The Gospel Versus "God's Economy"

[UntoHim]

Originally Posted by OBW

But there is almost no one talking about hungering and thirsting for righteousness, or living a kingdom life now (unless they are talking about acting as if they are one of those in the throne room in Revelation just constantly falling on their faces saying "holy, holy, holy, is the Lord . . . ."). Not saying we should never do that. But that is not the life lived "in the light" so that others can see. It is not the city on a hill. Those are what happens when the Christians live righteous and just lives, and are one with each other even when they don't agree on everything.

Yes, the ultimate kingdom is yet to come. But our real concern, living, and even preaching should be primarily about the one we live in today. It was and still is the main thing that was preached. It was the call for us to bear the image of God — or Christ the visible God — here on earth, not just to seek to be ready for the kingdom in the heavens. That activity too often does not seem to affect our current lives. It seems that getting ready for the kingdom to come at the expense of this one is the reason that people seem to like our Christ, but not so much the Christians he seems to gather.

Good stuff Mike. My home church just got through with a 1 year + study of "The Sermon on the Mount", and I feel like we just scratched the surface. One major thing that I think kind of dovetails into what your have brought forth is illustrated in "The Beatitudes" - a call to action NOW, a call to "represent" (for lack of better word) ourselves as Kingdom people - - with the certain promise of a future reward. This does correspond to the oft used "already/yet to come" nature of our salvation, transformation and glorification illustrated most completely by the apostle Paul.

Blessed are...
....the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.
....those who mourn: for they will be comforted.
....the meek: for they will inherit the earth.
....those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they will be filled.
....the merciful: for they will be shown mercy.
....the pure in heart: for they will see God.
....the peacemakers: for they will be called children of God.

These are all attributes of the true and original God-Man, Jesus Christ. As a human being, he exemplified how we are to be acting towards our fellow man as a representative of the King. "Pray in this way, Your Kingdom come Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven". God's Kingdom is firmly established in the heavens, yet it is his holy mandate that his will should be done - should be fully accomplished - here on earth. As I see it, not until his will is fully accomplished will the Kingdom fully come to earth. In the end, Christ will indeed subdue all things under him, even death with be subdued, but to some degree his Kingdom must come to earth - he must subdue and reign among a people whom he has called and chosen. This is what the age is all about, and this is the beginning of the Gospel.

But there is almost no one talking about hungering and thirsting for righteousness, or living a kingdom life now.

I wouldn't be so sure of this Mike. I just explained how my home church got through with a marathon study of The Sermon on the Mount. The two teaching Pastors are in their mid to late 30s, and are part of a large and burgeoning move among young pastors, teachers and scholars who are emphasizing the very things you have spoken of. These young brothers are coming from almost every branch and flavor of Christianity. Most of this is emerging from what some might consider the reformed tradition, but it is also emerging from other traditions and lines as well. God is on the move! His will WILL be done.

[OBW]

Unto,

I have been noting for a year or so that we are so prone to celebrating the exceptional. But the exceptionalism is in religious activities. How they take roles in worship or teaching Sunday School. How they go out and preach the gospel on a campus, on the job, door-to-door, or even in remote and dangerous areas of the world.

And we tell everyone that this is what we need to be doing.

So the average Joe (or Jane) in the seats on Sunday becomes an afterthought. Or is looked-down on as just a hanging on. You aren't really engaged in the kingdom if you are not doing these things.

Yet when Jesus taught there on that mountainside, he was mostly interested in how the people lived, not how they worshipped or the rhetoric they used in proselytizing. There are some parts that talk about prayer. And about what really matters. And while not part of that particular sermon, there are some who wax poetic about the pearl of great price. Yet if I look at that in the context of the whole of Jesus teaching, the pearl is more likely in being righteous, just, honest, and in harmony with the people around you than just in some esoteric future kingdom. It seems that the "word" that Jesus had been teaching — the word that was sown earlier in Matt 13, was about the kingdom which is so significantly laid out in Matt 5 – 7. So that is more likely the content of the kingdom that is likened to a pearl that a merchant would go to such great lengths to obtain.

We don't seem to think much of that. We would rather turn our noses up at sinners and refuse them cakes (since they are sinners). Not very harmonious. Not much of a pearl there.

I know there is a lot of push-back lately against the idea of "love the sinner but hate the sin." Maybe it is because we are incapable of truly loving sinners when we are focused on their sin. Maybe that should be God's job. Not saying that we should always be silent about sin. But the way we are not silent should even be punctuated with love. Let God convict them of sin. Let the word go out and let God convict.

And writing that was very convicting. It is like a light went off on something that I hold to so strongly that maybe needs some adjustment. Or even serious rework.

