Kingdom(s)
“Maybe it’s not about the happy ending. Maybe it’s about the story.” ~Albert Camus~
In the opening scenes of the book of Genesis, Creator God tells of a Garden in Eden that contains everything mankind would ever need. Mankind would have an assignment in that Garden, and all was at his disposal to fulfill his charge.
Be fruitful and multiply;
fill the earth; subdue it,
have dominion over the fish of the sea &
over the birds of the heavens and
over every living thing that moves on the earth.
The garden environment was divine in presence. Adam and Eve were naked, yet unaware of their fleshly nature and God walked with them and talked with them in His creation environment. The presence of God so permeated the atmosphere with its weight and substance that mankind was unaware of themselves completely.
We are told in the third chapter of Genesis that Adam and Eve encountered a divine adversary. The encounter, while targeting mankind, was an adversary not only to humanity but to the plans of God. The goal of the adversary was not only to strip away the holy charge given to mankind but to rule, reign, and receive worship as if he were the Creator God. The adversary succeeded, mankind fell and redemption began.
When Christ is introduced in the Gospels (Matthew 4, Mark 1 & Luke 4) as Jesus begins His ministry, after his baptism by John Jesus was led by Holy Spirit into a wilderness encounter with this adversary. Luke records this encounter in chapter 4 of his gospel from where we get this portion:
“And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” (emphasis mine)
The adversary tells Jesus that he received delivery of kingdoms that he would give to Jesus if Jesus would bend the knee in worship. We know that Jesus did not come to bend His knee to a dark kingdom, nor did he come to retrieve a kingdom that was wrongly delivered. He came to proclaim, announce, establish, and exemplify His Kingdom. His walk in the earthly realm put the dark kingdoms on notice that Heaven was on the scene.
Have you ever positioned your salvation, your relationship with Jesus, and your religious works in alignment with a “Kingdom” mentality? It is really easy to just be self-centered in our redemptive walk, my sin, my salvation, my spirituality. But the redemptive story is about your walk in a Kingdom battle. You have been redeemed from the kingdoms of this world and from the grips of sin, depravity, and idolatry that they represent UNTO the Kingdom of our God and His Christ.
You—your person—your personality—your entire being has a purpose and is part of God’s redemption story for all nations and all creation.
Unlike the Garden where mankind walked, unaware of their flesh in the presence and glory of God, the prophets tell us that this presence, this glory, was going to live inside of His people. (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:26)
Christ’s resurrection and ascension set in motion the release of Holy Spirit on all flesh as prophesied by Joel (2:28-32) and seen in the book of Acts (2:1-13). Holy Spirit is the manifestation of God in our time and it is by His work that Jesus lives inside of us.
Before the fall Adam and Eve were naked and unaware of their flesh, we are born in a painful awareness of our flesh and like our predecessors work hard to cover our nakedness. Yet God as a good father knows our sad situation and Jesus, our savior took it all to the cross it remains Holy Spirit working in and with us toward our purpose place, and identity in the Kingdom story. Surrendering to the working of Holy Spirit in time and seasons, in the wilderness, and promise as we live out our own story in redemptions plan.
The apostle Paul, by relating his own experiences to the church at Ephesus, warns his readers, including us we too will encounter this adversary. He tells us that the devil is a schemer of the spiritual realm but gives us a visual strategy for our walk. He says this:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. Ephesians 6:10-20
The visual of a well-armored warrior spoken of by Paul lays further proof to the argument that our Gospel is more than just a salvation Gospel. We need that helmet and our salvation is important valuable and holy, but it is not the end of the story, it is just the beginning.
We must know our Lord and his strength, we must learn to stand in His truth, we need to exercise our faith, speak the word, and plate ourselves in righteousness. A moralistic, self-help religious system of doctrine does not do this for us.
It comes from a determined choice to yield to Holy Spirit and step into our sacred identity.