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KINGDOMBITE # 3

THE KINGDOM: ETERNAL 

    The word “eternal” not only means without end but with without beginning. It has always been and always will be.  The Kingdom of God is eternal.  Its history is measureless, transcendent.   Observe antiquity and you will not find its beginning. It has no such.  Look to the future and imagine as far ahead as you are able, yet you will not see its end.  It if has never not been and never will not be, it is now!  It is timeless, yet is timeful; it is beyond time, yet deeply involved in time.  It transcends time in every direction, yet is intimate with time and gives respect to time’s dimensions.
    Being eternal, the Kingdom of God is indestructible, unshakable, and wins by sheer permanence.  It disturbs tyrants, mocks pretenders to its authority and presides over the decay and destruction of mighty nations.
    Hey, it’s nice to be a part of something that will be around a trillion years and then some!  The Kingdom is eternal.

Jack Taylor

KINGDOMBITE #2

THE KINGDOM: A MYSTERY

Jesus called the Kingdom a mystery. A mystery is something unexplainable or hidden.

Nowhere does Jesus give a definition of the Kingdom but he gives many illustrations of it, begi9nning with the words, “The kingdom of heaven is like . . .” It is “like a mustard seed, like a man who sowed good seed, like leaven, like treasure hidden in a field, like a merchant looking for fine pearls, like a net let down in a lake.”

Yet, with all the examples, illustrations and parables, the Kingdom remains a mystery. From what Jesus said, we know much of what the kingdom is like but we are still faced with a mystery (Matthew 13:31-47).

There are several reasons for the lingering mystery:

(1) Its magnitude. The Kingdom is larger than man can think or even imagine. No man can wrap his small around something so huge.

(2) The absence of a proper model. While the parables give us some characteristics they do not give us a whole picture of this vast Kingdom.

(3) Jesus chose to speak in a manner in which understanding was not expected.

(4) A full understanding of the mysteries of the Kingdom was meant for a later time. The fact is, the Kingdom is beyond comprehension but not beyond apprehension. It is not hidden from us but for us.

The important thing to remember is that Jesus said, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness . . . (Matthew 6:33).” There would be very little encouragement to seek something that is perfectly clear. A mystery encourages, even demands a search. Continued searching anticipates finding.

Any language is taxed to its utmost to give description to the Kingdom of God.

Welcome to the supreme mystery of time and eternity and bow before mystery and majesty.

 

Jack Taylor

KINGDOMBITE # 1 (Introducing the Series)

 

HOW DOES A PERSON EAT AN ELEPHANT?

(There’s an Elephant in the Church House!)

 

This brief article launches a series of short, informal and to-the-point bulletins of the all-important subject of the Kingdom of God.

The topic of this article has to do with eating an elephant. The elephant is an illustration of something very huge that cannot be denied. We often refer to an obvious subject yet to be acknowledged as “an elephant in the room”.

The

Kingdom

of

God

is to the whole of Christianity the “elephant in the room” and up until a little while ago it was largely un-addressed except under the pressure of taking positions all along the spectrum of opinions, background, past, present and future of the Kingdom. It is difficult to conceive that the subject that Jesus addressed throughout his ministry from beginning to end, literally, seems only to merit honorable mention in Christendom today. So there is an elephant in the room!

Now that we have acknowledged the elephant, we must deal with the same.. The reference to “eating an elephant” does not mean that I am suggesting that such is going to happen but I am recommending that we deal with up front with the issue of to the

Kingdom

of

God

.

If one could rake up a ravenous appetite sufficient to take on an elephant for supper, there would be only one way to do it, one bite at a time!

The same rule must apply to the

Kingdom

of

God

, the elephant in the church house.

How shall we receive the Kingdom? What will be our first move? More ponderous than the elephant is this great subject that occupies the heart of God 24/7.

Therefore, I propose that we approach the matter of “eating” the Kingdom as we might face the issue of “eating an elephant” . . . one bite at a time or, as I have just consulted the dictionary, it might be one “byte” at a time.

Nevertheless, the next articles on the

Kingdom

of

God

will be offered unto the title, Kingdombites, an elephant-sized subject, a bite at a time.

It’s huge!