Not a List of Don'ts

The kingdom of God is full of life and color.  Its full of stories, parables, riddles, proverbs, commands, rewards, questions.  Christianity is a philosophy and a religion.  Its also a lifestyle.  Its full of ritual and tradition.  It gazes at the cosmos and asks unanswerable questions.  Christianity is more than a movement; it is several movements in one.  It is constant variable movements.  In one century it is the force that frees the slave, and in another the force that saves the unborn life.  It is a church ready to make war.  It is Quadratus and Origen, Augustine and Thomas Aquinas.  It is a rich history.  It is the teenage Joan of Arc, who saved her country.  It is the regal Justinian I and Theodora I.  It is the eccentric Francis of Assisi.  Christianity is a book of wild and wonderful stories.  It is Balaam's talking donkey.  A prophet that divides the Red Sea, and the Son of God who walks on water.

The kingdom of God is so rich and vibrant.  There is so much for a Christian to fill himself with; its a shame that people generally associate Christianity with a list of don'ts.  Its much more a list of dos.  Its also a list of examples, missionaries, teachers, encouragers (Barnabas, whose name means "son of encouragement").  Christianity is a myriad of artwork.  Have you seen the stained glass windows that depict all the major parts of the life of Christ?  Have you read Dante?  Have you listened to Bach?  And a mountain of literature I could only begin to describe.  The kingdom of God is medieval monks, who go weeks without eating, or endure grueling exercises.  Even cooler, Monks who set up schools, clinics, wrote expositions on almost everything, made art, built architecture.

Christianity is prophecies and the interpretation of prophecies.  Its wondering what God's plan is and deciphering the code, so to speak.  Its dragons and beasts, horses and riders, angels, flying scrolls, and flesh eating disease.  Its some of the craziest stuff you'll ever read.  The kingdom is also wisdom.  Its the practical wisdom of Proverbs.  Its the thoughtful wisdom of Ecclesiastes.  Its the eternal wisdom of Jesus.  Its the bread and the wine.  Its washing each others' feet, and being servants to all.  Christianity is comfort to those who mourn.  Its a Messiah that wept.  Its a weeping prophet and a book dedicated to lamentations.  Its also a word of encouragement.  Its the force that keeps married couples together.  Its the foundational words, "and the two become one flesh."  Its the command, "what God has joined together, let not man separate."

Christianity is the religion of millions of testimonies.  Its people willing to die for what they believe.  Its the moment of conversion, and the water grave.  Its Amazing Grace, and more hymns than you can count.  Its the study of Hebrew, the study of Greek, and the pursuit to translate the Bible into every language on earth.  Its the state of Israel planted and protected in the middle of the middle-east.  Its a messianic movement; its a zionist movement.  Its the anticipation of a returning King.  Its the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the many fruits of the Holy Spirit.  The kingdom of God is Daniel saved from the lions, and early Christians fed to the lions.  Its the cross and the fish carved into the ancient catacombs of Rome.  Its a road to Damascus.  Its a rock crucified upside-down.  The kingdom of God is more than you can shake a stick at.  Its not just a mystical idea, though there is the occasional touch of mysticism.  The kingdom of God is very real, very diverse and colorful.  The kingdom of God is so full of life.