Reading the Bible

Today I completed reading the Bible through for the year. Reading the entire Bible through each year has been a practice I’ve been committed to since I entered the ministry in January, 1984. Granted, I’ve often wrestled with the question as to whether or not I do this out of rote legalism. But as a pastor-teacher, I have come to the conclusion that if my life’s work is centered on communicating the Scriptures, I should be committed to reading the written word systematically.

There’s nothing special about my particular discipline. Each day I read five chapters from the Old Testament and two chapters from the New Testament. I have read straight through from Genesis to Revelation, but have come to appreciate the variety of reading the Old and New Testaments simultaneously. I also read one chapter of Psalms per day, which allows me to read the book a little more than twice per year. Finally, I read the chapter from Proverbs that corresponds with the day. For example, today is July 30, so I read Proverbs 30. I read this book of wisdom 12 times per year. Over time I’ve read the Bible through in the King James Version, the New King James Version, the New American Standard Version, the New International Version, and my present personal favorite, the New Living Translation.

When I read the Bible, I read for the sake of reading it and listening for my own spiritual formation. That is, I don’t read for sermon ideas or teaching material. I would not call my reading Bible study. I do that as a part of the multiple preparations I do each week. My posture toward the Bible when I read is to read it for my own sake. As I read I have a pen and a journal which allows me to personally interact with the words I read on a given day.

Reading the Bible through each year always provides several blessings that are beneficial. The practice reminds me that all of the words of the Bible are important. My personal preference would not be to read Leviticus or the genealogies of Chronicles. But those chapters and verses are there for a reason.

Another blessing is the blessing of balance. Reading the Bible through keeps me from parking on theological hobby horses or camping on texts that might cause me to go to seed on a particular doctrine. Like you, I know people who have become single issue Christians, focusing on things like end times prophecy or election. In Acts 20:27, Paul speaks of declaring “the whole counsel of God.” Reading the Bible through helps me become God centered and not self-serving in the treatment of the Bible.

As I read I'm always blessed by the fact that even having read the Bible through 25 times, I still learn something new about God with each reading that draws me closer to him. Though the words are the same as last year, each reading makes my relationship with God richer and fuller. I don't want to get so caught up in reading about people, places, and history that I miss God!

The final way reading the Bible through has blessed me is that the discipline helps me to understand the big picture. My personal conviction is that the Bible is a unified book. There are many inter-related texts. The Old Testament points to the New, and the New Testament reflects the Old. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old while the apostles shed light on Jesus, to name a few examples. The Bible is one story. To neglect reading the entire story is like renting a DVD and randomly choosing scenes to watch.

If you’ve not read the Bible through in a year, I commend the discipline to you. Just don’t become a Pharisee in the process. And remember, the point is to know God.

This is interesting...

Interesting article in USA Today about atheists who are renounciing their faith by being "de-baptized." Click here for the article.

Improving Soil Conditions

My wife loves to work in our landscaping. She would consider this one of her hobbies, and she’s very passionate about it. Because she loves working in the flower beds, I get the privilege of helping out. Last week Lisa began working on building another flower bed. Upon its completion we will have completely encircled the house.

Before any flowers or plants can be planted, the soil must be prepared. We take our wheelbarrow out into the yard, and begin mixing equal parts of sand, top soil, peat moss, and the natural soil from the bed itself. This is mixed in the wheelbarrow, then dumped into the bed where it is stirred in with the existing soil.

In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus described four soil types which represent our reception of the message of the Kingdom. The parable is designed for us to see ourselves and to identify which kind of soil we possess. Which brings us to another question: How do I improve my soil type? How can I increase my responsiveness and fruitfulness? James 1:19-22 gives us three ways we can improve our reception of the message of the Kingdom.

1. REMOVE THE OBSTACLES. “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters. You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives…” (James 1:19-21a)

Before we can receive the message of the Kingdom, we have to eliminate obstacles. This is not unlike preparing a flower bed by pulling out the rock and debris before adding good soil. James gives us some suggestions as to what kinds of obstacles impede our reception of the word. He mentions anger, filth and evil. I don’t think James is giving an exhaustive listing. He offers some examples of obstacles. Each of us would do well to consider the things in our lives that get in the way of our hearing and work to eliminate them.

