In today’s church evangelism is singing outside in the streets , it’s events, it’s acting in shopping malls, it’s inviting friends to seeker services, it’s developing relationships with our neighbors, it’s evangelism programs, it’s lots of things. But one thing it isn’t – it isn’t about equipping the people of God to think Christianly, live Christianly and share Christ right where they are. The one place people are not actively encouraged and equipped to make a difference is the place many people spend 50, 60, 70 percent of their waking hours. The one where Christian and non-Christian have to meet. The one place where the playing field is even, where Christian and non-Christian are subject to the same corporate culture, may have the same boss, the same pressures…the one place where the non-Christian can actually see the difference that Christ can make to a life – not for a couple of hours over dinner but over a couple of years for twenty, thirty, forty, fifty hours a week. The workplace.

Are many ministers inadvertently letting their zeal for evangelism and their desire to build a strong local church distract them from asking how God might want to use their people outside the local context? There is a danger, I believe, that we will view church members exclusively in terms of how they can contribute to the local household of God rather than how they might also contribute to the growth of the kingdom of Christ, wherever he has placed them. And there is a danger that we will become too focused on getting non-Christians into church to hear the minister rather than into the kingdom of God by hearing the word.

The Church has done its research. It has concluded that fewer and fewer people know even the basics about the claims of Jesus, and so we are encouraged to build bridges to the unchurched, to go to the fringe and beyond, told that we need to learn to speak their language. Indeed we do. But the thrust of the response is to send us out on the highways and byways, to neighbors who on the whole we don’t know very well and don’t spend that much time with. Meanwhile back in the workplace, the average Christian has already built bridges and crossed them, has already developed relationships and already speaks their co-workers’ language. Warm contacts. Are we encouraging people to go and fish in pools and puddles when they are often sitting on a lake full of fish? The person who knows them well doesn’t live next door, they work at the next desk.

We need to put the word not only on the street but into the workplaces of nations. After all, that’s where you are and that’s where the non-Christians are. As you know, workplaces are filled with all kinds of people, with all kinds of problems – illness, fear of redundancy, adultery, grief, confusion, purposelessness, promiscuity, ethical conundrums, criminal negligence, racist hiring policies, dirty tricks and so on. People who need salvation. Oh, that we would encourage one another to see these little ‘villages’ and ‘towns’ as our mission fields. What a difference that would make to so many people – to be released into confident ministry just where they are. Nehemiah, Joseph, the Exodus midwives, Naaman’s servant girl, Daniel, Ester, Lydia would have approved, I’m sure. After all, when it comes to witness in a pagan environment the Bible is very clear – leave it to the workers.

Mark Greene is Executive Director of the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity.  Licc .org.     He is author of Thank God it’s Monday, the video A Vision for Workplace Ministry and 50 Ways to Support the Workers Without Going Insane. Content distributed by WorkLife.org

The foundational principles of any human institution, culture, or nation, are the most important thing for the leaders to both teach, re-enforce, and defend. If the foundations are weakened or destroyed, all that rests upon them collapses and must be re-built. We live in such a historical moment when the very foundations of western culture as we have known them are at risk.

While many could argue what exactly those most critical foundational principles are, I would like to put forward seven of them:

1. Strong cultures have a clear hierarchy of values that hold the majority of citizens together. If the culture or the nation is unclear about exactly what their hierarchy of core values or principles are, the nation will fracture, the people will be confused, and all existing social structuring will move into decay.
2. The family unit is the basic training place for socialization skills in any nation. If the family is broken, dysfunctional, or at odds with the core values of the surrounding culture, it will produce marginalized people.
3. If the gifted and innovators of the culture are de-energized by prohibitive taxation, severe social disapproval, or scape-goated for their “unfair” success, the loss of their creative energy will stall the entire culture and send it into steady decline.
4. That which is owned by everybody is actually not owned by anyone. Private responsibility will, in the long run, always trump collective ownership.
5. Focus on the “rights” of the general population and minimize individual’s personal responsibilities, and you will create an entitlement-based culture that fragments into waring factions. Personal responsibility promotes the building of character and culture.
6. A well-informed public which manifests local community involvement is the clearest sign of a healthy political culture. When a nation focuses on centralism, it is headed for wide-spread political and social apathy.
7. The culture’s philosophy of power is the single most important determinant of where it is going. If power is a position sought for personal advantage rather than to serve and empower the well-being of others, only those least qualified to have power will overwhelmingly have it. Power doesn’t corrupt; it reveals one’s true motives.

So who and what is digging under your house and your life? How many of these seven issues are you clear on in terms of their truth or lack thereof? What are you doing to promote the ones you believe in rather than “just believing in them?” I both hear and see those digging around my house and am motivated to change it.

