A Kingdom for the Nations
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When we take Christianity around the globe, are we exporting American values?
How does the gospel relate to “business as usual” - the “real world” of national politics, secular institutions, human cultures, and normal life?
In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
What sort of kingdom is this?
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.
The gospel of the kingdom is not business as usual.
Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
The gospel of the kingdom proclaims the end of business as usual.
What happens next:
Jesus is baptized by John.
Heaven endorses the king and the kingdom.
The king goes to war.
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
The devil tempts Jesus with three perversions of the gospel of the kingdom.
Snap your fingers and feed the world.
Become Superman.
Build an Empire.
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ ”
The gospel of the kingdom will not be built with business as usual
Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee.
The gospel of the kingdom is threatening to business as usual.
And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali,
so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.”
The kingdom will go to the places where business as usual has done its worst.
From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
The gospel of the kingdom will not be silenced by business as usual.
While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.
And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Immediately they left their nets and followed him.
And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them.
Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
The gospel of the kingdom is enlisting disciples out of business as usual.
How does the gospel relate to business as usual - the “real world” of national politics, secular institutions, human cultures, and normal life?
The kingdom of Jesus is the end of business as usual in every nation.