Quick Reminder to Love Kermit Gosnell

As I write this, my Facebook feed is filled with links to and comments on the conviction of Kermit Gosnell. There is much rejoicing among fellow believers.

I too rejoice at seeing justice prevail. I rejoice at the fact that this man will no longer have the ability to murder children. And I rejoice at the precedents this conviction will set.

At the same time, I am saddened—not by the conviction, but by some of the reactions I’m seeing. Many of the comments in my feed (though certainly not all of them) reveal a hatred for Dr. Gosnell.

Brothers, he is not the real enemy. And besides, we are commanded to love even our enemies.

God’s Favorite Place on Earth by Frank Viola (Book Review)

God’s Favorite Place on Earth—the title is quite a bold claim. How could Frank Viola know where God’s favorite place is found?

Well, if you’re expecting a theological treatise on the question, look elsewhere. That’s not really the point of the book. “God’s favorite place” simply refers to Bethany, the town where Jesus always received his warmest welcomes during his earthly ministry.

The book focuses on the events recorded in the four Gospels that took place in this town.

Bethany is where Jesus’ friends Mary, Martha, Lazarus, and Simon lived. Bethany is where Jesus healed Simon of his leprosy and where Jesus raised Lazarus back to life. Bethany is where Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and where Mary later anointed Jesus with her costly oil. Bethany is where Martha professed to Jesus, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world” (John 11:27, CJB).

Living in the Kingdom of God

For the past two days, we’ve been examining the kingdom. If you haven’t read the previous posts yet, please see “Demystifying the Kingdom of God” and “Two Kingdoms” before proceeding.

With our understanding of the kingdom of God now in place, I would like to talk about kingdom living.

Christians have far too often presented the gospel as nothing more than salvation from sin and death (or worse yet, as a get-out-of-hell ticket). These things are included, but salvation is only one part of the whole gospel, which Jesus calls the “gospel of the kingdom” (Matthew 24:14).

Two Kingdoms

Yesterday, I attempted to demystify the kingdom of God. If you haven’t read my previous post, please do so now, as this picks up right where that left off.

Doesn’t God have dominion over everything, and does that mean that the whole world is the kingdom of God?

No, not quite.

In the grand scheme of things, yes, God is sovereign over everything. He created the world. He owns it. And he has the absolute power to step in and act whenever he chooses.

But God allows us to exercise our free will and choose whether we will serve Yahweh or serve the god of this world.

Demystifying the Kingdom of God

Jesus taught more about the kingdom of God than any other topic.

Actually, that’s not the best way to put it. It would be better to say that the kingdom of God was the subject of everything Jesus taught, whether he used the word kingdom or not.

The very gospel Jesus preached was the “gospel of the kingdom” (Matthew 24:14). He spent the majority of his earthly ministry proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God.

Unfortunately, it seems to me that relatively few Christians really understand the kingdom of God.