It is through many persecutions that we must enter the kingdom of God.

 

Wednesday, July 5, 2023


Psalms 15; 16

1 Samuel 23:1-18

Acts 14:19-28


It is through many persecutions that we must enter the kingdom of God.


If we were to do a comparison between how the Church spoke of itself and its mission now and a hundred-some years ago, something that would come up is how we don’t tend to use militaristic language anymore. Even in a single generation we find that Sunday School children no longer sing about standing up for Jesus as “soldiers of the cross”. If we are soldiers, we are spiritual soldiers, and our weapons are peace and love; the move away from the theme of warfare in our language is well-meaning, for sure. But we may have also lost something in the move, because there is something encouraging about the image of the stoic soldier standing watch in miserable conditions, unwaveringly loyal and firm in their duty, when we apply it to ourselves in our struggles against the flesh, the world, and the devil.


Paul and Barnabas returned to the churches they planted to encourage them, and to ordain ministers to shepherd them. These new churches were not suffering from “gentle” concerns like disagreements over tertiary theological issues: the core of Paul and Barnabas’ encouragement was that “it is through many persecutions that we must enter the kingdom of God”. They had it tough. If we have it tough today, then we know we must be doing something right.


This encouragement is in three parts. Let’s work backwards. Firstly, the objective of our perseverance: the kingdom of God. There are plenty of kingdoms here on earth, some better than others, but to live in any of them requires us to compromise on something. God’s kingdom is instead a beautiful and perfect kingdom, where righteousness and peace kiss. This is the home towards which we are travelling. Second, there are many persecutions on the way. God’s kingdom is perfect, but perfection has enemies. Stand firm; we would not be told to do so if God was not giving us the grace necessary to be able to do it. Finally, that wonderful word, “through”. Persecutions are not the norm. Spiritual attacks are temporary. God is bringing us through the valley of death and leading us out onto the plains of peace. We are all heading home to God’s kingdom; it will not be easy, but the troubles will soon pass, and we will all get there safe and sound.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Monday, September 12, 2022

  Monday, September 12, 2022 Psalm 33 Habakkuk 1:1-11 Ephesians 1:1-14 In Christ we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us. The lectionary has taken us from the beloved disciple to one of the most beloved of Paul's epistles: Ephesians. Paul must have loved this church very much: we get a sense of his fondness for them and their shared sense of purpose and worship just from the introduction. In what is likely just an introduction to a letter in the style of the ancient Roman world, Paul has managed to squeeze in the entire, wondrous story of God's work of redemption. Paul has framed it the way it ought to be framed: in a pastoral, encouraging tone. He has three main points here (remember, Paul proceeds logically to build up an argument, unlike John who circles around his main point). First: God intended to save us before the world was formed. Think back to the first l
Read more

“Short time or long – I pray to God not only you but all who are listening become like I am, except for these chains.”

  Monday, September 11, 2023 Psalms 28; 29 1 Kings 7:51-8:21 Acts 26:19-32 Observance: Deiniol, bishop (d. 384) “ Short time or long – I pray to God not only you but all who are listening become like I am, except for these chains.” The great many blessings of being under the protection of the blood of the Lamb fill our hearts with joy and peace. To have the Almighty Creator of the universe, the One who sits above the flood, filling the temple of our being with the cloud of His presence is what it truly means to be human. Every day is filled with adventure; every night turns to the rest of the victor. Certainly there are chains: sometimes they are physical chains, the suffering of being a Christian among people who do not love the Lord. Sometimes they are spiritual; the attacks of the powers of the air who try to distract us from the One we love. But they always fall away. Our Rock of Ages always frees us; always brings us out of the pit of despair. A won
Read more

Monday, September 19

  Monday, September 19 Psalm 45 Nahum 1:15-2:9 Ephesians 4:17-28 ...be renewed in the spirit of your minds... It is far too easy to read some of these Pauline lists of virtues and vices and feel like we have gone back to the dark days before the Reformation. The idea that if we behave ourselves then we can call ourselves “good people” is pagan, not Christian. Paul feels very strongly about how Christians behave, he “affirms and insists” upon it. But it is because of what has already happened that we should mind our step, not because of where we are going. Christ's resurrection is many things, but one aspect relevant for Paul's teaching this morning is that it demonstrates to us the radical new reality in which we now live. We too have passed (spiritually) from death to life; therefore, we experience a “renewal of our minds”. Instead of treading water until we die, we live lives. Everything now makes sense: God has spoken, so we have logic. God made us in His im
Read more