The Kingdom Within

I was looking over the passage from Luke 17 where Jesus speaks of the Kingdom of God. He most noticeably says in many versions that the Kingdom of God is within you. However, over the years many of the translators have made the change to the Kingdom of God being in their midst. Which, quite possibly, is the original meaning. With all of that being said, I do not believe that it is wrong to say that the Kingdom of God is within YOU. Wherever Jesus is, His Kingdom is present.

When Jesus spoke of the coming of the Holy Spirit He said, "In that day you will know that I am in my Father, you are in Me, and I am in you." The gift of the Holy Spirit is the clearest confirmation of who we are in Christ. Secure in relationship. Endowed with the same power. Flowing in the same life. The greatest problem I see with experiencing this reality is that we struggle to believe that this is true. Most of us are so aware of ourselves, at least how we perceive ourselves, that it is quite difficult to see anything else. Our faults are quite evident. Our shortcomings loom large over the way we think. More and more we find ourselves living like beggars in the Kingdom of God rather than enjoying the benefits of sonship. How can we possibly think that we would ever see the Kingdom of God?

Part of the problem, in my estimation, is that we have made our faith largely about getting out. Our view of the world, our eschatology, our lack of experience in the spiritual nature of our faith, and even much of our hymnology espouse a greater life than the one we are going through right now. How many times have we heard someone say that they can't wait to get to Heaven. Which isn't a bad statement in and of itself, but when it's coming from the mouth of a twenty year old I have to question what they understand about the nature of our faith. The Gospel isn't about escaping. It's not about avoiding life with all of its ups and downs. The Gospel is the Good News about what Jesus has accomplished along with the announcement of the Kingdom of God. There is so much that we are missing out on. So much that we have yet to experience.

If your gospel is more about evacuation later rather than transformation now then you have missed what is essential to the message and prayers of Jesus. Go back and read through the narratives yourself. Hear the words of Jesus for that generation and even to ours now. Listen to His prayers not only for the disciples, but for those who would come to believe on Him because of their work. The Kingdom of God that was "at hand" and "here" in Jesus' day is alive and well even today. In fact, if He is in me then His Kingdom is in me. There is no reason for us to evacuate the Earth. We are mean to go forward, multiply, and to fill the Earth. God does tell us in the Scriptures that the WHOLE EARTH will be filled with His glory. Why would we want to stop now?

I'm not against having security for eternity, but I desperately want people to have security for right here and now.

So...the Kingdom of God is within. What now? How can we possibly access what is available to us?
Let me say that I didn't write this out to give you some sort of spiritual checklist. I'm writing this out today to stir up the Kingdom of God within you. There is so much about God's Kingdom that is experienced as we believe, as we meditate, as we pray, and as we contemplate. Holding onto this reality above any other perception is crucial to your experience. You have to fight through the darkness of your own thinking. Work through the allusions that you have carried about God. Remove yourself from a servant mindset into a son mindset. Determine that you are going to live in your inheritance. Jesus died so that you could have something greater than religion could give. Don't you think it's worth the time to figure that out? I do.

Your life and mine is a journey where we begin to see the Kingdom more clearly each and every day. Where we establish His rule and reign in our lives first and then pass it on to others. Where His love, His peace, His joy, and the rest become more than just fleeting moments in our lives. Where we eat from the Tree of Life freely. This is the hope that we carry. The experience that He is bringing us into this very moment. Where His salvation is more than a moment in our history but a true part of our present reality. It is the life that you and I were meant to live all along. In intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father, through Jesus, in communion with the Holy Spirit. Life, even with all of its difficulties, is to be a beautiful dance of relationship. Don't miss it. Renew your mind today. Enjoy the transformation. His Kingdom is within you.

