Not of This World
In Acts 1:6 the disciples ask Jesus one final question before his ascension.
“Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
Jesus stood before men who knew Him intimately. They had walked and talked with Him. They had seen His miracles. Most of all, they had witnessed His death, burial, and resurrection. Yet immediately before He departed, they asked about an earthly kingdom.
In John 18, Jesus told Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world.” He refused to step into the role of the political messiah that the religious leaders of the day expected, and he lost followers due to that fact. He was the son of God sent to earth so save all humanity. And yet His disciples, despite all they had seen, were still tempted to look at the world around them, and to measure success in political power or earthly restoration.
They longed for earthly problems to be solved, for Israel to be freed. But Christ had already solved the greater problem of sin by bearing it on the cross. If the disciples could forget, even before His ascension, it is no wonder we lose the eternal perspective too. We get pulled into the pain and struggle of this world because it is visible, and sometimes urgent. We fear that the latest political movement will hinder the church or the spread of the Gospel, but the battle has already been won.
The Holy Spirit which was given at Pentecost after Christ’s ascension in Acts 1 propelled the good news of Christ, and the Church has thrived in every era, in every context, no matter the cost. Even in the 21st century, attempts to hinder the Word of God have not stopped its advance.
According to opendoors.org Over 380 million Christians around the world now live under high levels of persecution and discrimination. In one year, more than 4,400 Christians were killed for their faith; thousands more were imprisoned, and nearly 7,700 churches or Christian properties were attacked or destroyed. Despite this, the Gospel continues its steady march forward, not by political power, but by the enduring power of God and the Holy Spirit. Persecution of God’s church and people is unfortunate and evil, but it won’t take away our eternity, or our hope in Christ.
In times of great turmoil the word of God reminds us to fix our eyes on the unseen, and that our kingdom is not of this world. We are citizens of heaven, and servants of the most high God. The battle has been won and the victory is in Christ Jesus.