Not of this World

 

 

Not of this world?

From whence came such?

Go with me to John chapter 18 verse 36

And you will see as much.

 

Jesus answered,

My kingdom is not of this world:

If my kingdom were of this world,

Then would my servants fight,

That I should not be delivered to the Jews:

But now is my kingdom not from hence.

 

“They are not of the world,”

He said, referring his disciples

And like his disciples, the born again

Are his chosen people.

 

 

 

Not of this world,

But pilgrims on a journey

To a city not made with hands

In the heavenlies.

 

To the new Jerusalem

That John saw coming down,

There’s nowhere on this earth

Where it can be found.

 

“For here,” said the Apostle,

“We have no continuing city,

But we seek one to come.”

Paul continued definitively.

 

For he looked for a city

Meaning Abraham,

Whose builder and maker is God

That originated this plan. 

 

A city with foundations,

Not of rock and stone,

But built on the rock, Christ Jesus,

That is, our heavenly home.

 

The Church is the kingdom

Of Jews and Gentiles,

Both purchased with Jesus’ blood

Which none can defile.

 

Not replacement theology

But the unfolding of a plan

Conceived in eternity by the Trinity

And not by man.

 

For verily was our salvation

Before the foundation of the earth:

To the Jew first and then the Gentile

Delivering both from the curse.

 

 

Not of this earth for either,

Jesus made this clear,

But of the new Jerusalem John saw

On Patmos Isle appear.

 

A kingdom that is spiritual

A kingdom within the born-again,

A kingdom that is eternal

A kingdom where Christ reigns.

 

And so, I reiterate

The reassuring words of Jesus

On which we can boldly stand

And in them place our trust.

 

Jesus answered,

My kingdom is not of this world:

If my kingdom were of this world,

Then would my servants fight,

That I should not be delivered to the Jews:

But now is my kingdom not from hence.

 

 

In the world

But surely not of the world

Yet, being the salt and the light

As we reflect God’s Word.

 

Stewart Russell © January 2, 2025

 

Two Churches Yet One

 

 

 

Only two churches

And these two are one:

The church militant which is now

And those that are gone.

 

The church militant

Is yet here on the earth,

It comprises every born-again believer

Aka of the new birth.

 

Those that are gone on

Are the church triumphant

Who, when they were on earth,

Were the church militant.

 

 

Neither is a dead church;

There is no such church

For the church of the Living Christ

Is a living church.

 

It comprises the born again

Who are infused with new life

That cannot ever be terminated

By this earthly strife.

 

The body will die

But the spirit will live on

As inferred by the Lord Jesus Christ

Regarding them gone.

 

“So that even though one dies

Yet he lives”

Is the assurance of Jesus Christ

That he assuredly gives.

 

Yes, two churches they are

Yet only one:

The saints which are now living

And those already gone.

 

A great crowd of witnesses

And witnesses at present

Summed up in the church triumphant

And the church militant.

 

 

Two churches yet one,

Both witnesses still

And the church militant yet here

Is of the Father’s will.

 

Stewart Russell © April 21, 2025

 

The Kingdom

 

 

The kingdom is coming

Nay, already come,

Actually, my brothers and my sisters

We are in the millennium.

 

This is kingdom building

Being done through the Church;

Read the Word for yourself

Before consulting experts.

 

From in Matthew chapter 4

The kingdom of heaven was at hand,

So, said the King, Jesus,

As he unfolded God’s plan.

 

And throughout the book

From Matthew chapters 4 to 14

He tells about the kingdom

He being the King on the scene.

 

 

If my kingdom were of this world

My servants would fight,

The essence of Jesus’ words

As he showed them their plight.

 

Go to St John 18 verse 36

For Jesus’ exact words,

This should not leave any doubt

Why Pilate was so disturbed.

 

Remember, it was the Jews

That had delivered him up

But Jesus framed it differently

Regarding his bitter cup.

 

They saw a political kingdom

Being under Roman yoke

So, this imposter they called Jesus,

Could never get their vote.

 

He was delivered to the Jews

Thus, to be crucified

And though the Romans killed him

It was at Jewish hands he died.

 

The king had come

And so too did his kingdom

And almost immediately after

Began the millennium.

 

It is not a political kingdom

And it never will be,

Political kingdoms are temporal

His is for eternity.

 

From eternity to eternity

That’s the kingdom of God,

And throughout the millennium

This is to be spread abroad.

 

From Jerusalem through Judea

Obviously first to the Jews,

Jesus' servants had to be scattered

To tell the good news.

 

Don’t be misled by a thousand

It only means a lot,

And even so, compared to eternity,

It is not even a drop.

 

I tell you the kingdom is here,

Jesus said it has come

And there is no other king but he,

God’s incarnate Son.

 

It is not the political kingdom

For which the Jews had yearned

But at present, a spiritual kingdom,

From the Bible we learn.

