Comments on: The Alphabet of Grace: K is for Kingdom

By: Wayne Harnett

Wayne Harnett — Thu, 26 Nov 2020 01:36:09 +0000

Thanks Mike for a beautiful description of the Kingdom, where the commands of Jesus are lived out, and love reigns. The Kingdom of God is both a gracious invitation, but is also threatening. It invites people of all nationalies, backgrounds, even religions, to live in a way in which joy and peace can flourish, because it’s membership is not defined by creed, but by life. Yet at the same time it is threatening, threatening to the established Church in which there is always the temptation to seek to be the sole arbiters of who has this abundant life and who does not. The very fact that the Kingdom of God is not under human control is challenging to a hierarchy in which control is strongly desired. The Kingdom of God will therefore always be something of a double-edged sword, beckoning us forward, but also requiring us to lay down cherished idols. Rather like Jesus himself.

By: Michael Frost

Michael Frost — Wed, 25 Nov 2020 22:05:55 +0000

In reply to Michael. Yes, that's a really helpful contribution to the discussion, Mike. Thank you.

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 25 Nov 2020 21:28:37 +0000

Hi Mike, very nice article – really nice… I love the way you drew together the different concepts and roll them out, and unfolding of your own study and the conversation so many of us have had on social media.

Early in the article you reference how the people, this peculiar people of this kingdom live differently and there is no hunger, etc. Reading the article it made me think back to a recent series I taught, and some study I have done using some of the Tim Keller and NT Wright’s work On the topic of justice, and one of the amazing aspects of bringing justice was the church, this peculiar sacramental people in word and sign willingly, keyword, disadvantaging them selves in order to advantage the disadvantaged… Bringing about that wholesome equality. This is the prophetic statement that is different from socialism where the state takes the money and redistributes it, or the hyper individualistic western world we have where a person decides if they were philanthropically share from the access and overflow… Where there is a willingness as well as a natural DNA and application of this peculiar people to live in such a different way – I love that idea entered into what it is to be a part of the kingdom – it makes a difference in who we are, how we live, and certainly would create A hole where we would be missed if we disappeared.