While Jesus' prayer is full of so many wonderful things, I want to share with you what I believe to be the most important aspects. When Jesus spoke to His Father, He would say, "Let Your Kingdom Come. Your will be done. On Earth as it is in Heaven." These are powerful words. Intentional words. He is helping His disciples understand the meaning behind all that He is doing. What He is trying to deposit in them: the Kingdom.
I believe that Jesus is also helping His followers to understand that the Kingdom doesn't just happen. While He is talking to His Father about it, He realizes that the Kingdom will be established through Him, AND through these men and women that have walked with Him. In essence, what I'm saying is that the Kingdom of God comes through us. It is the rule and reign of His grace. It is a government of love. It is a Kingdom full of righteousness, joy, and peace. A Kingdom that will have no end. And while Jesus would be the one to establish the Kingdom, the disciples would continue the expansion.
Have you ever considered that your life is an answer to Jesus' prayer?
Can you even contemplate the ushering in of the Kingdom of God through you?
Jesus told His disciples that the Kingdom of God is within. When He commissions them to go into the nations, He is telling them to release the Kingdom.
In the days of Rome, as they were conquering the world, they discovered that even though they controlled certain regions, they were not creating culture. A decision was made to send ambassadors into these regions so that the people could learn the ways of Rome. In this way, they established a way of life: "When in Rome..." The reason is quite simple. After culture was established, a dignitary from the homeland could travel to any quarter of the known world and experience Rome. The way of life, the way society would work, and the laws of the land would be carried out. It's this backdrop that provides a wonderful launching pad for the Kingdom of God. That wherever the disciples would go to carry the Good News of Jesus, they would disciple the nations in the culture of the Kingdom. Bringing Heaven to Earth. Answering the prayer of our Lord.
Think about it. What good is it to convert thousands of people to faith in Jesus, if you do not shape the culture? We should understand this better by now. Most of our Mission Organizations around the world have finally tapped into this revolutionary idea. They days of going in and seeing mass converts, only to see them fall back into the same things that held them in bondage have gone. We have recognized the need to create culture. We partner with those already on the ground. We don't need to expand Western Christianity. We need to expand the Kingdom of God. To see indigenous growth of the Kingdom.
As we take time to pray for our nation, our churches, and the world; let's consider the prayer of Jesus. Let's pray for the ushering in of the Kingdom through the Father's awakened sons. To see the love of God manifest through each and everyone of us. To walk in the grace, mercy, and compassion of our Father.
The church has taken a lot of hits over the years. Right now, in America, the church has lost its prominence. There are many factors to this decline. Scandals of all shapes and sizes, abuse of power, and the hateful rhetoric of those in the extreme camps have shaped the mindsets of many people. Did you know that a 66 year old Nebraska woman is suing EVERY gay person on EARTH and asking a federal judge to rule on the sin of homosexuality? She says she is doing it on behalf of the Father and the Son. Did you know that there is a documentary floating around the movie channels called "Kidnapped for Christ" that shows the psychological and physical abuse of "at risk teens" in order the reform them? It's leaving a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths and calling for federal regulations over these types of programs. Let's not forget the Westboro Baptist Church crowd and all of their antics. You do realize that to go to their website all you have to do is type in www.godhatesfags.com? And we wonder why people aren't flocking to the church. I haven't even mentioned some of the moral failures of our leaders. The reality is that we have a lot of work to do.
Jesus' commissioning of His disciples, and the answer to His prayers will not come through force. The ushering in of the Kingdom will not come through an apocalyptic episode either. It will come through us. It will be seen in our love for one another. It will flow through our compassion for every person. It will be demonstrated in our mercy. If the Kingdom could come through force then surely the Crusades would have been the answer the church was looking for. They were not. We must teach, preach, and represent the Kingdom that Jesus died to establish. We must make disciples. We must create this culture among our churches, and spread it throughout out communities.
There is no doubt that we need prayer. WE. NEED. PRAYER. Prayer is not a means of shaping God's will, but it is incredibly helpful in shaping ours. Jesus did not pray that His will be done, but that the Father's would be done. Prayer keeps us in tune with the Father's will and in line with the Father's Kingdom. It keeps us fully aware of what this Kingdom looks like, and how we can see the manifestation of it on the Earth. It allows us to think from a different realm. To embrace the reality of the Father in our own lives first, and then to help others come to grips with all that He has done on our behalf. We need prayer. Prayers for our faith to increase, to grow in the grace and knowledge of God, and to be consumed with His unconditional love. Then we can see the fullness of God manifest in our lives.
Let us pray that the sons will be awakened.
Let us pray for the ushering in of the Kingdom through us.
Let us pray for the hearts of people to be softened to His goodness.
Let us pray that our world will be changed.
And let us be an answer to those prayers. Let us partner with the Father to see His Kingdom Come, His will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.
AMEN!
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