Session
2 – The centrality of the kingdom
If we are to honestly pursue the path of personal spirituality then we must grapple with some of the basic questions;
Ø
Is there a supreme being, who many simply refer to as God?
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If he does exist what relevance does that have to me in my
spiritual journey?
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Can I relate to him and how does that work?
On our journey of personal spirituality we need to find answers to
these questions and discover keys that will unlock our way into the kingdom of
God. The reality is that the answers we find may not suit our predetermined
mindset and they may not be as comprehensive and clear cut as we would like. Perhaps
that is the nature of personal spirituality; it is a journey where we discover
answers and find that new questions continually arise.
There is a
traceable core of guidance in relation to the kingdom of God running right
through the Bible. It is a simple, sequential plan, embracing three basic keys
and is explained in such simple terms that even a child can grasp it.
Ø Believe in God,
Ø Enter into the kingdom of God,
Ø Live within the kingdom of God.
KEY 1 -
Believe in God
The existence of God
The existence of God
Peter claimed the crucial key to many of these questions when he
acknowledged Jesus as the Son of the living God. His conception of God
was that of a God who was alive and active. Here is the vital key to embracing the kingdom of God; to affirm that God
does indeed, exist, and that he exists for me personally. Such an acknowledgement
is more than just mere assent to a philosophy; it is basing our life and
existence on belief in God, and the conviction that God will respond to me
personally … anyone who wants to
approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him. (Hebrews
11:6b – The Message)
Today we live in a hi-tech age where
modern communication technologies saturate us with information. Those who would
seek out a belief in God are faced with a myriad of conflicting and baffling philosophies
and attitudes that seek to undermine belief in a supreme being. The
rise of contemporary atheism with its strident voice and vitriolic condemnation
of Christianity is a significant and disturbing challenge.
The reality is that some of us have a
belief in God but really don’t want to take our spiritual journey further. We
feel that is a decision we don’t have to face at this moment of time. It can
wait to a later day, when we can perhaps give it more thought. After all, there
are many other experiences in life which we wish to encounter first. The
difficulty with that sort of philosophy is that no person can guarantee they
have a future. The newspapers are crowded with reports of people whose lives
have been unexpectedly cut short and their expectations and dreams left
unfulfilled.
It is crucial that we come to a decision
about the existence of God before we can move on to becoming a citizen in his
kingdom. It is not a decision that rests on human or scientific proof, for the
reality is that no one can prove or disprove the existence of God. It is more a
matter of heart and attitude of mind. It is possible to believe in God’s existence
and still not have a relationship with Him that impacts our day to day
existence.
Many sincere Christians have struggled at some stage of their
pilgrimage with a concrete belief in God; that is part of our humanity. Human
doubt and logicality should not be circumvented in our struggle to believe in
God for the reality is that which we struggle to believe has a greater value
and significance to us than those beliefs we may glibly accept.
What
is God really like? Perhaps the clearest concept of God is found in Jesus’
conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well when he declared: God is Spirit.[1]
The tendency of humanity is to try and compress God into a frame that we can
comprehend and understand. The reality is that God is spirit, intangible and
unseen and cannot be fully contained within any human understanding. If we
compress God into that which we can perceive with our physical senses, we have
a God who is no greater than humanity itself. All our efforts to understand and
comprehend God with our finite minds are futile for in the final analysis we
must accept that God is spirit and far beyond our limited understanding, as is
his care and love for us personally.
We need to get away from the concept
that suggests that our initial faith in God’s existence needs to be unwavering
and rock-solid. It could be that some can develop such an unshakable faith.
However, for many of us who would become citizens in the kingdom of God, faith
is something that is not always as resolute as we would like.
