I am slowly working through Eugene Peterson’s series on Spiritual Theology for devotional reading, and it has been very encouraging. Book four of five in the series is called The Jesus Way: A Conversation On the Ways that Jesus is the Way, and Peterson crafts a phrase that captures so well what our days, together, in Christ are like. In this particular chapter, he compares Josephus, a Jewish historian among many other things, and followers of King Jesus. Peterson writes that “Josephus grew up in a world where Peter was the church’s lead preacher, and pastor and Paul was traveling all over the Mediterranean basin starting churches. He was active in diplomatic and military affairs in Jewish/Roman Palestine at the same time that Paul was writing letters of counsel and encouragement to congregations who were learning how to live in the kingdom of God.” It was that last relative clause that jumped out at me — for obvious reasons, right? In our series on the kingdom, now kingdom themes pop out all over the place. It captures our lives so well, doesn’t it? We are learning how to live in the kingdom of God. On Sunday, Pastor Toph will bring us to the character that the whole story has been waiting for. We are finally going to get to King Jesus, who will declare that the Kingdom of God is at hand! Jesus is the king who will bring the kingdom, and all those in Jesus are in the kingdom. Now, we are learning day in and day out, situation in and situation out, in every season of life, to live in the kingdom of God. This is both for our witness to the world and encouragement to our brothers and sisters. Let’s keep learning how to live as the king’s people in the king’s place! Let’s drink deeply from the enjoyment of the king’s blessing, and let’s pray for much opportunity to extend his reign through sharing the gospel! Our King is good!
How to Live in the Kingdom
Jubilee Fam,
I am slowly working through Eugene Peterson’s series on Spiritual Theology for devotional reading, and it has been very encouraging. Book four of five in the series is called The Jesus Way: A Conversation On the Ways that Jesus is the Way, and Peterson crafts a phrase that captures so well what our days, together, in Christ are like. In this particular chapter, he compares Josephus, a Jewish historian among many other things, and followers of King Jesus. Peterson writes that “Josephus grew up in a world where Peter was the church’s lead preacher, and pastor and Paul was traveling all over the Mediterranean basin starting churches. He was active in diplomatic and military affairs in Jewish/Roman Palestine at the same time that Paul was writing letters of counsel and encouragement to congregations who were learning how to live in the kingdom of God.” It was that last relative clause that jumped out at me — for obvious reasons, right? In our series on the kingdom, now kingdom themes pop out all over the place. It captures our lives so well, doesn’t it? We are learning how to live in the kingdom of God. On Sunday, Pastor Toph will bring us to the character that the whole story has been waiting for. We are finally going to get to King Jesus, who will declare that the Kingdom of God is at hand! Jesus is the king who will bring the kingdom, and all those in Jesus are in the kingdom. Now, we are learning day in and day out, situation in and situation out, in every season of life, to live in the kingdom of God. This is both for our witness to the world and encouragement to our brothers and sisters. Let’s keep learning how to live as the king’s people in the king’s place! Let’s drink deeply from the enjoyment of the king’s blessing, and let’s pray for much opportunity to extend his reign through sharing the gospel! Our King is good!
Living in the Kingdom Together,
Pastor Lew