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Devotion.al

Tag: Kingdom of God

  • The Church Walls

    Matthew 5:1–12, Matthew 13:1–9, Luke 4:16–21, Acts 16:11–15, Acts 16:23–34, Acts 17:22–29

    Mountain, boat, synagogue, riverside, prison, Areopagus (formal public forum)

    What do all of these have in common? Nothing.

    What happened at each of these, according to the Scriptures? Messages were delivered regarding the Kingdom of God.

    Only one of those places was a formal cultural place of worship. And the list above doesn’t cover them all. City gates, roads, public plazas had it happen there, too.

    What we call the church (building) is only supposed to be a place to hear messages about the Kingdom of God, not the only one. Today, church is happening at bars (even Nazarene churches), the racetrack, the truck stoop, private homes, barns, coffee shops, and these are the organized churches. This doesn’t include other places of gatherings where the message is heard. However, despite the Scriptures themselves bearing witness to the diversity of places to deliver the message, the church today is pretty stuck on the church building.

    So that we are all on the same page, this is not to say that the church building is bad. Quite the contrary. The issue at hand is that there is an unconscious (and conscious) thought process in the Western World that the big moving and shaking happens at the church.

    However, when missionaries talk about changing lives it is so much more than the church. So much of the work of missionaries must be outside of the church, and not even on the grounds. As we progress more and more quickly away from the so-called Christian America, it is wise to look beyond the church walls. It is wise to look beyond the church. It is wise to look at our missionaries. They already work where we are headed.

    We talk (rightfully) about bringing the Kingdom of God. Humanity, however, needs more than a concept, it needs a place. We each need to find places where we can meet with people where they feel comfortable so that their hearts are more open to hearing about God.

    1) What places have you heard a church being held that bothered you? Why did it bother you? What about that place created an atmosphere of hearts being more open to God?

    2) Why do you think we focus on church buildings as the place where church occurs?

    3) Why is the church building often as dangerous to our spiritual growth as it is a barrier to those who don’t know God?

  • Open and Closed

    Jeremiah 15:19–21, Mark 2:1–12, Matthew 11:20–24

    “One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.” Romans 10:10 (CSB)
    “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13 (CSB)

    Confession and repentance resulting in salvation is a constant theme in the Scriptures. As the nation of Israel would wander away from God, come back, wander away, and so on, there was a perceivable and constant ebb and flow in the story.

    Confession►Repentance►Salvation

    Jesus was not one to shy away from forgiving sins. Take this story of the paralytic. He seems to have deliberately chosen words that struck at the core of how confession, repentance, and salvation all tie together. Scripture does not say that the paralytic confessed and repented. However, by his friends putting him at his feet, the man was forgiven and healed. Even more interestingly, it appears it was the faith of the paralytic’s friends that resulted in healing and forgiveness.

    Yet, we come to Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, there seems to be no grace. What happened? If the paralytic man didn’t have to follow “the recipe” why should have Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum? The additional context of Tyre and Sidon gives us an idea. They were cities that were known for their pride and arrogance. Jesus was saying that Chorazin and Bethsaida were more pride-filled and arrogant. Capernaum? Let’s see…Jesus did miracles, a number of them. Yet, Capernaum refused to repent even with the King of the Kingdom of God was right there in their midst! That’s the difference, open versus closed.

    1) Can you see the difference in your life between when you have been open and when you have been closed to God?

    2) What traits—other than pride and arrogance—indicate someone being closed to God?

    3) The people of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum probably viewed themselves a righteous. How can we check that we have not become like them?

  • Were and Being Sent

    Luke 9:1–6, Luke 10:1–16, Luke 22:35–38

    This series of passages shows a progression of being sent out. The first passage is Jesus’ immediate 12 disciples being sent out. Their mission was to tell about the Kingdom of God and to heal people. Pretty simple goals. Difficult mission. This seems to be the test run, for Jesus later sends out 72.

    These 72 are told that there are few workers. The 12 didn’t get that “pep-talk”. In both cases, they (whether 12 or 72) are to only preach to those who are open. Jesus tells them to “shake the dust off” if people are not receptive. In our day and age where were seek to not offend, this can seem pretty harsh. Yet, often we are called to plant seeds and move on so that we can plant more seeds. If you plant one seed, but just stay in one place to make sure it grows, everywhere else you could have gone remain unseeded.

    Even still, there is a balance. While they are directed to move from town to town, while they are in one town, they only stay in one place. This is a not-so-subtle reminder that humans play politics. The latest prophet (or one sent by that prophet) is the latest “star”. Imagine how far too many people would clamor to host them, creating strife in a community where the Kingdom of God is being preached.

    However, the last “sending” has a much darker and starker tone. Now, they are to be fully prepared and even armed. As an aside, many commentators struggle with Jesus telling them to have swords while at the same time being the Prince of Peace and (to many) a pacifist. That’s actually what makes this third sending so dark and stark. The reality of the world is that being foolish means that you will be destroyed. Now, there is the pacifist route, the self-defense route, and the armed aggressor route. As we look back at history, there is no question that the armed aggressor “evangelism” is against the Kingdom of God. Where the balance between pacifism and self-defense is a discussion that is still going on to this day.

