Do we understand
the end game?
A new understanding has come to my mind from teachers and the Bible. Here is an illustration I want to use to show something I think is essential.
My Illustration
I believe the church is like a sports team, and it gets pep talks from the coach and practices every day to be good athletes. The problem with this team is they have no idea what they are practicing for. I believe this is because we have missed the end game. We think we will end up in some non-physical place where we have no idea what it is like.
When that day comes, will we sit around a banquet table because we had practiced? Will we finally get to stop practicing and receive rewards and live in pleasure for eternity? Maybe I am wrong, but I think this is what most Christians contemplate.
How about the Kingdom of God
Instead of thinking about going to a non-physical heaven, we should think about being part of the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is a place that operates very similar to our world today, except we have a righteous king and evil is banned. It is very much a physical world that God started with and wants to end with. So all the practices we do today are similar to what we will do when the Kingdom comes. We actually understand the end game; we know what we will do when game day arrives. I believe understanding this will change how we live.
Our practice is bringing the Kingdom of God to earth in some small ways. The social gospel has been seen as a way to do this. The problem with the social gospel is it is simply good works.
And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
Matthew 4:23
The Reason For The Kingdom
Whereas preaching the kingdom is to do good works to show others so they want to be part of it. They see the value of being a Christian washed in the blood of the Lamb. Being saved to go to heaven day is a non-tangible concept that many see no value in. However, seeing people making a difference in the world now with a promise of the arrival of the Kingdom of God is a clear endgame.
Take a moment and do a words search for the “kingdom of” and read all the passages. It will all climax in Revelations 22:1-5.
“And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: 4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. 5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.”
Revelations 22:1-5
The world will only get worse as Christians sit back waiting for Christ to come. This will be a self-fulfilled prophecy of the world getting worse and worse. Don’t be fooled into this or you might not hear;
21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
Matthew 25:21