Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Tony Evans: The Kingdom of God vs. Politics

                                        

The following quote is from Tony Evans, writing in his recent book, "Kingdom Man."  

     "What is important to notice about the progression of Psalm 128 is that God starts with the individual, moves to the family, moves to the church, and then moves to the society. That is how His kingdom works. His kingdom works bottom up, not top down. Yet everyone these days seems to be more concerned with what the White House is doing than what their own house is doing or what the church house is doing. When society functions according to kingdom principles, though, it parcels out the responsibilities for maintaining a healthy, functioning society into more areas than just the government. 
     A theological view of government is one that keeps the government small while respecting the influence of the church and home on a community. The church cannot afford to have the politics of men determining the operation of the kingdom of God. This is because God does not ride the backs of donkeys or elephants. He has His own kingdom agenda--of which government is a part--yet of which the individual, family, and church also play a large part. Whenever the church gets dragged down and divided over political sides, we have missed the kingdom. Just as the captain of the Lord's army informed Joshua before the battle of Jericho that he hadn't come to take sides, but that he had come to take over (see Joshua 5:13-14), the body of Christ must recognize that, for community impact to occur, we need to follow God's agenda. God's kingdom purposes transcend politics, personal preferences, racial divisions, and all other agendas. Only when the citizens of the King operate by the precepts of His kingdom will we see the transformation of our culture." 
         Tony Evans, Kingdom Man, page 195. 

"Blessed are all who fear the LORD, 
who walk in his ways.
You will eat the fruit of your labor;
blessings and prosperity will be yours. 
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your sons will be like olive shoots
around your table. 
Thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD." Psalm 128: 1-4

"So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God." Romans 14:12

     

1 comment:

Unknown said...

If you like this quote from "Kingdom Man," you will also love "Kingdom Woman," a brand new book by Dr. Tony Evans and his daughter, Chrystal Evans Hurst. It’s great for every woman. It was their desire in writing it to “challenge women to look higher than where you are to whose you are, and to be transformed by the truth of being a Kingdom Woman.” The book encourages women to set their eyes on Christ and to pursue what God has created them to be. It is true to that goal. I am thoroughly enjoying it and hope you will, too. I think it is in line with what you are saying. They have also posted some free devotional downloads that are great on their website: kingdomwomanbook.com. Hope it blesses you as it has me.