Ben Sternke

Field notes on life and mission with God after Christendom

Kingdom Life

BOTH/AND: Jesus and the Kingdom

by 3 Comments

One way to get into trouble, theologically speaking, is to hold tenaciously to one aspect of the truth to the exclusion of counterbalancing truths. In fact, this is how people get into heresy: taking one aspect of the truth and making it the whole, entrenched on one side of a false dichotomy. Learning to embrace BOTH/AND thinking is really important.

I was reminded of one of these important BOTH/ANDs when I was listening to a talk from Dallas Willard. He was talking about the ways that both liberals and conservatives miss the point of the New Testament. The liberal mistake is to emphasize structural and social evils but neglect the more personal, covenantal aspects of salvation. The conservative mistake is exactly the opposite: emphasizing our need for forgiveness and personal redemption to the neglect of structural evils.

[Read more…] about BOTH/AND: Jesus and the Kingdom

My Talk at this Year’s Missional Learning Commons: Discipleship and the Gospel

by 11 Comments

This year’s Missional Learning Commons is only two days away! I’m excited to see many long-time friends and meet a whole slew of new ones as well (we have over 140 people registered this year). This year our theme is discipleship, and we’re excited that Mike Breen will be with us to help guide the conversation. (Speaking of Mike, if you can swing it, check out the 3DM workshop on Friday and the theological discussion Thursday night!)

I will be facilitating a discussion on Saturday morning about the relationship between discipleship and the gospel. More concretely:

Does the gospel you preach naturally lead to people becoming disciples of Jesus?

It’s really an amalgamation of a few of my blog posts, but here’s a little outline of what I plan to share…

[Read more…] about My Talk at this Year’s Missional Learning Commons: Discipleship and the Gospel

Obedience Reduces the Resistance

by 6 Comments

Have you ever wondered why there are commands in the New Testament? This used to trouble me. If the good news is all about God’s free gift of forgiveness that we can never earn but only receive by faith, why do Jesus and Paul and John and the rest of them give us things to do? What’s the point, unless to earn forgiveness?

The problem is in our definition of salvation. If we equate salvation with forgiveness, biblical commands make no sense. If all there is to the gospel is the message our sins can be forgiven and we can go to heaven when we die, it makes very little sense to read the Bible at all, much less obey the commands.

But what if the commands aren’t there to make us measure up, but simply to help us reduce our inborn resistance to the life of God flowing through us?

[Read more…] about Obedience Reduces the Resistance

Action and Movement in the Kingdom

by 3 Comments

Last week I was praying about some circumstances that were causing me to feel “down” generally. One of the things I felt that God spoke to me during that time of prayer went something like this:

“Do the work and I will be with you. Don’t let emotions keep you from action. Movement is how my kingdom works, and how I partner with people to bring my blessing to human affairs. The enemy works by immobilizing and isolating. Keep moving in kingdom action and you’ll find my Spirit there, doing what you cannot do.”

It reminded me of something Dallas Willard said at the Ecclesia National Gathering. Someone asked him for some practical advice on helping people make first steps in Spirit-led kingdom living, and his recommendation was twofold:

  1. Discern where the kingdom is at work in their life
  2. Get them in motion, doing something they cannot do in their own strength

He reminded us that Jesus often did this in the way he ministered. To a man with a withered hand, he says “Stretch out your hand.” Impossible. To a man who cannot walk he says, “Take up your mat and walk.” Impossible. But as they obey Jesus and begin acting in his will, they find the Spirit is there to do what they cannot do, and wonderful things happen. Withered hands are made whole. Lame people can walk.

“Do what you can’t do and you’ll find you can, because God was with you,” Dallas told us.

And this principle applies just as much to miraculous healing as it does to forgiveness, reconciliation, kindness, blessing those who curse us, loving our enemies, praying for those who hate us. All are things we cannot do in our own strength, all are equally “supernatural,” and perhaps the character issues are more important than the more spectacular gifts.

Whatever God has given for you to do, you may actually not be that spectacularly gifted at it, but when you put yourself into action in the kingdom, you will find the Spirit is working with you to accomplish far more than you could ever do if you were relying merely on your own efforts and skills. Discern the will of God, and then step out into the impossible and God will uphold you. Do the work and the Spirit will be with you.