When I think of the word “Kingdom” outside of any spiritual context, I imagine great majesty and riches. I see a king dressed in fancy clothes that in my context would be considered a costume. I think of rolling green hills and towering castles. I think of ladies wearing fancy jewelry and carrying parasols.
A kingdom requires a few things…
1. Royal ruler. In our case, I guess we could just say king, but I suppose a queen could have a kingdom, too.
2. Land/territory. A kingdom consists of space. It may be a city, it may be a country – but a kingdom is generally measured in space.
3. People. A king wouldn’t be much of a king if he was the only person in his kingdom. These people may consist of servants or slaves, members of the King’s court, members of his military, or ordinary citizens.
The Kingdom of God is not so different.
Jesus talked a lot about the Kingdom. He often referred to it as the Kingdom of Heaven. He told the disciples to “proclaim that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matt 10:7). It’s important for us to have an understanding of what the Kingdom of Heaven is, if we are to proclaim it.
I don’t want to get so caught up in technical definitions that we miss out on what it means to live in the Kingdom. My goal isn’t to write an expansive article on what the Kingdom of God is, my goal is to help us determine how we can participate in the advancement and expansion of the Kingdom.
The Kingdom of God is His rule, His lordship, His domain.
In that Kingdom, there is a royal ruler (God himself), there is territory (the earth itself), and there are people (those of us who have made our exit from the kingdom of darkness and submitted ourselves to the kingdom of light).
Wherever His people claim to be living in His Kingdom, in that very place should exist the rule of Christ. His Word is the final word. His commands are to be obeyed fully. His lordship is fully recognized.
I hope that this series of posts on the Kingdom will keep us conscious of the King and His Kingdom. I may not give you information that is new, but I hope to remind you of some things you’ve already learned and help us connect some pieces of life under His complete authority and complete provision.