The Kingdom: Part 1

From the Salvation Army you're listening to wonderful words of life. Welcome back everybody. We are excited to have you back on wonderful words of life and I'm excited to have my friend Capt. Jimmy Taylor back. Yeah, I'm so excited to Bernie.

Thank you. It was a great opportunity to bring you back south to the Atlanta homeland for this program so welcome home Jimmy. Thank you. When our fourth week of this series the least of these. If you've missed any episodes. This series began on January 5 so be sure to subscribe. The show where ever you get your podcasts or visit Salvation Army's outcast.org to get caught up this week we begin discussing the kingdom of God.

This knowledge and belief that we are all connected to this kingdom through Christ in the larger family that we are part of. As a result. In this episode Heather says something so beautiful as well say it again, so it sticks with you.

She says that Jesus invited me in, but the family of God kept me there is powerful it is. I find when I go to church. I'm not always necessarily their Jimmy to hear the message. I'm there because I enjoy the family of people that I'm surrounded by now because of that environment and its welcoming nature. I'm more apt to listen what happens on the platform of the behind the pulpit or whatever, but there's a real sense of family and a healthy church. I think yeah you know I think about some of things that I've dealt with this in our current point, we have a shelter with costly inviting people to come and they don't understand this concept of family.

Some of them find themselves abandoned by family or family without bad thing for them. Think about this one lady sheet she was come from our shelter. She attended church and she had to twin children and she just if you're welcome anywhere and I want people to understand that the family of God is truly a family. It really is. It's not blood family is spiritual family and when you when you get together and you fellowship together. You edify Joe you build each other up. You have hurt each other and and that's what this lady found in our course. He still attends today with her children and junior soldiers and things like that Jesus by me, but who Is that the family of God, and I hope your core is really truly the family of God and embracing the people that walk in the doors, but for the first time. Yeah, I think any church that's going to have quote unquote success is going to have a welcoming environment for sure. It's something that we can all be challenged to consider as we go through the doors each week. Will we hope that you will be encouraged by this message and pray that you will join us again next week so we can talk more about it this week were talking about the kingdom.

As part of our least of these series absolutely that thinking is something that we can experience in our lives, but it's also so much more than we can see where our own right, but it's also the kingdom that calls us to go see no we sit on these verses were Jesus talks with the kingdom is here and now, you know, but thy kingdom come right to the kingdom comes but Jesus didn't come to sit on the throne as King right, the kingdom, so that we can go out. So talking about the type of the kingdom really for me to begin here Colleen kingdom. I know who did Jesus that invited me in a relationship with him. He invited me into relationship with his people with the body of Christ with the church price and were saying. What brought you here into the kingdom. Why did you stay in. Why does that matter is set is a really good class in the Scriptures that were looking to speak both English chapter 10 in Mark chapter 6 because those are accounts of Jesus sending people out to be driving those that they encounter to be in full-time ministry.

Whether that priestly ministry hearing ministry deliverance ministry will testify already in our series. It's been the family of God.

That really – and helped us to grow into the Christians that we were meant to be and that when we go out into the world, we have to ask ourselves what we inviting people back to what we have to offer is the church who are we as a people and you and I Rob we start with the question of what brought us here in the first place 9/11 as we look at the Scriptures when Jesus sends folks out to buy two to go out into the crowd and it's not just that he sends them out in this functional way in this practical way he does because he's like you know he'll those that are sick, cleanse those that are experiencing leprosy right raise the dead, like like there's transactional things happening here, but they're transformative then say not just about going out and doing the stuff, but in the fullness of the kingdom in the fullness of who Jesus is.

I believe this is also this moment were we get to do the stuffer see Jesus, and do the stuff in our midst. But then we get to live it out together in the kingdom. So when I look into the word chapter time starting at verse seven.

He's talking to the disciples about how they should live amongst people and he's not saying them like set up a tent outside of town go back to 10 every night like live with people like share their home.

In relationship with them and sit around the table and you know in our studies that back in the day in Jesus time like a car on their way to church. I went in a pilot study in no rush and rushing through its me always. This was long experience of sitting on a table being close, leaning shoulder to shoulder email everyone reaching in and getting their PN. The same comments below. I don't know that they want afraid to get close to one another one. I think we live in this world so connected right then and we get that we talk about that a lot.

