"My Kingdom is not of (literally, 'from') this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place (or, 'source')." (John 18:36, NIV)
Of what, "source," is our "kingdom," our thinking, our actions?
I read a book before we came to Berlin this time. I want to share a few quotes with you.
"In Mein Kampf, Hitler's autobiography, he wrote, 'The great masses of the people will more easily fall victim to a big lie than a small one.' The book was widely read by the German people at the time. The masses believed him anyway. Or at the very most, they ignored him. It is a fact that fewer than 10 percent of Germany's population of [67] million people actively worked or campaigned to bring about Hitler's change. Even at the height of its power..., the Nazi political party boasted only 8.5 million members. So the remaining (almost) 90 percent of Germans-- teachers and doctors and ministers and farmers-- did...what? Stood by? Watched? Essentially, yes." (From a Book, How Do You Kill 11,000,000 people?) At their peak win in the election of July, 1932, the National Socialists won with a little less than 14,000,000 votes, which was a little more than 20 percent of the German population. Every victorious revolution in history I can think of, good and evil, began and triumphed in a minority movement.
"In Mein Kampf, Hitler's autobiography, he wrote, 'The great masses of the people will more easily fall victim to a big lie than a small one.' The book was widely read by the German people at the time. The masses believed him anyway. Or at the very most, they ignored him. It is a fact that fewer than 10 percent of Germany's population of [67] million people actively worked or campaigned to bring about Hitler's change. Even at the height of its power..., the Nazi political party boasted only 8.5 million members. So the remaining (almost) 90 percent of Germans-- teachers and doctors and ministers and farmers-- did...what? Stood by? Watched? Essentially, yes." (From a Book, How Do You Kill 11,000,000 people?) At their peak win in the election of July, 1932, the National Socialists won with a little less than 14,000,000 votes, which was a little more than 20 percent of the German population. Every victorious revolution in history I can think of, good and evil, began and triumphed in a minority movement.
The American civil rights "revolution" of the 1960s was long, long over due. It took over 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation for all Black People in America to have the right to vote. It was, by in large, a noble movement. In the current race baiting of Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, however, we are seeing an ignoble, vindictive, hate-filled movement giving rise to murderous threats from such groups as "The New Black Panther Party," and the President, Obama, putting fuel on the fire with his comment that "if I had a son, he would look like Trayvon Martin." Furthermore, what a perverted travesty that the two loudest voices in the current lynch mob mentality are coming from men with "reverend" before their names! What "Reverend" Martin Luther King did was essentially good. What the other "reverends" are doing is raw evil. A people can put any title they desire before anyone. Only what is in the heart will stand The Judgment.
Because people in Jesus Christ are, "not from this world," we are a praying, a voting, in short, a doing people. We take every privilege we have to further "advance" the Kingdom. I encourage you, in whatever country you live, do not go with the majority. The majority is usually wrong. They constantly check the barometer for the easy way, which is either the do-nothing way, or, the way of the crowd; they refuse to "think for themselves" (Germany, 1932, America now). This is never the victorious way. As Followers of Jesus, we are, "not from this world." Our thoughts, our speech, our actions are, "from another source," Jesus Christ, His Words, His Kingdom.
My Dad once said to a man whom he later led to Jesus, "Any dead fish can swim down stream. It takes a live fish to swim up stream." In which direction are you swimming?
Father, in Jesus' Name, I want to "swim up stream." Amen.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
