the stuff of this world

Maintenance is the hidden cost of all our worldly commitments.

Living in Jesus' Intentional Kingdom means living beyond what our eyes see, our hands hold, or our senses apprehend. It involves learning to set our hearts on His kingdom and His righteousness. And it isn't easy.

I have been purging stuff. Simplifying the material goods around us can be hard. We accumulate naturally in our culture. In preparation for a church drive for donation to the thrift store of a local ministry, I recently culled my closet of two big lawn and leaf bag sacks full of clothes. That's right. There were that many clothes that I didn't need.

The second point of the Intentional Kingdom Manifesto states: I will realize that looking to His kingdom means I will never be satisfied with the stuff of this world. I will long for something more that only Jesus gives, seeking His Intentional Kingdom. (Matthew 5:3-6) So what does this mean? Let's put Jesus' words in front of us to get a better picture of it all:
3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

These blessings are promised in violation of all our human sensibilities. They don't square with our typical responses. From a strictly human viewpoint we see the poor as having nothing of value. We view mourners as unconsoled. We would think meek people lack power. And to be satisfied with God's righteousness as our deepest longing? Really? None of this squares with the selfish materialism or personal goal achievement that our culture foists on us as necessary. But Jesus asks us rethink it all, and if we repent of our personal agenda, He will give us a better, more rewarding, and eternal agenda.

The rewards are astounding: 1) A heavenly kingdom for the spiritually impoverished; 2) lasting comfort for those who would mourn for sin and are dissatisfied with the transience of this life; 3) an inheritance for the meek who will yield to Christ's power of them; and 4) true satisfaction for the spiritually hungry. It seems so much better than what the stuff of this world offers. Here's why...

If we align ourselves strictly with materialism we will get what we want... briefly. But the price is high. There's constant maintenance on the stuff of this world. Ask any stakeholder in the American Dream. Home ownership, car ownership, pursuing what you want... any physical thing requires maintenance. It demands from you often much more than it gives. But God gives once and the satisfaction lasts forever. 

When we think about the stuff of this world in contrast to Christ's kingdom, commitments are challenged. Think about it and discuss: 

1. What is the true price of ownership in the things of this life?
2. What hidden costs are their to materialism?
3. How do we keep our allegiances true to Christ?
4. What material things are necessities and provisions from God? Do we thank Him for them and use them for His glory? Which ones interfere with our heart allegiances to Christ? How do we know when we cross the line in our attitude towards the stuff of this world?

Repentance as a lifestyle

Citizens of Jesus’ Kingdom live their lives with an intentionality that defies normal earthly expectations.

Jesus began His ministry with a call to repentance. He asked people to turn to a change because He was bringing the kingdom of heaven. The first point of the Intentional Kingdom manifesto puts it this way: "I will accept that humble repentance is the first response I must have when I am aware of my sin, for His kingdom is near. (Matthew 4:17-5:2)"

The passage referenced in this point is the setup scenario for the Sermon on the Mount. Let's read it for clarification:

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them. And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

There are several things we must realize about this truth. Jesus came to bring a kingdom of change. Repentance is about a complete change of direction. It isn't about adding something new to our existing schedules like an exercise regimen. It isn't about moving to a new home or trading up like we would for a new car. It is about abandoning one thing altogether for something completely different. It is a change of lifestyle. And it is a lifestyle of repentance, realizing that in order to deal with what we do wrong (sin) we must turn to what is right. I believe that the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus' Intentional Kingdom, is showing us the new lifestyle, the "right" thing we must turn to everyday. And that is why we are asked to repent.

Citizens of Jesus’ Kingdom live their lives with an intentionality that defies normal earthly expectations. We purpose in our hearts and then practice in our lives the call of a disciple. It is what we REPENT TO. Just as Jesus literally asked Simon, Andrew, James, and John to leave their nets and boats to be His disciples, so He calls us to intentionally turn from our preoccupations to follow Him. Discipleship is repentance. Repentance is turning to follow Jesus. That is why the call of these disciples follows the call to repent. You don't just regret sin, you turn to a Savior! And those first disciples would find out what they turned to follow when Jesus boldly unfolded His Intentional Kingdom in the Sermon on the Mount. Those who can truly accept the Intentional Kingdom are repentant followers of Jesus.

These week we should consider what this means. It is the same call to all of us, but each of us may find its practice uniquely personal. Precisely because repentance is an intentional act of reversal, some of us will change from different directions or locations. But we will all turn to follow Jesus. Following Jesus is a choice to leave one way of life and follow Jesus for another.