How connected we are through devices and just with technology, you know, we feel very connected but in some ways with each other. We feel pretty disconnected and there's also this thing where we can look at our lives these as well. It's not like you said we were so busy now where you know were taking the kids here and work were doing this in our schedules are so crazy and we almost come to this place were were so connected through technology and you know through our devices but then we sensed this disconnection with each other and we can look at the world and say will the world's different. It's so busy we we just don't have time for that right and so when it comes to God. The kingdom of God is just so other than the world because the kingdom of God does not conform to the patent of the world. The kingdom of God always has time for double dipping with the hummus and the pita always has time for togetherness. Holy togetherness in our experience, what that looks like is learning to find that holy community in the midst of what God is calling us to do right and I think we get that like as believers and people that are walking with Jesus and learning about you think we get that. I mean there books and books written about this podcast we talk about this so much the idea of Sabbath of rest about being connected and in the world we live in it. We get all this and I think when we hear this something in us. It resounds like we know that this is true, but then sometimes we just then go on and we don't actually get there. So, under what is it, how do we actually move from, you know, being so disconnected from the kingdom. Maybe moving into that rhythm.

Where were making room for the kingdom to live in fullness where you know my schedule or all this stuff I have to do. Whether that's in my daily life are in my family or even in my ministry. How do I move past the to do list into the kingdom where we spent time to get to know each other how we actually do that while I think it just starts by making the next best choice.

So sometimes I want to hold a comprehensive plan with all these moving parts and revamp my whole life to shape around a bit practical. I think sometimes it just starts with doing the next best thing and maybe the next best thing is today. I don't eat lunch at my desk in my office on the fourth floor.

I take my lunch and I walked down social anxiety are not awkwardness or not and I eat lunch in the lunch room at a table. Maybe I make a plan with a friend say hey, lunch and want to sit with me.

You know that one person I know only to make a friend and maybe that begins with just the one person that we have opportunity to engage in front of us, whether that's her coworker you know whether that's what it is. One of our kids, you know I was thinking yesterday when the last time I just took my oldest son, Jonathan, just out to do something that he loved to do in sharing that moment with him because the media that is in trying to find the perfect thing for the most seen on Instagram about saying whatever the case of an Iraqi socks off. It's you know that you going for a drive and getting a drink and talking and laughing about his day and when you see his face light not telling something that happened to him as Jillian at moment in sharing life together right and we asked the question what brought you here, but also why does it matter. Maybe that's what keeps you coming back right it is that connectedness, I think it is because the promise of the gospel is Christ in me the hope of glory. It's that I'm that for God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him doesn't perish, but lives forever, but this idea like never having to live alone, but always living forever connected with Christ it like it is that terrible loneliness that comes from from just living in a world that is technologically connected.

But in terms of holy togetherness is just an absent and so I think about how knowing that when we are born again that the Spirit of God comes to live in me, and the spirit of God in the witnesses that the spirit of God in such a joy for believers and fellowship that such a joy when you get to share with somebody about knowing Jesus or something crazy he did for you last week when the person you're saying with Nelson you're not there like God. Jesus person and then write to me and I think it's really beautiful and maybe the goal could be as simple as that. Right and I think this idea were Jesus is like I have some water for you when you drink, you'll never again and again in this invitation. You know I have some bread for you when you eat it you'll never be hungry again that there's a connectedness in the kingdom between Austin Jesus through the Holy Spirit and then between each other as brothers and sisters in the kingdom where we get to taste of something that truly satisfies. And it's a connectedness that doesn't exist in the world like that connectedness the world really is just a false image of what God has to offer to her and so think about scripturally focused backup especially on Mark chapter 6 when Jesus ascended his disciples out like the people that are then rock 'n' roll with him for like the last couple years and even spending every day in Tammany have been discipled by Jesus the Christ. He says something like, tell them to like Saudi suitcases full of supplies and VBS kids and no extra pairs of clothes to give outfield and he said it would take months to staff because you know the best thing when we left off, what we have to offer lives within us by the power of the Holy Spirit. It's I want to tell you what the Lord has done with the Lord is done for me. He lifted me from the miry clay. Oh happy day.

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