Though it is very true, and indeed good news, that Christ is the redeemer and savior of our souls on an individual level, the egocentric western version of the gospel is far from complete.  Sin is the beginning of problems faced by all the seed of Adam, but its corruption extends far beyond that of the individual.  As sin affects every facet of human life, from the individual to the societal level, so will our deliverance affect every facet.  Even creation must bear the burden of the corruption of sin, but it too will be delivered.

For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. Romans 8:19-21

The hope of creation (including, but not limited to, the children of God) is in the coming Kingdom of God and therein is found the complete gospel.

The Gospel, and it is good news to those that believe and obey it, is that the Kingdom of God is at hand.  It is coming and is come.  It has presently come and is now manifest as the rule of Christ in the minds, bodies, and souls of the saints.

Now when He [Jesus] was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’  For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17:20-21

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3

The Kingdom of God is come, though presently it is not perceptible to the natural eye.  There is yet a coming time when the Kingdom will come and be established for all the world to see.  This second, and manifest, coming of the Kingdom is in correspondence with the second coming of her King, the Lord Jesus.

For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Matthew 24:27

When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. Matthew 25:31

The hand of the Lord shall be known to His servants, And His indignation to His enemies.  For behold, the Lord will come with fire and with His chariots, like a whirlwind, To render His anger with fury, And His rebuke with flames of fire.  For by fire and by His sword The Lord will judge all flesh; and the slain of the Lord shall be many. Isaiah 66:14-16

We have assurance in His resurrection that the Lord shall return in judgement and to establish His kingdom on the earth.

...He [God] has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained.  He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead. Acts 17:31

Our hope in His resurrection is two-fold.  We have assurance not only that He will return in judgement to reward the righteous and to punish the wicked at the establishment of His Kingdom, but also that we will be made like Him through the resurrection and transformation of our corrupted bodies.

For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection... Romans 6:5

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 1 John 3:2

For whom He [God] foreknew, He also preordained to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Romans 8:29

With regard to the Gospel of the Kingdom, even our hope of resurrection to eternal life can and must be seen in terms of the Kingdom.  In fact, one purpose of the resurrection is to make us able to inherit the Kingdom.

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.  Behold, I tell you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed -- in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 1 Corinthians 15:50-53

It is in the Kingdom of God that we will live and dwell and have our being after the resurrection, forever more.  A resurrected body without the Kingdom is like a fish without water.  Our hope is for the Kingdom as it provides the context for our eternal salvation.  No kingdom is complete though without a king and just as our hope is for the Kingdom, our hope is in her King, Jesus Christ.  In Him we find the love, justice, peace, joy, liberty, rest, restoration, and comfort that characterize the Kingdom and that are the promises of the Gospel.  To once again point out the shortcoming of an egocentric gospel focused only on the individual, Jesus' lordship extends far beyond the lives of individual persons.  He is Lord of all and all things have been put under Him.

The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. John 3:35

...one has testified in a certain place, saying: "What is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You take care of him?  you have made him a little lower than angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, and set him over the works of Your hands.  you have put all things in subjection under his feet."  For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him.  But not we do not yet see all things put under him.  But we Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. Hebrews 2:6-9

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions or principalities or powers.  All things were created through Him and for Him.  and He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. Colossians 1:15-17

As stated above, we have assurance in His resurrection that it is only a matter of time before the blast of the seventh trumpet announcing Jesus' return to claim what is His and to rule with a rod of iron (Revelation 19:15).

Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”  And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power and reigned.  The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of the dead, that they should be judged, And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name, small and great, And should destroy those who destroy the earth.” Revelation 11:15-18

And the Lord shall be King over all the earth.  In that day it shall be -- "The Lord is one," and His name one. Zechariah 14:9

And so, the summation of these things is this:  The Gospel of The Kingdom is that it is at hand; it is coming and is come.  Repent, therefore and believe the gospel.  Only in the coming King is the hope of abundant life.

Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat.  Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.  Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy?  Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is food, and let your soul delight itself in abundance.  Incline your ear and come to Me.  Hear, and your soul shall live;  and I will make an everlasting covenant with you -- the sure mercies of David.  Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people, a leader and commander for the people.  Surely you shall call a nation you do not know, and nations who do not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, and the Holy One of Israel; for He has glorified you.  Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.  Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. Isaiah 55:1-7

Often people wait to get a job.  During the waiting they apply for jobs and hand out resumes, but there is still a waiting process involved.  People often wait for the weekend as they work during the week.  They wait for their child to be born as they gather together the things they need for a new baby.  They wait to be married while they pursue intimate relationships with members of the opposite sex.  They wait for food to cook as they prepare the table.  Sometimes people wait for their water to be turned on while they put finishing touches on the plumbing.

To some degree, what people wait for is an indicator of what sort of things they care about, about what matters to them.  Sometimes people wait with anxiety for the things they don't want to happen, but anxiety is also an indicator of what matters to people.  The answer to the question, "what are you waiting for?" is thus an important one that reveals not only what is in our mind and coming up in our lives, but what is important enough to affect our souls.  Too often for me, answering the question has not revealed a soul well postured.

Scripture does show us many examples of people waiting for the best things in the best way.  Elijah waited on the mountain to be encouraged by the presence of YHWH and hearing His voice.  Abraham actively waited for God to show up while taking his son Isaac to kill him on the altar.  The Israelites waited for God to save them from their captivity.  Moses waited as he trekked up the mountain to see the glory of God.  A hundred disciples actively waited in prayer after the ascension of Jesus for the sending down of His Spirit.  Paul ran the race toward Jesus as he eagerly awaited the coming of Jesus.

These men and women didn't wait for a bunch of things that mattered little.  They waited for one thing that mattered a lot.   Their lives were likely full of many little desires and anxieties, but their overwhelming desire was not for these things, but for one thing.  The kingdom of God is like a treasure, a pearl, that we sell off all that matters to us in order to acquire.  It is so good, that it is more than worthwhile to give up everything else we want to obtain it.  What are you waiting for?  Are you dreading or eagerly awaiting the insignificant?  Or are you actively waiting for the presence of the reigning King to come and take over your life?  Don't lose your life in the desires that pervade our everyday existence and consume the world around us.

"I have read the book which you have answered," he added, addressing Ivan, "and was astounded at the words 'The Church is a kingdom not of this world. 'If it is not of this world, then it cannot exist on earth at all. In the Gospel, the words 'not of this world' are not used in that sense. To play with such words is indefensible. Our Lord Jesus Christ came to set up the Church upon earth. The Kingdom of Heaven, of course, is not of this world, but in Heaven; but it is only entered through the Church which has been founded and established upon earth. And so a frivolous play upon words in such a connection is unpardonable and improper. The Church is, in truth, a kingdom and ordained to rule, and in the end must undoubtedly become the kingdom ruling over all the earth. For that we have the divine promise."

After the first installments of Harry Potter and The Lord Of The Rings rocked the global box-office back in 2001, American  movie studios started buying the rights of every fantasy book they could find in the hope of striking cinematic gold. Barely any executive was able to shout "cha-ching" however, as only a handful of these opportunist films have proved successful, namely Disney's The Chronicles Of Narnia and New Line's The Golden Compass (sure, it bombed in the US, but it was huge everywhere else). Indeed, in their rush to shell out movies about magical worlds, studios seem to have mostly forgotten what made Potter and Rings so successful: it's not only an established fanbase and an otherworldly setting, but mainly faithfulness, and a creative team truly invested in the source material.