So here are some questions for discussion in the comments of this post: 1. What are the types of things we must turn from in our day and age? 2. Jesus asked His disciples to give up fishing businesses to follow Him, what is He asking of us? 
3. What is He asking of you? 
4. Where is that hard to apply? 
5. More importantly, what are the rewards of doing this?

The Intentional Kingdom Manifesto

Welcome to The Intentional Kingdom!

This is a community of Christians who want to commit to a simple proposition: Jesus clearly wanted His followers to live their lives by what He taught. And the clearest concentration of Jesus' core teaching is found in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7).

This blog began in response to a sermon series taught in the Fall of 2014 at Mill Creek Community Church in Shawnee, KS. At the conclusion of the series, I felt like I didn't really want to leave the Sermon on the Mount. I wanted to keep hearing from Jesus! There was so much there, and such an intriguing challenge came from the words of Jesus, that I wanted to keep thinking about it so that my life could reflect His teachings. And so this blog was born as a way for us all to stay close to Jesus, to keep His words ringing in our ears beyond Sunday. 

The goal of this blog is simple: to weekly think about an aspect of Jesus' teaching. We preached 14 sermons in the series, so each weekly entry will pick up on one of those 14 foundational teachings of the Sermon on the Mount. If we do it right, we will have gone through the whole sermon 3 more times in 2015. I chose a blog format so that we can freely comment, adding our voices to the conversation,and as I find other media or useful resources, I can easily get the word out on a blog.

I have just two ground rules regarding interacting with these posts. 1) You are free to share with your friends, family and neighbors, but realize that comments will be moderated. I reserve the right not to publish comments or to edit them for doctrinal or moral clarity. 2) Let's be kind to one another, tenderhearted and forgiving. I hope each person will comment based on themselves, and not on behalf of others... Don't write a comment hoping to be the Holy Spirit, Jr. for someone else! That said, if someone freely admits a struggle in a post, let's pray for them, not pounce on them! 

Here is the manifesto we will commit to applying ourselves to understanding in 2015:

As a follower of Jesus, I commit to the ethical and spiritual standards my Master has set in His teaching. The Sermon on the Mount serves as a great guide for my life. As a citizen first of Jesus’ Intentional Kingdom, I resolve to live in the following way:

1) I will accept that humble repentance is the first response I must have when I am aware of my sin, for His kingdom is near. (Matthew 4:17-5:2)

2) I will realize that looking to His kingdom means I will never be satisfied with the stuff of this world. I will long for something more that only Jesus gives, seeking His Intentional Kingdom. (Matthew 5:3-6)

3) I will align my attitudes and actions with Christ’s kingdom so that I may be blessed. (Matthew 5:7-12)

4) I will seek to spread the good news of the gospel through the influence Jesus has given me as His salt and light where I live, work, and play. (Matthew 5:13-16)

5) I will let the change Jesus makes in me (and not my own legalistic efforts) be the visible work of His saving grace. (Matthew 5:17-20)

6) I will not be satisfied with wounded earthly relationships but will seek a heart of reconciliation as Jesus did when He came to reconcile sinners to the Father. (Matthew 5:21-26)

7) Regardless of whether I am single or married, I will view marriage as a sacred design of God’s and sexual purity as an important matter of the heart committed to Christ’s Kingdom. (Matthew 5:27-32)

8) I will make honest, simple commitments in my relationships and communications to other people. (Matthew 5:33-27)

9) I will love the kind of people that my sinful self may see as unloveable. I will go beyond the standards of human love to love like Jesus does. (Matthew 5:38-48)

10) I will practice spiritual disciplines, not to draw attention to my own sense of accomplishment, but so that Christ may change my heart. (Matthew 6:1-6; 16-18)

11) I will pray to my Father in heaven with humble submission, trust, willing confession, and a willingness to forgive others even as Christ has forgiven me. (Matthew 6:7-15)

12) I will view my essential investments as eternal, and not center my life around the worrisome stuff of this world. (Matthew 6:19-34)

13) I will attend to my own soul before attempting to point out a problem with someone else. I will seek to treat others as I want to be treated. (Matthew 7:1-12)

14) I will realize that living as a Christian in Christ’s Intentional Kingdom is hard and not easy. I commit to it knowing that heaven or hell, truth or error, success or failure, hang on these commitments. (Matthew 7:13-27)

So there you have it. Here is what we will continue to discuss and most importantly DO in the coming year. I hope to be challenged in the undertaking. I am glad you will help me understand and apply what our Lord asks of us as we interact together in comments on each post! And most importantly, may our Savior be seen as great and may His kingdom continue to flourish as we humbly follow Him!