The Zone Gathering

By Pat Thomas

The Bible says a lot about the Kingdom of God. Today, I want to focus on how we as followers of Christ can bring the Kingdom of God to Earth.

While Jesus was on earth, he said that he was the light of the world (John 8:12). In one instance, the Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub, but Jesus told them that if he cast out demons by the power of Satan that Satan was divided against himself… “but if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.” (Matthew 12:22-28)

In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus tells the people this, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (NIV)

Let’s take a closer look at the word “kingdom.” The Greek word is basileia, which reminds me of the Pastor Mark’s visit to St. Peter’s Basilica. According to Mounce’s dictionary, the word can be used abstractly to refer to royal power or kingship or it can refer to a geographical area of rule. Most English versions consistently translate basileia into “kingdom,” though at times it would be better understood as “reign” or “rule.” Therefore, when I think about the Kingdom of God coming to earth, I’m not thinking as much as a time or a place coming, but more about God’s reign or rule coming to earth.

My favorite scriptures are in Luke 12:22-32; Jesus tells the people not to worry about clothing, food, drink, etc. He says, “rather seek the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you.” Then he says something that I think is truly remarkable…he says, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (KJV) Wow! That is truly amazingly awesome! It’s our Father’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom. The words fear not and good pleasure are words of comfort to us… words of assurance…words of grace.

As long as Jesus walked the earth, he consistently brought the Kingdom of God to the people. When he went back to Heaven, he left the task to us. Here are several ways we can begin to do that.

Transformation

Paul said in Romans 12:1-2 that we are to present our bodies as living sacrifices unto God…and that we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. This is a continuous process.

Community

While being transformed we should seek out community . Notice that the word includes “unity”. In John 17:20-23, Jesus prayed “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (NIV)

This is sometimes difficult to achieve. It calls for loving and thinking about others more and higher than ourselves. It calls for humility and meekness. In Galatians 6:1-3, Ephesians 4:2-3, Philippians 2:3-8, Colossians 3:12-15, Paul tells us how we should behave towards one another. If you really want to speed up the process of transformation, then seek out community with fellow Christ followers. We are meant to rub against each other. That rubbing causes friction and friction causes electricity and electricity is what lights up our lives and draws men to Christ. Proverb 27:17 says, “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” (KJV)

Faith

Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (KJV) Think about faith this way: it is the sub (meaning under) stance (helping us to take a firm stance of standing posture in Christ). Faith is our foundation and holds us up. Scripture tells us in many places to stand or stand fast. In 2 Corinthians 1:24, Paul encourages, “Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.” (KJV) 1Corinthians 16:13 says, “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. (KJV). See also Galatians 5:1; Ephesians 6:11 &13-14; Philippians 1:27.

Fruit of the Spirit

In Galatians 5:22-24, Paul says that there is no law against such fruit. I believe that Love is the one fruit that holds all the rest together. I like to think of it like this: Love is the door to the Kingdom of God and faith is the key.

Prayer

In Matthew 6:9-10, Jesus teaches us to pray, “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’” (NIV)

Focus on God/Abiding in Christ

In order to bring everything to fruition, God must be our center. He is the One who causes the fruit of the Spirit to work as we keep our eyes focused on Him and abide in the True Vine. Jesus says this in John 15:5 & 7, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” … “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” (KJV)

One of the ways we can focus on God and learn how to abide in Christ is by practicing the spiritual disciplines: silence and solitude; fasting: study; meditation on and memorization of the Word of God; journaling; and pilgrimage to name a few.

I’ve come up with a small formula to end with. It’s this:
The Kingdom of God = The Life of Christ in me.

How of the Kingdom of God comes to earth through me depends upon how much the Life of Christ is exhibited through my life.

Pat Thomas is a rarity in DC because she is a native, born and raised. She likes to bake cheesecakes, read, watch old movies and spend time with her granddaughter, daughters and friends. She has attended NCC for almost 4 years.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007 at 11:00 am and is filed under Bible Drills, News and Updates. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.