‘What is More Important?’

1/16/2018

I Was Thinking…

What is more important (a) the Church or (b) the Kingdom of God? It depends. The Kingdom of God is everywhere including everything. It is people who are red, yellow, black and white. All are precious in God’s sight. All who are in the Kingdom of God bow to and worship God as the all wise, all powerful and all present God.

The Church is an instrument of the Kingdom of God. It is the ‘bride of Christ’; it is the ‘body of Christ’; it is the community of believers. The ‘why’ of the Church is the Kingdom of God. The Church exists for the growing forth of the Kingdom of God. The Church is not the Kingdom of God. The Church is a vessel of/for the Kingdom of God.

Which is more important? Sometimes the Church loses its way. It begins to think that it is the ‘kingdom’. Sometimes the Church thinks that it is the goal rather than a means to the kingdom goal. Sometimes the Church worships herself, its buildings and its people rather than God. Sometimes the people of the church can get too attached to the Church and thus forget her purpose and her reason for existence. Sometimes the Church needs reminding that it is not God’s Kingdom. It needs reminding that God’s Kingdom is bigger, broader and more encompassing than one particular Church.

If the Church is seeking diligently to be about the business of Kingdom building then chances are great that she is a healthy and vibrant vessel for God’s Kingdom. If the Church is too focused on herself with tradition, past, people of a particular church as her focus then chances are she is losing, if not already lost, her way. The purpose of the Church is to be an instrument for Kingdom building. If the Church isn’t growing this is an indicator that the church has lost its ‘why’ and thus lost her way. If the Church isn’t reaching her community then something is askew.

Which is more important (a) the Church or (b) the Kingdom of God? Perhaps another way of asking the same questions is “Are we worshipping God or ourselves?”

Always Thinking…