I wish you and your family all the best. May God guide and bless you as you seek to do His will!
Tyler

You weren’t being “persnickety”. Thanks for the admonition. You are right, and I will keep that thought in mind. I have not listened to all of Mr. Pearl’s teachings, but what I have heard has been Biblically sound. However, there are some beliefs I know that he holds that I do not agree with either (example: pre-tribulation rapture). Therefore, the Bible should be one’s final authority.

Thank you again for what you have shared. I’ve learned a lot.

Still learning,
Taci

At first, I wasn’t thinking I needed to make a response to the last comments you left but as I was reading them over again this past week I finally changed my mind. Maybe it will aid you in your study, maybe it won’t. Regardless, I have, at long last, decided to post one last comment of my own to wrap things up.

Thanks once again for your comments and consideration. By the way, taking several days to think about and decide what and how to comment doesn’t seem odd at all. In fact, I find it a bit comforting, as it frees me from feeling pressured to make immediate or hurried responses of my own. When I first started writing on this blog, I felt obligated to respond to people’s comments as soon as I read them. That’s easy if all I’m doing is thanking them for dropping by or commenting on the weather, but when it comes to stating and explaining my convictions or dealing with possible disagreements it becomes a little more difficult. Unlike C.S. Lewis, I don’t have perfect recall and so often times I can find myself scrambling to formulate a coherent and consistent basis for my position, even when I have spent many hours in thought or study to come to it and “should” have my answer ready. Sometimes this is when my pride steps in and condemns me for being unable to snap off the verses or logic at will and I have to step back and reevaluate why I am writing the response in the first place. Please believe me when I say that what I write here on this blog is not intended to “convert” anyone to my position. I do not claim to be right on all matters, since I know myself to be a fallible man like all others; and a young one at that. Therefore, consider what I have to say, but accept only that which the Lord shows you to be true. I am convinced it is my duty to express what I believe to be true, but to constrain another by my opinion is not within my authority to command, that power is God’s alone to do with what He wills.

After reading your last two comments, I thought I might share a little of the basis for why I believe in Christ’s kingdom here on earth and perhaps give further definition to what I mean when I say that. I do not have the time or desire right now to go into great detail, much less make a comprehensive apologia. However, I thought it might be helpful if I did a little explaining and perhaps shared a few of the verses that have helped bring me to my conclusions.

In both of the verses you mentioned, Jesus was addressing a misconception common among the Jews at that time, even among many of His disciples. As in other issues concerning the promised Messiah, they had limited their perception of His kingdom until it was but a twisted shadow of what God had said it would be. They had forsaken the Scriptural teaching of who the Messiah really was for a vision of nothing more that a temporal Saviour sent to deliver them from the hand of Rome and to reestablish Israel as an independent and sovereign nation above all others. Jesus spent a great deal of time during His earthly ministry addressing and correcting these misconceptions. To take the two verses you mentioned for example. In them, Christ is showing the Pharisees, (and Pilate who was simply expressing the view they taught), that their belief and trust in a temporal and nationalistic kingdom was both misplaced and incorrect. He is saying that where they were expecting a charismatic, military leader to free them from what they saw as unjust tyranny, (although it was really the judgment of God), God’s kingdom is not established upon “earthly” principles or through the might of the sword but by the power of God proceeding from the hearts and lives of His children. It is because of this important distinction that Christ can promises and guarantee the growth and effectual completion, (or victory), of His kingdom in such passages as the parable of the mustard seed and the leaven, (Matt. 13:31-33).

Perhaps we could start with John 18:36. So, what does Christ mean when He says, “My kingdom is not of this world.”? The operative words here are OF and WORLD, so to properly grasp what is being said we must understand their meaning. We do not have to look far, however, as the same truth is restated in the last part of the verse, where He says, “but now my kingdom is not FROM HENCE.” Christ is dealing with the origin of His kingdom and the power by which it is established, not actually its location, (though that can also be deduced from this verse, as well as many others). So, what this verse teaches us is that the kingdom of God is not established with carnal military might but with spiritual weapons. He is saying it is not OF or FROM the world, not that it is not IN it. This is the age-old distinction of God’s culture vs. the World’s culture. “World” is not speaking of the Earth and everything in it, it is speaking of the philosophy, the power, the dominion, which is antithetical to that God has ordained. Thus, Christ’s kingdom is not of the world, just as we as Christians are not of the world, we are IN it but not Of it.

