2. Paul’s Kingdom Tour - NOT YET!
Week 9 • Day 2
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Share the Gospel
Yesterday, we launched our kingdom tour alongside Paul as he cast a vision for God’s rule in God’s place over God’s people to a series of local churches. Paul’s vision of this ideal kingdom community seems nice, but the contextual issues amidst each church community highlights a major question Paul’s letters attempt to address. The question is simple: How do we actually achieve this “pie-in-the-sky utopia” particularly when we account for our fallen world and our fallen flesh that still suffers from the effects of the serpent’s kingdom?
Exactly like the example of Jesus, Paul encourages God’s people to embrace suffering that will inevitably come our way since our world and our flesh remains marked by the lingering effects of the serpent. Paul predicts that those in opposition to the gospel of the kingdom will inevitably remain hostile to the faith and possibly grow in their disdain toward this new Jesus movement called the church. In light of this reality, Paul challenges followers like Timothy to endure in a letter written right before Paul faces his own death.
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. - 2 Timothy 1:8-10
Regardless of what faced God’s people, the gospel of the kingdom is too good to be contained and too important to not share! That is why Paul exhorts all disciples to spread the message that Jesus’ rule has crushed the serpent, that by faith we have been set free from sin and death, our hearts have become God’s dwelling place, and God’s people can now live their lives (1) loving God in obedience and (2) loving others by ministering the message of salvation found in Jesus alone! Whatever the fallen world and the fallen flesh throws our way, our sights must remain set on sharing the gospel of the kingdom found in the scriptures because it is “able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”
Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. - 2 Timothy 3:12–4:5.
Even though the gospel of the kingdom addresses the source of the problem (the serpent) and explains how the kingdom breaks through on earth today (the church), we face the reality that all things have “NOT YET” been fully cleansed from the serpent who remains a “venom-less” foe now that sin and death have been conquered. This is why creation and humans alike continue to groan as we await the complete restoration of all things. In light of this, recall that the gospel of the kingdom concludes when Jesus comes back a second time to fully restore all things and dispose of the serpent once and for all. The prophets have referred to this final phase of the gospel of the kingdom as “the coming day of the Lord” in which judgment will be distributed by God against all the remaining faithless enemies under the serpent kingdom. These topics mentioned in the major and minor prophets alike greatly concerned the local church of Thessalonica - our next stop on Paul’s kingdom tour!
Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. - 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6
They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. - 2 Thessalonians 1:9-12
God’s kingdom people have always been filled with a hope that is foreign to the world. The church looks forward to a brighter day in which God rules by judging the serpent and his kingdom. At the same time, followers of Jesus eagerly anticipate the day in which the Spirit of YHWH that brought Jesus back to life - the same Spirit that has now made His residential place in our hearts - will resurrect His people from death to eternal life. God’s kingdom people have always been able to hope for these promises by faith and say things like “to live is Christ and to die is gain,” (Phil. 1:21) as they look forward to a new resurrected body that has not been defiled by the serpent and will bow to no one but YHWH!
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. - 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18.
I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” - 1 Corinthians 15:50-55
What a glorious future hope we have in the gospel of the kingdom! In light of Jesus and the power of his resurrection, death will actually be gain for those who have faith in Jesus! Remember, though, that Paul suggests that this shouldn’t motivate us to escape this life. Instead, Paul also says that to live is Christ! As we hope for the “NOT YET” future restoration of all things, we live in this broken world “NOW” as Jesus’ kingdom representatives who use our restored delegated rule to reconcile all things back to God. How do we do this? We go into the world sharing the message about Jesus’ rule that was reestablished by crushing the serpent when he died on the cross for our sins and defeated death 3 days later. We then live as God’s renewed temple place since we have been cleansed of all sin, since His law has been written on our hearts, and since the Holy Spirit empowers us to follow Jesus. As a result, God’s people come together as a church to (1) love God by walking with him in obedience and (2) love others by living in harmony with one another. The gospel message of Jesus and the resulting kingdom of God goes out to the nations of the world in order to extend His blessings and His glory!
From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. - 2 Corinthians 5:16-20
If our delegated rule in God’s kingdom is anything like it was in the garden, we should expect to see humanity on the road back to peace, harmony, and shalom with God and with one another through this “ministry of reconciliation”. Paul’s vision of the church is a kingdom community that is driven by a lifestyle that involves walking in truth, obedience, and a loving relationship with God as we trust in His wisdom of “good” and “evil”. Here is what Paul says to two of his own disciples about how the church ought to stand out in our fallen world:
I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. - 1 Timothy 3:14-15
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. - Titus 2:11-14
Finally, Paul demonstrates how powerful the kingdom can be in this fallen world when we love others in the same way Jesus loved us! Sure, the gospel of the kingdom has “NOT YET” been fully realized, but at the same time, our lives empowered by the Spirit of God shows us that the gospel of the kingdom is a reality that can be lived out “NOW”! Following God’s rule brings harmony even to the most destructive of relationships involving image-bearing people. The book of Philemon is Paul’s example of the kingdom breaking through when the relationship between a 1st century runaway slave (Onesimus) and his master (Philemon) are reconciled.
