Here...Yet Not Complete...Small Yet Growing

Acts 1:3
After His suffering, he showed Himself to these men and gave many proofs that He was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about The Kingdom of God.

Are we missing something?
Are we overlooking something?
Help me out here....
Jesus, fresh from the dead (which is not normal in most folks life) spent 40 days....that's 960 hours...teaching those He was leaving in charge, about the  Kingdom. Maybe it took His death and resurrection to get their attention about the urgency and reality of what He'd come to do. Now the mantle...the mission was being passed on to His followers. I think maybe I should spend some time delving into this whole "Kingdom of God" thing.

In order to have a Kingdom...you've got to  have a King.
Check...we've got a King...that would be God.
Unlike the modern thought of what a kingdom is, it is not a matter of geographic territory.
The Kingdom of God is defined by the extent of His rule and reign. Where ever people are given to Him....where ever hearts are tuned to listen and then do, there is the Kingdom.
But....being a good "Vineyard-ite", we realize that the we see evidence of the Kingdom in our daily life, all around us, but we do not see the complete, fully functioning Kingdom. That will take place upon Jesus' return.

We read the Kingdom parables in Matthew 13 and we have an understanding of the now and not yet of God's Kingdom.
Matthew 13:31 - Kingdom is like a Mustard seed. Smallest of the small when planted, but it grows into the largest of all garden plants. At some point in the future, God's kingdom rule will fill this earth and those who are followers of Jesus will join Him. 

Matthew 13:33 - Kingdom is like yeast that is added to flour. What is the one thing you could say about yeast that has been added to flour? It spreads and affects the entire amount of flour. Just as God working in our hearts begins with a simple confession and repentance, He soon covers and fills every part of our being. Affecting our belief system to the point  that we no longer do business as others do, but find ourselves operating from the economy of heaven.

Matthew 13:45-46 - The pearl of great price. This is the one that we really don't teach about enough. I call it the great trade off.  If I want this relationship with Christ, then it is going to cost me everything I have. I have to give it all up. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that you're buying your way into salvation. But it does cost you everything. Why? Well, think of it this way. God sent Moses to deliver the children of Israel out of slavery from the Egyptians. In our day, God sent Jesus to deliver the children (us children) out of slavery to sin. God lead Israel out into the wilderness where they would have to learn to depend on Him for everything. It was a totally new way of living. We are called to leave our old ways and embrace a completely new way of functioning in our society. One way of looking at it is, God took the children of Israel out of Egypt. Then, once removed, He had to take Egypt out of them. As Paul wrote, "The world has been crucified to me, and I have been crucified to the world.  Now day's what passes for an invitation to experience this gift of salvation amounts to nothing more than, "Come on down and get fixed and then live like you always have." Doesn't sound too good, does it? Nope.

Well, enough for today. I apologize for running a little late this morning. I slept in a little later and was just tyring to get the old motor running so I could face the day. I appreciate everyone who stops by the Greene Street Letters to check out the postings, and I pray that God would give you something that might encourage you today.

God on you....
mb