2. CULTIVATE HUMILITY. “…and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls” (James 1:21b)

Our relationship to the word is important. Every day we are either “under” the word or “over” the word. By this I mean we either approach the word with humility, placing ourselves under its authority, or we approach the word with pride, placing ourselves above its authority. In my Baptist tradition I have always admired the fact that we as Baptists are “people of the book,” and that our high view of Scripture enables us to see the Scripture as our authority for faith and practice.

3. ACT, or RESPOND. “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says” (James 1:22).

Once obstacles are removed and we receive the word with humility, we must act upon what the message calls for us to do. James continues, “For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for what you do” (James 1:23-25).

Soil Types

In the Parable of the Sower, one discovers that the farmer is the same and the seed is the same. The soil is the difference, which becomes the focal point of the story. In Jesus’ interpretation of the parable in Matthew 13:18-23, he plainly describes the four soils which are distinguished based on their reception of the seed. The focus is not the message, but the reception of the message. Furthermore, the one message of the Kingdom can have varying degrees of impact.

The first soil type is RESISTENT. It is the footpath which has become hard and unresponsive. The resistant soil is unresponsive because it “does not understand” the message of the Kingdom. The dormant seed is quickly snatched away by the enemy.

The second soil type is described as rocky or SHALLOW. This soil receives the message of the Kingdom with enthusiasm and joy, but because it lacks depth the initial enthusiasm is dimmed at the first sight of adversity or persecution. Because of its lack of depth, the small plant gives up.

Yet a third soil type is the DISTRACTED soil…characterized by thorn infested. While the seed finds enough soil to take root, it finds itself overcrowded with distractions. Apparently there are multiple trust issues, as the soil is cluttered with the worries of life and the lure of wealth. The seed is perhaps initially intrigued by the message of the Kingdom, but only insomuch as Jesus becomes an “add on” or an upgrade to a complicated life. But the gospel is not an add on. The message of the Kingdom is intended as the organizing and ordering principle of one’s life.

If we pause for a moment to evaluate the first three soils, we quickly observe that 2 of the 3 that failed to produce fruit responded favorable at the onset. But receiving the word with joy and enthusiasm is not enough. Those who receive the Kingdom must receive the kingdom with a willing heart and a submissive mind. God does not drive us into the kingdom of God. God may plead, but he does not demand. He will persuade, but will not drive us into the Kingdom. The mystery of the Kingdom is that the Kingdom has come yet people can reject it. Many do. To be a disciple in the Kingdom means hearing and responding to the message of the kingdom in such a way your life becomes defined by it.

This brings us to the final soil, the PRODUCTIVE soil. This soil is good, receptive and responsive. Jesus uses hyperbole and exaggeration to show the profound impact that the message of the Kingdom can have. In first century Israel, any ten-fold increase would have been recognized as a good crop. Yet Jesus speaks of fruitfulness that can measure thirty-fold, sixty-fold, or even one hundred-fold.

The Kingdom comes when seed and soil come together. Kingdom begins to come in a person’s life when the soil receives the word. Any hearing that does not result in life change (transformation) is not valid hearing. Conversions that count are confirmed via our discipleship and our fruitfulness.

This parable is designed to challenge us to see ourselves in the soil types. Which soil are you? Can you look at your life and see evidences of fruitfulness? If so, are you as fruitful as you can be? Tomorrow I’ll discuss how we can improve our soil in order to increase our fruitfulness in the Kingdom.

The Parable of the Sower

We have a landscaping issue at our house. We have two spots in the flower bed in front of our home that literally won’t grow weeds. Usually the dirt around new construction is not the best, so we thought we needed to simply improve the soil. We did so by adding sand and peat moss, hoping these agents would help those big chunks of beige clay. No luck. Three years and about 4 yews later, we still can’t get the soil to produce lasting growth. The yews we planted to replace the yews we planted to replace the original yews are yellowing.

The focal point of the series on the Kingdom of God concerns the parables of the present Kingdom found in Matthew 13. The first and perhaps most significant is the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-9; 18-23). The Kingdom is a Kingdom of the word, and the parable of the sower is a parable about how we receive the word. It’s interesting that our paragraph headings in our Bibles refer to it as a parable about a sower. But in reality it’s a parable about soil. According to Jesus, our hearts are like soil which receives the message of the Kingdom.

