05-12-2007 09:04 |
Forum: MIND |
I agree with Ike that the language of the Kingdom is love. I guess I was looking for more...as in, how does a member of the Kingdom talk to others? How does a person in the Kingdom convey a message about the Kingdom he/she lives in?
I found some interesting quotes that kind of take me to those places of how a citizen of the Kingdom would sound. What do you think?
1. Since we strive to imitate the earliest followers of Christ, what does the diversity found in the New Testament teach us about what it means to be the church? [...] Like Jesus, the church is sent into the world to empty itself of all privilege so that it might serve others (Philippians 2:5-11). [...] The church's question in each context is not "what will make us popular?" but "what would a servant-church look like here?" [...]
Since sacrifice and servanthood lie at the core of the gospel, churches give up their rights for the sake of others, including the right to form a congregation for the primary purpose of meeting members own needs for comfort (Seeking A Lasting City by Mark Love, Randy Harris, and Douglas Foster p. 93).
2. The New Testament claims that, in Jesus' death and resurrection, Christ has defeated the "rulers and authorities" [...] Colossians 2:9-15 declares that Christ has disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, leading them as hostages in triumphed victory procession. Indeed, Christ is now not only head of the church but head of every ruler and authority (see also Ephesians 1:20-23). Part of the task of the church is to make known the wisdom of God to the rulers and authorities.
Such language is a dramatic challenge to the powers, governments, authorities, and institutions of the world. These political claims for Christ and for the church as the people of God demand that people make a choice, a choice of allegiance. The "holy" people will be those who have been set apart for Christ's service. They are the people different from those around them, different because they have given their ultimate allegiance to God through Jesus as Lord (Missional Church by Darrell Guder p. 118-119).
3. Christians share the language of the cultures that surround them, but they speak with a distinctive vocabulary that expresses realities that they experience and are now able to identify through the agency of the Holy Spirit. This different vocabulary is not confined to technical theological terms employed by the church as a verbal shorthand for complex Christian experience. It also includes simple words like sin, grace, and holiness, words reflecting equally complex realities but seldom used in everyday speech in North America.
God's sent people certainly do not use this distinctive vocabulary in order to keep secrets from the world. This motive would be contrary to their mission in and to the reign of God. But distinctive words are needed to signal the new and different life Christians find themselves living in communion with God's holy nation and in allegiance to God's present and future reign (Missional Church by Darrell Guder p. 120-121).
"No Greater Love" by Steven Curtis Chapman
The man heard singing/chanting at the end of this song is Mincaye (min-KI), a member of the Waodoni people of Equador, formerly known as the Aucas. In 1956, Mincaye along with five other men of his tribe acting in fear, ignorance, and violent anger attacked and speared to death five men who had mysteriously dropped from the sky into their jungle. Through God's miraculous grace and faithful "God Followers," Mincaye would later come to understand that these men had come not to bring them harm but the ultimate "message of peace." Mincaye now knows and sings of that peace that comes through a relationship with the "Man Maker" (God) as is beautifully evident in his countenance as well as his words when he talks about it, even though I don't understand his language. I had the great privilege of explaining the message of the song "No Greater Love" to Mincaye and asked him if he would sing with me. The result is what I believe to be a little sampling of the music of heaven that is heard at the end of this song. No music was played for Mincaye as he chanted. I simply asked him to sing and began recording. When we later put his chanting with the song we had recorded we found that he was singing/chanting in exactly the right key. One of many evidences that this was a "God thing."
"No Greater Love"
Man of courage with your message of peace
What is that look in your eyes?
Why have you come to this faraway place?
What is this story you would lay down your life to tell?
What kind of love can this be?
There is no greater love than this
There is no greater gift that can ever be given
To be willing to die so another might live
There is no greater love than this
Broken hearted from all you have lost
How can you sing through your tears?
What is this music that can bear such a cost?
What is this fire that grows stronger against the wind?
What kind of flame can this be?
This is the love that God showed the world
When He gave us His Son
So we could know His love forever
Beyond the gates of splendor
"The Creation/Heaven Song" (Mincaye's song)
God, creating from nothing, has made all the things around us.
While our hearts are beating and we are alive, let's all believe.
Believe without being afraid.
I also to God's place am going.
We believers are going to God's place.
Let us all believe that.
How can it be that we will go?
If we are clean in our hearts, then let's get out of here.
We, the believing ones, shall go up to God's place.
All of us believers who are still living, we will be saying to ourselves,
"We want to go up to God's place."
"Love" 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 [The Word on the Street by Rob Lacey]
What is love anyway? Not the tripe you've been force-fed! No, love gives people space and time; it does people good. It's not jealous, loud-mouthed or big-headed. It's not vulgar; it doesn't look after No. 1. It's not got a short fuse - it forgives and forgets. Love doesn't smile when dark stuff goes on, but throws a party when the truth gets out. It protects more than a blockbuster hero; it trusts more than a toddler. It's always positive; it always hangs in there. Love doesn't let you down.
"Neighbors" Luke 10:25-37 [The Word on the Street by Rob Lacey]
One of the religious law profs tries to catch Jesus out: "What've I got to do to get this limitless life?"
"You're a lawyer. What's the law say?" asks Jesus.
He rolls off the pat answer: "Love God with everything you've got and love your neighbor as you love yourself."
"Good answer," says Jesus. "Do it and you'll get this limitless life!"
But he couldn't resist posing: "But who qualifies as, quote, 'neighbor'?"
Jesus says, "There's a guy leaving Jerusalem on Jericho Rd., OK? He gets mugged, left in the gutter half-naked and two-thirds dead. One of the God-reps is passing, sees him and crosses the road...to avoid him!" (He waits for the gasps to die down.) "Then an HQ worker goes past, sees him and does the same." (Slightly smaller gasps.) "Next up a Samaritan goes past. Sees him and, what d'you reckon? Tell you what multiple choice: (a) walks on past, (b) goes over and sees if they've left any money so he can steal it, or (c) starts kicking him in to finish off the job. No idea? Well, the answer is...(d) cleans his injuries, lifts the guy onto his donkey, walks him to the next country pub, pays for bed and full board, promising to cover the excess if the bill tots up to more." (Major rumble of shocked voices.) "So who's down in the characters list as 'neighbor' then?"
The slick lawyer mumbles, "The Sama--...uh...the guy who looked after him."
"So, go do the same," Jesus says.
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