Category Archives: The Kingdom

Discipleship, Grace, The Kingdom

Down in the dirt

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“If you want to see God move, then stand up in the church and tell everyone what you’re really like.”   – Mary Webster

Not long ago I heard someone say, “I came from a very religious background: we lied to each other incessantly.” One of my favorite church moments of all time happened several years ago in Hawaii when an older Pentecostal saint – a holy woman in all of our eyes – stood up in testimony time and said,

“I have something to say this morning:  We come to this church week after week and we get out of our cars and greet each other: “How are you, brother?’ ‘Oh Praise the Lord! God is good!’ ‘Amen! Yes He is, all the time!” That’s what we say in the parking lot. But I’m just sick and tired of it! I want all you people to know that I’m not OK. I am one messed up woman in desperate need of grace. I don’t have it all together, and I’m starving for some honesty!  Do you think we could start telling each other the truth around here? That’s the only way we’re ever going to get through this!”

I wanted to stand on the pew that morning and shout! Religion pretends. It masquerades and hides behind makeup, clichés and polite smiles. But the Kingdom simply cannot be built on such illusions and pretense. Jesus demands the raw material of real people, with real struggles, hammering out real community. Kingdom disciples get down in the dirt, confess their failures, stand together, and throw all their trust in the mercy of God, because Grace is the ecosystem of the Kingdom, and Truth is its foundation.

“For the law was given through Moses;
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
– John 1:17

Discipleship, The Kingdom, The Love of God

Kingdom how-to, part 2

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Last week we asked the question, “How does a person actually live the Kingdom?”   When it comes to being a Kingdom disciple there are many things to keep in mind.  This new life is, after all, in polar opposition to almost everything we’ve learned under the present world system. But possibly the most central characteristic of a Kingdom disciple is the childlike love relationship he enjoys with the King.

When God launched his epic plan to undo the destruction of sin, he did not send a book to be read, a legal code to be followed or a philosophy to study, but a man we could know.  “The Word became flesh and moved into the neighborhood.”  (John 1:14 The Message) This invitation into love and  friendship with the King is the womb of all activity for the attentive disciple .

Kingdom citizens wake up in the morning knowing they’re loved, and having their ears pinned to the heart of Jesus.  They expect to hear his voice, and are eager to respond when he says, “Son, daughter… let’s do this today!”   Notice – He works with us!  He includes us!  He never sends us out to work alone because in God’s eyes every day is “Bring your kid to work day”.  We live, work, love, and create with Him, because partnering with us has been the intention of his kind heart from the beginning.

“The Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children”     -Luke 18:16
The relationship between God and the Disciple of the Kingdom is a bit like the friendship between Calvin and Hobbs, who awaken each morning in the embrace of friendship, off on yet another new adventure. And best of all: they get to do it together!

The Kingdom

Kingdom how-to Part 1

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People often ask how we’re meant to actually live the Kingdom. That’s a fair question.  The Kingdom is not a pipe dream, but a reality; it is not idealism, but realism.  And the teachings of Jesus are as practical as pie: believe God, forgive others, love your enemies, live as servants, give generously… all these charges are written in the red letters of the King’s directives.

But lets look deeper:  Motivation is a key.  Sometimes we religious types are tempted to think of these sorts of things as a way of “adding to our salvation” or suring-up our Christian personality. But forgiving my enemy is much more than a self-help tip for becoming a better me.  It is a principle of a changed world. This is what the Kingdom looks like! So it’s important to do what we do with a view towards the redemption of God’s creation.

Here are some other characteristics:  

Kingdom people are storytellers:  We understand the Sacred Story written in our DNA, and we retell and showcase it through the stories around us.  We identify the Kingdom in events and films, in sayings and seeds.  Jesus did this with his parables.  He was forever telling stories and saying “The Kingdom of God is like a net, a pearl, a treasure, a landowner…” and I believe we are meant to tell the same sorts of stories.

Kingdom people are creative:  Kingdoms do not arise from a vacuum.  They are built through vision, creativity, and labor.  God’s first command to Adam and Eve was to fill the world, and filling the world is still his concern.  Kingdom people make things: they plant gardens, they build houses, they write music and books, create art and recipes, raise families and start charitable organizations.  Few can do it all, but God has given each of us unique creative gifts that are meant to add to the glory of His kingdom.

Kingdom people are childlike:  We live in wonder, forgive quickly, act in innocence, ask endless questions, laugh and play well with others, bounce with joy, squeal with delight, accept the differences of others, live in the present, take chances, and leave the worrying to Dad.

To be continued….

