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The Two Kingdoms (5)
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MESSAGE: AR136
Preached: 23 Jan 94 ▪ Edited: 4 Aug 02 (Revised Nov 11)
Meaning of our time on earth | 1. Witnessing for God and contributing to the advancement of His kingdom | 2. Learning, growing and preparing ourselves for eternity | How the two basic reasons are related | Continuing consciousness of the two basic reasons | Concluding remarks | Questions for reflection and discussion
The influence of the spirit of the world pervades all of mankind and
every aspect of life in this fallen world. The pulls and attractions of
this world are seductive and deadly. It is easy to be conformed to the
world and be drawn away from the kingdom of God.
It is a serious matter for a believer to be entrapped by the attractions
of this world. Yet, we should not look at life on earth as merely one in
which we must constantly be on the lookout for such traps. Neither
should we regard our time on earth as merely a context filled with
negative influences, pain and suffering, temptations and evil.
Many may be so enamoured with the things of the world that they are
reluctant to leave this earth. But there are also Christians who view
this world as a terrible place and the sooner they leave it, the better.
They may be suffering much in life and feel that it is better to depart
from this earth and be in heaven.
In an attempt not to be corrupted by the world, some believers isolate
themselves by becoming hermits, or withdraw into monasteries or
Christian communities in some faraway place. But is this what the Lord
wants His disciples to do?
While we should guard ourselves against the world's negative influences,
we should not opt out of society. This is not the Lord's intention for
us. The Lord Jesus wants His disciples to be the salt of the earth and
the light of the world (Matt. 5:13-14), to be witnesses for Him in this
world, and we cannot do this if we isolate ourselves from society.
A wholesome, biblical approach to life must emphasise the significance
of our time on earth and the positive dimension of fulfilling God's
intentions for our lives.
In His prayer to the Father for His disciples, the Lord Jesus said, “I
do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the
evil one” (John 17:15). The Lord does not want us to be taken out of
this world. He has placed us in this world and wants us to remain here
until it is time for us to depart.
In the same prayer, the Lord said, “As You sent Me into the world, I
also have sent them into the world” (John 17:18). The Lord Jesus has
sent us into the world, even as the Father has sent Him. Just as there
was a purpose for the Lord coming into this world, there is meaning and
purpose for us being in this world.
God has good reasons and important intentions for our time on earth. It
is therefore important that we recognise what these reasons and
intentions are and pay due attention to them.
In Ephesians 5:15-17, the apostle Paul instructs us in the way we ought
to live our lives on earth:
Ephesians 5:15-17
15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise,
16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil.
17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord
is.
Paul urges us to be careful how we live our lives, “not as unwise men
but as wise” (v. 15). This would mean “making the most of our time” on
earth (v. 16) as it is a very important time and the negative influences
of the world are very great. We should therefore make every effort to
understand and do the will of God (v. 17).
From the Scriptures, we can see two basic reasons for God placing
us in this world:
1. To be witnesses for God and to contribute to the advancement of His
kingdom
2. To learn, grow and prepare ourselves for eternity
It is helpful to approach and evaluate the issues of life and the
situations we go through with these two basic reasons in mind.
In Matthew 5:13-14, the Lord Jesus says, “You are the salt of the
earth…” and “You are the light of the world”. In Acts 1:8, the Lord
Jesus told His disciples, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit
has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses… to the remotest part
of the earth.”
The Lord Jesus wants to empower us so that we can be faithful and
effective witnesses to the truth, to God and to the great salvation He
has provided for all mankind.
Let us look at 2 Corinthians 5:18-20, where the apostle Paul dwells on the subject of man's reconciliation with God.
2 Corinthians 5:18-20
18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself
through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,
19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not
counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the
word of reconciliation.
20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making
an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to
God.
“The world” in verse 19 does not refer to the fallen world and its
trends and values, unlike in 1 John 2:15-17. Here, “the world” refers to
the people of the world, as in John 3:16.
The Lord is not rebuilding or restoring the fallen world, which is
destined for destruction. Instead, He is reconciling the people of the
world to Himself, “not counting their trespasses against them” (v. 19).
