How wonderful it is to be a part of the Kingdom of God! Kingdom, meaning the KING’s DOMain. The area or territory where the rule of God is supreme.
Jesus said, “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” (Matthew 11: 12)
Up until the time of John the Baptist, the only way one could approach God was through the Old Testament laws and sacrifices. The people were burdened by these and though they religiously followed these laws and performed the prescribed sacrifices, their hearts were far from God. John the Baptist came ministering in the power of the Holy Spirit, calling people to repentance and faith in the coming Messiah. Suddenly, people who were indifferent to God, began flocking to the wilderness to be baptized by John. They confessed their sins and put their faith in the coming Messiah. Just as a conquering soldier, when a city is captured, would rush in and take for himself the spoils of war, the people were rushing in to grasp this Kingdom and everything that came along with it--reconciliation with God, peace beyond comprehension and unspeakable joy. The Kingdom of God was forcefully advancing.
We enter the Kingdom when we surrender to the Lordship of our King Jesus. The dynamics of this Kingdom is such that not only do you gain entry into this Kingdom but this Kingdom comes inside you. Luke 17: 20, 21 - 20 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come,
He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”
Now that we are citizens of the Kingdom, how do we live out the Kingdom lifestyle.
Here are a few pointers:
We assert our Kingdom influence wherever we go. The greater kingdom will always exert its influence on the lesser one. As Jesus put it: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (Mat 5:16). We should shine. That is our privilege and responsibility.
We imbibe Kingdom culture and DNA. The Word of God says that the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14:17). This is the intrinsic nature of the Kingdom and should be ours too. No matter how harsh the circumstances are surrounding us, our response should always be righteousness, peace and joy. The Kingdom culture is far removed from the world culture. We must …”be transformed by the renewing of our minds” (Rom 12: 2)
We serve empowered by the Holy Spirit. The Kingdom mandate is that we “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” (Mat 28: 19). Yet Jesus clearly told His disciples, “...but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”(Luke 24: 49) It is of prime importance that all we do in service is birthed of the Holy Spirit and not of the flesh. Jesus showed us how. He said, “I do nothing of myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things…” (John 8: 28). Also, “...the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” (John 5: 19) Jesus walked in total submission to the Father and the Holy Spirit and so should we. We need to be intentional about our intimacy with the Holy Spirit because this is where ministry is birthed.
The Kingdom of God is a powerful entity, but often times we relegate it to being a concept or an idea. This Kingdom is real--more real than any of the nations of this world. We have the greatest privilege of being part of this Kingdom. Let's live out this Kingdom reality in all its power and glory.
Isaiah 60: 1-3
Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the Lord will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you.
The Gentiles shall come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising.
Shine bright!
Marshall Samuel
About the Author
Marshall is a lover of Jesus and a student of His word. His passion is to be a father in the body of Christ, to see himself and others grow into Christ-likeness.
Husband to Subhashini, and father to Akil and Ashrita, Marshall teaches at a Bible School in Bangalore where he currently makes his home.