Marketplace Kingdom Season Three Episode 8--EVERYWHERE: A Kingdom Conversation

I love my church. I love the people, the worship, the contagious
sense of God’s presence and the abandoned crazy in love with Jesus
atmosphere. And I love that my teenage son loves it too. We were
talking over a truck stop lunch after church a couple weeks ago and
I asked him why? He said, “It makes me want to worship. And it
makes me want to listen to the sermons. They’re real. They remind
me that God is real…But mostly it’s because when people come up and
ask you how you’re doing, they really want to know. If you’re
happy, they’re happy with you. And if something’s bothering you,
they really listen. Then they want to stop and pray with you…right
then and there.” When it comes right down to it, isn’t that what
being God’s people is really about? Jesus spent most of his time
talking about the Kingdom of God. And when his listeners asked what
that meant, he told them stories…about real people living real
lives doing real things just like them. Then he showed them what
the Kingdom looked like by forgiving sins and healing and driving
off devils. And when they started asking about who the honored
leaders were going to be, he turned the discussion upside down.
“Anyone who wants to be great among you needs to be a servant to
everybody around.” This kind of love is what the heart of the
church should look like, because it’s what the heart of God looks
like. And the heart of His Kingdom. As I thought about this, I was
reminded of a conversation with our friend Tim Vink. He was talking
about all the different theories and programs for evangelism and
discipleship and church building, and finally he paused and sighed
and said, “If we just read the New Testament carefully, we quickly
discover that 'the church' is not the model for the church. Jesus
is the model for the church!" So this past Sunday we had a guest
speaker. I loved what he had to say, and I heard every word. I
promise! But as is often the case, there was that one brief point
that caught in my spirit and summed it all up. “God doesn’t have a
church to which He gives a mission. He has a mission to which He
gives the church.” And something inside me said YES!!! The church,
the people of God, are His gift to the world. Out of the seats and
into the streets. He doesn’t give His Kingdom to the church. He
gives the church to His Kingdom! In Jesus, He pours out His love,
His power, His glory…and Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to pour those
things out through us. All of us. Every one. In every context. At
home. At work. Wherever. Right where we are. This is the topic of
our latest episode of Marketplace Kingdom: “Everywhere—A Kingdom
Conversation.” We hope you’re blessed!