Jesus' Empire
I ran across the following paragraph of Tom Sine from The New Conspirators.
"When Jesus began teaching he made it clear that his new empire would be unlike any empire the world had ever seen. It came on a donkey's back. Its imperial council was comprised of a handful of unemployed fishermen, a couple of IRS agents, a prostitute and some hangers on. Jesus demonstrated how to wield his imperial power by washing feet, telling stories and playing with kids. Jesus' empire is based on the absurd values that the last should be first, losers are winners, and the most influential in the empire should clean the toilets. Members of the empire are are instructed to love their enemies, forgive their friends, always give twice as much as people ask of them and never pursue power or position. Jesus insisted that those who are part of his empire shouldn't worry about finances, but simply trust God. The resources to run the empire were basins, towels, and leftover lunches. This empire also developed a reputation for constant partying - almost always with the wrong kind of people."
Sine's ability to turn a phrase eloquently portrays the values of the kingdom of God, which turns current church and governmental systems on their heads. This kingdom that Jesus ushered in is the new creation while the present systems that are so commonly employed are still part of the old creation.
The old creation, contrary to how it may appear, is wearing out due to the corruption of sin, which it has been subjected to. We are witnessing it with our very eyes as the world's governmental systems are breaking down, financial security is fast becoming a thing of the past for most people, and the world is convulsing under the overwhelming weight of unsolvable problems that threaten the existence of society as we have known it.
The new creation that Jesus announced is one of absurdity and utopian fantasy to the old creation mentality. Therefore leaders continue to employ their doomed theories and postulates to fix the unfixable. The unregenerate mind can't comprehend the ways of the new creation. That's to be expected. But when those who have entered the new creation revert to living by the doomed ways of the old creation, they have fallen from grace.
It's time to take the radical step of totally embracing the new while rejecting and letting go of the old. However, sad to say, too many "Christians" don't have a clue as to what the new is, that is, the kingdom of God. I have a sense that it will take drastic measures to rectify this.
"When Jesus began teaching he made it clear that his new empire would be unlike any empire the world had ever seen. It came on a donkey's back. Its imperial council was comprised of a handful of unemployed fishermen, a couple of IRS agents, a prostitute and some hangers on. Jesus demonstrated how to wield his imperial power by washing feet, telling stories and playing with kids. Jesus' empire is based on the absurd values that the last should be first, losers are winners, and the most influential in the empire should clean the toilets. Members of the empire are are instructed to love their enemies, forgive their friends, always give twice as much as people ask of them and never pursue power or position. Jesus insisted that those who are part of his empire shouldn't worry about finances, but simply trust God. The resources to run the empire were basins, towels, and leftover lunches. This empire also developed a reputation for constant partying - almost always with the wrong kind of people."
Sine's ability to turn a phrase eloquently portrays the values of the kingdom of God, which turns current church and governmental systems on their heads. This kingdom that Jesus ushered in is the new creation while the present systems that are so commonly employed are still part of the old creation.
The old creation, contrary to how it may appear, is wearing out due to the corruption of sin, which it has been subjected to. We are witnessing it with our very eyes as the world's governmental systems are breaking down, financial security is fast becoming a thing of the past for most people, and the world is convulsing under the overwhelming weight of unsolvable problems that threaten the existence of society as we have known it.
The new creation that Jesus announced is one of absurdity and utopian fantasy to the old creation mentality. Therefore leaders continue to employ their doomed theories and postulates to fix the unfixable. The unregenerate mind can't comprehend the ways of the new creation. That's to be expected. But when those who have entered the new creation revert to living by the doomed ways of the old creation, they have fallen from grace.
It's time to take the radical step of totally embracing the new while rejecting and letting go of the old. However, sad to say, too many "Christians" don't have a clue as to what the new is, that is, the kingdom of God. I have a sense that it will take drastic measures to rectify this.
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