Kingdom Power (1)

Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17.20, 21

The forefront of His ministry
Even a cursory reading of the gospel accounts reveals that the Kingdom of God was very much at the forefront of Jesus’ earthly agenda. And this makes understanding the Kingdom turn all that much more important. For Jesus, the Good News He had come to proclaim and to bring near was the Good News of the Kingdom of God.

So why does the Kingdom have so little a part in the Christian movement in our day?

The first words out of Jesus’ mouth at the beginning of His public ministry were the announcement that, with His presence and preaching, the Kingdom of God, long foretold, had at last come near (Matt. 4.17). Jesus brought the Kingdom of God into human history and experience. Wherever He went, in parable after parable, sermon after sermon, Jesus focused the minds of His hearers on the fact that the reign and rule of God had come to earth in Him, and that, from His day forward, everything would change.

Following His resurrection, He spent forty days instructing His disciples in the Kingdom of God (Acts 1.3). He wanted to make sure that those to whom He was entrusting His ministry understood that the Gospel of the Kingdom, and making the Kingdom turn, was the heart of it all.

Thus it should not surprise us that the first sermon, in which the Apostle Peter heralded the onset of the last days, focused on the call to submit to Jesus as Lord and Christ (Acts 2.36), or that the early preachers and prophets of the Church emphatically declared the Gospel of the Kingdom and its presence in time and history (cf. Acts 8.12).

Make no mistake about it: The Kingdom of God is among us.

Evidence of the Kingdom?
With the coming of Jesus, and especially with His ascension to heaven and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, a new order of heavenly rule has been established on the earth, just as the prophets of old had foretold (cf. Dan. 2.44, 45; Is. 9.1-7).

And yet we do not have to look very far to see that much – very much – of the world does not appear to have gotten the memo.

Evidence for this new reign of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit, which is the Kingdom of God, is in short supply (Rom. 14.17). Everywhere we look, the governments of men struggle to maintain order and to realize a modicum of peace and prosperity for their people. A culture of self-indulgence, material craving, and sensual license inundates the West. Rising giants of the Eastern world strive mightily to walk a balance between traditional cultures, modern forms of governance, and the hankering for material prosperity which they have tasted and found to be most desirable. Wars and rumors of wars continue; natural disasters wipe out the lives and wellbeing of multitudes; violence, slavery, and oppression continue to threaten; and economic uncertainty is the lot of increasing numbers of people.

So if the Kingdom has come, where is the evidence of its power?

Look to Jesus
No, we do not now see the full evidence of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit which would indicate the presence of the Kingdom of God with power. But we do see Jesus, exalted, enthroned, advancing His rule, and building His Church (Heb. 2.8, 9). For nearly two millennia the Gospel has been increasing on earth. Men and women have forced their way into the Kingdom of God by grace through faith, putting to death their old selves and falling on the Sword of God for forgiveness and eternal life. Lives have been changed. Cultures have been transformed. Innovations and improvements in almost every area of life have come about as the result of Kingdom citizens drawing on the transforming power of Christ with new ideas and new strength.

No, the full power of the Kingdom of God is not yet visible among us. The day of its complete unveiling is yet to come.

For now, however, His Kingdom is at hand, in our midst, and we who know Him are its citizens and ambassadors (2 Cor. 5.17-21). Power is available to us which can restore the fallen world to the beauty, goodness, and truth God desires. Our calling is to understand that power and to appropriate it by faith, making and pursuing the Kingdom turn in every area of our lives.

Next steps: What is the Kingdom of God? How do you understand it? Does your church teach much about the Kingdom of God? Talk with a few fellow believers about these questions.

T. M. Moore

This week’s study, Kingdom Power, is the sixth of an eight-part series on The Kingdom Turn, and is available as a free download. T. M. has written two books to complement this eight-part series. You can order The Kingship of Jesus by clicking here, and The Gospel of the Kingdom by clicking here.

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