Week 46—Monday Luke 4:42-44
Luke 4:42-44
Week 46—MONDAY
WE DO NOT BUILD THE KINGDOM—WE RECEIVE IT
We have seen that while the church contains the best life of the Kingdom, the church is not the Kingdom. You build the church, you do not build the Kingdom—you “receive the Kingdom.” It is built—built from the foundation of the world, built into the structure of Reality—it is Reality.
Jesus went about “preaching the gospel of the kingdom.” (Matt. 4:23). It was the only thing he ever called his gospel. But suppose we would go out preaching the gospel of the church. People would laugh for the church is us, writ large.
A disciple came to Jesus and said, “‘Master, we saw a man casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him, because he does not follow with us.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘Do not forbid him; for he that is not against you is for you’” (Luke 9:49-50). Why did Jesus change this statement? In one place he said, “He who is not with me is against me” (Luke 11:23), but here he said, “He that is not against you is for you.” Why? Well, in one place following them was the issue—“he does not follow with us.” And Jesus said, “You are not the issue and following you is not the issue, so if they are not against you they are for you. But I am the issue and following me is the issue, so if you are not with me you are against me,” So the issue is not whether I belong to this group, that group, or the other group, but whether I belong to Christ. In other words, the church is not the issue, but Christ is. I am not saved by belonging to the church, but by belonging to Christ and his kingdom.
And yet the ecumenical emphasis of modern times would seem to imply that the church is the Redeemer. Or its position is very close to the tendency in the Roman Church of making Christ and Mary co-redeemers. The modern ecumenical emphasis would seem to make Christ and the church co-redeemers. Both are false. There is one and only one Redeemer—Christ Jesus our Lord!
O Lord Jesus, we cannot see the Father except through you, the Son. If we look at you through the church, our vision is blurred, for the medium is blurred. In you there is no blur, for there is no fault. We thank you. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: If I am humble enough to receive the Kingdom I shall be strong enough to do the “greater works.”