The Bible seems to support the idea that
faith may be small and insecure and yet quite acceptable to God. The ninth chapter
of Matthew has the story of a father who brought his epileptic son to Jesus. Jesus
questions the man about his faith to which the man replies: I do believe! Help me to believe more![2]
Another time, the disciples themselves
struggled with faith: The apostles said to the Lord, “Give us more
faith!” The Lord said, “If your faith is as big as a mustard
seed, then you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Dig yourself up and plant
yourself in the sea!’ And the tree will obey you.[3] A good litmus test for our faith is to ask yourself, Am I willing to stake my life on this
belief? If you can respond with a positive yes!, your faith has
found a good starting point.
Often is our struggle with faith or its absence becomes a
significant barrier in our spiritual journey. The reality is that we cannot
satisfy all the questions that arise in our minds. Faith will always be a work
in progress and perhaps that is the way it is meant to be. At this point in our
spiritual journey the first step is all that matters. It’s OK to put aside
those other questions for a later time. As we shall see God’s requirement of us
is basically a faith similar to that of a child with a parent, simple and
trusting.
The great thing about keys is that they unlock doors and open up
new and exciting visions and possibilities for us. However human nature, being
what it is, quite often holds back from exploring new worlds and possibly the
Jewish leader was of this mindset, not wanting to let go of that which was
secure and familiar.
There comes a time when we have to make, what for some, is a
courageous decision. Do I let go of what
is known and trust my entire life to this God? For many, that is not an
easy choice and their faith is miniscule. However, the quantity of faith is not
the issue, but rather the courage to make a decision.
It this day and age of mass communication and accessibility to all
sorts of information, many become hung up on the need to acquire data before
making a decision. Christianity was never meant to be complicated or difficult
to embrace. Entrance into the kingdom of God does not depend on a deep understanding
of theology. A pursuit of a deeper theology and some of the finer nuances of
theology is to be encouraged, however such requirements are not conditional to
entrance into the kingdom of God.
An
intentional simplicity
There are many whose concept of
Christianity is that of a lifestyle of rigid rules and a colourless existence.
It is a tragedy that some branches of Christianity have reinforced that opinion
by their rigidity and narrow views of Christian living. Nothing could be
further from the truth, as we shall see as we move through this book. The
Christian lifestyle is meant to provide us with a way of life that is
fulfilling and meaningful. Citizenship in the kingdom of God has benefits and
rewards that can never be understood or experienced by those who choose not to
belong in it.
There is an
intentional simplicity about entrance and life in the kingdom of God. It seems
that Jesus was deliberate about the simplicity of entering the kingdom of God; I tell you the truth. You must change and
become like little children. If you don’t do this, you will never enter the
kingdom of heaven.[4] Many
Christians will witness to making a decision for Christ at around eight years
of age, myself included. The reality is that an eight-year-old does not have a
great understanding of theology or the intricacies of scriptural exposition,
but rather a simple belief.
I suspect that at times such a decision seems all too simple and
this acts as a barrier. Human nature views with suspicion decisions that appear
unsophisticated for we suspect that life is not as simple as that. Yet the
reality is that Jesus clearly intended that the way into the kingdom of God
should be straightforward, attainable by all humanity.
The
kingdom of God
One of the
crucial elements in our Christian pilgrimage is understanding personal
spirituality and its implications within the kingdom of God. What is the
kingdom of God? What does the Bible say about it? What are the implications for
my life? For some it is a vague notion that the kingdom of God is some
otherworldly entity which belongs somewhere in the hereafter and if we live a
Christian lifestyle we will become a citizen of that kingdom. Not only is such
a notion unsound, it robs us of a power and experience that can effectively
impact our present living.
A
realistic understanding of the kingdom of God will help us be aware of our
interaction with God and its role in day to day living. The concept of the
kingdom of God, and existence within it, are not only crucial concepts in the
teaching ministry of Jesus, but also the central theme of his preaching. He
does not come with some obscure religious teaching that could only be
understood by the deeply spiritual or highly intelligent. He comes with a basic
plan in which ordinary people may come into a meaningful and easily understood
relationship with God.
