Kingdom Big Events

God Has Little Concern for World Big Events

We often marvel at the big events that happen in the world--like a royal wedding, a big concert by a famous pop star, the rise to fame of a top performer, a major and historical political event, war, an international development, a Vatican ritual, or even major happenings in a mega evangelical church or born again ministry. We imagine that heaven must also be busy with these developments and God is surely closely monitoring--if not personally behind--these things. We imagine them as Kingdom big events angels busily descend upon and ascend from. 

We may also imagine the same with our church anniversaries or concerts. We think God is also excited about them, dispatching angels to assist our programs and supply resources and celebrate in heaven as it is in our church building. We think like this because we don't know God or his priorities.

To be sure, everything that happens in the world is under God's monitoring system, surveillance, and control but what really concerns him the most are not our big events, no matter how churchy or religious or spiritual they seem to be. What makes God stand from his throne and squint his eyes to full alert are things we think are trivial and unimportant. Little things our eyes miss--like kids at play in some remote street corner and marveling at nature and wondering about the God who created it and saying to themselves that someday they'd want to see and serve God. Lots of kids are like that--wondering and deciding things they'd do for God within themselves. These are real Kingdom big events that God would come down for and send angels up and down to minister to.

Caesar's Census and Jesus' Birth

It was a world big event--Caesar Agustus' census. It covered the entire Roman world. Each one was to go back to his or her town of birth to register. Everybody was busy with it and I can imagine even the priests, scribes, pharisees, and teachers of the law taking busy part. All the inns and hotels were fully booked. It was easy to imagine how God could figure in such world big event. We can easily picture him orchestrating everything and making sure that this and that detail should take place to ensure that a world order is in a much firmer position and taking shape as planned. It must be the headline in the Kingdom's bulletin.

But wrong. It was the least in heaven's bulletin--almost neglected and hardly talked about, if any. The headline in the Kingdom heralded about the birth of a poor baby to a poor family in some poor town in Israel, a poor nation. God's special attention was on Bethlehem, the least of all towns, not on the rich, famous, and powerful Roman Empire.

Caesar must have felt so important and could imagine heaven in full focus on him. That's how any super power would think, or any showbiz star, and even how a church celebrating its anniversary would feel. We think God is also after world big events and as mesmerized about them as we are. We think out the Potter to be like the pottery. 

God sent myriad of angels to announce the birth of a poor kid. And he did this to poor shepherds. He didn't do this for Caesar announcing his greatness to the oligarchy and the nobles and the rich of the nations. He had nothing to do with them--except perhaps monitor what foolishness or excesses they may be doing.

Pharaoh probably thought that he was great in the world's eyes and especially in the eyes of their god--or even probably heaven's eyes in some ways (he probably thought, "Let's see what the Jewish God would do about what I'm about to do? He'd be too busy with it!")--when he issued the decree killing new-born babies to stop the increase of male Jewish infants. But little did he know that heaven's eyes were focused on a little-known Jewish baby hidden in some shrubbery by the river banks of Nile. 

Your Big Church Events

Most big church events are not Kingdom big events. They're nothing but world big events that use God's Word and Name. But if, say, a poor man, whose shanty house is adjacent to the mega church celebrating a big event, is heartily reading his bible and being touched and changed into a new creation in Christ, be sure that God's eyes is all focused on that man and a heavenly staircase is upon him where angels are busily descending and ascending. A surefire open heaven is upon that man.

Nothing pleases God more than simple, sincere but radical faith--faith that radically transforms us into aliens in this world. He is not impressed by our extravagance and show of talents and big and peopled celebrations. We often think that pleasing God is like what the daughter of Herodias did to please Herod, displaying her talents to all and seducing Herod into giving her what she wanted. Isn't that what most churches do during worship?

Churches want to thank God for the years they have been around in ministry. If they're sincere about thanking God, the bible says they should present their bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God. God does not want our superficial and expensive celebrations. He is after a LIFE. If we live the LIFE of Jesus daily, that's what he wants and that's the proper way of thanking God. That's Kingdom big event to him.