Matthew 6:9-10 “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’”

I praise the Lord for the tithes and offerings that come in from God’s people to support the work that is being done. Jesus did say that the laborer is worthy of his hire. “And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house.” (Luke 10:7 KJV)

However, with kingdom thinking we go beyond tithes and offerings to see how through the gospel whole communities can be lifted up economically.

Vishal Mangalwati said this about William Carey: “He was an industrialist. An economist. A medical humanitarian. A media pioneer. An educator. A moral reformer. A botanist. And a Christian missionary. And he did more for the transformation of the Indian subcontinent in the nineteenth century and twentieth century than any other individual before or since.”

When Carey arrived in India in 1793 as a missionary-reformer he not only accomplished what was said above, but started what is now known as the Modern Missionary Movement. With this movement came new structures called mission societies and the Gospel began to go out all over the world in a more concentrated effort not seen probably since the early apostles. William Carey was a kingdom thinker.

Historian Hugh Tinker, in his classic study on South Asia wrote a short history, summing up the essence of Carey’s method and its results: “…and so in Serampore, on the banks of river Hooghly, soon after 1800, the principal elements in modern South Asia – popular linguistic identification, the press, the university, social consciousness – all came to light. The West and South Asia were about to come to grips with each other in terms not merely a power and profit, but also of ideas and principles.”

This brings out not only Kingdom thinking, but kingdom action. Vishal Mangalwati went on to say that it was the Gospel, not Gandhi that set India free. Proverbs 19:21 states: “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” It would seem from this verse that we can have many plans, but the only plans that will prevail are those that are in tune with God’s purpose.

What is God’s purpose? The Lord’s prayer sums up God’s purpose quite well: “His kingdom come and His will be done here in earth as it is in heaven.” Kingdom thinking takes God’s purpose and sees how it can be achieved in the community and society where we live.

We know from Luke 17:21 that “the kingdom of God is within you.” This is why our work matters to God, like Dr. Hugh Whelchel said: “Work is not a curse but a gift from God. By our work we employ useful skills to glorify God and love our neighbors.” God has His people in different vocations throughout society and in seeking first His kingdom (Matthew 6:33) we begin to see His kingdom manifested in our different spheres of work.

Tim Keller brings out this definition of work: “Rearranging the raw materials of a particular domain to draw out its potential for the flourishing of everyone.” We are made in the image of God, and God created and so will we. The only difference is that God created something out of nothing, but we create something out of something. We can take a piece of wood and make a table or take a tree and build a house.

I am sure that when each member of God’s household begins to earnestly seek first the Kingdom of God, creative ideas will come forth on how we can see a change in our culture and community through the work the Lord has called us to. Like Hugh Welchel said: “Being in the image of God refers not only to who we are but also to what we are created to do. We are called not just to work but to do certain tasks to achieve a definite goal.”

And the goal is: “His kingdom come and His will be done here on earth as it is in heaven.” This will not be fully achieved until the Lord comes, but we work towards this goal.

Frank Dietz – OM International – Minister at Large

http://dean74blog.wordpress.com/

Matthew 6:9-10 “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.'”

Kingdom thinking will lead us to pray for His kingdom to come and His will to be done here on earth as it already is in heaven, and not just praying for revival in the church. Yes, we want to see revival in the church, but that is not the end of the matter. We want the revival to result in seeing His kingdom come and His will being done.

A kingdom mind-set will focus on seeing the kingdom of God manifested here on earth. Yes, we want to see healing and deliverance of individuals. But, even going beyond that to see manifestation of the kingdom in our homes, communities, states and country that affect the quality of life in all areas: socially, politically as well as economically.

With a kingdom mind-set Isaiah 61:3-4 takes on a whole new focus: “…and provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.”

Again we look at the gifts the Lord has given to the church to bring about what He wants. The list below is not my own list, but it does seem to bring out what the Lord has given us so that His body might grow and become mature in the things of Christ.

Here is a mixture that we can look at:

Apostles: (GO) The apostolic ministry is a constant reminder to the body that our ministry extends to the ends of the world. Although we do not today have apostles in the sense of those “12” or “THE APOSTLE,” yet there is still the ‘spirit’ of the apostle; the missionary spirit. Those who embrace this spirit have a passion to “go.” It would also seem that along with this spirit is what I would call a ‘pioneer’ spirit. Paul expressed this when he wanted break new ground in preaching the gospel in the regions beyond.

Prophets: (Hear) Listening to God’s Word for a particular time and place marks the prophet’s ministry. A prophet’s ministry can take different forms, such as a Biblical exegete with a passion for the truth, or a person spontaneously inspired by the Spirit having a word for a local body of believers, or a nation’s leaders.

