The Kingdom of Heaven

“The Kingdom of Heaven” starring Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Jeremy Irons, Liam Neeson and a few more that I can’t remember is one of my favorite movies.  As the title implies it is loosely referring to the ancient city of Jerusalem.  The movie is set during the time of the Crusades when there was constant warring over who had control of the Holy City of David.  The sad thing is that all the fighting, battles, blood shed, and lives lost were for control of LAND.  It was the ground, the walls, and the literal location that the city existed upon that was important to the warring parties.  But it was Orlando Bloom’s character, Balian, who was one of the few who understood that it wasn’t the City, the walls, or the dirt that was important; rather it was the lives...the souls...the people that lived within the city that were of most importance.  In the end Balian surrenders Jerusalem to the invading Muslim army with the promise of sparing every single life contained within the city walls.

In the movie, the real “Kingdom of Heaven” was an idea of existence in peace, protecting the lives of those who couldn’t protect themselves.  Loving and caring for all people no matter their race, creed, orientation, social status, or economic status.  And there were but a few who actually understood this passion, one of whom being Balian.  It’s interesting to me how similar this idea sounds to the teachings of one Jesus Christ.  If you notice in the Bible, Jesus’ love showed ZERO preference no matter who he was around.  But, when his actions seemed to show preference, it was usually towards the down and out, the rejected by Jewish society.  Throughout the Bible we see a prominent theme and that is to love those who are unloved, to have compassion on the persecuted, to care for the sick and undeserving, to LOVE ALL especially the least of all.

Jesus’ followers believed that he came to establish a new Kingdom on earth where he would reign as King, “the New David”, and that this kingdom (“The Kingdom of Heaven”) of which Jesus talked about so often would last forever here on earth.  The problem was that Jesus’ followers assumed he was here to establish an earthly Kingdom, but ALL earthly Kingdoms have expiration dates.  Rather, Jesus came to establish an eternal Kingdom one that wasn’t about land, territory, cities, walls, power, or any of the other highly esteemed values of Kings and nobles. Jesus’ Kingdom of Heaven is focused on the people.  Jesus said things like: “the Kingdom of God belongs to [the children]” Mark 10; “the last shall be first” Mark 10; “Love your enemies and pray for them” Matthew 5; “Love your neighbor (meaning ‘all others’) as yourself” Matthew 19; “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” John 15.  Jesus’ focus was on people; Jesus came for the lives, for the souls, and for the eternity of God’s creation.  On our own, because of our sin, we were the enemies of God, but God sent Jesus to die for the sins of HIS enemies.  That has nothing to do with the pleasures and pursuits of the world and everything to do with LOVE.  The Kingdom of Heaven is about lives, not land; people, not power; eternity, not empires.  And because this is what the King is about, it is what we, his people should be about. 

We were made to Love

The love for equals is a human thing–of friend for friend, brother for brother. It is to love what is loving and lovely. The world smiles. The love for the less fortunate is a beautiful thing–the love for those who suffer, for those who are poor, the sick, the failures, the unlovely. This is compassion, and it touches the heart of the world. The love for the more fortunate is a rare thing–to love those who succeed where we fail, to rejoice without envy with those who rejoice, the love of the poor for the rich, of the black man for the white man. The world is always bewildered by its saints.  And then there is the love for the enemy–love for the one who does not love you but mocks, threatens, and inflicts pain. The tortured’s love for the torturer. This is God’s love. It conquers the world.

From The Magnificent Defeat by Frederick Buechner

God has a specific purpose that he wants all of us to seek and strive for.  In 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 Paul writes:

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.  There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.  There are different kinds of working, but the Same God works all of them in all men.  Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”

God has given us all very specific gifts for the purpose of doing what he has called each of us to specifically do for His Kingdom.  That fact has always been present in my life and it has been the number one thing I have always wanted to do and fulfill. 

