Quote

"But the Kingdom of God also defines the Church in its relation to the world. The Church has a foundation of its own, has its own rules, its own mode of existence. But precisely because of the fact that it is the Church of the Kingdom, it has also a positive relation with the world, for the Kingdom of God is seeking acceptance in the world. 

A sower went forth to sow. And the field is the world. That is why the Church is seeking catholicity. And this catholicity has a double aspect, one of extension and one of intensity, in accordance with the nature of the Kingdom. So the Church is a wide as the world. The horizons of the world are also the horizons of the Church; therefore its urge to carry on missionary work, to emigrate, to cross frontiers. This is because the Church is the Church of the Kingdom. She is not allowed to be self-contained. 

But there is also an intensive catholicity of the Church because of the Kingdom. The Church is related to life as a whole. It is not a drop of oil on troubled waters. It has a mission in this world and in the entire structure of the world. This statement does not arise from cultural optimism. This is the confession of the kingship of Christ. For this reason, too, the Church is the Church of the Kingdom. 

And the third remark is my concluding one: as Church of the Kingdom, the Church is seeking the future. She has received her talents for the present. But her Lord who went into a far country will return. Her waiting for Him consists of working. Otherwise she will hear: "What have you done with my talent?"

"When the Time Had Fully Come: Studies in New Testament Theology"

-Herman Ridderbis

Conviction - One

"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us." (1 John 1:5-10 NIV)

I am writing as a conviction. Not enough people write convictions these days. They write about what would make you feel good about yourself. But this is an issue I struggle with and maybe you do too. I think all humans do. 

I have been raised with a healthy awareness of my sin. Rarely has it been the case where someone sees I am in sin but has not mentioned it. And I am so grateful for it! It keeps me on my toes and keeps pride at bay. But admit it, all of us have a bit of pride remaining. Who among us wants to admit that they are sinful? I don't. That requires some pretty heavy humility. 

I picked this passage because I was reading it on my lunch break and it convicted me. "If we claim to be without sin...", it mentions this twice in the above passage. Now, I don't know very many people who go around saying, "Oh, I'm perfect" or "Psh, I don't sin." That isn't something we usually hear. But what about "Well, that's not my fault." ..or other such lines. How often do we want to shift the blame and point the spotlight at anyone else but ourselves? I believe that is a very easy way to claim to be without sin. You may think this is extreme. I don't mind if you disagree with me! Again, this is my conviction of the day and maybe it convicts you. 

God is very clear about sin. It is not to be tolerated. We are to be above blame, but part of that is to be able to admit our sin and failures before nailing it to the cross. We have to face the fact of our sin, break down the barrier of pride to enter into humility and forgiveness for our sin to be able to put it in the past. If you are just shifting the blame, you deny yourself as a sinner and you deny you need the Savior and you make Him out to be a liar for all He came to say and do for you. 

I don't know about you, but I grew up afraid of the dark. There were monsters in my closet and under my bed when it was dark. There were murderers in the shadows and scary animals around every corner. But when there was any light, it was like it expelled any fear or fright in me. That is Christ with sin. Our sin is our fear...it haunts us, plagues us, guilts us...it drives us to insanity and makes us cringe and hide. But He is all light. What comfort to step into the light, to never fear those shadows, to never fear the dark. That is a life we are to have. The more we lean on Him, the more we rely on Him, the brighter our light can be. The more we can attract those who are still afraid of the dark. The more we can portray Christ's glorious righteousness and robes of white. "In him there is no darkness at all." If we are to claim to be a light-bearer, we must throw off the darkness by the power of Christ and live gloriously in His name and. His footsteps. If we walk in His light, He promises to purify us of all our sin.

So that's my conviction of the week. Maybe you agreed and maybe you didn't, but either way I hope you are blessed by it! If you ever have a passage you'd like me to address, drop a comment below!