“Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But My kingdom is not from the world.’ Then Pilate said to Him, ‘So you are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.’” John 18:36,37
Devotional Thought For The Day
It is quite curious that this reality – the clear assertion by Jesus that His kingdom is categorically different than “earthly” and “worldly” kingdoms – has not been heeded by those who purport to be carrying out His mission on earth. All too often the “church” is seen principally as a worldly institution, with both leaders and adherents doing all that they can to buttress and expand the institution – its wealth, power, privilege, glory, political influence, and prerogatives. Of course, this helps make the church understandable to those who are not “of the truth.” It also makes them cynical in regard to the church being “of the truth,” and cynical of the church in regard to listening to the voice of Jesus and bearing witness to the truth. Sadly, the titular head of the largest Christian “church” is principally a political figure who is feted as a head of state [a king] even here in the United States, but who is forced to mince his words in regard to the truth and to massage the message of God’s Word into a palatable “hummus” that somehow fits into the political aims and the grotesque hypocrisy of our powerful governmental leaders and wayward citizens. Quite a contrast to Jesus, Who for the sake of bearing witness to the truth was willing to give all, even His life.
Of course it is always unfair to compare people to Jesus, even church leaders. However, it would seem that those who are “of the truth” would listen to the voice of Jesus and clearly, plainly, forcefully, and without compromise profess and “teach” what He taught. That means learning from, conforming to, and preaching God’s Word, the Bible, in its truth and purity. The Holy Scripture is clear in its condemnation of homosexuality, divorce, heterosexual promiscuity, greed, gluttony, drunkenness, and especially the hideous and murderous violence of abortion. The call to repentance and God’s absolution includes acknowledging the sins which need to be cleansed, and that they are dark wickedness. When politics enter the life of the church, the goal is not such repentance and forgiveness, but rather minimizing sin and guilt, and ultimately acceptance of wretched and wicked behavior. The war between good and evil cannot be morphed into a matter of “misunderstanding” and sinful intolerance – unless somehow God is to be viewed as short on understanding and sinfully intolerant. Sadly, this is precisely how many people view God today – and to acquiesce to them and bend to their view is to divorce oneself completely from Jesus and His mission.
We’ve all observed the strange bedfellows that politics creates. This simply cannot happen within the true church, even though this has been the chief strategy and goal of the ecumenical movement in Protestantism and also the ecumenical efforts of Roman Catholicism over the past century or so. It truly is a matter of loving “father, mother, son, or daughter” more than Jesus, of being ashamed of His Word in the midst of a rebellious and adulterous generation [Matt. 10:37; Luke 9:26; Mark 8:38]. The proof is clearly seen in the equivocating retreat from the clear statements of Holy Scripture, in the obfuscation of modern exegesis, and in the effort to grow the “church” and homogenize the “church” through politics rather than the Word of Jesus, the truth. Strange bedfellows indeed gather under this banner, and I’m afraid we’ll see even stranger “unions” in the next few years.
It is difficult to sort out the whole mess and make sense of it. It is not so difficult to draw near to Jesus, to hear the Word of God on the pages of Holy Scripture, to repent of our sins, and to rejoice in God’s gracious forgiveness and mercy. Jesus stills calls out to human beings to do just this, to “repent and believe the Gospel.” [Mark 1:15] His Word remains the truth, and by His Spirit He continues to bear witness to the truth – that we may be brought to repentance and into His gracious mercy, forgiveness, cleansing, and renewal of life. It is still possible for human beings to be “of the truth,” as we listen to and heed His voice, continuing in His Word [John 8:31,32]. It is also possible to discern the nature of the “spirits” from what they speak, in comparison to the apostolic Word of Jesus [1 John 4:1-6]. It is still important for us to beware of false prophets and to cling to Jesus. This is the kingdom He came to establish and build, the church that the Father continues to give to Jesus [John 17:6]. May we continue in it and in true discipleship to Jesus.
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, the world and the devil continues to write its version of the church, destroying the vision of Your kingdom by institutions that become corrupted and perverted by politics, so that people no longer hear Your Word to repent and believe the Gospel even in churches that bear Your Name. Have mercy on Your dear children and expose the hypocritical alliances that justify evil rather than calling us to repentance and Your gracious forgiveness. Keep us in the truth by the power of Your Word, the Bible, that we may truly serve You and Your kingdom. Amen.