NYC Eurasia

Ephesians 2:18-20
“For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.”

Being a Foreigner

For the past five months I have been living as a foreigner in the Ukraine. I have observed cultural customs, learned new ways of doing things, and have been studying a new language. This past week I found myself in a world within a world; where people from different countries, cultures, and languages came together under one God. It was a common ground. Everyone was a foreigner and no one was. August 2nd through August 7th marked the dates of the Eurasia Regional NYC. The Eurasia Region consists of a numerous countries from six different fields, including “Commonwealth of Independent States”,” East Mediterranean”, “Northern Europe”, “South Asia”, “South East Europe”, and the “West Mediterranean”.

The Kingdom of God

What is the kingdom of God like? This past week, I and about 300 others from Eurasia and the U.S. were challenged with this question. We explored several parables and scripture verses to discover the answer. The Kingdom of God is often thought of something in the future, when the king returns and we are all living in heaven together. However, when we take a closer look we see that the Kingdom of God, God’s reign, began at creation when he established the world. It exists today where God is transforming lives. God’s Kingdom is where He reigns in the hearts of men. Some day Jesus will return and His Kingdom will be united in heaven where we will live under His reign forever.

Romans 14:17-19 “For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude you will please God and others will approve of you, too. So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.”

Skits, videos, and speakers illustrated what it means to be part of this Kingdom. We were challenged to take our light and spread it in the darkness that plagues our world. Throughout the week many illustrations of the Kingdom of Heaven were shared, but I think the most beautiful was the reality of the world we were living in for that one week. A prayer in Hungarian, a song sung in Armenian, sermons preached in English, worship lead in Russian, Bible passages read in Arabic. On a brisk walk through campus one could hear people speaking in Dutch, German, or Ukrainian. We were the Kingdom of God… A plethora of colors, cultures, and tongues but only one body, one mission, under the authority of one King. It was a beautiful portrait of what is yet to come in heaven and a challenge to live and work for the Kingdom today.