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On Earth as it is in Heaven
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Kingdom Theology
In the Lordās Prayer, Jesus says:
āOur Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:9-10)
These small but famous lines remind us of something important when it comes to the Kingdomā¦
ā¦weāre meant to bring Heaven to Earth.
Thatās Kingdom Theology.
An Incarnational Model
Christianity isnāt an escape from this world to Heaven.
Itās about Heaven and Earth becoming one.
The Incarnation should be evidence enough for that.
God in all His perfection took the glory and majesty of Heaven and brought it down to Earth in the person of Jesus.
Jesus now tells us to do something similar.
To take the power of Him and His message and make it visible here on Earth.
This means active engagement and innovation in the world with the goal of representing God and His Kingdom.
The historic Church showed this well as their devotion to Christ led to the followingā¦
The modern educational and healthcare systems
Some of the most influential art, architecture, and literature in history
Innovations in the sciences
The development of human rights
And much, much more
These things made Earth look a bit more like Heaven. The Church of today should build upon that.
While Billy Graham (R) advanced the Kingdom through preaching, Johnny Cash (L) advanced the Kingdom through the cultural contribution of his music.
Kingdom Theology isnāt just about speaking the Gospel (though thatās part of it) itās also about embodying the Gospel so that others may get a taste of Godās perfect world to come.
A Mustard Seed
The Church is the Kingdom of God here on Earth.
Our role is to show people Jesus and to give them a foretaste of what is to come when Jesus returns.
He started the work all those years ago, and even though He ascended back to Heaven, He is here with us now, enabling His priests to continue the mission.
And what is that mission?
Sharing the Gospel and growing the Kingdom.
Not just in word, but in deed, too. Our role now is to step out into the world and ask God to help us show Jesus in how we engage with it, to build something from that.
Thereās no denying the heavenly feeling of walking inside a historic church.
We wonāt always get it right (perhaps we donāt most of the time), but grace compels us to improve and keep going.
As Jesus saidā¦
āThe kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.ā
God grows the Kingdom through us. Maybe it looks small now, but one day Jesus will return and bring complete peace with Him.
All that wrongness in the world will be gone, Heaven and Earth will become one, and weāll be with Christ for eternity.
Right now weāre in the midst of that growth.
The Kingdom is here.
Opportunities abound.
And weāre all invited.
Now get out there and show people what it looks like when Heaven and Earth come together.
For now, be blessed.
Jon,
Theophilus Newsletter
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