The Kingdom, Worldview & Truth

Leftism and the Kingdom

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Someone has said, “When the church does not disciple the world, the world disciples the church.”

For nearly two weeks now I’ve had a growing sadness and alarm in the depths of my spirit:  The news of the church shootings in Charleston was a well-placed punch in the gut for most of us.  And quickly on its heels came two Supreme Court decisions that severed America from Constitutional clarity and set it adrift in the tides of relativism, public opinion and political expediency.  Facebook and web forums predictably erupted into vicious denunciations and hostile invective.  And now we have entered a contentious new territory which – apart from a great turning – could explode into unimaginable destabilization and bloodshed.

Today I simply want to remind my friends of two things:

#1. People are never the problem.  I know it’s quite easy to feel that way, and in fact there is a large segment of America already practiced at maligning others as “evil”, “racist”, and “standing in the way of progress.”  Jesus followers must never allow themselves to descend into that mindless approach, for whenever a culture has demonized people, it inevitably falls into the blackness of genocide, gas chambers and “final solutions.”

The problem is not people, but the lies people believe.  Let me go a step further and say it’s the lies we believe, because whether we know it or not, there are always vestiges of deception lying around in our own thought processes, and that realization ought to keep each of us perpetually humble before God.  For this reason Kingdom-seekers ought to forever champion humility, understanding and Truth.

#2. There is still the great untried truth of the Kingdom.  Leftism has gained such staggering ground in America because the leftists have learned to articulate their story and sought out the places of cultural influence to tell it.  They preach from hollywood sound-studios, academic halls, and media outlets a story that offers a hope, (false as  it is), to the hungry masses.   Their story has been told well, it’s being tested at this moment, and it will ultimately usher us into a living hell on earth.

And meanwhile…  we stand before church congregations and preach a shriveled narrative of forgiveness and escape from this world of darkness – a story that cannot even be tested until we die!   This narrative of getting into heaven when we die has played itself out; It will NOT capture the minds and hearts of this confused generation.  But the story of the Kingdom will!  How do I know?  It’s the same story that has fueled our hearts from our earliest years, and it’s the very story the King himself told to invite the world into life and blessing.

The Kingdom, Worldview & Truth

Jesus and facts

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I’m thinking today about how totally comfortable Jesus is with facts. Too many sincere Christians become skittish in the face of science and scrutiny.  We fret and worry that if the right yarn is pulled it might be the one that unravels the whole sweater.  The Son of God is not some fragile gift shop curio that needs to be kept under glass.  And the sooner we see it, the better off we’ll be.

The great missionary to India, E. Stanley Jones, wrote that he made the happy discovery in that continent of inquirers that he could put his faith in front of the world and say, “Here he is, brothers.  Break him if you can.”  The difference between Jones and many in the church today is that He did his homework; He asked the difficult questions, and discovered a case robust enough to stand up under the critics.

The carpenter of Nazareth built more than tables and chairs.  He fashioned the world of reality from the ground up, and has nothing to fear under investigation.  The one who rebuked the storm is not intimidated by the facts of his own universe.  He owns the facts!  He invented them!  “All things were created by him, and apart from him nothing was created that has been created.”  When the evidence is torn apart and examined under the microscope, the telescope, or the petri dish, he will be standing right there behind it with a knowing glimmer in his eye.

“He was there before any of it came into existence, and he holds it all together right up until this very moment.”   – Colossians 1:17 (Msg)

There’s nothing fragile about this Christ.  Though the world may cave in upon itself and the stars be sucked into a wormhole, He will remain towering above the ruins.   Let’s do our homework and invite the neighbors to present their best questions!

Discipleship, The Kingdom

Three great fears

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Three great fears tend to worry the sons of Adam:  “Do I matter?” “Do I belong?” and “Am I able?”   While modern culture tells us we’re merely “dust in the wind”, the Kingdom answers all three questions with a beautiful richness that is absent from any other philosophy, science or religion.

Do I matter?   Aren’t we all aching to know that our lives matter; that we’re more than spare parts to a great machine we call the universe? To this question, Jesus made the delightful observation that we are so valuable to the Father that “Even the very hairs on your head are all numbered”.  (Matthew 10:30)  In a universe where not a single sparrow falls without his notice, we are the crown of His creation, made in His image and created to leave an eternal mark on the world.  In fact, so precious are we to him that Jesus crossed all worlds, entered our darkness, shared our sufferings, and redeemed us at a staggering price.  The Kingdom assures us that not only do we matter, but everything we do matters; that even a cup of cold water given to a thirsty child in the name of Jesus is noticed and valued by the Father.  (Matthew 10:42)

Do I Belong?   Most of us easily default to feeling like cosmic orphans, searching for a place to belong.  Paul tells us in Ephesians 1:4-5 that “Even before he made the world, God … decided to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.”  We are not an afterthought to God!  He has had us in his heart since before creation itself, awaiting the moment when he could adopt us into His circle of Trinitarian love!  We are His pearl of great price for which he sold everything.  And now we have been included in his large and glorious family! 

