Is Transforming Culture the Goal of the Church? | Theocast Clips

Luke 17 and the Kingdom of God Not Coming With Signs to Be Observed

First things first, you mentioned sort of transformational ideals, you know, we're trying to go out and transform culture. Show me where. Where we have seen that work and what have been the fruits? We go back to the Netherlands.

Of the US, you know, Iowa and Michigan and see how that's going. For those who claim that mission, you know, I think this is the perennial problem that Jesus dealt with in Luke 17. You know the Pharisees come to him and say When will the kingdom of God come?

He says.

Isn't this interesting though? It's so important. Yeah, the kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed. Are you guys is everyone listening? Great thing. Institution to say there's that now you can look at the church and see as the Westminster says That the church is the visible kingdom.

That's right, right, but but the point is he's not talking there.

He's talking about the culture won't point how it right, right?

He's talking about the mentality and of those in the church who want to see it happen in the culture, right? And he says. And they will say to you look there or look here. Mm-hmm. So here's the kingdom.

Here it is over here. Do not go out or follow them. Um, but it's this statement that always got me. Verse 22 of Luke 17. And he said to the disciples the days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man.

And will not see it. He says in the context of the kingdom. There's gonna come a time where you guys will so Desperately want the coming of the kingdom to see Jesus and his power because things are so dark.

You're gonna live for that. You're gonna be confused about that. You're not gonna see it. Where is the kingdom? What did he say among you? He says look here. He says there no for the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.

It's it's yeah, it's it's in you. In other words. It's in right? Yeah among you. That's right.

The Kingdom of God in Believers and the Mission of Witness

And so, you know when this is John 3, you know, we testify of what we've known and what we've seen. We've seen the kingdom of God. Yeah, we've seen it in those who believe the gospel. Yes, sir. We've seen the power of the kingdom of God.

That's not exciting.

But it is to me when I think about it like all right. Good night. So Christ Christ drops in and ascends to us, right. And he starts building his disciples. And what's interesting is that he says guess what guys your sojourners your aliens?

This is not your home. And what are we doing? Our major our major job is to create two factors. The kingdom of darkness we're going in and we're sniping him out and how are we doing it? We're doing it with a message because when he comes back then his kingdom is gonna be broad.

But right now there isn't this global massive transformation where the whole world would go. Wow. This is Jesus kingdom. They're going to ignore it. So if we lose sight of the very thing that Jesus is saying stop looking for the visible transformation.

It's a spiritual transformation.

Christ's Kingdom Is Not of This World

Right, Jesus John 18 other places before pilot and he's pretty clear. My kingdom's not of this world. Yeah, that doesn't sound like Christian nationalism to me. You know, it doesn't sound like a lot of the stuff we theonomy and the things are here.

Do you I can go on but do you want to say something real quick? Oh, I always want to say something. Okay, just a few thoughts here guys, right so these kingdoms none of this of this world. I would go and say something that's gonna sound maybe offensive to some.

The Church's Narrow Mission: Word, Sacraments, and Salvation

What is the mission of the church like if we're gonna define it narrowly? But appropriately it's the right preaching of the Word of God and the right administration of the sacraments for the salvation of God's elect.

That's right. Right and yeah, we're what are we doing? I mean, obviously Ephesians 4 kind of stuff I mean the the corporate gathering is for the sake of the building up of the body and then we are Equipped to do the work of ministry you know we come to receive and to rest so that we might then go love and do and so that we might go and Neighbor and do all these things and I Trust we're gonna be inviting people in to taste and see that the Lord is good.

Yeah, and to taste and see and that Christ is a Savior. Yeah, right I mean, this is what we're doing and then I think that confessional Theology gets this right that we're not activists and Crusaders.

Nope. We're pilgrims. We're sojourners. We're exiles in this land. We've been promised a homeland. Yeah, we're not there yet.