you can't ignore the current hells in light of eternity. Since eternity is....well....eternal.
The biblical response to this is....that God is a God of Love, yes! But He is also a God of Justice. He is a Holy God. People sin, disobey God and separate themselves apart from God. We deserve hell because "The wages of sin is death......" Obviously I disagree with Rob. I just don't see how you can interpret certain passages on Hell any different. He really tries to reinterpret Luke 16 (Rich man and Lazurus) but does not do it justice. How about this one?
Rob says we shouldn't look at this as who is "in" or "out".
"A gospel that repeatedly, narrowly affirms and bolsters the "in-ness" of one group at the expense of the "out-ness" of another group will not be true to the story that includes "all things and people in heaven and earth". (page 180 on iBook version of "Love Wins")
How do you interpret this any differently?
"Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire." - Revelation 20:11-15
Hell is to be without God and separated from his presence in a real place for eternity.
HEAVEN
This book is just not about Hell....it's also a book about Heaven. For Rob...the Christian life is not about evacuation. It's about bringing Heaven here. It is not about escaping this earth but awaiting the new creation. The new Heaven and the New earth that God will create. Rob notes that the Bible ends with Heaven crashing into earth. For Rob...Heaven like Hell.....is a present reality. God is restoring and renewing creation until one day this one passes away and a new one is unveiled. God created this world good and He wants to return the shalom (peace) that existed in the garden of eden. Heaven is the completion of God's plan for creation. He created it good....and it ends good. Heaven is a present reality that we bump into everyday here on earth.
I have very little beef with Rob's view of Heaven. I am very much in agreement that living, and breathing the ways of Jesus bring Heaven to earth now.
Rob says - "If you believe that you're going to leave and evacuate to somewhere else, then why do anything about this world? A proper view of Heaven leads not to escape from the world, but to full engagement with it, all with the anticipation of a coming day when things are on earth as they currently are in Heaven." (page 68 on iBook version of "Love Wins")
He says - "Jesus teaches us to pursue the life of Heaven now and also then, anticipating the day when earth and Heaven are one." Sounds a lot like Matthew 6:33. "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness....."
I believe that Heaven is what God fully intended the universe to look like. John explains this in Revelation 20 and it's a beautiful picture! When the gospel is lived out...we bump into Heaven here on earth. It is my view that "being the salt of the earth" & "light of the world" are implications of bringing Heaven to earth now. Heaven is also to be with God in a real place for all eternity.
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Revelation 21: 1-5
THE GOSPEL & THE METAPHOR OF THE CROSS
One of the more troubling aspects of the book is Rob's portrayal of the cross. Rob doesn't deny that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. He says,
"'Jesus died on the cross for your sins'. Yes, we know. We've seen that homemade billboard by the side of the road countless times. Anything else?". (page 163 on iBook version of "Love Wins")
It's that lackluster attitude towards the cross that makes me disgusted with the book. Rob continues to argue that the sacrifice that Christ offered on the Cross to God was a metaphor that the first Christians used to explain what happened. He says that It was a metaphor that reminded the first believers of the Old Testament sacrificial system. It was a way to tell the story so that the first Christians (Jews) could understand. Here is the shocking part..... it's a metaphor that no longer applies today. Why? Because Rob says we no longer sacrifice animals.
Wow. This is exactly what Rob says.
"This is especially crucial in light of how many continue to use the sacrificial metaphor in our modern world. There's nothing wrong with talking and singing about how the "Blood will never lose it's power" and "Nothing but the blood will save us." Those are powerful metaphors. But we don't live any longer in a culture in which people offer animal sacrices to the gods. People did live that way for thousands of years, and there are pockets of primitive cultures around the world that do continue to understand sin, guilt, and atonement in those ways. But most of us don't. What the first Christians did was look around them and put the Jesus story in language their listeners would understand." (page 171 -172 on iBook version of "Love Wins")
People...this is not just a metaphor. This is foundational. The atonement on the cross was necessary. It was not just a way for the first Christians to understand it. This is true all throughout scripture...(Abraham, Cain & Abel, The Temple) If we don't understand that God the Father poured out his WRATH on Jesus because of our sin on the cross....we are in loads of trouble!!!!!!
IN CONCLUSION
I really hope I'm wrong. It would be much easier to believe that Rob is right. I want to believe that Rob is right. I really do. It would be so much easier. But he's not.
I believe the book does have it's good parts. It has it bad parts. And then it has it's downright ugly parts. As I said in the beginning of this post. I highly admire Rob. I have been blessed by his teachings. I just can not agree with his view of the Gospel, which ultimately leads to warped views of Hell & God himself.
I agree that love does win. Again and Again. I agree that God is love. God is not just loving. He is the very essence of love. However, to solely focus on this attribute of God and ignore all the others; will allow one (like Rob Bell) to miss the grander story of what is happening in the biblical narrative.
The cross shows us why Hell is real. Jesus took Hell for us so that we can escape getting what we deserve. I deserve Hell. Without Him....I am lost, hopeless and and doomed. In Him, I am found, restored, and invited to live in relationship with the God who made me, forever. The Gospel is not a fire escape. It is how God brings me back into relationship with Himself. The Gospel is also the good news that is lived through my life as a result of being saved by God.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. Luke 2: 8-12
The shepherds only had half of the story. However, the news was so good that only half of it was needed to be that refreshing! Out in their fields, watching their sheep by night they were given a huge surprise. An angel of the Lord appeared to them and announced that the Messiah had been born. Not only was he born....but it was not how any of them would have expected. Born to a young woman, who was poor, in a small town that was crowded for the census. The shepherds may have probably looked for something more "royal" if they had not been told differently. So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. Luke 2: 16-20
The shepherds wasted no time in going to Bethlehem. They heard. They went. They saw. They went and told everybody of the Good News that had been given to the world. The shepherds was telling everyone the good news. The baby would prove to be the Savior of the world.
