Bringing about the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.

Matt 25.34+

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

I want to share my thoughts on the Kingdom of Heaven and how it relates to Missions.  I think that, as a church, we have distorted and confused missions and mission work by setting it off in a category all of it’s own.  When someone mentions missions work today we immediately think of something that is being done outside the Church or that is auxiliary to the Church.  But I don’t think that that is a correct image of missions.  I believe that in the Body of Christ, missions is a fundamental, even foundational element. 

The same thing happens when we talk about missionaries.  Immediately we envision certain people who are sent outside the church to evangelize far-off lands.  It is not just certain people that are called to do “mission work.”  And they are not just called to far-off lands. 

After his resurrection and before He was taken up into heaven, Jesus spoke with his disciples about the necessity of evangelism.  There are two well known verses which record his instructions.  The first is called the Great Commission in Matt 28.19-20, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”  Listen to what is said here: Go and make disciples, Baptize them, Teach them my way. 

The second is scripture is found in Acts 1.8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  It is important to note that Jesus tells his disciples that they are to be His witnesses in Jerusalem (their home), in Judea and Samaria (the surrounding regions), and lastly to the ends of the earth! 

Was this command only given to the 11 disciples?  Or was this Commission given only to certain people?  No.  He gave it to everyone who would follow him; he gave it to the entire church.  It is the duty of every Christian to help make disciples, baptize them in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and Teach them the ways of Christ.  It is the duty of every Disciple of Christ to be involved in Missions. 

But that doesn’t mean everyone has to leave their home and go to a foreign country.  Remember in Acts that Jesus tells his disciples to be witnesses for him in their homeland, in the surrounding regions, and, lastly, to the ends of the earth.  The church is called to be missions-oriented, and individuals are called to be missionaries, but for most people that call is local.  We are called to be missionaries in your neighborhood, at your work, among the people you interact with daily.

So we see that the call to missions is universal.  And that leads us to ask the question, “what exactly is missions and mission work?”

I think of missions as “Proclaiming the Good News of Christ and bringing about the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth.”  Our call to missions is two-fold:  Bringing Jesus and His Kingdom.  There have been times in the past when mission work was solely focused on saving souls.  The rationale was that Jesus was returning soon and that we must save as many souls as we can before He comes.  The intention was good, but they were only preaching half of the Gospel.  Because they were so focused on the eternal they neglected the immediate needs of the souls they saved.  They preached an individual Gospel which saved the individual for eternity, but did nothing to improve his physical and social situation. 

As a reaction to this, some Churches jumped to the other extreme.  Their focus in missions became what is called the Social Gospel.  The Social Gospel movement recognized that the teachings of the Kingdom of Heaven addressed the physical man and the social order.  Unfortunately, this movement was often so focused on restoring balance to the social order that it forgot the first half of the Gospel which is personal salvation through Jesus Christ.

If we preach Christ without preaching the Kingdom of Heaven we neglect the teachings and example of the One we preach.  If we preach the Kingdom of Heaven without preaching Christ we neglect not only the very foundation of that Kingdom but its King as well.  They belong together.  The King and the Kingdom.  Taken together, E. Stanley Jones calls this Gospel the “…total answer to man’s total need.”

This is what we need to be preaching in missions today: the complete Gospel; Personal salvation and social redemption; The “total answer to man’s total need.”  Whether we’re missionaries in a foreign land or missionaries in our neighborhood, we can’t afford to preach only half of the Gospel.  The Good News touches every aspect of life; the spiritual, the physical, the emotional, the social.

I believe that today, as a church, we are doing a good job of preaching Christ and personal salvation.  So, without forgetting that Jesus is the Rock of our Salvation and the Chief Cornerstone, I want to focus on the other half of the Good News, the Kingdom of Heaven.

As followers of Christ we are to endeavor to be like him in everything.  We are to think as He thinks, act as He acts, and teach what He teaches.  And Christ teaches about the Kingdom of Heaven. 