Which brings us to Eragon, which is adapted from the first book in Chistopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle. The movie was directed by first-timer Stefen Fangmeier, a visual effects supervisor on films such as A Series Of Unfortunate Events, and adpated to screenplay form by Peter Buchman (Jurassic Park III). It stars newcomer Edward Speleers in the title role, as well as Jeremy Irons (Kingdom Of Heaven), Sienna Guillory (Resident Evil: Apocalypse), Robert Carlyle (28 Weeks Later), John Malkovich (Beowulf), Garett Hedlund (Death Sentence), Djimon Hounsou (Never Back Down), Rachel Weisz's voice (Definitely, Maybe) and pop singer Joss Stone in her first (albeit brief) film role.

Eragon's story goes pretty much like this: Once upon a time, peace was kept by an order of knights with special abilities. One of these knights turned to evil however, and betrayed his comrades, killing them all (or did he?) and establishing himself as ruler of everywhere. Years later, a young blond male living at his uncle's farm stumbles upon something stolen from the evil lord. After his family is killed, he is recruited by a wise old ex-knight and sets on a journey to join a small band of dedicated rebels, to whom the stolen item could prove extremely useful. Along the way, they will venture into one of the enemy's fortresses to rescue the young princess who stole the thing in the first place. Sound familiar? Review and trailer after the jump.

Yes, Eragon can be pretty much be described as Star Wars in a Lord Of The Rings setting... Jedi Knights become Dragon Riders, Luke becomes Eragon, Obi-Wan becomes Brom, Princess Leia becomes Princess Arya, the Death Star plans become Saphira the dragon, the Rebel Alliance becomes the Varden, etc... At one point, Eragon even looks up at the sky, longingly observing the sunset. Elements of The Lord Of The Rings and, apparently, The Dragonriders Of Pern are also thrown in for good measure. However, all this was in the book, which was very well-received, so why would the film be any different?

Many elements contribute to Eragon being an extremely disappointing film. This could have been a huge franchise for Twentieth Century-Fox, so it's baffling that they chose to put it in the hands of Fangmeier, who may be a very talented effects guy, but has virtually no directing experience (all he did was direct Galaxy Quest's second unit). However, while Fangmeier's inexperience is surely an issue, I don't think it's the main one. Nor is the acting, which ranges from decent to quite solid. No, one of Eragon's biggest problems, in my opinion, is its length. Indeed, most of the recent successful fantasy movies have been more than two hours long (with the notable exception of The Golden Compass). Barely more than 90 minutes long, Eragon feels like it should be much, much longer. Take the first two Harry Potter and Narnia books, which are a bit more than 200 pages long, while their respective movies each clocked in at about two hours and thirty minutes. By comparision, Eragon is around 500 pages long, and I swear to you this hampers the film. Events seem to happen one after the other, with little room for development and explanation, such as Eragon apparently mastering the elven language in under ten minutes. You can plainly see where scenes were taken out, and this is one film which could truly gain from an extended/director's cut. Also, there's the fact that most of the film's props look ridiculously fake.

So should you dismiss Eragon as the turd everyone makes it out to be? Not really. Despite its many flaws and bad choices such has the long stark black nails every villain sports and its awkward handling of the clichéd storyline, the film is much better than, say Uwe Boll's BloodRayne or Jeremy Irons' previous fantasy effort, Dungeons & Dragons. The special effects aren't groundbreaking, but they're good enough. The cinematography is quite decent, though not to the level of The Lord Of The Rings. And sure, the storyline is conventional, but it's a convention that has proven it's worth time and time again. Also the score by Patrick Doyle (Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire) is excellent and features a memorable, heroic theme. To conclude, if The Lord Of The Rings is the Dark Knight of fantasy movies, then Eragon would be Fantastic Four.

Eragon was critically bashed upon its release, and was a box-office flop in the US, though it performed quite well overseas. The possibility of a sequel is however extremely unlikely and Fox seems to have missed its fantasy franchise opportunity, ironically in a play to make more money (epic fail). As for Stefen Fangmeier, he's gone back to visual effects work, most recently in this summer's Wanted.

Verdict: don't expect much out of it, but a decent alternative if you're tired of rewatching Star Wars and The Lord Of The Rings. Eragon currently hold a 5/10 on IMDB and a 15% on Rotten Tomatoes.

More "Movies Of The Day"

People that listen to their conscience and follow its advice, are experiencing the New Covenant.

"For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another."

Remember Jeremiah's prophecy that Jesus fulfilled? Everyone was going to know the Lord, from the least to the greatest of us. This means ALL human beings. No one would be excluded.

Put on your 'thinking' cap. How could God achieve such a thing? How could He ensure everyone would know Him, without anyone resisting or sabotaging His plan?

God could not trust human beings to do the job.

"And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart."

God could not trust religious institutions to do the job.

"Yes, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter."

God needed a foolproof plan. Since God is a genius, it wasn't difficult for Him to come up with one. His plan involved putting something inside you from birth that no one could remove from you without killing you: a conscience.

Ever since Jesus died on the cross for sin, human beings have had an 'advantage' that people in the ancient world did not have.

Prior to Jesus, God sent His prophets to human beings. These prophets acted as a 'conscience' and were hated for the job they were doing. Often, they were thrown into prison or killed. Jesus told the religious leaders that they came from a long line of murderers.

"And the LORD has sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but you have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear."

"Wherefore you be witnesses unto yourselves, that you are the children of them which killed the prophets."

The commandments of God given to Israel through Moses and the prophets, acted as a 'temporary' conscience until the Messiah arrived. Once God inserted a conscience into human beings, they would be capable of knowing right from wrong without a prophet, which is why the kingdom of heaven is within you.

"But the anointing which you have received of him abides in you, and you need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teaches you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it has taught you, you shall abide in him."

People that do not listen to their conscience or have been deceived by a voice that imitates their conscience, often find themselves confused and disappointed. This includes people of all religious persuasions because religion is one of the biggest deceivers on the planet, including the institution known as Christianity, something Jesus himself foretold.

Jesus taught us that 'truth' is the basis of worshipping God because truth is the only thing that can help your conscience. Religious ceremonies and rituals do nothing for your conscience, which is why Jesus nailed this portion of the law (the ordinances) to his cross.

Anything a person does that is not based on truth, is actually 'hurting' their conscience, like worshipping idols, believing in 'wrong' Biblical doctrine or engaging in any ungodly activity.

Many religious activities that seem to be harmless are causing church-going people to become 'sick' physically and spiritually. This is why religion itself is guilty of keeping human beings in a 'hell-like' condition right here on Earth.

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, you make him twice more the child of hell than yourselves."

Many people in the modern world understand the importance of a conscience and try to live by their conscience. However, some people have damaged their conscience to the point that it is virtually non-existent. This includes church leaders -- the very people that are supposed to be helping others, which is why you have to take responsibility for what you believe.

"Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God has created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth."

Many human beings 'struggle' with their conscience. What few people know is that their conscience is actually Jesus himself.

Contrary to what Christianity has taught millions of people over the centuries, a person does not need to say a special prayer to ask Jesus into their heart.

Jesus is already in your heart.

Jesus resides in your heart as your conscience. He is a still small voice. The only way you can get rid of him is by closing your ears to what he has to say.