To this end, God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. And to
all of us who have been reconciled to God, He has entrusted the ministry
of reconciliation. We are to be “ambassadors for Christ” (v. 20),
reaching out to the world on His behalf.
Let us now look at the passage in Matthew 28, often referred to as the Great Commission:
Matthew 28:18-20
18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been
given to Me in heaven and on earth.
19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with
you always, even to the end of the age.”
The fulfilment of what the Lord Jesus commands us in this passage does
not merely involve our helping non-believers become Christians, but also
our helping them grow unto maturity in Christ. The Lord Jesus instructs
us to make disciples and to teach them to observe
all that He has commanded us. It is important that the disciples
are helped to understand and observe the fullness, comprehensiveness,
and depth of all that the Lord intends us to know and attain to.
Helping believers grow unto maturity is actually a very major aspect of
fulfilling the Great Commission and advancing God's kingdom. It has to
do with believers' lives being transformed and they becoming more and
more submitted to the lordship of Christ.
This is at the very heart of the meaning of the fulfilment of the Great
Commission and the advancement of God's kingdom - the increase in the
number of disciples and their growing in maturity, where the kingship of
the Lord is being acknowledged, and He is reigning in the hearts and
minds of His people.
Most Christians can recognise the importance of witnessing and
contributing to the advancement of God's kingdom. But many understand
this in the narrow sense of helping non-believers become Christians.
They fail to appreciate the fuller meaning of witnessing, which includes
witnessing by our lives all that we have been learning from the Lord;
they also fail to see that helping Christians grow well is a major
aspect of contribution to the fulfilment of the Great Commission and the
advancement of God's kingdom.
The instructions of the Lord in Matthew 28:18-20 are intended to be
worked out in the context of healthy church life and not just by
individuals making disciples at a personal level. This was how the early
church understood it and that was how they carried out what the Lord had
committed to them, as seen in the Book of Acts and Paul's epistles.
This is our great privilege: Though we are weak and sinful, we can, by
God's grace, contribute to His kingdom. We can make a positive
difference to His eternal kingdom.
God does not want us to remain as babes in Christ; He wants us to grow unto maturity in the Lord. Let us look at Ephesians 4:11-16:
Ephesians 4:11-16
11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as
evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the
building up of the body of Christ;
13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge
of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which
belongs to the fullness of Christ.
14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there
by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of
men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;
15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into
Him who is the head, even Christ,
16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what
every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual
part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in
love.
God wants each one of us to grow in “all aspects into Him” (v. 15). That
is, we are to develop wholesomely in Christ. Verse 13 tells us that the
goal is the “measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of
Christ”. We should therefore strive unceasingly to attain to an ever
higher level of moral and spiritual stature.
But God does not want us to strive for spiritual maturity on our own or
in a self-centred manner. He desires us to grow together in truth and
love (v. 15), in the context of healthy church life. Each one of us is a
member of the body of Christ, and each member ought to fulfil his part
so that the whole body can grow and be built up in love and in the unity
of the faith (vs. 13, 16).
If we understand that learning, growing and preparing ourselves for
eternity is a basic reason for our being on earth, it will help us
understand why the apostle James exhorts us to consider it all joy when
we encounter various trials (Jas. 1:2).
We may repeat this verse when we encounter painful situations, but do we
truly identify with its meaning and spirit? Do we really consider it all
joy when we encounter all kinds of trials? For many of us, it would be a
great achievement just to be able to go through intense difficulties
without grumbling, or without being unduly disturbed or discouraged. To
consider it all joy may seem beyond us, especially when the trials are
severe.
But James tells us that it is feasible for us to have this attitude and
spirit when we encounter all kinds of trials. He tells us the reason in
the two verses that follow:
James 1:3-4
3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect
and complete, lacking in nothing.
The trials and testing of our faith are intended to perfect us - that we
may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Our time on earth is meant to help us learn and grow towards being
perfect and complete, and the Lord allows us to go through various
trials so that we may increasingly attain this goal. With this
understanding, we can more readily identify with the meaning of what
James is saying here. We can now ask God to help us learn to rejoice as
we go through trials and difficulties. As long as the difficulties are
part of a faithful walk with God and not because of our own foolishness,
we can count it all joy.
