The secret about spiritual growth

I've had a slow epiphany... although that's really an oxymoron.  But I've been gradually coming to a new point of view, and today I think it suddenly solidified in my mind, hence the epiphany.   Although, now that I'm trying to write about it, the idea isn't as clear to me as it was a few seconds ago.  But bear with me.
Spiritual growth.  We all need to grow and become more like Christ.  That journey is never done.  But what's the point?  I always thought that I needed to grow spiritually in order to just become a better person.  Personal growth will make you a better person, but as a Christian, that shouldn't be the end goal.  We shouldn't be concerned with how God will improve my life for me.  That's rather self-centred, isn't it?  My focus should be on how spiritual formation in my life will help other people come to God and extend God's kingdom on earth.  After all, if God is truly in me, I won't be focused on my own spiritual skills but rather on how God's Spirit in me can flow through to help others.
Jesus spent his entire life helping other people.  He didn't go to church to memorize scripture and sit there and look amazing.  He was out on the front lines, using his knowledge and gifts to show people the way to enter the kingdom of God.
That's what I'm going to be thinking about more this week - how can I grow spiritually in order to benefit the people around me?

The kingdom of God is in you

Luke
At the end of Luke 17, we have another example of 'early scribal emendation' (so called by the Archaeological Study Bible).  If you were reading along and seemed to think a verse number was missing, you weren't crazy!  Luke 17:36 was added to a later version of the manuscript, and is not part of the original book.  Check out Matthew 24:40 - you'll notice that this is the 'missing' Luke 17:36, which a scribe probably copied into Luke because of his familiarity with this particular teaching.

Luke 17:21 says that the kingdom of God is in us.  That sounds almost like eastern mysticism or something, where we have the power deep within us somehow.  Anyway, that's not what the text means.  What is the kingdom of God?  I've talked a little bit about this in earlier posts.  The kingdom of God is wherever his will is being extended and lived out.  God came down to earth as Jesus to bring healing, eternal peace, joy, and righteousness.  If we have accepted his mission, the kingdom of God is now within us!  It has very little to do with what we can do, and has a lot to do with how we partner with God on his mission.

The Great Banquet

Luke
Jesus told the story of a man inviting guests to a great banquet.  His closer friends were invited, but they all made excuses: I just bought some land, or some oxen, or I just got married.  These excuses may sound okay when talking about just being invited over for dinner somewhere.  But the point of the passage here in Luke 14 is the kingdom of God.  Jesus is talking about being given a chance to participate in God's kingdom.  Suddenly those excuses don't seem very good.
What do we do when we hear God asking us to get involved?  Do we make excuses and hem and haw, and try to avoid working with God?  Or do we hear his voice and say, yeah, sign me up!  I'd love to come and help you out.

We can see the kingdom of God

Luke
Jesus said in Luke 9:27 that there would be some among the disciples who would not taste death until they saw the kingdom of God.  What does this mean?  The kingdom of God sometimes seems to be a bit ethereal, not just in the sense that it is part of the spiritual world, but also in that it seems like we could never be a part of it until we die.  But that's not the case.
The kingdom of God exists wherever God has sovereign control.  In one sense, that means everything is God's kingdom.  However, I think that in this context, and in most places where this phraseology is used in the bible, the kingdom of God refers to wherever people are joining in God's mission and working to extend his power in this earthly realm.  We can do this through the Holy Spirit.  Thus, God's kingdom probably truly started at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came on the disciples.
I'm getting a bit of help from Gill's Exposition on the Bible for this idea, but, in Luke 9:27, when Jesus said some of the disciples wouldn't die until they saw the kingdom of God, he meant that some of them would survive until he was raised to life and they could see firsthand his true power and authority as God's Son.

The dead son

Luke
Have you ever seen a dead person raised to life?  I certainly haven't!  But imagine what it would have been like for the people in Nain watching Jesus raise this man to life.  And the joy of the mother, who was a widow and had no other sons.  Her last hope was being carried out in a casket in front of her.  Jesus then came along and raised him to life!  The crowds were in awe and praised God (see Luke 7:11-17 for this story).
I guess my point here is that if Jesus cared enough about this woman that he raised her son to life, I think we can trust him in work in our lives too.

Colossians
Paul had such a powerful ministry, even when he was under house arrest.  He wrote many letters, not just to the Colossians, and his letters have had a last effect on the world, far beyond his time.  Granted, Paul did a lot of stuff before he was in prison, but still, you don't have to go too far to extend God's kingdom here on earth.

The beatitudes

Luke
Have you read Luke's version of the beatitudes (see chapter 6 verse 20-26)?  His are far less 'spiritualized' than the ones quoted in Matthew 5.  For example, Luke only says blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.  Matthew however, says blessed are you who are poor in spirit....
I looked up a couple commentaries, and they don't comment on the non-spiritual seeming aspect of Luke.  Are we supposed to readily see that Luke actually means poor (humble in spirit), because on the surface of things, it appears to mean that those who are physically/economically poor, they have the kingdom of God.  Feel free to weigh in on this conversation!

