Chapter 25: A "Neither Here, Nor There" Kingdom

12/16/1990

IT would be best to elaborate in a practical way, with your permission, a little more on the following point. The real McCoy, a true expression of God’s reign and “Dwelling Place” amongst His People (Eph 2:22) will not wait for the gavel to pound for the beginning of a meeting. As the People of God, we’ll be singing or praying together in smaller groups continually as a life, without any cues or “meetings” to set us up for that. “As we rise up, as we sit down, as we walk along the way” (Deut. 6, 11). In living rooms, in restaurants together—or even in jail together (Acts 16:25-26)! We will be singing the praises of God inside and outside of “meetings”…because it’s our life.

I don’t mean this in a sappy, theoretical way. I’m serious! There’s really no “opening song” (or “song service”) or “worship service” or “worship time” or “closing prayer” or “sermon” or any of those kinds of things in the Churches that are really walking with a living Head, rather than in uplifting historical observances and good intentions. Life is a song to Him when we “live and move and have our being in Him”—continually offering our bodies as “living sacrifices.” If we are really on target, we’ll sing to Jesus when we’re alone with Him, and we’ll sing with our brothers and sisters at Burger King, and virtually anywhere. We may be singing before 8:30 P.M. or 9:00 A.M. or whenever the gathering happens to happen. “Church” is meant to be our life, not a number of independent lives and gatherings that are “vain repetition”—a protestant version of the rosary. “It was not so from the beginning.”

We will, if immersed in Jesus and His Purposes, be praying together continually, all the days of the week. There will be no thought of the “official” meeting as the limit or focal point of our adoration, and work for, the Lord. We could easily find ourselves together all night.70 Why? Because that’s Who Jesus was and is, and we are filled with Him if we are truly Christians.71

Jesus said, “My Father’s House shall be known as a house of prayer.” That’s a characteristic of God’s Kingdom. It’s a house of prayer. It does not consist of even frequent or all night “prayer meetings”—it is a “house of prayer.” If we are His, we’ll be living it out, not in “meetings” only, but “daily in public and from house to house,” and “Holy-Spiriting72 one another daily so that none are hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”

True “Church” is a visible life, “a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden” where “all men” know we are His disciples by the love that they see we have for one another.73 Your love, your agape for each other, will blow the world’s cork. They won’t understand how you could keep no record of wrongs, always hope, and always trust. If the world can’t see it happening (though they can harden themselves if they desire), then it is not Jesus. If the meetings are truly worth anything at all in God’s sight, then the “Church” must emanate the visible Life of Christ Jesus on the streets of life, together.

God’s Church, the blossom of His Life continued on earth, was never meant to be a theory that we study about in a classroom. In Acts 2:41-47 and 4:31-35, they held all things in common (out of a life surrendered to Jesus, not a church ordinance or a “common purse” but simply selflessness that was part of Jesus’ heart). They shared their very lives together, and “they enjoyed the favor of all the people.” People could see the Kingdom of God happening.

“Church,” from God’s vantage point, must be a visible thing to the world; it’s not simply attending “meetings.” His true church goes far beyond meetings and programs! His Kingdom is “not of this world,” “not in Jerusalem, or on this mountain,” not from 9 A.M. to 11 A.M. on the corner of thus and such a street. That is simply not His Kingdom if it can be defined by times and places, and a “serve-us” schedule on a calendar. No such church can be found in the pages of the Bible! Check it out! Moses allowed it because of the hardness of our hearts, but “not so with you.” “It was not so in the beginning.” “In Him we live and move and have our being!”

Can’t Wait
2 Timothy 4:8

When I look into the sky

When I see the clouds rolling by

The sun shines through and there’s a raindrop or two

I catch a spark of Your delight

And I don’t know the date

But I know You can’t wait

For the wedding and honeymoon

Because I just can’t wait to look in Your eyes

To hold the hands that made the skies

To jump in Your arms and feel Your gentle touch

Just to be with You

You’re the one I love

When I look throughout the earth

When I see the broken and hurt

The darkness tries to overshadow the light

Let Your love light up the night

And we don’t know the date

But we know You can’t wait

To bring healing to the nations

Because we just can’t wait to look in Your eyes

To hold the hands that made the skies

To jump in Your arms and feel Your gentle touch

Just to be with You

You’re the one we love

Bring the lost sheep into Your fold

The outcast and broken for You to hold

Use our feet, our tongues and our hands

Extend Your reign into desolate lands

We just can’t wait to look in Your eyes

To hold the hands that made the skies

To jump in Your arms and feel Your touch

Just to be with You

You’re the one we love

— Lydia

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Footnotes

70 Acts 12:5-6, 12; Acts 20:7-12; Mat.21:13. Back

71 Col.1:26-27; Rom.8:9-11; John 14:9-24; Eph.5:18. Back

72 Hebrews 3:12-14. The word used in verse 13 is the verb form of the Name Jesus used to describe the Holy Spirit and His Work — “Paraclete” (Greek), “Comforter,” “Called-Along-Side One.” Back

73 Matthew 5:14-16; Matthew 16:18; John 13:34-35; 1Peter 2:9-12. Back

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