Most human beings begin closing their ears as children: tuning out their conscience and replacing it with their own thoughts or someone else's thoughts. This causes their conscience to become evil.

"Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled."

If a person continues down this path, they will eventually find themselves on a 'dead end' street. The only way back is to open the door of your heart (which is your brain), and let your conscience live again. The Bible is the only way to rebuild your conscience. Herein is the true meaning of being reborn, or born-again.

"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."

"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides for ever."

Perhaps now you can understand why God has preserved the Bible in spite of devilish efforts to destroy it and discredit it: so you have a way of identifying the Lord's voice from the moment you are able to read!

The Bible is the only way you will know if the voice you're hearing in your head is your conscience. There are many voices and hundreds of thoughts competing for your attention on a daily basis but only one voice that can be trusted.

I hope you also understand why the devil chose the Bible and religion as his tools of deception: he doesn't want you to get to the truth because he doesn't want your conscience healed. Confusion is good for business.

To be continued...

-Jo

Bible passages: Romans 2:14-15, Genesis 6:5-6, Isaiah 56:11, Jeremiah 25:4, Matthew 23:31, 1 John 2:27, Luke 5:31, Matthew 23:15, Revelation 18:4, 1 Timothy 4:2-3, Titus 1:15, Revelation 3:20, 1 Peter 1:23

Ultimately, we're all going on a pilgrimage with God and (hopefully) more deeply into the Kingdom of God.  That Kingdom, as I've mentioned on many other occasions, is not just heaven (though it's a place I hope to go one day.)  After all, as one of my seminary professors was fond of saying, "Heaven is my home, of course, but I'm not particularly homesick just now."  That pithy and tongue in cheek statement is funny and we should laugh, but we also would do well to recognize the deeper truth of that for most of us.  Namely, that we still have work to do here.  God's work.  Work that points all of God's people and indeed all of the creation toward the source of light and life, God alone.

What in the God's name are we doing at St. Luke's in the commitment to spend our money on energy conversion and a renovation project?  I believe, and I think the Vestry and Leadership would agree, we are simply trying to follow the trail of Holy breadcrumbs laid down by the Most High God in our pilgrimage toward the Kingdom as a faith community.  We understand that at St. Luke's through our Mission Statement:

I'm speaking, of course, about "unrated" versions of movies on DVD.

Nowadays, it seems like every horror and action flick comes out with three different DVD versions: the regular one, with a commentary track or two and maybe a few deleted scenes; the "special edition," with some making-of featurettes and an alternate ending, and the "unrated edition" with 5 minutes of additional graphic violence and a sex scene or two.

A movie does not have to have extreme violence, or sex bordering on the obscene, to make it a good film.  I consider some of Hitchcock's works the greatest suspense films ever made, and by today's standards they're practically kids' movies.  And if you compare Alien or Silence of the Lambs to, say, the new Dawn of the Dead, you may notice slight differences in writing and levels of violence.  Sure, Alien is bloody, but the bursting-chest scene pales when compared to that one chick accidentally getting hit with a chainsaw.

Also, violence in the newer Dead movies (and practically every other big-budget horror flick nowadays) just washes over the audience without emotional impact.  All the gore in Land of the Dead affected me much less than that brief, poorly-lit shot of the disemboweled cop in Lambs.  You can pile all the severed limbs and head wounds you want onto a movie, but they won't make it any better.

Much more often than not, "unrated" movies add nothing worthwhile in content and are less interesting to watch than the theatrical release.  There are exceptions, or course; Doom was much better in its unrated edition, although it was still a really crappy movie.  But, for the most part, an extra-bloody shootout doesn't help the plot, or assist in character development, or anything like that.

Director's Cuts are a different story.  Sometimes, there are really good scenes that are cut from a movie to make it more marketable to a wider audience.  The slightly higher ticket sales come at the cost of an unfinished product, which can sometimes be purchased on DVD in its finished state.

Take Kingdom of Heaven.  I thought it was a pretty good movie, far better than Arthur or Troy, but it seemed to be lacking something.  So I bought the 4-disc director's cut and, lo and behold, there were entire new plotlines that bound the movie together in a way the theatrical version never could have done.

I guess it's kind of a roundabout way of saying it, but... go watch the KoH Director's Cut.  It's totally worth it.

Peace.....Fr. Warren

"Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey..." - Deuteronomy 6:3

"Do what is right and good in the Lord's sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land..." - Deuteronomy 6:18

"He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land - your grain, new wine and oil - the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land that he swore to your forefathers to give you. You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor any of your livestock without young. The Lord will keep you free from every disease. He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but he will inflict them on all who hate you." - Deuteronomy 7:13-15

These excerpts from Deuteronomy show Moses explaining to the Israelites the wonders and the benefits of their relationship with God. But interestingly, everything that Moses promises the Israelites is worldly! Indeed, the only mentions of heaven thus far are vague references to "the heavens."

"To the Lord belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it." - Moses, Deuteronomy 10:14

There has been no mention of a heaven as an afterlife. In fact, there's been absolutely NO emphasis on an afterlife at all! One of the charges often leveled against Christianity is that it promises rewards only in a posited afterlife. Ironically, the Old Testament has made no such promises whatsoever! Everything the Lord has promised man has been of a worldly nature.

What motivation did the Israelites have for following the Lord? Surely none of them had any reason to believe that the Lord would provide for them in an afterlife; He makes no mention about one. I am vaguely familiar with the notion of Sheol, does the Old Testament ever allude to an afterlife? Do the Israelites (or modern Jews?) have any reason to follow the Lord other than for earthly gain?

If not, then what does that suggest about the notion of the immortality of the soul? Christians are especially worried (and rightfully so) about the conditions that their eternal soul meet with after their temporal existence terminates. But what basis does Christianity have for positing a heaven when it does not receive mention within the vastness that is the Old Testament? I have heard it said that many readers are struck by a seeming difference in the Lord's personality between the old and new testaments. But all this is deserves further consideration later.

Right now, the most pertinent question is this: Are the Israelites of the Old Testament concerned only with worldly gain? Or is there reason to believe that they are also concerned with the immortal future of their souls?

  What accounts for this?  The answer may involve the fact that our Lord spoke in Aramaic, and not in the Greek of the New Testament.  When it came to time to write the Gospel narrative, Matthew was divinely guided to retain the idiom used by our Lord, whereas Luke translated the phrase into what it also meant, "The Kingdom of God."  This tells us that the two terms may be used interchangeably.  However, we believe the phrase "Kingdom of Heaven" bears a more detailed sense that relates to Christ's assumption of Lordship over the creation; whereas "The Kingdom of God," while comprehending the former, embraces God's eternal sovereignty over the universe (Eph. 1: 20-22; Phil. 2: 9-11; Col. 2: 10; Hebrews 1: 4).

  The Kingdom of Heaven corresponds with the Seventh Day, or Millennium.  When Adam ate the forbidden fruit on the sixth day, he was thrust out of Eden, and the true Sabbath was frustrated and postponed. Death was brought upon all men through Adam's transgression (Romans 5: 12), and from that time forward, the world has looked for a realization of the Sabbath (rest) forfeited by Adam (Heb. 4: 3-9).  Because Adam lost his dominion over the creation, a second Adam was required to stand in his stead, to fulfill the law that he broke, and to pay the penalty for his transgression.

