Josephus, in Antiquities of the Jews XX,9,1 wrote that Ananus, the High Priest, assembled the Sanhedrin of the judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who is called Christ, whose name was James.  The Apostle James and others were stoned for being lawbreakers.  Eusebius had called him “James the Just.”  The Jewish religious leaders accused him of being a lawbreaker.  Which laws?  Was their idea of law keeping actually conformance with Jewish religious traditions added to the law?  They had expressed  this idea to Jesus, as Mark 7:5 says: So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?”

This attack against the leadership of the first megachurch took place a few years after Paul was persecuted.  The trend is obvious.  Accuse the Christian leaders of being breakers of the law, and condemn them as they had Jesus.  Furthermore, pressure was applied to Jewish Christians to return to the observance of the ceremonies and traditions of the Jewish religious system.

The Decline of “First Megachurch”

Consequent to the systematic persecution and pressure upon the members of the first megachurch, the passion and fervor that had characterized it declined as did attendance.  The Holy Spirit’s response was a letter that has been named the book of Hebrews.  

Written by an anonymous author, who was known to the Jewish Christians, although not a resident of Jerusalem, the letter challenges its readers and hearers to return to the recognition that Jesus Christ was much superior to the angels (Hebrews 1:4), that he is worthy of greater honor than Moses (Hebrews 3:3), that he has become the guarantor of a better covenant (Hebrews 7:22), and that unlike the priests of that day, he has a permanent priesthood (Hebrews 7:24).

Because the church members were being pressured to return to Judaism and its ceremonial practices, the writer urged:

Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by eating ceremonial foods, which is of no benefit to those who do so. We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat (Hebrews 13:9-10).    

Along with many other admonitions to return to the faithful lives they previously lived, he urged: not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing (Hebrews 10:25).  Their attendance and participation had so declined that their status as a megachurch was in question. This letter was distributed to the predominately Jewish churches, the largest of which was the church in Jerusalem before the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple that occurred less than a decade later.

In the next Blog, we will consider why this happened and what lessons we can learn from the experience.

One of the amazing outcomes of the first megachurch was that Paul, a chosen Apostle, was persecuted without the support or defense of the large contingent of Christians in Jerusalem.  When James met with Paul he said, the members of Jerusalem’s megachurch have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs (Acts 21:21).  This accusation was untrue.  Paul taught Gentile Christians that they did not have to follow Jewish religious traditions and customs, but he left to Jewish Christians the choice of continuing or discontinuing the practices. 

About a week after James’ conversation with Paul, as a reaction to that and similar erroneous accusations, the whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple (Acts 21:30). Luke did not write that Christians were among this mob, but where were the “murias” (translated by some as myriads) of Christians who were there in Jerusalem?  A big crowd moving in the same direction is difficult to resist.  One of the dangers of a megachurch is that if it is wrong about something, the large number of people pushing for their interests can be irresistible.  Christians today must take heed.  Similar things can happen again.

A Lesson from Recent History

For a historical example of mob-influence on a large church, let’s consider the German Evangelical Church in the 1930s. 

At that time, within Protestant churches throughout Germany, a small percentage of radical, Nazi-leaning members formed a group they called German Christians to pressure the larger group of German church members to comply with their extreme ideology, which was strongly racist and anti-Semitic.  With the support of the Nazi German government, the German Christians prevailed and gained control over leadership of the German Evangelical Church and its teachings.  A smaller group of churches that called themselves the Confessing Church opposed the governmental influence.

Essentially, the religious doctrine of this German Evangelical Church degraded into the belief that the racial purity of the German people should be preserved by mixing Nazi ideology with elements of Christianity.  Such a doctrine made it easy for church members to support, or at least not oppose, Nazi efforts to persecute and eliminate Jews and non-German parts of the nation’s populace.  Such radical notions may not have been held as private beliefs of individual members, but when the government-inspired movement enveloped the German Evangelical Church, a mass movement gained control in the nation.  One of its outcomes was the persecution of the Confessing Church with attempts to diminish or dissolve its membership.  The other major outcome was the church consent to the horrors of extermination of undesirable people by the Nazi government.

