The Curate writes…

The Kingdom of Christ and God, see Ephesians 5 verse 3. What does it mean in practice?

Paul’s writing uses words and phrases which spark off other ideas, or link with other big themes, or remind us of other things. It’s a good idea to look out for such phrases. For example, in John’s gospel, there are references to ‘third day’ or ‘my time’ or ‘light’. In our lives its true in smaller ways. So if I say what do you think of when I say the word ‘snow’ – then loads of memories come to the fore.

One of Paul’s phrases (and Jesus too!!!) is Kingdom of God, or Kingdom of Heaven. Look at Jesus teaching in Matthew Mark Luke Acts – there is loads of it.

Over the years, people have had a tendency to think of heaven in terms of ‘with God after I die’ (which is true!) or basically, just living Godly, kind lives this side of the grave, such as Christian Aid’s slogan ‘we believe in life before death’ (which is also true). Scripture does include those, but has a much bigger view even than both of them being true. They are linked.

In recent teaching in Christchurch and St Mark’s, that linking comes out in ‘bringing heaven to earth and earth to heaven’. And it comes out in ‘being in-line with the cross’ with a sort of view of two hands being directly in line so God’s loving merciful power can flow, or perhaps like two pipes being lined up.

Paul is referring to that with His little phrase ‘in the Kingdom of Christ and God’, other translations say in the Kingdom of Messiah and Kingdom of God’.

It’s all of these in the next sentence. Living in God’s world on earth, in God’s ways, with Him’. Like Jesus the Christ, the anointed or enabled one did. Ordinary life is spiritual. Living it His way has beneficial ordinary effects and beneficial spiritual effects – but actually they cannot be separated. So stealing mucks up lives and relationships on earth – but it also gets in the way of intimate relationship with God. Sex outside marriage does the same, all immorality does. So does greed. We know this. The confession we say every week includes those ideas. So does our summary of the commandments love God with all our heart soul mind and strength – and love our neighbour as ourselves.

So, if with those thoughts, you read Ephesians 5: 1- 10 again, you can see it all hangs together. By not living ‘in Christ’s kingdom’ by not living his ways on earth, we miss out on a fulfilling life ourselves, mess up relationship with others near and far (say by materialism affecting world economies and families being in poverty) we miss out on intimacy with Father God now. – (If any are wondering why ‘kingdom of God’ is not mentioned in John’s gospel apart from chapter 3, well it is, but with a different phrase. In John’s Gospel, this is summed up in the phrase eternal life, also translated ‘the life of the ages’ – the life that all generations long for and that also is ‘knowing Father God’ both sides of the grave.)

All of our lives, lived generously, mercifully, thankfully for example, in imitation of Jesus, in the nitty gritty, whether secret generosity or kindness, or prayer is of great value in pleasing God Our Father as well as opening up heaven to be seen by our neighbours. We naturally mourn for their lack of knowledge of God, their not being in His family. And as the beatitudes says ‘blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted’.

There is something else which is important in the title Christ. Its not Jesus surname, it is a description. Christ means anointed or enabled one. Jesus was enabled by the Holy Spirit to do all he did bringing God’s Kingdom in heaven to earth. And soon after Pentecost, Jesus followers were called Christians. At the end of Luke’s gospel we read I am sending on you what my Father promised. But stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." Luke 24:49

To know and show the Good News, we need to be clothed with power from on high like Jesus. Those first 120 or so, waiting in Jerusalem would have been aligning themselves with God’s purposes even though they didn’t really know what they were at that stage. They were saying a big yes to God, and were answered gracefully and powerfully. We don’t know the names of the vast majority, that doesn’t matter. It’s the fruit that counts. Life burst out in so many ways. For Peter for example, there was more than he could handle. The 3,000 after that first sermon wouldn’t have known each other, or everything going on – but they were part of it. It may well be like that too as we seek the Kingdom of Jesus Christ the Messiah and God’s kingdom, as we seek to be clothed with power from on high.