The eye of a needle

Mark

Jesus said that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it was for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God (Mark 10:25).  Some people have suggested that a camel going through the eye of a needle referred to a small gate into Jerusalem, where camels had to get down on their knees in order to go through it.  Such a task was very difficult, but not impossible.  However, Jesus was likely just referring to a real sewing needle, in which case it would be impossible for a camel to go through the eye of the needle (referenced from the Archaeological Study Bible).  This latter interpretation is supported by Jesus’s later statement in Mark 10:27 – “With man this is impossible…”.  That is, it is impossible for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God on his own.  But the good news is that “with God all things are possible”.  Not to say that following Christ will not be difficult at times, because Jesus also goes on to say that we have to leave family and possessions and follow him wholeheartedly.  But we’ll receive more than what we left behind when we go after God.  The hard part is that we have to give it all up in order to receive.  Ask God today to help you loosen your grip on this world so that you’ll be able to receive more abundantly from the next – eternal life with God!

Caleb

Joshua
Caleb's faith is a wonderful thing to read about.  Here he is, 85 years old, and still ready to fight the foreigners in the name of God.  He went and asked Joshua to let him take over some land in Canaan that still had some other nations living there.  Caleb said in Joshua 14:12 - "Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said."  Caleb had great faith in God's promise that Israel would be able to conquer the promised land.
We may not have to physically fight for land to fulfill God's promises, but we do have to move forward in faith that God will come through.  We can't idly sit around waiting for God to bless us.  We have to take part in advancing his kingdom, and in doing so, we will reap many blessings.

Righteousness, peace, and joy

Romans 14:17 - For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.
This verse alone (though read in context) should be enough to keep the church from petty fights over how we 'do church'.  Unfortunately, we let ourselves get too caught up in the small things and end up completely missing out on what God was really establishing among us - an life of righteousness, peace, and joy! I want to take part in that!  So let's set our minds on things above and work toward this kingdom.

Sitting at his right and left hands

Matthew
It seems kind of crazy that a mother would ask Jesus to have her sons seated at his right and left hand.  Perhaps she just thought he would somehow come into an earthly kingdom?  That would make sense, and Jesus's reply that she didn't know what she was asking fits with that scenario.  It was easy for me to read this passage with my own biased lens and assume that she was asking about his heavenly throne, because that is the kingdom that Jesus was ushering in, a spiritual and heavenly one.  But that's not how most people saw the Messiah back in his day.  He was going to be a king and set up a new political reign.

The staff and salvation

Genesis
I was curious as to what Genesis 47:31 meant - "'Swear to me,' he [Jacob] said. Then Joseph swore to him, and Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff."  Particularly the part about the staff interested me.  What I found out was that out of 10 or so translations, the NIV was the only one that used 'top of his staff'.  The rest talk about the head of the bed.  However, the staff terminology comes from Hebrews 11:21 and the Greek version of the Old Testament, which makes more sense than the Hebrew version 'head of the bed'.  In fact, as I found out from the Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary, the bed likely didn't have have a 'head' as it was just a mat, so top of the staff makes more sense.  Clarke's commentary suggests that Jacob, in his old age, simply needed to lean on the staff for support, and he worshiped God because Joseph would be able to bring his bones back to his forefathers' resting place.

Matthew
In Matthew 9:13 Jesus says, "But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
This verse reminds me that once we're saved, it's not the end.  Jesus was always looking to speak to the sinners, to rescue them and bring them into new life.  Once we've been rescued, we shouldn't sit on our laurels; we should go out and help Jesus extend God's kingdom on earth.

History repeats itself

I couldn't believe how history repeated itself in the story I read in Genesis today.  Isaac told his wife Rebekah to make sure everyone thought he was her brother when they visited Abimelech, king of the Philistines in Gerar.  Abimelech then mistakenly takes Rebekah into his household but is told by God that she is Isaac's wife.  Abimelech is angry with Isaac and sends them both on their way to avoid punishment.  Funny thing is, this exact same scenario happened years earlier when Isaac's father, Abraham, came through Abimelech's land.  He had Sarah pretend to be his sister, Abimelech takes her, God reveals the truth, and Abimelech gives Sarah back.  Abraham leaves with some of the king's spoils as gifts to get him out of the area.  What's the deal her?  Perhaps Isaac had heard the story and decided to take a page out of his father's book in order for some extra bounty from the king?  How would it have felt to be Sarah or Rebekah?

It's interesting to see who God uses to further his kingdom.  Let's take heart in the fact that God delights in using broken vessels, so we can all help out in his kingdom work.

Good news and the kingdom

Key verse
Isaiah 51:11 - The ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Isaiah
52:7, the feet of those who bring good news, speaks of messengers bringing a message of victory to the waiting king (this tidbit compliments of the Archaeological Study Bible).  Do I bring good news (THE good news) to the people I meet?

Luke
23:51 - "He came from the Judean town of Arimathea and he was waiting for the kingdom of God."  This is stated so matter of factly, that Joseph was waiting for the kingdom of God.  The commentaries don't really speak to this statement.  I see it as sort of a saying on a tombstone.  If Joseph had died before Jesus actually came, his headstone may have said "He was waiting for the kingdom of God."  That speaks of hope and faith, like we've been reading about in Hebrews.  Today, let's try to make sure that we are living in the kingdom of God, and extending it as best we can, by the grace of God.