i am reading a book the presence of the future by george ladd. it's about one of my favorite subjects: the kingdom of God. i have heard so many messages lately that have me a little concerned. many are preaching that we are already in eternity, so we should start thinking and acting like it. in other words the kingdom is here- go in and possess your land. the emphasis is primarily personal and seems to give the impression that we will overcome all here now in this earth and we will transform it into a glorious place for the King to come back to.
sounds good. sounds american. "if i build it- he'll come"
as i have been reading the word i am stuck by the scarcity of times that God uses human ability to advance his kingdom. it seems the opposite is true. it seems he uses our inabililty to his advantage. my eloquence to present his truth may actually hinder his purposes, as i lean on that and not on him.
in acts, right after the disciples have seen Jesus, they question him again about the timing of the kingdom asking him, "Lord, at this time will you restore the kingdom to Israel?" and Jesus tells them the timing is not for them to know, but they are to wait for the power of the Holy Spirit to come to them. i think he is still saying the same thing today...
"My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts."
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