A Kingdom Beyond the Borders of This World

“The Gospel is the Good News that there is a Kingdom far above and beyond the borders of this world, where death is dead and sin and sorrow cease. The gospel is about how God brings this Kingdom to us by reconciling us to Himself through Christ.” -Russell Moore, preface to The Gospel for Life series

Signs of the Kingdom

“The disciplines of discipleship, fellowship, community, and prayer are the sign that tell us the kingdom of Christ is here.” -Russell Moore, preface to The Gospel for Life series

A Question For Every Church Member

“Is this church going to be about my kingdom or God’s kingdom?’ -David Ferguson

What ‘Incarnational’ Ministry Is

“We follow Jesus not simply by promoting what he says but by embracing his way of doing things— his modus operandi. We choose self-denial and, if necessary, suffering, all for love’s sake. A single word that describes Jesus’ modus operandi is incarnation. He let go of his glory, rights, privileges, and freedoms as the eternal Son in order to join us fully in our human condition and to serve us there. But he did so without taking on our values. In other words, he always took his orders from outside the world he had entered. And for that reason he never quite fit in and in the end suffered death at the hands of those he came to serve. When Jesus tells us to follow him he means for us to follow this same pattern. We fully enter the world as its friends while taking our orders from outside. If that means we suffer, then so be it.” -Charles Drew

How Heavenly Citizenship Helps Us Cope with Being Marginalized Here Below

“Believing that Christ welcomes us as fellow royalty in his court gives us security and a sense of place even if society marginalizes us.” -Charles Drew

The Two Are Not Necessarily the Same

“We must keep reminding ourselves that a safe and rich America is not necessarily identical with the triumph of God’s agenda.” -Charles Drew

False Hopes, Wrong Kingdom

“Your hope is absolutely attached to what kingdom you are serving. If your life is defined by how many of your little kingdom purposes you can realize, you will tend to be stressed, controlling, anxious, disappointed, and fearful. You have defined your life by what you cannot control and by what God has not promised. Sadly, it is all very self-defeating. But if your hope no longer rests on your personal wisdom, strength, and character, if it no longer rests on the acceptance and performance of other people, and no longer rests on the belief that circumstances, institutions, and situations will not fail you, then you are beginning to move toward reliable hope.” -Paul Tripp

Why the ‘Sovereign Self’ Project Is Doomed to Failure

“God’s kingdom will come. It’s my kingdom that won’t.” -Paul Tripp

The Heart of God’s Kingdom

“At the epicenter of the kingdom of God is a love relationship with Christ, a deep affection for Jesus that guides and shapes everything you are, everything you think, everything you desire, every decision you make, every word you say, and every action you take.” -Paul Tripp

It’ll Never Fit

“You can’t squeeze the large-vision lifestyle of the kingdom of God into the small-vision confines of the kingdom of self. It will simply never fit.” -Paul Tripp