Strategic Christian Services

I met her staff as well, and after work other ex-staff members started to drop in. One of them, Alisha, came in to say goodbye before heading off to her Muslim country for 8 weeks. My friend asked her if she wanted us to pray for her and before I knew it, we were passionately praying for this girl for protection and for God’s spirit to guide her and help her. The other four staff and ex-staff members present joined us in prayer and stood around Alisha and laid their hands on her. For me it was a very special moment. The Lord was here, in the middle of the work place. It was so good to see how these people loved each other and cared for each other.

It has not always been like this. At the end of last year, my friend received a phone call from a distant friend, asking her to come and help and manage a team at the call centre, which was very difficult, over the past 12 months a number of managers had given up and left. Although my friend was not keen on this job, she felt an urge from the Lord to go there.

She started working in an office where there was chaos, where people hated each other, where people arrived in intoxicated state at work and where there was no respect for each other or the manager. However, slowly things started to turn around and the staff started to confide in her.

I remember about a month after she started working there, we  had a coffee together and she told me, Martina, they all need the Lord, they are all depressed. They are so hurt and so abused, they have no self esteem. I have asked my mother and her friends to pray for all these people and for me , that they will get to know the Lord and receive healing and that I will be strong and know what the Lord wants from me.

The first one that came to her was Tom, he was addicted to drugs, and he poured out his heart on what had been happening to him in his life. Her simple answer was, I cannot help you, but I know the Lord can help you, would you like me to pray with you? And Tom agreed, so she prayed with him and handed Tom to the Lord. After that Tom was changed and the other staff noticed.

The second one came a week later, Sam, who had been abused as a child in Christian foster homes. He suffered from severe depression and alcohol abuse and he told her his life story. He told her several times before he was an atheist and did not want to have anything to do with Christianity. Now he came to her and admitted he tried to find peace at lunchtimes and went to the St Paul’s Cathedral and would just sit there for a while. He asked her if she could come with him to the Cathedral and there pray with him. Together with another new staff member, who was a Christian as well, they went to the Cathedral and prayed with him. During this praying his face changed. All the anger and bitterness disappeared .

A few months later we met again and I asked her how it was. She replied that now five out of six had now surrendered themselves to the Lord. Praise God! He was indeed powerful at work in this office, and I believe the intercessory prayer of my friends’ mother and her friends had a lot to do with that.

The third person that came to Christ was Anna, an orthodox lady, divorced with four children, and a single mum. She suffered from depression and was probably one of the most difficult ones to work with.  She and Sam hated each other and verbal abuse and swearing during the day was not uncommon. However, after she had seen the change in Sam and in his behaviour, she also longed for this peace and surrendered.

Alisha, a Muslim girl was next. This girl had been sexually abused form the age of 2, by nine different men. She had no feeling of self worth, was probably the roughest girl in the office.

The next one who came to the Lord was John, a Hindu Indian student.

That was a couple of months ago. Yesterday afternoon, when I came to my friends’ office, I heard about the last one, Nadia. She is a girl suffering from depression, was lost and had no guidance in her life. She came to the Lord and is now a true worshipper. “You are my hiding place” is her favourite song.   

All these people still need ongoing healing. But thanks to God they now have a reason for living.

They come together on a Saturday afternoon at my friends’ place to study the bible together, pray and worship.

Last night seeing them all after hearing the stories and seeing their love for each other and for God was an amazing experience. Our God does work in wonderful ways, he will search for the lost in places where we would not generally expect it.

This story has taught me so much. As Christians we are placed by our God in the positions we hold for a purpose, as messengers of the Good news. We all are called to be a living testimony of God’s love for this world. Ongoing prayer is a key to a breakthrough of the Holy Spirit. And finally, we can never expect too much, God will exceed our expectations!

By Martina Sonneveld  

MarketPlace Connections

• Suicide rate in Australia is 21.5 per 100,000 people
• Two of the most developed countries have even higher rates Finland is 43.4 per 100,000 people, Switzerland is 29.5 per 100,000 people.
• Whereas so called developing nations have much lower rates, Zimbabwe is 10.4 per 100,000 people, Panama is 7 per 100,000 people, and Peru is 0.7 per 100,000 people.
• Australia has one of the highest youth suicide rates in the world.
• The United States has the highest number of teen pregnancies in the industrial world.
• Alcohol is a major contributing cause of death and hospitalisation for young Australians (15–24yr olds)

There are many statistics that could be listed illustrating the consequences of the lack of social development.  How many times do we hear people say “things were better in the old days”?  Are they saying they want to go back to poor health systems, poor road infrastructure, lack of work, etc. of course not, what they desire is a return to community.

It has been said that you can judge the health of a community by the health of its young people.  How do we stack up?