[Amcasci]

Originally Posted by OBW

Unto,

I have been noting for a year or so that we are so prone to celebrating the exceptional. But the exceptionalism is in religious activities. How they take roles in worship or teaching Sunday School. How they go out and preach the gospel on a campus, on the job, door-to-door, or even in remote and dangerous areas of the world.

And we tell everyone that this is what we need to be doing.

So the average Joe (or Jane) in the seats on Sunday becomes an afterthought. Or is looked-down on as just a hanging on. You aren't really engaged in the kingdom if you are not doing these things.

Yet when Jesus taught there on that mountainside, he was mostly interested in how the people lived, not how they worshipped or the rhetoric they used in proselytizing. There are some parts that talk about prayer. And about what really matters. And while not part of that particular sermon, there are some who wax poetic about the pearl of great price. Yet if I look at that in the context of the whole of Jesus teaching, the pearl is more likely in being righteous, just, honest, and in harmony with the people around you than just in some esoteric future kingdom. It seems that the "word" that Jesus had been teaching — the word that was sown earlier in Matt 13, was about the kingdom which is so significantly laid out in Matt 5 – 7. So that is more likely the content of the kingdom that is likened to a pearl that a merchant would go to such great lengths to obtain.

We don't seem to think much of that. We would rather turn our noses up at sinners and refuse them cakes (since they are sinners). Not very harmonious. Not much of a pearl there.

I know there is a lot of push-back lately against the idea of "love the sinner but hate the sin." Maybe it is because we are incapable of truly loving sinners when we are focused on their sin. Maybe that should be God's job. Not saying that we should always be silent about sin. But the way we are not silent should even be punctuated with love. Let God convict them of sin. Let the word go out and let God convict.

And writing that was very convicting. It is like a light went off on something that I hold to so strongly that maybe needs some adjustment. Or even serious rework.

Dear OBW,
You have hit an important point. It is the "ordinary" that needs emphasis in our time and not the exceptional. It is the exception for people to be in full time church work, going door to door, etc. The norm is found in "vocation" which Paul teaches plainly but so often ignored by Evangelicals who want to exalt "full timers' and "missionaries". Those are important but what about the ordinary work of doing your vocation with thanksgiving as unto the Lord. How about husbands loving their wives and raising their children. How about citizens honoring the government, how about children honoring and obeying their parents, how about youth respecting their elders. Most of us live very ordinary lives and do ordinary things because that is where we have been placed. Too many moan and wonder what the will of the Lord is for their life instead of saying, "where I am right now and what I am doing right now (assuming it is godly) is the will of God even it is cleaning toilets." Doing all that we do with thanksgiving in our hearts is the teaching of Scripture and not pining to be the "elder", the "burning one", "the full timer" and on it goes. QUIT EXALTING THE EXCEPTIONAL.

[OBW]

Originally Posted by Amcasci

Dear OBW,
You have hit an important point. It is the "ordinary" that needs emphasis in our time and not the exceptional. It is the exception for people to be in full time church work, going door to door, etc. The norm is found in "vocation" which Paul teaches plainly but so often ignored by Evangelicals who want to exalt "full timers' and "missionaries". Those are important but what about the ordinary work of doing your vocation with thanksgiving as unto the Lord. How about husbands loving their wives and raising their children. How about citizens honoring the government, how about children honoring and obeying their parents, how about youth respecting their elders. Most of us live very ordinary lives and do ordinary things because that is where we have been placed. Too many moan and wonder what the will of the Lord is for their life instead of saying, "where I am right now and what I am doing right now (assuming it is godly) is the will of God even it is cleaning toilets." Doing all that we do with thanksgiving in our hearts is the teaching of Scripture and not pining to be the "elder", the "burning one", "the full timer" and on it goes. QUIT EXALTING THE EXCEPTIONAL.

"Where I am right now is the will of the Lord." I believe this is extremely true. And mostly because I believe that where we are, what job we have, even what wife/husband we marry, are too often not things to which God attaches an aspect of his will other than that we will live in concert with his general will within each of those.

In other words, seeking out something called "the will of God" for self-fulfilling evidence that I should be right here at this time v somewhere else is a kind of superstition.

But what I do with my living where I am right now is always part of his will. He wills that I live in obedience to his commands and teachings wherever I am. He is concerned that we do that in two ways. One is that we live in unity with each other within the broad Christian fellowship. And he is concerned that we live in a manner that is humble, righteous, just, etc., and that reflects love for others that is the same as our love for ourselves in all our actions and interactions. Even how we drive our cars, rush to be first in some line (or more rightly, don't), point out the error that is in our favor at the checkout stand, And so on. I don't need some special revelation to live this way. Just knowing the truth and having the desire to follow and obey the One who saved me from the ultimate consequences of my sins should be enough. I don't even need some lengthy "quiet time" each day before I engage in these activities. As Peter said, I have everything I need to do it.

