Stormfront - It Begins with God

In the book Stormfront: The Good News of God , the authors write of God's initiative in bringing His Kingdom to life in this world. They write:

"God's kingdom is not and cannot be established by human efforts. Jesus' teaching is all about God's reign, brought about by God's action, in fulfillment of God's purposes. It is not something we build. We only receive it, inherit it, and enter it. Our lives are drawn into what God is doing. The parables echo this perspective over and over. The reign of God is like a man who accidentally found a huge treasure in a field; he did nothing to earn it - he discovered it (Matt. 13:44). The reign of God is like the tiny, inconsequential mustard seed that grows in to a huge shrub, or even a tree (Matt. 13:31-32). It is like seeds sown in all kinds of strange places, most of which bear remarkable fruit (Matthew 13:3-8). It is like a theif that breaks in at an unexpected hour (Matt. 24:43-44), or the bridegroom who comes after folks believe that they have stolen his vineyard and done away with him (Matt. 21:33-44). In all of these parables, what is striking is the remarkable absence of human effort or initiative, even the reversal of human effort. The emphasis falls entirely on the mysterious and surprising advent and growth of the reign of God, quite apart from or beyond, even against, human efforts. In the kingdom of God, the initiative always belongs to God."

"For Jesus, hearing the gospel entails recognizing, entering, and receiving this surprising reign of God, in which God's presence and action intrude mysteriously and unexpectedly into our lives and invite us to participate in something greater than ourselves, greater than what we could accomlish on our own." (pages 40-41).

Can you hear his voice? "Come, follow me!"