We live in a society of “individuals”. This is why we have trouble forming healthy
community. This is why consumerism is so rampant. Ultimately, this is also why Christians are so ineffective in the western world. We have a gospel for the individual that promises individual salvation and we expect every individual to use their own gifts in a church full of individuals. Inevitably this leads to conflict, division and separation. The message of the Kingdom of God is an absolute challenge to this philosophy. The Kingdom is not a like-minded group of individuals but a community of those who follow a crucified Christ.
Kingdom people “become all things to all people” and “the servant of others”. Kingdom people are not absorbed by what God is doing in their lives, but what God is doing in the world, and, in particular, in the lives of others who are not yet in the kingdom. Kingdom people do not seek conflict, even with their enemies, and they do not separate from others because of theology or practice. Instead, they reflect Jesus who was accused of spending time with sinners and who welcomed the unlikeable and unacceptable of society into His kingdom – a realm and lifestyle where love, forgiveness, kindness, patience, and unselfishness are the values seen in kingdom people. We should all pray “thy Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.”
Randy Edwards



It's always an interesting experience when someone who's not normally a spokesperson for faith clearly articulates a core faith principle. The main feeling is a sense of joy that someone, anyone, has nailed it (there's also a sense of shame that it wasn't a spokesperson for faith). This time it's the comedian Stephen Colbert of the
As the year draws to an end I'm sure your thoughts are drawn to 2012. Do you make New Year's resolutions?
