Understanding the kingdom of God is a life time occupation. And rightly so! There is no way we will ever be able the grasp the reality of what it means for the kingdom of God to be present but not yet complete. If we don’t understand it as an everyday Christian what chance do we have in helping others come to an understanding and relationship of this cosmic sized idea? Yet we are assured that the kingdom of God is at hand, its close by and it’s personal. How do we begin to communicate this concept to those in our communities who have no understanding of God? I don’t have the answers but would like to stimulate you in thinking about what question we can ask to start discovering some solutions.
First of all we need to get to the heart of the purpose of the church. What is the reason for the existence of the church? Maybe a better question is what is the motivation of my church and how is that motivation expressed? Is it that we see the church as God’s mission agency or as a residential home, preparing us for heaven. Do we see the church as a movement that mobilises it’s people or a place that keeps us contained. The kingdom of God is unable to be contained and therefore neither should its citizens.
That then requires the church to release and free its people to live as citizens in the world they inhabit. The question is; are we prepared for the mess that may ensue? The boundaries of the kingdom of God are obviously not as clear cut as they are when we travel through passport control. We are citizens of heaven on earth and therefore our instinct should be to shine as such. Paul instructs us a number of times to “put into practice, that which you have learned” and the church today needs to do likewise. It isn’t even about getting it right but seeking to discover what the kingdom looks like in our individual context.
Finally (for this blog) it is about seeking first the kingdom of God and joining in. This week I have once again been reassured that God is at work in Aspley, God is at work behind the various unopened doors of our community and in the lives that we seek to see transformed. God is always at work creating and transforming people in more ways that the church can ever put into a programme or project. There is a sense of relieve in my heart that all God requires of me is to unveil the kingdom that already exists in Aspley rather than trying to construct a kingdom from scratch.
The kingdom of God is not yet, so let’s unveil it.
The kingdom of God is now, so let’s live in it.
Matt
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