The Thirst for Freedom

Image by Flavio Takemoto

God Has a Plan for the World

God made the world. God made man. Man decided that he could decide good and evil for himself. Death and suffering entered planet earth. Violence overtook the planet. God destroyed everyone with a flood – except for Noah and his family.

After the flood God began teaching Noah and his children how to live together in peace – starting by implementing the death penalty for murder. God called Abraham out from all the people in the earth and blessed him, promising that one day his descendant would be a blessing to the nations. Abraham –>Isaac–>Jacob.

Jacob is renamed Israel. Jacob and family move to Egypt after miraculously being saved from a famine.

After hundreds of years and Egyptian oppression God raises up Moses who delivers Israel from Egypt and leads them out into the dessert to be made into a new nation. After 40 years of testing a new nation enters the Promised Land armed with the Law of God – the only time in history where God Himself gave a way of life to a nation IN WRITING – with the clear intent of showing the world how to live the same way.

Israel as a nation fails to live up to God’s heart for a people. Twice they are destroyed.

Within the remains of a very devastated Israel God becomes human flesh – born of a virgin – lives among us – performs signs and wonders, dies a death on a cross to pay for the guilt of the world. His name is Jesus. This Jesus is resurrected and heads up to heaven and sends God the Holy Spirit to earth to fill and empower those who believe and put their trust in Him.

Now the world has God’s revelation of how to live (from Moses) and God’s empowering to do so (through Jesus and the Holy Spirit). The Kingdom of God begins to spread in the time of the Roman Empire and the remnants of the Roman Empire – exactly as predicted by the prophet Daniel.

Individuals are transformed internally by the power of the gospel and the power is manifest externally through ever more “yeasted” societies. Sometimes it looks like the Kingdom is moving forward. Sometimes it looks like it is lost. Look at it over 2,000+ years and it can be seen that it is ALWAYS advancing, even when it appears not to be!

The remnants of the Roman Empire (happens to be Europe) are “yeasted” with the Kingdom. (No, they are NOT themselves the Kingdom, they are “yeasted.”) Spots of Kingdom are planted all over the world. The gospel takes particularly strong roots in The West, but it also takes roots all over the world. From these places it continues to grow. Individuals changed internally –> flowing into families, communities and nations –> manifested externally in every area of life.

This story will continue until every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus is the King of all Kings and the Lord of all Lords and every nation and society on earth is filled with the Knowledge of the Glory of the Lord.

Then at some point known only to God in Heaven Jesus will physically return to planet earth and it will be declared that “The Kingdoms of this world have become the Kingdoms of Our God and He Shall Reign FOREVER and EVER!”

Friends, there is no greater story! We live a destiny that is filled with hope of an ever brighter and brighter future. It does not depend on our plans but on the plans of a Sovereign God who has purposed that it WILL BE SO!

The Dominion of the Kingdom of God is inevitable! It is wonderful and beautiful. It is love. It is a world where each loves his neighbor as much as himself. It is the fulfillment of the Meaning of Life – to Know God and Jesus Christ. We will Know God and Enjoy Him (and each other) forever.

Hear the story of Jesus with your heart, believe it, be transformed, live it, yeast the world, preach the good news, love God until either you go to Him at death or you witness the day of His Return.

Don’t miss out! Don’t be dragged down by negativity! Don’t look for the end of the world, look for the manifestation of God within it! Look up and be glad because the King Comes!

Hallelujah! 

I am supposed to “go to church.” Good Christians do.

The problem is I’ve been bored sick with the messages I hear at any church for years now. I’ve spent a lot of time and energy feeling bad about that. I suspect that this expenditure of heart resources has been a waste – maybe I shouldn’t feel bad. Maybe I’m not the problem.

You see, in my heart I have a deep longing to have impact. I want to do.

And I don’t mean that I want to do the few things that will make the church or pastor feel successful. (Show up, tithe, sign up for the church’s programs, etc.) There is nothing wrong with those things, but they don’t scratch the itch. I suspect I am not alone in this.

I have an “internal itch” that “going to church,” local evangelism, conferences, or even “worship” time will never scratch. Especially if those things aren’t pointed decisively towards dominion.

I have a problem. I want to change the world!

In my case that means traveling, teaching, discussing, debating, writing, thinking (i.e. World Missions). For some it might be running a business, painting a picture, writing a song, or being an athlete.

Is the church a place to go focus on heaven for a while so you can survive your week? Or is it a place of connecting with other world-changers and getting equipped, charged and prepared to take over??

Bojidar Marinov has written an excellent article over at AmericanVision that I think you should read and consider, especially if you are in church leadership. Go read it, then come back and tell me what you think!

Here is a sample:

But then, why would a young man stay in the church? Is there a “male” message in our churches today? Is there a message that gives a young man a worthy cause to work for and to fight for? Why would he stay, to listen all his life to the same sermon over and over again, in many different versions of it? Come back every Sunday to learn—for the n-th time, over and over again—that God loves us? Shed tears over the same emotional stuff every week? Or hear that we live in the “last times” and therefore evil will expand and he can’t do anything to turn the tide? Or that his gifts mean nothing in these “last times,” all he is supposed to do is to “witness” to save a few souls from hell?  [Read More]

It’s an inspiring article. I hope you enjoy it. I hope it causes us to change something!

It’s time for a change!

Marvia of Growing Your Church had this to say on the topic:

Pastors should not disengage from politics. Like every other citizen of a country, the pastor must also exercise her/his right to have a say in the governance of the country. However, I also believe that pastors be objectively critical when addressing political matters in the church.

I once served a circuit of 3 churches for 6 years, in 3 communities that had their different political leanings. None of them knew which party I supported. They tried every bait to get to me tell them where I stood. It was hard for them to tell, because I criticized or commended both sides. I knew that being in a position of authority my choice could influence some persons who believed I was on their side and at the same time anger others who would feel I was against them. But that did not stop me from including political statements in my sermons or discussions.  [Read More]

Here is the comment that I posted in response:

Hello Marvia!

Good thoughts. It is certainly important for pastors and Christian leaders to give careful thought to how they approach political issues.

I would like to submit to you and your readers another important consideration: the distinction between what pastors should or shouldn’t do vs. whether or not the government should be deciding what pastors should or shouldn’t do.

Here is what I mean.

We can debate amongst ourselves as Christians what role we want our spiritual leaders to play in informing us about politics. Some will prefer their leaders say little, some will prefer their leaders take a strong stand. You have articulated well in this article a very common belief that American Christians happen to have about this issue.

It is very different, however, for the National Government to prohibit or restrict the free speech of pastors. Whatever we believe pastors should be doing, I hope we can all agree that the IRS should not in any way be inhibiting religious expression of political speech!

The Congress has committed a serious moral error by including the prohibition on endorsing candidates (for churches) in the tax code. The restrictions on working to influencing legislation are inappropriate as well. I submit that both of these sections of the tax code need to be repealed.

The debate about “how much do we want to participate in politics” should be an internal debate inside the Church of Christ, not an external restriction placed by the federal (or state, or city) governments.

Something to think about!