A major factor in all of this is that people have lost a sense of belonging and a hope for the future.  Without that we are lost to economic development, where the only important person in the world is me…me…me.  We must invest our money to get the highest return regardless of the consequences of those who lose because of our gain.  As Christians we must make a decision to change or face the consequences.

Overseas Aid

A recent newspaper feature by news limited highlighted problems with the “Aid Industry” where large amounts of the aid dollar is spent on expensive consultants and little outcome is seen in communities.  Should we, as Australians, expect a better outcome for our $4+ billion aid program than what we are currently getting? 

It’s a beautiful day

Dr Paul Turner has seen both sides of development and need.  Expelled from school at seventeen he was written off by many as a burden to society.  Although this was not the way things turned out.  A number of people coming alongside him and giving him positive support, led Paul to go on to become a Professor in Tropical Medicine as well as working for a number of international agencies.  He recognises, from experience, that giving positive support to people gives them hope and developing community structures will give them a sense of belonging.

Paul has written a book, the title of which comes from a U2 song, ‘It’s a Beautiful Day, don’t let it get away’, to help others recognise the positive in their lives. So much of the Church’s message is negative and based around our problems not recognising our God given talent.  In the book there are 30 exercises which will enable people to see the good in themselves, their families and the community around them and forms the basis for a personal journal.  Starting on a positive base will give a good platform for building hope for the future and give people the sense of belonging so desperately needed.  He also highlights problems with international aid programs, short term missions and general aid, asking the question, do communities deserve more?

In the same way we give health warnings on cigarettes, should we give health warnings on our development plans for countries ‘less developed’ than our own, that economic development being offered may cause harm to their communities.

Comments about the book

“Paul Turner has had an extraordinary life as illustrated in his book “It’s a Beautiful Day”.  Paul’s writing style is easy to read consequently readers can learn life skills from the crucible of his experiences.  The “change your life” boxes, throughout the book, make ideas easy to follow which should be particularly valuable for young people.  I wholeheartedly agree with the notion of mentoring and my career would have been poorer without mentors throughout my life.  I hope this influences the reader to learn from Paul’s philosophy forged from early adversity.Dr John Herron, Former Senator, Surgeon and Ambassador and currently Chairman of the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Foundation

“Paul Turner’s book is full of excellent advice on how to live full lives while rebuilding our communities. He courageously shares his own mistakes so that the reader can learn from them, but Paul also has the wisdom and experience to demonstrate how a positive outlook combined with a community-centered approach can create a more liveable world for all.”

Mr Jim Diers, First director of Seattle Department of Neighbourhoods, Director of South Downtown foundation, Faculty member of the University of Washington Department of Architecture and University of Chicago Asset -Based Community Development Institute.

Books are available for $24.99 plus postage from directly from Paul by contacting him via email on Turnerbout@bipond.com

Or from most good bookshops, Borders, Dymocks or QBD.

Many of us have gone to start churches or to be part of churches without due consideration of what this thing is all about. As a result, we accept whatever that is presented to us either by tradition or by those we assume know as we are not in a position to discern and assess correct definitions, operations and practices of church. Generally, it has become the culture of Christians to invest in something they do not even understand why it exists. We invest our lives, time and our resources without even checking if the church system we are part of is operating within the Biblically correct framework. We take the most important decision in life, that of giving our lives to Christ and then continue without checking if the “giving of our lives to Christ” is bearing any real fruit to Him and His kingdom. In fact at times we do not even care if the thing is correct as long as we can produce a successful church service on Sunday morning. We forget that Israel under Moses had “successful church services” in the form of the manifest presence of God (Pillar of Cloud and Fire) although God Himself had long judged that they would not enter the Promised Land or His purposes (Heb 3:7-19, Jude 1:5, Acts 7:39-43). The fact that God had judged them did not mean that He would not heal their diseases and provide manna for them; God did this faithfully until all of them died except for two men, Joshua and Caleb, whose hearts were set on the journey. This is what I call “sustaining presence of God” where God provides His miraculous power and manifest presence just as a way of waiting for the entire generation to die in order to raise a new generation that can possess His promises.

Definitions

Mathew 16:13-19

 Matthew 16:13-19

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 

14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.  19  I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” NIV

It was in Mathew 16 that Jesus revealed for the first time His intent of building an entity He called “church”. The word “church” was unpopular in the religious circles of the day. The word that was used to describe the gathering of a people for religious purposes was “synagogue”. Jesus Himself was familiar with synagogues, he went and attended synagogue meetings and sometimes even taught in synagogues, see Luke 4:16-21.

Luke 4:16-18

16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

because he has anointed me

to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the blind,

to release the oppressed,

 NIV

“Synagogue” (sunagoge in Greek): an assemblage of persons. If you study about Synagogues in the Gospels and in the book of Acts, you will realise that it was basically an assembly of people (Jews) who came together to pray, worship and teach one another on the Word of God. Since the synagogue was a Jewish religious assembly, their Bible would have been the Old Testament (the Law and the Prophets). For example, in Luke 4:17, Jesus was given the scroll of prophet Isaiah.