In Luke 17: 20-21, Jesus is really just dealing with this same issue, only in a different situation. Once again, the Pharisees, because they were expecting a leader to deliver them from their subservience to Rome and not from their true bondage to sin and death, were asking Jesus to tell them when this deliverance would begin. However, Christ, and later His apostles, taught that God’s kingdom is not to be built through revolution, but through regeneration. It is to be built by God, through the hearts and souls of His people as they live out His commands. Yes, the kingdom of God is within us, it is in our hearts, but it is also around us as we live according to His commands and advance His dominion. The Pharisees believed in nothing more than a carnal earthly kingdom, today most Christians believe in nothing more than a spiritual heavenly kingdom. Both views limit God’s rule to only half of what is taught in Scripture, which is why I seek to distance myself from both, though not entirely from either.

Today it is common to hear Christians say that Christ’s kingdom is a kingdom in heaven and that the Earth is the devil’s. But according to the Scriptures, Christ came to destroy the works of the devil: this mission was fulfilled, which is why as Christians we have power to break his bands in our own life as well, (Heb. 2:14-15, 1 John 3:8).

He also came to fulfill the prophecy given to David and to sit on His throne as was promised, (2 Sam. 7:12-17, Is. 9:6-7, Ezek. 37:24-27, Acts 2:29-36).

The kingdom was established by and at the time of Christ, for as He himself said His kingdom was eminent and at hand not sometime in the distant future, (Dan 7:13-14 cf Matt. 28:18-20 &Mark 16:19& Luke 24:51 & Acts 1:9, Zech. 9:9-10 cf Matt. 21:2-5, Matt. 3:1-2, 4:17, 12:28, 16:28, Mark 1:15, Luke 10:9-11 etc.)

His rule and dominion is not only over Heaven but also over the Earth, (Ps. 2:8-9, 72:8-11, Dan. 7:13-14, Zech. 9:9-10 cf Mt. 21:2-5, Ps 24:1, Mt. 6:10, 28:18, Phil 2:10-11, Rev. 1:4-6,)

He is ruling from His throne at the right hand of His Father in heaven NOW and thus His kingdom has been established (Mt 28:18, Eph. 1:19-23, Col 1:13, Jude 25, Rev. 3:21,).

Nevertheless, it is not yet complete but will continue to grow until it fills the Earth and is acknowledged by all peoples’ kingdoms and nations, ( Ps 2:8-9, 72:8-11, Is. 9:6-7, Dan. 2:35, 44, Dan 7:13-14, Matt. 13:31-33, Acts 2:34-36).

This is by no means a complete list and doesn’t even begin addressing areas in Scripture where it is taught in principle, however, perhaps it is enough to give you an idea why I hold this position.

Thanks for mentioning and giving the link to Michael Pearls Romans series. As a result our family has decided to listen to it ourselves. We feel it could be a good tool for study and discussion, which might aid us in our current situation and help to achieve and define the goals and desires God has been giving us recently. We actually began listening to this series quite some time ago but never got very far and I don’t remember why. This time, however, we intend to finish what we have begun. We have been receiving the NGJ magazine for several years now and have been greatly blessed by their teaching and ministry, however, although I do believe he has much to share, esp. in regards to the family, there are some issues on which I don not believe he is correct and with which I cannot agree. Also, I don’t mean to be persnickety but no man can teach on the Bible without his perceptions and conclusions being influenced by his background, situation, presuppositions, thoughts or beliefs etc. There is no such thing as being entirely unbiased. We all bring things to the table when we share what we believe and this is not bad it is just reality. This is why we need and are given faith, as only God knows all things perfectly and without any possibility of error.

In the service of my King,
Tyler

Thanks for visiting our blog!
Taci

Randall,
I DO consider carefully what you say. I just don’t reply right away. Thanks!

Taci

Hello you two,

I apologize for doing a poor job maintaining and participating in this discussion! It seems as though every minute of my time has been used up and busy. If I’m not working around the farm, gardens, goats, kids, milking, etc., I am busy working with my brother in our lawn care business that we own and operate to raise capital for our future. I didn’t even know you two had left comments until my Dad told me, since I hadn’t been on our blog to check in probably over a week and a half. I will have to do better in this regard. On top of that when I did get on late last night to write a reply, I found our server to be down for routine maintenance and was unable to access our blog.

Taci,

Thanks for your comments once again! I am honored and humbled by your earnest dedication of both time and effort to seriously weighing these issues, and studying them in the light of the Scripture. I appreciate your willingness to say what you believe to be true, even when you perceive we may disagree; such spirit is worthy of praise. Your parents appear to have done a great job raising a mature, godly woman. What you have said has given me a lot of food for thought as well sparking some great discussion within my own family.

