Why we neglect these “non-soul” aspects of God’s kingdom

As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.…And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward. (Matthew 10:7-8, 42)

When Jesus called his disciples to “proclaim” that his kingdom had come, he instructed them to “heal,” “cleanse,” and “give.” Not just evangelize and “save souls.”

Because of that, I’m confident that Scott Harrison and his team at charity: water are doing “kingdom work” by giving clean water to millions of the world’s poorest image-bearers. 

But some Christians disagree. For example, a wealthy Christian we’ll call Bill once told Scott: “We're not going to give to charity: water because you're not a Christian organization. If those people don't know Jesus, they're going to burn in hell anyway. You need to be giving the gospel along with clean water.”

Bill’s response may sound harsh, but it’s actually quite rational if the Great Commission is the singular mission of the Christian life as so many church leaders are suggesting today. This pervasive message leads people like Bill to believe that the only work that’s truly “kingdom work” is the work of “winning souls” and gaining new citizens of God’s kingdom.

But Scripture makes clear that God’s kingdom contains more than just the Sovereign and his subjects. The kingdom is also marked by: 

• beauty (see Isaiah 35; Revelation 21:9–21)
• justice (see Isaiah 30:18; 61:8)
• order (see 1 Corinthians 14:33)
• abundance (see Isaiah 25:6–9; 49:10; 65:22; Joel 3:18)
• cultural excellence (see Isaiah 60; Revelation 21:26)
• a sense of belonging (see Psalm 68:6) 
• a sustainable earth (see Isaiah 51:3; Revelation 11:15–18)

That’s a partial list of what God longs for us to experience with him for eternity. But when we treat the Great Commission as the only commission, we make it easy to ignore these “non-soul” aspects of the kingdom. 

The implication is that building an abundance of clean water doesn’t matter. Cultivating beauty as an artist or hairdresser doesn’t matter. Creating order or a sense of belonging on your team doesn’t matter. Unless, of course, those things are currently in vogue and can be leveraged to the instrumental end of “sharing the gospel.”

This misguided thinking leads to the fair accusation that Christians are “so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good.” But as New Testament scholar N.T. Wright aptly points out, “It is when the church . . . acts with decisive power in the real world—to build and run a successful school, or medical clinic, or a credit union for those ashamed to go into a bank. . . that people will take the message of Jesus seriously.”

Amen. To that end, cultivate the kingdom values listed above in your work today. And watch how God uses your “kingdom work” to make others long to meet our King!