The Kingdom Come

Liked this Article enough to land on it regarding the House
the KINGDOM come – David Ruis

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

so much talk about the kingdom ...
might just be me - but I am sure hearing the term bandied about the subcultures of the church a lot - it’s used to endorse and explain all kinds of practices and experience across the spectrum of faith - “Hey ... it’s the kingdom dude ...” or “… all for the kingdom you know ...”
our understanding of the kingdom shapes so much of how we walk out our faith - it’s a pretty critical point of theology to wrestle with. This journey that we’ve embarked on is described as the “gospel of the kingdom” (Matthew 24:14) - our message is one of calling individuals, society and culture to align with the kingdom (Mark 1:15) - our call is to seek first the kingdom (Matthew 6:33) - and our prayer is to see the kingdom come (Matthew 6:10) ... seems kind of important that we know what we’re talking about ...
way too much to unpack here - but it might be high time for a bit of a talk about what we’re really saying. A good starting point may be around this notion of the kingdom “coming”.
kind of boils down to basically three approaches as I sift through what I see and hear:

1) a vertical “in the moment” understanding of the kingdom breaking in ...
2) an “off in the distance” coming (other than “salvation") - way out of reach so just hang on ‘til Jesus comes - understanding of the kingdom ...
3) a more horizontal eschatological understanding of kingdom breakthrough...

the first approach is this sense of urgency propelled by the thought that if we can just get it “right” - if we could just break through into the heavenly realms and “pull it down” - everything would be ok. So we look for the big healing, or the download of provision, or the ultimate revival as the answer to all our woes and the sure sign that God has come and His kingdom is here. All that’s needed is a purer bride, some serious fasting, a few “third heaven” experiences and a glory environment of worship and expectation complete with angelic activity and blow your mind prophecy. Then the kingdom would come ... all the time ... in the present ...
or ... if you’re uncomfortable with that - and a bit more conservative ... all we need is the right power point, or the hippest liturgy, a bit of spiritual anarchy and some justice activism ... then all will be set right.
my personal struggle with this perspective is that you’re pretty much forced into a mindset that is constantly looking for what’s “blocking” the in breaking and who’s to blame ... and a triumphalism (both charismatic and activist) can begin to bleed through your understanding of the church and her role on the earth. Everything from worship, to the disciplines of the faith and engagement with the culture at large can become extremely driven - constantly looking for the cutting edge, the latest cause and the “next level” of spiritual encounter.
faith is exciting ... but can become reliant on hype and potentially very self serving.
let the kingdom come ...
the second can be - quite frankly - at times a pretty attractive posture. Leaning hard into the sovereignty of God - which does bring a significant measure of joy and security this side of heaven - we do the work of an evangelist, keep our morals intact as best we can, challenge society with how far away from God they really are and hang on until the end of all things.
I lived with such a faith for a very long time - pretty secure - but really bored.
my personal struggle with this approach (although it seems quite safe the longer I walk this path) is that it leaves me ... quite frankly ... empty. The danger here is to loose the sense of God invading the present reality and the expectation that He could be up to anything at anytime.
faith sustains ... but can end up having very little impact.
let the kingdom come ...

the third world view is filled with tension.
some have coined this approach as one of embracing “the now and the not yet”, or “the time between the times”. The compass is set eschatologically and the in-breaking of the kingdom of God is seen as the future invading the present rather than a current reality “up there” that needs to penetrate the “down here”. There will come a day when all things will be set right, every tear wiped away and all injustice banished forever. Jesus will come again. So the return of Christ is seen as that ultimate “revival” if you will ... the time when all things ultimately will be set right ... but the good news is that we don’t just have to wait for the fullness of the kingdom and the presence of God - we can see it’s impact and dynamism now. The kingdom is upon us ... it is at hand ... so reach out to pray for the sick; take courage and feed the hungry; declare the gospel, challenge injustice and oppose the dark forces of hell. As we journey in the time between the times - you never know when the kingdom will break through. Have faith ... believe ... proclaim and engage fully expecting a present manifestation of the future reality - yet with a faith that is secure in an eternal hope, that is not shaken if the present need must wait for a future resolution.
my personal struggle with this understanding is that can be very difficult to model given the consumerism and fast food culture that surrounds us. There are no easy answers here ... so the default usually is to attempt to resolve any tension that is created by this “now and not yet” reality. In my opinion, so many of the “successful” templates of church life and the instructions on how to live as a “successful” christian end up promising relief from the tensions the kingdom (potentially) creates. As far as I’m concerned these empty promises - but It’s very hard to cut up stream in this.
faith is full of risk and constantly in motion straddling charismatic and conservative values ... a weariness can eventually set in (Galatians 6:9)
let the kingdom come ...
some of the differences noted may seem subtle ... but I believe they are far more than just a difference in semantics. It really is a difference in world view ... and that’s huge.
I’m sure you’ve guessed by now where I land ... I’ll take door number three Monty