Scripture says that in the day of Jesus' reign, His "people will volunteer freely in the day of (His) power" (Psalm 110:3). The Psalmist foretold of a day when the Messiah would exalted by the Father, ascended to the throne in heaven, reigning. On that day, Jesus wouldn't need to force His people to do work like an evil master forces slaves to work. He wouldn't "lord" over His people the way the first century rulers of the Gentiles lorded over their people.
No. It would be different. Jesus' people would VOLUNTEER to do the work of the Kingdom. They would volunteer FREELY! And there would be many of them. They would be born to Him from the womb of the dawn and in numbers like the dew. It is a magnificent and holy thing to witness! And it is the people of God, the church, at work doing what they were made to do!
You were saved and made new for this very purpose, to glorify God and to enjoy Him while doing it (Eph 2:10; Matt. 5:16; 1 Pet. 2:12)!
In Psalm 110, the picture is one of a military leader overtaking the world. That is why when Jesus came, the people saw He was the Messiah and thought He was going to overthrow the world leaders forcibly, physically and rule the physical world the way other kings do. They were ready to volunteer to be a military.
But Jesus explained that His Kingdom is different. The war is still real. The overthrow of enemy powers is still real. Psalm 110:1-2 must still happen: The LORD says to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make all your enemies a footstool for your feet." The LORD will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying "Rule in the midst of your enemies."
That is why Ephesians tells us the church is seated in the heavenly places connected to the head, Christ Jesus, over the prince of the power of the air and all that is on earth because we have been raised with Him to reign. That is why it also tells us we are saved (created in Christ Jesus aka the dew of His youth from the womb of the dawn) to do God's good works which were prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. And what are these works? In one sense they are military attacks, they are enemy crushing attacks (crushing enemies under the feet [the church members]). In another sense, they will not look like military attacks to those around us at all. Instead, they will look like acts of faith where we endure attacks and instead bear spiritual fruit (Eph. 6:10-18).
These enemy crushing actions look like husbands loving and leading their wives like Christ and wives submitting to and following their husbands like the church (Eph 5:23-33). That crushes the enemy. Anyone who distorts that or calls you to anything less in the name of Christ is at war with God.
It looks like parents not provoking their children to make them angry, but raising them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord and the children obeying their parents with the hope of a long life God has promised (Eph. 6:1-4). This pleases the Lord and crushes the enemies of God. Anyone who calls you to anything less in the name of Christ is at war with God.
It looks like slaves (or workers) being obedient to their masters with fear and trembling in the sincerity of the heart, as to Christ; not as to eye service, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. With good will rendering service, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that whatever good things each one does , this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free (or worker). And for the master (or manager/supervisor/team leader/business owner/captain/etc) do the same things to those in your charge, and give up threatening them, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him (Eph. 6:5-9). This pleases the Lord and crushes the enemies of God. Anyone who calls you to anything less in the name of Christ is at war with God and you should understand this because you too were once in the same position (Eph. 2:1-3), but you were graciously saved by grace, weren't you (Eph. 2:4-8)! And it wasn't something you can really brag about because you didn't earn it, God gave it to you by grace (Eph 2:9).
So we conquer those that war against God by loving them even when they war against us.
We bear our cross by giving up our hopes, aspirations, dreams, wants, desires, and anything that comes from anywhere other than following Christ wherever He might lead. We instead choose to follow Him knowing the path is paved with false judgments, false teaching, and slander. It may include death (Matt. 16:21-28).
It's a hard thing to do, an impossible thing to do, to abandon hope in the world and the life you wanted to build to instead embrace a life of following King Jesus into the war of submission and obedience. Only a miracle of regeneration (new birth) could bring about such a life! Fortunately, that is exactly what we have! We were dead in our trespasses (Eph. 2:1). But now we are raised to new life (Eph. 2:4-5). We not only resurrected by new birth, but in a spiritual sense are ascended to the throne with Christ (Eph. 2:6)! Our bodies are not resurrected. Our body is not ascended. We are in the now and not yet, but we are more than equipped to do what is impossible, so #wedohardthings by the #graceofGod. And we do it VOLUNTARILY!
We do #missions
We #churchplant
We #washdishes
We #changediapers
We #startbusiness
We #loveourwives
We #respecthusbands
We #honorparents
We #raiseourchildren
#WeAreTheChurch
#wearethehopeonearth
#WeglorifyGod
#WeAreTheBodyofChrist