Jesus came to announce that the Kingdom is here. But the Kingdom comes through persuasion rather than force. The Kingdom has indeed come, but not with irresistible power. It is like a farmer who sows seeds. Some receive it but many do not.

The parable begins by describing a farmer (literally “the” farmer) who goes out to sow seeds. Clearly this happens during a time in history that did not include tractors and implements designed for sowing seed precisely in order to maximize yield. Farmers who were Jesus’ contemporaries more than likely used the broadcast method of sowing. They would reach their hand into a bag of seeds, and fling them across the ground. The farmer sowed purposefully. After all, the text states that he “went out to sow.” But he also sowed generously and indiscriminately. The farmer was caught up in target audiences so to speak. His job was to sow.

The seed, Jesus described, is representative of the message of the Kingdom. This seed contains life, and when it accomplishes its intended purpose, produces fruit. In the parable the farmer and the seed are the same. The difference is the condition of the soil.

Thinking about the Kingdom

In thinking about my present series on the Kingdom of God, Ken Lumley suggested this classic clip from Dead Poet's Society to help our understanding of how we are to think about the present Kingdom of God in light of all that we have been previously exposed to...

The Reality of the Present Kingdom, Part 3

When our eyes are open to see, and our ears are open to hear, and our minds are attune to conceive and perceive, we are aware of the tangible reality of the present Kingdom of God right now in our midst. We find that Jesus is accessible today as a reality and not merely a historical character. We become aware of the work of the Kingdom in areas like justice, beauty, and sharing the gospel.

To conclude, let me simply encourage you today by reminding you of the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:58, “So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless” (NLT). In the present Kingdom all things matter and everything counts. Perhaps this is why Jesus placed high value on “cups of cold water” offered in his name. Your life in the Kingdom counts. It matters and is significant.

What is a Parable?

When I began planning the Right Now series on the Kingdom of God, I did what I always do...I took a shopping trip to my favorite store, Amazon.com. When I searched the Amazon site for available resources regarding the Kingdom of God I discovered good news and bad news.

The bad news first. I was appalled at the limited number of resources that were available on the subject at hand. Could it be possible that the core teaching of Jesus had been thoroughly neglected? "Maybe it was just Amazon.com," I mused, and then quickly made my way to ChristianBookDistributors.com. "Blast! Same result!" I still shake my head in disbelief at the idea that nothing substantial was being published on this important subject.

Now the good news. During my quest I came across a wonderful reference work on the parables of Jesus titled Stories with Intent by Klyne R. Snodgrass. Snodgrass serves as the Paul W. Brandel Professor of New Testament Studies at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago. Stories with Intent is a comprehensive resource for serious Bible students who desire to learn about parables and how they functioned in the first century. Beside the biblical background support, Snodgrass provides hermeneutical assistance to help interpret the parables and arrive at an appropriate application for today.




In the introductory material to the book, Snodgrass spent three pages offering a definition of the word parable. Check this out. He writes, "Hardly anything said about parables--whether defining them or explaining their characteristics--is true of all of them. For this reason every parable must be approached in its own right and not assumed to look like or function like other parables. A parable is often defined as an illustration due to the root fallacy of deriving the meaning from paraballo, which means literally 'to throw alongside.' From this people have viewed parables as earthly stories with heavenly meanings. Although there is some truth in this saying, this approach to understaning NT parables will not do. Parables are much more than illustrations, and although some are concerned with future eschatology, they are not about heaven. They are about life on earth."

Snodgrass continues by interacting with several classical definitions of parables by New Testament scholars. He then offers this: "If meaning is the value assigned to a set of relations, parables provide new sets of relations that enable us to see in a fresh manner. Parables function as a lens that allow us to see the truth and to correct distorted vision. They allow us to see what we would not otherwise see, and they presume we should look at and see a specific reality...they are stories with an intent, analogies through which one is enabled to see truth."

He concludes by making the case that the purpose of parables is to "awaken insight, stimulate the conscience, and move us to action." In other words, Jesus taught in parables to cause us to think for ourselves and to respond with action. While the parables often call for specific moral action, they are more importantly calls issued to disciples to radically reorient their lives as participants in the Kingdom of God.

