What is the kingdom of heaven like right now for those of us living on this earth? That question comes up regularly in Jesus' teaching in the book of Matthew. I'm reading through Matthew and I'm taking note of what He says about the kingdom of heaven. What does it mean to church planting missionaries like myself and church planting organizations like World Team?
What is the Kingdom of God like?
In Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus describes an aspect of the final judgment. First, the context around it is like a bright flashlight zeroing in on the real point. In verses 1-13 Jesus tells the parable of the Ten Virgins. The point of that story is stated in verse 13: "Watch." It's similar to 24:42's "stay awake" and 24:44's "be ready." This vigilance and persistent action is called for because we do not know when we will meet Jesus face-to-face. And we really want to be ready for that moment. Jesus is saying, "Take this seriously. When I come back to judge the world, you really want to be ready and diligently persevering at my work."
Then in 14-30 Jesus tells the Parable of the Talents. The point seems to be that we are entrusted with Jesus' "property" during this time we are alive and we are responsible to work diligently to make the most of his resources in light of his purposes. His "talents" are entrusted to us. The talent in view, of course, is a unit of monetary value in Roman times equal to about 200 years wages.
God has given us his resources: life, relationships, opportunities, possessions, labor, and wits. We are expected to use them for His purposes while we live. God's purpose for us until Christ comes is most succinctly summarized in the Great Commission a few chapters later. "Make disciples." Implicit in that is "Be my disciples."
So what is a church planter supposed to do? Make disciples!
Now here is where it gets tricky. Jesus says in this passage that we will be judged based on whether or not we feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome strangers, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and minister to the imprisoned.
This is what the kingdom of God is like. This is what Christ's disciples do.
The “sheep” are commended for their great compassion for those in need—for the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger; for those who are naked, sick, or in prison. The righteous will inherit the kingdom not because of the compassionate works that they have done but because their righteousness comes from their transformed hearts in response to Jesus' proclamation of the kingdom, as evidenced by their compassion for the “least of these.” In caring for those in need, the righteous discover that their acts of compassion for the needy are the same as if done for Jesus himself. --ESV
As we go about being and making disciples and multiplying communities of believers, our lives and our ministries will be characterized by compassionate works as a result of the transforming power of Christ in our lives and ministries. We will act like Jesus as we do Jesus' work. As we seek to obey his commission, his compassion will overflow from us and the disciples we make and the communities of believers that are formed.
