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Realizing the presence, promise, and power of the Kingdom of God.
ReVision

This above All

Here is the highest priority in God's economy.

God’s Economy (6)

For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of
His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the L
ORD of hosts will perform this. Isaiah 9.6, 7

The Rule of King Jesus
The Word of God came to earth in the Person of Jesus Christ to accomplish the redemptive plan of the Father, bring near the Kingdom of God, and inaugurate the divine economy.

He did this, as He frequently testified, by bringing the Kingdom of God into the affairs of human history, and calling all those who would follow Him to seek that Kingdom as their first priority (Matt. 6.33). Making disciples and building the Church creates a setting and context, in communities all over the world, for seeking and advancing the Kingdom of God. Disciples are citizens and ambassadors of that Kingdom, and local churches are signs of its presence and outposts of its advance.

The Kingdom of God is the rule of King Jesus, in the power of His Spirit, by which He is reconciling the world and all things in it to His Father and ours, making all things new, replacing the darkness of sin and fear with righteousness and peace and joy in the Spirit, and bringing the knowledge of the glory of God to cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.

Kingdom and glory
Realizing the Kingdom of God is the objective of the divine economy toward which the works of making disciples and building the church strain. God is glorified as His Kingdom advances. For as the Kingdom of God grows, by the Word and Spirit of God, in and through the Church, every sector of society, all of culture, and every human being are brought into contact with a reality infused with transforming power not of this world.

Over the past 2,000 years of Christian history, the Church has been the healthiest and has contributed the most good to the world when this vision of the Kingdom of God has been the motive force in all her endeavors.

In our day, when we have turned the faith of Jesus Christ into a shrunken and personal thing (David Wells), this vision of the Kingdom of God is all but nonexistent. Of course, every Christians knows about the Kingdom and believes in it, at least to an extent. But the evidence of this world-transforming power is sparse in our world today, suggesting that churches have lost their focus and are seeking something other than the Kingdom of God. If we would realize the full flourishing of the divine economy in the field of the world, we must make the Kingdom turn and take seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness as the commanding priority for all of life.

Seeking the Kingdom
But what does it mean to seek this Kingdom?

First, it means to understand the Kingdom and its peculiar nature. It is a Kingdom where righteousness, peace, and joy proliferate in the Holy Spirit. In the Kingdom of God holy virtues spread out from the churches to touch, affect, and infuse all aspects of life and culture with the glory of God. Christians should nurture some sense of what that might look like in their own communities, and pastors should preach that vision fervently, tirelessly, and with full conviction.

Second, seeking the Kingdom requires that each believer take up the challenge of growing in Kingdom virtues and skills, as a part of our everyday walk with the Lord (2 Pet. 1.5-11). Here our calling to be and make disciples intersects with Christ’s command to seek the Kingdom and our prayer that this Kingdom might come on earth as it is in heaven. Only by attending diligently to the work of sanctification will we be able to seek the Kingdom more expansively in all our other work.

Third, we need to proclaim the Kingdom, as Jesus and the apostles did. We need to tell our neighbors, with great joy, that a new power has broken into human history, a new hope is held out to us, a new economy is unfolding all around us, and new promises can light our paths through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. We must proclaim this message without compromise and with great joy, and we must back up our proclamation with works that bring the newness and glory of the rule of Jesus into all of life and culture.

Finally, we must pray fervently for the coming of the Kingdom. The progress of God’s Kingdom is the work of our Lord Jesus, and He will be pleased to do this great work through us if we will turn consistently to Him in prayer.

The divine economy is unfolding and straining toward the realization of the Kingdom of God. Are we?

For reflection
1.  As you understand it, what is the Kingdom of God? What is our role in that Kingdom?

2.  Paul said we have been called to the Kingdom and glory of God (1 Thess. 2.12), and Jesus commanded us to seek the Kingdom first in all things. Why is it important that we understand as much as we can about the Kingdom of God?

3.  How can you begin to become more consistent and more fruitful in seeking the Kingdom of God?

Next steps – Conversation: How clear is your understanding of the Kingdom of God? Or of what it means to seek the Kingdom? Talk with some Christian friends about these questions. How can you help one another in this high and holy calling?

For a more developed view of the Kingdom, and of the Gospel of the Kingdom, order a copy of our book The Kingdom Turn (click here) or The Gospel of the Kingdom (click here). You can download a free PDF of Vocational Disciplines, a complement to this week’s study (click here).

We look to the Lord to provide for our needs, and He does so through those who are served by this ministry. Please prayerfully consider becoming a supporter of The Fellowship of Ailbe with your financial gifts. You can send your tax-free contribution to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452, or use the Contribute button at the website to give with a credit card or through PayPal.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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