 

We are heirs to the kingdom

Heirs and joint-heirs

And with Christ we sit in the heavenly

Even while we are here.

 

We wait in earnest anticipation

When the fullness will unfold

For at present, ours is a deposit

Of treasures untold.

 

Stewart Russell © May 6, 2021

It’s Coming!

 

 

What is coming?

A tsunami is coming,

The signs are all around

And it is building.

 

We’ve had earthquakes

In diverse places

The cracks are opening

Myriad traces.

 

It’s the hurricane season

This is true

But something else is coming

That will affect me and you.

 

It will touch our families

And affect our trade,

It will come down on us

Like a police raid.

 

We will be stunned

For ignoring the warnings,

Believe you me

A tsunami is coming. 

 

 

It’s coming I tell you,

It’s the way with the world,

Decreasing commonsense,

We’re becoming absurd.

 

Folly in plain sight

But hidden still

To all them who are blinded

To Almighty God’s will.

 

A put down of Creation

And behaving like gods,

Mocking born again believers

And obstructing the called.

 

Governments succumbing,

Some leading the way

And many are being forced

To go astray…

 

Astray from God

And what His word teaches,

Satan siphoning off their sense

Like blood-sucking leeches.

 

Good exchanged for evil

And evil declared good,

Leaders promoting immorality

Not doing as they should.

 

 

 

A tsunami is coming

Whether or not you believe,

Immorality is on the rise

And morality recedes.

 

Sharks are in the water

And so too are killer whales,

This tsunami forecast

Is not likely to fail.

 

It has already inundated

Many a land

And Satan and his minions

Are operating to plan.

 

Signs of the last days?

Not one of us knows

But know this most assuredly

There will be lots of woes.

 

Minority groups will grow

At an alarming rate

And will be by legislation

Passed for their sake.

 

Countries will be sanctioned

Unless they agree

To join the ranks of those

Pushing immorality.

 

The natural will give way

To the unnatural of course

And birthrates will decrease

As though hit by a curse.

 

Two of the same

Will take another’s child

Unable to produce their own

Having become defiled.

 

 

 

A tsunami is coming

Unlike any we have known

And it is forecast to affect

Every political zone.

 

Our children will suffer

As it floods our classrooms

And churches will seem helpless

As immorality booms.

 

Family will be different

From Creation’s template,

Two of the same will be parents

As the law will dictate.

 

Pedophilia may rise

As children have more say

And mutilation of their bodies

May become the way.

 

They will get to say

What they feel to become

Concerning gender assignment

Be it daughter or son.

 

And if perchance, undecided

Regarding daughter or son

They can become gender neutral

And choose none.

 

It’s a pretty dim picture

This tsunami paints

As it complements these genders

With queers especially quaint.

 

A tsunami is coming

And it is imminent, not far

When life and living as we know it

Will be considerably marred.

 

Then it will be an offence

To call a boy a boy,

A girl may be something else

As she redeploys.

 

Become well acquainted

Or fall into the trap

That is labeled misappropriation

Where non-fact is fact.

 

It’s coming

And it is almost here,

A tsunami, I am telling you

And we need to fear.

 

Hopefully we will stand

On Christ the solid Rock

For all the walls of human effort

Will be meaningless props.

 

Stewart Russell © July 30, 2023

 

Consistently Inconsistent

 

 

 

The only constant is God

According to what most tell me

And if I were entirely honest,

I would have to agree.

 

Again, we may also agree,

That another is within range,

This being what we often hear-

The only constant is change.

 

So, God is definitely one

And change surely is another,

There is a third I must mention

And this one is a bother.

 

Consistently inconsistent

The title of this poem,

Day in and day out you’d know

Inconsistency is a problem.

 

There’s scarcely an occupation

In which this is not large

And not only from the workers,

But also from those in charge.

 

It is across the public service

In the church and Parliament

And it has become so pervasive,

It reeks of deliberate intent.

 

Ad hoc behavior I call it,

Always contrary to the plan

And it does not pertain to animals

But is a specialty of man.

 

It is nothing to be proud of

For it betrays a person’s trust,

And the frequent disappointments

Can cause a lot of fuss.

 

Consistently inconsistent

That’s what I am talking ‘bout,

That inconsistency is a constant,

Is to me without doubt.

 

Garbage collection in Barbados

Workers at their various jobs,

When they stick to an agreement

It comes over as being odd.

 

Doctors will give you a time

To turn up for an appointment

But so too have been several others

For that same instant.

 

“What’s your appointment time?”

“My appointment time is nine.”

“How can that be, my friend,

When that is the same as mine?”

 

It’s difficult to properly plan

Given these inconsistencies

And the frustration that occurs

Is all too frequently.

 

Consistently inconsistent!

Inconsistency is a constant,

Maybe not like God and change

But almost as frequent.

 

Stewart Russell © August 8, 2023

 

Are We for Real?

