I’ve spent a great deal of time thinking about the Kingdom of God in the last few years. One thing I’ve discovered is that just thinking about the Kingdom doesn’t help to find out what or better yet, who the Kingdom is. At least the head thought about it makes us see it as a contrived utopia. You might find yourself seeking after a kingdom that obviously doesn’t meet your immediate needs. That kind of Kingdom doesn’t fit with our take on how things are in the world. Maybe that’s why Jesus told Pilate during the trial that led to His crucifixion that His Kingdom is not of this world.
The Board of Ordained Ministries for our Conference wants candidates for the orders of ministry to demonstrate their understanding of the kingdom of God; the Resurrection; eternal life?
All three of these concepts are part of the central evangelical message of God in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When we have conversations with others about these concepts we might come around to recognizing that the living Word of God (Jesus Christ) makes of the kingdom of God apparent and accessible in our earthly lives. Jesus promises that through Him we will also be resurrected from the dead and continue in eternal life in the heavenly Kingdom of God.
We pray in the Lord’s Prayer that God’s kingdom come here on earth as it is in heaven. We are to work to that end and it is to that end that we bear fruit of the spirit even now. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand and it is within us. It is before us and around us. It is heaven and it is invading this world. We ask that God’s supernal rule come here on earth as well as in heaven. We expect to experience at least a foretaste of eternal life even now from deadness of our sin through God’s eternal grace and everlasting love.
Our baptism and partaking of the Lord’s Supper are reflections of our calling to live resurrected lives bent on eternity and then feeding on and sharing with God’s Holy Spirit through His word and ongoing service to the Lord. By communing (that is, fellowshipping) with those in church we experience the Kingdom of God here on earth or at least a hint of the heavenly kingdom. In this life we are being prepared for our eternal life with God in his heavenly kingdom after we have been resurrected from the dead.
Seeking the Kingdom that Daniel 2:31-45 says: "image a mighty exceedingly bright and even frightening humanoid image with a head of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. Stone not cut out by human hand are the appendages and feet of iron and clay are broken in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
Daniel predicted in 2:33 that the God of heaven would set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed. When you think of God’s kingdom, do you imagine treasures that a king would possess and master? Do you ever imagine personal treasures like Nebuchadnezzar’s that allowed them to come between God and yourself?
If you share whatever you had in time, talent, or food, and what was not on your agenda, then another ruling order might take hold. Another kingdom might be the ruling authority in your life. If you had two coats, you would notice that others had none. When you had plenty to eat; others obviously didn't. When you have idle time; others are nearby longing for a visit from someone who cared. You have shelter; others live on the street. A car took you to church; others walked for miles (if not here in Montgomery then in Lagos Nigeria).
Perhaps it is the wisdom of old age that we finally discover we have everything backward. With heartfelt thanksgiving – not just on Thanksgiving Day but all the time – I can sincerely lift up my eyes unto the hills of God’s Kingdom and recognize Nothing I have belongs to me; it is all a gift from God. All the help and all the health and healing I will ever need comes from God.
So we of the Kingdom begin giving back to God: visiting shut-ins, sharing more at the food pantry, offering a ride, volunteering through our church, giving away that extra coat. Reorienting our life with these simple acts opens our eyes to the joys of sharing and interacting with others, and we feel closer to God.
Grace Lim Shok Lan is an elementary school teacher in Sarawak, Malaysia. She quotes 1 John 3:18 before telling a story about how she rediscovered the Kingdom of God in her own life. The practical message in that scripture invites “us not to love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”
One day, Andrew, one of Grace’s students came to tell her that he needed to take a week off from school because his mother had died unexpectedly. She had noticed he looked pale and sad, but she was very busy that day and didn't take time to find out more about his situation. She just nodded her head and walked away.
The next day during her quiet time with the Lord, Grace came across 1 John 3:18. That verse made her realize how insensitive she had been to Andrew and the importance of putting God's love into action. When she asked Andrew about his situation, he said he was an only child and his father had died when he was very young. He became an orphan after his mother's death. Andrew had to move in with his uncle, a poor farmer who already had six children of his own.
Grace then responded by organizing a school-wide donation for Andrew. She and some of the other teachers took Andrew the food, clothing, and money that was collected. They could see great relief and thankfulness in his eyes. Andrew is now attending the local church's youth fellowship. He seems to know that God is with him daily. A person of God, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
Let each one of us pray this prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, please focus my attention, my eagerness, and my energy on You and Your will, rather than on the things of this earth. Help me to seek Your Kingdom first and last. Guide me to be aware of what comes between You and me so that I can You and our relationship first. Teach us to put people before things, relationships before tasks, understanding before being understood, loving before being loved, giving before receiving. For it is in dying that we are born into eternal life through Jesus Christ. And it is in His name from His Kingdom we pray, Amen.
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