“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Rom. 12:2)
THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND THE WORLD
As one living in Africa, it has been my constant struggle to bring Africans out of their pagan culture and become Christians in both their thoughts and deeds. This gives a whole new slant to the phrase: “Christians only”! Thought patterns must be changed so that they think like Christians first and Africans second. Old traditions die hard. Ghana has been a nation with some form of Christian-type influence for over 200 years. Yet lying, stealing, cheating, tribal wars, and rampant corruption seem little affected. There is much talk about Jesus and the Bible, but so little improvement of the national or personal character. Like Prophet Jeremiah, I lament: “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then you also can do good who are accustomed to doing evil.” (Jer.13:23) Yet if the gospel is really good news for all the nations and whosoever will may come, then it must be able to do the impossible. I firmly believe that the same problem now exists in neo-pagan America, Europe, and worldwide. That is the purpose of this article. To illustrate the great need to make Christians “Kingdom People” and not “Cultural People”.
John recorded loud voices in heaven saying:
“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.” (Rev.11:15) This is when Christ has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign UNTIL He has put all His enemies under His feet. ( I Cor.15:24-25) King David prophesied that the Lord Jesus Christ would rule in the midst of His enemies. (Ps. 110:2) Christ is right now reigning over His kingdom, the church, by sitting on the heavenly throne. When He ascended to heaven, He sat down at the right hand of God. This is ‘Kingdom Now’ theology. Jesus has already established His eternal kingdom and we are it! So the kingdoms of the world and the Kingdom of God coexist at this time. The later are physical and the former is spiritual. Visible and invisible. Temporary and permanent. The kingdom of God is a matter of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Rom.14:17) These are parallel universes, both coexisting side by side until the day of judgment, when all that is not of God will be burnt up and only a new heavens and new earth remain. This is the hope of righteousness. (II Pet. 3:13) I want to write about our attitude and actions right now while we exist the world and the Kingdom of God at the same time.
As an example of this dual existence lets look at Paul’s admonition to the Corinthians:
“I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people. I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters; for then you would have to go out of the world.”(I Cor. 5:9-10)
We are to “give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s” - pay taxes. We are to honor the king and submit to their authority. We are to pray for leaders and those in authority that we might have a quiet life. ( I Pet. 2:13-17; I Tim.2:-1-3) In every way, Christians are to be model citizens of whatever city or country in which they live. “And seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.” ( Jer. 29:7) Yet Peter calls the elect of God “aliens and strangers”. (I Pet. 2:11) He also said that they had escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” (II Pet. 1:4) In the same vein, Paul wrote to the worldly Corinthian church:
“Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God and they shall be My people. Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord, “And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you.” (II Cor. 6:14-18) Here Paul quotes from much from the Old Testament.
Paul also incredulously asks in I Cor. 6:2-5 why in the world they were using those worldly courts for cases against each other rather then taking it to their own leaders. He asks: “Do you not know that saints will judge the world…Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more the matters of this life?” Here we see the church vrs. the world. The Kingdom of God will exist after the judgment of the world has been completed, and we are going to judge the world!! What in interesting thought!
