In Eugene Peterson's The Message, Matthew 3:2 ("Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand") is paraphrased, "Change your life. God's kingdom is here." I LOVE that interpretation and have been thinking about it all week.
Change your life. God's kingdom is here.
Jesus never gave a specific definition of the kingdom. Rather, he talked about what the kingdom looks like. It's like a farmer sowing seed, a man hunting treasure, a woman kneading dough, a fisherman casting a net. It's like yeast and a small seed. (Dave listed inspiring examples from within our church community.) The kingdom is present and future, now but not yet. It is on earth and in heaven. It is forcefully advancing, yet not violent. Jesus established the Church as the primary agent of the kingdom, and we as his followers are to be working ceaselessly in these last days to advance God's rule and reign in our little sphere of influence.
Change your life. God's kingdom is here.
Really, the kingdom changes everything. There is absolutely no way you can subscribe to a health-and-wealth gospel (sorry, Joel Osteen) under a kingdom theology. Life is not about us or our happiness or success; it's about us advancing the kingdom here on earth through small, counter-cultural revolutions, while we wait for Christ's return when the kingdom will be fully established for eternity.
Change your life. God's kingdom is here.
How does the reality of the kingdom change my life? The question is not whether, but how. You cannot make the kingdom "your primary concern" (Matt 6:33) without it completely changing your life. How does putting the kingdom first change how I approach relationships with friends and strangers, how I parent my sons, how I love Dave, what kind of house I live in, what kind of car I drive, how I handle money, how I think about my church, and what I do with my free time? These are hard and convicting questions to wrestle with.
Change your life. God's kingdom is here.
The kingdom changes everything.
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