Am I able?  “Do I have what it takes?” This is where the Spirit shines so beautifully.  The full work of redemption didn’t stop with forgiveness.  It was completed on Pentecost when God returned by His Spirit to live once again in his sons and daughters as he had in Eden.  Abba’s aim from the beginning was to win us back, flood us with His life and fill us with His power!  “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.”  (Acts 1:8)  “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to the Father.”  (John 14:12)  There is much left to be done in this world, and the Spirit makes us equal to the task!   So yes, we ARE capable…  “not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord!”  (Zechariah 4:6)

The sons of the Kingdom understand that they are loved, included, and designed to make a difference in the world.  And that is a message of hope our friends are waiting to hear!

The Kingdom

Whimper of doom, or bullhorn of hope?

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Yesterday I caved into a friend and watched one of those terrifying videos about America being “Babylon the Great mother of harlots” soon to be thrown into chaos by an EMP attack. (Better act now if you want to survive). I normally avoid those sorts of things on the premise that they disempower our hearts and produce a panic over the “inevitible” rather than a hope for the future. Some end-time presentations carry the silent message, “There’s little you can do apart from tightening your seatbelt and preparing for impact.”

Of course that’s contrary to everything Jesus is, and everything he taught. We have a clear part to play, and we don’t fulfill our destiny by “surviving” in fallout shelters and holes in the ground. Any preacher, author, or YouTube video that leaves us running for the hills or stockpiling food and ammunition carries a distorted message of the Kingdom at best. God’s word encourages us to prepare for troubled times, but there’s never a hint of fatalism and helplessness. While religion is waving the flag of doom, God’s children are manning the bullhorn of hope: “These are exciting times!” “Darkness as black as night covers the nations of the earth, but the glory of the LORD arises upon you.” (Isaiah 60:2)

Animals, on the other hand, seem to becoming “kingdomized.” Videos by the boatload are surfacing of species playing together: Orangutangs with cheetahs, lions with bears, and dogs with leopards. My friend, Beth, calls them “millenial animals.” These furry friends are aligning themselves with the Kingdom of God and offering a glimpse of the future .  We ought to be doing the same.

(photo from today.com)
(photo from today.com)

“The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.” (Isaiah 11:6).

As much as we Believers need to recognize the darkness, ours is the honor of pointing the way forward. “Nations will come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising.” (Isaiah 60:3) Regardless of what may come, it’s time to turn from our fatalism and boldly proclaim the Hope of God’s Kingdom.

The Kingdom

Red pianos and the Kingdom

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Fire-engine red pianos have popped up in airports and train stations in France.   Some visionary group must have imagined that placing them in bustling places would foster creativity, community, and glory.

So in the midst of an arduous journey I found myself in the subterranean train station beneath Charles DeGalle International Airport.  Hundreds of people crammed the complex until the only vacant seat in sight was the empty piano stool.  I sat quietly with my back to the instrument while a conversation with the Spirit unfolded in my heart:

“You know… you could turn around and play this piano.”  

(Me) “I know, except I don’t like to draw attention to myself,  and besides, I’m sure there are lots of people here who could, (shudder), play better than me.”  

“Yes… That would be terrible, wouldn’t it, if there was someone else here who could play better than you, and who is also NOT playing?   Son…  I know you’re tired, and I know your heart.  You don’t have to play, but if you don’t, you’ll miss a blessing.”

It doesn’t make me proud to admit it, but I did not turn around and play that morning, and so I’ll never know what God had in store for me or anyone else.   (For those of you who don’t understand this, we musicians can be notoriously insecure and laughably complex about these sorts of things.)

One week later, as I walked through the airport I passed not one, but two red pianos.  They were being played by professionals and amateurs alike: Chopsticks, faltering renditions of classical pieces half-learned, brilliant, LOUD progressive jazz, and all sorts of things that stressed and weary travelers don’t necessarily want to hear while they’re waiting to board an airplane.

I sat in quiet observation and listened to the familiar voice in my heart:

“You know, Son, you could play something very tender and restful.  These people are stressed.  Look at them.”

“I know”, I said.  “Maybe I will.  But that hipster couple sitting next to the piano look like they’ve heard more than enough.  And with their crazy hair and body markings, I don’t think they’re going to be into ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow.'”

