 |
||
|
|
||
|
LEADERSHIP LETTER ARCHIVES
A MONTHLY READING FOR ALL ARC LEADERS
HOPE
Our Lord Jesus will return to bring the fullness of his kingdom. His kingdom is present now in foretaste, but only in foretaste, and though we see and work toward its advance in this present age, he alone will establish it fully at his coming. All our thought and practice are conditioned by patient expectation of the return of Christ. We reject the highly specific affirmations of things which the Father alone knows, but we seek to discern the signs of the times. We reject the identification of the kingdom with any human achievement or organization, but we believe in and work for its embodiment in the church and other human relationships under Christ. We reject any underestimation of human sinfulness, but we, nonetheless, appropriate God's reign and its increase personally, politically, and socially. –ARC Common Concerns
As a very young Christian who was converted out of philosophical atheism (which, of course, is much more sophisticated than "mere" atheism!) and an upbringing in Roman Catholicism, I was handed my first book to encourage my fledgling faith—Why A Roman Catholic Cannot Be A Christian. Very straightforward diatribe mostly castigating the Council of Trent in the 16th century. But a very poor book. My second foray into Christian "theology" was Hal Lindsey's The Late Great Planet Earth. I loved it. Finally, here was an answer for the future, almost all questions answered and the ones that weren't (like, "Who will be the anti-Christ?" – it's still in my craw that it'll be Henry Kissinger!) were so ripe for delicious speculation. Ah, the '70's – it was both wonderful and weird. Then in the '80's we were all treated to 88 Reasons the Rapture Will Happen in 1988. Not very good stuff—and that brave author calculated that he was one year off and bought another year—and a few thousand more sales to the speculative brethren. And then more recently we all had to endure the Y2K madness. I'm still waiting for all of those "prophets" to repent, but all we've gotten is an embarrassing theological spin.
My pastor in the '70's was tired of it all early on. When asked as to whether he was pre-, post- or a-millennial, he would reply, "None of them. I'm pro-millennial—I don't know when it's going to happen, but I'm all for it!" Snappy rejoinder, for sure, but somewhat lacking in genuine theological perspective. Yet with all of the hubbub around the nature and timing of Christ's return, it seemed preferable to camp there.
I think that our Common Concerns offers a more helpful perspective on the real hope that awaits every true believer in Christ. We believe that Jesus Christ will literally return to this earth and receive a people who are His very own, who have believed by faith, loved one another and engaged His continuing mission on the earth. Paul refers this to Titus as "our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13). And this hope is rooted in what theologians are fond of calling the "already but not yet" dynamics of God's eternal Kingdom. To be sure, the Kingdom of God has arrived in a stealthy but very real way. It is not fully manifest in its final form but the "already" is a wonderful foretaste. Consider these profound present truths:
These are the eternal realities that are meant to equip us and support us in this interim period of warfare and mission. Jesus' promise to His disciples was that "all authority in heaven and earth" was His and consequently His followers were to go and make disciples with the confidence of His promise: "I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Mt. 28:18-20). An end of this age is looming. The Nicene Creed confesses that "we look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come."
It's this matter of "looking for . . . the life of the world to come" that ought to be more compelling for people who are born into an eternal kingdom. Peter described God's people as "sojourners and exiles" (I Pet. 2:11), a people passing through another land. Paul reminds us that "our citizenship is in heaven and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Phil. 3:20). The Hebrews writer commends the people of faith because "they desire a better country, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city" (Heb. 11:16). But we live in a culture that incessantly stresses our "need" to acquire, consume and experience the pleasures of this present darkness. Of course God wants us to enjoy His creation and our lives. But note the clear contrast in these verses of Paul to Timothy:
"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life" (I Tim. 6:17-19 NIV).
It's the "good foundation for the future that Paul identifies as "that which is truly life." It is the "not yet" that must define our priorities for this present age that is already passing away.
God has revealed only a tantalizingly small slice of the nature of the coming fullness of His Kingdom. But we know enough and are commanded to order our days around this unfolding eternal reality. The descriptions of heaven in the book of Revelation are a mere appetizer to the feast that awaits the faithful.
As best we can we must discern the signs of the coming Kingdom lest we be lulled into the sleep of the unprepared foolish virgins. And with yet greater prayer and zeal we must proclaim this Kingdom to a comatose culture that God may yet awaken to His glory.
-- Ned Berube
|
||
 |
||
