My thoughts on the Kingdom and Davinci.
Several years ago as I read through the synoptics I became fascinated with the gospel fo Jesus. Or better put, the gospel Jesus preached. Since becoming a Christian the only gospel I had ever been told was that of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. But as I read through the Synoptics I found Jesus to not teach of his death, burial, and resurrection, but that of the coming Kingdom of God.
Growing up a futurist and believing that the Kingdom of God was completely in the future I learned there were two groups of futurists.
The salvation by faith in Jesus crowd. This group seemed to careless about this world, the earth, or its residents; unless it meant getting them to pray the prayer and get their fire insurance.
And the legalists. The legalists all gave lip service to grace and salvation through Jesus, but they taught that you had to do(or not do things as it seemed so often) things to get to heaven.
My question becomes what if accepting the true gospel of Jesus, that of his coming kingdom both implies belief in his coming death and resurrection and partaking in ushering in that kindom–being part of that present kingdom that desires to bring the values of the future kingdom here on earth as they will be in heaven.
This post was created in mental silence despite the music if Shawn Mcdonald playing, and with a thirsty tongue wishing for a decent pinot noir to sip on, but to lazy to walk down to the basement and open a new bottle.
PS after all the church's anti-Davinci Code rhetoric I gladly took my wife out to the movie theater tonight a gave our $14 to see a decent movie. Upon departure from the theatre my wife looked over at me in the car and said, "By telling people to not go the movie, the church did exactly what the movie implied the church has always been about–keeping secrets." Funny how religious leaders have fallen into that trap with this movie.
Growing up a futurist and believing that the Kingdom of God was completely in the future I learned there were two groups of futurists.
The salvation by faith in Jesus crowd. This group seemed to careless about this world, the earth, or its residents; unless it meant getting them to pray the prayer and get their fire insurance.
And the legalists. The legalists all gave lip service to grace and salvation through Jesus, but they taught that you had to do(or not do things as it seemed so often) things to get to heaven.
My question becomes what if accepting the true gospel of Jesus, that of his coming kingdom both implies belief in his coming death and resurrection and partaking in ushering in that kindom–being part of that present kingdom that desires to bring the values of the future kingdom here on earth as they will be in heaven.
This post was created in mental silence despite the music if Shawn Mcdonald playing, and with a thirsty tongue wishing for a decent pinot noir to sip on, but to lazy to walk down to the basement and open a new bottle.
PS after all the church's anti-Davinci Code rhetoric I gladly took my wife out to the movie theater tonight a gave our $14 to see a decent movie. Upon departure from the theatre my wife looked over at me in the car and said, "By telling people to not go the movie, the church did exactly what the movie implied the church has always been about–keeping secrets." Funny how religious leaders have fallen into that trap with this movie.
posted by Jonathan Myers at 10:00 PM
1 Comments:
So I've been helping out with a start-up church in Aloha since about January and these are the things that we have been intently seeking what the Kingdom truly is. And one of the things we have experienced as truth is exactly the question you are asking. The fact that the Kingdom is being established through the works of the saints by the Power of the Holy Spirit. Like Jesus said in John 14:12 "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. "
This might be taking it a little far, but if we truly believe in the words of Christ then should we not being doing the works of Christ and even greater ones? Does that show a lack of faith in the Power of the Resurrection?
It's the same Power Paul talks about in Romans 15 and Philippians 3
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