A boy went and asked his mother, “Is it true we come from the dust and return to the dust?” “Why, yes”, said his mother, “why do you ask?” “Well”, replied the boy, “there’s somebody coming or going under my bed!”
At any one time there are people in one of three situations with respect to the Kingdom of God. Some are in the process of entering, some are in the process of leaving, and some are staying. Perhaps some don’t know whether they are coming or going?
In Mark 12:34 Jesus said that a particular person was not far from the kingdom. I wonder what that man thought – not far from the Kingdom? Where is the kingdom if I am not far from it? Surely it can’t be in Samaria? The Kingdom of God is not defined by a national boundary or coastline as the nations of the world are, but obviously there is a boundary since this man was close to the kingdom but not in it. The Kingdom parables of Jesus teach us that the kingdom of God is spiritual in nature and quite different from the kingdoms of the world. In fact, it is essentially invisible as Jesus described in likening it to a measure of yeast that a woman put in a dough mixture (Matt.13:33) – it’s influence may be seen, but the Kingdom of God itself is dispersed throughout humanity.
In Matt. 6:33 Jesus instructs us to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. How do you seek the Kingdom of God when it is spiritual? The parable in Matt. 13:3-9; 18-23 tells us that it involves being receptive to the Word of God. Being receptive involves a new birth (John 3:3,5), even as a physical birth gives us our nationality. So to enter the kingdom is a journey of discovery – an education process – cf. John 6:44,45 – takes time. A person can be taking steps closer to the kingdom. This explains why there are different answers given to different people in order to be saved (eg. Acts 2:38; 16:31). It is therefore apparent a person can be closer to the kingdom than another person standing right beside him (even as we as a citizen of Australia can be sitting next to an alien). So it is that on the last day one will be taken and another will be left (Matt. 24:40,41).
This year there will be those who will enter the Kingdom of God by obedience to the gospel, and this will happen all round the world. Right now some are not far from the Kingdom:- they believe but have not yet obeyed the gospel. It is always wise to count the cost before embarking on anything, but it is also foolish to procrastinate doing what we should.
At any one time there are those who are leaving the Kingdom, or as Paul says, making shipwreck of the faith (1 Tim. 1:19). Hebrews 2:1 speaks of drifting. Jesus asked His disciples, Will you also go away? (John 6:67). Another man went away sorrowful, for he had much possessions (Matt.19:22). We must love Christ as No.1 or we can’t be His disciple, He said. Nobody leaves the Lord overnight:- by that I mean no one goes to bed faithful one night and wakes up unfaithful in the morning. The process is one of hardening, which is a gradual process. Those of you who play with fibreglass resin and bog and Araldite know the process. Some people are not even aware they are drifting away. I have a little fishing boat and I have run aground on sandbars at night, unaware that I was drifting.
How does it begin? Usually by neglecting basic things like attendance – once here, once there, and soon it becomes a habit and one is missing more than one is attending. A coal taken out of the fire quickly becomes cold. A fish taken out of water flaps for a while but soon it dies. A plant pulled from the ground first withers and then dies.
It can also happen by making compromises with our faith. The human psyche doesn’t like discord so something has to go when there is conflict between what we are doing and what we know to be true. Sadly, often the conflict in the conscience is sought to be eradicated by dismissing the Bible.
Jesus also described the same scenario likening it unto weeds growing up and choking out the fruitful life of the Christian (Matt.13:22).
Then there are those staying: the ones listening to be thou faithful unto death (Rev. 2:10); the ones not moved away from the hope of the gospel, grounded and settled (Col. 1:23), cognizant of the fact that he who endures to the end will be saved (Matt. 24:13). Are you ready to saddle up for another year? Rev. 2:10 is fulfilled by taking it a day, week, month, year at a time. Disappointments come, and discouragement can be the result. Remember Elijah? I am the only faithful one left he said, but he was wrong. There were 7000 men still faithful in Israel. It can be discouraging when we see some fall from faithfulness, or even hear of others doing likewise.
We live in dangerous times but when has it ever been different? Read Acts 20:29,30; 2 Tim. 4:3,4 and you will see that only the dates have been changed, not the problem. In this struggle we have two allies – God and faithful brethren. It is true that within the brotherhood we have a liberal element of change agents who want to depart from the ancient way. Remember Bob Dylan’s song back in the 60’s, The Times They Are A’Changing? Many people in the church are singing that same song with great gusto today as they advocate an upgrading of the gospel to suit the times. Brethren, there are many brethren just like you who will not bow the knee to Baal.
But what if Elijah had been right and he was the only one still faithful? Did that give him the right to sit in the cave and do nothing? If he had been right would he have been justified in joining the worshippers of Baal? Being a minority does not give us the right to quit or give in or give up. God told Elijah to get up and get busy. So must we.