Not Far From the Kingdom

One of my biggest fears in spiritual ministry is that I know someone who is "not far from the Kingdom." What in the world is Jesus talking about here? How can a person be not far from the Kingdom of God?

This post is actually part of the sermon I plan on presenting to my congregation this Sunday morning. Just some serious thoughts come up as I am writing this morning.

"Not far but not in" are scary and haunting words! Look at the scripture:

Mark 12:28-34:

²⁸One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"

²⁹"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. ³¹The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these."

³²"Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.³³To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."

³⁴When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.

I am not trying to be judgmental or imply that we should go out and start analyzing others in their walk with God, but have you ever known or do you know anyone who is "not far from the Kingdom of God?"

If your answer is YES, perhaps you see these people on Sunday mornings at your place of worship. This is where someone that fits this label more than likely is to be seen.

It is an interesting statement indeed. Notice that Jesus did not say that he was IN the Kingdom, but simply that he was NOT FAR from it. The Scribe was not far, but not in.

You see, it is not enough merely to intellectually believe in the truth of God’s Word. We must be willing to act on it, to commit ourselves to follow it. The Scribe was not far from the Kingdom, but he was not in. Not far, but not in it.

Most of what passes for modern, mainstream Christianity is found symbolized in this Scribe. He had given mental assent to the facts of God’s word, yet he had never given himself to God.

We see it all too often in our churches. Pews are populated every Sunday by people who have only an intellectual faith, but not a faith lived out in daily life. They come to church, throw a few dollars in the offering plate, go through the motions, and go home. There is no passionate love for the Lord, no real desire to spend time serving the Lord and no power in their lives.

They are like the people in Jesus’ hometown who had grown up with Him but had never experienced His power by committing themselves to Him.

Could it be that the powerlessness of a church is because so many whose names are on their rolls are not far from the Kingdom, but not in it?

My prayer is that God will show us where we are lacking, where we are weakest. The world has seen so much of the powerless church and possibly even a church made up of leaders that are "not far from the Kingdom."

Where can we do better? What can we do better? What is the world seeing?

God's best to you today-just a thought from Tim