What Does the Kingdom Look Like? Part 1
If the central message of the gospels is that God in the person of Jesus of Nazereth has come to earth to be King, then what does that Kingdom look like as it develops in our lives and in society?
Mark in his gospel records that Jesus announced that the
time was fulfilled and that the Kingdom of God was now a present reality (Mark
1:15). However, in contrast to that, Matthew’s gospel records Jesus
giving an example prayer in which he prays that God’s Kingdom “would come and
his will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
(see Matthew 6:10) So it seems that even though the Kingdom of God was present
in first century Palestine, Jesus wanted his followers to pray for
it to arrive. Perhaps the Kingdom
proclaimed by Jesus is something
that will grow over time?
One of the parables that Jesus told about the Kingdom speaks
of a small seed growing slowly over time until it becomes a large tree for all
the birds to nest in. (Matthew 13:31-32)
Another parable about the Kingdom talks about leaven which a woman hid in three
measures of four until it was all leavened.
(Matthew 13:33) Could it be that
Jesus inaugurated his rule as King over all the earth with his death and
resurrection, but his reign here will grow deeper and more influential over
time?
The book of Revelation announces a day in which “the kingdom
of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ.” (Revelation
11:15) Theologians disagree over whether
this was fulfilled at the resurrection and ascension of Christ or whether this
is still future. This verse suggests that God's Kingdom will or has taken over the other "kingdoms" of our society and brought them under his leadership.
The scriptures record that wherever Jesus went, he healed
the sick and set people free from spiritual oppression (Acts 10:38). In addition, the gospel writers record that
he forgave people’s sins and through His love people’s lives were transformed. He spoke truth and opened people’s
understanding so they could see life and themselves in reality. So this is what the Kingdom of God looks
like. So we may say that wherever the
Kingdom is present, people’s lives are transformed through forgiveness, healing
and truth brought to them by Jesus, the King.
What is the result of all this? The apostle Paul wrote that the evidence
of the Kingdom of God is justice, peace and joy in people’s lives. (Romans 14:17)
One may ask, “if Christ is now King over the nations and is
reigning over the world, then why do we see so much injustice, war and human pain
and suffering in the nations of the world? If the Kingdom was really here,
wouldn’t we expect to see justice, peace and joy in all the nations of the
earth?
These are great questions.
One answer to these questions is that we have a spiritual enemy,
revealed in scripture as “the adversary”, which is the literal meaning of the
term “satan”. Scripture teaches that he
influences humans through lies and even controls some who have given themselves
over to rebellion against God. Scripture assures us that satan was defeated by Jesus death and
resurrection. Satan has been stripped of
any real power or authority through Jesus’ death at the cross. (Colossians 2:15, Hebrews 2:14) However in spite of satan's defeat, God
allows this being to remain in the earth and to cause pain and suffering
through his lies.
Another reason that we do not see the evidence of the kingdom’s
presence in every city and nation today is that God has given humans free will. We can choose to surrender our lives to Jesus
the King and enjoy the benefits of his kingdom or we can choose to remain
independent and outside his kingdom rule and blessings. That’s not to say that God’s kingdom works
only through believers. Jesus told us
that God sends rain on the just and on the unjust. His goodness and mercy overflows on all
people to some degree even if they have not personally surrendered their lives
to Him. He is a King of mercy and
kindness.
The apostle Paul assures us that Jesus is now presently reigning from
heaven at the right hand of God over the earth.
He tells us that he is in the process of defeating all of his
enemies. The final enemy to be defeated
will be death itself, and this defeat will usher in the resurrection. (1 Cor. 15:25-26) In fact when that event occurs the reign of
Jesus will end in some sense and he will turn the kingdom over to God the
Father. (1 Cor. 15:24)
So while we wait for all enemies to be put under his feet,
our King plants us in our world as emissaries of the Kingdom, carriers of the
good news that Jesus is now King.
God wants our lives as believers to reflect the values of his kingdom - justice, mercy, truth and peace. Healing and forgiveness from sins is the beginning of what the Kingdom
looks like in people’s lives, but what will it look like as Kingdom people take
the Presence and truth of the King into every area of human endeavor?
What does education look like under the rule
of the King? What does the healthcare
industry look like? What does family
life look like? What does business look
like? What does church life look like
when it is truly led by the King and not by human leaders? What does media look like? What does government look like? What do professional sports and entertainment
look like when people involved there are living under the authority of the
King?
These are questions for us to ask the Lord and to walk out
in our lives as followers of Jesus living in a world that he loves and
presently reigns over.
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