Evangelist: (Grow) Evangelist reminds the body that it is healthy to be growing just as it is natural for organisms to grow. Evangelists keep the body alive through a steady influx of new life entering into the church body.

Pastor/Teacher: (Care and Know) These are the ones who provide the care and concern for growth. The pastor/teacher might have the more relevant gift for equipping and strengthening than the others.

Also, along with these we have other support gifts:

Leader: Visionary and administrative. Vision leaders are the ones who recognize and anticipate what can be done. They are the ones who are transforming leaders. They know where they are going and how to take others with them. The administrative leader plots the course and guides the ship. Most usually he is the one who puts shape to the visionary goals of the ones who are the planners, strategists, and delegators in the body.

Exhorter: The exhorter is a motivator used by the Holy Spirit. He comes alongside and helps the person to realize his potential. He is an encourager giving out a challenge to rise above and beyond what we might think is our ability.

Wise: Another ingredient in a leader is wisdom. This is like a doctor who in examining the symptom and is able to make a wise diagnosis of the situation. We have each been amazed when all of a sudden there is a solution to a complex question or some difficult circumstance. People with wisdom seem to be able to penetrate to the heart of a matter and come up with a solution.

Matthew 6:10 “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Kingdom thinking will tend to exorcize the demonic out of social systems that are operating in one’s society and culture. Not only do we want to deal with individual sin, but also the power structure that is behind it. We see that Jesus came to redeem.

Colossians 1:20 “….and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”

When we read Isaiah 61:1-4 and then the New Testament counterpart in Luke 4:18 where Jesus declared that this is why He came, we begin to understand something of what our task is in the Great Commission. We see the model that was set down in the early church as an example to follow.

First, we see in the early church whenever there was an emergency how Christians began to respond in the form of gifts, money, clothing, etc. to help those in need.

Secondly, micro-enterprise development was started where people could be taught how to ‘fish’ (to gain a living without handouts) instead of giving a ‘fish’ (a handout).

Thirdly, social justice was taught to where those who had could help those who did not have and more of equality came in not by political force (government), but through voluntary efforts.

Fourthly, structures of sin were identified: child prostitution, poppy growing (like they have in Afghanistan today), child labor, abortion clinics, etc.

Fifthly, pressure was built on government as well as by worldwide organizations to challenge the so-called power elites that maintain these ‘structures of sin.’

Kingdom thinking recognizes the fallenness of all human institutions and seeks renewal through value change. Value change begins with the church. It is now clear that church planting is an essential part of the transformation.

We also need to recognize that within the church there must be order. So we see from all of this that in the church body there are some who are called to provide oversight, rule, discipline, teaching and care. John Stott wrote: “All God’s people are priests, all are ministers or servants; but He gave some apostles, prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers.”

To me a very important principle in all of this is what I call ‘releasing the ministry.’ Once we have trained a person we then hand the ministry over to them. We see this with Jesus. He called twelve men “designating them apostles – that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach.” Mark 3:14

He discipled, trained and gave them the ministry. He relinquished to these twelve Galileans, unlearned men the task of world evangelism. What a risk! One turned out to be a traitor, and the others, at a time of great trial for the Lord, forsook Him. There will be a risk also with relinquishing a ministry. Mistakes will be made; failures will come. This is often one of the reasons why in many cases we do not turn the ministry over. If those who are paid do all of the ministry because the are good at it, it will intimidate others into thinking that they cannot do it. And so they remain quiet in the pews and the church continues to become more irrelevant to them.

So often we have kept the ministry in the hands of the ‘professionals.’ This is what we pay them for anyway, isn’t it? Kingdom thinking will lead to a relinquishing ministry. We will find that in this relinquishing ministry those who have been discipled and mentored will move into places where ‘structures of sin’ are located to deal with those sinful structures.

An example of this is William Carey – missionary to India – who saw what was then practiced and called “sati,” become illegal. Sati is where the widow whose husband had just died would be thrown alive onto the fire consuming her dead husband ‘so that she could join him.’ God used William Carey to see this practice banned throughout India. (Although in some cases this practice is still going on, but sati is against the law.)

Matthew 6:10 “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Someone said: “All humankind still prefers peace to war, justice to oppression, harmony to discord, order to chaos. Social change is possible and we see it throughout the world. How can we do equal justice to the truths of the creation, the fall, redemption and the end? Paul perhaps expressed this well in 1 Thessalonians 1:9 and 10. “…to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven.” The culmination of serving and waiting is striking, since the former is actively getting busy for Christ on earth, while the latter is passively looking for him to come from heaven. We must serve, but there are limits to what we can achieve. We must wait, but have no liberty to do so in idleness. Thus working and waiting go together.

