For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 28:30-31)
I’m a fan of science fiction. As a child I became fascinated with it and have never lost the thrill of a good science fiction story. Almost all science fiction is appealing, but I especially like stories related to outer space. Of course, I’m a fan of Star Trek, and anything else relating to alien encounters.
The thought of aliens from another world coming to our planet has been a fascination for many years. From Orson Wells’ radio version of aliens invading New Jersey to the recent movie Independence Day, we all have images of what would happen if aliens landed. One, which is familiar to us all, is of a space ship landing, the door opening, several little green men climbing out, walking up to the people standing around and saying, "Take me to your leader."
Now, suspending credibility for a moment, if that happened what would you do? Where would you take them? Who would you tell them is our leader? Who is our leader? Who is your leader? It’s a good question when you think of it. Let’s unpack this a bit. When we think of our leader, just what kind of leader are we looking to define? Are we talking about a political leader? If so, are we talking about the leader of our political ideology, or the elected leaders of our country? Are we talking about our spiritual leader? If so, do we mean local leaders, national leaders, or a significant person who has made a difference in our lives? Are we talking about an ultimate leader? If so, do we mean God, or US? For many people, the real ultimate leader in their lives is them!
Sadly, this is all too often true of Christians. We are living today in a time that some have described as a post Christian age. By that they do not mean that Christianity has ceased to exist, but that our culture no longer thinks that Christianity is relevant as a way of viewing the world. How we view the world is called our worldview, and we are no longer living in an age that has a Christian worldview. But what scares me is that I am coming to wonder whether we have lost a Christian worldview in our churches as well.
It is so easy for the world to infiltrate the church. All that is necessary is for Christians to become complacent in their commitments to significant time in prayer, serious study of the Scriptures, liberal giving of their resources, and consistent giving of themselves in the service of ministry. But that is happening in so many churches today as Christians see themselves as too busy to give the time to the basic disciplines of the Christian life. As a result we tend to have a watered down Christianity in which people know neither the Scriptures nor the Lord Jesus. And they are therefore unaware that there is another view of how they should live their lives than the one commonly accepted by our culture.
The early Christians were counter-culture because they had come to understand the reality of the rule of the King. There is indeed a King whom we as Christians are called to follow. Our King is Christ, and His Kingship implies a Kingdom. We call it the Kingdom of God.
Now, you may not have spent very much time this week thinking about the Kingdom of God, but let me assure you that the Kingdom of God is worth thinking about. Because not only does the Kingdom of God have something to do with how we live in our contemporary culture, it has everything to do with the practical affairs of daily life. It has everything to do with dealing with my boss, providing for my family, raising my kids, relating to my spouse, attending the PTA and paying my bills!
For Jesus Christ, the Kingdom was a priority. The Bible teaches us that Jesus’ message was primarily about the Kingdom of God. He "went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. (Matthew 4:23) The message Jesus preached was this: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near. (Matthew 4:17) After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His followers "over a period of 40 days, and spoke about the kingdom of God." (Acts 1:3) In fact, over eighty times in the Gospels alone, Jesus refers to the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is certainly a priority for Christ. Therefore, it cannot be overlooked by us.
It seems to me that not much attention has been given to the Kingdom of God in many of our churches. Perhaps this is due to an incomplete or faulty understanding of the mission of the Church, or of the comprehensive plan of God. Perhaps the absence of this emphasis is also due to a stress on the practical, organizational aspects of church life. We emphasize structure and programs, sometimes without the counter-emphasis of strategy and purpose. But we not only need to understand how to do it, we also need to understand why we’re doing it. And the why is found in an understanding of the Kingdom of God.
Our text today reveals two emphases in the preaching of Paul. At the close of the book of Acts, we find that the apostle Paul preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ. The two areas of his preaching ministry were centered around the Kingdom of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, Paul preached both the Kingdom and the King.
Today I would like for us to look at the message of the Kingdom and its King with a view to our attaining a genuine "kingdom consciousness." It is my prayer that, as a result of this message, you will not only come to an understanding of what it means to be a part of the Kingdom of God, but that you will also begin to see that being a part of that Kingdom impacts every area of your daily lives.
