Economy of the Kingdom of God

Yesterday at HCOB I preached on 1 Kings 17:7-16 which is the story of Elijah the prophet and the widow of Zarephath. I talked about both of these individuals needed God to provide for them, and the way that God did was through each blessing the other. The widow trusted Elijah enough to make a cake of bread for him first, even though she didn't have enough to do so. Elijah trusted that God would provide for him.

At the end I talked about the economy and the kingdom of the world and the kingdom of God. How the economy of the Kingdom of the world was about me first, make as much as you can, keep as much as you can, and don't spread the wealth around. Then I talked about the economy of the Kingdom of God was to put first the kingdom, trust that God will provide for your needs and then give as much as you can, bless others as much as you can, and spread the wealth.

I just read an article that lives out the economy of the Kingdom of God. It blew me away. Here is the article.


Woman buys back foreclosed home for stranger
DALLAS - Two strangers were brought together by a leap of faith and one piece of property that was among 200 North Texas homes up for auction at the Dallas Convention Center.
While the misfortune of others lured hundreds of bargain hunters to the foreclosure auction, Tracy said she came to find closure. The mother took her seat among a sea of investors and strangers to say goodbye to her Pottsboro home, which is located just west of Denison.
"It means so much to all of us," she said of her home that she lost to foreclosure. "It's not just a house."
At the fast-paced and energetic event, Tracy's tears did not go unnoticed.
"She was crying and I asked her what she was upset about," said Marilyn Mock, of Rockwall.
When Tracy's home, "Number 73," came up for auction, Mock raised her hand and bid. With no picture of the property in the auction book, Mock had only Tracy's word on the home's worth.
"I just kept asking her is it worth it? She said yes, and then it went again," Mock said.
Bid after bid, Mock kept raising her hand.
"The next thing you know, she tells me she is doing this for me and then she had it," Tracy said.
It was a second chance given to Tracy by a stranger.
Mock paid less than $30,000 for the property and said she plans to meet with Tracy in the next few weeks to work out the details.
"I have to look it up on the map," Mock said of Pottsboro.
Despite the risk, Mock said it was a simple decision.
"People need to help each other and that's all there is to it," Mock said humbly of her choice.
"She knows how much she has blessed my life," Tracy said. "Nobody's ever done anything like that for me before, and I hope that I can repay the favor."

This is exactly what I was talking about yesterday. What an incredible story of the economy of the Kingdom of God at work in the world.

Politics

So I don't know about you, but I can't wait until November 5. That way the election will be over and we can get on with other things. But last night as I watched the final debate between Obama and McCain some things struck me.

1. The amount of money both candidates have spent on advertising, especially Obama. Both candidates are trying to speak for the "average" citizen in the United States. But I don't think either of them get it. Two weeks ago Obama spent 6 million dollars on advertising alone. 6 MILLION DOLLARS!!!! Think of where that money could have gone to that would make this world a better place. How it could help fight the war against HIV/AIDS in Africa. How it could help fight the war on world hunger. How it could help fight the world on global poverty. It makes me sick to think about the amount of money spent on politics this last year and how there are much more pressing issues than who is elected on November 4.

2. No matter who wins the presidence on November 4, they can not bring true and lasting change in the world. I believe that only Jesus along with those of us who call ourselves Christ followers can bring change in the world.

3. Here is part of a text from a recent sermon of mine:
Another issue when it comes to the world in which we live is in regards to government. All too often we look to the government to solve the problems of our world. When something happens in our world, like a natural disaster like Ike or when the market falls, we immediately think, “Ok so what is the government going to do in order to fix this.” We hear the politicians saying what they will do or won’t do. But all too often we are asking the government to do what the church should be about. The church is a people called out of the world to embody a social alternative that the world cannot know on its own terms. We are not simply asking the government to be what God has commissioned the church to be.
The desire for Washington to solve our country’s and our world’s problems, then leads to looking at our politicians to be our saviors. Just look at the crowds listening to Barak Obama and you will see eyes of people who believe that Barak is the savior of America. And when you look at the Republican side, you see people holding signs that say Country First and believe that America is the “city on a hill which cannot be hidden.” We need to realize that government, politics, and presidents will not change people’s hearts, lives, and our world. It will be Christ followers who put their hope, allegiance, and trust in Christ and work, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to build for the kingdom of God. It will be radical disciples of Jesus who spend time not working on voting the “right candidate” into office, but spending time loving people, serving people, and being the hands and feet of Christ. Putting our allegiance in Christ and his kingdom, and not the kingdom of the world. Derek Webb, a songwriter puts it this way, “My first allegiance is not to a flag, a country, or a man. My first allegiance is not to democracy or blood. It’s to a king and a kingdom.” The first Christians weren’t martyred because they worshipped Jesus. They were martyred because they refused to worship Caesar along with Jesus as well as not giving primary allegiance to the empire. As Christ-followers ourselves, we shouldn’t give primary allegiance to the country that we live in. We shouldn’t let our country define who are enemies are. The blood of Jesus transcends national borders and puts us into a family that is made up of Americans, Iraqis, Israelis, Palestinians, and people of all ethnic and racial makeup.

So no matter what happens on November 4, I still, along with Shane Claiborne, say "Jesus for President"

New Orleans Reflections

Last week 18 of us from Hempfield COB (the sponsoring congregation of Veritas) went on a disaster relief trip to New Orleans, LA to help in the rebuilding effort that is still going on three years after Katrina. Here are some random thoughts and reflections from my week there.

1. I can't believe the destruction that is still evident all around. Houses that are abandoned and set to be demolished were all around, as were foundations that houses once stood on. Those foundations were there either from houses being washed away from that spot, or from crews demolishing houses that were unfit to live in.

2. A simple act such as coming down and putting in a concrete floor in a person's house can have an impact. The team that I was working with got to meet 2 of the people whose houses we were working on. One, Robin, told us her story about surviving Katrina. When we told her what we were doing to the house that she bought after Katrina, and was slowly working on, she broke down in tears. It almost brought me to tears thinking about the suffering that she was witness to, and that we could bless her in just a small way.

3. Something happened though midway through the week that unforuntately colored (for me) the entire week. Wednesday night someone broke into the house we were staying at, while we were there. They used a ladder to climb to the second floor and climb in a window. They stole 100 and some dollars plus my iPod (that was a gift from people in the Veritas community). I tried not to let it bother me, but it really did, and I found my attitude changing and not being as open to that community as before. It felt like a kick in the teeth.."Here we are trying to help and serve people..and you come in and steal stuff.."

4. I really really missed my wife and kids...and honestly probably should have stayed home as I am away from home way way too much.

5. Burbon Street is a wild place. One that I wouldn't necessarily want to go back to. Found a cool looking Irish Pub called Boondock Saints that had an awesome looking sign outside the pub. The sign had a Celtic Cross on it...I wish I had my camera to take a picture.

I am glad to be home now for a while (except a short trip to NJ this weekend with my wife). Beginning to work on the vision and dreams for Veritas in the future....Some questions that I am wrestling with are:

1. Should we change the name Veritas to something else once we launch our new vision? I was thinking that if we change it, it could be something like "The Front Porch" or "Eikons". Let me know what you think.

2. What does Veritas (or the new name) look like once we launch into the future?
3. Please pray for us as we look into the future and dream of what Veritas might become and how we can grow (spiritually, numerically, missionally, relationally)