“Son… what will happen if you don’t play?” 

“Nothing?”  

“Exactly.”  He said.

I drifted across the concourse,  seated myself at the instrument, and with all the tenderness I could muster began the tinkling intro:  “Some day I’ll wish upon a star, and wake up where the clouds are far behind me…”  I wandered quietly through Somewhere Over the Rainbow and glided into the gentle strains of “Leaning…. leaning, safe and secure from all alarms… Leaning, leaning, leaning on the Everlasting Arms.”

It was painless.  I slipped from the stool, and glanced up at the hipster.  Our eyes met.  “Thank you.”  He silently mouthed the words, nodded his approval, and closed his eyes.

“And thank you, Son”, whispered the Spirit in my heart.

I don’t know what happened.  God knows.   I did my small part and felt refreshed.  But maybe there’s more to the story that I’ll get to hear some day when “clouds are far behind me.”    In the meantime… I think perfectly tuned acoustic pianos will be everywhere in the Kingdom!

News & Stories, The Kingdom

Heavenly tourism or the Kingdom

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Heaven dominated last year’s Christian bestseller list. There were at least three heavenly visitation books until one young author stepped forward to confess his whole account had been fabricated. Many were duped not just by an unscrupulous author, but by an unbiblical over-emphasis on a distant place we think of as “our heavenly home.”

The great tragedy, of course, is that Heaven continues to eclipse the Kingdom.  As real as it is, Jesus never once instructed us to seek Heaven above everything else.  Nor did he use heaven as a hook for evangelism. “Follow me, Peter, and you’ll go to heaven when you die.”  And neither did he teach us to pray, “May we come into Heaven where your will will be done…” No… His plan has always involved the heavenly-earthly Kingdom of God; the marriage of heaven and earth, and the very makeover of the world and everything in it.

The idea of spending eternity in Heaven often embraces the unbiblical notion of our disembodied spirits worshipping forever in that translucent realm.  We forget that the resurrection means these earthly bodies will live again in a made-over and improved form! Whatever the unfallen Adam was, we will be. Whatever the resurrected Jesus is, we will be!  God’s dream has never been to whisk us away to heaven, but to so transform His creation that “the glory of the Lord will once again cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.” (Habakkuk 2:14) From the moment of Adam’s transgression, the Father, Son and Spirit has been at work undoing the catastrophic affects of the fall.

I was so encouraged last week to read that Lifeway Christian Bookstores have pulled all of the “Heavenly tourism” books from their inventory. This is a great step forward.   Now maybe we can get on undistracted with the work of seeing God’s Kingdom come “on earth as it is in Heaven.”

Addendum:  Below is a Google “nGram” plotting the comparative  number of books published about various topics. The red line is Heaven, and the blue line is The Kingdom of God.  Note how thoroughly Heaven overshadows the Kingdom.

Screen Shot 2015-03-30 at 5.48.41 PM

The Kingdom

Discovering our true personality

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C.S. Lewis says we never actually receive our true personality until we receive Christ.

“There are no real personalities apart from God. Until you have given up your self to Him you will not have a real self. Sameness is to be found most among the most ‘natural’ men, not among those who surrender to Christ. How monotonously alike all the great tyrants and conquerers have been; how gloriously different are the saints.” (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity).

In a novel or a play, non-entities are brought into being when the Author introduces them into the story.  Yet even after he walks onto the stage he remains of no consequence to the story until he is assigned with personality, motives, desires, and purpose.  Apart from accepting the Author’s intention for us we will wander about the stage, bumping into props and generally getting in the way of the story in progress.

As I see it, there are at least three things necessary in the process of becoming our true selves: The first is a voluntary surrender to the wisdom and will of the Author. Characters cannot invent themselves! This is what Lucifer tried to do. With a life borrowed from the Creator, he set about trying to destroy the very drama God was writing. (Thankfully, in the wisdom and sovereignty of the Author, the story went through a massive re-write to undo this tragic turn).

The second necessity is a growing awareness of the Author’s good intentions not only towards my character, but towards everyone on the stage. Apart from trusting His kind heart none will have the courage to face the twists and subtleties of the story as it unfolds in our lives. We’re all faced with daily challenges, and each challenge must be met with a confidence that the Author knows what he’s doing, and where he is going.

And finally, we must have an understanding of the story our Author is writing: it’s a kingdom tale that reveals his intention to restore all that has been lost by the fall. Such an understanding gives us the context to move forward with joyful confidence. God’s story will end only when he can pen the closing words, “And they all lived happily ever after.” Until that moment, the story isn’t finished.