Making room for the Kingdom of God

[JimFoxvog]

Ok, yes this is a generalization and I agree not everyone is this way but for the most part the worldly people I know have placed their faith in a vaccine and it appeases them enough that they feel no need of Christ.

When people are looking for hope I don't think any supporter of the vaccine is sending a clear message the only hope is in Christ and a better way of being part of the kingdom of God. But, again since the people I relate to on a personal level seem to live in fear that is why I feel that way.

Let's really be careful and intentional in what kingdom we are promoting and supporting.

I do not understand how supporting things that contribute to human health in any way is a contrast to our hope being in Christ. Maybe if you're a Christian Scientist and believe all disease is an illusion, I'd understand. But almost all real Christians I've met believe that living a healthy life is not contrary to hope in Jesus.

I do not define promoting physical health for oneself and others as living in fear. I don't fear death. I want to serve Jesus, and believe I can do that better with a healthy body. If I get sick, then I can still be in Christ and be a witness to him in sickness. Wayne was a good example here.

[Bill Rushby]

Josh wrote: [/quote] Yet mysteriously covid got worse! [/quote]

We don't know what the stats would have been for COVID if no protective measures had been taken. The claim that COVID got worse is unsubstantiated!

[Wade]

Ok, yes this is a generalization and I agree not everyone is this way but for the most part the worldly people I know have placed their faith in a vaccine and it appeases them enough that they feel no need of Christ.

When people are looking for hope I don't think any supporter of the vaccine is sending a clear message the only hope is in Christ and a better way of being part of the kingdom of God. But, again since the people I relate to on a personal level seem to live in fear that is why I feel that way.

Let's really be careful and intentional in what kingdom we are promoting and supporting.

I do not understand how supporting things that contribute to human health in any way is a contrast to our hope being in Christ. Maybe if you're a Christian Scientist and believe all disease is an illusion, I'd understand. But almost all real Christians I've met believe that living a healthy life is not contrary to hope in Jesus.

I do not define promoting physical health for oneself and others as living in fear. I don't fear death. I want to serve Jesus, and believe I can do that better with a healthy body. If I get sick, then I can still be in Christ and be a witness to him in sickness. Wayne was a good example here.

My step grandmother died today. Her health went down hill after receiving the COVID vaccines. If these vaccines are causing clotting it would make sense why she started having seizures and is now dead.

Maybe I'm isolated but people I know are NOT getting healthier from this vaccine rather they are dying sooner. And who is any of us to say Wayne would not have lived longer or shorter with or without the vaccine - one things for sure vaccines do NOT promote health in a person's body whatsoever - rather they trigger an immune response that may or may not help them overcome sickness later by their body reacting faster to a specific intruder.

[Sudsy]

I thought I would drop in and see if this forum was anymore Christian in content than when I left. Sadly, imo, no. A very worldly minded forum with some arguing on minor religious practises, is how I read it.

But this topic of what the Kingdom of God is and what others believe it to be is of interest to me. George asked that it be looked at again as to what we understand the Kingdom of God to be about. I will offer a few comments of my understanding.

Jesus said the Kingdom of God is currently among us (Luke 17:21) and (although there are varied interpretations here), I believe He was, at that time, speaking of Himself and how the Holy Spirit was being manifested in His life. Paul wrote in (Romans 14:17) "for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. He also said - " If I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Luke 11:20).

So this, to me, means that when we are living under the guidance, leadings and empowerment of the Holy Spirit, our lives will reflect this kind of life. This Kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). Regardless of what is going on in this world (wars, Covid 19, climate change, politics, etc) when we are 'walking in the Spirit', these things will not be our main concern. Rather it will be living and desiring others to come out of these mindsets and experiencing the Kingdom life that only the Holy Spirit can bring us. This life is eternal life that begins now.

What appears to me to be most missing in the threads here is a recognition of the work of the Holy Spirit that is necessary to live a Kingdom life of ' righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit'. We can't enter into the Kingdom life without the work of the Holy Spirit nor can we live the Kingdom life without the work of the Holy Spirit operating in us.

To live, walking in the Spirit, is a war when it comes to overcoming our carnal lives. A war we must fight. It requires an on-going change in how we think and what we chose to think about listening for the Spirit's directions. One can't battle this and ignore Philippians 4:8-9. Many things talked about here is not guarding our minds and that is resulting in contentions and not the peace of God. It is a poor testimony to the world on what Kingdom life is meant to be when some 'seeker' visits this forum and sees how we treat one another and the fears that exist. If I was unsaved, I doubt what goes on here would attract me to a Kingdom way to live.

Well, I guess I gave more than my 2 cents worth. However, I will consider other's views on this subject. Instead of making room for the Kingdom of God, as stated in the thread title, we should live as Kingdom citizens, reflecting Jesus to a lost and needy world, taking positive steps in controlling what we think and discuss. Making 'no room' for worldly concerns. And this would be an on-going battle as we grow spiritually having our minds transformed to focus on eternal issues and being lead, not by our mental abilities to argue over things but rather lead by the Spirit who lives within us and waiting to be given control.