On one hand, since we still physically dwell on earth in these jars of clay, or earthly tents, we have certain practical obligations and necessary restraints laid upon us. On the other hand, we transcend these in the spiritual realm in Christ by our faith. We are kings in hiding. Our reign with Christ has begun. Translate the word “reign” as “service” while we remain on earth, and you understand how we now reign. The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to be served and give His life as a ransom for many. We are all ministers in the government of God - “Ministers of State”. By serving God by serving our fellow man we reign in suffering with Christ until He comes or we are released from our servitude by death. Christ showed us the way. Yet the fact that Christ was the ideal “Suffering Servant” (Is.53), does not take away His legal, historical, genealogical, moral and inherent right as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords while on earth. This was and still is His planet - He made it! (Jn. 1:1; Heb. 1:-2)
In the same way, because we are Christ’s brothers, we are far, far superior to the world and all the kings and rulers that now occupy their offices of earthly power. If anybody should have a so-called “inferiority complex”, it should be those worldly rulers who know not Christ as their Savior. Not us. The reason the church allows itself to suffer an inferiority complex is because she compares herself with the world by the world’s standards. So we have less money, people, facilities, media exposure, and so on. Never compare apples with pears! What about love, compassion, righteousness, purity, wisdom, knowledge and glory? These things are what should be used as the proper standard of measurement of true greatness. The least in the kingdom of God, the least Christian, is greater than even the greatest Old Testament character, John the Immerser. (Matt. 11:12) The church should not envy or emulate the world in any way whatsoever. Yet Jesus said that the children of this world are often wiser than the children of light. They use more common sense to get what they want - money, food, shelter, etc - than many Christians. It should not be so!
The church, the kingdom of God, should be in the forefront of all things that really matter. We must develop a Christian culture - with kingdom values - a kingdom culture rather than human culture. New wine cannot be poured into old wineskins. (Matt. 9:17) The new life of Christ cannot be made to work according to old systems of human traditions. A little leaven, or worldliness leavens or influences the whole loaf.
Usually, in the Bible, leaven symbolizes sin. The Israelites had to go on a “manna diet” after the cucumbers, leeks, onions and other tasty foods of Egypt. No one ever claimed that worldly pleasures aren’t fun. Moses choose to endure ill-treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. (Heb. 11:25) He loved the reproach of Christ more than the treasures of Egypt. Egypt does have its pleasures and treasures. John wrote:
“Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever.” (I Jn. 2:15-17)
I have had real problems with that verse as I tried to justify any worldly habits. It is simply AMAZING how we can rationalize anything that we don’t want to abandon. Watching 3 or 4 hours of football can be “fellowship”. (Yeah, right - me and the TV -how sweet the tie that binds!) Reading or watching worldly movies keeps me “relevant” so that I can “relate” better with people to evangelize them. (The more we become like them, the better our light will shine?) Only God can purify our motives in these things, because Paul did become all things to all men so that by all possible means he might save some. (I Cor. 9:22) But be sure that Paul never became more worldly or sinful in order to better save some. In that same passage, he wrote:
“…but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.” He was not “buffeting” his table at the local food bar, but keeping himself in spiritual training like a world-class athlete. He was talking about local cultural customs or traditions that were not sinful. Remember, that Paul was a Jew. Many things in Jewish culture were at least from a godly heritage. Similarly, America had a godly heritage, and there are some good things that we can adopt or participate in with clean consciences. In other nations less influenced by the Bible and a Judeo-Christian heritage, it will be much more difficult. Much of the New Testament is about how both Jews and Gentiles should operate in perfect spiritual liberty in Christ within their own cultures without sinning. Examples: Problems like eating meat sacrificed to idols or keeping certain religious holy days. (Holidays)
Living in West Africa, where pagan, missionary, Islamic and also Western secular humanistic influence is all jumbled up together, it is extremely difficult to keep oneself untainted by the world. There is massive corruption at every level. People speak lies as the natural lingua franca. Bribery is so commonplace as to be an everyday occurrence. Immorality is so rampant that it is hard to find a virgin (male or female) anywhere. In some parts of Africa, like Zimbabwe, 50 % of active heterosexuals carry the aids virus!