The Reality of the Present Kingdom, Part 2

In yesterday’s post I suggested that God has equipped us to see, hear, and think of the present Kingdom of God in ways that are real and tangible. This begins with our comprehension of the reality of Jesus today versus viewing him as a historical personality.

Today I want to discuss our work in the present Kingdom. The Scripture makes it clear that God builds the Kingdom. However, God has ordered his world in such a way that his own work within that world takes place not least through one of his creatures who reflect his image. We participate in God’s work. With thanks to NT Wright and his work Surprised by Hope, I’d like to outline how our present work in the Kingdom can be viewed. Wright expresses it in three ways.

First, the Kingdom work of Justice in what Paul calls “this present evil age” (Gal. 1:4). Justice is the intention of God to set the whole world right. Where we see evil and injustice, we stand and speak. We stand and speak on behalf of those who do not have the ability to stand for themselves and have no voice to speak for them. Following the pattern of Jesus (Luke 4:18-21), we stand against evil, injustice, and alleviate suffering any way that we possibly can.

Second, this Kingdom work includes pointing out Beauty. We need to highlight the glory and splendor of creation that foreshadows the glory yet to be revealed. Beauty gives us glimpses into the future Kingdom that will be consummated at the return of Christ. Romans 8:18-25 indicates that all of creation will ultimately be redeemed, just as we will someday be redeemed. God will not throw away his creation. If I understand the Scriptures correctly, God will someday establish the future Kingdom here on earth.

Finally, we participate in the Kingdom work by sharing the gospel message. Jesus inspires hope for the present, not just the future. The word “evangelism” sends shivers down the spine of many. But just because many do it badly doesn’t mean nobody should ever do it at all (Romans 1:14-17). The power of the gospel lies not in the hope of an experience, nor in removing the threat of hellfire, but in the powerful announcement that God is God, Jesus is Lord, the powers of evil have been defeated, and that God’s kingdom has come.

I believe that there are four areas where we get the gospel message wrong. First, we get it wrong when we say that in order to become a Christian one has to say no to the good things of the world. The gospel offers the ability to say no to the bad of our present evil age, but not to the denial of the good.

Second, we get it wrong when we make the gospel about what happens to us when we die, or, in other words, Heaven and Hell. The gospel was never intended to make physical death the hinge upon which the gospel swings. If you read the New Testament, you’ll discover that Jesus didn’t make much of physical death. On at least two occasions he referred to people who had died as “asleep.” In the teaching of Jesus, the death that counts is the death that comes at conversion. Too often we emphasize the wrong death in our proclamation of the good news (Colossians 3:1-4).

Next, we misspeak the gospel when we make the main thing a personal and private relationship with Jesus which becomes the only thing that matters. The gospel according to Jesus is not a “me and my salvation” experience that is disconnected from anyone or anything else. The gospel is very corporate and communal.

Finally, we get the gospel wrong when we communicate that radical obedience to the Lordship of Jesus Christ is optional. The commands of Christ are not optional for me to pick and choose. In the present Kingdom, our ethical behavior is a reflection of hope.

The Reality of the Present Kingdom

“No eye has seen, nor ear has heard, and not mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” -- 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NLT)

When Paul penned these words to the church at Corinth he was not describing the splendor of a heavenly existence that we receive when we die. If you read the context of the verse (1 Corinthians 2:6-16), you’ll see that Paul is talking about life in the present Kingdom of God. Because we have the mind of Christ, our eyes will see things, your ears will hear things, and your mind will conceive things that are real. You will see God’s will and his work done on earth even as it is done in heaven. It’s not abstract or mystical. It’s tangible and real.

Matthew 11:2-15 reports the story of John the Baptizer and the crisis of faith he experienced following his arrest and incarceration. He sent his apprentices to Jesus to ask him if he was the one who was bringing the Kingdom of God or not. Jesus responded to John’s disciples by saying, “Tell John what you have seen and heard…” In short, Jesus invited John and his disciples to open their eyes and ears and minds to the present work of the Kingdom that had already arrived and was in their midst. Like us, John was struggling to see the present Kingdom.

Why is this difficult?