The Shepherds made an impact not even knowing the whole story of this baby! How much more do we need to spread the story?! We have the whole story! We know who this baby was. We knew who this baby became.....and we know what this baby did for the world. The Gospel is how God is putting the world back together again. Who are you telling? What are you waiting for?
Jesus spoke in parables to describe the Kingdom of God. Parables are stories that have a deeper explanation of truth. Here is my stab at creating a Parable to describe the Kingdom of God. I would love to hear your parallel parables of the Kingdom. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Enjoy.
The Kingdom of God is like a drop of dish soap that falls into a kitchen sink full of dirty dishes. The dish soap multiplies and expands as it mixes with the water. The dish soap starts forming bubbles throughout the entire sink. It is not long after that the entire sink is filled with the bubbles of the dish soap. The dirty dishes now have a way to be cleaned, restored and used again as originally intended. PDV (Pastor Dan Version) :)
Here is another article written way back that fits within the Kingdom series.
When Jesus was proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and focusing on people's needs...did he intend for Christians to be so divisive and split apart? I believe the church has not had a greater impact on the world because of an unhealthy view of denominational allegiances. Denominations are important! But why are we so worried about whether we are Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Lutheran, Pentecostal, blah, blah, and blah?????
It would seem to me that many are more worried about who they disagree with in doctrine! What about the suffering happening while we quarrel! Is it more important to identify
myself as an (Independent, Southern, American, General, Foursquare, or whatever)
Baptist? Or should I be more concerned about showing people the Christ? I'm not
saying you shouldn't be a part of a denomination but sometimes I feel that it has had a choke hold on the Great Commission.
For the last 6 years I've been a part of the Southern Baptist Convention. I did not choose the SBC over their doctrinal fidelty or because of it's leaders. I was impressed by their shared passion to share Christ around the world together. The Cooperative Program giving from the churches is a phenomenal achievment and raises millions of dollars to spread the Gospel. However I was sickened the other day when I recieved a letter from one of the SBC leaders. The letter said that this leader would devote most of this time in 2009 and 2010 to show people who "Southern Baptists" are all about. Let me be clear here....WHO CARES? Who cares who Southern Baptists are? Why are we not concerned with who Jesus is!?!?
Why are we concerned about who "Followers of Jesus" are? This mentatlity of caring about how successful or big your organization gets....stinks! It puts a choke hold on the Kingdom. It's almost as sickening to hear about another pastor comlaining that a church in their town has more people than he does. It happens again, and again and again.
Jesus talked about the Kingdom!
Jesus talked about the ekklesia changing the world for Him. The term ekklesia is where we get our english word "church". It simply means a called out "gathering".It was a Roman term that Ceasar used to identify those who had credited deity to Ceasar. In Roman times...ekklesia's were gatherings of people who identified that "Ceasar" is lord. The church is just the opposite. The early Christians grabbed this term...and made it to be a
gathering of people who proclaimed that Jesus is Lord!
Stop the choke hold. Pledge your allegiance to the Kingdom of God...not your group
or denomination. I want to support anybody who proclaims that Jesus is Lord. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life!
At the very beginning of Jesus ministry it became apparently obvious what he was going to focus on. The Kingdom. What is the kingdom? Well that is not an answer that I believe that can be answered in a single post. Jesus didn't even do that. I encourage you to join me in this very important conversation. It is one that we need to return unto. It is a message that is so easily forgotten & I'm not sure why.
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis,Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him. - Matthew 4:23 - 25 (NIV)
Not too long after his 40 day fast & temptation from Satan, we find this passage about how Jesus began his ministry. Jesus spent the first days of his ministry proclaiming the "good news" of the Kingdom. What did that include? It included making this world a better place to live. It involved reaching out to those who needed him. People who were, sick, lame, diseased, possessed and down & out came to Jesus. He loved on them and healed them. Jesus saw a broken, hurting and messed up world. Jesus saw those who were hurting and knew that this was not right. This was not the way it was supposed to be!
Can we say that a part of the Kingdom of God is the restoration of Creation? The Kingdom of Heaven is also used in the Gospels to refer to the same concept. Heaven, the dwelling place of God is a perfect place. It's a place where everything is as it should be. There is no sin there to mess it up. There is NO sin in heaven. The Kingdom of God/Heaven is God's rule over all of Creation. God is the Sovereign King and He rules His Kingdom the way He chooses. The ways of the Kingdom show us what the world was originally created to be; until sin screwed it all up. The Good News is that you and I were headed to Hell....until Jesus showed up. Jesus' death & resurrection purchased our redemption. This is the Gospel message. This is Good News. God has not given up on the world and has made renewal and restoration available to all.
Creation is headed somewhere. Since Genesis 3 when sin entered the scene it's been a downward spiral for all of creation. Hate, violence, greed, selfishness, indifference and any other sin you can name has been stealing all life from creation. This kind of world is not what God's wants. Thankfully this will not always be true.
Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Matthew 19:28
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Colossians 1:19-20
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. Acts 3:20-21
The Kingdom of God is a story of God’s mission to renew and restore all that is broken and marred by sin. Jesus began preaching it from the very beginning. Jesus invites us to be a part of putting this world back together again. The teachings of Jesus show us how to do this. Jesus shows us that living a life of peace, grace, forgiveness, etc, is the best way to live. They bring healing.
Jesus preached the "Good News" of the kingdom. What kind of "Good News" is your life showing. You have 2 choices. You can choose to add to the suffering of the world. Or you can choose to join God in putting it all back together again. The latter sounds the way the King wants us to live in His Kingdom. Don't you think?
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