The German Evangelical Church was not a single megachurch but a collection of many churches that had a dominant effect on the majority populace.  Although a study of an ancient biblical megachurch is not an exact comparison to the emergence of a large church movement in a nation, similarities in effect are worth consideration.  Could the political efforts in the United States that began with the “Christian Coalition” in the 1980s, found new invigoration with the “Tea Party” in opposition to the presidency of Barack Obama, grew into the 80-plus percentage of white Evangelicals that supported Donald Trump in 2016, became part of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, and is now the face of Christian nationalism in America, become an American version of the 1930s German movement?

(and Related Problems)

James, the half-brother of Jesus, became a believer and follower after Jesus’ resurrection and took up residence in Jerusalem while the small contingent waited for the promise of the Holy Spirit as Jesus had instructed them.  Some years later, he became a leader of the church in Jerusalem.

Eusebius, Church historian from the fourth Century, wrote in The Church History of Eusebius Book ii, 1:2, Then James, whom the ancients surnamed the Just on account of the excellence of his virtue, is recorded to have been the first to be made bishop of the church of Jerusalem.

While he was there, Jerusalem continued to be the leadership center of the Church as it spread to other cities and countries.  Paul and Barnabas traveled to Jerusalem, where they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders (Acts 15:2) to resolve a controversial matter.  Apparently, the church in Jerusalem had resumed rapid growth in members after the disruption as the word of God continued to spread and flourish (Acts 12:24).  James served as one of the Church’s main leaders: James, Cephas and John, those esteemed as pillars… (Galatians 2:9).  Eventually James was named as an Apostle, as Paul wrote of him, I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord’s brother (Galatians 1:19).

Unlike the leaders of the temple worship, James had a reputation of piety.  His leading position in the Church did not equate to personal wealth, as Josephus wrote of the High Priest in Antiquities of the Jews XX,9,2 saying, but as for the high priest Ananias, he increased in glory every day, and this to a great degree, and had obtained the favor and esteem of the citizens in a signal manner; for he was a great hoarder up of money.  This too is a temptation for many megachurch leaders today.  Wealth and authority often leads them to extremes that result in lives of opulence and abuse of church members.

When Paul visited Jerusalem in the early 60s AD, he met with James and the elders there, who said, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed” (Acts 21:20).  The number of people they referred to was not just “thousands” as translated but literally ten-thousands.  At that time, the number 10,000, as expressed by the Greek word murias, and translated by some as myriads, was used not literally for ten times one thousand  but figuratively of an uncountable number.

This congregation in Jerusalem was massive, but instead of a large group of mature Christians, by James’ admission, all of them are zealous for the law (Acts 21:20). This zeal for the law had to come at the expense of Christ-centeredness, because, as Paul wrote to the Roman Christians:

Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes (Romans 10:1-4).

This was a temptation that first-Century Jewish Christians faced.  Jews had been indoctrinated to believe that keeping the law was essential for the Covenant people.  It took many years for them to understand that because Jesus had inaugurated a New Covenant, and that by calling this “new,” he has made the old obsolete (Hebrews 8:13), they were no longer required to follow the ceremonies and religious stipulations of the law.

A common problem with megachurches is that many of the members are attracted by something highly appealing but not the essence of the Christian call to come to Jesus.  To many Jews in the first century, the appeal was correctly to accept Jesus as the Messiah, but they did not realize that following Jesus meant leaving behind religious practices that continued to be mainstream in their culture.  The megachurch appeal today can have similarities.  For example, when there is a religious connection to patriotism or making a nation great (whether the USA, Russia, or some other country), Christ-centeredness is blurred.

In the next Blog, we will consider the dangers that such problems pose.

Where did this first megachurch congregation meet?  Such a facility would have been hard to come by then, but it had already been provided by the Providence of God.  The Temple in Jerusalem was surrounded by courts that served as gathering places for the thousands of Jews who gathered there for the Sabbaths and Holy Days.  Just outside the Court of the Gentiles, on the very edge of the Temple mount’s east side, was a column of pillars upon which a roof rested.  The area was called Solomon’s Colonnade or Porch.  Jewish historian, Josephus, mentioned this area, saying that it was part of the original temple, the source of its name.   Because of its location, it was not as populated as the inner courts where throngs of worshipers gathered because they were more conveniently located for ceremonial activities.  Also these courts were designated for specific use, depending on the status, gender, and nationality of the worshipers.  John’s Gospel mentions it, saying Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. The Jews… were there gathered around him (John 10:23).  Later, the Apostles found the same place an occasion for outreach and evangelism, where after a healing, people came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade (Acts 3:11).   The new megachurch found it the ideal location where they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch (Acts 5:12).

