Kingdom LivingIs the Christian faith one that preaches only salvation from personal sins and a ticket punched for heaven, or does it also preach the Good News of the kingdom of God? It is thankfully true that when one accepts Jesus, His grace enables us to be free of the guilt of our sins, and be assured of an eternity with him. But the kingdom of God encompasses so much more! The Good News is not only a future reality that will be experienced when Jesus comes back; it is about a radical new present kingdom. In the Gospel of Luke in the fourth chapter Jesus quotes Isaiah 61:1-2, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim the good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” What an air of expectation there must have been in the synagogue that day, for those words told of the messiah and the kingdom He would bring. Jesus then rolled up the scroll and said, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Today the kingdom has come! No longer is it necessary to practice the “do nots” of bondage. The kingdom is here. Now is the time to be free in Jesus to live out the “dos” of the kingdom. DO consider others more than yourself, DO love God and neighbor, DO unto others, DO feed His sheep, DO heal the sick and help the poor, DO carry your cross wherever it may lead. We cannot focus on the “do nots” and look good in the pews while oppression and racism exist, while hunger abounds and the sick go wanting for the warmth of human love. How are the “least of these” supposed to experience the present kingdom of God unless we the church bring it to them through costly discipleship, by carrying our cross? That is why I am thankful I am to be a part of a wonderful group of disciples here at WHFC. Our eyes are on Jesus as we proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor to those who are in need, to those who are hurting, to those who need a touch from Jesus. We practice kingdom living as Jesus taught it. |