Let's get real simple about violence in the kingdom

The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and violent men take it by force.

- Matthew 11:12

Let’s get real simple about The kingdom of Heaven. It isn’t confined to a building, a nation, or a plot of land. The kingdom of heaven is God’s reign in each human heart. Wherever a life bows to Christ, the kingdom is present. And this world, enslaved to sin and rebellion, lashes out against it - violently. Striking out against those who bear God’s image and carry His Spirit.

Here’s the simple, but important part: the violence takes many forms; some swift, like murder, abortion and suicide. Others slow and crushing, like abuse, degradation, and rejection. None of it is random. It’s the same storm that once raged against Christ Himself, because the world cannot tolerate the light that exposes its darkness.

But here is our comfort: though the kingdom suffers violence, it is never defeated. Every martyr, every broken saint, every tear shed in the face of cruelty becomes seed for greater life. The cross looked like the ultimate victory of violent men - but instead it became the doorway to eternal triumph.

So, when we see Christians martyred or crushed under the weight of violence, we do not despair. We remember that the kingdom in our hearts cannot be crushed or stolen from us. The violence of this world may wound the body, but it cannot touch the eternal life Christ has secured within. God planted a mystery the enemy never understood: that death and suffering do not destroy the kingdom. They multiply it.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Let’s get real simple about finding God

We don’t walk toward God because we don’t really expect to  find  Him. But, what if the thing that's been missing this whole time isn't God's presence, but our expectation? If you’ve ever felt like life is falling apart and there's no way out, you’re not alone. I’ve been there - totally wrecked, no hope left, and nothing I could do to fix it. One day in 2016, I ended up in this small, dim room in a church I’d never been to before. I didn’t go there because I was religious. I went there because I was desperate. I told God—straight up—“You have to change my life. I’m not moving until I hear from You.” I cried, begged, waited… and got nothing. Came back the next day. Same thing. But then, something happened. Not in some dramatic movie scene kind of way, but in a way that flipped my life upside down. Jesus showed up. Not in a vision or a flash of light. I just suddenly knew He was there. I felt comforted. Seen. Known. It’s hard to describe, but it was like my soul finall...
Read more

Let’s get real simple about meeting God

You and I didn’t choose to be born—we just showed up one day, breathing, thinking, living. And whether we like it or not, there’s someone behind that. The Bible says that at some point—either during our life or at the very end—we will meet the One who gave us life. No one gets a pass. Everyone will face God eventually. But here’s the thing: why wait until we die to meet Him? If we were made by Someone, wouldn’t it make sense to know who that Someone is while we’re still alive? Ok, here’s the simple but important part. The best thing we could ever do with our time is get to know Jesus. Not religion. Not rules. Him. Jesus isn’t just a historical figure or a name people throw around at church. The Bible says He’s the one through whom everything was made - including you. So if you’ve ever wondered about your purpose, your identity, or why life even matters, Jesus is the starting point . Eternal life isn’t just about some future heaven thing. It’s about knowing Jesus. That’s literally ...
Read more

Let’s get real simple about wisdom, life, and the One who dreamed you up

Ever feel like you're just winging it through life? Yeah… same. Turns out, that’s the starting point for real wisdom. We all mess up. We all feel lost or unsure sometimes. It’s easy to look around and compare ourselves to others. Maybe you feel smarter, more put together, or just “less of a mess” than someone else, but if there really is a God who knows everything, then none of us are even close to His level. Compared to perfect wisdom, we’re all pretty clueless. That’s not a dig. That’s just honesty. But here’s the cool part: recognizing that we don’t know it all is actually the first step toward real wisdom. Everything in this world seems to come with an opposite: light and dark, good and evil, dry and wet. Same goes for wisdom and foolishness. And the amazing thing is, understanding one side helps you grasp the other. You don’t have to live in darkness to understand light - you just need to see the light . And if you feel stuck in the dark? The light can still reach you. T...
Read more