 

From where I sit

I do a lot of thinking,

Sometimes not very constructive

But I think we are sinking.

 

Sinking in so many ways

I am amazed

But hoping, hopefully not hopelessly

It is a passing phase.

 

Tremendous reform

Albeit in talking and planning,

Meanwhile, as far as I can see,

Little positive happening.

 

Constitution reform

And social reform,

Add to the mix education reform

And public service reform.

 

Meanwhile what has been built

Is now left to lag

And as usual, only a few

Have so-called reason to brag.

 

Partisan blindness

And mounting narcolepsy

Driven by myriad promises

And abject apathy.

 

A false sense of wellbeing

Amidst the swelling strife

Particularly among the “better off”

In their so-called better life.

 

How long I ask, how long,

Before reform takes some shape?

How much more, I ask,

Can the most vulnerable take?

 

 

Living on promises

Like a car running on fumes,

Petrol long gone from the tank

And no wriggle room.

 

Looking forward to a harvest

With the hope of trickle down

While living in a fairy tale world

Managed by clowns.

 

All schools being equal

Except for the student intake,

Some making it to paradise

Others, just to the gate.

 

Yes, all schools are equal

But some more equal than others

And the equal ones at the bottom

Causing us a bother.

 

If the schools are equal

School children where they live,

Goodness gracious, even I can see this

And my brain is a sieve.

 

A lousy attempt at zoning

And persisting with the same,

Daring to expect a different result-

Tell me, isn’t this insane?

 

 

Pecking order established

From a long time ago

And whose children will go where?

Both you and I know.

 

It bothers me a whole lot

Re our student disbursement

In which some schools are stifled

And others given entitlement.

 

And the measuring rod used

Is a single assessment

Of English and Mathematics

With questionable intent.

 

With similar courses of study

Each school must be competitive

And irrespective of student intake

Must use their initiative.

 

Top order or bottom order

It makes no difference,

They must do competitively well

At the Ministry’s insistence.

 

Those who have it

And those who clearly lack it

Must produce simultaneously

Though some ill equipped.

 

The comparisons are rife

From school to school

But to expect good results from all

Is the folly of a fool.

 

Are we for real

Expecting blood from a stone

And putting plasters on crises

That are full-blown?

 

Are we for real

Regarding the crime scene

Tapping ourselves on the shoulders

Re what should have been?

 

Because what is current

Is not the promise made

And given all the talking and planning

We have blatantly failed.

 

Tackling the problem

At the point of the outcome

But seemingly afraid to touch those

That bring in the guns.

 

Similarly with drugs;

It’s the youngster with the spliff

But drug barons and importers

Hiding in our midst.

 

Anonymous?  I doubt it

But apparently so,

But then again, if you ask me,

Who am I to know?

 

Constitution reform

Promised since Election 2022,

Haven’t been hearing much on this

Have you?

 

Are we for real

Thinking everybody is blind

And cannot see the short change

And that we’re in a bind?

 

Answer me this question

Re the most vulnerable,

Are they in any better a position

Or in more trouble?

 

Come focus with me

On the increasing poverty

Not on the international façade

That is our country.

 

From outside we are a house

Appearing freshly painted

But its occupants with hardships

Are daily acquainted.

 

Are we for real

Believing that plaster is a cure

When after many years of negligence

Maintenance was ignored.

 

It’s like in with the new

And out with the old

But the new is not quite ready

Is the story we are told.

 

So that while we await reform

What we have is dying

And the leadership pontificates

On how hard they are trying.

 

It’s like building a bridge

To be suspended in midair

With absolutely nothing to support it

But this, obviously not clear.

 

 

And the church in all this

Speaks of an apathy

That says Jesus will soon return

Hence, no need to worry.

 

Are we for real

Or is it nothing to you

Dear leaders of our fair land

What the poor are going through?

 

 

 

The T20 World Cup has come

And it is almost gone,

Come Saturday, God willing

It will be game on.

 

In just a few hours

The final will have ended,

A relative few will have benefitted

But most will be offended.

 

A few will be singing

While counting their profits

But the poor and most vulnerable

Will struggle as of habit.

 

We are in this together

Often says the PM

But her challenges are nothing

Like poor people problem.

 

Whence the next meal

The children to send school

And this is not the exception;

This is the rule.

 

Whose children are failing?

Mainly poor people’s,

The wealthy and the better off

Are not so troubled.

 

 

Are we for real?

My question to the elected,

Will you continue towards the future

The present being neglected?

 

Is it nothing to you

All you that pass by

Seemingly unaware and uncaring

When the vulnerable sigh?

Yes, you kings and queens

How about the pawns?

Will the pawns be any better off

After World Cup is gone?

 

After World Cup is Gone

Life will go on

But many will still face the night

Hoping for a dawn.

 

A dawn that is elusive

A dawn repeatedly promised,

A dawn natural to a select few

But to most a myth.

 

Stewart Russell © June 27, 2024