However, over the last few years if there is anything I have learned: I have learned that I was made for love.  I am much more aware now than ever before that the FIRST & MOST important calling that God has placed upon ALL our lives is to LOVE and love unconditionally.  Jesus tells us in Matthew 22:37-40 that the greatest commandment of all is “Love the Lord with ALL your heart, soul, and mind.  And the second is love your neighbors as much as and more than you love yourself” (my paraphrase).  To love God and love others (meaning ALL people) IS the greatest calling we have as Christians, period.  It’s not about denominations, programming, style of music, traditions, income, hopes, dreams, or anything else that WE think is important.  Life is about loving God and loving all people: rich, poor, fortunate, unfortunate, ally, enemy, etc; it makes no difference.  Love God and Love Others; THAT is why we do what we do, because that is the action that will truly change the world, or as Buechner puts it “conquer the world.”

The Ministry of Your Heart

I wrote this back in June 2008...I really enjoy looking back and reading what I wrote and comparing that to where I am now.  I hope you enjoy this as well. 

-1 Thessalonians 2:19-20-

For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes?  Is it not you?  Indeed, you are our glory and joy. 

I believe that God has planted within each and every one of us a passion and a love.  There are many things we desire to do in life, but there is something that simply tugs at the heart of a child of God.  For some people it is the ministry of compassion, for others it is the ministry of teaching, and still others simply love to serve without being seen.  We all have a ministry that we will take part in no matter how much or little free time we have to give.  My point here is simply to pose a couple questions: 

First, what is the ministry of your heart?  The ministry of Paul’s heart was the spread of the gospel and the souls of those he came into contact with.  What is that one thing you cannot say “No” to; not because of who is asking, but because of what is being asked of you?  It is possible that you may not know yet and that is okay.  It can take time to understand what really “fuels your fire.”  Take some time to think about this question: what is the ministry of your heart?  To help you understand maybe you need to ask these questions: What stirs your emotions faster and bigger than anything else?  Where do your passions lie?  What gets you really excited?  What is the one thing you would do to better this world if money and resources were non-issues?  These and other questions like these may help you to find the “ministry of your heart”.  Pray that God would reveal this to you in the days to come. 

Second, what are you doing about that ministry?  Many times in church we get comfortable enjoying the food we are fed in the Worship Service, in Sunday School, in Small Group, etc; we enjoy the fellowship that we have with others during those times as well.  The problem is we often forget about the hours of service that goes into making those times of Worship, Learning, and Fellowship happen.  If you have a cause or a purpose tugging at your heart, if you feel the Holy Spirit prodding you to join a ministry; don’t hesitate!!  If there is a ministry you want to serve, please find someone in that ministry and make that desire known.  If you simply want to serve, but don’t know where God has called you to; make that desire known to your church leadership.  They can try to help you find your place of service. 

There is always room for more servants in the church, where will you serve; who or what will be your glory when Jesus returns?  Find a place to serve, jump in with all your heart, and God will reward you much more richly than you could ever imagine.

Keep out of Reach of Children

“Keep out of Reach of Children”… Now that my son, Joshua, is a closing in on 2.5 years old I am noticing the above quoted statement, or rather, this warning everywhere.  And for good reason, he is getting into everything and much of what he is getting into he absolutely shouldn’t have either because it is dangerous or because he doesn’t know how to properly use it.  I am amazed at the things that could be potentially harmful to my son that I never would have thought of as harmful before. 

But there are many things that are absolutely good for my son to be able experience despite his potential ignorance of how to properly use them or understand them.  Love, discipline, mercy, grace, correction, and compassion are just a few of the things that require no previous understanding or experience to have a positive impact on his life. 

