Our Stories
The Outpost
By Mac Taylor | posted 09/20/2007
"...the kingdom of God is in your midst." (Luke 17:21)
Once upon a time, a King decided to share his Kingdom with his subjects. So he signed an agreement, written with his own blood that said that all the members of his Kingdom were free to fully enjoy the benefits of the Kingdom. In the agreement, the King offered a better than lifetime, satisfaction guaranteed, rust-free, fire proof, never ending inheritance. He said they could begin to enjoy the inheritance immediately, although the full installment would only come when time as we know it comes to a close. To qualify for this inheritance, the Kingdom treasure, the subjects only needed to admit to the King that they had failed in their own strength to be worthy of the Kingdom and swear an oath of loyalty to the King. The King promised he would send a special Power upon them to be bearers of Kingdom news ... for the King was no ordinary King, you see. He possessed a mysterious miraculous Power, which he generously shared with those who were employed in Kingdom business. It was the kind of Power that made the subjects feel as if the King was always right beside them, or even within them. This quite excited the people of the Kingdom, who got to work doing the business of the King. They occupied themselves telling others about the Kingdom, praying for the sick and even doing battle with the enemies of the King. The subjects seemed to be so full of the King that they became known as the "King's Ones".
The Kingdom grew and grew and grew. Many years passed. The Kingdom appeared in far away lands, and was embraced by people of many different nations and languages. In some places, the Kingdom thrived, and the King's Ones continued to rely on the King's Power to do the King's work. In many places, the Kingdom had to battle against great strongholds of the enemy. In some places where the Kingdom had been strong, the subjects began to rely on their own strength and worldly wisdom, forgetting that being a subject of the King meant relying on the Power of the King.
In one of those far away lands was a beautiful city between the sea and a lake surrounded by beautiful mountains. In that place, people thronged from all over the world to seek their fortunes at famous establishments. There were "soft princes" who invented ways to make people stare at little boxes all day long. Other princes ruled over the skies of the land, showing their dominance over the Buses of the Air. Still others enticed both men and women to buy in large quantities a product labeled Kirk of the Land. Some considered the grandest of them all to be the liquid princes and princesses who served decaf tall nonfat americanos with room for cream.
Near the great city, on the other side of the large lake of George, just to the north of the lake of Sam, there was a place of great expansion, where new abodes were added daily. There, on the hill called the Mound of Red, the King established an outpost in a rented facility, and he called them the "Community of Comforted Castaways," though some of them preferred the title, "Congregation of the Comfortable Cadavers."
One fall, the King called his subjects together there and mapped out His strategy. He reminded his subjects that He was the one who had given them their minds to think. "Thinking is good," said the King. "You have to think a lot to be able to talk with all the Big Cheeses. But don't forget that there is more to the Kingdom than rational sensibility. Remember how the Kingdom began? How I sent my Power to the first Kingdom builders, and people called them ‘King's Ones' because they were so much like me? I want you to be known by everyone as Children of the King. Use your minds which I gave you. But also fall in love with me, so that I might pour out my Power on you. Use your hands to demonstrate my love to those around you. My Kingdom is near. My Kingdom is within you. My Kingdom is a Kingdom of Power and of Love. My Kingdom is one that is filled with life that is authentic, love that is abundant, and faith that is generous. Pray that My Kingdom would come to your outpost. Pray that My Kingdom would not be divided. Love one another as I have loved you. Forgive one another as I have forgiven you. Love all the people in the Mound of Red and all around the Great City. Don't forget the lands far away. They are mine as well."
So the people of the outpost of the Community of Comforted Champions began to study about the Kingdom. They got together in little groups and investigated the claims of the King's Book in a section called "Happenings", about His Kingdom and how it started to spread long ago. They asked themselves some probing questions. "What would it be like for the Kingdom to infiltrate our little outpost?" "How can we do the King's business in the Mound of Red?" "Who can we tell the King's secrets?" They prayed that His Kingdom would come. And they prayed that the King's Power would be with them, like it was with the subjects of the King of long ago. They prayed that they would love one another with the same love which the King had for them. And they chose to forgive one another as the King had forgiven them.
The outpost was strengthened. The enemies of the King were not one bit pleased, and they tried to wreak havoc on the outpost, gaining some ground with those who were hesitant. But those who were not hesitant, whose eyes were opened to see the Real Kingdom, saw wonderful changes in their lives. The Kingdom was indeed near, it was among them. And so the King strengthened his Kingdom near the great city, on the other side of the large lake of George, just to the north of the lake of Sam, all because His subjects began to pray insistently, "May Your Kingdom Come". And it did.
