Kingdom of God

The Kingdom is not an adjective that can be applied to church programmes.

“Kingdom” is a noun. We need a vision of a different kingdom.

• The Kingdom of God is a different government.

• The Kingdom of God is a transformed society.

• The Kingdom of God is a different way of living.

A kingdom is a people living in a territory controlled by a king. They serve him and obey his laws.

The Kingdom of God is a group of people living in the same area and committed to obeying and serving Jesus.

So what does the Kingdom of God look like in practice?

• The building block of the kingdom is a group of people who have chosen to follow Jesus. They listen to the Holy Spirit and follow his leading and guidance.

• They choose to become a community of people living in the same neighbourhood, so they can support each other.

• They love one another. They serve each other, because they love one another.

• The people of the community love and serve everyone in their neighbourhood. Most of the people who have not chosen to follow Jesus are drawn to him, or get pulled into the community’s activities.

• The leaders are wise people that provide guidance, without using control, intimidation or manipulation.

• It is not clear how they became leaders, but everyone trusts them, because the love and serve the community. People submit to them because they trust them.

• The leaders love each other and submit to each other. They check with each other before making decision that will affect the rest of the community.

• The leaders have balanced giftings that enable them to complement each other. One is quite black and white. Another is good at establishing connecting with people they do not know. Several had a shepherd’s heart.

• People who choose to follow Jesus give away their unrighteous wealth. This is used to support people in need and to pay restitution to people who are the victims of crime.

• The community provides social support for anyone in the community who falls into trouble. They do the same for everyone living in the neighbourhood.

• Deacons use the money that is given away to support the poor. They teach them how to live more responsibility and support themselves.

• The community protects everyone in their neighbourhood from spiritual attack by standing against the spiritual powers of evil.

• The community provides protection for everyone in their neighbour against attacks of violence, by prayer and solidarity.

• Leaders of the community find or provide employment for their neighbours.

• People who follow Jesus, save more and spend less. This frees resources for starting businesses that benefit the community and neighbourhood.

• Leaders provide wise and fair decisions to solve legal disputes over property for everyone in the neighbourhood, including those who do not follow Jesus.

• The leaders provide justice for everyone in their neighbourhood, who experienced theft or violence.

• They ensure that criminals provide restitution. The community pays the restitution to the victim, if the criminal refuses to pay it.

• Different groups of people meet together frequently to pray.

• Different groups of people gather together to worship.

• The leaders send teams of people out to start new communities in other neighbourhoods. This is how the Kingdom of God expands.

More at Kingdom of God.