Is America, with the Presidential shenanigans highlighted in the international news media every day, all that different? Is not Hollywood the biggest purveyor of filth for profit in the world? The four billion dollar porno industry is located in Los Angeles, USA. And what nation produced the two largest false cults - the 10 million member plus Mormons and the Jehovah Witnesses, that produce more tracts than any other religious organization in the world? You guessed it, both from the US of A. Also, where does the amoral international financiers of the world have their headquarters? In New York, New York. We must not be fooled into thinking that America is a “Christian nation.” It is a post Bible-based nation. It is now becoming a relativistic, humanistic, secular Euro-style “democracy” of the masses rather than a strong and free Republic with a Bible-inspired Constitution and moral base. After all, you cannot even pray in our public schools publicly or post the 10 Commandments in the school halls. (But HALLOWEN posters are fine!?) The most powerful and influential lobby in Congress, as far as amount of dollars spent, is the gambling lobby. Lott Trent, for example, is on the gamblers payroll. I can document this.
The most perfect godly culture that has ever existed until perhaps the Republic of the United States, from which came the Restoration Movement, was the Jewish culture of Jesus’ day. It had in its possession the entire Old Testament for over 400 years, from the time of Malachi. Its traditions were steeped in knowledge of the Creator and shaped by the prophets and God’s unrelenting efforts to purify the nation. Yet the first words out of John the Immerser’s mouth were: “REPENT!” Why? Because the kingdom of God was at hand. The church is far superior to what the Law produced in 1500 years, from the time of Moses until A.D 33 on Pentecost Sunday. The Jews had to repent and leave their old ways behind:
“And with many other words he (Peter) solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation” (Acts 2:40) Note: “Perverse generation”. It was the same Apostle who later wrote:
“…. Conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your
stay upon the earth; knowing that your were not redeemed with perishable things
like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited form your
forefathers.” ( I Pet. 1:17-18) Note: “Futile way of life”.
Paul wrote Timothy: “But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only
for old women….” We are to view the myths of our age as unfit for
consideration: The “what is new is better” myth; “might makes right” myth; “
youthful beauty really matters” myth; “money is security” myth; “everything
is relative” myth; and so on. The world operates by completely different principles
than the kingdom of God. This includes America. God isn’t an American. In
Jesus day, the existing social-politico powers of Rome, the Herodians, and the Sanhedrin
were opposed to God. Jesus said that their Father was the devil. (John 8:44)
Try preaching that kind of message today in the present politically correct
climate of America! Think: If Israel had to repent in Jesus’ day, how much
more America, since it was a prepared nation by God. If America, the most
Bible-based godly nation on earth needs to repent, how much more the rest of
the world’s nations and cultures! America is now only just starting to sink to
the level of where much of the world has been for generations. Think about
that!
Let me give one example. In the 1980’s, the AIDS virus killed up to 50 % of the population of Uganda in certain districts. A study was conducted and reported in the National Geographic magazine. The average hetrosexual AIDS patient in the afflicted areas had 36 different sexual partners!! Gross and rampant immorality. In contrast, the average was about 2-4 in the USA. That is still pretty bad.
Wake up, O Christian, before you are lulled to spiritual death! The world is corrupt from top to bottom. It is like a giant infected boil, full of rotten pus. There is no cure for the world. God is going to burn it up and make a new heavens and earth. It is doomed. The Titanic is sinking, and smart people are looking for the life rafts right now. Choose life, and live by Kingdom principles, not your old cultural ways. Change your entertainment, priorities, friendships (bad company corrupts good morals), and everything else from your old way of life. You need a makeover. Reinvent yourself. Live as if your were Jesus living in the 21st century, because He is living in you through the gift of the Holy Spirit that you received when you were immersed into Christ. (Acts 2:38) Question everything. Assume nothing. Examine all things and hold only to that which is good. Remember that every good and perfect gift comes down from above, from the Father of Lights. (James 1:17) Become critical of the fashions and thoughts floating around you in the popular culture. Be propaganda resistant. Fill your mind with sermon tapes, Bible reading and memorization, and teach others the scripture. Know more about Moses, Paul and Jesus than Peter, Paul and Mary or the latest entertainers or “celebs”. Know the vital statistics of the 66 books of the Bible, not the latest scores of the ‘76ers. Enjoy spiritual things, and “get into” the Word. Let’s get spiritual, brothers!