It is important to unveil the definition of “synagogue” simply because although Jesus was familiar with synagogue operations, He did not say “I will build my synagogue”. On the contrary, He said “I will build my church (ekklesia)”. This straightaway tells us that the Lord was not simply establishing an assembly of people who would meet weekly only for religious purposes (as the Jews did within the synagogue system). The disturbing realisation is that the church has not only been run like a synagogue historically, it still operates as a synagogue even today. Church, just as ancient synagogues remains a system of bringing people together for religious purposes. In the synagogues, there was powerful evangelism taking place just as we see today (Matt 23:15). Now anybody reading this article will have to track through following articles carefully because if we read as far as this paragraph, then we will misinterpret and misrepresent what is being said.

Matthew 16:18

18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.  NIV

 “Church” (ekklesia in Greek): The word ekklesia is made up of two words, “ek” which means “out” and “klesis” which means “a calling”. This word “ekklesia” was used among the Greeks of a body of citizens gathered to discuss the affairs of the state (Vine’s Dictionary). The word refers to the gathering of competent citizens of a city-state in order to decide issues regarding laws, office appointments, and public policy (Mounce’s Dictionary).

The ekklesia was therefore a political system of government and human development.

The important question here for us is, why did Jesus not say “I will build my synagogue”? Jesus took what was known to be a “secular” concept, entity and system and declared that He would build this same system to advance the kingdom of God. Ekklesia was a system of regulation and development of a city-state and so those who formed what was known as church needed to be people who were concerned with the affairs of humanity or with the human conditions of their city-state. Basically, ekklesia had a serious political-developmental role and function. When I say “political”, I do not mean “party politics”. The important question is, why are these realities not even traceable within the current identity, existence, doctrine and operations of the church? Who has defined church for us? Where did they get those definitions from?

In declaring the building of church, Jesus took what was known to be secular and unreligious; He bypassed the whole synagogue operation. This reveals the mind and the intent of God for the church.

Principles from Matt 16:13-19

• The revelation of church is preceded by a correct definition of Christ (Matt 16:13-17). The first question by Jesus was ‘who do men say that I am’. Correct definition of Christ basically means that we need to have correct revelation and doctrine in the church. Our sight of Christ produces understanding, doctrine and church operations. If we see Christ wrongly, like those who confused Him with past expressions of the Spirit (John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah) then we are not even going to see what church is all about.
• Church is built upon ‘this rock’, the foundation of revelation truth (Matt 16:18). And so the extent to which we have correct revelation truth is the extent to which we have a correct solid foundation upon which to build.
• Church is “built” (Matt 16:18). Jesus did say, “I will build my church”. This means that what I’ve just described in the paragraphs above needs to be built diligently over a long period of time. Our test of correct building is when we eventually produce a mature people that God can use to administer and govern the affairs of humanity. We have to produce the ekklesia. The idea of building must therefore emphasise to us issues of (a) having design (a blueprint) for church that must be built, (b) mobilising necessary and relevant resources (tools from God) that will help us build, (c) engaging in a long term process of building (building takes time), (d) being much more deliberate in how we build church.
• The building of church is a governmental-warfare issue (Matt 16:18). There is “gates of hades” we have to overcome. “Gates” in the Bible always represent wisdom and government. Elders sat at the gates to discuss issues of their cities and to come up with wisdom for effective government (e.g. Prov 31:23). This is the meaning behind the concept of elders in the churches. Paul meant that elders were governors of church communities (1 Tim 3). Elders were governors and senators of human civilisations and the church has reduced them to conductors of church services and builders of church organisations. Building a church service and governing human lives in Christ are two different realities. The “gates of hades” therefore means that there is wisdom of darkness that can overcome us if we are not receiving a higher wisdom from God. When we build church, we are engaged in warfare.
• Church has a clear mandate to advance the kingdom of God (Matt 16:19). According to Matt 24:14, this mandate must be brought to completion before the end comes. If this is true, how is it that kingdom realities are so distant from church processes. Why is there lack of kingdom emphasis in the church? Why has the “vision of the pastor” taken over clearly stated vision of advancing the kingdom of God in the earth? Have we considered that Christ and apostles preached that which they called “the gospel of the kingdom of God”? Why are we hearing “a different” gospel in the church today? Why are we “sermonising” the saints instead of preaching doctrine that reveals kingdom realities to believers. Have we considered what the kingdom of God is all about?

