The work of the kingdom
Sunday, 14 March, 2004
From the comments:
...which does beg the question, Karen, “What exactly is the work of the kingdom?”.
I used to think it was Colossians 1:28, but does that really mean that everything else we do (I write for a financial software company) is purely to finance Colossians 1:28 work, either in ourselves or paying other people to do it?
Perhaps we need a theology that starts at Genesis 1 rather than one that starts at Matthew 28 and finishes at Acts 28. What do you reckon?
I want to answer this properly but I only have a short timeframe in which to do it. So any answer I give is going to be inadequate, one way or another.
The work of the kingdom, as I understand it, is to fulfill Ephesians 1:7-10:
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. [my emphasis added]
Evangelism is part of that. Edification (Colossians 1:28) is part of that. Social justice is part of that. Work is part of that. Lots of things are part of that. But some things in this world are only temporary and will pass away when the world is made anew, eg. work. What is not temporary (but has instead become eternal) are people who have become the children of God who we are seeking to see become like Colossians 1:28 simply because, “for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. ” (1 Timothy 4:8). This is why I think that Colossians 1:28 becomes, in a way, a priority and something which I think all Christians should be involved in in some way.
And you mustn't think that writing software for a company isn't part of that for, in some way, everything we do trains us in godliness—learning patience, perseverance, kindness, etc. However, the advantage of 1-2-1 is that it the participants push each other on more to do it. The training element is emphasised so that, in turn, the ones being trained can go on to train others. You don't get that at work, unfortunately.
Blah. I am answering this question very badly. But I have to go now ...
Current:
Bible: Isaiah (ESV) 28/09/2010
seen: Tropic Thunder 26/09/2010
seen: The Life of Mammals 24/09/2010
seen: What a Girl Wants 19/09/2010
seen: Jerry Maguire 19/09/2010
seen: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 06/09/2010
seen: Tomorrow Never Dies 05/09/2010
seen: Nanny McPhee 28/08/2010
read: Mercury (Hope Larson) 27/08/2010
read: Spellcheckers Vol 1 (Jamie S Rich, Nicolas Hitori de, Joelle Jones) 16/08/2010
read: Solipsistic Pop Vol 2 (Solipsistic Pop) 16/08/2010
read: Chiggers (Hope Larson) 15/08/2010
seen: Josie and the Pussycats 14/08/2010
seen: Mr & Mrs Smith 14/08/2010
seen: Step Up 2 13/08/2010
Blinks:
How to recalibrate the home button on your iPhone.
Unsolicited manuscripts accepted by Pan Macmillan with certain conditions.
Thought Balloon is a group blog in which the writers tackle a new theme every week? month? with one-page scripts. This URL is for their Phonogram ones.
How to sew a zipper on a knitted garment.
Issues organised by tale.
Online magazine that publishes fairy tales that are not reworkings of old tales.
Journal that publishes fairy tale writing.
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Other comments
Actually, I thought you answered the question very well…
Karen, I feel honoured that one of my comments made it into your regular blog. I would love to sit down and kick this around with you and Ben. Perhaps it will be on my next trip Down Under (Correction: ‘on my first trip Down Under’).
In part of your answer you say, “This is why I think that Colossians 1:28 becomes, in a way, a priority and something which I think all Christians should be involved in in some way.”.
I agree with you that it is ‘a’ priority and that we should be involved in some way. But just how much time/energy/effort should one devote to it among other priorities?
I hate to throw another URL at you, but http://www.mawamfc.org/articles/diary.htm puts what I am trying to say here.
With all good wishes - and may the Lord continue to bless you
Hi Alan! Good point you raised and, after reading the link, I could see where you’re coming from. I don’t think I have ever organised my diary around the fact that people without Christ are going to hell either. I think, in a way, that is a one-sided view of how we should spend our time as Christians. In circles, there is an emphasis on evangelism that seems way out of proportion to the Scriptures. Maybe I shouldn’t say this without reading up on it properly, but I don’t think Paul makes such a big deal out of (see Ben’s article for a bit more on that).
That said, to answer your question, “But just how much time/energy/effort should one devote to it among other priorities?”, the short and maddening answer is, “Enough.” What I mean by that is that everyone is different and can only handle so much stuff before getting drained/stressed out/frustrated, etc. In MTS, Ben and I have quickly found that we can only take so much people time and the rest of it we need to be away from all that simply because of our fatigue/stress levels, etc. It’s a godliness issue in a way; if spending too much time with people means that I’ll bite their heads off and drastically hurt them, it’s probably better if I didn’t. I think everyone needs to work out what their limit is and be wise about it.
From what you said in your post, it seemed like you were drawing the distinction between work/home life and extra-curricular Christian ministry (I might be wrong there). Yet family ought to be your first parish and the most important area in which to participate in the work of the kingdom of God. Loving and serving your wife, raising your kids to know and love the Lord is heaps important business and not something to be sneered at. Maintaining relationships in church and at work are also good but not as important as family. I assume that you must have heaps less disposable time than we do because you’ve got kids so that limits what you can do outside of the home, outside of church and outside of work. And that’s not a bad thing.
It is hard to know how to divide one’s time but I think it is good to keep in mind one’s priorities in terms of relationships and commitments. I think that if I went back to working full-time (might be a reality in the future), I’d probably want to limit my non-work, non-family, non-church commitments to meeting up with one girl once a week to read the Bible and pray and maybe train her in some stuff if she’s up for that, keeping in touch with friends when and where I can and doing lots of writing. Don’t think I’d be able to handle much more. Thank God that the body of Christ has many members.