The Surprising God

This post from Dr. Charles Fleming, faculty member at Grace Communion Seminary, is adapted from an article published in the October 6, 2021 edition of "GCI Update." I was reminded recently that we are already citizens of the kingdom of God, enjoying some of the great blessings that await the entire human family when the kingdom is established in all its glory. In our Covid-weary, disaster-riddled world, I needed that. I imagine you do too. "Jesus Discourses with His Disciples" by Tissot (public domain via Wikimedia Commons) Dimensions of the kingdom, now present In thinking about the kingdom of God, I was reminded of what Paul wrote in Romans chapter 14: The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval. (Rom. 14:17-18) In reading this passage, I was inspired by the fact that the joy and peace Paul mentions here...

This post is by Dr. Michael Morrison, Dean of Faculty at Grace Communion Seminary. If you are completely happy with your life, and completely happy with the way that people treat one another in society, then you may not be interested in the gospel. But if you think that life should be better, that life can be better, that your own life can be better, then the gospel offers hope .  "Lost and Found" by Greg Olsen (used with artist's permission) Created for love The story begins long ago when humans first came on the scene. Why did God create human beings? The answer is, in one word, love . God could see ahead of time the creatures he would make, and he wanted them. He did not want them for himself, as if he needed them, but he wanted to give good things to them. His love overflowed beyond himself to want to give to others.  He therefore made “others” so he could love them. He also wanted these creations to experience the greatest good of all, which is the ability to love,...