This subject reminds me of a time in Jesus’ ministry when little children were being hindered from being front and center to the love and teaching of the Son of God.  In Matthew 19:13-14 we see Jesus’ closest followers rebuking people for bringing their children to see and touch Jesus.  Jesus says to his followers in verse 14, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 

It is an unfortunate thing, but our society tends to ignore and discount children and their abilities to make an impact in their environments; unfortunately, the American church as a whole has often followed this thinking.  In my opinion, that is one of the reasons why 80-85% of high school graduates walk away from the church of their parents and never return.  I don’t say this to scold the church, but I do say this to remind the church that we must not forget to put our children front and center before the Love of Christ.  The church must continue to love children from K-College in such a way that they can’t help but be overwhelmed by the Love of Christ.  When they feel welcomed, loved, valued, lifted up, inspired, connected, and involved in the church they can’t help but stay plugged in to that kind of environment.  

Also, as parents we absolutely CANNOT simply rely on the church to do the spiritual teaching and training of our children.  WE MUST be the primary vessels of faith transformation for our children.  I know as a parent I struggle with this, just as I struggle with keeping myself in God's word daily.  But we must make it a point of life to teach and train our children in the homes to think, speak, act, and live as Jesus did; this is our #1 role as parents. 

 

“Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it”                                                                                                               Proverbs 22:6

Life Goals vs. Life Purpose

I wrote this article back in April 2009 and recently came back across it and wanted to share...Enjoy!!

A few months ago I finished reading Tony Dungy’s book Quiet Strength.  In case you aren’t sure who he is, Tony Dungy recently retired from being the head Coach of the Indianapolis Colts. He took a team loaded with talent that just couldn’t make it to the Championship game and he led them there and they won the Super Bowl.  There is obviously more to the story and the book tells it all in great detail, but the reason I mention him is because not only was he a great coach, but he is also a strong Christian.  In his book he made a comment that has stuck with me ever since I read it.

I love coaching football, and winning a Super Bowl was a goal I’ve had for a long time.  But it has never been my purpose in life.  My purpose in life is simply to glorify God.  We have to be careful that we don’t let the pursuit of our life’s goals, no matter how important they seem, cause us to lose sight of our purpose.

-Quiet Strength by: Tony Dungy-

It’s very simple our purpose as individuals and as the church of Christ is to glorify GOD.  Our goals can be to reach family and friends, to affect your local schools in very positive ways, to see the your ministry grow and do great things; but if the purpose is to have a big ministry with a lot of programs and events then we are missing the point.  If you’re an athlete, if you excel at playing an instrument, or maybe you have high academic achievements, ask yourself why am I doing this?  What is my purpose?  Is it so I look good and people put me up on a pedestal? 

God has given you your talents or abilities for a reason; that reason is to glorify him through your achievements (and yes even through your failures), whatever they maybe. What’s our purpose as humans, why do we do what we do?  If it is to “glorify God” then we’re on the right track.  When our goals are God honoring and our purpose is for His glory, then I believe He will bless us beyond or hopes and dreams.   

The Measure of Success

I've heard of and read about many different methods of measuring success.  So many of these methods are centered around lifting up human accomplishments, lifting up personal greatness, lifting up self.  As much as we should celebrate victories and triumphs, because that can and often does spur us on to the next victory, I think there are some serious problems with how we define success. 

Success IS NOT about bank account levels and net worth.

Success IS NOT about status in one's career, marketplace, or job.

Success IS NOT about the number and worth of owned cars, boats, homes, etc.

Success IS NOT about personal fame, glory, awards, and accomplishments.

So, (even if you don't agree go along with me here) success is not any of these things or any of these categories for that matter.  In fact, to take this to the fullest and truest extent possible; success in it's truest form has nothing at all to do with anything related to one's self.  True success is actually found in the way we affect the world around us.  I have come to believe that the best 2 measures of success and the only 2 that really matter are these: Lives Touched & Lives Changed   

Some might want to push back on this and say that success can be determined in many ways.  And I would say, yes, this is true, because the measure of success is totally based on purpose.  If your purpose is to get as rich as possible and you do so than you might consider yourself successful.  I have come to my methods of measuring success based on my purpose as well, but unlike a worldly, self-determined purpose; my purpose in life is not determined by me.  My purpose in life is given by my Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ.  My purpose comes from God's word, God's calling, God's commission; specifically from Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:46-49, John 13:13-17, and Acts 1:7-8; just to name a few.  My purpose, as the Apostle Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 5:14-21, is the reconciliation of the world to God.  God through me and many like me is bringing the world back into a right relationship with Him.  This is my purpose.

