"They came to Capernaum.  When he was in the house, he asked them, 'What were you arguing about on the road?'  But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.  Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, 'If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.'  He took a little child and had him stand among them.  Taking him in his arms, he said to them, 'Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.'"  Mark 9:33-37 (NIV)

Jesus went about teaching and "fleshing out" the good news of the kingdom of God.  What is the kingdom of God?  How do we understand and experience the good news of the kingdom of God?  My answer at this point in time is: (1) Seek God's kingdom; (2) Pray that God will open our eyes to his kingdom; (3) Partner with Jesus in his mission; (4) Then, we will discover the kingdom.  Notice the underlined words: Seek, Pray, Partner, Discover!  As disciples of Jesus, we will progressively discover the kingdom of God as we continue the mission of Jesus.  Let me share two stories from The Well to illustrate what I am attempting to communicate.

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First Story -  How would you describe a wounded and hurting person?  What would an individual who is struggling to demolish the strongholds in his/her life look like?  Each of us probably have preconceived ideas.  This past Tuesday evening, such a person showed up at our Bread of Life gathering.  The "package" didn't seem to fit the profile.   What is God doing this time?  Is it possible that God may be using us to help in the healing process of this wounded individual?  What can we do?  At times we don't know what to do; however,  this is what we did this time: we offered acceptance, encouragement, and hope.  "Father, thank you for believing in us and giving us the opportunity to assist in lifting up a wounded bystander."  What did Jesus say to the Twelve?  Jesus said, "Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me." 

Story Two - An unusual request was made this past Tuesday evening as we gathered together for Bread of Life.  A gentleman from the community came up to one of the sisters and asked her, "Could you trim my fingernails?"  How might you respond to such a request?  Why would someone even make such a request?  Couldn't this man cut his own fingernails?  Isn't this going just a bit too far?  Each of us have our own boundaries!  The sister graciously agreed to trim this man's fingernails.  While she was cutting his nails, the man explained to her that he was a stroke victim and that he could only trim his nails on one hand.  There goes my pride!  God just expanded my boundaries!  Would you like to be first in God's kingdom?  Jesus says that if you want to be first, then you must be last - you must learn to be a servant to all!  (Praise God for this sister who was willing to step out into the unknown and be Jesus to this man!) 

Do you want to understand and experinece the kingdom of God?  Then seek and pray for this understanding and experience.  God moves in many mysterious ways and appears in strange and unlikely places.  When we are willing to step out of our comfort zones and partner in mission with Jesus, we will discover the abundant life and the good news of God's kingdom.  Don't settle for anything less!