Building for God’s kingdom
Our Father who art in heaven.
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.[1]
I don’t know that God’s kingdom on earth will ever be as it is in heaven. We are not God and humans are sinful. But Jesus taught His follows this prayer. It must be important. Is it possible before Jesus returns?
When I look at the world today, I see how far we are from Jesus’ mark. Russia isn’t giving up on attacking Ukraine, Israel continues to bomb innocent people in Gaza while Hamas continues killing innocent hostages, the rise of the Islamic State, North Korea testing nuclear weapons, and “Christian Nationals” add to the angst as the world seems to get angrier every day. Those areas do not even touch on the personal shortfalls that we experience regularly. There is a lot to worry about in our present day.
Then, violence in civilization is not new. Throughout human history there has been violence and wars. The Bible is riddled with wars, conquests, pillage, and so much more. I struggle with the book of Joshua, chapter 10 in the Bible where God tells Joshua that he will deliver the Amorites to Joshua and not one would remain standing. Even during Jesus’ life, the Romans ruled, and it was not easy for the Jewish people living under control. Christians were not exempt from blame regarding violence through colonialism, slavery, and abuse of power.[2] Do these first couple paragraphs sound disjointed? It is intentional because I think our world has a lot of chaos.
Theologians and authors, Wright and Bird argued that all Christians have a responsibility to build for the kingdom. This is different than building the kingdom, God does that. However, humans were made in God’s image so that humans have the ability to reflect God’s image to the world.[3]
As Christians, we are called to emulate Jesus’ non-anxious way of living. Because he knew who he was and why he was on this earth, the powers of the rulers were not threatening to him. He maintained a non-anxious presence and spoke truth to power. That can be life threatening. It was for Jesus. Jesus knew that Pilot’s authority was granted by God. Jesus’ expectation though was that the person in authority needed to act responsibly. [4]
Wright and Bird are not the only authors that understand that the earth does not belong to us but to God. We are God’s creation that has been given responsibility to rule with accountability. In The Soul of Politics, Beyond “Religious Right” and “Secular Left,” Jim Wallis, founder of Sojourners, talked about the “role of the biblical prophets to be bold in telling the truth and proclaiming the justice that is rooted in God.”[5] The prophets of today must live believing that real change is possible and within the political realm is an important place to start.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation.
But deliver us from evil.[6]
These verses confirm that for us to build for God’s kingdom, we need to include our need to rely on God for physical and spiritual nutrition, as well as recognizing the temptations we face as humans.
One of the things that surprised me most in Jesus and the Powers was authors discussion on God’s intent for human beings to share in the ruling of the kingdom on earth portion of this prayer. Initially, it would be in the form of Jesus. Jesus who while divine was fully human and a perfect servant leader, taught by word and action how real leadership should look. So often, Jesus is simply portrayed as the meek and mild image that Sunday schools promote, especially to little children. Jesus was bold in speaking truth to power throughout his life.
For Thine is the kingdom
And the power
And the glory.[7]
Wright and Bird espouse that power of governmental leaders is God given. Yet that means the political leaders will also be held accountable to God for the way they lead and how they treat those under their rule. To be sure, there is a lot of evil in the world. Following the prayer Jesus taught, it seems we humans forget that.
Is heaven on earth really possible?
How does all this relate to leadership? In Failure of Nerve, Author and Rabbi, Edwin Friedman held that an important step in good leadership was to be self-aware and well-differentiated[8]. This frees the leader to take responsibility for personal actions rather than get sucked into drama and power struggles. A well-differentiated leader is able to go about working for God’s kingdom within the world where we live.
I haven’t seen anything in scripture that hints at Jesus doing anything by chance. He prayed that prayer when the disciples asked him to teach them to pray. I do believe that Jesus wants His followers to model his non-anxious presence and speak truth to power as we seek to build for the Kingdom of God in a world that left to itself chooses poorly.[9]
Oh, how I wish I could have been there sitting at his feet, hearing his voice, learning from the master in person when he taught us to pray. Maybe I would be a better, more outward witness.
[1] Matthew 6:9-10
[2] N.T. Wright and Michael Bird, JESUS and the POWERS (London, Zondervan, 2024), 176.
[3] Wright and Bird, 84.
[4] Wright and Bird, 42.
[5] Jim Wallis, The Soul of Politics, Beyond Religious Right and Secular Left (New York, Jim Wallis, 1995), 53.
[6] Matt. 6: 11-13.
[7] Matt. 6:13 NKJV, inspired by 1 Chronicles 29:11 NKJV.
[8] Edwin Friedman, A Failure of Nerve (New York, Church Publishing, 2017), 15.
[9] Wright and Bird, 174.
About the Author
Diane Tuttle
13 responses to “Building for God’s kingdom”
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Diane,
In one of my classes I suggest that the church has lost its focus over the centuries. Once Christianity became the religion of Rome and then other countries, I think the church began to focus more on keeping the government happy rather than co-laboring with God to build his kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
You talk about how a well differentiated leader or as Simon Walker would say an Undefended leader is able to accept responsibility and not get sucked into drama. Considering what you have read and what you see in our leaders today. Do you feel that many of our Nation’s leaders are well-differentiated?