This is our spiritual sacrifice of worship, not "preaching the gospel." It is in treating the coworker who is living with his/her girlfriend/boyfriend the same as I do the part-time preacher. Or the gay guy. Or the jerk that just created havoc on the road. (And maybe some remorse for the attitude that starts with the presumption that the person was a jerk.) Maybe I will actually get the opportunity to "preach the gospel" to one of these. But maybe not. I should be the same in either case.

I just confronted someone a few days ago for seeming to put forward an attitude that we do our "justice" with strings attached — if there is no clear possibility for the eventual preaching of the gospel, we should reconsider that aspect of justice as not worthy. That is a failure to love neighbor as self.

My attitude should not be altered by the "quality of the material."

Or the racial, ethnic, national etc., background of anyone.

[aron]

Originally Posted by OBW

But what I do with my living where I am right now is always part of his will.

The lie I remember being sold is that what I do with my living is secondary to where I do it, i.e. "on the ground" or not. And it deteriorated from there.

And you couldn't really love your neighbor "where they are right now" because, yep, they're not yet on the ground. Gotta get'em on that ground. And it deteriorated from there.

[Freedom]

Originally Posted by aron

The lie I remember being sold is that what I do with my living is secondary to where I do it, i.e. "on the ground" or not. And it deteriorated from there.

And you couldn't really love your neighbor "where they are right now" because, yep, they're not yet on the ground. Gotta get'em on that ground. And it deteriorated from there.

The lie that I was constantly sold in the LC is that an "abnormal" way of living is what constitutes "the normal Christian life". The LC is so caught up in their hyper-spirituality that they have completely neglected anything "normal" about life. There will always be people out there who are highly active and can devote all their to church service or ministry, but these kinds of people are the exception. It is unreasonable to expect everyone to live this way. When the expectation is placed upon the masses in the LC to live this way, it should be concerning. Are people who can't live up to this standard subtly rejected and ignored? Are they not considered to be "good material". I've seen so many drop out of the LC along the way, simply because they felt that they weren't good enough.

It is simply not reasonable to expect everyone to attend meetings every night of the week. I especially feel sorry for those who are just starting out with their families that succumb to this expectation. It is guaranteed to create a situation where children resent their parents because their parents seemingly care more about going to meetings more than the needs of the family. I have even heard it said that it's not worth worrying to much about family needs, that will all work itself out if you're faithful to give yourself to the "church life". I have seen marriages strained as a result of one party who is too "given" to participating in the LC. If the LC doesn't have the ability to help people even at this basic level of normal situations in life, then I'm not sure how they're really helping people at all.

[awareness]

Originally Posted by Freedom

The lie that I was constantly sold in the LC is that an "abnormal" way of living is what constitutes "the normal Christian life". The LC is so caught up in their hyper-spirituality that they have completely neglected anything "normal" about life. There will always be people out there who are highly active and can devote all their to church service or ministry, but these kinds of people are the exception. It is unreasonable to expect everyone to live this way. When the expectation is placed upon the masses in the LC to live this way, it should be concerning. Are people who can't live up to this standard subtly rejected and ignored? Are they not considered to be "good material". I've seen so many drop out of the LC along the way, simply because they felt that they weren't good enough.

It is simply not reasonable to expect everyone to attend meetings every night of the week. I especially feel sorry for those who are just starting out with their families that succumb to this expectation. It is guaranteed to create a situation where children resent their parents because their parents seemingly care more about going to meetings more than the needs of the family. I have even heard it said that it's not worth worrying to much about family needs, that will all work itself out if you're faithful to give yourself to the "church life". I have seen marriages strained as a result of one party who is too "given" to participating in the LC. If the LC doesn't have the ability to help people even at this basic level of normal situations in life, then I'm not sure how they're really helping people at all.

I've said it before. Is the local church life what Jesus pictured for his followers?

[OBW]

Originally Posted by Freedom

It is simply not reasonable to expect everyone to attend meetings every night of the week.

I know someone will misunderstand me for saying this, but if you look back to the OT, "meetings" were not such a regular thing. They didn't even start out as weekly. You only had to rest on the Sabbath and keep it holy. Regular meetings came later (I believe it was during or after Babylon when the synagogues came to be).

And it seems that the more often people meet, the more importance they place on the meetings until meetings eventually become the Christian life. At that point everything else is only barely tolerated as necessary so that you have time and strength to go to meetings.

Within the last year or so I read where someone suggested that the Christian life is primarily lived outside of Christian meetings. Meetings are for Christians, not Christians for the meetings. (Sound vaguely familiar?)