    Regardless, though, we know that the ways and the hows of sharing about the Kingdom of God are always changing. The message does (and must) remain the same, but how we share it changes constantly. One of the most common phrases used is, “this is the way we’ve always done it.” While, at the same time, how groceries, tools, gas, cars, and many other things are purchased has massively changed. Modes of communication have expanded. The ability to see across the world in real-time is everywhere. Yet, we want to deliver the message the same way?

    1) Where have you been guilty of saying/thinking/feeling “that’s the way we’ve always done it?” What do you think the underlying emotions are?

    2) Tossing the old just for the new can be just as bad. How can the old inform the past, and how can the new transform the past?

    3) All too often we operate as if it is old versus new. How can we operate old and new?

  • Prophet of Peace

    Jeremiah 28:1–9, Luke 12:49–56, John 14:27–31

    There is something quite jarring in Jeremiah’s response to Hananiah. Did you catch it? Only when peace actually comes true will a prophet who prophesied peace be considered a true prophet. If you prophesy war, famine, pestilence, death, it’s all good. What?

    Think about that for a moment. The implication of Jeremiah’s words is pretty huge. It could be called a “duh” moment. In other words, it really doesn’t take much to prophesy (and be accurate) that there will be conflict and natural disasters. That pretty much comes with the territory of a fallen world.

    Yet, there was an expectation that the Messiah would bring peace. Jesus’ words in Luke put that to the question. Not peace, but a sword? It sounds so very warlike. If we think about it, most worldly peace is “won” through blood and death. So, if Jesus is bringing a sword, then what kind of war is it, now?

    The Word of God is a two-edged sword. It is not just a symbol of war, but it is also a symbol of cutting.

    Separating the followers in word only from those who follow from their hearts. In other words, it is not a “peace” of we’ll all get along, but a peace that separates the ways of the world from the ways of the Kingdom of God.

    When Jesus says that he will give peace, but not as the world gives peace, we should be grateful. The world’s peace can be torn asunder very quickly, and often only with a spark. God’s peace passes all understanding.

    1) Jeremiah’s words about prophets are disheartening, but they should also be encouraging? Why do you think that is?

    2) We often cling to the image as Jesus as the Prince of Peace, yet the Sword of Truth would seem to be contrary to that. How do you work that out in your mind and heart? How would you explain that to someone else?

    3) How have you seen the Peace of God come into your life?

  • Barriers to Sharing

    John 20:19–23, Acts 1:4, Acts 2:1–36

    The short vignette in the locked upper room after the Resurrection seems as if was a snippet of a memory that was lacking something. Yet, John felt it was important. As a precursor to Pentecost, Jesus’ statement/blessing about receiving the Holy Spirit was an important thing. Jesus had already told the disciples that they would only fully be what they were called to be when the Holy Spirit came and that Jesus would have to not be present. Jesus directed them to wait.
    They waited, prayed, worshipped.
    The Festival of First Fruits (Pentecost) was a Jewish major festival to celebrate the first of the harvest and to praise and worship God. Probably not as full as it was during Passover, Jerusalem was still a significantly full. In addition, there were likely many people who lived far away but remained for both. Was it as packed? Probably not. Were the spectacle of Jesus and his story still floating around? Probably. They, the disciples and the people of Jerusalem, were not ready for what came next.

    The spontaneous sermon by Peter probably shocked him and the other disciples. While his sermon fell on fertile ground, it is probably not just the words. Any charlatan or false teacher or false prophet can preach a good sermon. The miracle of people of different countries hearing the sermon in their native tongue showed God’s supernatural approval and participation in this.

    We often get tied up in methods and modes of communicating. There are longtime disagreements about modes and methods. Far too many confuse mode and methods with the message. God made no distinction between languages. It was the message that mattered. On the other hand, we could be so concerned about the language (“did they miss the nuance?”) that we forget the effectiveness of mode and message.

    What matters is that the message was heard. The people didn’t hear God’s message in some tongue that they were not native to, they heard it in the tongue where they knew the nuances. God did not do a poor translation, God did a great one. More than that, hearts were transformed, and those transformed hearts went back home. Of what value is a Jew whose first language isn’t Hebrew? They took home the message that God loves them so much, that he sent his son to die for them.

    Pentecost is the birthday of the Church. The whole church. While it took Peter and the other disciples time to recognize what the first sermon was saying (all nations and people can come to God), it was the heart of the Church at birth. The Jewish Pentecost was a celeb.ration of the first fruits of the harvest. The Church Pentecost is about the first fruits of the Kingdom of God

    1) The initial response to the supernatural act of hearing things in one’s own language was met with skepticism. Why do you think that is?

    2) Speaking in Tongues is considered a gift of the Holy Spirit. What is very unique about this specific display of Speaking in Tongues? If you need a hint, who is missing?

