pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: kingdom


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Bearing Fruit

God’s love is unfailing and unending.  His pursuit of us is constant.  God’s mercy and grace is a constant stream flowing to our souls.  His patience is vast.

In Matthew 21 we find the parable of the vineyard owner.  He plants a vineyard and rents it to some tenants.  This scenario parallels God’s creation of His kingdom and we are the tenants who inhabit it.  We are not owners and this earth is not our final destination.  We exist here for a short time.  Eternity will be spent elsewhere.

As we live out our lives, God expects us to bear fruit.  As His children, we are called to care for those in need, to give out of the abundance that He blesses us with.  Like the servants who came to the vineyard for the owner’s share of the fruit, God sends people into our lives that we can yield some fruit to.  Maybe it is something physical like food or shelter or clothing, maybe it is our time that we give to others.

May we hear the warning in this parable and not be like the wretched tenants who want to keep it all for themselves.  May we see that all we have is from God, the owner.  May we seek to build His kingdom by allowing our blessings to flow out to others, bearing them up in love, grace, and mercy.

Scripture reference: Matthew 21: 33-46


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Be Involved. Offer Yourself.

We all have gifts and talents.  God gives us these to use and for the benefit of others.  As the family of God, all of our talents and gifts are bound up together.  Paul reminds us that, like a human body, each member belongs to all of the other members of the body.

In Romans 12 Paul lists a few gifts: prophesying, teaching, serving, and encouraging.  I’m sure you can think of a few people in your church who have one (or more) of these gifts and maybe you even recognize your gift(s) on this list.  Paul also lists giving generously, leading diligently, and showing mercy cheerfully.  Know a few of these people too?

This list of seven gifts is obviously not all-inclusive.  Many gifts are not listed here yet are definitely gifts that God has bestowed on people.

But maybe you don’t know your gift.  Maybe as you thought about who you knew that was merciful, you thought of a person or two and wondered what their gift was.  The solution?  Try things out!  Maybe as you are teaching a class you discover that teaching is not your gift.  But while teaching you do discover that encouraging or mentoring is your gift.  Maybe as you fill a role serving you find that serving is not your gift.  But while there you do discover that offering compassion is just your thing.

Be involved.  Offer yourself.  God definitely gives each of us gifts.  He does not give us gifts to keep secretly tucked away.  God gives us gifts to use, to develop, to practice to be a part of building each other up and to build up His kingdom here on earth.

Scripture reference: Romans 12: 1-8


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Maintainer or Builder?

As a Christian, our ultimate call is to make disciples of all nations.  We are called to share God’s love and to teach His ways for the transformation of the world.  We believe there is only one way, truth, and life – and that is found in Jesus Christ!

In may of our churches, we need to first make disciples of those in the pews.  Many people in worship on Sunday morning are Jesus-sharing, God-loving people who serve others. Sadly though, some are one-hour-on-Sunday and serve-cookies-once-a-year Christians.  Our task to spread the Good News does indeed start within our own walls.  For each and every person sitting in the pew to see the whole world as their parish is where we need to begin.

Once we can shift our main focus from maintaining the institutional church to working together to build the kingdom of God on earth, then revival begins.  Today, may we all look within and honestly determine where we are along this continuum.  Are we more of a maintainer or more of a builder?  And then may we each seek ways to be better kingdom builders!

Scripture reference: Matthew 11: 16-19


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Offering Our Best

Together, as a church, there is so much potential.  Each unique person contributes to the fabric and talents of the whole.  Each brings different gifts, ways of serving, and contributions of works.  When all work together to accomplish the work of God in the world, great things can happen.

Sometimes what each has to offer to the body of Christ is not readily seen.  Sometimes we have to search and maybe try a few things to see what our gifts of the Spirit are.  As members of the body, we can help each other to discover and nurture and use the gifts we have been given.

When those with the gifts of healing, teaching, discernment, prophecy, knowledge, speaking… work together for the glory of God, a unified body of Christ can do much.  How are we each fitting in?  Are we each giving the best of ourselves for the building of His kingdom?


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Build the Kingdom Together

Paul opens the first letter to the Corinthians with a reminder that they are to be united in the faith, in mind, and in actions. What a great world that would be!!

At times everyone has disagreements. If you think back over your last few days I am willing to wager that you were in a disagreement with someone over something. It may have been something small, but… By our human nature we have opinions and we like to be right. Which also naturally makes somebody else ‘wrong.’ But in cases of opinion often both sides are ‘right’ but fail to acknowledge this fact.

I am also willing to wager that all of us have experienced a couple arguing out in a public space like a restaurant or have seen a parent come unglued over what seems like a minor offense that the child has committed in the store. We are all human, we all err. But we all probably agree that there is a time and a place to argue.

Like in Paul’s day, the world that was so torn apart by so many things so desperately needed a church that was unified. Like the church of Corinth, as soon as we start focusing on some issue or matter that divides us, then less of our energy goes toward being Christ’s love in the world. The color of the paint on the walls in the Parlor does not really matter (unless it is a hideous color! – just kidding) and how and when a church chooses to baptize does not really matter. The only things we should argue about inside our churches should be about how we are going to make a bigger difference in our world as we seek to grow His kingdom. Between churches the only thing we should argue about is who is going to the rescue mission and who is going to serve at Habitat or the thrift store or…

All of the churches and all of God’s people are under the same two commissions. Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Love your neighbor as yourself. What a great world that would be!!