Think about this question…

Are we from nothing, created by nothing for nothing or are we from someone, created by someone for someone? (Vince Vitale’s question) Either one is the result of something incredible that must have occurred to create our existence. I think the two origin beliefs are almost equally amazing: A huge, impossible cosmic accident occurred or an all-powerful, Creator God designed it!

The great difference in the two ideas about where we come from is represented by the outcomes. One naturally brings purpose, meaning, peace, coherence, and contentment. Strange… It appears that even that outcome itself has all the marks of something that was designed to produce that better kind of life!

“Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” (Westminster Shorter Catechism, 1647)  I hope you are not trying to build a life without embracing your “chief end.”

Grace and Peace,

MR

 

My friend Chris shared this testimony with me this week about how living in the Kingdom works. Chris describes himself as a “faith minister.” What he means by that is that he doesn’t receive a salary for the ministry he does for a local Christian coffee house here in Denton, Texas. He lives by faith in God.

Just a few days ago, he and his wife were talking about the fact that their credit card balance was creeping up over five hundred dollars. She has a new job starting soon but she was concerned about their financial needs in the present. Chris felt led to pray that God would give them five hundred dollars and increase their faith in the process.  That’s a bold and specific prayer!

Chris gets up at 4:30 a.m. most mornings to go to the coffeehouse to pray for an hour before it opens. One day this past week, before he got up, he heard something rattle their front door. When he went to investigate, there was no one there. He got ready, kissed his wife and headed out the door. When he opened it, an unmarked envelope fell to the ground. He picked it up and found a note inside that thanked him and his wife for being such amazing examples of faith and it had a simple Scripture quote, “Love your brother…” It also contained… You guessed it!… Five hundred dollars!  God doesn’t always answer us immediately and precisely the way we pray. But if you are not living the Kingdom life, you never see the miraculous in your own life.

So, for 2018, my main New Year’s resolution is to seek the Kingdom of God first. Will you make it yours?

What would it mean to start seeking the Kingdom first? What can you do that will bring the Kingdom’s reign and rule and power and values into your home and life?

Beyond lip service or a theory, here are some ways to actually do what will bring the Kingdom to to bear in your life in a transformative way this year.

What to do so the Kingdom of God can grow in you this year.

1. Get off the throne.

A kingdom has a king and if it’s you then it’s certainly not the Kingdom of God operating in your life.  The world’s system says you need to take control of your life. The Kingdom says anyone who wants to be in charge of their own life will lose it.

If you want a savior and a servant but you want to tell him what to do, then you are canceling the power of the Kingdom of God in your life. It’s like saying “It’s about me!” or “I am above you, Holy Spirit!”

So let’s start here. Pray to him right now:

“Lord, I am so thankful that you are my Savior.  I want you to also be King of my life. In order that your Kingdom may become my life. Amen.”

2. Put the Kingdom first. (Matthew 6:33)

I made a commitment a long time ago to make Jesus the Lord of my life. The Holy Spirit did change my heart and transformed my life. And in my decisions, he has continued to be Lord. But I still have a couple of problems.

First, I’ll let my desires decide what I do or how I act instead of Holy Spirit. My desires are not evil but they are still present and they don’t always align with the Kingdom. I think that’s called “living according to the flesh” instead of living according to the Spirit. (See Romans 8)

My other problem is my brain! My heart has been changed by the grace of God. Sanctified wholly. But my mind still struggles with un-Christlike thoughts. I’m bombarded by ungodly and just simply wrong messages all the time. This world constantly tries to press me into its mold. That constant pressure is its nature! So, my mind needs consistent and constant transformation if I’m going to see the Kingdom operate in my life! Sanctification operates both in a critical moment and a lifelong process.

The question I need to ask then is, “How do I put the Kingdom first?” What does “first” mean?  I sound like Bill Clinton saying, “It depends on what the meaning of ‘is’ is.” What sounded like a ridiculous statement was actually a very intelligent perspective on how language works. That was just a very poor moment to try to be so smart!

First is a word with a richer meaning than you would think. Putting the Kingdom first can mean…

1. First chronologically – If that is the case, we should start our day or activity with the Word and prayer. We should start first with our thoughts centered on Him and the principles of the Kingdom.
2. First in priority – We should make the KIngdom the most important thing in our lives. How do you do that? Ask these questions, “Does this increase the Kingdom? Does this please the King?”
3. First in quality – “Live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” (Ephesians 4:1) Give the Kingdom the best of your time, your resources, your creativity and your effort. Do your best work for the Kingdom!

If you want to see the Kingdom grow in your life, what do you get up tomorrow and do differently then? You need the Holy Spirit to help you in the process of renewing your mind. One way He can do that is to help you create a thought filter for your mind.

2 Corinthians 10:5 declares that, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

So if I have a selfish thought, my filter has learned to say, “No you don’t, you wrong thought! Obey Jesus. Put him first!”

If I have a lustful thought, my Holy Spirit filter says, “Oh no you don’t! Obey Jesus… that would dishonor him and my wife and my family.”

A failure thought… Not going there! Obey Jesus… Apart from him I can do nothing… I can do all things through Christ!

Discouraging thoughts… I don’t think so! Obey Jesus… He said we would have struggles in this world but he has overcome this world. And I am his.

Angry thoughts… Nope, been down that road! Obey Jesus… Love your enemies and pray for them he said.

Fear? Nah, I’ve learned to choose trust and rest…

Confusion? Hey! I may look confused, but I’m just waiting on the Lord to direct me!

“We take EVERY thought captive…”  Can that really be done?  Yep… But not with counseling or self-discipline or will power. That filter only develops through the practice of living in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit through prayer.

