Matthew 13:24-30 Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. "The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?' " 'An enemy did this,' he replied. "The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' " 'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'" In this parable, the kingdom of heaven coexists with today's evil generation. Even though satan tries every way to destroy God's work, to make people drown in sins and pains, we thank God because the kingdom of heaven is being continuously built upon the believers. It's God's will that we do not leave this world after we believe in the Lord, but rather live in this evil generation to bear witness to His authority. Whenever there are few people on Earth willing to follow God's will, the kingdom of heaven will be among them, and the glory of kingdom of heaven will be manifested by them as well.
There is a song, "Jesus is the Lord", singing that for those of us who belong to the Lord, the sovereignty of Jesus shall be practiced in all part of our lives. He is the Lord of our heartbeats, the Lord of our breaths, the Lord of our families, the Lord of our schools, the Lord of our factories and offices, as well as the Lord of churches and fellowships. We need to ask whether the sovereignty of Jesus has been manifested on us? Whether the kingdom of heaven is in our families? A normal Christian family should be a safe harbor in a thunderstorm. Unfortunately, many families are thunderstorms in safe harbors. As soon as we came back home, we feel headache. May God help us to willingly manifest the sovereignty of the Lord.
Is kingdom of heaven in churches? Time and time again, churches are merely social gathering places. Christians are supposed to be edible salt on earth, but instead they become rock salt at church, which is inedible. They not only lose the ability to bear a testimony, they are so salty that they could kill. Are we willing to let the sovereignty of God to rein in churches? Are we willing to be broken, to be discarded, so that through us witness for the kingdom of heaven can be manifested? The kingdom of heaven is not a hope in the future, but a responsibility of today. God didn't ask us to leave this evil generation, but to bear witness to His glorious work in this evil generation.
A good friend works in a very competitive business. He made his mind to let Jesus to be the sovereign of his work. Because of that, he refused to accept bribery, nor do business through backdoors. At first, everyone laughed at him. He faced all kinds of obstacles: colleagues stymied him, subordinates refuses to obey. But he wholeheartedly relied upon God, and was resolute in obeying God's words. After a few years, his achievements rose to the top of his company. Even gentiles had to sit up and take notice. This is the witness that a Christian should bear in this generation. May the Spirit of the Lord help us to see that it is not God's will to let us leave this world, but rather to bear witness to His glory right where we are. As seeds in the weeds of the field, God will accomplish His work through us. Pray with Pastor Tong 
Lord, we thank you. May your Spirit excite us again. Give us wisdom and power so that we bear witness to your glorious testimony in this crooked and perverse generation. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen! |
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