The Kingdom Perspective

Transcript:

Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.

The Bible tells us that not everything is a matter of absolute truth and morality. As a matter of fact, biblically speaking, one could argue that very little is. When God wanted to summarize Israel’s moral obligation, He did so in just 10 commandments. Jesus further summarized this to two: Love God and love your neighbor.

According to Scripture, therefore, one of chief ways that we are to love our neighbor is by making room for their differing opinions. The Bible invites us to give one another much room for matters of conscience (Romans 14).

It is for this reason that I must be careful not to stand in judgment or disdain of my brother or sister who feels greater freedom or greater hesitation on matters not addressed by Scripture. Rather, I am to accept them and think and speak well of them. Even more so, I am to do my best to accommodate them. In the words of Romans 14, I am to “pursue what makes for peace and for mutual building up” (Romans 14:19).

This is hard work. You have to swallow a lot of pride and a lot of personal comfort. But it is the hard work of loving my neighbor. It requires me to value the perspective of others as highly as I value my own (Philippians 2:3-4). Such a mentality is the very essence of love.

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written,

“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall confess to God.”
So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother….

So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.”

~ Romans 14:10-13, 19 (ESV)

Thank you for listening to and supporting The Kingdom Perspective! The Kingdom Perspective is a ministry of Christ Redeemer Church of Hanover, NH. To hear more episodes you can subscribe on Apple Podcasts. To donate or to find out more about the ministry and resources offered by Christ Redeemer Church visit www.christredeemerchurch.org.

Transcript:

Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.

We should take inspiration from reports of our fellow Chinese brothers and sisters in Christ.

Back in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, reports of Christian courage began to leak out of Wuhan. Listen to the following from early February 2020:

Nothing stopped [the Christians]…from proclaiming the gospel, not even the plague.

Now it is the 10th day since the city has been separated by quarantine, and protective masks are the most valuable thing in Wuhan. Money is useless because you can’t find a store that sells the masks. People are in a desperate situation. In response, our brothers and sisters preach the gospel and give out tracts and free masks. They are sharing the word of hope and comfort from God. They have become more and more favored in the city, even in the authorities’ eyes.

…churches in Wuhan keep themselves away from all the rumors and political issues, they just do what a true Christian should do in this situation: preaching the gospel and being witness of true peace and true hope that come from Jesus Christ in front of the non-believers who are in panic and hopelessness.

…Christians wearing yellow suits [i.e. Christian ministers on the streets in yellow healthcare protective gear]…[has made the color yellow] the most beautiful color in the city. Christians gained the respect that they never had because of their willingness to risk their health to serve.

Now, note well repeated references to faith and God that leads to loving service of one’s neighbor! Now, perhaps, the cultural setting would change what serving one’s neighbor for Christ would look like, but nothing should change the gospel impulse and courage to do so.

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need, for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men, for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.”

~ Philippians 2:25-30 (ESV)

Thank you for listening to and supporting The Kingdom Perspective! The Kingdom Perspective is a ministry of Christ Redeemer Church of Hanover, NH. To hear more episodes you can subscribe on Apple Podcasts. To donate or to find out more about the ministry and resources offered by Christ Redeemer Church visit www.christredeemerchurch.org.

Transcript:

Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.

Jesus gave us the ordinance of the Lord’s Table to mark of our fellowship with Him and with one another. It is for this reason that it is often called Holy Communion. The Lord Jesus himself instituted this sacrament as a way for us not only to remember Him and His mission, but also as a tangible participation in our fellowship with Him and His church. Communion, when administered properly, is a meal shared together in the community of the body of Christ. In the bread and the cup, we share in Christ and His body through faith (1 Corinthians 10:16-17, 11:27-32). At the Table, we are in communion with Christ and His people in a tangible and special way.

Now, certainly, God is not bound by the sacraments, as some might superstitiously suppose. Nonetheless, the Scriptures seem to suggest that He has bound us to them.

When we find ourselves in times of isolation we should long for the beauty of that shared meal. And, actually, this longing is quite fitting, for the Table itself is intended by God to be a reminder week-by-week of that ultimate longing for Christ’s return. Paul tells us that as often as we eat the bread and drink the cup, we proclaim Christ’s death, until He comes (1 Corinthians 11:26).

Indeed! Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, ‘I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.’ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, ‘Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.’”

~ Luke 22:14-20 (ESV)

Thank you for listening to and supporting The Kingdom Perspective! The Kingdom Perspective is a ministry of Christ Redeemer Church of Hanover, NH. To hear more episodes you can subscribe on Apple Podcasts. To donate or to find out more about the ministry and resources offered by Christ Redeemer Church visit www.christredeemerchurch.org.