So my measures of success come from the lives that God has used me to touch and the lives he has used me to change.  In 1 Corinthians 3:6-9 Paul explains that "God uses some to plant the seed and some to water the seed, but only God can grow the seed."  We all have parts to play in each life we come into contact with.  At times we may be the planters, at times we may be the ones who water.  Some lives we will touch, some lives we will change.  It isn't exactly the most satisfying way to measure success because often we never get to know the touch or change we have made, but God does.  Other times the most we may know is a statement of thanks or gratitude of the touch or change we made.  We must become content and fulfilled with these moments of blessing that God gives us.  Rarely ever are we able to be around to see the full extent of the affect we were able to have on a life.  But those moments are the few and far between that God gives us to really see the way God has changed us all and through these times God gives us renewed purpose to continue being used by Him to be agents of Touch and Change in this World.  

"For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.  And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again."  2 Corinthians 5:14-15     

A Sign for YOU...

Today I was reading in Exodus 12 and I was struck by something.  Verse 13 said, "The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt."  The thing that struck me was the part that said "the blood shall be a sign FOR YOU."  That part had never really hit me before.  Maybe I'm slow and never picked up on it, but I just always thought that the blood that the Israelite people spread over the frames of their doors was so that God would know the people in those houses were his followers and he shouldn't kill them.  It's amazing house small we make God out to be.  It's amazing how we bring him down to human-sized intelligence and power for no real reason.  I immediately wrote a note down that says this: 

"The blood wasn't used because God needed help knowing who lived in that house.  Rather, it was a measure of obedience, a sign of belief that God was who he said he was and that he would do what he said he would do."

The blood wasn't to HELP GOD, why would the all-knowing God need help?  He knew who was in those houses and whether or not they were his followers.  He didn't need the blood to know whether or not the first-born in that house should die.  The blood was so the people could be reminded that they were making a commitment to God.  They were staking their very livelihood and future on the promises of God.  The blood is a sign FOR YOU.  The people were the ones who needed the blood.  

It's very scary how the Bible in the most odd and obscure occurrences in the history of time tells us what will happen down the road.  The blood painted on the door frames of those slaves homes in Egypt was FOR YOU.  The blood was "A measure of Obedience" for them to state that they believed in God.  Do you know what that passage ultimately reminded me as I have been reminded so many other times in scripture and just brushed it off...The BLOOD WAS FOR ME!!!  


The blood splattered and dripping down the wooden roman cross is FOR ME.  It is a Sign of Obedience, Christ's Obedience to HIS FATHER, that God is who he says he is (MY SAVIOR) and that he will do what he says he will do (LOVE ME).  The Blood is FOR ME and FOR YOU.  

Now, OUR Sign of Obedience is to seek God First.  Everything we think, speak, and do should be...MUST BE about HIM.  Because the Blood of Christ has spared our lives.  Jesus has absorbed the Wrath of God, shielding us from the Father, from the punishment that is due us, from the death that we so deserve.  And now OUR SIGN OF OBEDIENCE requires death to ourselves, death to our selfish ways, death to our self-centered pursuits, death to what we call important.  We must, "by the mercies of God, present our bodies living and holy sacrifices, acceptable to God, this is our spiritual service/act of worship." Romans 12:1.  THIS IS OUR SIGN OF OBEDIENCE: lives fully committed to the will of God which means "LOVE God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." Luke 10:27 

God Loved us First and that was proven through the blood on the cross, therefore in response to that love; we love him with all that we have and love all people with all that we have, which in itself is another way to Love God.  So, our sign of obedience is to EXIST FULLY IN LOVE.