Capitalism – Kingdom Series

The system of the Kingdom is an entirely different system than any you find in the world. It’s an upside-down Kingdom, where the least are the greatest, and the servanthood matters more than your position. The Kingdom of God does not operate based on power or money, it operates on love.

Transcription

Look, I am not an expert on the subject, so whether I think capitalism is the closest thing to the Kingdom or not, for me, is irrelevant. What I do see in the Kingdom is a system that doesn’t look like the world.

I find it fascinating that the people of Israel, they wanted a King like the world. God says to them, “I’m your King”, and when Samuel is trying to accuse Saul, all the people of Israel say, “No, no, we want a King like the world.” And it seems to me that capitalism looks like a worldly system that doesn’t reflect the Kingdom.

When I think about the Kingdom in terms of some of the expressions from the bible, I think about a Kingdom that’s not trying to provide. I think about a Kingdom that’s not trying to earn riches. I think about a Kingdom that’s not trying to work hard to get anything, because the bible says that all wealth, all glory, all riches, are already His. Which means that when I come into the Kingdom, I’m not trying to earn a living. I’m not trying to work for something. I’m not trying to work for my house. I’m not trying to work for anything, because it’s already being provided for me in the gracious, kind work of Jesus on the cross.

Everything that the bible says I need for life in godliness (which includes a job, which includes a house, which includes all of that) has been given to me. And I wonder if we have used capitalism as a cover for greed. I think we probably need a more compassionate view of capitalism. In other words, when you see capitalism through the lens of the Kingdom, what you see are systems that can be harnessed for the sake of the broken, for the hurting, for the poor.

What you see is a lack of competition, because you know God is your provider. What you see is that power is not something to be grasped at, because Jesus never grasped at equality or power with God; you see Him humbling Himself. You see Him becoming His servant. When you see the Kingdom of God and you apply that to capitalism, you realize that it’s not your powerful position that counts; it’s your posture of servanthood that counts.

I think we have to adjust our lens, just a little bit, around how we see capitalism in the Kingdom. Because I feel like we’ve made capitalism the Goal and the God of our provision, when actually God is. It means that I don’t have to buy into the systems of this world; I buy into a Kingdom-system. It doesn’t mean that working for something is irrelevant; the bible says that work is good and Godly. It doesn’t mean that enjoying favour and prosperity is bad. It just means it’s adjusted. It’s seeing through the lens of Jesus. It’s seeing through the lens of how He lived. It’s seeing through the lens of working to release good news to the poor. It’s seeing through the lens of not being power-hungry, but being servant-hearted.

One of the greatest things about the Kingdom of God is that you always see that the way Jesus deals with authority and power is through love. And when you see love as the primary vehicle for why you earn money, for why you get to be prosperous, you suddenly stop making it about yourself, and you suddenly rest in the goodness of God and allow Him to provide for you. When you live like that, it becomes an adventure, because you get to be a conduit of blessings for those around you.

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