It does not mean that when we are faithful to the Lord, our path will be
smooth and pleasant. Remember what Paul and Barnabas said to the
disciples in Acts 14:22, “Through many tribulations we must enter the
kingdom of God”, and what the Lord Jesus tells us in Luke 9:23, “If
anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his
cross daily and follow Me.”
The trials we encounter in life include having to deal with difficult
people, going through trying circumstances, spiritual opposition and
spiritual warfare. God intends to mould, transform and nurture our inner
being through such trials so that we will be increasingly conformed to
the image of His Son. In addition, we will deepen in our knowledge of
God and in our relationship with Him. The goal is our total development
and eternal well-being.
Hence, we need not be perturbed, disheartened or devastated by the pain
and difficulties. The evil one may seek to destroy us. Evil men may wish
to harm us. But the Lord is sovereignly undertaking for us in the trials
we encounter so that we can learn and grow as we go through them in
fellowship with Him. This does not mean we passively accept what the
evil one and evil men are seeking to do to us. Resisting the evil one
and his intentions is an integral part of learning to fight the good
fight of faith and helps us learn and grow in moral and spiritual
stature.
We see then that God has placed us in this world, with all its
temptations and trials, so that our development may be well-rounded. It
is like being enrolled in a school that trains and develops our
character. If we go through the trials well, together with the Lord, we
will learn to be more humble, more patient, more considerate, more
understanding, more persevering and stronger in the Lord. We will also
learn to appreciate, in a deeper measure, God's grace, His sovereignty
and His other attributes. We will become men and women of faith and
conviction, reliable and trustworthy servants of the Lord.
The two basic reasons for our time on earth are closely related. If we
are not learning and growing well, we will not be effective witnesses,
and we will not be able to contribute much to the advancement of God's
kingdom, even if we appear to be doing so.
Where there is not that spiritual growth and reality within us, there
cannot be the positive contribution coming forth. There can be the
ministry of life and light from us only to the degree that there is life
and light within us to flow forth. God can and does use people in spite
of who they are. For example, God used Balaam (Num. 22-24) and the
Chaldeans (Hab. 1:6-11) to fulfil His purposes. But that's not the way
God desires us to serve Him. If our life is poor in quality, we will not
be able to sustain a stable and consistent ministry of life and light.
At best, our ministry will be sporadic.
On the other hand, if we are learning and growing well, our ability to
contribute to God's kingdom will follow spontaneously. The spiritual
principle in operation here can be illustrated by what the Lord Jesus
says about He being the vine and we the branches:
John 15:5
“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him,
he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
If we are abiding in Christ and He is abiding in us, we will derive life
from Him and we will grow. And if we are growing in Him, we will bear
fruit. This is the natural and spontaneous outcome. But if we are apart
from Him, then we can do nothing that counts for eternity. There will be
no true fruit, even though there may appear to be fruit.
The meaning and quality of our abiding in Christ and He in us can vary.
This will be reflected in the quality of our lives and the quality of
fruit-bearing. The poorer the quality of our life in the Lord, the
poorer will be the quality of fruit-bearing; the richer the quality of
our life in the Lord, the more abundant will be the fruit and the higher
will be its quality. It is important that we pay much attention to
nurturing the meaning and quality of our abiding in Christ and He in us.
How we can nurture this is elaborated in Message 8.
To appreciate further the relationship between the two reasons for our
time on earth, let us turn to Colossians 1:9-11.
Colossians 1:9-11
9 For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased
to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of
His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
10 so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him
in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the
knowledge of God;
11 strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the
attaining of all steadfastness and patience;
Paul prayed for the Colossian believers that they might be filled with
the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding
(v. 9). Paul was addressing the believers' spiritual growth and
maturity. When we are growing spiritually and progressing towards
maturity, we will be able to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord,
pleasing Him in all respects, and bearing fruit in every good work (v.
10).
And as we walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, pleasing Him in all
respects and bearing fruit in every good work, we will also be
“increasing in the knowledge of God” (v. 10) and will continue to grow
in our knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
Thus we see a cycle of growth resulting in a faithful walk with God and
in fruit-bearing, giving rise to further growth and greater
fruit-bearing. And throughout this process, God will be strengthening us
with His power, enabling us to become more and more steadfast and stable
(v. 11).