Have a good day of spiritual growing of mind transformation and being lead by the Holy Spirit.

[Wade]

I think if people watched this video below that it would help explain why supporting unethical vaccines is following the system of the world:

I wrote on this issue to every member of the UCP (conservative) caucus and received a reply from our Canmore representative to the effect that our barring from the polls was all a terrible mistake and should not have taken place.

This was reassuring but left me wondering if it was the province or just the school which was "trying it on" to see what they could get away with.

You will excuse me for seeming cynical but anyone who is capable of taking away someone's livelihood for the Greater Good is also capable of taking away their vote.

Such are the times we live in.

i believe all of this.
i’d like to add, presently, a lot of “what is or could become wrong” is openly presented, and/or testing - “to see what they can get away with.” a serious problem seems to be folks either not listening, or not believing, what they are being told!

in the U.S., one blatant example was when both obama and hillary, in high public office, announced the DNC full commitment to support (corporate) abortion. no mincing words. no trickery. to me, a grand case of “to see what they can get away with!”
and, just look how successful they are!

you cannot make this up.

so, yes, grooming, and leveraging, grooming, and leveraging. to get away with murder - WITH the people’s approval/votes.
including many professing Christians. including some pastors and Christian leaders. “God bless abortions.”

when i was young, we learned about oppressive regimes that removed rights and forced horrible things on helpless people.
i don’t know what to make of people voting for horrible things, removal of their own rights; demanding more+more, not less.

quite a trick there.
wars are so primitive and messy. propaganda is cheaper and more efficient. convince people to vote for their own demise.
the pattern is clear. the playbook is not confined to IVM, vaccines, voting, abortion.

This video explains how it is done: society becomes unhinged through fear.

[Sudsy]

I think if people watched this video below that it would help explain why supporting unethical vaccines is following the system of the world:

i believe all of this.
i’d like to add, presently, a lot of “what is or could become wrong” is openly presented, and/or testing - “to see what they can get away with.” a serious problem seems to be folks either not listening, or not believing, what they are being told!

in the U.S., one blatant example was when both obama and hillary, in high public office, announced the DNC full commitment to support (corporate) abortion. no mincing words. no trickery. to me, a grand caccse of “to see what they can get away with!”
and, just look how successful they are!

you cannot make this up.

so, yes, grooming, and leveraging, grooming, and leveraging. to get away with murder - WITH the people’s approval/votes.
including many professing Christians. including some pastors and Christian leaders. “God bless abortions.”

when i was young, we learned about oppressive regimes that removed rights and forced horrible things on helpless people.
i don’t know what to make of people voting for horrible things, removal of their own rights; demanding more+more, not less.

quite a trick there.
wars are so primitive and messy. propaganda is cheaper and more efficient. convince people to vote for their own demise.
the pattern is clear. the playbook is not confined to IVM, vaccines, voting, abortion.

This video explains how it is done: society becomes unhinged through fear.

I watched the video and to me, what is missing is the only answer to man's destructive choices and that is turning to God and receiving the Holy Spirit into our hearts to live a Kingdom life despite of what is going on in our place in the history of mankind.

One can either get hung up on the different ways of regarding things Iike vaccines, climate change, politics and even some Christian practises and miss out on what real Kingdom life offers us. Been there, done that, trying to not let that happen again through the power of the Holy Spirit. The choice is ours to be sucked into all these worldly concerns by other professing believers or to get on with the life and mission we have been given as Kingdom citizens.

It is really quite simple. Chose a life for yourself of 'righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit' or join some other professing believers in a life of arguing, dissension, fears, unhappiness, strife and being lead by the ego. There is a separation from the world (which I believe is very mis-understood by some of us) that results in a life that is not a Kingdom experience. And then there is a separation from the world that allows us to be among the other kingdom folk and displaying a life that, although hard on the ego, is very rewarding in our spirit, the real us. But first one needs the faith to believe a rich, fulfilling life in the Spirit is possible.

My guess is that some who were quite active on this forum and don't post much have made that choice to not allow these issues to interfere with their Kingdom mindset. Jesus said He came to bring us abundant life. The question then is, are we living this abundant life in the Spirit or not ? If not, why not ?

[Bootstrap]

This video explains how it is done: society becomes unhinged through fear.

This video actually makes a lot of the same points I have been making in this thread and in others.

It is certainly possible to be unhinged by fear in just this way on either side of the vaccine question. And in either case, that leaves little room for either reasonable thinking or for the Kingdom of God. Watching hours of videos that take extreme positions and promote fear doesn't make us smarter or more spiritual. On either side.

Can we let go of that and make room for the Kingdom of God?

As the video puts it ...

[temporal1]

Sept 2021:

So my friend, why not define the "Kingdom of God" rather than arguing about how we function in it or don't function in it?

The other question that is begging to be asked is, Is the Kingdom of God here and now and how to de we "see" it and "enter" it?
Let's focus on the important things, rather than the peripheral points of disagreement???