Transcript:


Thank you for listening to and supporting The Kingdom Perspective! The Kingdom Perspective is a ministry of Christ Redeemer Church of Hanover, NH. To hear more episodes you can subscribe on Apple Podcasts. To donate or to find out more about the ministry and resources offered by Christ Redeemer Church visit www.christredeemerchurch.org.

Transcript:

Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.

To be faithful to God we must fight fear and determine not to be driven by it.

Certainly, we need to do everything we can to follow the steps of wisdom. For example, if your fear is health related, then you should be careful to follow the best medical science. Surely, God gave us a mind to think and act wisely.

However, using your mind and acting wisely is not the only issue. God also gave us a heart to trust Him, and that raises the question of where our ultimate security lies.

The anxious heart can manufacture an endless list of “what ifs.” But to live at all in this world is to risk the “what if.” We are contingent beings living in a contingent universe. We cannot possibly know all the “what ifs.” You cannot possibly predict every particular of your future. And there’s a reason for this—a reason why God has not told you the particulars of your future. Why? Because He wants us to trust Him.

This is the thinking that drives the heart of David in Psalm 27 (v. 1 ESV):

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?

We are contingent beings. Therefore, all fear is not necessarily bad. However, God intends all fear to drive us to faith, to the One who knows the end from the beginning.

“The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
When evildoers assail me
to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
it is they who stumble and fall.
Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
yet I will be confident.
One thing have I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to inquire in his temple.
For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will lift me high upon a rock.”

~ Psalm 27:1-5 (ESV)

Thank you for listening to and supporting The Kingdom Perspective! The Kingdom Perspective is a ministry of Christ Redeemer Church of Hanover, NH. To hear more episodes you can subscribe on Apple Podcasts. To donate or to find out more about the ministry and resources offered by Christ Redeemer Church visit www.christredeemerchurch.org.

Transcript:

Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to the Kingdom Perspective.

In this world of trouble, we should prepare ourselves mentally for the fact that life is a long hard fight fraught with many difficulties and setbacks. This is not pessimism. It is realism. And it only destroys our hope, if we let it.

On May 13th, 1940 with the fall of France imminent, Winston Churchill became Prime Minister of the UK and took a message of realism and hope to the airwaves. To most observers Great Britain’s situation seemed impossible. Nonetheless, at his first speech before the House of Commons, he rallied the nation to sacrificial action:

I would say to the House, as I said to those who have joined the government: “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.”

We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I will say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark and lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy….

He ended his speech with:

I take up my task with buoyancy and hope. I feel sure that our cause will not be suffered to fail among men. At this time I feel entitled to claim the aid of all, and I say, “Come then, let us go forward together with our united strength.”

And it did not fail. The “monstrous tyranny” of Nazism was eventually overcome, but not without a long hard fight.

And so, it is with our troubles.

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:

‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people,
And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of David His servant—
As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old—
Salvation from our enemies,
And from the hand of all who hate us;
To show mercy toward our fathers,
And to remember His holy covenant,
The oath which He swore to Abraham our father,
To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
For you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways;
To give to His people the knowledge of salvation
By the forgiveness of their sins,
Because of the tender mercy of our God,
With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us,
To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the way of peace.’”

~ Luke 1:67-79 (NIV)

Thank you for listening to and supporting The Kingdom Perspective! The Kingdom Perspective is a ministry of Christ Redeemer Church of Hanover, NH. To hear more episodes you can subscribe on Apple Podcasts. To donate or to find out more about the ministry and resources offered by Christ Redeemer Church visit www.christredeemerchurch.org.

Transcript:

Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.

Nothing exposes our vulnerability like death. Is it any wonder that our culture pushes the experience of death to the margins of society?

We are mere flesh, made from the dust of the earth. From dust we came and to dust we will return. As the prophet Isaiah put it: “All flesh is grass, and its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades” (Isaiah 40:6-7 ESV). It’s inevitable; someday, our loved ones will stand over our grave and weep.

We are what the philosophers call “contingent beings”—we do not have life in and of ourselves. We are dependent for our life on forces that go beyond our control. Said another way, we are mortal, perishable, subject to forces of death and decay.

However, in the face of this fact, the Apostle Paul inserts the amazing reality of the resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus and the hope of our resurrection in Him completely changes the equation, so much so, that Paul invites us to taunt death! In 1 Corinthians 15 (54-55 ESV), he writes:

When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”

Indeed, as Christians, we should draw on this hope all the time, but in times of crisis and loss, it becomes all the more poignant and real

“…[T]hanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57 ESV).