The apostle John, writing about the Lord Jesus, tells us that “in Him
was life, and the life was the Light of men” (John 1:4). When the Lord
Jesus lived His life on earth, He was the true Light (John 1:9). He did
not have to make a special effort to shine; the light shines forth
because there was life and light within Him. It was spontaneous.
Likewise, as we abide in Christ and He in us, we will grow well and the
light and life within us will shine and flow forth spontaneously,
ministering to others. It is only on this basis that we can meaningfully
contribute to the fulfilment of God's purposes. There must be the
spiritual life and reality to enable and sustain our service and
contribution.
When we concentrate on learning and growing well, and are truly
available to the Lord to guide and use us as He sees fit, we will
contribute effectively to the advancement of God's kingdom.
Although the Scriptures teaches that we should help non-believers turn
to the Lord and enter His kingdom, its emphasis, particularly in the New
Testament, is on teaching and helping believers to grow to maturity.
When believers grow well in the framework of healthy church life, they
will be properly equipped to help others, not only to enter the kingdom
of God, but also to grow unto maturity and in turn contribute in
service. This is an important area of truth and is the thrust of
Ephesians 4:11-16 which we referred to earlier.
Where there is strong emphasis on reaching out to non-believers and
contributing to God's kingdom without sufficient emphasis on learning
and growing, believers are likely to experience spiritual overstrain,
unhealthy stress and inability to cope with the wiles and attacks of the
evil one and overwhelming spiritual pressures. Various undesirable
complexities may easily come about resulting in damaging consequences
not only in our own lives, but also in the lives of those we are trying
to help. Such a scenario is not uncommon.
If we are growing well, we will be contributing to God's kingdom. Such
contribution will be meaningful and effective even if it is not obvious
to us or to others. An example can be seen in the life of the poor widow
who contributed two small copper coins (Mark 12:41-44).
<1>
The Lord Jesus made the remarkable statement that “this poor widow put
in more than all the contributors to the treasury” (v. 43). From the
world's perspective, what she had contributed was but a meagre sum. But
from the perspective of God's kingdom, the true value of her
contribution was indeed very great. Why is this so? It was because of
the meaning and realities within her heart.
The moral and spiritual meaning and the realities within our hearts are
of utmost importance and have a direct bearing on the meaning and impact
of our contribution to God's work, whether the contribution is obvious
to others or not.
If we pay attention to our spiritual growth and development, if we have
the correct attitude of heart, if we trust in God and are faithful to
Him, there will be the corresponding and spontaneous contribution to the
kingdom of God.
It is important for us to have at the forefront of our consciousness the two basic reasons for our time on earth and their relationship to each other. Being deeply conscious of these two reasons will help us to:
We will, essentially, be helped to know how we can live well on earth, including how we can go through difficult circumstances.
All of us do encounter difficulties. If we are always conscious of the
two basic reasons for our time on earth, we would and should ask
ourselves: Can and do these difficult circumstances contribute to our
growth? Will they help us to be effective witnesses? Can they help us
contribute to the advancement of God's kingdom?
If we can answer “yes” to these questions, we know we can rejoice, and
can concentrate on learning and responding well in the midst of the
difficulties. We would not have to flee from the difficulties or
compromise our faith in order to avoid them.
As we adopt such an attitude and posture, we will find that every
circumstance we go through in life has meaning and provides an
opportunity for us to learn and grow. We will then become more effective
ambassadors for Christ.
It is necessary, however, for us to first ensure that we are not in
those difficulties through our wrongdoing, neglect or foolishness, and
that it is God's desire for us to be in such contexts and to go through
such situations. Having done that, we can rightly trust in God's
sovereignty and undertaking, and exercise faith in Him in line with
Paul's declaration in Romans 8:28.
Romans 8:28
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to
those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Many believers claim this assurance, but often wrongly, when they do not
have the proper basis to do so. What is the proper basis for having such
confidence in God's undertaking? It is only when we love God and are
seeking to work out His purposes that we can be properly assured that He
will cause all things, including difficult circumstances, to work
together for our good.
