Varnish had a job in protection of the masterpiece paintings of old. Today we have the ability to return back to the first masterpiece of Christianity painted by Christ himself. It might be that the church has looked through the varnish of history and tradition too long feeling comfortable with the true look of the foundation of Christianity. What was it that Christ taught? What followed him in the teachings from his disciples? These are pressing questions to relate to the church of today. When Christ is brought in contrast, Christianity might be a dull representation of what Christ was actually teaching in his ministry. The reality may be under the depth of religious varnish.
The gospels especially Matthew and Luke show what occupied the mind of Jesus. Whenever he spoke, words about a kingdom would often flow. Jesus wanted his disciples to understand their need for the kingdom. He wanted them to understand that that need for the kingdom was the greatest need in their lives. The kingdom is so central to the Christian life that a person has to be willing to give up everything to take part in it, like a man who would sell all he owned to purchase a field in which a great treasure lies (Mt 13:44-46).
The kingdom is not easily defined in short clear statements. When Jesus described the kingdom he almost always spoke in form of parable. At large the kingdom is the reign of God in the universe. The kingdom of God ushers an idea of giving over the will of self and deciding to follow the will of the king. We also know that the kingdom is the epitome of love, joy, peace, hope, sacrifice, humility and forgiveness. Jesus demands the citizens of the kingdom to live by the attributes that characterize the kingdom. They must be humble like a child not letting their self importance get in the way (Mt 18:3, 4). They must also be forgiving for why would God want to forgive anyone who is not willing to forgive others. Georgia Harkness summarizes the kingdom as, “our ultimate challenge and ultimate hope.” [2]
The kingdom occurs when God rules in the hearts of people, but the shear identity of the kingdom is not merely internal. The kingdom is wrapped up in the community. The kingdom is a collective body the kingdom is naturally a group of people.[3] The kingdom is directed toward a redeemed society of people. A redeemed society is one in which salvation is sought and found, not as one individual alone, but as an over expanding community of individuals.
Kingdoms of this world are sources of oppression, fear, war, greed, hate and depravity. God’s kingdom acts in complete opposition to the natural way of this world. The kingdom of Christ lifts up the oppressed and acts against the oppressor. The kingdom of Christ is not a neutral ground. God has sided with the ones who are poor, insignificant and unintelligent. He has sided with those who are the least in the world. He has sided with the people that have been bulled over by the world, the ones the rich have stolen from and walked upon. Jesus said that it is hard for the rich man to enter the kingdom (Mt 19:23, 24) and the prostitutes and tax collectors will enter before the pride filled, self righteous Pharisees (Mt 21:31).
Though the fullness of the kingdom is seldom preached in churches the church in America has become numb to kingdom terminology. The one who preaches the kingdom says “the kingdom is here” and “the king is at hand”, but nobody understands this proclamation as an actual threat to the normal way of life. The thought that the American way of life is doomed and destined for destruction never crosses the mind of the hearer. The proclamation of the kingdom never causes one to react by thinking there is a secret kingdom rising up and approaching the boarder and it will eventually conquer. [4]
Throughout history words of revolution lead to immanent death. Nations fear revolution. Even today there are power struggles, civil wars and revolutions all through the continent of Africa, in the Middle East and throughout Asia. For some reason in America today this language leads to nothing more than another sermon on Sunday morning. The one proclaiming this revolution is treated like a nice guy who is no different from the man down the road promoting the status quo. The message has fallen on deaf ears, but in reality the kingdom of self is heavily defended territory and will not be taken without a heated battle.
The kingdom is essential to the mission. Jesus told his disciples that the good news was the kingdom of God far before his own death (Mt 24:14). Jesus is part of the kingdom and the consummation of the kingdom, but there is so much more. The world has been waiting for a kingdom that is no longer after wealth, power, prestige and pride. The world no longer needs nations that only care for themselves hording the resources of this earth. The world is in desperate need of a kingdom of peace. The world is in desperate need of a new path to live and walk. The world has only seen what the prince of the world has shown it. The prince of the world only wants to steal kill and destroy, but the world needs an example of how to live life in complete abundance (Jn 10:10). The world is in need of a kingdom that has not been tainted and perverted.
The kingdom has the ability to reach the entire world like yeast spread throughout dough. It only takes a little yeast, but the impact is radical. Albert Schweitzer said, “As for humankind today the realization of the Kingdom of God here on earth has become a matter of survival or extinction.”[5] The kingdom of God is the only possible explanation of liberation from the world. The kingdom is the only way the world can be redeemed.
Please rise up and claim your citizenship in the kingdom promoting the kingdom and showing the world love through service so they can see the love of Christ and join His Kingdom.
[1] John Fuellenbach. The Kingdom of God: The Message of Jesus Today. Maryknoll. Orbis Books, 1995. 2.
[2] Georgia Harkness. Understanding The Kingdom og God. Nashville. Abingdon Press. 1974. 54.
[3] Donald B. Kraybill. The Upside Down Kingdom. Scottdale. Herald Press. 1990. 20.
[4] Eugene H. Peterson. The Contemplative Pastor: Returning To The Art of Spiritual Direction. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1989. 27-29.
[5] John Fuellenbach. The Kingdom of God: The Message of Jesus Today. 5.
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THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS THE CATHOLIC CHURCH!
Why did Jesus Christ become Incarnate in the first place? Was it to leave us with a book, or to establish a Church? Well, in this verse He told us one of the reasons why:
"But He said to them, "To the other towns also I must PROCLAIM THE KINGDOM OF GOD, FOR THIS IS WHY I HAVE BEEN SENT"." (Luke 4:43)
"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." (Luke 19:10)
And how are we, who are the lost ones, to be saved? It is through the Church which He founded.
"Therefore, if you harken to My voice and keep My covenant, you shall be My special possession, dearer to Me than all other people, though all the earth is mine. YOU SHALL BECOME A KINGDOM OF PRIESTS, A HOLY NATION." (Exodus 19:5-6)
"You, however, are a chosen race, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PURCHASED PEOPLE; that you may proclaim the perfections of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." (1Peter 2:9)
The Kingdom of GOD will last forever:
"And when your days shall be fulfilled and you shall sleep with your fathers, I will raise up your seed after you, which shall proceed out of your bowels, and I WILL ESTABLISH HIS KINGDOM. HE SHALL BUILD A HOUSE TO MY NAME, AND I WILL ESTABLISH THE THRONE OF HIS KINGDOM FOREVER...AND YOUR HOUSE SHALL BE FAITHFUL, AND YOUR KINGDOM FOREVER BEFORE YOUR FACE AND YOUR THRONE SHALL BE FIRM FOREVER." (2Samuel
The Catholic Church Stands Alone