To respond to this message, email Mac at mact@ecreekside.com.
|
"...the kingdom of God is in your midst." (Luke 17:21)
Once upon a time, a King decided to share his Kingdom with his subjects. So he signed an agreement, written with his own blood that said that all the members of his Kingdom were free to fully enjoy the benefits of the Kingdom. In the agreement, the King offered a better than lifetime, satisfaction guaranteed, rust-free, fire proof, never ending inheritance. He said they could begin to enjoy the inheritance immediately, although the full installment would only come when time as we know it comes to a close. To qualify for this inheritance, the Kingdom treasure, the subjects only needed to admit to the King that they had failed in their own strength to be worthy of the Kingdom and swear an oath of loyalty to the King. The King promised he would send a special Power upon them to be bearers of Kingdom news ... for the King was no ordinary King, you see. He possessed a mysterious miraculous Power, which he generously shared with those who were employed in Kingdom business. It was the kind of Power that made the subjects feel as if the King was always right beside them, or even within them. This quite excited the people of the Kingdom, who got to work doing the business of the King. They occupied themselves telling others about the Kingdom, praying for the sick and even doing battle with the enemies of the King. The subjects seemed to be so full of the King that they became known as the "King's Ones". The Kingdom grew and grew and grew. Many years passed. The Kingdom appeared in far away lands, and was embraced by people of many different nations and languages. In some places, the Kingdom thrived, and the King's Ones continued to rely on the King's Power to do the King's work. In many places, the Kingdom had to battle against great strongholds of the enemy. In some places where the Kingdom had been strong, the subjects began to rely on their own strength and worldly wisdom, forgetting that being a subject of the King meant relying on the Power of the King. In one of those far away lands was a beautiful city between the sea and a lake surrounded by beautiful mountains. In that place, people thronged from all over the world to seek their fortunes at famous establishments. There were "soft princes" who invented ways to make people stare at little boxes all day long. Other princes ruled over the skies of the land, showing their dominance over the Buses of the Air. Still others enticed both men and women to buy in large quantities a product labeled Kirk of the Land. Some considered the grandest of them all to be the liquid princes and princesses who served decaf tall nonfat americanos with room for cream. Near the great city, on the other side of the large lake of George, just to the north of the lake of Sam, there was a place of great expansion, where new abodes were added daily. There, on the hill called the Mound of Red, the King established an outpost in a rented facility, and he called them the "Community of Comforted Castaways," though some of them preferred the title, "Congregation of the Comfortable Cadavers." One fall, the King called his subjects together there and mapped out His strategy. He reminded his subjects that He was the one who had given them their minds to think. "Thinking is good," said the King. "You have to think a lot to be able to talk with all the Big Cheeses. But don't forget that there is more to the Kingdom than rational sensibility. Remember how the Kingdom began? How I sent my Power to the first Kingdom builders, and people called them ‘King's Ones' because they were so much like me? I want you to be known by everyone as Children of the King. Use your minds which I gave you. But also fall in love with me, so that I might pour out my Power on you. Use your hands to demonstrate my love to those around you. My Kingdom is near. My Kingdom is within you. My Kingdom is a Kingdom of Power and of Love. My Kingdom is one that is filled with life that is authentic, love that is abundant, and faith that is generous. Pray that My Kingdom would come to your outpost. Pray that My Kingdom would not be divided. Love one another as I have loved you. Forgive one another as I have forgiven you. Love all the people in the Mound of Red and all around the Great City. Don't forget the lands far away. They are mine as well." So the people of the outpost of the Community of Comforted Champions began to study about the Kingdom. They got together in little groups and investigated the claims of the King's Book in a section called "Happenings", about His Kingdom and how it started to spread long ago. They asked themselves some probing questions. "What would it be like for the Kingdom to infiltrate our little outpost?" "How can we do the King's business in the Mound of Red?" "Who can we tell the King's secrets?" They prayed that His Kingdom would come. And they prayed that the King's Power would be with them, like it was with the subjects of the King of long ago. They prayed that they would love one another with the same love which the King had for them. And they chose to forgive one another as the King had forgiven them. The outpost was strengthened. The enemies of the King were not one bit pleased, and they tried to wreak havoc on the outpost, gaining some ground with those who were hesitant. But those who were not hesitant, whose eyes were opened to see the Real Kingdom, saw wonderful changes in their lives. The Kingdom was indeed near, it was among them. And so the King strengthened his Kingdom near the great city, on the other side of the large lake of George, just to the north of the lake of Sam, all because His subjects began to pray insistently, "May Your Kingdom Come". And it did. To respond to this message, email Mac at mact@ecreekside.com. |