  Jesus Christ died on the sixth day (Friday) for the sins of the world, thus ratifying a New Covenant, into which all are invited to enter, and which invitation holds good until the expiration of the sixth day.  This sixth day corresponds with the entire period of His absence, while He remains in the Holy Place making reconciliation for sins (Heb. 7: 25, 9: 24). 

   When the sixth day is ended, He shall lay aside His priestly garments and return to bless those whose sins have been forgiven (Heb. 9: 28).  The parousia, or return of the king to exercise sovereignty over the Adamic creation, will close the sixth day and inaugurate the seventh.  Then will the true Sabbath be fulfilled.

  The Kingdom of Heaven is this Seventh Day, or Millennium, also called The "thousand years" (Rev. 20: 2-6) and "the dispensation of the fullness of times" (Eph. 1: 10).  It is the period when Christ will assume His Lordship over the entire creation, including all those still under the First Adam.  He will rule and reign with His bride, the antitypical Eve, who is His body, the church (Eph. 5: 23 ff.). 

  When He returns to bless us, our sins will be blotted out, and we'll become incorruptible (1 Cor. 15: 52-53; 2 Cor. 5: 4).  The loosing of death's hold on us shall render us immortal; and those who are in the graves will be clothed once more with their own bodies.

  The coming of this "Kingdom of Heaven" is clearly described in Daniel 7, where upon the destruction of the fourth beast, the saints are given the kingdom.  Notice that it is from heaven, and under the heavens upon the earth (Dan. 7: 13-14, 27).  It involves the assumption of Messiah's sovereignty over the kingdoms of the world (Rev. 11: 15; Zech. 14: 9).  The Second Adam and His bride will have power over all nations, and will rule them with a rod or iron (Revelation 2: 26-27). 

  The bride herself will be one new body formed of both Jews and Gentiles who are circumcised in heart (Eph. 2: 11-22; Col. 2: 11-13; Phil. 3: 3).  This body (bride) is still being formed today.  It will be completed when the Jewish nation repents and accepts Christ as the Messiah.  Then Christ will return from heaven to establish His kingdom.  It is this Kingdom which Nicodemus wished to enter into when he came to Christ by night (John 3: 2).   However, when he made reference to the miracles wrought by the Messiah, Christ quickly informed him, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3: 3).  

  The only way to enter into this kingdom is by grace through faith; for Abraham received the promise when he was yet uncircumcised (Romans 4: 10).  The secret or "mystery" which was hid from ages and generations was revealed by Paul, who declared that "the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the Gospel" (Eph. 3: 6).  Because Paul preached that a new body must be formed of Jews and Gentiles alike, he was made a prisoner in bonds.

   Now it is this new body which is being formed during the "sixth day," also called "Man's day" (1 Cor. 4: 3) because it is the day when man judges, and God is silent.  At the culmination of man's day, Antichrist will arise, whose number is 666.  The significance of the number is expressed by Irenaeus: "Fittingly, therefore, shall his name possess the number six hundred and sixty-six, since he sums up in his own person all the commixture of wickedness which took place previous to the deluge, due to the apostasy of the angels" (Against Heresies, V. xxix. 2)

  When Christ returns from heaven with all His saints, the beast & his confederate, the false prophet, will be taken and cast alive into the lake of fire (Rev. 19: 20).  Then the "Day of the Lord" (Seventh day) will be ushered in.  This is the Millennium, when the saints shall possess the kingdom.  This is the "Kingdom of Heaven" which Christ and His holy apostles preached, and which we continue to preach today.

.
Eu adoro livros e filmes com temática medieval - algo que me acompanha desde muito cedo através das histórias do Rei Arthur, a Busca do Graal e as Cruzadas.

Fuçando os backups do Pomegranate por causa de dois textos (re)publicados aqui estes dias, esbarrei com anotações do filme Kingdom of Heaven ("Cruzada", no Brasil) a respeito do homem que trilha um caminho de retidão. Transcrevo os diálogos de duas passagens imortalizadas na minha memória:

Situação: Balian (Orlando Bloom) é iniciado como Cavaleiro por seu pai, Godfrey de Ibelin (Liam Neeson):

Não demonstre medo diante de teus inimigos.
Seja bravo e justo e D'us o amará.
Diga sempre a verdade, mesmo que isso o leve à morte.
Proteja os mais fracos e seja correto.
Este é o seu juramento. (Godfrey esbofeteia Balian)
E isso é para que você não o esqueça.

Situação: Balian conversa com um amigo (David Thewlis). Nos créditos ele aparece apenas como Hospitaller. O manto preto com a cruz de malta branca indica que ele era da Ordem Militar dos Hospitalares. Balian diz que foi procurar D'us em Jerusalém, mas que D'us não estava com ele:

Não acredito em fé. Já vi a loucura de todo o tipo de fanático ser descrita como "Vontade de D'us". A santidade está nas ações corretas e na coragem mostrada em nome dos que não podem se defender. E a bondade - a Vontade de D'us - está aqui (aponta para a cabeça de Balian) e aqui (aponta para o coração de Balian). Naquilo que decidir fazer todos os dias, será um bom homem - ou não".

]]> http://bkingr.wordpress.com/?p=389 Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:58:02 +0000 bkingr http://bkingr.wordpress.com/?p=389 Steve at Vision Navigator has a post up about the Kingdom of Heaven. It is an interesting idea about using imagination and the post has an embedded bearded Australian man video to boot. In the post Steve links to series of posts about the Church Unique.

the specific article Steve links asks what your church can do better than 10000 others? "The challenge is given to leaders to discover their “Great Permission” within the Great Commission. Or to put in another way, how does your church glorify God and make disciples? The answer is your church's Kingdom Concept."

the next page over asks "why doesn't vision stick?" "To be contagious vision must be robust without sacrificing brevity. Some leaders only stab at the future with a few nifty slogans. Others articulate a theological treatise that acts with the potency of NyQuil."

I was talking about this issue over lunch earlier this week. I asked the fellow I was eating with what his church's vision was. What set his church apart from all the other churches in town? He had a response ready because he feels it in his bones. The answer to that question is why he was part of starting the church that he helped start. He didn't have to think for a while about it, he knew that answer.

Getting all of the people in our congregation that ready to answer that question is key. Better yet, is having the answer to that question be so thoroughly saturated throughout the church's culture that every new member can recite it without ever having had formal instruction about it.

Any one who has ever spent five minutes in a Hill Country Bible Church service in any location has heard or seen or both "We are a family of believers committed to reaching people with the life-changing reality of Jesus Christ." This statement saturates everything HCBC does. Sometimes an alternate form is used that says "we are a family of believers committed to reaching the people of the greater Austin area with the life-changing reality of Jesus Christ." Anybody who becomes a part of any Hill Country church knows that they are pledging to become a part of a family of believers committed to reaching people with the life-changing reality of Jesus Christ.

What is your church's Kingdom Concept? Does your vision stick? Why do you do what you do? Does what you are doing advance the vision?

answering these questions honestly is essential for church leadership and lay people alike. Much wasted time can thereby be avoided.

