Invoking the Kingdom

We read in Scripture that God designed, and created, the world and people. And people were designed to live a life of completeness, fullness, and wholeness.

We have discussed the spiritual fuels that man needs to live in wholeness. A relationship with the Father being the main one. Love, community, beauty, and purpose are others.

Because God designed man to need purpose, he embedded the means for man to achieve purpose within creation. Scripture says, whe God created man, he told man to exercise dominion over the earth. The words in the original language indicate that God was giving man authority to form the world for good.

First, the world was designed so men would make significant, meaningful choices, that would produce real effects in the world.

Second, God intended that man would produce, not only, farms, cities, and, even, factories to provide for man's material needs, but also parks, museums, and natural preserves, to provide for man's spiritual needs. (Not to mention, that the farms, cities, and factories should enhance, not detract from, man's physical, spiritual, health, and wholeness.)

Of course, man chose to walk away from God; and while living in separation, man chose greed, pride, and selfishness. He chose to bring destruction, and death to the world.

Moreover, it resulted in man losing his authority over creation. The world became part of the kingdom of the enemy. And he acted to maximize death, destruction, and human misery.

So, man chose separation. And God began a plan of restoration. God made a plan to restore:

• fellowship between God and man;
• fellowship between people;
• man's authority over the earth … practiced in the right way.

And God defeated the enemy, on the cross, and restored the world back to his kingdom.

I have heard the present situation compared to Iwo Jima, during World War II. The Allies had two objectives concerning Iwo Jima. One, to successfully invade, land soldiers on the island, and capture the beach to use as an easy way to supply future operations. Two, to capture the airfield, preventing its use by the enemy, and facilitating its us by the Allies.

The Allies successfully invaded, capturing both the beach, and the airfield. The objectives were complete, and the battle won. And if the enemy had ceased hostilities, that would have been the end of it. But they didn't. They continued to fight, resulting in some of the fiercest action of the war.

Our enemy has been defeated, but he hasn't surrendered. He continues to work to produce as much death, destruction, and misery as he can.

And God's family, like the marines on Iwo Jima, are charged with rooting out the enemy, and installing God's kingdom.