The Business of the Kingdom

Luke 19:11-27

 

            Max Gualke once wrote, “The Kingdom of God exists first and always to articulate the true nature of God and his righteous rule among men…The entire object of God’s Kingdom and rule is to save men from sin.”  This is the type of kingdom that took the world by storm when Jesus Christ entered the scene.  He came with the full power of heaven and the spiritual resources to fundamentally change the fallen race of mankind, and his intent was nothing less than transformation of hearts, lives and the culture of the people who would bear his name.  This purpose is what Jesus taught when he told this parable in the 19^th chapter of Luke. 

            Jesus Christ came to replace the hard hearts of man with a new heart; a heart that is sensitive to the work of the Spirit whom Jesus sent to write the law of God’s Kingdom on our hearts.  Consider the prophecy of Ezekiel, “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.  And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh (Ezek. 36:26).”  In his book, The Message of Holiness, Derek Tidball writes, “When a country is taken over by a new power, wholesale changes often follow: cities are renamed, signs are redone, customs are reconsidered, and sometimes even the language is replaced.  So it is with the Holy Spirit.  He works both to secure a new position for believers and a new practice in their lives as well.” 

            Jesus taught his disciples of a master who went into a far country to receive a kingdom.  While he was gone he left his servants with a sizable amount of money and the command, “Engage in business until I come.”  But what kind of business was Jesus talking about, and what does this instruction mean for those of us who serve him today?  In our lives, what does it mean to engage in Kingdom business?

 

            The business to which Jesus called his people was a commerce that would change the world they were invading – not by revolutionary force – but by the spiritual investment made by their master.  He did not simply send empty-handed servants into this foreign land, but invested in the work he sent them to do.  Despite the defeatist attitude taken by many in the church today, God prepares His people to succeed in their endeavors for the Kingdom.

            The investment made in our lives by God is eternal in nature.  It will have effects that last far beyond our own lifetimes.  Events that took place long before I was alive have affected my own spiritual life.  In 1914 a young man named Blair Radaker was saved during a revival service in Middle Run, Pennsylvania.  Blair was my great-grandfather.  He felt God’s call to begin preaching as a teenager and the influence of that ministry was felt for generations to come.  I preach the word of God for the fourth generation because of the investment God made in the life of that teenage boy a hundred years ago.  Blair accepted the invitation God gave him to do the business of the Kingdom and lives continue to be affected because of that investment so many years ago.  Henry Blackaby explained this call, “God’s call is His invitation to invest in eternity by making our lives available to God when He calls and letting God work His eternal purposes through our lives, for God’s glory!”  The lives of many who have come before will affect countless generations through all eternity.  The investments made in Moses and the prophets, the Apostle Paul and the disciples have paid great dividends in the Kingdom of God.

            The investment God has made in these lives – and continues to make in our lives – is not something that limits the success of His work in our lives.  Like the master in the parable of Jesus, God has given us more than we need to do His work.  “A mina is the equivalent of about one hundred days’ wages…Because of exorbitant interest rates in the Greco-Roman world and because only a few had significant capital, those doing business could quickly multiply their investments (Keener).”  The amount of money given to the servants was more than enough to have an immediate impact on the local economy of a poor kingdom.  This is the type of investment God has made in each of us.

            The only thing that limits the work of God in our lives is you and me.  When we doubt His goodness and His power we will never see the fullness of God’s investment of power in us.  The Spirit sent by Christ inhabits our hearts and instills within us the full authority of our King and creates the image of that King in our character.  His blessings bring with them the strength to influence the world that is being invaded by Heaven’s Kingdom.  None of the servants were given minas for their own pleasure, but for the work of God.  Likewise, we are given the blessings of God so that His influence can be felt through each of us by a world that has largely forgotten Him.  Investment was not optional for the servants in the parable, and it is not optional for the servants of God today. 

 

            When you give your money to an accountant for investment what do you expect?  Most of us would not give it to them for safe keeping.  We don’t even put money in the bank for that reason, but we always shop around for the place that will give us the highest interest rate.  We make every effort to expand our investment portfolio and broaden the influence of our money.  We buy shares of businesses so that the money will be taken and used to expand the scope of the business.  Then we will gain from the profit of that expansion.  The investment of God is not that much different.

            The investments of God are given for a specific purpose.  During the time of the Roman Empire it was a common practice for someone of influence to go to the emperor to ask for permission to rule a province or kingdom.   The servants in this parable were sent ahead to influence the people of that place and testify to the people on behalf of their master.  They would influence the lives and economy of that place with what they had been given and provide a preview of the rule of that specific person.  His influence began to expand before he ever arrived.

