David Bahn – Reflections

Matthew 6:9-10

⁹  Pray then like this:

There is a recent move in the Christian/missional community to distinguish between the Kingdom of God and the local church. Those who seek to make this distinction make much over the antiquated, arbitrary, hypocritical, and non-biblical trappings of the local church, or more likely, the local church’s culture. It’s the Christian/Church culture that repeatedly comes under fire.

With all the committee meetings, rules, limits, turf wars, and petty bickering that goes on in many churches one could easily lose heart and want to throw out the baby with the bathwater. Let’s just gather in missional groups, do life together, worship God, and seek to advance his kingdom in these groups. As one who believes that such groups are a great thing, I get that desire. I like the idea, I simply don’t buy the “just” (as in “only”) part of that sentiment. 

The kingdom of God is present wherever Jesus reigns in the hearts of people. That’s why Jesus makes such a point of announcing the presence of the kingdom whenever and wherever he went. “The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the good news” (Mark 1:15, e.g.). This is what Jesus wants: people who believe in him, who recognize his reign in their hearts, and who believe the good news of his presence in their lives. 

So when two or three people gather in Jesus’ name, and he is in their midst (Matthew 18:20), the kingdom of God is present. That’s the church; and that’s a good thing. The funny thing is that we constantly have trouble keeping Christ on the throne. In any gathering of sinful human beings there will be a tendency to push Christ off the throne of our hearts. Personalities, preferences, peccadillos, and peculiarities always assert themselves into any group.

It may be easier to manage them in a group of 50 than in a group of 5000. But Jesus never asks us to choose between one or the other, per se. His call is to follow him in any and every group or situation we find ourselves part of. We need not give up one for the other. In fact, we need both. Once in a while we need the larger celebrations of Christians who are following Jesus in great numbers. Once in a while we need to be about the business of actually doing ministry with a smaller number of people. 

So when I pray, “Thy kingdom come,” I am asking Jesus to reign in the church I serve and mid-size missional groups we sponsor, and especially in my heart. I need not choose between one or the other; I’ll have both!

Matthew 6:1-15

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

²  “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ³ But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

⁵ “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

⁷ “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. ⁹  Pray then like this:

¹⁴  For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, ¹⁵  but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.