My answer is, how can it not? I
began this journey by wondering if maybe the end has not yet come because “this
good news of the kingdom of God” has not in fact been proclaimed, announced and
spread abroad in all the habitable world as a testimony to all the
nations. What if we think we have been
doing that when, in reality, we have been preaching
a church gospel that Paul would describe as “another gospel” that is not
the original at all but a poor replica and facsimile?
What if John was right and we, like the Laodiceans of his day, are
“wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked” while all the time
deluding ourselves that we are “rich and have become wealthy and have need of
nothing”?
Well, personally, I believe we are very Laodicean; and that we have been
neglectful and arrogant concerning this matter of proclaiming the good news of
the kingdom of God. As a teacher and
prophet in ecclesia, I have a responsibility to “do what I know”. This was God’s challenge to me in 1983 when I
was struggling to function as a rural Baptist pastor.
For a while I was like a character in a popular song: That’s me in the corner, losing my religion. But, like Greg Boyd said, “Religion just
isn’t my thing. Some religious folk
consigned me (and still consign me)
to the fire. But over time I’ve come to
see my religious failure as a tremendous blessing. Because, when I lost my religion, I
discovered a beautiful revolution.”
And that revolution is the kingdom of God, the good news of the kingdom
of God and proclaiming, announcing and spreading abroad the good news of the
kingdom of God. That is my gifting, calling
and commission; and whether anybody joins me or not, this commission is where I
find the freedom and the power of the Holy Spirit in my life.
Does it have a bearing on what we do and how we do it today? As far as I’m concerned it changes everything
and that puts me in mid of Brian McLaren’s book, Everything Must Change.
The official spiel for this book says:
Acclaimed author and emergent church leader, Brian McLaren states, "More and more Christian leaders are
beginning to realize that for the millions of young adults who have recently
dropped out of church, Christianity is a failed religion. Why? Because it has
specialised in dealing with 'spiritual needs' to the exclusion of physical and
social needs. It has focused on 'me' and 'my eternal destiny,' but it has
failed to address the dominant sociological and global realities of their
lifetime: systemic injustice, poverty, and dysfunction."
McLaren asks, "Shouldn't a
message purporting to be the best news in the world be doing better than
this?" What he sets forth in this provocative, unsettling work is a
"form of Christian faith that is holistic, integral, balanced, that offers
good news for both the living and the dying, that speaks of God's grace at work
both in this life and the life to come, both to individuals and to societies
and the planet as a whole."
Praise God for Brian McLaren; praise God for the work of the Holy Spirit
in the world through willing bond-servants of Jesus.
Christianity the religion has failed; first because it could never succeed
because it is an oxymoron. But it also
failed, as McLaren says, because it has specialised in dealing with ‘spiritual
needs’ to the exclusion of physical and social needs, something Jesus and the
first apostles never did. The kingdom of
God is nothing if it is not about the whole person, body, soul and spirit.
Church and its ‘gospel’ focus on me and my eternal destiny, but they
have failed to address the dominant sociological
and global realities of our lifetime: systemic injustice, poverty, and dysfunction. The good news of the kingdom of God goes to
the heart of these issues with a two-edged sword.
I sincerely hope that this discussion thoroughly changes what we
believe. And I sincerely hope and pray
and work towards the reality of the people of God becoming much more
integrative people who closely align beliefs with their words and actions. If we do, the world will change because what
we do and say and how we do and say it will be transformed by the Holy Spirit
from church-gospel-preaching-heaven
to ecclesia-good news-announcing/ sowing-kingdom of God.
Cheers,
Kevin.
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