As the months of that first year went by, believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women (Acts 5:14). Timely miracles and powerful preaching combined for explosive numerical growth, and no resistance thwarted it.  This continued until the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith (Acts 6:7).  Consider Luke’s terminology: “increasingly added” and “multiplied.”  Was he exaggerating, or was he trying to accurately convey the unusual growth in staggering numbers?  So many Jews were becoming believers that the movement even swept through the circle of religious authority around the Temple. 

Although the membership of the church in Jerusalem was predominantly Jewish, it was a diverse group, not only because the Jewish clergy became part, but an even larger grouping was of the Hellenists.  These were Jews who were Greek-speaking and of differing cultures, as Luke elaborated, the number of the disciples was multiplying… (among whom were) Hebrews (and) Hellenists (Acts 6:1).  These Hellenists were often Jews who lived in foreign nations but had taken up temporary residence in Jerusalem.  Their language and cultural expressions differed from those Jews whose entire lives were spent in Judea and surrounding Jewish-dominated provinces.  

Solomon’s Porch and the other temple courts served the new church.  Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. At the same time, in more intimate settings, they broke bread in their homes (Acts 2:46).

Resistance and Disruption

The excitement surrounding this rapidly spreading movement continued.  Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah (Acts 6:42).  The already strong resistance from the religious leaders of the Temple peaked when, as Luke wrote, opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen (Acts 6:9).  These antagonistic Hellenist Jews received support from the religious authorities, and the resulting persecution was directed at the amassing numbers of the megachurch, especially the Hellenist Christians.  On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria (Acts 8:1).  The resulting scattering would seem to have put an end to the masses of the megachurch in Jerusalem. Definitely, it reduced the numbers of followers in Jerusalem, but only because they fled to other places and spread the Good News wherever they went.  This persecution was intense but did not last long, so afterward, the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers (Acts 9:31).

In the next Blog, we will learn some things about the leadership of this megachurch.

Megachurches have become fixtures on the landscape of Christianity in the United States of America and many other countries.  With them have arisen both positive and negative reactions: positive in success stories of numerical growth, and negative in criticisms about how such growth is obtained and the effect of the growth upon its leaders.  The latter criticism of leaders tends to be about their extreme wealth and, at times, abusive power over church members.

What is a megachurch?  According to the definition based on the size of a church’s Sunday service attendance, a church with at least 2000 members qualifies to be labeled a “megachurch.”  Technically, the prefix “mega” literally means million, but the term mega is generally applied to many things that are unusually large.

Does the Bible have anything to say to us about megachurches?  In the upcoming Blogs, we will discover that the answer is yes.  Let’s consider what the New Testament has to say and reflect on any lessons that we can learn and apply in pursuit of Church oneness for which Jesus prayed.

Megachurch Beginnings

Long before any church congregation in the United States of America became large enough to be considered a megachurch, a church in the first Century had qualified for that label.  It was history’s first church congregation, formed on Pentecost 31 AD in Jerusalem when the Holy Spirit baptized the initial followers of Jesus Christ.

Before that momentous event described in the second chapter of the book of Acts, the number of followers of Jesus in Jerusalem was about a hundred and twenty (Acts 1:15).  After the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the number multiplied 26 times when about three thousand souls were added to them (Acts 2:41).  In the days and weeks that immediately followed, hundreds of people were added so that the number came to be about five thousand (Acts 4:4).

Could a city of Jerusalem’s size support such a large religious group?  The population of Jerusalem in the first century has been estimated to be above one-half million people.  At the time of the war in 63 AD, the population according to Tacitus, Roman Historian, was in excess of 600,000.  Josephus, Jewish historian, wrote of an even larger population, estimating that over one million died in the destruction by the Roman army in 70 AD.  So, yes the population easily supported the numbers reported in the book of Acts, especially when we consider that during the major festivals, such as Passover and Pentecost, the population swelled with visitors and pilgrims from surrounding countries.   