When John the Baptist entered his ministry he preached of the Kingdom.  Matt. 3.1,2 says, “In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, ‘Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near.”  Then he baptized Jesus and Jesus was immediately taken to the desert where he fasted for forty days and was tempted by the Devil.  After this Jesus entered into his ministry and Matthew tells us in 4.17 that “From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven has come near.’”  Christ was preaching the exact same message as John the Baptist, the message of the Kingdom.   This was the focus of His entire ministry.  Jesus makes somewhere around 40 references to the Kingdom in the book of Matthew. 

                So what is this Kingdom Jesus speaks so much of?  It is the Reign of Christ.  It is everything and every creature redeemed and restored to a perfect union with God the Father.  It is the salvation and restoration not just of the individual soul, but also of society, of the physical body, and all of creation.  We know that this perfect Kingdom is coming with the promised return of Christ.  And Romans 8 confirms that not only we, but all of creation is eagerly awaiting the return of Christ and the redemption of all things. 

                But there is a mystery, the Kingdom is more than a future hope, it is already here.  Like Christ who was, and is, and is to come, so also his Kingdom was, and is, and is to come.  It will only be fully revealed when Christ returns for Jesus and the Kingdom are inseparable.  But because Christ already came, so also his Kingdom is already here among us.  Listen to Matt 13:31-32, “He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”” So the Kingdom has not yet fully ripened, but it has been planted.  Jesus continues in verse 33, “He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”  So also the Kingdom is like yeast that takes time to raise the dough. 

Listen also to how Jesus responds to the Pharisees in Matt 12 24-28:

But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”  Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

So the Kingdom of Heaven has come upon us.  It is not just our future hope, but it is a present hope as well.  In addition to the promise we have of a New Heaven and a New Earth with Christ as King, we also have the promise of a better life in the present as well.  We must remember this in missions.  It is not enough to only care for people’s spiritual well-being, we must care for their other needs as well. 

Jesus said, “…This gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matt 24.14). This is our commission as missionaries.  We are to preach the gospel of the Kingdom throughout the whole world! 

So let’s follow the example of our Master.  Matt 4.23 says that “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.”  Jesus was proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom and he was healing people.  And when he sent out the 12 disciples He instructed them to do the same.  He said:

As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’  Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.  (Matt 10.7-8)

Part of the ministry of the Kingdom was caring for people’s physical ailments.  This is why it is so important in missions that we care also for the physical needs of those around us.  We might not be able to raise the dead, but what can we do?  We can bring health care and training, we can dig wells, provide micro-loans, counsel people in need, vote for righteous leaders, and fight for the cause of the poor and needy.  All these are ways in which we can help bring about the Kingdom of God on Earth. 

Satan is actively opposed to this Kingdom.  He wants every that is contrary to the Reign of Christ.  Jesus says in John 10:10 that “the thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  Satan’s objective is to cause as much pain, misery, and destruction in this world before Christ returns.  The Kingdom of Heaven is working to restore all things. 

I had a dramatic example of this on our last trip.  A couple from my church came down with me in Oct.  The wife was a dentist, and Keisy, myself, and this couple went to two different tribes to do dental work.  The dentist pulled around 80 or 90 teeth.  Every single tooth was a battle.  They were decayed, fragile, and many time infected and causing the patient severe pain.  It felt like a physical struggle and a spiritual struggle.  By the second tribe I finally realized the significance of our work.  It felt like Satan was working against us, trying to keep those bad teeth in the mouth.  He wanted to keep those people in pain.  That is his kingdom.  He delights in every hardship and misery that he can inflict on people.  Even things as seemingly insignificant as a painful tooth.  But the Christ and the Kingdom of Heaven has come to set people free.  Even from their infected teeth.  So we prayed over every tooth that it would come out easily and that there would be healing in the mouth.  Every day was exhausting for me, praying and watching the physical and spiritual battle.  But it was worth it.  We were helping to bring about the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. 

And, of course, in the evening Keisy or a pastor would minister to the spiritual needs of the people.  This is what missions is all about: bringing both the King and the Kingdom; the whole Gospel.  Addressing peoples’ eternal needs as well as their temporal needs.  The “…total answer to man’s total need.”

Our Father who art in Heaven,

Hallowed be thy name,

Thy Kingdom come,

Thy Will be done,

On earth as it is in Heaven. 

And Lord, grant us the privilege as missionaries, and as your witnesses, to help bring about that Kingdom.

In Jesus’ name

Amen