We might first begin by asking ourselves the question, "What are the implications of the Kingdom for my life?" In order to answer that question, we must first define what the Kingdom of God is. Most simply stated, the Kingdom of God is the dominion or reign of God. The Kingdom of God is not limited to a place, or a people, or even a time. The Kingdom of God is defined by the King and His reign. Wherever you find the reign of God, there you find the Kingdom.
The first thing we need to see is that the Kingdom is the cosmic plan of God. The Kingdom is what God had in mind from the beginning. It is His plan for the entire universe. We only see things in a very limited way. We see the here and now. We see from an earthly point of view. We see the physical world as it is presently. But God sees from an eternal dimension. He sees not only the physical, but the spiritual. He sees past, present and future. And He sees the comprehensive cosmic plan that He has been working out from eternity past. This plan brings together all things in Christ in the Kingdom of God which will one-day be realized in its full manifestation. The Kingdom of God is Plan A. There is no Plan B. It is God’s rule over all the universe.
We have already said that Jesus’ message was the message of the Kingdom of God. He preached "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand." But when it came to establishing an earthly expression of that Kingdom, He established the Church. Is the Church the Kingdom of God? No, the Church is not. But the Church is an expression of the Kingdom. The Church is a manifestation of the Kingdom on earth. And the Church is God’s agent for establishing the Kingdom. So, to understand kingdom living for today, you must understand what God had in mind for the Church.
The Church is the community of God’s people, and it is God’s desire to manifest His Kingdom through that community. While the manifestation of the Kingdom can be seen wherever you see the rule of Christ, it is God’s design and desire that the Church be that body of people to which He can point and identify as the community of the King. Jesus called the Church into existence for this purpose. It is the Church gathered and the Church at work through which we see the Kingdom of God expressed in our world.
Are you a part of the Church gathered? Are you a believer in Jesus Christ, who has identified with a local church where you live? Are you a part of that church, actively involved in its life and ministry? Are you involved in the local community of God’s people, known as the local church? I hope you are catching a sense that I am speaking about more than organizational affiliation. When I ask you whether you are a part of the Church, I’m not asking whether you have your name on some church roll. What I am asking is whether you are a true believer in Jesus Christ who has not only identified with a local church through membership but also has become involved in the life of that community through your active participation in it and personal commitment to it.
If you are a member of the local church in that sense, then you are also involved in the Kingdom of God. You see, the Church is the place where the rule of the King should be manifested. He who is the King of kings and Lord of lords is also the Head of the Church, which is His Body. It is through the Church that the visible manifestation of the rule of God can be seen. It is through the Church that we should hear God speak clearly. It is through the Church that we can be organized to do His work. It is through the Church that we can be nurtured, discipled and held accountable. It is through the Church that we can learn how to minister in Jesus’ name. We are the community of God’s people. We are part of the Kingdom of God. If I answered the: "What on earth is the Kingdom of God?" I would have to say that at its center is the Church, as the hub of Kingdom activity. From this hub, many other ministries can go forth. But primarily, it is the Church on earth which is the expression of the Kingdom of God.
I said before that the Church is not only a manifestation of the Kingdom of God, it is also the agent to bring about the Kingdom of God. It is only when we see clearly our mission to spread the gospel of the Kingdom, and also engage in committed action to that end that we are truly involved in Kingdom work. God has called us, as the Church, to impact the world for Jesus Christ. We are to spread the news that the King has come and is coming again; that He rules by divine right; and that humankind needs to come under His dominion. We must proclaim this in all that we do. We must infiltrate our society at every level and become involved with people in a multitude of ways in order to get this message across. We must act as agents of the Kingdom. We are on a divine mission for God and we must never lose sight of our real purpose.