Such numbers are astonishing.  How did the followers of Jesus, a core group of 12 trainees and a small contingent of others who served as assistants and supporters, manage to organize and serve such a large group of people?  The simple answer is that Jesus had prepared them.  Twice in the Gospel accounts, we read that Jesus fed crowds of thousands.  In these accounts, we see that Jesus had the apostles organize and serve food to the hungry crowd.  John 6:5-6 begins to tell how Jesus groomed them: When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. John continues, showing that Jesus led his followers to participate with him. 

Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed (through his disciples) to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten (John 6:10-13).

In this short narrative, we can see principles of participative management, delegation, organization, communication, and accounting.  Above all, Jesus practiced faith in God’s power and love for the people.  This crowd was not unusual.  In Galilee, large crowds following him were common.  In Jerusalem, often he was in the Temple courts with many hundreds of people nearby.  He was their main attraction.  When he rode into Jerusalem on what later became known as Palm Sunday, he was thronged by a vast cheering crowd.  These occasions exposed the apostles to Jesus’ techniques of reaching and teaching large numbers of people, so when the huge influx took place after Pentecost, they were ready.

In the next Blog, we will explore more about this biblical megachurch.

Let me begin this concluding Blog on the subject of God’s “control,” or, as I believe better, sovereignty with a quote by Thomas F. Torrance from Divine and Contingent Order, © 1981 T. F. Torrance:

The cross of Christ tells us unmistakably that all physical evil, not only pain, suffering, disease, corruption, death, and of course cruelty and venom in animal as well as human behavior, but also ‘natural’ calamities, devastations, and monstrosities, are an outrage against the love of God and a contradiction of good order in his creation.  This does not allow us to regard evil and disorder in the universe as in any way intended or as given a direct function by God in the development of his creation, although it does mean that even these enormities can be made by God’s incredible power to serve his final end for the created order, much as he has made the dastardly violence of men in crucifying Jesus to serve his healing purpose for mankind, without in any way justifying our human evil and guilt that brought Jesus to the cross.

This statement is indeed a mouthful and much to digest.  First, it plainly acquits God of all responsibility for the bad things that happen in this world, stating that they are indeed an outrage against everything God stands for.  More than anything, the crucifixion of the Son of God emphatically makes that point.  Second, it admits that there is disorder in creation, and places the guilt squarely on the shoulders of human sin.  Third, it explains that God, in his glorious almightiness, redeems these evils to the fulfillment of his good purpose and will.  The erroneous statement, “God is in control” totally misses these truths.   

Instead of being in control, God stands in his perfect will and insists that those who love him willingly agree with and obey so that his will is fulfilled in them.  That is the meaning of the phrase, “Thy will be done.”   It was Jesus himself, fully God and fully human, who perfectly expressed this agreement of wills as he was about to be arrested, tortured, and crucified.  Matthew 26:36-44 captures the scene of this historic event:

“Sit here while I go over there and pray,” said Jesus, adding, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death”… he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” 

Matthew adds that Jesus repeated this request two more times.  Obviously, Jesus did not want to go through the ordeal that awaited him.  In that, he was like every other human, having a strong will to live.  Each time that he went to spend time with the Father in prayer, he contrasted his human will with God’s divine will, and ultimately he submitted his will to the Father’s.

The writer of Hebrews described Jesus’ triumphant accomplishment in Hebrews 5:7:

During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered. 

This obedience was the humble submission of his human will to God’s will.  Thus, Jesus became the “pioneer” of perfect human submission by this act.  It was not the intent of the Father, Son, and Spirit that Jesus would accomplish this in isolation.  Hebrews 2:10 says, In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.

Are we getting the picture?  Jesus’ spiritual wrestling match of will in the Garden of Gethsemane led the way toward the ultimate perfect oneness between God and his people.  Jesus did not simply win and afterward retire to heaven.  There, as victor, he took on the role of High Priest who ministers to his followers so that they too become victorious.  Hebrews 4:14-16 explains.