                Studying the concept of kingdoms is important for a couple of reasons. First, because most of us today, particularly in the west, have never lived in a kingdom, the concept is completely foreign to us. We simply do not know what it is like to live under a king. This might not be a problem were it not for the second reason for studying the Kingdom: God’s government, the government of Heaven, is a kingdom, and God is a King. And because his Kingdom extends through all creation, encompassing both the supernatural and the natural realms, it covers us also, which is why we need to understand it. A third and critical reason to study and restore this concept of kingdom is because the Bible is not about a religion or an organization but a King and his Kingdom. Therefore, in order to correctly understand, interpret, and apply the Scriptures, knowledge of kingdoms is necessary. Every one of the over six billion people on earth is searching for this Kingdom. This blog is to help you and your fellow planet dwellers discover and understand it.  The remaining posts on this blog will examine in detail key concepts of the Kingdom of heaven.

Concept #1

(Concept of Kings)

                If we were created for kingship, and if Jesus came to earth to restore the kingship we lost, and if we want to be prepared to resume out rightful place as kings, then we had better learn what is means to be a king and how a king relates to his kingdom. This is important both for teaching us how to think, speak, and behave like rulers and for teaching us how to relate properly to God, our High King. A true king is not a dictator.

The first thing we need to understand is that a king is the central component of his kingdom. Without the king, there is no kingdom. The land and the people may still be there, but unless they are ruled by a king, they are not in a kingdom. In a kingdom, the king is the constitution. His word is the law. His word is the government.

                Second, a king is the ultimate and only source of authority in his kingdom. The sole and absolute authority of the King is what distinguishes the Kingdom of Heaven from religion. Religious people give lip service to God’s kingship but then turn around and debate, question, and even amend His laws. For example, the King says that homosexual behavior is an abomination, yet a gathering of bishops who supposedly honor the King’s law install an openly and actively homosexual priest as an archbishop! In a Kingdom, the Kings word is law. It is not open to debate, discussion, challenge, or amendment.

                Third, the sovereignty of a king is inherent in his royal authority. The people do not make a king sovereign; he is born sovereign. Jesus told Pilate that He was born a king; He did not receive His kingship from the hand of men. Sovereignty means freedom from external control. Following are 14 characteristics of a king.

1. A king is never voted into power.
2. A king is king by birthright.
3. A king cannot be voted out of power.
4. A king’s authority is absolute.
5. A king’s word is law. (Psalm 19:7-9,11).
6. A king personally owns everything in his domain. (Psalm 24:1)
7. A king’s decree is unchanging. (Isaiah 40:8) (Matthew 24:35).
8. A king chooses who will be a citizen. (John 15:16-19).
9. A king embodies the government of his kingdom. (Whenever a king speaks, his whole government is speaking. Wherever a king is, his entire government is present) (Matthew 18:19-20, Matthew 28:18-20).
10. A king’s presence is the presence of his authority. (Matthew 18:18).
11. A king’s wealth is measured by his property.
12. A king’s prosperity is measured by the status of his citizens.
13. A king’s name is the essence of his authority.
14. A king’s citizenry represents his glory.

A Kingdom is the sovereign rulership and governing influence of a king over his territory impacting it with his will, his intent, and his purpose, manifesting a culture and society reflecting the king’s nature, values, and morals. A kingdom is the governing impact of a king’s will over a territory or domain, his influence over a people, and a government led by a king.

taken from Kingdom Principles by Myles Munroe

Verses :1-6, lists those that shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; one who is wounded in the testicles; or one who is castrated. A bastard or the Ammonite or Moabite, even until the tenth generation, because they helped you not, when you came out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam to curse you. The Lord would not listen to Balaam, but turned the curse into a blessing for you because the Lord your God loves you. You shall not seek their peace nor their prosperity all of your days, for ever.

You shall not hate an Edomite, for he is your brother, you shall not hate an Egyptian, because you were a stranger in his land. The children that are born to a union with them (Egyptians) of their third generation shall enter the congregation of the Lord.

When the army goes out to war keep yourselves from every wicked thing.  If a man become unclean by some occurrence in the night, he shall go outside the camp and shall not come back in, but when evening comes he shall wash with water and when the sun sets he could come into the camp, :7-11.

Also, instructions for going outside the camp to relieve yourself, you must carry a shovel to dig with to turn over your refuse. For the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp to deliver you and give your enemies over to you: therefore your camp shall be holy, that He may see no unclean thing among you and turn away from you ; :12-14.

You shall not give back to his master a slave who has escaped from his master, he shall live in the midst of one of your camps, which he chooses, you shall not oppress him. There shall be no ritual harlot of the daughters of Israel, or a male prostitute of the sons of Israel. You shall not bring the wages of a whore or the price of a dog to the house of the Lord your God for any vowed offering, for both of these is an abomination to the Lord your God; :15-19.

Sidebar: Did you notice that the Lord referred to the male prostitute as a dog? It seems to me that prostitution is as much an abomination as sodomy. 

We are given instructions in regards to living righteously with your brother; :19, a foreigner; :20, your God; :21-23, and your neighbor; :24-25.

DEUTERONOMY  24

Verses :1-5 gives instruction on one of the aspects of marriage. (It sounds as if the Lord is opposed to divorcing, marrying others, and re-marrying).  Do not take a man’s work tools as a pledge.  A kidnapper who mistreats or sells his prey shall die, and you shall put the evil away from you.  Be sure you carefully follow the teachings of the priests regarding an outbreak of leprosy. When you lend to your brother you shall not go into his house to get his pledge, you must wait outside until he brings it to you. If a man is poor you shall not keep his pledge overnight. You shall return it to him when the sun goes down, that he may sleep in his own garment, and bless you and it shall be righteousness to you before the Lord your God; :6-13.

You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether your brother or a stranger, who is in your land. Each day you shall give him his wages and not let the sun go down on it , because he needs it, lest he cry out against you to the Lord and it be sin to your; :14-15.

Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers, a person shall be put to death for his own sin; :16. You shall not pervert justice due the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow; :17.

Verses :19-21, command that when reaping the harvest that you make sure to leave a part of the harvest for the poor, the fatherless, and widow to glean.  And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt.

DEUTERONOMY 25

When a dispute is taken to court, that the judges may judge them and they justify the righteous and condemn the wicked, if the wicked man deserves to be beaten, the judge will cause him to lie down and be beaten in his presence with a certain number of blows.  Forty blows he may give him and no more, lest he should exceed this and beat him with many blows above this and your brother be humiliated in your sight; :1-3.

You shall not muzzle an ox while he treads out the grain. If brother’s live together and one dies and has no son, the widow of the dead man shall not be married to a stranger of the family; her husband’s brother shall go in to her, take her as his wife and perform the duties of the husband’s brother to her, and the firstborn son which she bears will succeed in the name of the dead brother, that his name may not e blotted out of Israel; :5-6.

Verses :7-10 give the ordinances in the event that the brother refuses, after following procedure the widow shall come to him in the presence of the elders, remove his sandal from his foot, spit in his face, and say, “So it shall be done to the man who will not build up his brother’s house and him name shall be called in Israel, “The house of him who had his sandal removed”. If two men are fighting and the wife of one draws near to rescue her husband from the hand of the one attacking him and puts out her hand and seizes him by the testicles, you shall cut off her hand, your eye shall not pity her.

You shall not have different weights, heavy and a light; you shall not have in your home differing measures, a large and a small; you shall have a perfect and just weight and measure; :11-15.

Sidebar: The Lord is saying do not cheat; shortchange and this command comes with a promise.