In the next verse, Paul goes on to talk about our being conformed to
the image of His Son. One major aspect of God causing all things to
work together for good is our being conformed to the image of His Son.
If we love God and walk faithfully with Him, He will help us to be
increasingly conformed to the image of His Son whatever our context. Our
character will be developed and we will grow unto maturity in the Lord.
If we understand the two basic reasons for our time on earth, our
primary concern would not be whether our circumstances are pleasant or
unpleasant, but whether what we go through helps us to grow and
contribute to God's kingdom. Our growth and contribution to God's
kingdom would be our constant and consuming concern.
Does it mean then that our concentration on growth and contribution
comes before our love for God and commitment to Him? No, God must always
come first. Our worship of God, our fellowship with Him, and our
obedience to Him, are of primary importance. Our concentration on growth
and contribution is our response to His call, and the outworking of His
intentions for our time on earth.
We can grow and contribute well only as we grow in our knowledge of God,
love for Him, and commitment to God and truth. It cannot take place
outside of this framework. We must therefore set our heart, soul, mind
and strength on this. It is the basis for growth and contribution to the
advancement of God's kingdom.
So then, we should not live like those without hope. We are already in
God's kingdom and we are here on earth with a purpose and a mission.
Our time on earth is not meant for us to indulge in the things of this
world or be immersed in the affairs of this life. Nor should we be
merely trying to keep ourselves unstained by the world, important though
it may be. Our lives should also not be seen as just undergoing pain and
suffering in trials and testing without definite meaning and purpose.
Our lives should have a positive thrust and direction - to learn, grow and
contribute effectively to God's kingdom. In the process of growing and
contributing, we learn to appreciate more and more the unfathomable
richness of fellowship with God and with those who love God.
The two basic reasons for our time on earth can also be viewed together
as one, that is, both personal growth and contribution can be viewed as
advancement of God's kingdom. Personal growth, besides being the basis,
is also itself an integral part of the advancement of God's kingdom.
So we see that advancing God's kingdom should be our primary concern
during our time on earth. This is at the very heart of the pattern
prayer that the Lord Jesus teaches His disciples.
Matthew 6:9-10
9 “Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 ‘Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
The prayer is directed to God the Father, and a major thrust of this
prayer is the advancement of God's kingdom. As God's kingdom advances,
God's name will be increasingly hallowed and exalted, and His will
progressively fulfilled.
This prayer helps us to recognise that the advancement of God's kingdom
and His will being done ought to be the deepest longing of our hearts
and the consuming passion of our lives.
When the will of God is done, when men are increasingly submitted to the
reign of God in their hearts, then “Your kingdom come” becomes a
reality. God's kingdom is advanced when His name is honoured and
glorified in our lives, in the lives of others, in all things and in all
situations. This is what we should concentrate on and be committed to.
Some may feel uneasy or apologetic about concentrating on their own
spiritual growth. They may wonder whether it is being selfish or
self-centred. But we do not have to feel this way. Paying attention to
personal learning and growing well does not imply that we are being
selfish or self-centred. It is the Lord's will that we grow well. And
when we grow well, we honour and glorify the Lord. It leads to
increasing submission to Him and that is the basis for effective
contribution to the lives of others. We will be more able to humbly
contribute in whatever forms the Lord leads us, be it prayer support or
showing care and concern for others, or in any specific ministry the
Lord desires us to be involved in.
Wholesome learning and growing and service take place when we have a
healthy relationship with the Lord and when we take our proper place in
the outworking of body life as explained by the apostle Paul in
Ephesians 4:11-16.
Paying attention to personal growth is consistent with the spirit and
meaning of the pattern prayer the Lord Jesus teaches His disciples. Such
a spirit will mean that we are supportive of all who are contributing to
God's kingdom. We will seek to contribute in whatever way appropriate
for us, and will rejoice whenever we see the kingdom of God advancing.
We can wholeheartedly concentrate on our personal growth together with
the brethren, giving it due priority. And we will do it in a spirit of
worship and of love for God and man.
(Endnote)
1.
Message AR69, posted on the website
www.godandtruth.com, gives a fuller consideration of the poor widow who contributed
the two copper coins.
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The Two Kingdoms (5)
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