We Evangelical Christians seem to have the swing of the pendulum in our theology. Some are social activists who are out to create utopia here on earth while there are others who think there is no hope for our culture and with a dug in mentality wait for the return of the Lord.

What we need is to strive for spiritual balance. Yes, we are waiting for the return of the Lord, but while we are waiting we are not idle, but busy in preaching, teaching, spreading the Word and discipleship. We are embracing our culture and society in order to redeem that which has been lost. Our last weekly letter spoke about redemption.

In the first reformation that took place about 500 years ago under Martin Luther the Word of God was put into the hands of God’s people instead of only the priests. The result was electrifying and brought in a reformation that affected Western culture.

We need another reformation that puts the work of God back into the hands of God’s people and when this happens we will see a change in our culture.

To get the work of God back into the hands of God’s people will require the working of the offices that have been outlined in Ephesians 4:11-12. “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.”

Who are these people called by God to help equip saints for the work of the ministry? It is important to be able to identify them. In reading the New Testament one comes away with the idea that we have function before form and operation before organization. Just because someone is in an authoritative office does not mean that he has authority. The office is the result of the evidence of authority.

David Watson said, “The church should give official recognition to those in whom the Spirit is manifestly at work.” Authority is already seen in man/woman’s life. We see this coming out in Acts 6:1-6 where we have the calling out or picking out of seven men to help wait on tables. They were already recognized for their godly life and leadership ability. The same thing is seen in Acts 13 when Paul and Barnabas were chosen.

David Watson brings out another important truth. “In the early church the leaders were nearly always appointed from the area in which they served. They had the advantage of knowing the local scene intimately, and were therefore naturally placed for fulfilling an effective pastoral and preaching ministry according to the gifts given to them by God.”

Often we send young people off to seminary or Bible School for training. I am working with a church in the state of Nevada that has the right idea to have an intern program where young people come under the leadership of the local church for a period of time. During that time of training one is able to see the gifts that are being manifested and then able to steer that young person on further use in the extension of the Kingdom of God.

When I was the director of our OM ship Doulos we initiated a program called “Intensive Training Program” where young people would come for a period of very intensive training. In the process we would see who had leadership potential, etc., and once seen that individual could be advanced in a leadership role. As a matter of fact, in 2013 one of these young men will become executive director of Operation Mobilization – a mission with over 6,000 missionaries, coming from over 90 different countries and working in over 110 countries in the world.

This type of discipleship, mentoring, training can be carried on in the local level with the result of seeing our communities changed.

Matthew 6:10 “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Kingdom thinkers will speak out that Christ is head over every culture as well as King over every secular king. It engages the culture around us.

In some ways the future of society depends upon those with a kingdom mindset being involved. Kingdom thinking brings in the fact that God is working towards ‘redemption.’ Since we are His hands and feet and mouth, we too need to be working towards redemption.

However, to understand redemption we need to understand what was lost to begin with. In one sense it was “Paradise” that was lost, but what does that entail? To understand what was lost we must go back to the Word of God.

First, we see from Scripture that man lost his soul. Genesis 2:17 “….but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”  Ezekiel 18:4 “For every living soul belongs to me, the father as well as the son — both alike belong to me. The soul who sins is the one who will die.”

Paul said: “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins.” (Ephesians 2:1) There is that part of man that is dead, an empty place within that nothing can fill. This is why we see people who have fame, money and all of the necessities we think are necessary for happiness committing suicide. Something is missing and only God can fill it.

Secondly, we see that man lost his body. Genesis 3:19 “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

Isaiah goes on to say very eloquently: “A voice says, ‘Cry out.’ And I said, ‘What shall I cry?’ All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field.  The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:6-8

No matter what we do with our bodies in trying to keep them in top condition – through exercise, face lifts etc., we are going to die and our body will go back to the dust from which it came.  It is like what Boniface said: “I know that I will die, and I will die on time. But I want to make the most between here and there.”

Thirdly, man lost the earth. We lost dominion. God put man in charge, but man fell and another took it over. God’s plan is still that man is to rule and reign, but now it takes a converted man – a new man. “To Adam he said, ‘Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, “You must not eat of it,” Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.’ ” Genesis 3:17-19

If God is working towards redemption then we must work along with Him. Redemption must be our goal as well. There are three events in redemption.