For all who do such things and all who behave unrighteously are an abomination to the Lord your God; :16-19

DEUTERONOMY 26

The Lord required a first fruit offering of all the produce of the land which He was giving them, as an inheritance; and that it be brought to the "place of His choosing where His name abides"; :1-2.

You shall confess before the priest and he shall take the offering and set it before the altar of the Lord, and then you shall declare the history of Israel; :3-10.

You shall rejoice in every good thing, which the Lord has given to you and your house, you and the Levite and the stranger who is among you. When you have finished laying aside all the tithe of your increase in the third year , the year of tithing and given it as God has instructed you, then you shall say before the Lord your God, “Your commandments I have not transgressed, nor have I forgotten; :12-15.

Sidebar: When was the Last time that we have said these words, I wonder.

Moses tells the people “Today you have proclaimed the Lord to be your God, and that you will walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments , and that you will obey His voice. Also, today the Lord has proclaimed you to be His special people, just as He promised you, that you should keep all of His commandments and He will set you high above all nations which He has made, in praise, in name, in honor and that you may be a holy people to the Lord your God, just as He has spoken; :16-19.

Sidebar: Please tell me, today , this description can be attributed to whom?

DEUTERONOMY 27

Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, “Keep all the commandments which I command you today”.  When you cross over the Jordan to the land which the Lord your God is giving you, on that day you shall set up for yourselves large stones, and whitewash them with lime.  You shall write on them all the words of the law, when you have crossed over, that you may enter the land that the Lord is giving you, as He promised your fathers.  On Mt. Ebal you shall set up these stones which I command you today, and whitewash them with lime. And there you shall build an altar to the Lord, an altar of stones; you shall not use an iron tool on them.  You shall build the altar with the whole stones and offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God; you shall offer peace offerings and shall eat there and rejoice before the Lord, and you shall write very plainly all the words of this law; :1-8.

Moses and the priests tell the people, “Take heed and listen, O Israel; this day you have become the Lord’s people, therefore, you shall obey His voice and observe His commandments and statutes which I command you today. Six tribes shall stand on Mt. Gerizim to bless the people and six tribes shall stand on Mt. Ebal to curse. The Levites shall speak with a loud voice and say to all the men of Israel the proclaiming of the curses for each iniquity after each, the people shall answer and say , “Amen”; :9-26.

DEUTERONOMY 28

This book contains the blessings for obedience and the curses for rebellion, not carefully obeying the voice of the Lord our God .

Verses :1-14 contains the blessings. Verses, :15-68, contains the curses for disobedience/rebellion.

Sidebar: Has anyone noticed that the Lord is very serious about us obeying His commandments?

DEUTERONOMY 29

These are the words of the covenant the Lord commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel, in the land of Moab, besides the covenant He made with them in Horeb.  Moses reminds them that Israel has seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in Egypt, great trials, signs and great wonders, yet the Lord shall not give you eyes and heart to perceive, and eyes to see and ears to hear, to this very day. Moses recites their history from Egypt to the promised land. “Therefore, keep the words of this covenant and do them—that you may prosper in all that you do. You, all, stand here today, leaders, wives, children, even the stranger that is among you, That He may establish you today as people for Himself, and that He may be God to you just as He has spoken to you and as He has sworn to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; :1-13.

The Lord made the covenant and an oath, not with Israel alone, but with all who were there before the Lord and with him which is not here today (this refers to us). As we came out of Egypt we passed by the nations, you saw there abominations and their idols which were among them—wood, stone, silver, and gold, so that there may not be among you any whose heart turns away, today, from the Lord our God to go and serve other gods, of these nations, and there may not be among you a root of bitterness, bearing bitterness, and so that it may not happen when he hears the words of the curse, that he blesses himself in his heart , saying, “I shall have peace, even though I follow the dictates of my heart—as though the drunkard could be included with the sober; :14-19.

The Lord will not spare, for His anger and His jealousy would burn against that man and every curse that is written in this book would settle on him and the Lord will blot out his name from under heaven.  Then all nations would say, “Why has the Lord done so to this land?  What does the heat of this great anger mean?  And people will say, “Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of Egypt; for they went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods that they did not know and that He had not given them.  The anger of the Lord was aroused against this land, to bring on it every curse that is written in this book.  And the Lord uprooted them from their land in anger, in wrath and in great indignation and cast them into another land, as it is this day.  The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children, forever, that we may do all the words of the law;  :20-29.

DEUTERONOMY  30

Sidebar:  This chapter reveals that the Lord and Moses knew that the Israelites would reject God’s laws and "go a-whoring after other gods".

“Now it shall come to pass when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the Lord your God drives you, and you return to the Lord your God and obey His voice—(not Augustine, or Luther, or Equinos, etc.)—according to all that I command you today, you and your children, with all you heart and with all your soul, that the Lord will bring you back from captivity and have compassion on you and gather you again from all nations where the Lord your God has scattered you.

Even you in the farthest parts under heaven will be gathered and brought by the Lord; to bring you back to the land which your fathers possessed and you shall possess it.  The Lord will prosper you and multiply more than your fathers.  And He will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.  The Lord will put all  these curses upon your enemies and those who hated you; who persecute you.  And you will again obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments, which I command you today.  The Lord will bless everything you set you hand to, for the Lord will again rejoice over you for your good, as He rejoiced over your fathers;  :1-10

Verses 11-14, should be familiar, Paul quoted it.  Moses tells the people, “See, I have set before you today, life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the Lord your God; to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord will bless you in the land that you go to possess.  But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, you will perish; you shall not prolong your days.

Moses tells the people, “I call heaven and earth as a witness against you, today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing, there, choose life that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days;  :15-20.

DEUTERONOMY  31

Moses declares to the people that the Lord had said that he shall not cross the Jordan to enter the promised land.  The Lord your God, Himself crosses over before you, He will destroy these nations from before you and you shall dispossess them.  Joshua shall lead you as the Lord has said.  The Lord will give these nations over to you, be of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them, for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you; He will not leave you nor forsake you;  :1-6.

Moses calls Joshua and repeats the same words;  he wrote the law and delivered it to the priests and the sons of Levi who bore the Ark of the Covenant and to all the elders of Israel.  Every seven years, the year of release, at the Feast of Tabernacles when all of Israel come to appear before the Lord our God; the priests shall read this law before them in their hearing;  :7-11.

Gather the people together, men, women, and little ones, and the stranger who is within you gates, that they may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, and carefully observe all the words of this law, and their children who have not known it may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God , as long as you live;  :12-13.

The Lord tells Moses that he will "go to join his fathers (die) soon" and to call Joshua to inaugurate him.  The Lord appeared above the tabernacle in a pillar of cloud.  The Lord tells Moses (even before they made it to the promised land), after you die Moses, “this people are going to rise and play the harlot with the gods of the foreigners of the land, where they go to be among them, and they will forsake Me and break My covenant, which I have made with them”.  :14-18.

