What did Jesus talk about more than anything else?
God’s Kingdom. No, not sin. He did talk about that, but it was in light of what it meant for entering and living in the Kingdom. He was bringing God’s government with God’s way of life to the earth.
An incomplete gospel
In individualistic cultures, it’s not uncommon to find the gospel that’s shared to also be individualistic. It typically focuses on individual sin and individual destiny. It presents God’s plan through the lens of how it affects people individually.
Its message is made up of something like – you are sinful, you need a savior, Jesus is that savior, he died for your sins and rose again, and if you believe in Him you will be saved and live forever.
None of that is wrong. But it’s incomplete.
God’s purpose is higher and more than that. It was conceived and starts before sin ever entered the picture. That’s why it’s called The Gospel of the Kingdom.
The story the Bible tells us is His purpose was to expand His Kingdom to a new territory in a new realm through created image-bearers. He wanted to expand His Kingdom and do it with and through His visible image.
It’s all about God’s Agape Love expressed through His Kingdom government. This is what Jesus talked about more than anything else.
He came to earth because a human had to restore the Kingdom that was lost to humans. He came to restore how humans were designed to do life together. God always wanted to construct something on the earth.
The world’s system is hostile to the Kingdom
Because God’s enemy is hostile to Him and what He wants to do, his purpose is to corrupt God’s purpose and construct what is contrary to it. He wants to entice humans to do life together differently. This is what the world’s system is.
To the Christian, His strategy is sometimes blatantly obvious.
But many times it isn’t. Even for a dedicated and zealous Christian, being involved in the enemy’s ways can be difficult to avoid.
We have an innate need as humans for order, stability and progress. The world’s system the enemy has set up provides that and does it in a way that can initially seem smarter, safer and more convenient. This is so enticing that any Christian, no matter how seasoned, can be enticed and entrapped by it if they’re not VERY careful.
The enemy and the world’s system are not to be taken lightly. If you underestimate them, they’ll get you without you even knowing it.
The world’s system is deceptive and enticing
It’s not just individual Christians either. Whole groups of people follow enemy blueprints for order, stability and progress as well.
A classic example is the people of Israel in the Old Testament. God’s design for Israel was that He would be their King. But they decided they wanted a human king.
One classic characteristic of the world’s system found throughout Scripture is establishing any type of tiers of importance in human relationships. It’s a deceptive and enticing way to provide order, stability and progress in any relationship.
In the book Love Not The World, Watchman Nee explains the direction of relationships when this happens…
A [human] kingdom (having tiers of importance) is a worldly thing, and in keeping with all worldly things it tends to come into collision with the divine purpose…it follows its natural course which is further and further away from God.
Does this type of thing still happen today among God’s people? You bet it does. Churches may not be asking for a king, but they most certainly establish tiers of importance in relationships.
They may use different labels, but the tiers are there. They may (incorrectly) use Scripture to justify it, but the tiers are still there. They will even say everyone is equal, but the tiers are still there.
This isn’t just the case with tiers of importance in relationships. Anything of the world that isn’t under the influence of the Spirit of God pulls in the opposite direction of the Kingdom.
Things are always progressing in one direction or the other.
The world and the Kingdom are under construction
As I mentioned in the last post in this series, the world’s system and the Kingdom are both being constructed on the earth. They’re both progressing to somewhere.
The world’s system has already been defeated and ultimately doomed, but it’s still being built while progressing toward its final judgment.
The Christian should be careful not to be found helping construct what is contrary to the Kingdom.
Because the world’s system is all around us, is very enticing, and is at odds with the Kingdom; a Kingdom citizen has to take it VERY seriously. A Christian (or a group of Christians) with a nonchalant attitude toward the world’s system will undoubtedly be enticed and entrapped to help in its construction.
This is the second post in the Enemy Blueprints series. Go here to read the rest of the posts in the series.