For: The Institute Of Contemporary And
Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s
University, Essentials Blue Online Worship
Theology Course With Dan Wilt
One thought has been going through my head repeatedly for the past week or so. This thought can probably best be articulated by the question; since Christ’s resurrection, has the world been becoming a better place? I find this fascinating to ponder. I think I’ve always adopted a world view that assumed (I must have had this taught to me at some/several point(s) in different ways) that human civilization is in a downward spiral and we’re just going to continue on our path away from God until the Lord returns at His pre-appointed time and “put an end to it all” (I was also taught that when Jesus returns, it will be the “end of the world” and all those who believe will “go and live in heaven” which I’ve learned to now totally disagree with over the past few years). Recently though, something occurred to me that challenged this view.
Jesus changed the world. Before He walked the earth, the term “Christian values” didn’t exist. There were the Jews with the Torah which obviously set them apart from the rest of the pagan nations, but Jesus’ teachings were radical even for them. Since His resurrection, the Christian faith has grown exponentially. It’s true that here in 2009, much of Europe and now North America is “post-Christian” (I’m not convinced that most of North America truly got Christianity in the first place but there definitely seems to be serious moral decline occurring here anyway), but I understand that China is home to a pretty intense revival of the faith here on earth and I’m sure there are other places.
As tends to happen, this seemingly simple question, has led to a great many other questions for me. As the body of Christ, we are commissioned to go and make disciples of all the nations…does that mean, “build” the Kingdom of God? Or if the Kingdom is already built, are we supposed to help “bring” it closer to earth by spreading the gospel and living out its principles with authenticity? Once we have established what we’re supposed to do, are we succeeding at it? Are we able to succeed at it through the Holy Spirit’s power and work in us, or are we too mired in our sinful rebelliousness to make head-way in this sinful rebellious world? Is it possible to reach a post-Christian culture and stir up revival by telling God’s story correctly with enough creativity and divine inspiration? I know that there are many individuals that can be reached even now in post-Christian society but I’m talking about reaching enough of those individuals to turn an entire nation’s heart toward God in spirit and in truth and ultimately, the world. The ultimate underlying question here is this: when Jesus said, “it is accomplished”, was that the beginning of God’s Kingdom coming to earth in a progressive, ever-expanding way through the work of the Holy Spirit led Christian church, or is the human race doomed to continue, as we see demonstrated in Israel’s biblical history, the endless cycle of reaching out for God during times of persecution and want, and then turning away during times of peace and plenty. Of course, I want to answer these questions based on what the Bible has to say on the matter but this is not a simple research task. No one said it would be easy. Here’s hoping.