There are several principles that can be extracted from the word “ekklesia” (the called out ones):

• To be part of church means that you have been “called out” (of the world) to participate in serious kingdom business. That “calling out” is not a monastic process, i.e. it does mean we have to distance ourselves from the world. That calling out is one based on identity, mentality, ideology and value system. If church is made up of people who are called out then why is it that believers still wonder if they are called or not? What is a calling and what are we called for? Clearly, what we can say for now is that “calling” is not limited to “pastors” but to all those who are part of the ekklesia of God.
• One can not be part of church if one is still locked up in worldliness, worldly philosophies, values and ideologies. There must be a “calling out” or a “moving out of the world” process.
• To be part of church means that we have to be motivated by an advance of the kingdom of God.
• To become a functional church (ekklesia) we need to be trained and equipped (instead of being sermonised), see Eph 4:11-13. The “ekklesia of God” will not be produced through “sermons” but through training and equipping for kingdom function. This training must produce a set of competences inside the church that in turn produce people who can interact and advance the cause of the kingdom of God in the spheres where God has placed them (namely: Business, Workplace, Communities etc.). We have to be trained to function within the broader scope of the kingdom (and not simply or only in a “local church”). Many of believers have become competent in handling the affairs of their local churches but are still incapable to advance the kingdom of God into their God-given spheres

WHAT THEN IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD?

Many times as the disciples were walking around with Jesus, and as He was doing good and healing the sick, opening blind eyes, casting out demons, and all manner of wonderful demonstrations of the superiority of God’s Eternal Kingdom over every other kingdom, whether natural or spiritual, the disciples would ask Jesus –

“Tell us when will your Kingdom be established?

How will we know that your Kingdom has actually come?

What will your kingdom be like?”

Jesus answered them by telling them parables – stories that are in reality a comparison and have a hidden meaning, but a meaning that could be unlocked only by those with “eyes to see and ears to hear” what the Holy Spirit was saying.

In Matthew 13 Jesus gives 7 different parables as an answer, each one giving a different perspective and function of His Kingdom.

• The Parable of the Sower [vs1-9, 18-23] the Seed, and the Soils – Where are you at right now on the journey of life? How are you responding to receiving the Seed of God’s Word in your life?
• The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares [24-30;37-43] - true and false “Christians” and the end-time judgment for life-time choices
• The Parable of The Mustard Seed [ 31-32] - the unpredictable nature of Kingdom multiplication
• The Parable of the Leaven [v33] – the transforming nature of the Kingdom
• The Parable of the Hidden treasure [v44] – the sacrificial demand of the Kingdom
• The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price [v45-46] – the incalculable value of the Kingdom
• The Parable of the Dragnet [v47-45] – the certainty of the end age and the Kingdom

(1)     The Parable of the Sower [vs3-9, 18-23] the seed, and the four types of soil: This is the story of the God’s Word as Life-giving Seed sown by the Holy Spirit, and the  4 different types of receptivity of the human heart, portrayed through the four types of soil.

• hard soil –          the closed mind
• shallow soil –     the superficial mind
• weeds growing– the easily distracted mind
• good soil –          the prepared mind and heart – ready to receive and become  fruitful

Jesus said to His disciples that if they did not get life-changing revelation to understand this first parable, then they would not understand the rest of his parables – [Mark 4:13].

Jesus makes it very clear that the revelation He is wanting the hearers to get hold of is that the first seed is the Word of God which comes into a person’s heart and works through the power of the Holy Spirit so that they become a life-giving seed themselves. Without that understanding demonstrated by a changed life, people only have knowledge but no life, and Jesus said it will be worse for them in judgment than if they had never heard at all!

We live in a time of history when we know so much but do so little. We have all the truth we need but we only have the truth in our heads and not our hearts. The evidence of having truth in your heart is always measured by our attitudes and the change in our lifestyle and conduct towards others.

Being a Kingdom Disciple and a Wise Householder [v51 -52] – The conduct expected from a “kingdom disciple”-

Mat 13:51  Jesus asked his disciples if they understood all these things. They said, “Yes, we do.” [v52]  So he told them, “Every student of the Scriptures who becomes a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like someone who brings out new and old treasures from the storeroom.”

Jesus made it abundantly clear that in order to be a wise disciple of the Kingdom, a person should learn to use what they have learned before and balance that with the new truth that came by revelation. You do not discard the old, but make sure that it is tempered or fulfilled by the new

THE KINGDOM OF GOD HAS BOTH PRESENT & FUTURE ASPECTS TO IT

One of Jesus’ favorite points of comparison was between organic plant growth and the Kingdom of God. (Matt 13:24-25;31-32). Just as a single seed looks very different from a full-grown tree, so too does the inauguration of Jesus’ Kingdom in the first century AD look very different to that which shall be seen at the end of the age. 

