"A glimpse of what can be"

One of the reasons spiritual immaturity is rampant in the North American church is that we too often present the gospel and discipleship within a consumeristic model: do this and you'll get that. A goal for my preaching and blogging is learning how to explain the gospel as more than simply personal salvation. That's why coming across this essay reminds me why Larry Chouinard is one of my favorite writers on the net these days:

So what can we learn from Scripture about God’s way of addressing the problem of evil and shattering its debilitating effects? In Jesus God’s justice takes on human flesh and counters the permeating effects of evil with a holiness that produces cleansing, a power that assaults the very strongholds of evil, and a Kingdom that provided a vision of an alternative way. Jesus has come to plunder the kingdom of the “strong man” (=Satan) and liberate all those held prisoner by his tyrannical power (Luke 11:21-22; cf. 4:18). The demonized and those crippled by sickness and disease are freed from their bondage and invited to participate in a Kingdom not of this world. His presence exposed institutional corruption (Matthew 21-23), and challenged the Empire with an alternative Kingdom (John 18:36). Jesus provided us a glimpse of the “powers of the coming age” (Hebrews 6:5), as the stormy seas are calmed (Mark 4:35-41), the possessed are restored to their right mind (5:1-20), the marginalized are brought near (5:21-34), and death is overcome by the giver of life (5:35-43). In Jesus we find a power fully capable of reversing the deadly effects of evil and its contamination at all levels of human existence.

Amen. And if this sample hasn't gotten you fired-up about what Larry is saying, I recommend you read the whole article.