    3) Even today people hold on to methods and modes as essentials to sharing the Good News, rather than the Good News itself. Why do people hold onto such things, often to the detriment of sharing the Gospel?

  • Worthy Scraps

    Mark 7:24–30, Psalm 2, Isaiah 26:1–6, Genesis 17:1–7

    It’s been over a month since Epiphany. Within the time frame of the church “year”, we are halfway through the “season” of Epiphany. As a brief reminder, Epiphany is the observation day of the Wise Men coming to Jesus. It is a reminder that while Jesus was Jewish, his salvific work and kingship were for the Gentiles (non-Jews), too.

    It is also a not-so-subtle jab at the Jewish religious leaders that they missed the coming of the king. While Jesus made it clear that the emphasis of his time on earth was for the salvation of and preaching the kingdom of God to the Jews, it was supposed to be only the beginning.

    While Jesus emphasized the Jews, it was not that he was exclusionary. There is the Samaritan woman (almost worse than a normal Gentile to the Jews) at the well. There is also the Roman Centurion. Then there is today’s story of the Syrian Mother seeking the welfare of her daughter.

    In Jesus’ initial response to the woman, note the emphasis on the “children”. Children is definitely a reference to Jews that have had a seat at the table of God since Abraham. In other words, Jesus tells the woman to wait until the Jews are “fed”.

    The allusion to feeding on God is interesting, too. We could be offended at the appearance of Jesus calling the woman a dog, yet it would be a culturally relevant way for a Jew to refer to her (it doesn’t make it appropriate in our day and age). It is also an accurate reflection of the gap between the woman’s heritage and that of the Jews.

    It does seem to be a test in some way. Jesus didn’t say no. In a way, Jesus was asking her what the most appropriate thing was, which makes her response even more amazing.

    She does not dispute that Jesus is Jewish, and thus his priority is the Jews. It was entirely appropriate that she acknowledged and respected his avowed mission. Again, Jesus didn’t say no.

    This mother took “the scraps” that Jesus tossed her, and gave a beautiful response.

    Think about small children. When they eat, they are not the tidiest of eaters. Food ends up on the floor. Sometimes by accident, sometimes by being tossed. Small children often do not fully grasp the concept of food and its worth, just as the Jews were missing the beauty of God’s word incarnate.

    The mother saw the worth of Jesus (food) and lunged for the crumbs that children ignored. Jesus healed her daughter. Just like the Centurion’s servant, the daughter was healed at a distance. The faith and trust of the Gentiles (the outsiders) exceeded the faith of the Jews (insiders).

    • 1) While many Christians identify with the Gentiles and outsiders, it isn’t always the case. Are you able to see where you might be more like an insider rather than an outsider?
    • 2) What does the word epiphany mean to you? How does that meaning apply to the Wise Men? How does that apply to your Christian walk?
    • 3) Food is an important part of the story. What are some different ways food can be used to tell a story of faith?
    • FD) We can become blind to the blessings we have (like the Jews were blind to Jesus). What blessings do you need to remember today?

  • Transitioning

    Psalm 29; Isaiah 43:1–13; Matthew 3:13–17

    Many people claim to have heard from God. Often in church culture, we hear about Elijah and the “still, small, voice of God” (1 Kings 19). In Psalm 29, however, the voice of the Lord is anything but quiet. Massive trees break, the earth shakes, deer giving premature birth, the woodlands stripped bare, all due to the voice of the Lord. The voice of the Lord can be quiet or loud, depending on what we need.

    Through Isaiah, God calls out to the Israelites. The Israelites are in exile, and in despair. God reminds them that it is God who made them. It is God who formed not just humankind, but the people of Israel, reminding them of the promise made to Abraham.

    After the reminder—which is also a statement of reassurance—comes the challenge. As the Israelites walk through the waters, rivers, and fire. God will be with them. It is not insignificant that God says, “…when you pass/walk through….” God is not talking about avoiding trials (waters, rivers, fire). God accompanies in the midst of trouble. It is not just the accompanying, though. The figure of speech of “through the waters/floods” is one of death into new life: Jacob became Israel; Israel leaves Egypt; Israel enters the promised land; Elijah’s last walk; Elijah’s prophetic beginning.

    Walking “through the fire “is a symbol of purification. This is similar to the burned sacrifices, which were performed for the cleansing of sin. Through fire, metals are refined, and the impurities removed. In these times, fire was also a sign of life and security.

    One can say when we perceive that God is with us and for us, we will walk through our trials and be transformed.

    Even for Jesus, baptism (i.e., walk through waters) is a transition from life to death to life. When Jesus is baptized, he goes from the life he had (probably that of a carpenter) to the life of mission, the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Just like us, Jesus “walks” through the waters. Jesus knows the things of our lives, for he walked them, too.

    1. Can you think when God has walked with you through times of refinement? What did you hear from God during this?
    2. When did you “walk” through a time of death into a new life (or way of living)? How did God walk beside them?
    3. What is similar between times of refinement, and times of death-to-life? What is different between them?
    4. [FD] What does baptism mean to you?