Graduate 169: Five Reflections for the Church, Part 12
Living in the kingdom
Composed: 20 September 2009
We've been praying over the Focusing the Church process since January and are now a mere six days from the first Summit meeting, which will be taking place on Saturday, 26 September.
As we look forward to this upcoming weekend, I want to draw our attention back, for a moment, to our motivations and goals. I was challenged on just this point last week. What are my priorities? Where is my focus? And how does that impact the way in which I do ministry? One of the easiest mistakes to make, when involved in church work, is to get fixated on the program, the agenda, or the task at hand, and to lose sight of the people involved and even of the God whose work we are supposed to be doing.
To help us understand what I mean, it may be useful to draw a distinction between (1) doing the work of the kingdom and (2) living in the kingdom. Of course, if you dig down deep enough, these two things are really inseparable, but there are still plenty of people who are (often without knowing it) trying to do one without the other. When we think about doing the work of the kingdom, we probably think about things like spreading the gospel, teaching the word, ministering to the poor and needy, supporting missions work, reaching out to the community, building relationships with neighbors and co-workers. But the biblical authors recognize, and warn against, performing these kinds of activities for the wrong reason or in the wrong way. For instance, in 1 Corinthians 13:3, the Apostle Paul writes, "And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing." (See also Matthew 6:1-18.)
People get involved in ministry and service for many different reasons. Some do so from a sense of obligation or duty; others out of habit or routine; some from a sense of guilt; and others because that is where they find meaning or fulfillment. Paul even refers to people, in his own time, who preached Christ "from envy and strife". (Philippians 1:15-17) But God's desire is not that we do ministry and service (the work of the kingdom) for just any reason. Rather, His intention is that our good works should be a natural outgrowth of our life in the kingdom. Jesus says, in John 15:4, "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me." Abiding in the vine is a picture of life in the kingdom.
Notice, according to the verse, that if we are not abiding in the vine, then we cannot be effective ministers for the kingdom. If we are not living in the kingdom, then we are cut off from the source of divine life and strength and power--just like a branch that is cut off from the vine. Indeed one of the main reasons that so many Christian workers and leaders 'burn out' in the course of their ministries is that they are trying to do the work of the kingdom while neglecting their own life in the kingdom. They may have the best intentions, but they often are focused on so many different things, and wind up neglecting the condition of their own relationship with God. On the other hand, as we grow in our relationships with God, as we make His priorities our priorities, as we trust Him to provide for everything that we need, as we learn to live constantly under his rule and authority, two things will result: we will come to a deeper understanding of His love for us and we will find that His love for others is actually guiding and motivating our actions.
As we go through the Focusing process and turn our attention toward doing the work of the kingdom in our community, it's important to be motivated by the love of Jesus. But if you're not sure about your motivations, don't let that worry you. The community is also the place where you learn how to be motivated by the love of Jesus. In fact, the community is the place where you learn how to live in the kingdom of God. The invitation to become active in the community, then, is really open to everyone. The only question you have to consider is: Do you want to (learn how to) love like Jesus loved? Do you want to (learn how to) live in God's kingdom so that you can effectively do the work of the kingdom? If that is your goal, you will find two things beginning to emerge at the center of your focus: God and the people He wants to reach. And that's exactly where our focus should be.
--
God is in this place,
And that reality, seen and understood by the grace of God in Christ Jesus, through the work of the Holy Spirit, makes all the difference in the world.
Composed: 20 September 2009
We've been praying over the Focusing the Church process since January and are now a mere six days from the first Summit meeting, which will be taking place on Saturday, 26 September.
As we look forward to this upcoming weekend, I want to draw our attention back, for a moment, to our motivations and goals. I was challenged on just this point last week. What are my priorities? Where is my focus? And how does that impact the way in which I do ministry? One of the easiest mistakes to make, when involved in church work, is to get fixated on the program, the agenda, or the task at hand, and to lose sight of the people involved and even of the God whose work we are supposed to be doing.
To help us understand what I mean, it may be useful to draw a distinction between (1) doing the work of the kingdom and (2) living in the kingdom. Of course, if you dig down deep enough, these two things are really inseparable, but there are still plenty of people who are (often without knowing it) trying to do one without the other. When we think about doing the work of the kingdom, we probably think about things like spreading the gospel, teaching the word, ministering to the poor and needy, supporting missions work, reaching out to the community, building relationships with neighbors and co-workers. But the biblical authors recognize, and warn against, performing these kinds of activities for the wrong reason or in the wrong way. For instance, in 1 Corinthians 13:3, the Apostle Paul writes, "And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing." (See also Matthew 6:1-18.)
People get involved in ministry and service for many different reasons. Some do so from a sense of obligation or duty; others out of habit or routine; some from a sense of guilt; and others because that is where they find meaning or fulfillment. Paul even refers to people, in his own time, who preached Christ "from envy and strife". (Philippians 1:15-17) But God's desire is not that we do ministry and service (the work of the kingdom) for just any reason. Rather, His intention is that our good works should be a natural outgrowth of our life in the kingdom. Jesus says, in John 15:4, "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me." Abiding in the vine is a picture of life in the kingdom.
Notice, according to the verse, that if we are not abiding in the vine, then we cannot be effective ministers for the kingdom. If we are not living in the kingdom, then we are cut off from the source of divine life and strength and power--just like a branch that is cut off from the vine. Indeed one of the main reasons that so many Christian workers and leaders 'burn out' in the course of their ministries is that they are trying to do the work of the kingdom while neglecting their own life in the kingdom. They may have the best intentions, but they often are focused on so many different things, and wind up neglecting the condition of their own relationship with God. On the other hand, as we grow in our relationships with God, as we make His priorities our priorities, as we trust Him to provide for everything that we need, as we learn to live constantly under his rule and authority, two things will result: we will come to a deeper understanding of His love for us and we will find that His love for others is actually guiding and motivating our actions.
As we go through the Focusing process and turn our attention toward doing the work of the kingdom in our community, it's important to be motivated by the love of Jesus. But if you're not sure about your motivations, don't let that worry you. The community is also the place where you learn how to be motivated by the love of Jesus. In fact, the community is the place where you learn how to live in the kingdom of God. The invitation to become active in the community, then, is really open to everyone. The only question you have to consider is: Do you want to (learn how to) love like Jesus loved? Do you want to (learn how to) live in God's kingdom so that you can effectively do the work of the kingdom? If that is your goal, you will find two things beginning to emerge at the center of your focus: God and the people He wants to reach. And that's exactly where our focus should be.
--
God is in this place,
And that reality, seen and understood by the grace of God in Christ Jesus, through the work of the Holy Spirit, makes all the difference in the world.
posted by Metaphysician_delta | 9:25 AM
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