Tag: Worldview

4 Misconceptions About The Kingdom

Jesus said Christians are to “seek first the kingdom.” (Matt. 6:33). To seek the Kingdom first, we should have a proper understanding of what the Kingdom is and what it is not. With that in mind, here are 4 common misconceptions about the kingdom of God:

1. That the kingdom of God is the same thing as heaven. As I addressed in another post, while the kingdom of God includes heaven, it is broader than that, also encompassing people, places and things on earth under the delegated authority of Jesus.

2. That the kingdom of God is the same thing as the Church. As I also addressed in a previous post, while the kingdom of God includes the Church, i.e. Christians, it is broader than that. Jesus made this clear in explaining the Parable of the Wheat and Tares, when He said that at the end the wicked (tares) would be gathered “out of His kingdom.” (Matt. 13:41). This doesn’t mean non-Christians will go to heaven; only the righteous (those covered by the blood of King Jesus) inherit the Kingdom.

3. That the kingdom of God is purely a future phenomenon. Jesus told his followers the Kingdom was in their midst (Luke 17:21), and if He cast out demons the Kingdom had come upon them (Luke 11:20)– He did, therefore, it had. And, Daniel prophesied that the kingdom of God would be set up during the days of the Roman Empire (Daniel 2:36-45). Jesus planted the flag of the kingdom of God on the earth and the Kingdom has been for 2,000 years.

4. That the kingdom of God will be unsuccessful on earth until Jesus comes back to jump-start it. Once established on earth (see misconception #3), the kingdom of God will “never be destroyed”, “will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms”, and “it will endure forever.” (Dan. 2:44). Jesus describes the growth of the Kingdom as steady and progressive, not dormant or latent. (Matt. 13:33).

Have you embraced any of these misconceptions? GS

Can An Abortion Advocate Be A Christian?

I believe abortion is the taking of a human life. I’ll spare you all the reasons because you have probably heard them before. If you don’t agree that abortion is the taking of a human life, then I won’t try to persuade you that it is, but I would challenge you to read yesterday’s post because even if you don’t believe abortion is the taking of a human life, I believe logic and the most universal of ethics demand that you be against it.

Having said that, I would like to pose a question to fellow citizens of the kingdom of God: “Can an abortion advocate really be a Christian?” It’s an important question.

I ask the question because I believe there are a fair number of Christians who would answer “No” to the question, and even those who believe it’s possible would have to admit that knowing a person sees nothing wrong with abortion would cause them to doubt that person’s faith.

But if you find yourself in one of those two groups, let me ask you a question: Do you think it’s possible to be a Christian and believe there is nothing wrong with race-based slavery? If you answer “No,” you have just eliminated most of the American South for more than 200 years. I think one has to admit that it was possible to be right about Jesus and wrong about slavery.

If Christians can be blind enough not to see that slavery is wrong, they can be blind enough not to see that abortion is wrong. And, if Christians can be wrong on these matters, I suppose they can also be wrong on issues like the role of the government in our lives and the level of taxation we should endure.

As I said above, I believe abortion is the taking of a human life, in other words, murder. I believe slavey is abhorrent. I believe, as a general rule, the less government and taxes the better. So, my point is not to assert the opposite positions here but to argue against the tendency to make one’s politics a litmus test for whether they are a citizen of the kingdom of God.

The advancement of the kingdom of God is not as dependent upon its citizens being right on political issues as it is on its citizens being righteous.  Politics are are neither all-important nor unimportant.  If we are to seek first the kingdom of God (Matt. 6:33), then we cannot allow something less important, like politics, to separate us from fellow citizens of the kingdom of God who also desire to see it advance in the earth. GS

What Shapes Your Worldview

I’m a trial lawyer, and I once had a jury trial where one of the defendants was, as we say in the legal field, pro se, which is latin for “He aint got no attorney.” Halfway through the trial he’d fired his lawyer and insisted on representing himself. He then started acting like a lawyer, or so he thought.

I think he had watched a lot of television because when he asked the witness a question and I objected, he asked the judge “for a little latitude.” He was shocked when the judge said “No.” I think he was shocked because on television the judge always says, “Ok, but very little” or “Ok, but you’re on a short leash, counselor” or some other witty response. But the judge always gives a little latitude. It makes for good television.

Now this may surprise you, but no real trial attorney asks for “latitude”; nor does a real trial attorney try to make a point by asking a question he knows is objectionable and quickly chirping “withdrawn” before the judge can rule against him. If an attorney did that he would be laughed out of court because real trial lawyers know all that stuff is just television. It’s not reality.

