The Kingdom of God is Within You – Part II

Knowing God liberates you from the bondage of a self.  You gain heartfelt interest in serving people. You relinquish fallacies about wealth, reputation, prestige, social status and material acquisition.  You utilize resources, talents, and time to build the kingdom where we live.

As we transition from church member to disciple, we discover a ministry within Church and larger world.  In the former, we discern practical means of empowering the body of Christ to love and minister in accordance with the Lord’s teachings (John 13:34-35 and 1 Corinthians 12).  In the latter, we embody God’s light and God’s power in dark corners of the world.  As His chosen instruments, we transform the world.  We are God’s change agents for truth, equity and justice no matter how entrenched the geopolitical dynamics and gamesmanship of current international affairs.  I believe God’s remnant of devoted followers will resolve these contemporary conflicts.  Disciples work faithfully toward ushering in the kingdom of God.

The Church is God’s unique instrument on earth to build His kingdom.  He did not choose government, academy, not-for-profit and philanthropic organizations or corporate entities.  In daily living, disciples personify light and salt.  The Church exercises good stewardship as it relates to money, talent and time.  The gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 14) undergird our ministries.

“The kingdom of God is in you!”  Again, problems and possibilities for resolution lie within us.  We cease compromising with fear and negativity.  We eliminate unconstructive thoughts from our minds.  We accentuate the positive.  “If life serves you lemons, make lemonade.”  Find seeds of success in every failure.  Norman Vincent Peale advocates a wholesale change in attitude.  By completing reversing the way we view challenges, we replace anxiety with enthusiasm and faith.

What prevents a person from building the kingdom of God?  Fierce resentment most definitely disqualifies anyone.  Such intense emotions clog the heart.  In addition, perpetual self-serving behavior impedes building the kingdom of God.  Lack of self-control resembles the tip of an iceberg of tremendous proportions that will sink any ship.  The combination of these character defects relegates any believer to being the captain of his own Titanic. 

To realize the kingdom, God calls everyone to a process of personal development and spiritual growth.  This quest for inner healing and wholeness begins with self-evaluation.  It requires daily spiritual disciplines of prayer and meditation.  The Bible is the textbook of life containing wisdom for daily living.  Affirming and applying relevant memory verses creates images of the kingdom of God.  An important supplement is visualization of a just society and success of personal goals and dreams.  A daily period of quiet time and devotion to worship and praise of Almighty God affords you an opportunity to practice spiritual disciplines.