            The work of God is called to continually grow and expand.  We have never been given instruction to settle and stay where we are, but to continue onward and upward as the influence of heaven works across the earth.  Jesus instructed us, “Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations…”  The purpose of God’s investment is the same today as it was all those years ago, to see His Kingdom brought from heaven to the hearts of those who are desperate for His holy reign over their lives.  Simple maintenance of what He has given us is never an option, the call is always for expansion as a return on His investment.

 

            God has also called His people to the business of stewardship.  Wrapping money in something perishable like a handkerchief was considered one of the most irresponsible things one could do with it.  This servant believed that as long as he still had the investment when his master returned he would be accepted, and maybe even commended.  This was not the case, the master wanted more.

            One of the greatest hindrances to the work of God is the idea that we can take what He gives us and just hope to maintain.  We have forgotten the purpose of God’s investment, and we have allowed this to happen in the name of stewardship.  If we are honest with ourselves we will admit that much damage has been done in the church over the years under the guise of stewardship.  We take the resources God has provided and save them for presentation the day our master comes back, but when Jesus returns he will not be looking for large bank accounts.  Jesus will want to know what we have done with what he invested in us, and how we have used it to minister to the lost around us.  “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand more (Luke 12:48).”  Dennis Kinlaw said, “The greatest enemies to God in our lives are the gifts and the goods He has given us.  There is where the competition is.”  We must be stewards of these gifts without allowing them to keep us from forging ahead in the work of the Kingdom. 

            As we live in stewardship of this investment we must always remember the gravity of this work to which we are called.  God wants to multiply His work through our stewardship so much that He even commanded us to test Him.  “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.  And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need (Mal. 3:10).”  God’s work is carried out on the blessings of the people whom He has called.  It is done through their financial blessings, their time, their efforts and energy.  These things are powered and moved by the greatest blessing of God, the Holy Spirit.  If we will turn our God-given resources over to God’s Spirit and allow Him to work.  This is real stewardship: that we submit to God all that we have.  “We can live our days out in fearful hesitation and second-guessing, or we can ‘let go and let God.’  God’s plan for us is not about who we are and what talents we bring to the table.  It’s about the resources and grace God has promised us (Cymbala).”  This stewardship is not something to be taken lightly.  The way we handle what God gives us will have an effect on eternity.

 

            The business to which we have been called is one that requires accountability.  We will be held accountable on the day that our master returns to collect the interest on his investment.  We understand the expectations that are placed on us by understanding the One who has called us.  This is where the servant erred in the parable of Jesus.  He believed his master to be the kind of man who would condemn him for losing what was entrusted to him, but this misconception caused judgment he had not expected.  Charles Childers explained the situation in The Beacon Bible Commentary:

 

            "The servant represents the man who has allowed a spirit of resentment and bitterness to displace love and loyalty.  He has become a self-appointed judge of his lord’s methods…He also represents the man who thinks that stewardship consists solely in not stealing his lord’s money.  His ‘goodness’ is negative, not positive.  He does no harm (so he thinks), but neither does he do any good.  In reality he is a thief in spite of his illusion of self-righteousness, for in being useless he has robbed his lord of the gain he might have had."

 

            The business we conduct for the Kingdom will be directly affected by our ideas of God.  We must know who He is and what he is like if we are going to stand before Him and answer for the business we have conducted.  Dennis Kinlaw said, “If your concept of God is wrong, the more religion you get, the more dangerous you become to yourself and everyone else.”  Our business is done for one with whom we live in relationship.  We do not follow vague commands, but the instruction of One who we know and love.  It is within this relationship that the work of the Master is done through our lives. 

            Whether or not we acknowledge the fact, we will one day stand before our Master and answer for what we have done with what He has given us.  The master in the parable went to gain permission to rule the kingdom, but he did indeed return.  When he came back he had expectations of what had been done with the funds and investment he left.  This return teaches us of the imminent return of Jesus Christ.  His coming is a fact and cannot be ignored.  “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him (Rev. 1:7)…”  Jesus said, “Then the Son of Man will appear in heaven…and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory (Matt. 24:30).”  The Apostle Paul taught, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God (1 Thess. 4:16)…”  

            The purpose of Christ’s return is for judgment.  When he comes back it will be to see the results of what his servants have done with his investments.  Jesus said in Revelation 22:12, “Behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me to give to each according to their works.”  Will he find our works worthy of His Kingdom? 

            Leonard Ravenhill reminds us, “God has nothing more to give to this world.  He gave His only begotten Son for sinners; He gave the Bible for all men; He gave the Holy Ghost to convict the world, and equip the Church.  But what good is a checkbook if the checks be unsigned?”  God has provided us with the power to make a difference in the world around us.  But that will require an investment in His Kingdom.  A Kingdom can be costly, requiring financial support as well as time and energy.  It can require great sacrifice at times.  God has called you to conduct the business of such a Kingdom.  How are you conducting that business?  When Jesus comes to gather His people what return will he find on his investment in you?