If you put a straight stick under water, the stick will appear crooked. The reason is that you are trying to see the stick through two dimensions. Looking at the stick through two realms simultaneously creates distortion. We have to learn to see things from the realm of the eternal.

My middle child is as right brained as they come. Ever since she was a little girl, she’s had an unusual ability to find four leaf clovers. She can do it at will. I know many people who have never legitimately found a four leaf clover. But just a couple of weeks ago she had found four four leaf clovers just walking across our back yard. She can’t really explain this ability apart from saying, “I just don’t look at the three leaf clovers.” Sometimes our view of the present Kingdom is beyond our grasp because of all of the distractions of the three leaf clovers in life.

What are we looking for? What are we listening for? What do our minds need to be opened to? Where do we need to seek clarity that is free from distortion?



For one, we need to see Jesus as a present reality versus as a historical character.
For 20 centuries, Jesus has been a flag of convenience under which all sorts of ships have sailed:
· The advancement of our programs and institutions;
· Our politics;
· Our justification for our social work;
· Our private agendas;
· Even our self help moralism.
Because of that, Jesus has become for many the most confusing part of the Christian life. When we are confused about Jesus, he gets reduced to being our problem solver. We use him to solve our problems of sin and society or to proof text him according to our preferences and positions. When Jesus becomes misappropriated, he becomes a caricature. Jesus is not merely a problem solver nor is he our flag of self promotion. He is to be the most defining and transforming person in your life. Jesus is accessible today in real and tangible ways.

The Present Kingdom of God, Part 4

In the previous posts, I discussed the work of the present Kingdom as a redemptive order and a missional community. We now turn our attention to the final aspect, which is transformation.

The present kingdom is a transformational order which results in Christians and the church who become redemptive realities within the kingdom. N.T. Wright says it this way, “It is the story of God’s Kingdom being launched on earth as in heaven, generating a new state of affairs in which the power of evil has been decisively defeated, the new creation has been decisively launched, and Jesus’ followers have been commissioned and equipped to put that victory and that inaugurated new world into practice. Atonement, redemption, and salvation are what happen on the way because engaging in this work demands that people themselves be rescued from the powers that enslave the world in order that they can in turn be rescuers.” (Surprised by Hope, 204) Our work is Kingdom based and Kingdom focused, and is consumed with the business of transforming what is into what can be and should be.

Now for an aside, which will probably come across like a soap box. Christians and churches are in the Kingdom, but we cannot reduce the kingdom to Christians and churches and denominations.
Suppose there is a reality in the world that I’ll call “transportation.” In the realm of transportation there are several expressions: airplanes, boats, railroads, and automobiles. In the category of automobiles one will find several makes of automobiles produced by General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Nissan, Toyota, Saturn, etc. Of those auto manufacturers, let’s select Dodge. Dodge produces cars, and sells them through a number of local dealerships across America. Now, imagine you are looking for transportation, and you do the research and decide that you wish to purchase a Dodge car. You would go to the Dodge dealership, purchase the car, and become a Dodge owner. When you need your oil changed or tires rotated, you go to the Dodge dealership for service. In the unfortunate occurrence of a fender bender, you would go to the Dodge dealership for the repair. The point is this: Dodge owner and Dodge dealership are to the vast realm of transportation what Christian and local church are to the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is a big, big place. We cannot reduce our individual or congregational experiences of faith to the sum total of the size and scope of God’s Kingdom.

Some time ago, my cousin and her family hosted a foreign exchange student from Italy. In my one and only conversation with the young man, I asked him about what differences he noticed between his life in Italy and his brief experience in America. Without reservation, he remarked that he couldn’t believe American’s love affair with private transportation. In a five minute response, he detailed the excess and waste of American families “need” to have multiple cars, and contrasted that with the superiority of Italy’s public transportation system. Ironically, that’s the same way we view our personal Christian experience and congregational life with regards to the greater kingdom. Again, the Kingdom of God is a big, big place.

Our personal faith and broader congregational participation are part of a greater whole. We participate in the Kingdom. We have been changed by the Kingdom are being shaped by and for the Kingdom. We take on kingdom goals and aspirations. It is not merely a realm of influence, but a movement. When reduced to Christians in local churches, the metric is quantifiable. How many people? How large is the budget? How many baptisms? How many square feet of facility? In the Kingdom, the metric is different. The Kingdom metric is transformation, or “life change.”

