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Living Better/Flourishing

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Living Better/Flourishing

By Brent Davis

The goal of Christian ministry is the glory of God through the promotion of human flourishing in the Kingdom of God. In other words, God is glorified as His Kingdom is shown to be the best place for humans to flourish.

S L Christian Ministry scaled
Happy young Asian woman traveler with backpack walking in forest. Hiker Asian woman with backpack walking on path in summer forest. Adventure backpacker travel people concept.

Why do we see so little flourishing today?

How does Christian ministry promote flourishing?

Our present, sad predicament is rooted in wrong choices. Wrong choices lead to damaged systems. In particular, we are subject to a damaged physical system, a damaged social system, and a damaged spiritual system. The scripture describes these in Genesis 3 focusing on the damaged spiritual system, the damaged relational system, and lastly the damaged physical system:

“Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree
    whose fruit I commanded you not to eat,
the ground is cursed because of you.
    All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.
18 It will grow thorns and thistles for you,
    though you will eat of its grains.
19 By the sweat of your brow
    will you have food to eat
until you return to the ground
    from which you were made.
For you were made from dust,
    and to dust you will return.”

The damaged physical system provides for our physical needs with difficulty, and eventually we die.

“I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy,
    and in pain you will give birth.
And you will desire to control your husband,
    but he will rule over you.[c]”

Our relationships are literally birthed in pain and continue in conflict.

And I will cause hostility between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring and her offspring.
He will strike[b] your head,
    and you will strike his heel.”

We face a constant spiritual struggle with the Devil and due to our ancestors’ choice are born into the kingdom of darkness (Colossians 1: 13), but we see the promise of eventual victory, the possibility of becoming citizens of a new kingdom.

Christian ministry preaches the gospel of the kingdom (Matthew 4: 23). In the kingdom of God, we reverse (now partially and in future completely) the effects of our ancestors’ sin.