It is one
of the tragedies of Christian development that we have shrouded what can be
easily understood, in theological jargon and complex church traditions, making
it almost impossible at times, for ordinary people to embrace a personal
spirituality and citizenship in the kingdom of God.
The kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven are interchangeable in
the New Testament. There is no theological distinction implied between kingdom of heaven and kingdom of God. The phrase signifies a
spiritual dimension rather than a geographical location or sphere of influence;
it is God’s reign or rule over people’s lives and their circumstances.
Depending on your translation of the Bible the occurrence of the phrase kingdom
of God or kingdom of heaven appear numerous times
and is probably the most frequently repeated terminology within the gospels.
While the Old Testament may not
highlight the concept, the thought does occur in passages such as Exodus 19:6.
In his conversation with Moses on the mountain prior to giving the Ten
Commandments, God promises that … Even though
the whole earth is mine, you will be my
kingdom of priests. You will be a nation that belongs to me alone … Later King
Nebuchadnezzar, in the culmination of his dream acknowledges the reality of
God’s kingdom … Then I gave praise to the
Most High God. I gave honor and glory to him who lives forever. God’s rule is
forever. His kingdom continues for all
time. (Daniel 4:34b)
It seems that even in Old Testament times the concept of a
spiritual kingdom was present. God, in his interaction with the Jewish nation
instituted his kingdom, or his rule among humanity. They were to obey him and
keep the covenant he had put in place and in so doing they would be citizens of
a spiritual kingdom. Tragically they failed and instead sought to set up a
geographical and material kingdom.
It is not
as if God’s kingdom ceased to exist but rather people turned away from it and
ignored God. God is the sovereign creator and his rule is not dependent on men
and women obeying him. The truth of the matter is that humanity needs to belong
in the kingdom of the creator. As we move into the New Testament we see a
re-establishment of theocracy; God’s rule revealed in the New Testament concept
of the kingdom of God.
As we
pursue our journey of personal spirituality we shall see that right of entry into
the kingdom of God is universal and volitional. It is open to all who choose to
belong. For now, the crucial action is for us to take hold of the first key;
that of believing there is a God.
BIBLE
BACKGROUND
Exodus 19: 6
Hebrews 11:6
Mark 9:24
Luke 17:5–6
Mark 12: 28-34
Matthew 18:3
PERSONAL
REFLECTION
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On
a scale of 1 – 10 how do I rate my belief in God?
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How
can I increase my mustard seed of
faith?
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Am
I willing to stake my life on a belief that God exists and what will that mean
in the way I live?
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Am
I procrastinating in my spiritual journey? If so, why?
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Which
questions about God can I put away for another time?
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If
my faith requires a faith like that of a child, how does that work out in my
life?
ACTION PLAN
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I
will make genuine attempt to believe in the existence of God.
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List
the things I need to do to facilitate this.
GROUP
DISCUSSION
Ø Is it more difficult for people to believe in God in the 21st
century?
Ø What are positive outcomes of having doubts?
Ø Discuss the implications of having mustard
seed faith.
Ø Read Matthew 18:3. In your group explore
what you think Jesus really is implying here.
Ø Do you feel that simplicity of faith can become a barrier to those
searching for a spiritual experience?
VIDEO:
Click on or paste the following link to watch the video for sessions 2.
https://youtu.be/jQEtZ1IrDGg
Click on or paste the following link to watch the video for sessions 2.
https://youtu.be/jQEtZ1IrDGg
DOWNLOADS:
Click on or paste the following link to download or print documents for session 2.
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AqcRuZ3XUOKql2aXwX16tuXkHxLx?e=Z6imUg
(Right click to view or download individual files)
Click on or paste the following link to download or print documents for session 2.
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AqcRuZ3XUOKql2aXwX16tuXkHxLx?e=Z6imUg
(Right click to view or download individual files)
[1] John
4:24
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