Kingdom Power (2)

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

Responses to the Kingdom
The Kingdom of God, which is unfolding on earth as it is in heaven, does not always make for good conversation. Mention the Kingdom of God among polite company, and you’ll get a variety of responses.

Among those who do not know the Lord, the notion of a Kingdom of God on earth, expanding and advancing to establish its presence and reflect its heavenly character and operation (Dan. 2.44, 45; Matt. 6.10), is an idea to be ridiculed, ignored, or feared. In our increasingly secular age it is not considered “reasonable” by some to believe in a heavenly realm, populated by spiritual beings, God, and the like. The idea of anything like a “Kingdom of God” is, therefore, easily dismissed as being the naïve or misguided or dangerous thinking of religious fanatics.

Mention the Kingdom of God among believers and the responses will range from bemusement, to longing, to cautious advice about political agendas and the separation of Church and State. Most believers have heard of “the Kingdom of God,” but for most of them this is just “family talk” – a conversation set-piece that helps with our identity but doesn’t have any real consequences beyond simply talking about it.

Just an idea?
Looking at the overall state of affairs in the world and the Church, one might get the idea that the Kingdom of God, to whatever extent it is to be acknowledged, is primarily an intellectual construct or a promise for future fulfillment – a matter of conversation and speculation, and not much else. The subject comes up in church from time to time, and we see it mentioned in our Bibles.

But is the “Kingdom of God” anything more than an idea? A theme to talk about and with which to comfort ourselves and give us hope for the future? For if such a reality as the prophets envisioned and Jesus foretold in His many parables and teachings – if such a reality were actually in operation among us, would we not expect to see more evidence of its presence and power?

I think that’s a fair conclusion. After all, the Apostle Paul insisted that the Kingdom of God must not be thought of merely as a matter of theological or philosophical conversation and debate. The rule of King Jesus, on earth as it is in heaven, does not consist in talk, but in power.

Power in the Kingdom
There is power in the rule of King Jesus, power to transform lives, reform morals, redirect the ways of culture and society, innovate wonders of science and learning, constrain the intentions of wicked men, beautify and enrich the created order, and achieve a human environment of mercy, justice, and love among the peoples of the world. The power of the Kingdom is spiritual power, to be sure, but this does not make it unreal or merely an article of faith. The spiritual power of the Kingdom of God is real power, transforming power, and it is available to everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord Jesus.

The troubled heathen of Thessalonica understood the power of this Kingdom. They saw it at work in the lives of those who were coming to faith in Christ in their city. They saw it utterly transform their priorities and their practices, and they feared that its coming would turn upside-down everything they cherished and clung to for meaning in life (Acts 17.1-9).  

But the power of the Kingdom of God is not, in the first instance, a power of human force or political plotting; its power is spiritual and therefore eternally more potent for good than any strength of human arms or law.

For the power of the Kingdom of God flows from the throne of Jesus Christ, in the Person of His Holy Spirit, and according to the revelation of His Word. And it is flowing, even now, to the hearts of people who seek the Kingdom as their highest pursuit in every area of life (Matt. 6.33). Kingdom power flows to those who exert their strength with faith and vigor, even spiritual violence, to lay hold on that all-transforming power (Matt. 11.12), to those who wait upon God in prayer and daily obedience to realize that power for righteousness, peace, and joy, so that they might express it in love for God and for their neighbors.

The power of the Kingdom is everywhere at work. Look more closely – throughout the world and its cultures – and you will see that the power which preserves and nurtures whatever is wholesome and good – and restrains the worst evil can do – is working powerfully. Such power must be from a place and of a nature beyond this sad and sinful world.

And such power can operate within us as well, in ways exceeding abundantly beyond anything we’ve ever dared to ask or think (Eph. 3.20).

Next steps: What are some ways you experience the power of the Kingdom of God? Talk with some Christian friends about this question.

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.