The Lord tells them to write the words of a song that he gave him; to teach it to the children of Israel; "put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for Me against the children of Israel", when I have brought them to the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and filled themselves and grown fat, then they will turn to other gods to serve them; and they will provoke Me and break my covenant.  Then It shall be , when many evils and troubles have come upon them, that this song will testify against them as a witness;  "for it will not be forgotten in the mouths of their descendants, for I know the inclination of their behavior, today, even before I have brought them into the land of which I swore to give them".  Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the children of Israel;  :19-22

Moses inaugurated Joshua; completed writing the words of this law in a book then he commanded the Levites who bore the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, saying, “Take this book of the law and put it beside the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord our God, that it may be there as a witness against you, for I know your rebellion, your stiff neck.  If, today, while I am yet alive,  you have been rebellious against the Lord, the how much more after my death?”  Then Moses says, “Gather all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their hearing and call heaven and earth to witness against them.  For I know that after my death you will become utterly corrupt, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you.  And evil will befall you in the latter days, because you will do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger through the work of your hands.”  Moses spoke in the hearing of all the assembly of Israel, the words of this song, until they were finished;  :23-30.

DEUTERONOMY  32

The song that the Lord gave Moses to write down, is a devastating indictment of Israel specifically, and mankind in general;  :1-43.

Sidebar: It is my opinion that this whole chapter is to be internalized by all those who profess the name of Jesus.

Moses came with Joshua and spoke all the words of the song, in the hearing of all the people.  After he finished speaking all the words of the song to all Israel, he said, “Set your hearts on all the words which I testify among you today, which you shall command your children to be careful to observe---all the words of this law.  For it is not a futile thing for you, because it is your life; and by this word shall you prolong your days in the land.”

The Lord told Moses to go up the Mt. Nebo, in the land of Moab, across from Jericho, and to view the land of Canaan, “which I give to the children of Israel, as a possession, and die on the mountain, which you ascend and be gathered to your people, just as Aaron, your brother died on Mt. Hor and was gathered to his people.  Because you have trespassed against Me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because you sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel.  Yet you shall see the land before you; but you shall not go into the land which I give to the children of Israel;  :44-52.

DEUTERONOMY  33

In this chapter Moses, blesses the tribes of Israel each individually, before his death.  Moses said, "...and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them.  Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words;  :1-5.

The first was Reuben, then Judah; Levi; Benjamin; Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh); Zebulun; Issachar; Gad; Dan; Naphtali; Asher.  Jeshrun is another name for Israel;  :26There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky;  :6-29.

  DEUTERONOMY  34

Then Mose went up form the plains of Moab to Mount Mebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is across Jericho.  There the Lord showed him the land which He had sworn to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, He allowed Moses to see, with his eyes, but said, "You shall not cross over there."  Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there and the Lord buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, but no one knows his grave to this day;  :1-6.

Moses was 120 years old when he died.  His eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor diminished.  The children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days until the days of mourning had ended.

Joshua, full of the spirit of wisdom; so the children of Israel heeded him, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses.  But since them there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face;  :7-12.

It's funny how many times people get carried away with trying to predict the second coming of Christ.  For some reason (and I think I know what it is) we seem to think the "kingdom of God" is something which hasn't arrived yet, whereas Jesus made it really clear that it began in the midst of His followers and their community.  The word "within" would be better translated as "in the midst of".  Christians of all stripes forget this little tidbit of important information, preferring rather to argue about things that cannot be proved one way or another.  The coming of Jesus establishes the physical kingdom of God and that comes at an unpredictable date and time after all human efforts have failed.  The spiritual kingdom begins now.

Jesus also said the world would know we followed Him if we loved one another.  Someone dropped the ball on this one because most people think we are about being right instead building community and good will.

Then again, it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that the church is full of dissent and wrangling because Jesus predicted the weeds would grow along side the wheat.  Those who are in it just for the money, prestige or to make themselves feel safe will do anything possible to ruin another's walk if that walk testifies the hypocrisy they live.

Where two or three are gathered together, there Jesus said He would be.  It isn't numbers that makes a church but people dedicated to the community of spirit that Jesus commanded them to have.  We forget so easily that church isn't about political mojo or controlling governments.  Indeed these things matter very little in the scope of heaven's rule; for if this message is true at all, then Jesus will rule the world with a government that will never end.  So all our political maneuverings, shenanigans and demonstrations would be better served if we just lived our ethic and loved each other the way Christ commanded.

Trying to manufacture spirituality is foolish.  Manufacturing a faux Christian kingdom managed and directed by human beings who themselves are full of mistaken ideals and false premises--whether by accident or intent it doesn't matter--is like letting that guy who sells cars direct your budget for the month.  We cannot make America or any country wholly Christian because Jesus made it clear it would never happen.

So why do religions fight so hard for political control?  To feel comfortable.  They aren't interested in living with difference, acceptance or diversity but desire to construct a safe little haven for themselves, beliefs and their families.  What bothers me most about this mentality is that no where in the NT did the church ever try to take over an earthly government.  In point of fact, the disciples focused on developing followers of Jesus to the day they died--most of them by martyrdom.  If they were so interested in building an earthly Christian nation, why didn't they set up armies, fight wars or infiltrate the government of their age?

No, we have a misguided view what Jesus meant by the kingdom of God is within you  and we get our wires crossed when we apply the message any other way than a change of heart and the direction of the life.

In a world that is moving at such a rapid pace it's time to take a moment to remember that we were never called to be human doings but human beings. With that, let's remember the BE-Attitudes.

With this first sentence in this sermon we see Jesus bless not those who have all the earthly possessions they could possibly want but to those who saw that those things didn't make them happy. In other words, those things weren't the things that fulfill the heart. We all know those people who seemingly have everything materialistically and yet seem to be reaching for something that they can't put their finger on. They are in essence poor in spirit. True happiness, a life fulfilled in the kingdom is about a rich spirit not a rich bank account. He comes here to equal the playing field. To show them that the authority of the kingdom is not about earthly things, although played on an earthly playing field but about a heart that longs to be fulfilled by the purpose of heaven.

This first sentence is the invitation back to Christ. We see the example that Jesus set of making disciples by meeting people at their need and not at their fear. This was not a religion this was about a relationship that would be everlasting. He is setting the scene for kingdom vision for those in attendance.

John 3:3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

So we can see that Jesus is preparing the hearts and minds to see the kingdom of heaven. To be born again speaks of a do-over primarily in our thought process. These are very important keys to just being human beings. He is speaking to their need whether they have full awareness of that need or whether all they know is something is missing.

In a time when the follower of Christ is met with the opposition of so many who seem to think they are making their way to heaven in many different ways, we are challenged to see that it is not about being a good person or doing good deeds. It is about being a person who is poor in spirit. A recognition that there is a empty part of our being that only Jesus can fill.

Serving and wanting to serve God is a good thing, right?  Overall the answer is yes, however, it is an area where we are all ripe to be tempted and deceived.  It is real easy to get caught up in our own kingdom in the name of serving God. 

Ways we can get caught up in seeking after own kingdom. We can desire God, desire to serve God, desire to reach out to others, but we can let ourselves corrupt matters. Each of us can easily seek to serve God through means of the lust of flesh, lust of eyes, or pride of life. We can easily move from service to and for God, to meeting our own needs for love, significance, and security. There is even a very popular church program around being “purpose-driven” which definitely can move in the direction of self oriented and direct service. 

Now if you look at scripture, what God want most from each of us is surrender. Take a look at Romans 12: 1-2 (NIV): “1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.” 

We are called to daily surrender. We are called not to conform to the pattern of this world.  What is the pattern of this world? Seeking self-satisfaction or engaging in need satisfaction. We are called to change our thinking not to ourselves and satisfactions of our wants and needs but focus on God and the Gospel through the Word of God.