First, we have conversion – the saving of the soul.  We are admonished to go into all the world and preach the gospel. We must keep in mind that everything starts from the internal to external. The heart of man must be changed and the Gospel is the only thing that can do that. Paul said the Gospel is the dynamite of God for change. “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” Romans 1:16

We must equip our congregations to be able to give an answer for the hope that is within us. God has given us the office of an Evangelist just for this purpose.

Secondly, we have the resurrection – redemption of the body. Paul lays this out very nicely of how the body is sown perishable, but raised imperishable; it is sown in weakness and dishonor, but raised in power and honor and it is sown a natural body, but raised a spiritual body. (1 Corinthians 15:42-46)

Thirdly, we have the Second Coming of Christ and redemption of the earth. It is when Christ comes and chains Satan (puts him out of the way) that we can build unhindered. I do not hold, as some do, that we can build utopia here on earth ushering in Christ. However, this does not mean that we sit back and do nothing. No! We are to occupy; we are to be busy in taking back what Satan stole from us. We are to be the salt and light in every aspect of our culture. We will never reach the ultimate goal until Christ comes and through judgment sets things right, but we will reign with Christ and it starts now with a Kingdom mind-set.  

Matthew 6:10 “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Kingdom thinking will turn the world upside down. We read in Acts 17:7 “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here.” It was said that they turned the world upside down, but what it really was, was turning the world right side up. They were testifying to how the world should be and not how it is. They (the Apostles) had right thinking.

What could be said about these men/women? Matthew Henry said: “The mighty heroes of the world conquered nations for themselves and made them miserable. The apostles conquered them for Christ and made them happy.” This was true not only of the Apostles, but also those who followed in their footsteps. Part of that army were those who took in the babies that were going to be aborted or were abandoned, fed the poor, and did other acts of mercy. These acts were seen by the others and this led many to accept Christ.

Augustine after he was converted wrote over 5 million pages. Our view of God determines everything. If we had bad theology we will compromise and eventually our liberties will be taken away from us.

The one thing that you find with this army is their commitment to and sacrifice for the Gospel.

Run towards the roar! That is where the victory will be. Boniface said: “I know that I will die, and I will die on time. But I want to make the most between here and there.”

It was during this time unknown to most that this new army was beginning to change society and culture one person at a time. We can compare these two armies. First we have the pagan army that for 4000 years had accumulated all the wealth and had ruled with unprecedented power over these years. On the other hand there is a small band of people, who had no influence politically speaking, no wealth, but they went out and began to spread the Kingdom of God one person at a time until their influence permeated society.

They recognized that man is a paradox. Like someone said: “We human beings have both a unique dignity as creatures made in God’s image and a unique depravity as sinners under his judgment. We can behave like God in whose image we were made, only to descend to the level of the wicked. We are able to think, choose, create, love and worship, but also to refuse to think, to choose evil, to destroy, to hate, and to worship ourselves. We build churches and drop bombs. We develop intensive care units for the critically ill and use the same technology to torture political enemies who presume to disagree with us. Man a paradox, dust of earth and breadth of God, shame and glory. We are noble and ignoble, rational and irrational, loving and selfish, godlike and bestial.”

Two things come out in this paradox that we must understand – our sexuality and political process. It was the same for the apostles and the early church and it is the same for us today; different context, but same conflicts that we are faced with in order to see the extension of the Kingdom of God.

According to Genesis, God created them male and female in His image and likeness and told them to be fruitful and multiply. According to Scripture human sexuality, marriage, sexual intercourse and family are all part of the creative purpose of God and so we see that marriage is not a human institution which can be changed by culture, but divine and not affected by changing culture.

But then came the fall with sin distorting our sexuality with the result of unnatural deviations where love becomes selfish, cruel and exploitive. Kingdom thinking brings us back to the Scriptural norm.

We have the same battle in the political realm. Do human beings have any absolute value and to be respected for such or are they only valuable in regard to the community over all? When one looks at the abortions taking place, euthanasia and the killing of the aged who seem to have no value for their community, one begins to ask: Are we servants to the institution or is the institution the servant to the people?

Like someone said that at best a “political ideology and its programs are only an approximation to the will and purpose of God.” For example capitalism appeals because it encourages individual initiative, but also seems not to care for the weak that cannot compete with the competition.

Socialism on the other hand seems to care for the weak and powerless, but also stifles individual initiative that gets smothered by big government. One person said this about the two: “The difference between capitalism and socialism is that in capitalism man exploits man, while in Socialism it’s the other way around!”

It would seem that democracy is the best because it reflects the paradox of man. Like Reinhold Niebuhr said: “Man’s capacity for justice makes democracy possible; but man’s inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary.”