While we are not secret service agents, in one sense we are under cover. You must come to understand that your real identity is as an agent of the Kingdom. Your occupation may be one thing, but you are really something else. You may be a lawyer, but you are really an agent of the Kingdom. You may be a doctor, but you are really an agent of the Kingdom. You may be an engineer, but really you are an agent of the Kingdom. People may see you as a corporate executive, but in truth, you are an agent of the Kingdom. To some, you may be a nurse, but to God you are an agent of the Kingdom. You see, when we get to heaven, we are not going to be doctors and lawyers and teachers and accountants and nurses and engineers and even pastors. But we will still be followers of the King.
So we need to see that we are involved in Kingdom action through the local church. We do not act alone, but are part of a community of redeemed people seeking not only to be changed by the impact of the reign of Christ in our lives, but also to make a difference in the world by the proclamation of the right of Christ to rule.
In order to see the implications of the Kingdom of God, we also need to understand the importance of Christ as the central focus of that Kingdom. In the Scriptures, Christ is revealed to us as the Head of the Church. God has centered all things around His Son, Jesus Christ. He is revealed to us in Scripture as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Christ is the center of all of God’s purposes, and all things are to be summed up in Him. The reign of God is exercised through Jesus Christ. He is central to the Kingdom and the Church.
So, firstly, we need to see the priority of Christ as King. The Bible teaches us that "in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form." He is "the head of the body, the church." Christ is revealed to us as the divine, sovereign God. It is His rule to which we must submit. We in the Church must never lose sight that Jesus Christ is our top priority.
This church is His church, not ours. While we have the privilege to participate in giving financially to the support of the church and its ministries, to build buildings and establish programs of ministry and function in the many ways which we do, we must never lose sight of the undeniable reality that He is the head of the Church. Too many churches lose sight of this reality and begin to function as if they were simply a democracy. But a democracy is the rule of the people. The Kingdom of God, however, is a theocracy. Now this theocratic rule is expressed through people, but however this is organized, what we are seeking to do is to find out what is the will of God, through a consensus of godly people expressing what they believe is God’s opinion, not theirs. We must always seek His rule!
So then, we must understand the practicality of Christ as King. Not only is Christ the priority for our lives, but in a very practical way, we must live out His rule on a daily basis. This is where it really counts. This is where the Kingdom is expressed in the lives of God’s people. And it all comes down to the depth of our relationship to Him and our submission to His leadership. You see, our service for Christ can never be any greater than the depth of our relationship to Him. The Church never serves Christ in any higher capacity than when she is thoroughly revived and renewed. If we need to pray for anything in our day, it is for a thorough revival to sweep across our churches; for a great awakening such as occurred under John Wesley and George Whitfield, Jonathan Edwards and Charles Finney.
But on a practical level, as we begin to see ourselves as agents of the Kingdom and begin to put Christ first in every aspect of our lives, then we will also begin to grapple daily with what it means to live under the rule of Christ. And as we do, we will find that we start to live from that perspective. Our actions will reflect Christ’s rule. And this will mean some real changes in our priorities and how we spend our time.
Charles Sheldon wrote a little book called In His Steps. In this book, a group of Christians decide that they will take seriously the claims of Jesus Christ upon their lives; that they will begin to try to live out their faith in practical ways. They covenant together to apply a test to all of their decisions and behavior. When they are faced with decisions in their own lives, or with issues of behavior, they agree to ask themselves the question, "What would Jesus do?" Of course, as a result of asking themselves that question, their behavior begins to change, in many instances, radically. But their lives begin to take on true meaning, and they begin to make a difference for Jesus Christ in their world.
Perhaps we would benefit by asking a similar question as we face the various situations in our lives. I like the question, "What would Jesus have me do?" After all, it is God’s purpose to conform us to the image of Jesus Christ. And the world certainly needs to see people living for Christ. The Kingdom of God is manifested as people live for Christ as those under His rule.
The message we have to share is that Christ is King; that His Kingdom is not merely future, it is now. We need to share the message that men and women everywhere can submit, now, to the King of Kings, and enjoy the benefits of Kingdom living. We need to preach this Gospel, not only with our words, but with our lives. The Bible says, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness."
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