After having read these past two comments, I feel there may have been a misunderstanding between us, due to what I now recognize as laxness in my choice of words in the sentence you mentioned at the start. Until now, I have not seen this, (as I should have), and must offer my apologies to you, Randall and anyone else who has been following this conversation and could have also got a wrong view of my position.

I see why you may have been concerned with what I stated when I said we are to “covenant in a multi-generational vision of rebuilding a Christian agrarian culture.” Let me do a little bit of clarification.

First, what I was trying to say is this: I believe that as Christians we are called to come out and be separate from the world’s culture, 2 Cor. 6:14-18. We need to begin coming together in communities where we can live in close proximity and fellowship with like-minded believers and rebuild a “Christian culture” as defined and governed by the Bible, Matt. 5:13-16, Phil. 2:12-16. We are the Israel of God, the seed of Abraham according to faith, (Gal. 3:7, 29 & 4:28), and as God called Israel to live lives set apart from the pagan customs of the nations around them so it is with us. I believe that as in any area of the Christian faith, this must be multi-generational. It must not stop with the first generation, but must be passed on to their children and their children’s children, Duet. 6:6, 7, Gen. 18:17-19, Prov. 22:6 Eph. 6:4. I believe that a decentralized, local community that retains a close connection with the land God has commanded them to steward is the biblically proper seedbed for accomplishing this commission. That such a lifestyle is what God intended in the first place and thus lends itself best to having a relationship with Him and living a life of obedience to His commands; Gen. 1:26-28 & 2:15 (see also the parables of the kingdom). I am not saying that we must all become farmers. No, that is but one part, we need an entire culture, a complete church. Moreover, it is not to say that going through a period of training in isolation is not a large part of how God prepares us for what is still to come. Perhaps the process of getting there could take a long time, even several generations. However, as I said before, “I also believe that this is a step of preparation toward His greater plan of bringing His children together in unity and close Christian community as He continues to build His kingdom, not only in eternity but also tangibly here on earth.”

Using the word “covenant” as I did appears to have given the wrong impression. My intention was to simply imply a commitment between believers, not some kind of formal “contract” between Christians. Coming as I do from a belief in the covenantal continuity of the Old and New Testaments, (viewing them as one “Covenant” progressively revealed, instead of as separate dispensations), the word covenant didn’t raise any red flag for me, even though I see now I was using it somewhat out of context.

I believe it to be clear in the Bible that as believers we are in covenant together with God, as Randall stated. However, I also agree with you that, (to my knowledge), the Bible does not mandate in any way, (precept principle or pattern), that as God’s children, we are required to make formal covenants with one anther, apart from our mutual covenant with our Father. Thus, although as Christians we are all in the same covenant with our Saviour and Lord, which we commemorate and renew each time we partake of the Lord’s Supper, I don’t see that we are taught to duplicate that same relationship with each other. To give a metaphor that is often used in Scripture: marriage and the family, Hosea 2:19-23, 2 Cor. 11:2, Eph. 5:21-33 Rev. 21:1-7, 9 etc. In the family, there is one overriding covenant, which governs and makes possible the family’s existence, the marriage covenant. This covenant is between the husband and the wife and is what formally binds them as two separate persons into one flesh, (which covenant, by the way, I believe is shown to be under the jurisdiction of the family, not the church). The children, however, are not required to make a formal covenant with their parents or with each other. They are partakers in the covenant made between their parents by right of birth and thus there is no need to make a new covenant with each other as they are bound together as one family, by the relationship of their father and mother, not some agreement or consent devised by or between themselves. From my reading of the Scriptures, God uses the example of the family as a picture of what He has ordained for His church. As the Bride of Christ, we, the church corporate, are in a covenant relationship with Him as our Bridegroom: we have been formally betrothed. However, in our relationship with each other we are called brothers and sisters in Christ. We are not married to one another, we are one family together.

Thus, although I see wisdom in adopting some of the principles of covenant in our relationship as fellow Christians, as an aid in avoiding the humanistic autonomy so rampant in the modern culture, and in fostering the closeness, commitment, and unity so clearly emphasized in the Scripture, I do not see a need or think it wise to duplicate our relationship to God in our relationship to each other. This does not mean that we are, as Randall so aptly put it, “autonomous rocks strewn about the world, going it alone,” for we are the body of Christ, the Temple of the Living God, and the family of God. There is a great need for commitment in the church today. The Bible does not give us the option of simply walking away when we face difficulties or disagreements with our brothers and sisters but commands us to work it out together, face to face, or if that fails within the context of the church. Matt. 5:21-26, Matt. 18:15-17, 1 Cor. 6:1-11. The key issue, I think is that we learn to keep things in their proper context, whether that be covenant, community, fellowship, love or unity etc.