I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord. For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ” - Philemon 10-18
My guess is that if you are a Christian, you have always understood the importance of your own personal salvation from the serpent and your own justification! Praise God that Jesus did crush the serpent, that Jesus is our substitute, that by faith in Jesus your sins are forgiven, and that he has defeated death. In fact, if you have been a Christian for a while now, you might even recognize your need for ongoing sanctification. Praise God that Jesus rose from the grave and sent us the Holy Spirit to progressively deal with our sinful nature. Near the end of this series, I wonder if you are now beginning to see that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is the source of a much larger gospel of the kingdom! Yes, the good news is all about Jesus dying on the cross for our sins and sending us the Holy Spirit to work out our salvation. However, let us not let the good news stop there!
The gospel of the kingdom has always been headed toward king YHWH’s powerful rule over His people who have become His kingdom place! This kingdom community is defined by its purpose as we (1) love God in relationship and obedience and (2) love others well as servants of all.
We started our kingdom tour with a passage from Ephesians. Now we will end our tour by revisiting the church that Paul spent the most time with! When speaking about the nature of the church, Paul suggests that it is “the eternal purpose” of God that “He has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord”. In essence, Paul is suggesting that this kingdom community called the church has been “plan A” all along and is the desired result of Christ’s work on the cross. That is why Paul can claim that the church was established so that the manifold wisdom of God might be known to all! Why? Paul explains that by the power of the Holy Spirit (place), God’s people work together to (1) unite under Christ’s rule and (2) build each other up in the Kingdom!
To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. - Ephesians 3:8–12.
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. - Ephesians 4:11–16.
Now that you have seen how the gospel of the kingdom cashes out on this kingdom tour, how do you think Paul would encourage you if he were writing you a letter? My hunch is that if you call yourself a Christian, you have placed your faith in Jesus’ powerful rule who has crushed the serpent by defanging him of sin and death ALL on your behalf. Our prayer is that the gospel of the kingdom not only heightens the depth of your satisfaction in Jesus’ forgiveness, but it also encourages you to zealously continue forward in life fully dependent upon the powerful rule of the ascended King of Kings. Are you letting Jesus reign on the throne of your life today? Are you allowing him to intervene and dictate what is “good” and “bad” in your life as you move forward in His kingdom? In a similar way, my guess is that many Christians have already trusted that Jesus has paid the ransom for you and sent the Holy Spirit to you in order to adopt you into His kingdom family of people. Our prayer is that the gospel of the kingdom not only elevates your gratitude for the sacrificial work of Jesus on the cross, but it also exhorts you toward becoming a more integral part of your local kingdom family of people called the church. Are you deeply connected to and invested in a local body of believers? If not, I hope you are realizing that the church community was God’s plan all along! So what are some things you can do to become an active contributor to the local church family? Finally, I’m sure most Christians realize that we have become God’s kingdom place when Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to live inside of us. Our prayer is that the gospel of the kingdom not only challenges you to engage in prayer and other disciplines to communicate with the Holy Spirit on a personal level, but it also motivates you to live out your kingdom purpose in life alongside others in the kingdom who are also filled with the Holy Spirit. What is God calling you to do to (1) strengthen your relationship and obedience with Him? How can you use your unique spiritual gifts to (2) become the servant of all in the body? What can you do to take God’s kingdom place and spread His glory to the nations?
If you have been challenged in this series, the gospel of the kingdom includes the idea that in the power of the Holy Spirit, we have been given a heart of repentance to start living this kingdom way “NOW”. Please don’t wait another day! The message of Jesus is too good, too important, and has eternal ramifications! At the same time, until Jesus returns, we will all continue to wrestle with the spiritual forces of our fallen world that want to hold the kingdom at bay because the kingdom is also “NOT YET” fully realized until the defanged and venom-less serpent and his demon offspring are put away once and for all.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. - Ephesians 6:10–18
Until then, have you committed to following God’s kingdom rule as a part of His kingdom family of people on a kingdom mission to spread God’s place to the ends of the earth?
Share the Gospel: The kingdom of God begins with God’s rule - the victory of Jesus on the cross and the forgiveness of sins available in him alone! By faith in Jesus, we receive the kingdom when our sins are cleansed and the Holy Spirit dwells in us - making us the temple place of God! From that moment forward, we become God’s kingdom people who learn to love God once more by walking with him in obedience and love others in the way we interact with His kingdom family. This is how the kingdom of God comes to earth as it is in heaven!