My favorite writer is without question Dallas Willard. In his book The Divine Conspiracy, Willard writes, “The kingdom matters because of what Jesus brought and still brings to ordinary humans, living their ordinary lives and coping daily with their surroundings. Jesus promises wholeness for our lives. In sharing our weakness he gives us strength and imparts through his companionship a life that has the quality of eternity. The ordinary becomes a receptacle of the divine…a place where the life of God flows.” That descriptive passage is important, because it helps us understand what really counts in the Kingdom of God. Not everything you can count, counts. In the Kingdom what counts most is transformation.

The Present Kingdom of God, Part 3

Because the present Kingdom is a redemptive order, it logically follows that the present kingdom is a missional order. The Kingdom is concerned with God’s pursuit of his redemptive purposes in Christ. It is God’s primary mission and concern in the world today. As Jesus was sent into the world to accomplish the Father’s redemptive purposes, we in turn have been sent into the world to further his redemptive work (John 20:21).

As missional Christians in the present Kingdom, we present the whole gospel, which includes the message of the gospel and social action which meets the human need of those who are neglected and marginalized. On the far right of the religious landscape we find fundamentalists who are deeply committed to sharing the message of the gospel to the neglect of meeting human need. On the far left of the spectrum there are those who are deeply committed to meeting human need to the neglect of sharing the gospel message. As evangelicals we follow the balanced pattern of Jesus presented in the Gospels: sharing the message of the gospel and meeting human needs. Sharing the gospel and meeting human need are distinct functions of missional Christians that work hand in hand.

Missional Christians in the Kingdom also stand against evil and injustice. In Matthew 11:12, Jesus said, “The Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people are attacking it.” Jesus exorcism of demons was a demonstration of the present Kingdom’s opposition to evil in the world. Through those exorcisms, Jesus showed us that the evil that will be utterly conquered in the future Kingdom is being put down in the present.

Finally, the present Kingdom calls for our radical obedience. Jesus said things like…
“Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:20)
“Follow me now. Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.” (Matthew 8:22)
“No one who puts their hand to the plow is worthy of my Kingdom.” (Luke 9:62)
“Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace but a sword. I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter in law against her mother in law. Your enemies will be right in your own household. If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if your give up your life for me, you will find it.” (Matthew 10:24-29)
We cannot domesticate these challenges. The present Kingdom calls for our priority allegiance and devotion.

The Present Kingdom of God, Part 2

Yesterday I wrote a basic definition of the Kingdom of God present. Now I want to turn attention to the nature of the present Kingdom.

The present kingdom is a redemptive order, involving God’s once for all provision to save humanity from sin. Entrance to the kingdom comes by stepping out of our kingdoms where we rule and reign and stepping into God’s kingdom where he rules and reigns. This is made possible through the cross and resurrection event. The cross breaks the powers that bind us to our own kingdoms.

Here’s how it works. Imagine yourself standing in the middle of a hula hoop. Let’s say you represent the “king” of a kingdom, and the range of your influence is your kingdom represented by the hula hoop. Within your kingdom, what you want done is done. Your will and influence are perfectly conducted. On the surface, that sounds pretty appealing. Who doesn’t want to have a little part of the world where their will is perfectly done? The problem is that what we evaluate as freedom is really bondage. We are kings of our little kingdoms, yet we are stuck inside the hula hoop. Sin and self bind us to those little “kingdoms.”

Jesus has come to liberate us from the bondage of sin and self which bind us to those “hula hoops.” Through the power of the cross and the resurrection of Christ, we are free to leave our kingdoms where we rule and reign and are able to step into the Kingdom of God where he rules and reigns. Jesus’ offer of grace and redemption is the foremost work of the present Kingdom.

How the Mighty Fall: Leadership Team Dynamics

In How the Mighty Fall, Jim Collins compares and contrasts the Leadership-Team Dynamics of Teams "On the Way Down" versus Teams "On the Way Up."

Teams On the Way Down are characterized as...