In order to understand what Jesus was really saying we have to think of the Kingdom of God as beginning its earthly manifestation in the first-century when Jesus was here in physical person.

Further we need to understand that from that single seed of the life of Christ planted in the first-century, the Divine Tree is growing and will continue to keep on growing until the Son of Man returns to take the Matured Tree as His Bride to be forever joined to Himself.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS NOW UNDER THE REIGN (RULE) OF CHRIST WHO REIGNS FROM HEAVEN AS HE EXTENDS HIS KINGDOM THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH

We have to recognize that during the intervening period when Christ is not here physically, He has left those of us who by faith will believe upon Him and submit to His right of sovereign rulership over our lives to give expression to who He is and what will do by the way that we live.

He has sealed that commitment by giving us the “down-payment” of the future Kingdom through the individual and personal enabling of the Holy Spirit, living in us day by day, so we can do what He has asked us to do, not in our own strength, but through His strength living in us.

He said just before He left that “All authority has been given unto Me both in Heaven and in earth – go ye therefore in that authority as My Ambassadors and make disciples of every people group on the face of the earth.” (Matt 28:18-19)

In normal Christian “everyday speak”, we often talk about applying the scripture to our lives. Living the Word of God involves every aspect of the daily outworking of life, and Jesus tells us over and over again that true life is found only by living with Him in His Kingdom.

Rom 14:17  For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Rom 14:17  God’s kingdom isn’t about eating and drinking. It is about pleasing God, about living in peace, and about true happiness. All this comes from the Holy Spirit.

THE HIDDEN TREASURE IN THE FIELD

Today people have traditionally put their money into banks, but in Jesus’ time they often buried it in a field.

2000 years ago, in the Middle East where war was normally just over the horizon and invaders were as regular as the spring rains, it was necessary to store one’s treasures in places that were not so obvious to others, and where you could return if invaded and had to flee, and still find your buried treasure.

Sometimes people would die leaving their buried treasure for others to find.

Josephus the ancient Jewish historian tells us in his “Antiquities “that the people of the first century often used fields to hide their treasures before the invaders arrived. But it was also possible for these same people to be killed in warfare, and thus their secret hiding place went to the grave with them.

Certainly the prospect of finding buried treasure was not far removed from anyone’s mind when they purchased a field from surviving children or relatives entrusted with disposing of the state after such events. When Jesus told this story those listening knew that it was not a fanciful story but rather a possibility that many wished would come their way!

The First Comparison – Kingdom & Treasure in the Field

But what was the treasure? Jesus very carefully did not say exactly what it was in details. It could have been buried jewels or gold or precious gemstones – a number of possibilities exist, but we do know that in the story it was certainly well worthwhile the new owner going and selling everything he had to secure the field

This is the first point of comparison in this parable of Matthew 13:44-46. Jesus was making a direct comparison between the attributes of the Kingdom of God and those of buried treasure. Just as he had earlier in this chapter made similar comparisons between the Kingdom and Yeast, the Kingdom and a Fishing Net, the Kingdom and a gigantic tree that grew from the smallest seed possible.

When a Man Found it

Following this comparison we can say that the Kingdom is valuable and priceless. But what was more important was that the Kingdom is so valuable that it transforms the lives of those possessing it!

We see that with the young family man Jeff, struggling to sell real estate that nobody else wanted, when he stumbles across black gold bubbling out of the ground merely by accident!

This Meant that Jeff had to Quickly Make a Decision

Acquiring the treasure means a quick, smart decision. There was no legal obligation to advise the owner in advance what lies beneath the surface of the soil of the property that is for sale. That is legally the seller’s responsibility to know, not the buyers.

The treasure is not obvious – it is not there for all to see at first glance, in fact first glance tends to put people off! In Jesus’ day there was a big gap between rich and poor. Treasure to a peasant or working class citizen was only ever a dream – like winning the lottery for some. Receiving the treasure would change entirely the lifestyle of the peasant for the foreseeable future

Perception As Key Quality

Here is the crux of this parable for those listening then to Jesus speak, and for those listening today.

Mat 13:44 BBE The kingdom of Heaven is like a secret store of wealth in a field, which a man came across and then put back again; and in his joy he goes and sells all he has, to get ownership of that field.

The man could potentially do a number of things after finding the treasure:

(1) he could go tell the owner;

(2) he could ignore the treasure and pretend it was not there;

(3) he could leave it uncovered and hope the original owner’s heirs would turn up to claim it; or

(4) he could go tell everybody else about it and have them share in funding the purchase.

However, he realized what it would mean to himself and his family to gain ownership of this field and its contents, so he went and sold everything he had, no matter how little or how much he got for his goods and chattels – because he wanted the ownership of the field above all else.

There was no room for passivity here or slowness of response – a decision had to be made and be made quickly!

