A Christian Guidebook: What Is the Kingdom of God?  (3)

And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. 45 Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.” Daniel 2.44, 45

For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power. 1 Corinthians 4.20

Dynamite all around
The Greek word for “power” is δύναμις, dynamis, and, obviously, this is the word from which we get “dynamite.”

Thinking of “power” as “dynamite” is, however, a bit misleading. As I am writing, power is at work all around me, in me, and through me. Electrical power illuminates my desk and runs my computer. Muscle power punches the keys to make words. Wind power from a small fan cools me as I work.

Hardly explosive stuff, that.

“Dynamite”—δύναμις—is at work all around us. To think of “dynamite”—“power”—only in explosive terms is to miss the fact that God in His grace has put a wide variety of powers at our disposal for knowing, loving, and serving Him. Much of the power we need to serve Him comes from sources beyond the pale of the Kingdom of God—power plants, Internet operators, manufacturers of this, that, and the other. In a sense, the Power that drives the Kingdom of God plunders power sources from the unbelieving world so that the people of God have all the power we need to seek and advance His realm.

But the power that drives the expansion of God’s Kingdom is not a material power like electrons or wind blades or human muscles. It is, like the Kingdom itself, spiritual power. And for that reason, it is far greater than any other power we can know.

Great enough to overthrow nations, cultures, and hardened hearts.

Spiritual power
Let’s not underestimate the strength of spiritual power. Spiritual power spoke the cosmos into being (Gen. 1). Spiritual power parted the Red Sea and the Jordan River. Spiritual power destroyed the Assyrian army under Sennacherib. Spiritual power turned water to wine, opened blind eyes, healed lepers, and raised dead people to life. Spiritual power raised Jesus from the dead and enthroned Him in the heavens. Spiritual power birthed the Church and brought about the conversion of multitudes. Spiritual power composed the Scriptures. Spiritual power has kept the Church and the Word of God for two millennia. Spiritual power has done more good in the world than all other powers combined. Spiritual power translated you from darkness and wrong belief into the Kingdom of life, light, and power.

Spiritual power is real and powerful, more powerful, in fact, than any other form of power.

I know that doesn’t seem likely, given such things as nuclear bombs, hurricanes, and whatnot. But it’s true, nonetheless. Spiritual power, as we see in Scripture, can work directly on the world—as, for example, in times of great revivals and awakenings to Jesus, or when a sinner comes to faith in Jesus. But more typically, the spiritual power of the Kingdom of God employs other power sources to accomplish its ends. And to do this, the spiritual power of the Kingdom—the Holy Spirit working with the Word of God—works in Kingdom citizens from all walks of life.

The power of the Kingdom of God is the power of Scripture. Scripture is living and powerful and able to cut to the depths of a human soul, there to perform spiritual surgery that changes the way a person thinks, believes, loves, works, relates to others, and much, much more (Heb. 4.12).

The power of the Kingdom of God is the power of God’s Spirit. He can transform us increasingly into the very image of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 3.12-18); brings forth from us holy spiritual attributes in our lives (Gal. 5.22, 23); endues us with gifts for carrying out Jesus’ agenda (1 Cor. 12.7-11; Matt. 16.18); and empowers us to proclaim the Good News of Christ and His Kingdom to the people to whom God sends us (Acts 1.8).

This—the power of God’s Word and Spirit—is the power that changes the world by harnessing other powers to glorify God. And our heavenly Father exercises that power in and unleashes that power through people like you and me.

Accessing the power of the Kingdom
We should be asking, “Where can I get me some of that power?” Don’t you want to know the power of God at work in you, doing things such as I described above? Wouldn’t you thrill and rejoice to exercise some of that power in leading someone to Jesus or building them up in Him? Is there anything you wouldn’t do to help that power break out, course through, and transform every aspect of life and culture in this world?

Of course not. And participating in that kind of power surge is as simple as this: Read and heed the Word of God, seeking Jesus and His Kingdom in everything you do.

Where the power of the Kingdom is exercised, God is glorified. And we can glorify God, using the power of His rule, in all the daily small things of our lives (1 Cor. 10.31). Imagine the world as seen from space, completely dark. No lights anywhere. Then, all at once, believers in every nation step outside and strike a single match. If you’ve ever been in a church at Christmas time when the fire is passed from candle to candle, you have witnessed the power of doing whatever small thing is near to us at any moment, living out the teaching of God’s Word in the power of the Spirit to shine the light of Jesus’ love into our sad world.

It’s that simple, really. Daily reading and study of God’s Word, bathed in prayer and meditation. Then using every moment and every next step in obedience, so that grace flows through us and Kingdom power is activated to the glory of God. 

The Kingdom of God is powerful. And it uses our everyday manifestations of that power to light up the dark world for the glory of God.

Search the Scriptures
1. Which of the parables of Jesus speaks to you about the power of the Kingdom of God?

2. How many ways did the power of God work through the apostle Paul?

3. How did God’s power work to bring you to saving faith in Jesus?

Next steps—Transformation: You are a holy power station for the Lord. How will God’s power flow through you today? Thank and praise God for the power to know, love, and serve Him.

Additional Resources
If you have found this study helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).

Additional Resources
What Kingdom power is at work in us we know the joy of the Lord and we bring that joy to our world. But how does that work? Our book, Joy to Your World!, shows you how to be a Kingdom power source to the people around you. Order your copy—and one for a friend?—by clicking here.

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