God will not practice mind control on you and I don’t know how. Sometimes I wish I had that Jedi mind control thing! I would fix your thoughts on good things for you!  God never overrides your free will, but he will help you if you ask him to.  So let’s ask!  Pray this…

“Lord, I am so thankful that your Word and the fellowship I have is transforming my mind. I want the Word to dwell in me powerfully. I will do my part by reading it, obeying it and studying with my brothers and sisters. Holy Spirit, I want you to help me stop every thought at the door to my soul and make it obey Jesus. Amen.”

3. Look for ways to allow the Kingdom to grow.

The Kingdom is wherever Jesus rules and reigns. How do you expand the places where he rules and reigns? How does that happen? Here are some ideas:

1. The Kingdom expands whenever someone comes to Jesus. Will you commit, not just to help someone or be an example to those around you, but to actually tell someone about Jesus with someone this year?
2. The Kingdom expands whenever someone serves in the name of Jesus. Jesus’ disciples heard some people preaching in Jesus’ name. Evidently, they were having some success, too. The Twelve were jealous and told them to stop that! Those people were not part of their little Jesus band! Jesus got onto them and said, “Don’t stop them! If they’re doing Kingdom work, then we’re on the same team!” So we don’t hate on the Baptists or Methodists or Episcopalians! We’re on the same team.

Will you serve him this year?  Can you inspire others to serve with a Kingdom perspective?

The Kingdom grows when you simply live in love. A few people I know are so filled with the love of God that the atmosphere changes when they enter the room with you. Many of those same people don’t even know it happens. But it does… And the Kingdom can grow naturally through you when you live in love.

So here’s one more prayer commitment I challenge you to pray this year:

“Lord, I am so thankful for you letting me partner with you to build the Kingdom where I am. I am unworthy and incapable on my own. But I believe the promises you made.  And I love you, my King. So, open my eyes to see the opportunities to help your Kingdom grow. And fill me with your loving presence until it is overflowing love to others. My greatest desire is for you to use me to build your Kingdom here. Amen.”

 

 

 

History professor and author Michael Grant describes Jesus’ focus on the Kingdom of God like this:

Every thought and saying of Jesus was directed and subordinated to one single thing …, the realization of the Kingdom of God upon the earth.”  (Jesus: An Historian’s Review of the Gospels, pp. 10-11)

The word, “kingdom,” appears one hundred sixty-two times in the New Testament. The majority of those passages describe the Kingdom of God or contrast it with earthly kingdoms.  Matthew alone has thirty-seven references to kingdoms.

Many of Jesus’ parables were called “Kingdom Parables” because they were meant to illustrate how the Kingdom of God operates.

Jesus preached mainly about the Kingdom. (See Matthew 4:17, 23)  When asked to teach his disciples to pray, he included a prayer for the Kingdom to come to bear on the here and now.

So, the understanding the Kingdom and being a Kingdom person is not just important. It’s central to your life in Christ.

Ten Things to know about the Kingdom of God:

1. It’s invisible but more impactful than any visible earthly kingdom.

2 Corinthians 4:18 explains, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

2. The Kingdom is already present.

Luke 17:²⁰One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?”  Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. ²¹You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.”

The present Kingdom of God was not to overturn Rome and restore Israel’s fortunes like everyone believed it would. It is not going the plan to “Make America Great Again!” The present Kingdom of God is not a certain political agenda coming into power. It is the power of the risen Christ becoming present in real ways.

3. The Kingdom is not the church.

Jesus and his disciples were not preaching about the church when they were preaching the Kingdom. His disciples had no clue how the church would work or be organized. The local church should be a place where the Kingdom is in operation.

4. The word kingdom in Greek means “to rule and reign.”

That simply means that wherever Christ rules and reigns, there his kingdom is present.

5. When Christ rules and reigns in a heart, the Kingdom is present wherever that person goes!

We are ambassadors for the Kingdom, the conduit of his love to the world and even the “fragrance of Christ” wherever we go as Kingdom citizens. (2 Corinthians 2:15)

6. The Kingdom has a different set of values and rules.

The Kingdom of God has a surprisingly different economy.  The world puts ultimate value on wealth and physical pleasure and even rationalizes using people or abusing the planet to get what it values. The Kingdom values holiness and relationships and faith and obedience.

7. The Kingdom’s main operating principle is love.

Religion has produced some of the most selfish and hate-filled people and actions that will ever exist in our world. The Kingdom of God produces the most selfless and loving people and actions the world ever sees.

“Jesus does not call us to do what he did, but to be as he was, permeated with love. Then the doing of what he did and said becomes the natural expression of who we are in him.” – (Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God)

8. The Kingdom is where the dynamic and powerful presence of God operates visibly.

Although the Kingdom is invisible and without a palace, a court or a physical seat of power, it’s effects are visible everywhere for anyone seeking it.

9. We’re supposed to seek the Kingdom first. (Matthew 6:33)

When we do this, all the other things the world seeks first will be added to our lives in God’s time and in his way. If we love money, use people or seek our own selfish desires first, then those things that were meant to be rewards and blessings feel like burdens or even curses.

10. The Kingdom transforms the lives of its citizens.

Watching people take the Oath of Citizenship to become American citizens is a moving scene. It has the promises of individual human rights and participation in democracy. But nothing rivals the transformational moment when a person chooses Jesus as their Savior and King!

Here’s a bonus thought about the Kingdom of God:  A kingdom must have a King if it fits the definition of the word. In the Kingdom of God, you are not that king.  

(Please continue to Part Two for the practical plan for allowing the Kingdom to come in your life this year!)