A Word from Rev. John Williams

This summer, listening to the preaching of Dr. Gary Simpson, pastor of Concord Baptist Church, Brooklyn, NY, I found myself squirming in my seat a number of times. He was the chapel speaker during the week I spent in Ocean Grove, NJ. His series on prophetic leadership stretched and challenged me in a number of ways. Toward the end of the week Dr. Simpson said something that has continued to trouble me. “We are not called to build the kingdom,” he said. “If we build it, it will be flawed. We are called to bear witness to the kingdom. … When we pray Thy kingdom come, we are also praying my kingdom must go.”

Over the years I have been in some passionate conversations about building the kingdom that have often left me uncomfortable. Until now, I was never quite certain about the origin of that uneasy feeling. What I think I always knew, but couldn’t put my finger on until hearing Dr. Simpson’s comments, is that my efforts at building the kingdom have always had too much of me in the mix. To be sure, God calls us into partnership with the Holy Spirit and with each other to engage in kingdom work. But building the kingdom has always been God’s task. Our task has always been to proclaim the good news of the kingdom, announce that the kingdom is at hand, recognize that the kingdom is in us, and live lives that are consistent with kingdom citizenship.

This is really difficult. Often times we can be pretty certain of how the kingdom should look and what needs to be done to build the kingdom into something worthy of our efforts; but the more we try to do God’s part instead of our part, the less we are really doing kingdom work. The word of the Lord to Zerubbabel keeps running through my mind: “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of Hosts.” (Zech. 4:6) The kingdom we try to build by human might and power, by strategic planning and superbly crafted campaigns, will ultimately crumble. We are not the builders, God is. Our efforts, great as they may seem, are wholly inadequate. Only God’s Spirit is adequate for the task of kingdom building.
This does not excuse us from kingdom responsibility. It only redirects our efforts to where they belonged in the first place, in support of what God is doing. I’m reminded of the bumper sticker that says “If God is your co-pilot, you’re in the wrong seat!” We must not assume the builder’s role; that belongs to God. The role God assigns us is one we are far better suited to fulfill. In fact, when we give place to God and surrender our egos to the authority of Christ, bearing witness to the kingdom becomes such a natural part of who we are and what we do that it becomes second nature. Those are the efforts that bear fruit.

I think Simpson’s second statement also demands a comment: “When we pray Thy kingdom come, we are also praying my kingdom must go.” What kingdoms of ours get in the way of God’s kingdom? We must continually hold our kingdom work up to the Spirit’s scrutiny to make sure what we are doing comes under the rule and purpose of God, not the building of a lesser kingdom of our own making, purpose and design. For me these are hard questions to consider, for I do not want to be found guilty of trying to build a kingdom of my own. At the same time, my yearning for the ABCCR is that we live and move and have our being as a healthy part of the kingdom God is building. My prayer is that we can join together, not as kingdom builders, but as those whom God has called to partnership with one another to bear witness of the kingdom God is building in us.

Blessings,

John Williams