...Shielding those in power from the grim facts because of fear of penalty and criticism because they have shined the light on harsh realities;

...Having team members who assert strong opinions without supporting data or evidence;

...Having team leaders who avoid asking questions that seek honest opinion or critical input;

...Acquiescing to decisions that they are not supportive of, then undermining those same decisions;

...Seeking credit for themselves without enjoying the admiration or affirmation of their peers;

...Arguing to improve their individual personal interests rather than arguing for that which is best for the overall cause;

...Searching for reasons or people to blame rather than searching for wisdom; and

...Failing to deliver exceptional results while blaming other people or outside factors for mistakes, failures, and setbacks.

Teams On the Way Up, however, are characterized by...

...Having team members who have permission to bring forth unpleasant facts without fear of reprocussion;

...Delivering supporting data and evidence to accompany opinions;

...Having team leaders who are Socratic in leadership style and use penetrating questions to challenge the team to advance;

...Unifying behind decisions and working together to make the decision succeed, even if personally disagreeing with the decision;

...Crediting other people for success while enjoying the confidence and admiration of their peers;

...Arguing and debating to improve the organization rather than individual interests;

...Mining wisdom from painful experiences; and

...Delivering exceptional results while accepting responsibility for setbacks and mistakes.

The Present Kingdom of God, Part 1

The most important teaching of Jesus concerned the Kingdom of God. Anything that Jesus said about life in the gospel record is either directly or indirectly in reference to the Kingdom of God. Jesus first and ongoing message was Repent! For the Kingdom of God is at hand (Matthew 4:17). According to Jesus, the pursuit of the Kingdom of God is the priority of your life. Matthew 6:33 is not just lyrical content to an old song from youth camp. In the heart of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus proclaimed, Seek first the kingdom… (Matthew 6:33). If the Kingdom is to be our priority, we need to understand what it’s all about.

It’s helpful to understand the Kingdom in two respects. First, the Kingdom is rule. It is the authority to rule, the sovereign right of a king to reign. Thus, the kingdom of God is his kingship, his rule, his authority.

The Kingdom is also a realm in which God’s reign is experienced. The Kingdom of God is the extent and range of his effective will. It is the place where what he wants done is done. The person of God himself and the actions of his will are the organizing principles of his kingdom. Everything that obeys those principles by nature or by choice is within his kingdom.

In Luke 17:20a, the Pharasees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?” In this encounter, the Pharisees were inquiring about a future coming which would be obvious and unmistakable. They were seeking a geo-political kingdom that would resemble Israel and the throne of David from old. They were asking about the Kingdom of God, but in their minds they were thinking of the restoration of the Kingdom of David. They were looking for the wrong thing in the wrong way.

Jesus responded to their question in Luke 17:20b-21, The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you. Jesus said that the Kingdom they were seeking was already “among you.” Literally the text reads, it’s “in your midst.” (This is a better translation that the KJV or the NIV, which reads “within you.”) The Pharisees were looking for a Kingdom that was already standing before them. But they couldn’t see it and they didn’t get it.

The kingdom has come – the reign of Jesus is here. His presence represents its arrival. The Kingdom is an inward reality, not an outward institution. It cannot be brought about by human effort or initiative. The kingdom is active and operable even without our acknowledgement.

Therefore, when we pray Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, we are not asking for something future to take place. We are asking for our eyes to be opened to the reality of the reign of God right now.

Don’t get me wrong, the Kingdom of God has both present and future dimensions. There is certainly a tension between now and not yet. But my concern is that we’re written off too much of now into the not yet of the future kingdom and that like the Pharisees, are missing something under our very noses.

Next time I’ll unpack a little more about the nature of the present Kingdom.

Praying Like Jesus Prayed

We often refer to the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) as the Model Prayer. It’s true that Jesus gave this to us as a blueprint for the prayers we offer to God. Another example of prayer is found in Jesus’ intercessory prayer in John 17:1-26. Within this prayer that Jesus offered on the night of his betrayal are four important requests that also serve as a pattern for prayer.

The first request is for the glory of God (John 17:1-5). This request was for the revealed presence of God that puts all things in perspective. Our first consideration when we come to God in prayer is God, not us or anything else. What does God will? What will honor God? What will make God’s name honored? It has been said that we have not really begun to pray until we have prayed for the glory of God.