 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Jesus experienced firsthand the conflict between human and divine will.  He, having worn our shoes, understands our experiences and for that reason acts on our behalf.  Through him, the portal to the Throne of Grace is always open to us.  Transporting through that glorious portal, we approach the Father, Son, and Spirit in confidence that the help we need in our spiritual wrestling matches is fully available.  With that help, and even more so, through the grace of God expressed in the blood of Jesus on our behalf we are empowered to win.  Life becomes a growing practice of submission of our human wills.  This is the essence of the Christian calling to walk with God (Romans 12:1-2).

Imagine a universe without the pain, suffering, disease, corruption, death, and of course cruelty and venom in animal as well as human behavior, but also ‘natural’ calamities, devastations, and monstrosities written of in the Torrance quote above.  The result is peace. 

Imagine a place and time in which people live in loving and willing compliance with God’s will, which is based on self-giving love.  The result in each of them is utmost joy, and in their relationships perfect oneness.  This is the reality that awaits us in the Kingdom of God. What an awesome and wonderful Father, Son, and Spirit, achieving in creation the ultimate goodness and gladness, not by forcing creation to conform but by winning that voluntary conformance!  Such a God is so much more glorious than the so called “God in control.”

Having a true understanding about God and his involvement in our lives helps us to understand our participative role with God.  He has divine will.  Our human will is to agree with his divine will.  When we assume that God is controlling everything, we can miss the fact that he has given us a role of participation with him.  He is going to bring about his divine will, but we cannot assume that we will be part of it if we do not choose to respond to him and participate in his will.  When we pray, “Thy will be done,” we are asking not only that his will come to pass on earth but that his will is done in our lives that very day. 

How might we apply this?  Think of the Parable of the Good Samaritan.  God’s will, in his love, was for the injured man to be helped so that he could recover.  Two people who saw his suffering opted not to participate in God’s will.  When the Samaritan came along, he applied God’s law to love his neighbor as himself, and in the process he joined God in helping the injured man.  Two key points: first, he let God’s word tell him what he should do to comply with God’s will, and second, he acted on that word.  Had he, through his belief that God was in control and therefore the injured man would be okay, opted not to act, God’s will for the injured man might not have been done, or someone else would have to come along and do what the good Samaritan did.

In a sense, believing that God is in control could induce us to be spiritually hesitant and fail to participate with God when we should.  This inaction can be in our personal lives as well as in our interactions with other people.  James’ instruction about the relationship of faith and works explains the importance of faith triggering action in participation with God.  So does Hebrews 11.  God wants to use us as vessels who act upon our faith to do what complies with his will.

Misconceptions about God can lead to discouragement and doubt.  The example of the young person questioning God I mentioned in a previous Blog is one example.  Another is that of a person having erroneous expectations about God’s will in their life.  Solomon wrote, Hope deferred makes the heart sick (Proverbs 13:12).  What if the hope was based upon erroneous expectations?  The obvious outcome is deep disappointment that can lead to worse.  I have seen such people struggle with the outcome that does not reach their expectations: such as, God will make them rich, heal their suffering loved one, or that his will is to bless some endeavor that they want to pursue.  The best interpreter of God’s will is his written word, seen through the lens of Jesus Christ and enlightened by the Holy Spirit.  (I suggest the New Testament for newer Bible readers.)  When we harbor misconceptions about God’s will in our lives, and our expectations are not fulfilled, the outcome can affect our faith negatively. Such wounds to faith are unnecessary.  When we understand the truth about God’s involvement in our lives it gives us hope that does not disappoint.    

Another important effect of true understanding is that when someone challenges us with disbelief in God because of their misconception about God’s control in this world, we are better able to answer them and thereby perhaps even encourage them to trust God. If we remember that Jesus prayed that his followers would be one with God and each other, it becomes clearer that God is not going to accomplish his will by controlling us or anyone else.  Oneness is brought about through the work of the Holy Spirit, building up the Church to spiritual maturity and uniting us through love.  The book Echo of Jesus’ Prayer – in the Church gives much more detail about how this will be brought about.

In our next Blog, we will consider a picture of our will in concert with God’s will.

