There is a major difference between a revolution and a kingdom. Revolutions come and go every few decades. Kingdoms often last for centuries. Every generation seems to have its own revolution of sorts, but when was the last time a generation established an entirely new kingdom?

It takes a lot of gumption to turn a revolution into a kingdom.

There's a lot of talk about "revolution" these days, especially in regards to how the church should be making an impact on its surrounding culture. The 1960s and 1970s had its own religious revolution with the Jesus Movement. More recently, social justice advocates, including the rock star Bono, have called for a revolution to "make poverty history".

Ernesto "Che" Guevara, courtesy of Wikipedia.com. Che helped lead the Communist Revolution in Cuba and in several other countries in the mid-20th century.

It's fun to talk about revolutions and movements. It's trendy, even. As the Beatles once sang, "You say you want a revolution? Well, we all want to change the world..." Moreover, there's nothing particularly wrong (or right) with a revolution. It's an important catalyst to change, but few people ever talk about what happens after the revolution is over.

Take the story of Che Guevara, for instance (pictured to the right, courtesy of Wikipedia.com). Che is a 20th century symbol of political revolution. You've probably seen his face on a T-shirt in a mall somewhere. Early in his life, Ernesto "Che" Guevara was a doctor, and a man of incredible compassion. During his travels throughout Latin America, he was so moved by the endemic poverty that he joined up with Castro and was a major player in the Cuban revolution. Unfortunately, his compassion and drive was twisted into ruthless violence.

Revolutions are exciting, but often short-lived. Without the right end-game, they can definitely turn into something ugly. Here's the rub: Jesus didn't come to start a revolution without establishing a kingdom.

According to our friends at Wikipedia, a revolution is a "fundamental change in power." According to that definition, Christ's campaign to set humanity free from slavery to sin, to break social mores, and to forever alter the course of history definitely fits under the category of "revolution." Jesus was, indeed, a revolutionary.

But his mission didn't stop with a revolution. He established a kingdom. Scripture tells us that in the spiritual realm, this revolution was a violent upheaval in which Jesus disarmed the existing rulers and authorities. He even made a "public spectacle" of them, triumphing over his enemies in the most peculiar of weapons - the Cross (Col. 2:15).

In the Cross, we find the essence of this new kingdom, which we are told is both here and yet to come - Christ allows his body to be broken, so that it can be re-made through his followers. The peculiar revolution is replaced with an even more peculiar kingdom - a rag-tag group of sinners, tax collectors, hookers, and even some religious folks who dare to call themselves the "Body of Christ."

The point is that the world has seen its fair share of revolutions, and even a few that led to kingdoms, but the world has never seen a movement like the one led by the revolutionary Jesus, nor has it established a kingdom like the kingdom of God. Before we Christians launch another movement or revolution (which we love doing), we ought to consider joining a 2000 year-old mission.

Will we join this mission to proclaim good news to the poor, liberty to the oppressed, sight to the blind, and the year of the Lord's favor (Luke 4:18-19)? And will we join Jesus in establishing his kingdom, in which the least will be the greatest, and the first the last?

It's a tall order, but who wants to be a part of just another revolution?