Request number two is for followers of Christ to have a confident faith (John 17:6-12). Those disciples that followed Jesus would face incredible persecution during the passion of Christ and following his ascension. Confident faith comes through immersing ourselves in Scripture, through our relationship to God as his children, and through his name by which he grants to us his authority.

The next request is for holiness (John 17:13-19). Jesus prayed that his disciples would be set apart from the values of this world by his word for the sake of the world. Holiness that only focuses on separation usually defaults to legalism. Holiness is always purposeful. In our case, holiness is for the sake of the world in which we live. Like a great meal served on fine china, holiness is our presentation of the treasure of the gospel.

The final request Jesus made was for the unity of all believers (John 17:20-26). There’s a lot of talk about unity in religious circles. I’m not convinced that those who speak of unity are all speaking of the same thing. Unity is not uniformity which crushes diversity. Unity is not organizational, but organic. It’s not institutional, but is observable. It’s not reaching for the lowest common denominator. The problem with reaching unity through lowest common denominators is that lowest common denominators always elevate self. The highest common denominator, God and his glory, always diminishes self.

How do we achieve unity? How do we pray for unity? When we pray for unity, what are we praying for? We find unity in our common message of the gospel (17:20), in our common source for living in dependence upon God’s power (17:21), by striving for our common purpose as we humbly serve the marginalized and neglected (17:22), by sharing in the common spirit of love which becomes our chief tool of influence (17:23), and holding to the common goal of eternal glory in heaven wherein we recognize that all that we do here and now is for then and there (17:24).

Let me invite you to use these four requests in your prayer life this week. See how it shapes the requests that you offer to our God.

New Sermon Series

This weekend I'll begin a new series on the Kingdom Parables of Matthew 13. The series is titled "Right Now." I'll be blogging in the upcoming weeks about the series or you can listen to the podcasts online at http://ashworthroad.com.

The Freedom

A couple of years ago I read David McCullough’s fine work 1776. McCullough chronicled the story of the American Colonies’ quest for freedom under the leadership of General George Washington. Beginning with January 1, 1776, he diaries the events of our nation's revolution through December 31, 1776. At the close of the book, Washington is faced with the challenge of keeping his continental army intact. Many who had joined the cause were longing to return home to their families and their farms. The price of freedom was greater than they initially thought, and to some degree, must have wondered if the old life under the tyranny of England was really worth the effort.

The Galatian Christians had some similar challenges. They had been set free by Christ to a new life of freedom in grace. Yet there was a certain appeal to the old life under the law. The law was simpler, cleaner and neater. Paul helped to set the record straight in Galatians 5:1: “So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up (literally, take up the yoke) again in slavery to the law.”

The slavery to the law Paul refers to is the bondage that comes when one is determined to live life in an economy of earning God’s favor rather than living in the economy of God’s grace. The specific issue he addressed was the issue of circumcision, but I suspect we have our own issues here in the 21st century. There is something seductive about trying to earn God’s favor. We’re masters of the “art of the deal,” and we endeavor to earn blessings and favor through our behaviors and bargaining. It’s wrong headed thinking.

Paul gives three reasons why earning leads to bondage. First, “Christ will be of no benefit to you” (5:2). In other words, earning favor renders the work of Christ on the cross null and void. The second thing Paul mentions is that earning obligates us to “obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses” (5:3). If one is determined to earn God’s favor, he or she cannot pick and choose which commands to keep. Earners are committed to keep every single rule. Third, if one chooses an economy of earning, they “have fallen away from God’s grace” (5:4). Earning is completely counterproductive to what Christ has purposed for our lives. God extends his grace to us through his son Jesus Christ, and we respond to that grace through faith. That’s how we have received eternal life, and that’s how we live in eternal life. We live it the same way we received it. Yet like the Galatians, we tend to be quick to run back to the law even after we’ve tasted grace.

Earning is binding because we are not free to live the way God has created us to live. In Galatians 5:6, Paul writes, “What is important is faith expressing itself in love.” That’s the main thing. But we are not free to live that principle if we are consumed with our own attempts to earn. Earning is about me and my efforts, self-righteousness and goodness. But grace is about God. And, in Paul’s thinking, it’s about you, too.