Blessed by a Kingdom that is now and yet to come
/Welcome to the Wednesday Recap!
What is the Wednesday Recap, you ask? Each Wednesday, I recap the discussion from the previous week’s Local table gathering. Each week, The Local meets in various homes around a table to eat, worship, read and discuss the Bible, and pray for each other and our community. Living on mission is our response to the grace and love Jesus has shown us. We share the Gospel and show love to those we encounter where we live, learn, work, and play. While this recap gives people a chance to review, it also gives folks who were unable to gather with us a chance to catch up on what we are learning and working on together. I hope you find it a blessing. Be well, and I will see at our Local table!
“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”
“The Kingdom of God which is yet to come in power and glory had already come in a secret and hidden form to work among men and within them.”
The both “now and later” aspect of the Kingdom of God has always fascinated me. I look around and see so much evil in the world: poverty, sickness, war, natural disasters, etc., etc., infinitum (or at least it feels this way). And yet there is so much good as well. The Church shares the Gospel with a broken world, bringing light into darkness, healing to brokenness, reconciliation where division once held sway, and salvation where people were once lost. This can only happen because the Kingdom of God is at work here on Earth. However, things are not yet perfect. To know Christ as Savior and Lord is to become free from the power and penalty of sin, but not free from its presence. There is still a “not yet” aspect to look forward to where “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).
The Beatitudes in Matthew 5, bring this reality to the forefront of my consciousness today. In each one of these powerful directives and corresponding blessings we are hit with the reality of life’s hardships and the Kingdom’s answer to them.
Spiritual bankruptcy is met by the Kingdom of Heaven’s saving power
Brokenness causes us to mourn and we are comforted
Grief over sin helps us to confront our pride and we achieve victory in humility
The vanity of life’s pursuits instills a desperate appetite for God’s righteousness that He is faithful to fill
The world’s cruelty is met by our mercy and compassion and in turn we harvest the grace we have sown
Insincerity is met by integrity which reveals to us the Lord we serve
Division is met by reconciliation as we reflect our Father in Heaven’s spiritual DNA
Persecution by the world and its darkness is met by the Kingdom of Heaven’s power and authority
Knowing the Kingdom is at work in us helps us to rise to Jesus’ command for us to live out each of these Beatitudes. At first glance, some of these expectations are daunting. How does one show mercy to people who are so filled with hate? How do you conquer your pride when pride is a trait lauded by our culture? How can you find the courage to be who you are at all times and in all situations? Is it possible to be a peacemaker in a world that enjoys strife and conflict? These are difficult questions that rise from difficult situations that we find ourselves in every day. Do we give up? No! But we also do not stand condemned when we fall short. It is the risen Christ that gives us the power to overcome and His Kingdom that we extend as we walk powerfully into situations too great for us to navigate on our own.
“He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
The Beatitudes have caused me to consider how I might better know peace in my life, and how that peace might grow to give me the courage to show others the peace that has been given to me. For me, I grow in peace by spending time with Jesus. I read His Word. I take walks to talk with Him in the early morning or late evening. I also spend time with His Church. Finding the group of Christ followers known as The Local and sharing life with them has been an immense blessing to me this year. Finding such a group of people should be high on the list of any Christian who wants to grow in peace.
I am reminded of another Bible verse that is helping to shape my 2026: “He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). Justice, mercy, and humility are mirrored in the Beatitudes. They are three requirements God has of me that seem like three mountains to climb. However, in light of the rest of the biblical narrative, I know I can climb them if I but “abide” in Christ (John 15:4). If we are to remain on mission, we must learn to abide in Christ daily. We must deny ourselves and take up our cross daily (Luke 9:23) and do the work He has placed in front of us. What is He commanding of you today? Rise to the challenge. It is in you to climb this mountain. You are not alone. He will give you the power you need and surround you with fellow children of God along the way to make the burden lighter.
Thank you for reading! If you are new to The Local, welcome! I hope you decide to stay. If you have stumbled onto this blog somehow, and you have gotten something out of these words, please share it with me. You are welcome at our table.