His Kingdom and his kingdom

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I believe it was either C.S Lewis or G.K Chesterton who made the comment that human beings are like fish out of water. We are in an environment which doesn't seem fit for us, and we are trying to make it fit. This may well be a sign that we don't really belong here on Earth but somewhere else, right at the feet of God's throne. Take my work for example, I can fully justify that my work is going to have impact on the long term care in Singapore, since my portfolio is essentially in this area. But justify as I can, I will never be able to fully justify how eternity can play a part in the whole overall picture. It is totally out of place and I can feel it. It's the kind of 'out of water' feeling where I will never feel 'in place'.

Maybe the answer comes from the Scripture. I have come to be convinced that the world we are living in is a world that is reigned by SA Tan, rather than God. In essence, this is the devil's kingdom. Take a look at some of the references in the bible:
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” - Matt 4:8
One might well be curious why Jesus, in His rebuke, had never told Satan that those belonged to His Father. Is it because these things really belong to Satan? How else would he have the authority to give Jesus these things if he never owned it in the first place? Moreover, Satan is being referred to as the 'prince of this world' several times in the bible, especially in the Gospel of John.
From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” - Matt 4:17
Perhaps what Jesus had preached also gave us a clue. I have recently wondered, why preach in such a manner, that the Kingdom of heaven has come near? It means it was never there in the first place? And yet Jesus gave so many parables on the Kingdom of God, that it is like this, it is like that. And the bible does posit two extreme positions that we will find ourselves in, either as slaves to sin, or as slaves to righteousness (since we are slaves in either cases, might as well choose the better option). The book of Revelation also showed us that God will establish His reign in the New Jerusalem.

Now, I have not gone very in depth into this thing, but all these provided me a clue, that we are living in the world where the prince of this world is still ruling over and the Church exists something like a guerrilla force that aims to subvert the rule of the prince. That's why, perhaps, that the bible instructs us not to be friend with this world, because we belong to another world, His Kingdom.

And by that, I will bring forward the case that as followers, we ought to put His Kingdom as our priority. This is important. Ultimately, I have found arguments that we are supposed to excel in what we are doing unconvincing unless they are grounded with the Kingdom of God as the end in mind. And I believe this is what the authors of the bible had in mind whenever they made reference to the marketplace. And this gave me a clue what I need to do and my own purpose. If I had found so convincing that the Kingdom of God is all that matters, then my mission is not really simply just formulate some policies which will eventually be revised some years down the road, but to think about the eternity of the people around me.

For me, this involves a few things:
  1. Missions and Church Planting - no compromise on this. I dun know how to go about doing this but God will lead me if this is where He's leading me to go. For the time being, it seems that it is Batam. 
  2. Apologetics - this is a tool which I have come to believe will be useful in my future ministry. The next step is perhaps to really go down and get that M.A. 
  3. Local Ministry - We are called to make disciples. The Kingdom of God is not going to extend very far if we dun build up the workers to reap the harvest. This means that I have to be more involved in the development of my sheep and the people I am leading. 
  4. Career - This current job is certainly not going to be my long term career prospect, though it's quite comfortable to me. I will hope to look for a job that fits more into my aspiration. But this one akan datang for the moment. 
So it's his Kingdom vs his kingdom. I have made my choice. How about yours?

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