Reflecting

How rare is reflection in our Christianity today? Is it because the majority of American Christians own an actual Bible? Has a hard copy of the Scriptures kept us from going deeper in our understanding? One author has said, "To read without reflecting is like eating without digestion." Think about that statement. Paul, when writing his young disciple Timothy said as much: "Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this."
2 Timothy 2:7

Maybe part of the problem is that most of us have received a packaged faith. Wrapped up neatly in our dogma are all the verses, bullet points, and cross references that you will ever need. There's really no need to think for yourself. Just accept what we say as fact, own it, and you will be an fine. It is exactly this approach to our faith that has caused the majority of our divisions. Evangelical Christianity is filled with various denominations who all say they believe the same thing about the main thing. Yet we continue to divide ourselves. Has anyone ever asked how long it took for us to get to where we are today? Are we arrogant enough to think that we have it all figured out?

I wonder how many Christians realize that it took about three centuries to discover the Trinity? In other words, it took 300 years of reflection, contemplation, and meditation for the Church to grasp something as essential as this belief. For those of us who grew up in the church, reciting the Nicene Creed, and being taught about 3 in 1 (which actually may be an over simplification) this may seem shocking. However, we have to recognize the fact that much of what we say is essential in what we believe has not always been believed, or at least was not communicated in the same way we communicate it today.

Why does this matter? It matters because you and I were given a belief system and never taught how to question it, reflect upon it, reject it, or go deeper into it. The topic really didn't matter. We were just handed something and said to memorize it. Which, by the way, doesn't make for very mature believers. Many of these topics have been so ingrained in our thinking that we cannot read the Bible without seeing them. Therefore, we struggle with new ideas, concepts, or interpretations. We meet someone who is very strong in GRACE and we label them. Have a conversation with someone who is really engrossed in the LOVE of God and we call them heretical. Listen to someone who is convinced of the FINISHED WORK of Christ and we might even say they are a false prophet/teacher. All because it looks and/or sounds a little different than what we believe. The reality is that over the last 2,000 years the church has continued to grow and to develop in our understanding of God. We continue to search the Scriptures, reflect upon what we have read, investigate church history, and give room for the Spirit to help us in this endeavor. We are learning what Paul taught his young disciple. "Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into this."

Reflection - serious thought or consideration - is necessary for anyone who wants to walk with the Lord. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that there are some things we have said, taught, and done throughout the centuries doesn't seem to jive with what we know about Jesus and the faith that He offers to us. What we have often labeled as movements within the history of Christianity are simply a recapturing of what has always been true. We just lost these truths somewhere along the way. And while we may accept them as truth now there is great difficulty in getting them to fit into our current structures.

I'm telling you right now that if you will seriously think and consider about the love that God has for you - you will be undone.
If you seriously think and consider God's grace in your life - you will be transformed.
If you seriously think and consider the finished work of Christ - you will stop striving for what the Father has already granted to you.
The list goes on and on. But we will never truly enjoy these things until we stop the madness. Stop running around in our religious hamster wheels. Stop long enough for the Lord to actually speak to us about these things.

I wish that each of us could read the Bible in its original language. I wish that we could dump everything out of our minds that we have been taught and see it for the first time ourselves. I wish that we could take such an approach to the Bible where we actually ask the Spirit to lead us, to teach us, and to enable us to communicate it for ourselves. Those first two wishes may not take place, but the last one can. The Spirit of God is all too willing to do lead, teach, and enable. If we will let Him.

We have so much more to learn. So much more to understand about our identity in Christ. So many more experiences of the reality of God in our lives. The Kingdom of God is ever increasing. Why wouldn't we take the time to reflect upon the GOODNESS of our Heavenly Father? It is such an incredible journey. So...I dare you to carve out some time in your life just to reflect. Seriously think and consider some of these things for yourself. You don't need to protect a belief system. You need to encounter the living God. Enjoy the journey!

Metanoia

When you hear the word "repent" - what comes to mind? Does this word evoke the images of a rough prophet proclaiming destruction? A fiery preacher beating on a pulpit? Do you see people doing particular things to prove their repentance? What about a U-Turn sign? Most of these things are common to the average person. Especially when you consider how we have been taught.