Moreover, as for the issue with Calvin you both have brought up some good points. Even though I agree with Calvin on certain issues they are not issues that originated with him, (that which originates with any of us should also die with us, for it cannot be true unless it is grounded in the Scriptures and finds its origins not in some perceived truth but in THE TRUTH), but are truths that have been taught by faithful Christians from the times of the apostles. Because of this, I believe it is both foolish and unwise to attach a man’s name to any doctrine of Scripture simply because he does a good job explaining it. To do so is to give-in to the temptation to follow a man and let others define what is true for us, as you rightly warned against in your first comment. Calvin was a man coming out of great apostasy, and he carried a lot of baggage in the form of humanistic, papal theology and thus we should be very careful about just accepting all he had to say. However, as Randall correctly points out, there is much we all could stand to learn from Calvin and others like him, and we would indeed be “throwing out the baby with the bathwater” to ignore all that a man has to say simply because he is found to be in error; even grave error.

Also, it is entirely possible for us to forget that Christianity is far more than correct doctrine. Many people throughout history have indeed made the Christian faith into nothing more than a set of moral codes to follow, forgetting that it is also a relationship with our Saviour and His church. It is easy for a person to err on either side of this issue. We must be careful not to create a religion of works nor to embrace a “spiritual” view of Christianity that focuses so much on grace, mercy and love that it loses sight of the very real and physical application of the Law of God in the life of every believer here on earth, Matt. 5:17-20, Matt. 28:18-20, Rom. 7:7-14, 1 Tim. 1:8.

Indeed, I have been to Ruralheritage.com and have really enjoyed reading the material they have, and there is definitely a lot of it. I just recently learned when placing an order through a company I like, called Mishcka Press, that they had bought out Rural Heritage and both companies are now being run by the same family.

I just became aware of your own blog when you first commented on this post and I am quite impressed! It looks as though you and your family have a lot going on at your own farm. I noticed that you have some pictures of goats up on your site. We really enjoy our goats and find ourselves building quite a relationship with them. One of my favorite times of the day is when I go out to do the morning and evening milking. It is so fun to have them talking back at me as though they understand what I am saying. We would like to have a family milk cow sometime, (we think we would probably like a Jersey), but just don’t have enough land to support one, (unless it were a miniature, which is out of our price range). It would be really fun making yogurt and kefir out of milk with a cow’s higher fat content, not to mention drooling over the idea of farm fresh butter.

Best regards,
Tyler

The word ‘trinity’ is not in the new testament either. Surely you don’t deny the Tri-unity of God, do you? Covenanting is clearly taught throughout the Bible, whether the word itself is used or not. Jesus said with regard to the bread and wine: ‘This is the New Covenant in my blood, do this in remembrance of me’. So then, the Lord’s table is a covenant meal; a meal commemorating the Lord’s one sacrifice made for sins forever. We who are believers share TOGETHER in one loaf and one cup.

‘Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it’ 1Cor. 12:27

This is the very nature of the New Covenant. When we covenant with Christ, we covenant with other believers, because all of us together are called ‘the body of Christ’. You can’t have a relationship with Christ without also being in relationship with other believers. So then, even though the word ‘covenant’ is not there, the idea is there; just as the word ‘trinity’ isn’t there, but God IS 3 in 1.

On another subject, John Calvin was a fallible man who tried to follow God and may have erred at times – just like us. I’m fallible as well. Does this mean that NOTHING I say can possibly be true or profitable? Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater, Taci. The church today has much to learn from Calvin. And the church today includes you.

He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. 1 John 2:9-11

I would be very leery of any of Calvin’s doctrines.

Also, I looked up the word covenant (and all its forms) in the concordance and examined each verse in which the word is used in the NT. NOWHERE does the New Testament tell believers to covenant with each other. It doesn’t even hint to it.

One more thing, (off the subject) have you ever been to ruralheritage.com? It has alot of good books and articles on draft animals.

Taci

I’ve been blessed with your remarks here and elsewhere as well. For one so young, you show a remarkable grasp of the Scriptures. Your parents have done a fine job raising you, (as near as I can tell ;-)) but you are to be commended as well for making diligent study and application of all they have taught.

Well done young man. I hope I will have the honor of meeting you and yours someday.

Taci,

I’m relieved we are in general agreement. Thanks for your encouraging thoughts as well.

Yes, it might be a good idea to just do a post on the topic.

Must go now. The cows are calling.

Taci