People have an unhappy tendency to make God in their own image. They think of God in human terms rather than thinking of themselves and others in God’s terms. The result is that they end up with a view of God which is too small, and this translates to how they see His Kingdom. Today’s reading from The Kingdom Turn is found on pages 29 and 30:
“Early in my walk with the Lord I came upon a book by J. B. Phillips entitled, Your God is Too Small. Phillips’ basic argument was that the God many Christians worship is not the God of the Bible, but a God they have created out of their own best ideas. I don’t recall all the different ‘too small’ ideas of God that Phillips presented and debunked, but I believe his insights were sound, and I think it’s possible many people today have a ‘too small’ view of God and His Kingdom.
“How big is your God? How vast are His powers? How grand is the scope of His Kingdom and rule? For many believers today, God is barely big enough to meet their personal needs or satisfy their wants. Other believers would say that God is big – pretty big, anyway – but that He doesn’t interfere in everyday life or the workings, say, of science. He certainly should not be expected to have much influence in culture or social issues, or matters of public policy.
“He’s just God, you know? He loves us. He saves our souls. He comforts us and meets our needs. We’re going to be with Him in heaven when we die. God is all about us, and it’s all good. Mostly.
‘Too small’ ideas about God are widespread among Christians whose view of God and of what it means to relate to Him is formed, not by the plain teaching of the Word of God, but by their experience in a secular culture where God is expected to mind His own business and stay out of ours.”
For reflection of discussion
1. How would you even know if your vision of God and His Kingdom was just “too small”?
2. How can believers help one another grow in their vision of God and His Kingdom?
C. S. Lewis once wrote that we as Christians are far too easily satisfied with our experience of the faith. Put another way, we’re happy and comfortable in a kingdom that, like Goldilocks, is “just right” for us. But the Kingdom of God is eternally bigger than we can ever imagine, and living in that Kingdom is not designed to make us comfortable, but fruitful. Share today’s podcast with a friend, then get together to discuss it. You can order your free copy of The Kingdom Turn by going to The Ailbe Bookstore today.
T. M. Moore
