Work and God’s Kingdom (Part Two)
(The following is the text of the video, “Work and the Kingdom of God (Part Two” found HERE.)
Some words clang and clash with others. If you say the curtains are “pretty ugly,” which is it? Are they appealing? Or disgusting? Or if you take a “working vacation,” which is it? Business? Or pleasure? And if you, as an accountant who serves Jesus, say you are doing “kingdom work,” are you doing something heavenly or earthly?
The answer matters. Why? Because Jesus announced that the Kingdom of God has come near. He told us to pursue it as our top priority. But if you pour most of your waking hours into the hourglass of a regular job, how can you at the same time seek God’s kingdom first?
God’s Kingdom will come in fullness in the future. But is Jesus somehow exercising his kingdom authority today? In a world full of war . . . and homelessness . . . and greed and. . . bullying, it does not look as if God is in charge. How can God be ruling in the here and now?
To begin with, let’s get a clear idea of that word “kingdom.” When we think of “kingdom,” we may first picture a territory—like the United Kingdom. A kingdom of land. This is an extended meaning of kingdom, not its root meaning. Or “kingdom” may bring to mind the people living in one of those territories, all answering to the king or queen who rules over them. A kingdom of subjects. This, too, is a secondary meaning—not the primary one. At root, “kingdom” means the right of a sovereign to rule. The proper authority of a ruler. Legitimate authority to rule cannot be taken. It must be given to the sovereign.
God the Father gave Jesus the right to rule: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Jesus has the say-so not only in heaven but also here on earth. But how does Jesus exercise that authority on this planet where the will of God is so seldom done?
In his book, SEEK FIRST, Jeremy Treat offers a concise definition of God’s Kingdom in its present form: “The Kingdom is God’s reign through God’s people over God’s place.” Let’s zero in on that to see how it reflects all three meanings of “kingdom.”
As noted earlier, the basis of “kingdom” is the authority of a sovereign to rule. Then, extending out from there, Jesus exercises his authority in and through his people--those who trust and follow him. And, finally, Jesus’s kingdom rule extends through them to the territory of the whole earth—God’s place.
Consider the extent of God’s reign. Jesus’s authority extends over the entire earth. As Dutch theologian Abraham Kuyper said, “There is not a square inch in the whole of creation of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: “Mine!” That “whole of creation” is crammed full of workplaces.
Jesus’s kingdom authority is exercised “through God’s people.” Where do countless numbers of them spend the bulk of their waking hours? In workplaces around the world. Fifty-six percent of the world’s population serves in the workforce.
Jesus rules over “God’s Place.” Let each dot on this world map represent a workplace. Jesus has sent his people into the world, including its billions of workplaces. Through them and other Christ-followers, he exercises his present kingdom rule. This rule looks completely different from the kinds of rule we have grown accustomed to.
As Jesus explained to Pilate, “My kingdom isn't the sort that grows in this world. . . .If my kingdom were from this world, my supporters would have fought to stop me from being handed over to the Judeans. So, then, my kingdom is not the sort that comes from here.”
From the world’s perspective, Jesus has turned authority upside down. But we are so used to the lord-it-over kind of authority, we might not even recognize how his kingdom authority works. Jesus did God’s will on earth by serving, by taking the low place. Rather than gaining power by shedding the blood of enemies, he shed his own blood for them. The crown he wore brought pain to himself, not to others.
He clearly does not rule his kingdom with an iron fist, as countless tyrants and dictators have done. Jesus does not exercise his authority by enforcing his will through bloodshed. Nor does Jesus coerce people into compliance through military force.
In his model prayer, Jesus connects God’s Kingdom with the doing of his will: “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” So where God’s will is done on earth, there is his kingdom. By doing his will in the “garden patch of your work responsibility, you are seeking first his kingdom there.
But how does the kingdom of God look there in the garden patch of your work? What does God will to be done there? First, there’s the work itself. God wants you to do work that benefits others. For example:
He wills that people: EAT (work done in farms, restaurants, grocery stores, and so on)
He wills that they DRINK clean water (which requires well drilling, water purifying, plumbing, etc.)
He wills that they WEAR clothing (which means fabric weaving, garment making, and clothing sales)
He wills that they LIVE in safety (involving law enforcement, courts, and social services)
He wills that they STAY HEALTHY (the work of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and medical research)
God provides in all these areas and so many more through the work of human beings. Just by the act of working, you are imaging the God who works.
Second, there’s how you do the work and relate to coworkers and others. As you work, doing God’s will may well mean:
Forgiving those who wrong you.
Admitting your own work-related failures.
Turning the other cheek.
Respecting those you work with.
Loving and praying for enemies.
Keeping your word.
Honoring the boss.
Doing quality work.
By working in these ways you can demonstrate what the rule of Christ looks like in any given situation. And if you do his will, you will offer those around you a sample of God’s kingdom now and a foretaste of his kingdom yet to come.
When Christ rules the worker, then the work demonstrates his Kingdom rule.
From Chapter 13:
“The point? Through their work, God scatters his Christ-following people far and wide. Jesus said we are ‘good seed.’ We are the ‘people of the kingdom’” (Matt. 13:38).
