Moving the colorful troops around on the game board seems fairly simple. But if you‘ve ever played the game of “Risk,” you know it’s actually quite complicated. Dubbed “The Game of Global Domination,” the rules written by Parker Brothers explain: “Play the commander of vast armies, a general of superior strategy and a tactician unlike any mankind has ever seen. Your goal is simple: to take over the world.”
Each player claims a portion of a large fictionalized world map and challenges opponents to battles. Using a combination of rolling dice and drawing cards that determine a player’s advantages and limitations, players must calculate attack and defense strategies. The game can last for hours. I pictured the large world map and the tiny game pieces as I thought about what happens when we leave idols behind to focus fully on God.
Why, you may ask, would a board game prompt such thoughts? The answer is simple: some of us are so consumed with our own circumstances that we don’t realize we have the opportunity to expand God’s kingdom on earth, like spreading more of His troops across the map on the game board. Once we’re ready to leave our personal agendas behind and trust His will above our own, we discover what the abundant life God promises is really all about.
In the book of Joshua, the Israelites expanded God’s physical kingdom on earth when they entered the Promised Land and began taking possession of it. We have the opportunity to do something similar on a spiritual level every day. It’s all part of living out the phrase in the Lord’s Prayer that says “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10) Yet sometimes we focus so much on our personal relationship with God that we overlook the fact that we’re called to look beyond ourselves. Claiming Jesus as Savior should go hand in hand with increasing His rule and reign on earth.
Back in Genesis, God’s original plan was to use Adam and Eve to spread His kingdom. He made them in His image, gave them authority over the earth and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.” (Genesis 1:28, NIV) Sadly, when Satan succeeded in tempting them in the Garden of Eden, their choice to disobey God brought sin into the world. This caused the authority originally given to them to be passed to the devil. Although God had ultimate sovereignty, the enemy was (and still is) temporarily granted authority because of Adam and Eve’s choice to sin.
The good news is God’s kingdom still exists in its fullness in heaven. By doing His will, we increase His kingdom on earth. Author, Bible scholar, and Anglican Bishop N.T. Wright explains: “God intends his wise, creative, loving presence and power to be reflected…into his world through his human creatures. He has enlisted us to act as his stewards in the project of creation. And, following the disaster of rebellion and corruption [that took place in the Garden of Eden], he has built into the gospel message the fact that through the work of Jesus and the power of the Spirit, he equips humans to help in the work of getting the project back on track.”
Imagine the example of the game I described. Although God ultimately owns the “game board” (the world) and all of the pieces, the enemy has been given a temporary seat at the table. For a time, he has the opportunity to strategize about how he can thwart God’s kingdom from spreading on earth. Still, many people who love the Lord remain passive as events unfold, not understanding they’re meant to play a part in His ongoing plan to expand His kingdom on earth. Those who realize it help to reclaim the world for good instead of letting it languish in evil.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, followers of Jesus reflect creation as God intended it to be. Once we eliminate the idols that hinder us and make room for God, we’re ready to change the atmosphere in our world. Engaging in the adventure of building God’s kingdom on earth brings joy, hope and fulfillment in a way that idols never will. Understanding this makes the hollow things we used to cherish seem flimsy, insignificant and useless by comparison. Loving God with all of our hearts, souls, minds and strength enables Him to do amazing things through us. The ripple effects cause His kingdom to spread throughout the earth, preparing it for the day when John’s prophecy about heaven and earth merging will become a reality:
“Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:3b-4, NIV)
There are two songs that have impacted me deeply as I’ve considered the part we play in furthering God’s kingdom on earth: “With Every Act of Love” by Jason Gray and “Build Your Kingdom Here” by Rend Collective. Both provide tangible examples and inspiring perspectives about this topic. Rend Collective’s song also prompted me to write a prayer about this compelling subject. Would you consider praying it with me?
God, unleash your kingdom’s power, reaching near and far. We know no force of hell can stop your beauty from changing hearts. You made us for much more than the comfort and security we seek from idols. Awake the kingdom seed in us. Fill us with the strength and love of Christ. We are your church; let us always be reminded that we are the hope on earth! Build your kingdom here; let the darkness fear. Show your mighty hand; heal our streets and land. Set your church on fire, win this nation back; change the atmosphere. Build your kingdom here, we pray.
v=3q7xnR9E3gohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q7xnR9E3go
Kelly Minter, No Other Gods: Confronting Our Modern Day Idols, Lifeway Press, 2007, 2012.
N.T. Wright, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection and the Mission of the Church, HarperOne, 2008, p. 207.
That is a great prayer for all of us to pray! I believe we are always called to go beyond our own personal spiritual development to tend our corner of the garden in God’s kingdom, whatever that looks like…never seeking just for ourselves. Thanks for a great post!