Most people don't realize that the early Catholic Church actually changed the word repentance to penance. Which meant for us to do something right to counteract what we did wrong. Carrying with it the Old Testament view of repentance which was performance based. If you don't think we have borrowed from this type of thinking just listen to the average teacher/preacher. Repentance is almost always defined as turning away from sin and turning to God by changing the way you behave. It's not a bad thing in and of itself (not many people are going to argue with the need to clean up our lives). However, it causes us to lose the deep and rich meaning of the Greek word translated as REPENT.

METANOIA
Comes from two words:
META - to change
NOIS - mind
Therefore, metanoia means to change the mind and/or to change the way you think. And what we have learned over the last few years on this blog is that to change the way you think will change the way you behave. Sounds like repentance to me. Bruce Wilkinson defined repentance in this way: "Repentance means you change your mind so deeply that it changes you." Wherever and whenever the New Testament uses the word metanoia we are seeing a need to change the way we think. To repent and believe is to change from unbelief to belief. To move from distrust to trust. To abandon rejection of the truth and enter into acceptance of the truth. And when this takes place in our lives, true change will follow. Why? Because true repentance has taken place.

Sin is rooted in unbelief. When Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit's coming, He said that the Spirit would convict the world of sin because they do not believe. It is unbelief that keeps us from entering into relationship, from experiencing the abundant life of Christ, and keeps us in a performance mentality. The truth of the matter is that those in biblical days understood metanoia. We, on the other hand, are trying to replace a different understanding of repentance.

I realize that many people will read this and say, "So you are okay with people not turning away from sin?" or "You believe someone can be saved without repentance?" When in fact I have said no such thing. Of course I want people to turn away from destructive habits and lifestyles, but that does not precede turning to Jesus. Any other understanding of repentance produces a works/performance mentality. We become "saved" because of what we do rather than through what Jesus has already done. We are trying to change before we turn to Christ, and it just doesn't work like that.

Metanoia brings us to a place where we begin to learn and fully appreciate the finished work of Christ. Where we begin to see ourselves as beloved children of our Heavenly Father. We begin to believe in His grace and mercy. Where we begin to live from our identity in Him. It's like what John said in his letter to the church: "We have come to know and to believe in the love that God has for us." Which is life changing.

Think about it. In the Old Testament we read where God repents. Does that mean that God was turning away from sin? None of us believe that. So why would we ever accept a definition of repentance that means anything different? I believe it shows just how sin conscience we have become. How we focus on outward displays rather than inward realities. Or how easy it has become to go through the motions rather than experience an actual changing of the mind and heart.

How much would change in our life if we actually believed? Now THAT is a good question.

Being Right vs Being in Relationship

I think we have forgotten the words of the Apostle Paul. Romans 12:18 plainly teaches us that we should do what we can do to live peaceably with one another. "If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all." This does not mean that we cannot have our own convictions. Paul is not telling us to abandon our belief systems. It seems to me that he is stating that there is a responsibility that each of us has to protect relationships.

Somewhere along the way we lost this. I wonder if we ever really had it to begin with. The unwillingness of so many people within the human race to continue to treat one another as humans is astounding. We disagree, divide, and often demonize those that don't hold our beliefs, values, or perspectives. Maybe I notice it more during political seasons. Maybe this has always been an issue. It seems that with every turn we face another choice. Whose side will we be on? Whose cause will we take up? And who will be left in the wake of our destruction?

I would love to say that the church has been above this type of dysfunction. I wish I could tell you that we all get along and that we have found a common denominator in Christ. However, the reality is that we have fallen into the same line of thinking. You have groups on either side of the aisle who are sure that they have a more solid belief about the Bible. Those who claim to be more in line with the teachings of Jesus. Groups who are confident that they will be the only ones who truly represent the Kingdom of God. All the while we tear the Body apart, gather into our small sample of the kingdom, and discredit those who believe differently.

