Bringing God's KIngdom

It has always been a matter of great concern to me that many countries that are ruled by dictators or tyrants, have a praying Church, yet it seem as if their prayers are not answered. Despite all their crying out to God, the dictator carries on ruining the country and devastating people’s lives. When I see these rulers cruelly subjecting people, making their lives a misery, selfishly exploiting the country to the detriment of the poor, I want God to judge them.  And I want him to judge them now. I want their dictatorships overturned and something nasty to happen to the tyrants. So why doesn’t God act?  I’ve been seeking God for the answer to this.

First of all, this cry for justice has echoed down the centuries. The psalmists were often heard to say, ‘How long, O Lord?’ before you act (Psalm 13: 1, 35: 17, 79:5 and others) and in the book of Revelation we hear the martyrs waiting in heaven asking the same question. They long for God to act  - to be God in fact.

I felt God say that he loves every one of those dictators and he is giving them an opportunity to repent, because the punishment they will receive is so awful, so fearful, so horrific and it will last for eternity, that God is giving them opportunity to turn from their wicked ways. Nebuchadnezzar was given that opportunity and he in fact repented.  Every dictator and tyrant will be judged justly and with righteousness but it is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 

Whilst I understand this, it feels very unsatisfactory. What about the poor people suffering terribly at their hands? If feels like their lives are worth less than the dictator and their oppressive regime. God assured me that he loves all and will provide and protect all who turn to him. 

The kingdoms of this world are not the Kingdom of our God. God says he rules and reigns even in the darkest hellhole as Corrie Ten Boom found in the Nazi concentration camps. 

Too often people want a Godly government to do what the ecclesia, the Church ruling and reigning, should be doing. Christians pray for the overthrow of an ungodly government to be replaced by a Godly government instead of realising that it is the Church who must reign and bring God’s Kingdom into their lives, regions and nations. 

Where God’s Kingdom comes through the Church, people are saved, healed, delivered and provided for. They may live under a heavy burden but they should not only look for earthly governments to save them. Our prayers must not be just for the overthrow of evil and wickedness which we must do but much more for the establishment of God’s Kingdom rule and reign. As God’s Kingdom is established, the darkness has to flee as His Kingdom brings light and life. 

Heidi Baker of Iris Ministries

I watched a clip from Heidi Baker of Iris Ministries in northern Mozambique which illustrates this perfectly.  The whole area is a terrible war zone. As she spoke you could hear helicopters flying overhead to continue their warfare. The entire huge campus of Iris Ministries was full of internally displaced refugees and in the midst of this the Kingdom had come. People were being fed, saved, healed. The Mozambique government could do nothing. They were too busy fighting a war. The Church had arisen and brought the Kingdom. It wasn’t easy but God was showing his love to all.

What is our role in all this in the West? The poor need the prayers and the financial support of the rich and the rich need the prayers of the disadvantaged. We must pray not so much for a change of government but for God’s Kingdom to come. That in the midst of injustice, in the midst of tyranny, God will come in loving power through his Church, side-lining the oppressor. 

It doesn’t seem fair and it isn’t but in the midst of oppression, God will come overthrowing evil and bringing his love and at the end of all things, everyone will be judged in righteousness and all wrongs righted. 

Living free

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8: 36

I find it very difficult to visit zoos, animal or safari parks, in fact anywhere where animals are kept in captivity. Once you’ve seen animals in the wild, seeing them in captivity is hard because you know they were not born for this. 

I understand of course that protecting endangered species in zoos is a way of possibly safeguarding their future and zoos do have a huge educational purpose to fulfil for the vast majority who are not fortunate enough to see them in their natural habitat.

Having said that, I remember the story of a polar bear cub talking to its parents: 

 ‘Mum, Dad aren’t we polar bears?’

‘Of course,’ they reply.

‘Aren’t we meant to live in the Arctic?’ 

‘Yes,’ they reply.

‘So why are we living in London Zoo?’ 

Many animals in zoos are of course born in captivity which is meant to give credibility to the fact they are content, and certainly once animals start to breed in captivity, many animal experts feel that is a sign that they are settled. However I can’t help wondering, and of course we will never know, if something within them always craves for the savannah, the jungle, the sea, the desert, the Arctic, the Antarctic, the place they would naturally call home. Every animal seems to be ideally suited for their habitat even when that habitat seems incredibly hostile to our human eyes. Just watching a David Attenborough nature programme reveals that to us. 

Each one of us was born in captivity and until we let Jesus set us free from our habitat of sin, guilt and shame we will always be living captive. Once saved, Jesus doesn’t put us into his zoo but releases us to be all that he created us to be. We are meant to be free - free body, mind and spirit. God has such an amazing plan for each of us. 

Our final home will of course be heaven, ultimately the new heaven and earth because this is where we were created to live, on the redeemed earth totally restored to it original plan and purpose and something within each one of us craves that home. In the meantime though each of us has a habitat that God has called us to live in.  What is sad is when Christians settle for less than God has called them to.

Sometimes Christians remain living in the old self of sin not realising that Jesus has redeemed us from that old life.  Now, if anyone is enfolded into Christ, he has become an entirely new creation. All that is related to the old order has vanished. Behold, everything is fresh and new. 2 Corinthians 5: 17 Passion Translation. What a great promise that is, and one that the devil will do all he can to keep us from realising. 

There are times when Christians allow circumstances to overwhelm the Word of God. Too often believers would rather submit to their circumstances than realise that what the Word says is true. The Bible is called the word of truth. Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’ John 8: 31 – 32.  Taking hold of the Word, declaring it into our lives releases truth and freedom. 

Finally Christians can be content to settle for less than what God has created them to be. They would rather live in the captivity of comfort than find their real place of destiny. Like those in the parable of the sower, they hear the word but are choked by worries, riches and pleasures of life and they do not come into the full fruition God desires. 

The Christian life is not an easy life but it is so worthwhile and God has a beautiful plan and purpose for each of us individually as well as corporately. My heart is that we do not live either geographically, or spiritually and emotionally anywhere but right slap bang in the middle of what God has called us to be. So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God Ephesians 3: 16 – 19.