Your Kingdom Come

In my previous post, I mentioned that in order for us to live a fulfilling life, we need to align ourselves with God's purpose for the world.

This brings us to the question: "What is God's purpose for the world?"

I believe that God's purpose is revealed in the words and works of Jesus Christ.

Many of us have grown up to believe that Jesus was born and lived on Earth so that our sins could be forgiven and we could go to heaven when our worldly bodies die.

However, while forgiveness and hope for life after death is important, the Gospels focus less on these 2 purposes than we might imagine.

Jesus did not come to earth on an evacuation mission to get us into heaven, but to bring God's kingdom to earth. 

- Brian Mclaren

Mclaren notes that our "evacuation theology" would require a very different prayer from the one that Jesus gave us. He claims that if forgiveness and going to heaven were Jesus' main purposes for us then the Lord's Prayer should have perhaps looked something like this:

Image Source: Joshua Earle

"Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. May we go to heaven after we die. May we leave here and go to Your kingdom in heaven which is unlike earth because there Your will is done."

But Jesus taught us a different prayer, a prayer which says: "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

Christianity is not about merely surviving or 'getting through' this world so that we can get to heaven one day. Jesus came to earth so that we can all experience God's kingdom now, not only at some point in the distant future.

Jesus' purpose therefore (and ultimately God's purpose) is for us to know and share in the reality of God's reign among us now.

If we live our lives with this understanding, our purpose is aligned with God's purpose for the world and our lives become much more meaningful and fulfilling.