Earlier this morning I met with several ministers of local congregations. There we were, men from different denominations determined to gather in the name of Christ. One of the oldest among us even made an observation about how rare such meetings were. That it was good for us to find this type of fellowship among one another. Which leads me to think that if the leaders of the church in our small section of North America can find a way to unite in Christ, then maybe (just maybe) the rest will follow.

Could it be that the days of denominational and doctrinal division are on their last leg? Could it be that we are seeing a shift within our communities toward common-unity? Are we to the place where we will stop demonizing one another over our differences and begin to affirm our brothers and sisters in Christ? I believe we are. It will take time. It will take honoring one another. It will mean laying down our ego and the need to be right in order to be in relationship. It can happen. It should.

I can affirm a brother/sister in Christ without affirming every belief that they hold.
I can honor another pastor, teacher, and leader of another denomination without joining them.
I can lift up other churches in the area even though they have a different label than mine.
What are these denominations other than something that we have created? Have we forgotten Jesus' words to His disciples when they wanted to shut down the ministry of another simply because he didn't walk with them? Maybe it's time we heard them again: "Whoever is not against you is for you." Honestly, if we would take the time to talk to one another we would discover that most of these pastors and leaders have the same passion. They sincerely love God. They want to see the Kingdom of God manifest on the Earth. They desire to see people come to the knowledge of Jesus. How can we fight against that?

They Don't Believe Right!
If you are not from Southwest Virginia you may not have heard this put so eloquently. But this is the argument that so many people make. In other words, they don't believe like me. They don't have the same interpretation of the Bible that I do. They don't hold to the same doctrines of our particular denomination. And it's arguments just like this that cause us to build walls, seek to destroy ministries, or at least hurt their credibility within the community. Much like the disciples whom Jesus rebuked, we cry out "he is not one of us."

When will we decide to practice Romans 12:18? When will we do all that we can do to live peaceably with our brothers and sisters in Christ? When will we put aside this need to be right and replace it with the need to be in relationship? Personally I believe that this will happen when we stop denomination building and move toward Kingdom building. When we stop trying to promote ourselves and seek to promote Jesus. When we choose love over hate, unity over division, and honor over dishonor. I see it happening in so many places. I see it a lot outside of the church. I think it's time that we moved beyond ourselves and really began to walk in the Spirit among one another.

It's time...
To Heal the wounds.
To Focus on the Tie that binds us.
To See the Family of God in a new light.
To Love One Another.
Then...the whole world will know.

Christ...FOR US!

Good Morning Everyone! Due to a death in the family I have not been able to focus on writing as normal. I did want to stop in today to share a thought I had the other morning. I pray the Lord continues to bless you and that you continue to experience His abundant life in fullness.

Wednesday of last week my wife and I, along with her brother, went down to South Carolina to pack up some belongings of a family member that was moving back to Virginia. As I was going through all of the books, much of which was commentaries on the Bible and other Christian writings, a book title caught my attention. This was a book that my wife's grandfather picked up in 1970. A book written by John A. Phillips. The title: "Christ for Us in the Theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer." Of course I had to bring it home.

The book has been sitting on the edge of my desk for the last week. I have picked it up from time to time to read through its contents. What has captured my attention is the title. Over and over again I cannot escape these words. "Christ for Us." I guess I have been taken back by what seems to be the surprise in the title. "Christ for us" should not be the exception in our understanding. It should be the norm. It should be the norm in the theology that each of us carry. An understanding of the Father that does not waver. A faith that is deeply entrenched in the goodness of God in full display in Jesus.

What else does the Father have to do to get our attention? Does the Bible not declare that "while we were yet sinners Christ died for us"? What should be one of the most simple understandings of God has been polluted by our misconceptions. Jesus is for us. Has been. Is. Always will be.

I will leave you with another verse of Scripture that I pray permeates your spirit. Be encouraged. "He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?" - Romans 8:32 Do you hear that? Christ...FOR US!!!

Enjoy the journey!