Image via WikipediaThe Kingdom of God and His justice: 1.Read Revelation 11;15 (Lasts/Does not last)?
2.Romans 14:17 (Satisfies/Does not satisfy)?
3.John 3:3 (Changes the heart/Does not save the soul)?
4.1 Peter 1:9 (Saves the soul/Does not save the soul)?
The underlying sin of materialism is that it tries to make men's condition better by changing the environment in which men live without.
On the other hand, the Kingdom of God solves man's problems by changing the heart of man first and then by changing the environment with help.
Too often the members of the kingdom of God have taken the attitude that the government ought to take care of the physical needs of people while we "save their souls." Now that you know what kind of justice the kingdom of God offers to men, what do you think about this? Should your congregation be doing anything to make the physical life of people any better?
You know the story of Peter, the first sailor. Let me tell you about the second, whose name was John.
In his early twenties, he made his way to Africa, where he became intrigued with the lucrative slave trade. At age twenty-one, he made his living on the Greyhound, a slave ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean.
John ridiculed the moral and poked fun at the religious. He even made jokes about a book that would eventually help reshape his life: The Imitation of Christ. In fact, he was degrading that book a few hours before his ship sailed into an angry storm.
That night the waves pummeled the Greyhound....
John worked at the pumps all night. Finally , when his hopes were more battered than the vessel, he threw himself on the salt-water-soaked deck and pleaded, “If this will not do, then Lord have mercy on us all.”
John didn’t deserve mercy, but he received it. The Greyhound and her crew survived.
John never forgot God’s mercy shown on that tempestuous day in the roaring Atlantic. He returned to England where he became a prolific composer.
You’ve sing his songs, like this one:
Amazing grace! how sweet the sound.
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now I see.
This slave-trader-turned-songwriter was John Newton.
Along with his hymn writing, he also became a powerful pulpiteer. For nearly fifty years, he filled pulpits and churches with the story of the Savior who meets you and me in the storm.
(From In the Eye of the Storm by Max Lucado)
The Lord hears our prayers and shows great mercy. Take the troubles you face today and wrap them in prayer: “Lord have mercy and teach me to see your way through the storm.”
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