Jesus said nearly 2,000 years ago, "The Kingdom of God is at hand."  It arrived in Jesus, and it continues to advance with every person who embraces Jesus as Lord and King.  And one day, Jesus will return to deliver those who have followed Him in exile into a Kingdom that will know no end.

Christians are not responsible to be the Gospel.  We are responsible to bear the Gospel.

In Jesus God has been working to set His people free without delivering them yet from the places of their bondage.  God came in the flesh, not to redeem the permanent structures of human societies, but to gather those who are willing to be set free into faithful communities in their midsts.

God has not asked you not to question Him; He has not asked you to understand Him; but, He has asked you to trust Him.

No matter how bad it gets, God's future will arrive.  We work to bring the Kingdom in our lives and in our communities, but even if all of our efforts come to nothing, God's Kingdom will come--it has come in Jesus, and it will come in its fullness.  Nothing can stop it.

What does the Lord require of us?  To do mīshpāt--to concern ourselves continually with the desire of God for the reconciliation of the rebellious.  And to love chesed--to above all else be loyal to God's desire for the lost to be found no matter the cost.

What does God require of us?  The God of all creation requires that His followers do not desire the wicked to receive their just desserts.

Are we bearing witness to God in the world?

Whether we serve or lead, perform menial tasks or lead countries, all we do and all we are is an act of worship of God.  And it is our worship that God will use to transform the world.

If all the members of our households--moms, dads, and/or children--will embrace the call to live out of the future, to follow Jesus all the way, to embrace the transformational power of God in our most intimate of relationships, the world will see God in clear and undeniable ways among us.