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

~ 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 (ESV)

Thank you for listening to and supporting The Kingdom Perspective! The Kingdom Perspective is a ministry of Christ Redeemer Church of Hanover, NH. To hear more episodes you can subscribe on Apple Podcasts. To donate or to find out more about the ministry and resources offered by Christ Redeemer Church visit www.christredeemerchurch.org.

Transcript:

Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.

Have you ever considered a career in science or medicine? Why do I ask? Science and medicine are two wonderful and biblical ways to worship God and serve our neighbor.

The Bible gives great warrant to the enterprise of science. It tells us that this world is created by an all-powerful and rational Being. Therefore, it is not surprising that when we put our rational minds to work, studying this world, we not only find that we can understand it, but also improve it.

And, indeed, this world does need improvement. According to the Bible, the world is not the way God intended it. Rather, it is fallen—corrupted because of our sin. It’s like a highly technical piece of equipment that is broken and needs repair. And as we use science to do this, we can both worship God and love our neighbor.

The 17th century thinker Francis Bacon summed up this Christian worldview, from which modern science was then emerging. Listen:

“Man [i.e. all of humanity] by the Fall [into sin] fell at the same time from his state of innocence and from his dominion over creation. Both of these losses, however, can even in this life be in some parts repaired; the former by religion and faith, the latter by the arts and sciences.”

~Novum Organum Scientiarum (1620) by Francis Bacon

This is God’s world, and He gave us the gift of science as a way to worship Him and care for His creation.

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
Great are the works of the Lord,
studied by all who delight in them.
Full of splendor and majesty is his work,
and his righteousness endures forever.”

~ Psalm 111:1-3 (ESV)

Thank you for listening to and supporting The Kingdom Perspective! The Kingdom Perspective is a ministry of Christ Redeemer Church of Hanover, NH. To hear more episodes you can subscribe on Apple Podcasts. To donate or to find out more about the ministry and resources offered by Christ Redeemer Church visit www.christredeemerchurch.org.

Transcript:

Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.

Are you being careful to discern between true and false shepherds of the church?

In the world today, there are many charlatans that only want to fleece the flock. Many skeptics will want to blame Christianity itself for this. However, the fact that there are counterfeit Christians is not proof that Christianity is false. Quite the opposite. Counterfeiters always counterfeit what is real and valuable.

Jesus himself warns of such imposters. In John 10 he warns of the difference between “hirelings” and true shepherds. His teaching echoes that of the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah, (chapter 23), and the prophet Ezekiel (chapter 34). The hireling is in it only for the personal gain—money or man’s praise. He uses the Word of God to mislead the flock. The true shepherd, like the Great Shepherd Jesus Christ, is in it for the love of the God and the love of His people. He uses the Word of God to serve the flock.

False shepherds are mere entertainers and entrepreneurs. They are conmen. True shepherds tenderly care for and protect each and every one of the sheep, laying down their own lives for the spiritual and material welfare of the flock. In doing this, they follow the pattern of the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep and guards them at the cost of His own blood.

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner.

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

~ Hebrews 10:17-21 (ESV)

Transcript:

Hello, this is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective.

From the opening pages of the Bible, human beings are called to work and to be creative and resourceful with how we do our work. Work is central to what it means to be human.

Nonetheless, it seems that work life in the modern world has been in a state of constant disruption. Changing technologies and changing global realities are driving what feels like “constant career chaos”. Therefore, it is very tempting for us to throw up our arms and settle for mediocrity or a less-than-optimal attitude.

However, this is not a viable option for the follower of Jesus. St. Paul commands us:

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. (Colossians 3:23-24 ESV)

In a fallen world, work is always fraught with difficulties—in the words of Genesis, “thorns and thistles” (Genesis 3:18). This is nothing new. However, the realities of the global world are taking this to a whole new level.

Fortunately, there are quite a few good resources out there from a Christian perspective, such as “Made to Flourish” and the “Global Faith and Work Initiative.” These resources not only help us think through work in the modern world, but also provide practical aid for work in times of crisis. I encourage you to go to our website and find the transcript for this episode for a full listing of these resources.

Work is one of the most basic ways we “worship” God. It is necessary, therefore, that we do it well.

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

Work Related Resources:

Global Faith and Work Initiative: Numerous and diverse resources dealing with many aspects of our work and our personal life at work
https://www.globalfaithandwork.com

Made to Flourish: A ministry committed to helping pastors and their churches integrate faith, work and economic wisdom.
https://www.madetoflourish.org

Veritas Forum: Mostly focused on big picture questions from the vantage point of higher education
http://www.veritas.org

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’”

~ Genesis 2:15-17 (ESV)