Jesus taught His followers what is called The Lord’s Prayer, in which they say, Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:9-10).  This prayer implies that in heaven God’s name is regarded as holy, he reigns, and his will is done; but on earth, none of these conditions exist; otherwise, there would be no need to pray for them.  Most Christians would agree that God’s name is not treated as holy here on earth and his reign is not yet, but what about his will?  Do Christians really believe and understand that in this world God’s will is not being done?

Let’s test this question.  In the Garden of Eden, was it God’s will for Adam and Eve to partake of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil?  After they were expelled from the Garden of Eden, was it God’s will that their son, Cain, the first human to be born, would murder his brother?  Was it God’s will that Abel, one who pleased God, would lose his life prematurely?  The answers to these questions should be obvious.  Nonetheless, these things happened.  Why?  They happened because Adam, Eve, Cain, and Abel were the actors, not God.  Did God allow them?  Yes.  Why?  Because God created these humans in his image and likeness, which gave them freedom of will.  He did not violate their freedom, which would have contradicted his will that was expressed in his creation.  Therefore, God was not responsible for these acts.

Their actions were outside of God’s domain, because they did not obey him.  Outside of God’s domain has no assurance of God’s blessings and protection.  It is a hazardous place, but it is the place that these humans, and all after them, chose.  Jesus told His followers to pray that God’s domain would return to earth, humanity’s habitation, and to their lives while they lived on earth.  Does this malevolent and chaotic world seem to be a place where God is in control?  Jesus also said that we are to pray that God’s will would be done on earth – first by us and by all people.  This state and condition of earth – outside of God’s domain and will – has continued to this day.  In the meantime, the state and condition of Jesus’ followers is to be in agreement and harmony with God’s holiness, domain, and will.  Because through their prayers they seek that their human wills are aligned and submitted to God’s divine will, they become willingly obedient to, but still not controlled by, God.

These obedient people of God continue to live in what Paul called the present evil age (Galatians 1:4).  While they live in this evil age, he said their citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20).  They live as citizens of the Kingdom of God while in this present evil age, but their expectation is of the coming of King Jesus to usher in the fullness of the Kingdom of God, for which also they have been praying every day.  In Romans 8:22-23, Paul wrote about the people of the world and the people of God together groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. To the people of God, the Kingdom of God is now but not yet.  For now, they suffer, in effect, groaning like a mother in labor along with the rest of the world around them.

*These people have, as Paul said, the firstfruits of the Spirit.  Two important points about that statement: One, they were given the Holy Spirit.  This gift from God is a reason that these people are obedient, as the prophecy in Ezekiel 36:27 states, And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.  Two, they were only the first to receive the Holy Spirit.  God promised in Jeremiah 31:31-34 a New Covenant, which was fulfilled by Jesus and available to all people.

It was to these same obedient people that Paul wrote, And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).  “All things work together for good.”  That is the biblical quote of many people who will add, “God is in control.”  What they miss is the now-but-not-yet-element of their lives.  Paul did not say that everything in this world at this time will work out good.  How could it in an evil world?  Abel was its first victim, Jesus was its ultimate victim, and Jesus said to His followers, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33).  Like him, they suffer.  The ultimate good that God works in the lives of his people can occur in the now, but most of it waits for the not-yet.  That is the reason for Christian hope.

In the next Blog, we will consider the implications of understanding these biblical truths.

*I added this paragraph in response to a helpful comment.

It is a highly complex matter to attempt to describe by the use of Scripture what God does in our individual lives.  I will try to summarize God’s disposition toward humanity – all of us – as well as refer to specific promises of God in the Bible. 

As mentioned above, God is love.  To God the Father, Son, and Spirit, love is not merely an attribute; it is intrinsic, defining who God is.  Jesus said, As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you… Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends (John 15:9, 13).  This love is beyond every human concept of love.  Jesus showed that it is love’s highest form and that it is self-sacrificial.  God has this love for all humanity and expressed it through the self-sacrifice of Jesus (John 3:16).  Jesus’ atoning sacrifice for our sins (was) not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2).  God wants all people to be saved (1 Timothy 2:3).

