John 18:33 - 37
In his conversation with Pilate, Jesus tells him "my kingdom is not of this world." It is a kingdom that finds its place in within us, and is expressed through our attitudes and behaviours. His kingdom may not be of this world, but it does and should have a significant impact in this world.
We demonstration our membership in the kingdom of God, and show our allegiance to the kingship of Jesus, when we allow him to set our agendas, determine our priorities and lead us into his way of living. When we fail in this, we effectively stage a rebellion, and unseat Jesus from his rightful place as king of our lives.
What is it that you do to ensure that your life remains in tune with the way of Jesus? There are so many competing voices and lifestyles around us, that hearing the word of Jesus can at times be hard? What are you doing to grow in your discipleship, to listen more attentively, and to act in the power of the Spirit?
It has been said that “Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God and what came along was the Church”. Apparently, Jesus said very little about the church, apart from His momentous declaration that He would build His church upon a certain “Rock”. By comparison however, He mentioned the “Kingdom of God”, on numerous occasions. Some commentators suggest, that it is incorrect to speak of the church as the present form of the Kingdom of God, for the full power and glory of God’s Kingdom are yet to be established.
ReplyDeleteWhen Jesus says "my kingdom is not of this world", that seems to make perfect sense; for it follows that it couldn’t possibly be, in any way shape or form, “of this world”. For absolutely nothing, in this world, the church included, could hardly qualify to be the “kingdom” Jesus alludes to. God’s glory may be seen or manifested “in the church”, even proclaimed “by the church”, but the Church is still not, “God’s Kingdom”. The apocalyptist suggests we are in the “age of the Church”, but the coming Kingdom of God, is still a future event.
I don’t think of us as being in that future kingdom yet, nor is it “within me”, for now our “membership” is in His church, though we certainly may be “heirs” of that future kingdom. And I cannot visualize the church, going through some metamorphic convulsion, to be miraculously transformed into that much anticipated kingdom. But then, this is too far beyond my human scope of things to deal with adequately.
I have submitted my life and hence my allegiance to Christ, primarily through my interaction with the Spirit of God within my heart; and I am deeply and profoundly influenced, by that interaction. But I am not a spiritual robot and I am keenly aware, that the Spirit of God grants to my life the most incredible “freedom” to be myself, within the constraints of a loving relationship, in fellowship with His Spirit. When I “stray” or when God’s Spirit is “silent”, there is no sense of rebellion in the strictest sense of the word, even though I may in fact, at some stage “rebel” for a time.
Whilst I am influenced by the movement of God’s Spirit within my heart, my external attitudes and behavior patterns are frequently, the direct result of human interaction. And any rebelliousness on my part is more often than not an outcome of that specific interaction. This has no particular association with any kingdom, or my church membership, for it reflects a wide range of responses associated with my interactions in both the spiritual and human domains.
Is my life in tune with Jesus? I cannot answer that! But what I do know, is that one must vigorously, resist all manner of temptation and be acutely aware, of the highly damaging and “insidious” nature of sin. There are numerous competing voices and lifestyles on hand, which can serve to confuse and unsettle us, or “please us” possibly. But staying aligned with the Spirit of God within, with an abiding sense of humility, I believe is essential, when it comes to rightly defining our relationship to Christ.
Regards
Mal L.