Dear friends, the truth of the story revealed here by Jesus is that God-given opportunities will come to you suddenly and unexpectedly during the daily journey of life – and unless you have eyes to see and ears to hear you will not be able to make that crucial decision needed and become the man or woman that God wants you to be.

As a prophetic community of people we are meant to be those that lead the world, not get led by the world. Many of God’s choicest people are still sitting in their seats week after week after week, wishing they had a different lifestyle to what they know – simply because when opportunity came along they did not act quickly and decisively to seize the moment before them and take the Kingdom opportunity that was in front of their nose!

In the First-century perception or insight was valued as a key quality, and was as highly prized as wisdom. Today we suffer the consequences of 900 years of Plato’s school of logic and have become so cautious that we are too afraid to do anything radical for the Kingdom of God.

Possessing the Kingdom is all about Radical Life-change

The Bible teaches consistently that possessing the Kingdom is all about radical life-change.

Mat 11:12  And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

Luk 16:16  Until the time of John the Baptist, people had to obey the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets. But since God’s kingdom has been preached, everyone is trying forcefully to get in.

Comparative Verse translation renders it:

The Kingdom of Heaven is not for the well-meaning, but for those desperate to find reality in this life and to secure their share of the Heavenly Kingdom to come.

No one drifts aimlessly into the Kingdom of God- it only open its doors to those who with great determination make every effort to find reality, as those who storm a city

Here in Matthew 11:12 Jesus teaches that the Kingdom does not sit idly by and wait for the last person standing to inherit it by default. Rather it teaches us that the kingdom is taken by those who forcefully seize the moment and go for broke to achieve their dreams, regardless of the personal cost involved.

The appearance of the Kingdom of God both by word, by deed and by the presence of people in the process of transformation will always force you to make a decision – either for it or against it!

So here we see Jeff, selling everything he has got to get what he sees before him – an old decrepit run-down dilapidated farm and buildings, but there is a hidden treasure that awaits the new owner.

Summary

We have seen that the Parable of the Hidden Treasure is primarily about the immediate action of the person who finds the Kingdom of God for themselves, both in light of its value and inspite of its cost.

Although selling up everything – going for broke for Christ, may seem a foolish and an unwise decision in the world’s eyes, it is the utmost wisdom to give up what is nearly worthless for something absolutely priceless.

Such a decision demands quick thinking and radical action on the part of the potential disciple. After all, unless action is taken, it is possible that the treasure might never be found by that person and lost forever.

God is looking for radical men and women who will change their world. God continues to present opportunities to those who hunger and thirst for His Kingdom to be a reality in their daily lives.

Will you be such a person?

Will you willingly sell all, or do whatever it takes to seize the moment He presents to you and go forward in the power and presence of His Holy Spirit to see His Kingdom come on earth, even as it is in the heavens?

Perhaps today you are seeing the Kingdom of God and the claims of Christ upon your life for the first time. If so we would love to be able to share with you further and help you make the right steps forward into the new day that God has for you.

Kevin Dyson is the President of New Covenant International

The Bible reveals God as the all-powerful creator of everything (Col. 1:16). He is portrayed as the Supreme Ruler over all creation (Mt. 28:18) who orders and holds together the entire cosmos (Col. 1:17). He is not neutral towards His creation. He loves and delights in it (Gen. 1:31). But all is not as it should be. The Bible reveals sin not as an isolated spiritual ailment, but as something that has radically disordered the cosmos (Rom. 8:19-22). The redemption that God provides through Jesus will result in a new heaven and a new earth (Rev. 21:1) – not just saved human souls.

While Jesus is our savior and redeemer, he is much more. He is the savior of the whole world – the redeemer of the entire cosmos (Jn. 3:16). The Bible reveals Christianity not as a religion, but as a comprehensive view of the universe—the only view that aligns with reality. This understanding of Christianity is not new. Indeed it is very old. It was concisely expressed by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Church at Colosse:

[Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible
and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all
things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in
him all things hold together… For God was pleased to have all his
fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things,
whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through
his blood, shed on the cross
– Colossians 1:15-19

Here we read Paul’s doctrine of creation, his understanding of the sovereignty of God, and his awareness of Jesus as the redeemer of the universe. In short, Paul presents us with an all-encompassing Christian view of the universe. In this passage the words “all” and “everything” appear six times. Centuries later, this same all-inclusive Christian worldview was expressed by the great Dutch statesman and theologian Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920) this way: “There is not a square inch of the universe over which King Jesus does not claim, ‘Mine!’” Yet today, for many Christians, this comprehensive view of reality has been obscured.

