Annexation to the Empire of Christ
Luke 17:20–21
"Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The Kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you."
When Jesus talks about The Kingdom of God—His Kingdom, it always makes me think about centuries upon centuries of empires rising and falling "that ebb and flow with the moon" (Muggeridge). God's empire is radically different. God's Kingdom starts from within—the work of God's Holy Spirit, as the Living Life writer states that "the coming of the Kingdom is not a one-time event that can be observed; it does not arrive like an invading army but like an unseen revolution". This baffled an empire-builder such as Napoleon Bonaparte who had this to say: "Christ alone across the chasm of eighteen centuries makes a demand which is beyond all others difficult to satisfy… He asks for the human heart. He will have it entirely to Himself. He demands it unconditionally, and forthwith His demand is granted… In defiance of time and space, the soul of man with all its powers and faculties becomes an annexation to the empire of Christ. This phenomenon is unaccountable; it is altogether beyond the scope of man's creative powers." Jesus's empire is totally not of this world and it wins us over. St. Paul illuminates for us its transcendent nature that people over two millennia have experienced and even now for which we are pining for absolute completion: "For the kingdom of God is… of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, (Rom 14:17)".
"Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The Kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you."
When Jesus talks about The Kingdom of God—His Kingdom, it always makes me think about centuries upon centuries of empires rising and falling "that ebb and flow with the moon" (Muggeridge). God's empire is radically different. God's Kingdom starts from within—the work of God's Holy Spirit, as the Living Life writer states that "the coming of the Kingdom is not a one-time event that can be observed; it does not arrive like an invading army but like an unseen revolution". This baffled an empire-builder such as Napoleon Bonaparte who had this to say: "Christ alone across the chasm of eighteen centuries makes a demand which is beyond all others difficult to satisfy… He asks for the human heart. He will have it entirely to Himself. He demands it unconditionally, and forthwith His demand is granted… In defiance of time and space, the soul of man with all its powers and faculties becomes an annexation to the empire of Christ. This phenomenon is unaccountable; it is altogether beyond the scope of man's creative powers." Jesus's empire is totally not of this world and it wins us over. St. Paul illuminates for us its transcendent nature that people over two millennia have experienced and even now for which we are pining for absolute completion: "For the kingdom of God is… of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, (Rom 14:17)".
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