God
has called us, His followers, to be an active part of His church. What does
this look like in this contemporary age!
Obviously,
God does not expect all of us to become pastors, or deacons, sisters or worship
leaders. In the local church, God has ordained for these gifts to be primarily
exercised by those called to this vocation. However, he has given each of us
with a faith-filled responsibility and role that is inherent to our own
calling, gifts, and skill set.
In
this age, and in times like these especially, it is important to discover our
gifts so that we can find out what role God wants us to fulfill in His
church. We collectively are the
“church”. Our individual and collective roles in the church should glorify
Christ and be a part of building His Kingdom here on earth.
With
that being said, I am reminded of a lively worship song that speaks to such an
involvement in God’s Church. It is called “Build Your Kingdom Here” by Rend
Collective. Rend Collective is an
amazing Christian experimental, folk rock, worship band originating from
Bangor, Northern Ireland. Their music is part of that movement of Ecumenism
bridging the faiths of different Christian denominations closer together.
When
asked about the message behind the song. member Gareth Gilkeson commented that
“it's actually a bit of a prayer”. “This
song came from a place of calling the Church back to the place of praying for
revival. Jesus sent the disciples out in twos to proclaim the Kingdom. Yes,
pray for God to build His Kingdom here, but also say, yes God, I'll be the
hands and feet and I'll be the vehicle for Him to build His Kingdom. “ He
further explained that the chorus is filled with our prayers for God's building
of His Kingdom which are important to us. The verses are us asking God to
prepare our hearts for His work for us. One of the lines that's the most powerful
in the song that gets me every time is at the end of the third verse, "We
are Your church / We are the hope on earth." He then went on to connect the song to
scripture:
- Colossians 3:14-16:
"But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of
perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also
you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell
in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to
the Lord."
- Matthew 6:33-34:
"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all
these things shall be added to you. Therefore, do not worry about
tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the
day is its own trouble."
- Matthew 10:7:
"As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come
near.'"
Here
is the story behind the song as told by lead members of Rend Collective: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-TeXSPJiGU&feature=youtu.be:
Build Your Kingdom Here Story
Let
us continue as we proclaim and reflect on the following words with prayerful
hearts as we embrace and use the gifts working build your kingdom on earth . .
.
In closing, the idea of “We are the
Church” which was the impetus behind the song "Build Your Kingdom Here" is that wherever you are, at
school, at work, at home, that here is exactly where you are right now. It's
right here, right now. … especially geared for times like these and
beyond. God's Kingdom is His church… and
you are an essential part of the church as modern-day evangelists to bring
Jesus to all through your words and actions. Especially reflect on what you can
do in our community to celebrate God’s gifts and to be beacons of Christ’s
light to all we serve as messengers and prophets of God.
PS . . . “We are Your church . . . We are
the hope on earth."
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