Week 6: Advance the Kingdom

Reflection

Live courageously.

“[W]hat we can and must do in the present, if we are obedient to the gospel, if we are following Jesus, and if we are indwelt, energized and directed by the Spirit, is to build for the kingdom…Every act of love, gratitude, and kindness; every work of art or music inspired by the love of God and delight in the beauty of his creation; every minute spent teaching a severely handicapped child to read or to walk; every act of care and nurture, of comfort and support, for one’s fellow human beings and for that matter one’s fellow nonhuman creatures; and of course every prayer, all Spirit-led teaching, every deed that spreads the gospel, builds up the church, embraces and embodies holiness rather than corruption, and makes the name of Jesus honored in the world—all of this will find its way, through the resurrecting power of God, into the new creation that God will one day make.  That is the logic of the mission of God.” 

N.T. Wright, Surprised By Hope

Considering this broad definition, how are you building for God’s kingdom?

Pray fearlessly

“As long as ministry only means that we worry a lot about people and their problems; as long as it means an endless number of activities which we can hardly coordinate, we are still very much dependent on our own narrow and anxious heart.  But when our worries are led to the heart of God and there become prayer, then ministry and prayer become two manifestations of the same all-embracing love of God.” 

Henri Nouwen, The Way of the Heart

What importance do you put on prayer for meeting the great need of our world? 

Practicing Community: Offer Prayer

In Old Testament times, the Jewish people had to rely on the priests to act as intermediaries between themselves and God.  Later through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus restored our relationship and provided the way back to our Father.  Now we have constant, direct access to Him.  

Can you think of a time when God performed a miracle in answer to your prayers?  Explain.

How comfortable are you with turning difficult situations over to God in prayer?  In other words, are  you more likely to hand over a problem to God, to try to solve it yourself, or some combination of the two?  

“Fifty years after D-Day—the Allied invasion to push the German army out of France—two survivors told their stories of what it was like that day.  Troops crossed the English Channel and landed on the beaches of Normandy.  The Germans had the high ground and were firing down on the Allied forces.  One of the men said that as he approached the beach landing, he thought to himself, There is absolutely no way we are going to win this war.

The other man was a pilot who was in the air that day.  He said when he looked down and saw what was about to take place, he thought to himself, There is absolutely no way we are going to lose this fight.

Sometimes what we need is perspective.  We need God to give us a glimpse of what is to come so we can begin to live in His restored future now. 

 In Jesus, we learn that God comes with all His gifts, power, and presence.  The Immanuel story tells us that senseless shootings in elementary schools, movie theaters, and shopping malls won’t have the last word.  Neither will ALS, cancer, heart disease, leukemia, or famine.

 This is the story that compels us to pray for the people in our world who plot violence, that God will raise up His church to seek out the angry and confused and to lavish them with unconditional grace.  We need to extend compassion in acts of service and care before great tragedies happen, as well as afterward.

 God is on the move on Earth.  For two thousand years, God’s people have come together on Sundays to worship.  But when the followers of Jesus are at our best, we know that God’s people don’t stay in church.  Saints know when it’s time to leave home.  God is on the move, and we are with Him.  Let’s join in the restoration of the world.  

Let’s march.”

Storment and Ross, Bringing Heaven to Earth

Next Steps

How might God be inviting you to march?  How do you want to respond?

How can this group support you? End your meeting in prayer for each other.