Building the Kingdom of God; Interconnected

April 23

Read: Col. 1:15-20, 2 Cor. 5:16-21, 1 Cor. 15:25-28, Mark 12:31

Building the Kingdom of God;

Interconnected

“For by him (Jesus) all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Col. 1:16,17)

“The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:31)

The reality of the Kingdom of God is that we are ALL connected in one way or another. This is cosmically true according to the scriptures. Colossians tells us that “all things are held together in Christ”. (cf. Col. 1:15-20) Every created thing is held together ‘in Christ”. In this way, we are “all in the same boat” … connected. The work and ministry of Jesus is indeed putting all things into their proper order in Christ. We see this in the passages above. This Kingdom concept is born out in how we treat others - we “love our neighbors as ourselves”. Why is this? Because - in a way - we love them as ourselves because we are connected to them. (cf. Mark 12:31) This is the same reasoning given in Eph. 5 regarding husbands and wives… we love our spouses as ourselves because we have “become one” with them. For a husband to love his wife is the same as loving his own body! (cf. Eph. 5:28) This truth is told over and over again in God’s word.

As Christ's followers, we can no longer look upon the plight of someone else and think, “That has nothing to do with me.” The snarky remark of the murderer Cain comes to mind, “Am I my brother’s keeper!?” (cf. Gen. 4:9) The answer from the Lord is clear… “YES.” You are “your brother’s keeper”. When someone else is winning, you too are winning. When someone else is suffering loss, you too are suffering loss. We “mourn with those who mourn, and rejoice with those who rejoice.” (cf. Rom. 12:15) We are inter-connected in Christ. This is profoundly worked out in Jesus’s very own words. Do you want to know just how “interconnected” we truly are in Christ? Look no further than these words from Christ:

“Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” (Matt 25:37-40)

Jesus says that our actions to the “least of these” are actually our actions towards him. This demonstrates the interconnected nature of the Kingdom of God. This stands in contrast with the enemy who wants us to believe the lies that it is “every man for himself”. The enemy wants us to think we can make it on our own. The enemy wants us to think our wins and losses are ours alone. The enemy wants us to think that our sin impacts no one else. These are the LIES of “separation”… the opposite of The Kingdom.

If we are going to truly live out the Kingdom of God in this world, it must begin with the truth of our interconnectedness. We no longer see others as enemies to be conquered or opponents to be destroyed. We do not consider others according to the flesh. (cf. 2 Cor. 5:16) The Lord gives us eyes to see the world the way that it truly is… created and held together in Christ. This profoundly shapes how I love my neighbor… how I care for the least of these… how I mourn and how I rejoice. The enemy wants us divided… the King (Jesus) wants us united. Hail King Jesus! Love you guys. - JDP