Patience and kindness are themselves attributes of love (1 Corinthians 13:4).  God is patient, not hot-tempered and angry.  He is kind, unlike the pagan false god Zeus, who is portrayed as poised to throw down a lightning bolt upon humankind at any infraction.  Lamentations 3:21-22 poetically describes God’s love: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. It is easy to take for granted the friendly way that we are greeted every morning when we rise from sleep.  The sun is shining.  The sky is beautiful.  The air is constant and refreshing.  Jesus said, your Father in heaven… causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 5:45).  Jesus was describing one who is perfect, one who has no flaw.  He is so good that even the most undeserving of people are still beneficiaries of his goodness.   James wrote, Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows (James 1:17).  If we take the time to consider, the earth is like an incubator in the midst of the cold and violent space around it.  This favorable condition is so constant that we consider anything else to be a rare exception.

Additional expressions of God’s love for all of us are in His promises to those who will trust in him.  I am with you always (Matthew 28:20); I will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5); God’s throne of grace… (where we) receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16).  God in his glory is in heaven, which is outside of space and time; nonetheless, in spirit He is intimately present with us in this earthly realm at all times (Psalm 139:7-8).  He answers prayer.  He helps in times of trouble.  He is, as the 23^rd Psalmist wrote, like a shepherd to little lambs.  He is there for all their needs, generously providing, graciously guiding, present and reassuring even in the most difficult times and circumstances.  The one who trusts him can confidently say, goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever (Psalm 23:5).

God also is just (Deuteronomy 32:4).  He hates evil.  Much could be said about the future judgment, but to emphasize God’s punishments for evil overlooks His gracious disposition.  If God wanted to pay humanity for its guilt, He could have done it long ago.  Instead, in his love for all humanity, he sent his Son, Jesus Christ!  Through him, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).  Ultimately, God will triumph over evil, but his intent is to win all that will accept his grace.  Anyone who refuses his grace will perish.  No greater mistake could ever be made.  The very fact that we are free to choose even to perish ought to prove that God does not control.

In the next Blog, we will look into God’s domain where he rules and where everything is in accord with his perfect will, not by his control but willingly.

The word control cannot be found in most modern English translations of the Bible.  Control as a verb originated as a term for verification of accounts in Middle English and was derived from Medieval Latin.  It appears infrequently in 18^th-Century literature but takes on a much greater usage afterward, peaking in the 20^th Century.  The very concept of God being in control is a modern one.

Ancient pagan theologies held views about God as the cause of everything.  These views are called “determinism” by many Christian scholars.  Also, some Christian theologians have espoused ideas about God that seem deterministic.  Their ideas are conceptually similar to the modern concept of God in control but not exactly the same.  Another popular saying, especially in religious circles, is “Everything happens for a reason.”  Aristotle advanced the idea; there is no such statement in the Bible.  Some cite Ecclesiastes 3, but a careful reading of Solomon’s poem reveals that he said “season” not “reason” as he spoke of a “time” of purposes or activities.

Control is very much a human device.  Humans make machines to do things for them while the humans maintain control.  We make special effort to control machines that can move, such as cars, ships, and airplanes.  We try to control people, especially our children, but that hardly ever works even in the youngest of children.  We can train animals but not really control them.  We naturally strive to control our own lives, and we violently resent anyone who tries to take over that control.

Thus, it is perhaps natural for us humans to think in terms of being in control, but it is misleading for us to apply our concepts to God and how he works.  Because God is omnipotent, he could control all things if that is what he chose to do.  But instead of controlling his creation, God gave angels and humans freedom of choice.  This freedom makes them far superior to instinct-driven creatures and inanimate things that act only on physical laws.  When we consider that God chose to have around him beings with the freedom of choice, we are actually witnessing a far more glorious divine being than one that would create and then control everything.

Is there anything that God cannot do?

The simple answer is, yes. God cannot do anything that he has willed not to do.  For this reason, God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone (James 1:13).  Furthermore, it is impossible for God to lie (Hebrews 6:18).  Every believer knows that God cannot sin.  We could go on with more examples, but suffice it to say that to whom God has given freedom, which includes all humans, he cannot control them.  Otherwise, he would contradict His will.

In the next Blog, we will consider what God actually does in this world at this time.