Hi Jeff, good question. I think that some politicians are honestly working to make life better for their constituents. However, I also think that once someone is in a position of power the temptation is to do what needs to be done to stay in power. In those cases, yes, the focus to co-labor with God is compromised or lost.
Hi Diane,
Thank you for your post. In what ways does the concept of Jesus’ authority and his non-anxious presence challenge contemporary Christian political engagement, and how can believers navigate the responsibility of reflecting God’s image while holding leaders accountable?
Hi Shela, Thanks for the question. Sometimes I think some politicians intentionally seek reactions from the general public because sensation sells. Jesus had a balance that feels difficult in the world. The picture that comes to mind is when Jesus is talking to the men who were ready to stone a woman. He did not preach at the men or chastise them. He quietly started drawing in the dirt and made one quiet comment. Whoever is without sin may cast the first stone. They all walked away. Brilliant. Paying attention to our surroundings without showing agitation is disarming and perhaps will open people to pay attention when something is said that is directed to let someone know that a situation is less than ideal or completely wrong.
Hi Diane, Thank you for your post. This sentence just jumped out at me, “Because he knew who he was and why he was on this earth, the powers of the rulers were not threatening to him.” I appreciate how you extended being non-anxious outward toward ‘the powers.’ Can you describe how remaining less-anxious in the face of ‘the powers’ is impacting your leadership currently?
Hi Julie, Leading my organization is truly a privilege, yet even in nonprofit organizations there are people vying for power or recognition. Most mornings, I use my commute to pray that God helps me be who he knows I can be. and/or give me strength for the journey today. By partnering with Jesus, I don’t feel as though I have to take the “bate” when someone asks something. It gives me the freedom to respond based on facts of the current quesiton rather than getting caught in the angst of the day.
Hi Diane! I love your mention of Friedman as a well-differentiated leader. When you speak of being at Jesus’ feet to learn from him, could you describe this more for me? I know he often spoke truth to power (a prayer of mine), but what would be atop your list?
Hi Daren, When I said that I wish I could have been sitting at the feet of Jesus learning from him, it was meant truly to be living when Jesus was present and being among those who could actually hear his human voice and see his physical person. Obviously, we are living at a time God chose for us to be in this time and place. As far as what would be an area I would like to speak aloud is one I don’t “get”. In today’s political world there are people who want to vote based on being anti-abortion while the same people are pro gun, or the reverse pro-choice and for gun control. I learned once that if someone shoots a gun (except in hunting or target shooting) they have to be prepared to kill someone. So, the opposing sides in the political arena both promote making/keeping something that can kill another, depending on the definition, available while at the same time condemning the other side for being murders. I would like to be able to speak to the fact that neither side might be without fault on those issues. Maybe the way to decide political preference might best be determined on the character of the person as exhibited by how they treat and speak of others.
Hi Diane, I appreciate your post. Along with you, I wish that I could have sat at Jesus’ feet as he taught the Lord’s prayer. But it made me consider that he said In John 16:7 (NIV): “But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.”
Have you considered how the this is true in regards to the state of our world?
In thinking about this, I feel conviction that I need to spend more time in prayer and listening to the Spirit for guidance in our political landscape – so thank you for your post!
Hi Christy, Thank you for your comments. Your final thoughts about listening for guidance from the Spirit ring true for me as well. There are times I awake at night and at first am iritated that I am not sleeping but then start praying and in that something comes to mind that hasn’t while the noise of the day shut it out. Maybe that is a gift of being at the Master’s feet and letting him teach me through the Spirit. Thanks for the question. Peace.
Hi Diane, I appreciated how you outlined and emphasized the Lord’s Prayer in your post. I can resonate with your thoughts as you navigate the chaos in our world. Ryan mentioned in his post the idea of being a stonemason and building “the cathedral” stone by stone. I view this as the daily small things that glorify God and improve our communities. For example, I believe the time you dedicate to prayer each morning while driving to work is placing another “stone on the pile” for the kingdom. What are some other daily stones you have placed for the kingdom? I bet there are a lot!
That is a hard question to answer because some of the things I do come when I become aware if I become anxious or feeling a bit overwhelmed with something. I have to remind myself to rely on God’s call and remember that God is equipping me for what comes each day. I am SO far from perfect on this. But I love the journey. I hve also become more intentional about being connected to other women of faith for mutual support and accountability. It was hard to start but is starting to grow and it is a gift.
Thanks for asking.
Diane, I really appreciate you bringing Friedman into the conversation. This is a great was to consider our current political moment along with the work of Wright and Bird. Do you have any thoughts on how we can practically speak truth to power, as Wright and Bird suggest, in such a turbulent time without instigating further anxiety?