Inbreaking

Christmas is almost hear. This indeed has been a good advent season.

My heart this season keeps being stirred by joyful thoughts of Jesus as victor. Through his person and work the dominion of hell here on this earth has been and is being defeated. This indeed is a good thing.

Listening through counter verses throughout the church there are at times it seems as if we miss it. So often from the self-proclaiming Evangelicals there seems to be a focus on abandoning this earth and that we should simply wait out for the new world/restoration to be ushered in. On the other end of the spectrum is the self-proclaiming Liberals who often seem to downplay, neglect, or downright forget that there will be a climax point in which the new world/restoration will be ushered in to conquer the hell in this world, or they may advocate that the world now is the world of the full restoration. IMHO, both seem to miss out.

But the good news is that there seems to be balance in the middle.

I am looking forward to the day that the new world/restoration will be ushered into full. I am celebrating that the tomorrow is inbreaking into the today. We are called in this life to fight back hell with the power of heaven. The work of heaven restores things to their fullness in God.This is the gift of Christ he has given us in his person and works. This indeed is good. We get to have a piece of the pie now but the whole later.

One way both groups seem to forget this is the nature of repentance. Repentance often is not between ourselves and God. To often I have heard messages that say a little prayer to God and everything will be okie dokie. If God has indeed called us to usher in his kingdom then part of what we are called to do is atleast to attempt to undo the hell we have brought here on this earth. This may mean making restitution. This may mean attempting to make amends between you and an old enemy. This may mean offering forgiveness when they may or may not be able or willing to accept it themselves. We are to work diligently in fighting back hell by living in the power of the Holy Spirit. We anxiously await and in this life for the Kingdom of God that is breaking in the now but is to come.