The Kingdom and us

The kingdom of God is advancing.

I’m not telling you this because of some new statistics that came out, or because of some special revelation, but for the simple fact that the word of God tells us exactly that.

In Matthew 13 Jesus explains how the natural consequence of seed being planted, is that it produces fruit.
The seed of the Kingdom was planted by Christ, when He gave His life for us, and grew through His disciples led by the Holy Spirit, and is still growing today thanks to all those who, like you, at a certain point of their lives said “here I am”, Lord use me.

You will probably agree with me that we live in a very complicated world, with few stable reference points, and a lot of confusion, desperation, injustice, and much, much anger. Yes, we are moving fast towards the moment our Lord will return, but the truth is, that this world has never been a just place since Adam and Eve.

We can be easily discouraged by all the difficulties we face in our lives or in in our ministry, especially when they come from within the church, but Jesus was very clear when, in the same chapter, He tried to prepare us by saying that there is an enemy who is seeding weed WHILE we seed the Gospel. Yet, that enemy is defeated.

Remember Joshua’s famous words, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the Lord will do to all the enemies you are going to fight.”  The enemy is already defeated but he’s still active, and we should always keep in mind that evil and the Kingdom of Heaven will keep on growing together until the end of times.

Jesus Himself commends His angels to “Let both grow together until the harvest”, because otherwise they might uproot the wheat with the weed. So, in a way, this current situation looks exactly as it should: a growing church within a growing rebel world. We can focus on one or the other, and this will change the way we do ministry or serve Him.
We are servants of God, His people. Is there a bigger privilege?

Many missionaries suffer from the “I’m not doing enough” syndrome.
You bring God’s light into darkness, and show who He is to the people you talk to and meet every day. Whatever you do, do not underestimate the importance of your role in the Kingdom.
Yet, as we look towards this new year, and as we approach the Christmas season, I want to remind you that it’s God’s work through you, that changes things, not yours. It’s His kingdom that matters, not our ministry or our organizations.  And if we truly live this, and leave to Him the burden of building the Kingdom through us, we will be in peace, and we’ll actually show this world what it desperately needs: the Jesus of hope and rest in the middle of chaos.

Let’s pray we can all learn this, and continue to be living stones in Jesus’ building during next year, and until He returns on this earth.