Robby Gallaty - Here and Now: Thriving in the Kingdom of Heaven Today

The kingdom of heaven is one of the most talked about concepts of Jesus ministry, and at the same time, the most misunderstood. Robby helps the reader understand Jesus focus on the here and now and not just the there and then of the kingdom. After reading this book, you will be motivated to live on mission to make disciples of all nations.

Ed Stetzer , Billy Graham Distinguished Chair Wheaton College

Its hard to keep Jesus command to seek first the kingdom of God when so many Christians seem not to have a clue what the kingdom is. Robby Gallaty is one of the nations most dynamic and revered pastors. In this book, he conducts an accessible investigation into the kingdom, and our lives in it. You may not agree with every single one of his conclusions, but, whether you do or not, the questions provoked will help you to pray, and to live, the way Jesus taught us to do.

Russell Moore , president, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention and bestselling author of Onward and The Storm-Tossed Family

Robby helps us move from an incomplete, two-chapter gospel (fall, redemption) to the full four-chapter gospel of the kingdom: creation, fall, redemption, restoration. He helps us understand that our lives and world come from the kingdom and are headed toward the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven . In other words, those of us who claim to be Jesus-followers are to live here and now as viral kingdom agents. Robbys combination of scholarly reflection and profound insight is nothing less than inspiring!

Reggie McNeal , author of Kingdom Come and Kingdom Collaborators

It is rare when a respected friend writes something you like so much that you think, I could have written that! The famous theologian Karl Barth commented on the first chapter of Dietrich Bonhoeffers classic book, The Cost of Discipleship . He said that it was so good that he wouldnt attempt to edit it, he would just copy it word for word. That is the way I feel about Robbys introduction and comments on the need for a more robust gospel that includes discipleship as natural part of what it means to be saved. Gallatys work is getting deeper and deeper.

Bill Hull , author of The Disciple Making Pastor, Conversion and Discipleship , The Christian Leader , and The Discipleship Gospel , and cofounder of the Bonhoeffer Project

I applaud Gallaty for seeking to ground his view of the kingdom in a historically informed, critically aware reading of Scripture. The result is a message that is neither shallow nor dry, directed toward the serious Bible reader but not written in overly technical language. Gallaty challenges nonscholars but doesnt overwhelm them. More importantly, Gallaty writes as a pastor who is conversant with the top scholarship in this area but who is also in tune with the thought of his congregation. I heartily recommend this book.

Robert B. Stewart , professor of Philosophy and Theology, Greer-Heard Chair of Faith and Culture, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

This book is the marriage of Robbys commitment to discipleship and his passion for the kingdom of our King. The result is an insightful and challenging read about life for the believer in the here and the now.

Eric Geiger , senior pastor, Mariners Church

Copyright 2019 by Robby Gallaty

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States

978-1-4627-5786-2

Published by B&H Publishing Group

Nashville, Tennessee

Dewey Decimal Classification: 248.84

Subject Heading: CHRISTIAN LIFE \ HAPPINESS \ HEAVEN

Cover design by Jared Callais.

Author photo Joanna McVey.

Any italics found in Scripture references has been placed there by author for emphasis.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible and CSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Also used: New International Version, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Also used: The King James Version ( kjv ), public domain.

Also used English Standard Version ( esv ). ESV Text Edition: 2016. Copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers

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To Bryant and Anne Wright

You have exemplified the principles in this book over the years Kandi and I have known you. Your passion for Christ is contagious and evident to everyone who knows you. Im eternally grateful for your investment in my life.

Acknowledgments

A s with any writing project, the contents inside are the result of years of research and study. I first began thinking about the kingdom of heaven as a present reality after listening to Dwight Pryor speak about it in his Kingdom Unveiled DVD series. Since then, Ive listened to literally every teaching his ministry has made available at jcstudies.org.

Others who have impacted my understanding of this concept are Arnold Fruchtenbaum, D. T. Lancaster, Ray Vander Laan, Lois Tverberg, Marvin Wilson, James Whitman, and Boaz Michael. The insights I gleaned over the years shaped the development and direction of this work.

Scot McKnight, Reggie McNeal, Ryan Lambert, and Bill Hull helped me think pastorally about how we live in the kingdom of heaven today. Each of their books offered practical steps we can take to not only to live but thrive in it.

I also want to thank Hamilton Barber, Chris Swain, Taylor Combs, Chuck Quarles, Russell Moore, and Devin Maddox for critical feedback to strengthen the work. This book would not be what it is without your assistance.

As with every book Ive written, I could not have completed it without the help of my wife, Kandi. She is my greatest sounding board for ideas, illustrations, and insights to strengthen the arguments this book presents.

Preface

A s with any book that encourages the reader to rethink a familiar concept, its important to establish the purpose of this work. The kingdom of heaven has been a concept discussed, debated, and preached on since the conception of the nation of Israel. Instead of trying to interpret what the concept means today, we must uncover what it meant to the ancient audience to which it was spoken.

My passion for many years has been to place Jesus back into the context in which He lived. Unlike the popular opinion of some today, Hes not a blonde haired, blue-eyed American pastor. He was a dark-skinned, middle-eastern Rabbi. As a result, many implications can arise from our misunderstanding of Jesus and His ministry, one of which is our view of the kingdom of heaven.

Throughout this work, I will attempt to change your perspective from a futuristic mind-set of the kingdom only to a present reality of Gods power today. The kingdom has two aspects working simultaneously: already/not yet. While Jesus inaugurated the kingdom of heaven with His first coming, we will not realize the fullness of the kingdom until His second coming. My goal with this work is to swing the pendulum back from an under-realized eschatology, only future, to a more balanced understanding of the both/and nature of the eastern culture. Even though we will not experience every aspect of the kingdom until Jesus returns, we are invited to enter into and experience, in part, the kingdom here and now.

Join me as we embark on a journey to join God in the work H e is already engaged in today!

Introduction

Thoughts of Heaven

I magine me, a six-foot-six, two hundred-and-eighty-five-pound twenty-six-year-old sitting in a practice room with my music teacher, preparing I Can Only Imagine for an upcoming music recital. See, Id taken the hint. Weeks of people in my church secretively turning their heads to locate whoever it was making that awful racket during worship.