Today, there is a tendency for some to divide the world into opposing components. One component is labeled “sacred” and has to do with the spiritual life and presumably eternal things. Everything else goes into a “secular” category. For those who hold this divided view of reality, the consequences are profound. While they may love Jesus as their spiritual savior, they may fail to honor him as Lord over all areas of life. An invisible line divides their personal faith in Christ, their church attendance, worship, prayer life, and Bible study from other areas of life such as their work, leisure time, or care for their physical bodies. Anything that is labeled “secular” is assumed to be of little concern to God. Christianity is narrowed down to a scheme for spiritual salvation. The cross is a ticket to heaven and little more. These are a few of the personal consequences, but there are other consequences as well.

When this divided understanding of reality takes hold within a church, it results in the separation of the church from its surrounding culture. Sunday worship services and vocations in “full time Christian service” are believed to be of greater value to God than seemingly secular pursuits in areas such as the arts, law, politics, social services, care for the physical needs of the poor, and so on. Little effort is made to connect the core doctrines of the Bible to cultural and civic life. Little effort is made to encourage church members to serve as salt and light (Mt. 5:13-16), bearing witness to the truth in all areas of society. Evangelism is pitted against care for the poor. “Full-time Christian service” is pitted against careers in law, business or politics. One category is higher and the other lower. The church is sealed off from society. It exists in a Christian “ghetto” with its own sub-culture of language, media, and entertainment. When the divided mindset impacts churches, they become impotent and ineffective at impacting culture. Rather than discipling the nations as Christ commanded (Mt. 28:18-20), the values and dominant beliefs of the surrounding culture begin to influence and shape the church.

Despite this, there is cause for great hope. God is at work in our generation. He is active around the world leading his bride back to a comprehensive, undivided understanding of reality. He is reminding his followers that he is Lord not merely of some limited
spiritual realm—he is Lord over all! He created the spiritual and the physical realms and cares for them both equally. He seeks to be glorified not only in the church building, but also in the home, the school, the company, the courthouse and the houses of government equally. Furthermore, he is reminding his bride that while he passionately and actively seeks and saves lost people trapped in sin (1 Ti. 2:4), his redemptive plan is far grander than saving human souls for heaven. He is about the business of redeeming all things distorted through the Fall (Col. 1:19-20). It is this all-encompassing redemptive agenda that he calls his Church to participate with him in.

The 15th century European reformers had a motto that reminded them, in a very practical way, of God’s comprehensive concern for all areas of life and all spheres of society. The phrase was “coram Deo” which means “before the face of God.” All of life is to be lived before the face of God and to his glory. There is no higher, no lower—no sacred, no secular. God is Lord of all. Today a new word is proving useful in directing Christians back this same comprehensive, undivided mindset—the word “wholism.” While the word is relatively new, the idea behind it is not. It is as old as the universe itself. Wholism derives from the root word “whole” and is used to describe whole systems made up of multiple, interacting parts that function together. Think of your life as an example. There are different “parts” that include your family life, your career, your private life and your public life. A divided mindset will split these parts into sacred and secular categories.

A wholistic mindset will seek to glorify God in all areas of life recognizing that God is concerned for the whole of life (1 Cor. 10:31). Think of Christian ministry. Some ministries focus on evangelism, others on discipleship, and still others on providing care for the poor and needy, and so on. A divided mindset will separate these activities into higher and lower categories. A wholistic mindset sees them as equally essential parts to the total ministry of advancing God’s Kingdom on earth. Jesus showed us by example how to practice such a ministry. In Matthew 4:23, we read that “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people”. What are the “parts” of Christ’s ministry? Which of these parts was most important? For Jesus, such a question wouldn’t make sense. They were equally important and essential for his whole kingdom-advancing ministry.

The concept of wholism is both liberating and challenging. It holds the power to free us from a debilitating mental dualism. It provides a fresh, faith-expanding perspective— one that leads to a newfound freedom to enjoy embodied human life in all its wonder. It opens the door for us to take new interest and delight in God’s magnificent creation. It liberates us to explore vocational alternatives outside of “full time Christian service” and still know that we are both serving and glorifying God. As whole churches gain this new perspective, they escape from the Christian ghetto as Christians infiltrate the culture, taking with them the power of God’s Word lived out in human flesh.

Wholism can lead to social and cultural transformation. Yet it is challenging because it shows us that our faith must impact our entire lives. When we truly grasp wholism, we realize we can no longer withhold certain segments of our life from God. Jesus wants our whole lives— every part—to glorify him. He wants us to join him in advancing his Kingdom in all areas of culture and all spheres of society. For those who have been trapped within a divided mindset, this can appear to be a fearful and radical step. Yet he promises that when we join with him, our burden will be easy and our yoke will be light. The responsibility of advancing the Kingdom belongs to God, yet he gives us the privilege of joining with him. When we do, he supplies the strength we need to do things we could never do on our own.

SCOTT D. ALLEN is the President of Disciple Nations Alliance, U.S.