Kingdom Growth Sure but Slow

Quoting Pastor Joel Parkinson, of Alliance, Ohio, “God has not called us to be successful, He has called us to be faithful. Do you ever get discouraged when you are working for the sake of God's Kingdom? An understanding of the Kingdom of God and a deeper understanding of the providential hand of God working through history will help you maintain your joy in the midst of the trials associated with the work of God.

First you must understand that tribulation is necessary in building the Kingdom of God. Such passages as Acts 14:22, Roms. 8:17-18, and II Cor. 4:17 make it abundantly clear that suffering, afflictions, trials and tribulations are promised to those who are striving for the Kingdom of God. The Roms. 8 passage indicates that suffering with Christ is evidence of your assurance of salvation, and these passages show that your afflictions are the pavement of your road to glory.

Second you must understand that the Kingdom of God can not be shaken (Heb. 12:28). Hebrews even tells you that understanding this will move you to serve Him, and by serving Him you please Him and manifest a reverent fear of Him. II Peter 1:11 exclaims that God's Kingdom is everlasting. When serving the Kingdom of God you cannot lose. It may not always appear that you are winning , but remember that God in His sovereignty is making “all things work together for the best unto them that love God.”

This is where a greater knowledge of history, seen through the grid of the providential hand of God working to accomplish His good pleasure is necessary. The Christians that were being thrown to the lions and lighting the gardens of Nero in the first century and the hundreds of thousands of reformers in the 16^th century and the millions of martyrs at the hands of the atheistic communists in the 20th century were probably not seeing their plight as victorious. Yet, have you ever heard the truism, “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church”? Study the growth of God's Kingdom that resulted from these great persecutions and you will be encouraged by the trials that you are experiencing.

In the model prayer in Matthew chapter 6 Jesus prayed, “Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.”, and He ended this prayer with the statement, “for thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.” Do you think for a minute that the prayer of Jesus is not going to produce fruit? The Kingdom of God has been growing for over 2000 years. His Kingdom will continue to advance. You may not always clearly see His victories in your experiences, but you can always be sure that God is accomplishing victory for His Kingdom as you work His will through the leading of His Spirit. If the women's revolution for modest dress appears to be failing, trust God's sovereignty for victory.