Laboring

 "To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless," 1 Corinthians 4:11.

Well. That does not sound all that exciting, does it? Who's talking here? Paul. About whom? About himself and others. And who are they? Followers of Jesus. People in mission for Jesus. They proclaim the kingdom of Christ. They advance the congregation of whom Jesus is Lord. But, Jesus would ease the hunger and thirst of people in this sky kingdom! If we believed in him. That's what we thought. Jesus says, Wait a minute: The sky kingdom breaks upon this world right now, but death still holds sway here. Church laboring. Comes a day, yet ahead, real soon now, when the sky kingdom expresses its full reign, crushing death itself. Church triumphant. So don't confuse this present manifestation of the kingdom with the End. Full satisfaction happens then. Hang on. Faithful to death. Then, crown of life.

So we wait together with a brother or sister for the consummation of the age. And we encourage each other in this world, but not as belonging to this world. No, belonging to the sky kingdom! And we give thanks to God that we be counted worthy of the sufferings of Christ.