More than we realize, television shapes our worldview. When television bombards you with shows portraying sex before marriage, outside of marriage and on first dates as normal behavior, it cannot help but make you think you are weird if you act differently. What you are seeing, however, is not reality, but a writer’s fiction.

Jesus said, “Take care what you listen to.” (Mark 4:24). How closely you listen to Truth will determine how effectively you incorporate it into your life, and how critically you “listen” to the television will determine how it affects the way you view the world. So, listen critically or don’t listen at all. GS

Book Burning And Terrorism

Perhaps you’ve read about the pastor  who plans on publicly burning a Quran on September 11, 2010. Unfortunately, he’s received much media attention, including his 15 minutes of fame on CNN.

I wish, if the pastor really felt the need to burn a Quran, he would have done so privately because his pyromanic plan neither advances the cause of the kingdom of God nor impedes the advance of Islam. What it  does is reveal something about the pastor.

Does the pastor think any Muslim will reject Islam because he burned their book? I don’t think he’s that dumb. So, he’s not doing this for Muslims.

Book burning in the Bible happened when the Ephesians, once converted to Chrisitianity, rejected their pagan practices and brought their books together to burn, demonstrating their renunciation of their former belief. (Acts 19:18-19). In other words, Biblical book-burning–if there is such a thing–is for the benefit of the person who owns the book.

I don’t think the pastor is a Muslim or has recently been one, so I must conclude he is not toasting the Muslim text as a public manifestation of his decision to break with a former belief.

This must mean he is flaming the Quran for other Christians or non-Islamic, non-Christians. But what benefit does he think non-Christians will get from that? If they are non-Christians, they will not have a better opinion of Christianity as a result of the pastor’s conflagration.

And I can’t imagine he thinks he is benefiting Christians by scorching the Muslim script. The only thing I can think is he is trying to inflame them against Islam and Muslims. If this is the point, and regardless, it will probably be the result, then the pastor’s incendiary impulse is seriously misguided.

The best explanation of terrorism is that it’s “a response to powerlessness.”  In other words, those who feel powerlessness to obtain what they desire within the normal and accepted means of society resort to terrorism.

Burning a Quran I suspect arises from a similar impulse. Feeling impotent to respond in any other way, the pastor responds with a public  warming of the Islamic writ.

I’m not calling the pastor a terrorist or suggesting what he is doing is terrorism. I do suspect both acts arise from the same feeling of powerlessness. And while both may give their instigator a momentary feeling of power, both are equally ineffective to achieve their desired results.

What do you think? Is what he’s planning to do a good idea? GS

How Being a Kingdom Citizen Makes You a Better Employee

In my law practice, I consult with people about their jobs, usually at a point when they are unhappy about their jobs. I know from studies I’ve seen that their situation is not unique. Some studies have shown that 2/3 of all Americans are unhappy with their jobs. Maybe you feel the same way.

Maybe you don’t like your supervisor or don’t think the company appreciates you.  You may not think you are paid enough or that your last performance review was as good as your performance warranted.  As a result, you may not look forward to going to work, and you may have trouble getting motivated to do your best.

We live in a fallen world and bad supervisors, greedy employers and discriminatory employment decisions exist in abundance. Your chances of avoiding them completely during your career are slim, which probably accounts for the 2/3 statistic. But a citizen of the kingdom of God can avoid becoming a statistic. The key is understanding for whom, as a Christian, you work.

The Apostle Paul said, “Whatever you do, do your work with all your heart, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance.” (Colossians 3:23-24).  In other words, as a Christian you work for King Jesus and you should perform your job as if He was your boss (because He is).

If you are doing your work primarily to please men (your supervisor, your company or others), you will inevitably be disappointed with their response. They will rarely appreciate you as much as you think you deserve and will often treat you in ways in which you do not deserve.

If, however, you are working primarily to please the Lord and are looking to Him for your reward, there are at least four good things that can happen.

1. Your work will be more excellent.  After all, how can you be more motivated than when you are trying to impress Jesus?

2. You will work harder. You know the Lord sees all things, and if you are looking to Him for your reward, you will be motivated to give a better effort because you know the one you are trying to please sees all your effort.

3.  You will not be a man-pleaser.  “Man-pleaser” is the theological term for “brown-noser”, and nobody likes a brown-noser. The best way to avoid being a man-pleaser is to focus on pleasing the Lord instead.

4.  Your peers and supervisors will respect you. They will respect you because they will see the integrity of your work and that it is not motivated by what you think you can get from them or the company.

I challenge you to give this new “workview” a test drive; you might find it very liberating.  GS