There are several ways seeking our own wants, needs and engage in building our own kingdom occur.  One particular way we can shift to building our own kingdom for God is becoming obsessed over a being used in a particular way. Some people may in fact approach God and ask “make me a prophet,” “or make me a healer,” or “make me a revivalist.” God can certainly meet those prayers. But it can turn into an obsession of a particular gifting of God with loss of site of other gifts.  And if God hasn’t called or chosen the person for the particular gifting then it clearly can be something that moves into satisfying own selfish desires or needs.  For example, think of a really bad singer or dancer on any audition for popular reality television shows, the ones that have no talent but are convinced they have talent, sometimes we can be just like them. We can be so enamored with ways we want to be used that we lose site of what God really wants to do in our lives. 

The Bible states in Romans 12:3-9 (NIV): 3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. 9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

            The passage clearly indicates that God gives gifts as He will.  We are each created differently and He chooses to give us different gifts. Rather then asking God for a particular gift, it is better to ask God to gift use as He will. If there is a desire on the heart, bring it before God in submission and ask Him to reveal to you what His will and gifts are.  Accept the ways God has gifted you and learn to walk in those gifts in surrender. 

            It is important not to forget 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 (NIV): 12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

            We all have roles within the body. We are all a cell in the body of Christ. However, God made us a particular cell and each cell serves a distinct purpose.  The cell doesn’t determine it’s role, it is determined by the creator. Science has even shown this with the discovery of stem cells, which do not take on their function until given the instructions. Per the passage, we receive entrance into the body through the Holy Spirit, and as such it is when we receive our instructions and placement in the body.  True we have gifts and natural skills at birth again given by God, and God takes those things into account in placing us within our place in the body of Christ. God as made us and arranged us as He wants, it is not about what we want. 

            In the passage it is clear another way we each can lose focus, which is to get jealous or envious of another persons gifting or place in the body. We can easily focus on people who God gifts to heal, or God uses to raise someone from the dead, or God uses to harvest many souls into the Kingdom of God.   And according to the above passage, the parts of the body with “dishonor” are given greater honor with God. Yet, we often look at the “attention” getting gifts or the ones that demonstrate power or knowledge.  So think of whomever in the body of Christ that draws no honor, perhaps a handicapped person who simply prays and worships God because of no capacity to anything else. In God’s kingdom and perspective, such a person has a higher honor.  We at times envy and desire things that externally look exciting or note worthy, yet with God it is what happens that goes unnoticed that has the higher honor, yet we don’t envy or desire such gifts.

            When we lose focus on serving God’s kingdom, and view from our own perspective another way to easily get wrapped up in serving self is when it does become about building our own Kingdom’s literally. It becomes about wanting to be a leader or gain power and influence in the church.  Often times it can start out well meaning, wanting to reach others with the Gospel, build a church or ministry that will impact others. However, power is enticing and corrupting.  Once you have a vision of serving God suddenly amassing more power and influence becomes the priority.  The bible says some pretty specific things about leadership.

For example: James 3:1 (NIV):  1 Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. This passage clearly indicates that teaching and leadership results in greater judgment. It is not to be entered into lightly, for there is greater responsibility. As a leader a person is not just responsible for them selves but those that serve under them.

Also look at   Luke 14:7-14(NIV): 7 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8 "When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this man your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  The passage clearly demonstrates that we need to not seek honor, not seek to be someone considered important, but rather to humbly serve.  

We also need to consider what Jesus said "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all." (Mark 9:35b NKJV) Jesus demonstrated this consistently. He demonstrated in the washing of the feet. He ultimately demonstrated this at the Cross.

            Now it is possible for us to not be seeking after power or leadership but rather get caught up in looking for external evidence of building the Kingdom of God. Looking for this external evidence can be a snare.  We can look for numbers or external manifestations and look to depend on them or rely on them and get caught up in building our own kingdom in the name of building God’s kingdom.  Things like attendance numbers, numbers of people coming forward at an alter call, numbers of small groups, numbers of programs, and so on. 

            We can get caught up in the numbers game because in our mind the numbers are what shows whether or not there is fruit.  However, numbers are simply numbers and God looks at things differently.  1 Corinthians 3:11-15 (NKJV):11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.  This passage clear shows that what stand as good work and good fruit in the end is what passes through the fire.  What we do building our own kingdoms will burn and doesn’t count. So we really cannot get to excited about external appearances.

            Another good verse is 2 Corinthians 10:12-13 (NIV):12 We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. 13 We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us, a field that reaches even to you. This passage clearly shows that there are limits to pay attention to, that seeing the good that God does certainly can be commended, but when we start comparing to ourselves or others we lose focus and become unwise.  Numbers and externals are really about what makes us feel better. It makes us feel like something is accomplished, but often what God really accomplishes is unseen and unnumbered.

            Another easy way to get caught up in building our own kingdom versus the Kingdom of God is when we get caught up in a particular plan or program. It is real easy to get caught in the method, versus the Kingdom.  There are ways and tools and programs that God has used in varied locations. However, it is a mistake to think that any plan or program or formula will work in all cases with all people.  In the American church, the focus on programs as even gone to the point where there are prepackaged sermons and sermon series.  Now, I can see the value in passing on particular series of messages that God has used. But we make a mistake if we think that God interacts and works with all people in that same manner. 

Jesus himself did not always work in the same way or manner.  He met individuals at there need, at their level of faith.  He met them where they were at and always challenged them to go beyond and enter the Kingdom of God.

            We can have the most thought out plans and programs and God may not be in it.  Plans and programs are not bad, it is all a matter of what God is doing and how he is acting. For example, Paul had an excellent plan and spoke with all wisdom to the Greeks, yet it went no where. God’s wisdom and plans running contrary to human wisdom is evident in 1 Corinthians 1:17-21(NIV):17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel--not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate." 20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

            Building the Kingdom of God always comes down to what God is doing. He may not make sense to human eyes and human wisdom, but God’s path is clear.  Again programs and plans can work, or the may be works that burn in the fire.  The important thing for each of is to attend to what God is doing.  We need to get beyond ourselves and consider each individual as Jesus did in the Gospels.  A passage clearly outlining this principle is found in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 (NIV):19 Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

            Paul indicated that we have to meet people where they are at, and share the Gospel at a level they understand.  We also can get so caught up not only in programs or plans but our own ideas and agendas about God as well. We each have experience with God, God shows us different things and we can often apply broad brush applications of our experience and demand the same of all, forgetting that God made us each unique.  The Bible is filled with both God and Jesus working in different ways in people’s lives. However, we can instead of continually learning and testing all things, become convinced of an aspect of God and expect all to understand the same way and all that vary are wrong.  We forget the admonition of Romans 12:3(NIV):For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Instead we get grand thoughts that every one needs to understand as we do. We can fail to listen and instead speak at and judge others. 

            However, the fact that we operate often from our own understanding and ideas doesn’t eliminate the fact that truth about God has been revealed through the Word of God.  However we understand God it needs to be based on the scripture.   As it says in 1 Corinthians 13:12(NIV): 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.  The passage clearly show that our understanding is limited, partial.  Yet God has revealed Himself and His truth through the Word of God. It is by studying the Word of God that in this life we can know more in full.  We need to follow Proverbs 3:5:6:  5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. and not be like the watchmen of Israel described in Isaiah 56:11(NIV): 11 They are dogs with mighty appetites; they never have enough. They are shepherds who lack understanding; they all turn to their own way, each seeks his own gain.