oNCE, HAVING BEEN ASKED BY THE PHARISEES WHEN THE KINGDOM OF GOD WOULD COME, JESUS REPLIED, “THE KINGDOM OF GOD DOES NOT COME WITH YOUR CAREFUL OBSERVATION, NOR WILL PEOPLE SAY, ‘HERE IT IS,’ OR ‘THERE IT IS,’ BECAUSE THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS WITHIN YOU” (LUKE 17:20-21).
TODAY’S DEVOTION
By now it should be abundantly clear that the Kingdom of Heaven is not a religion and has nothing at all to do with religion. In Eden, the original Kingdom Garden on Earth, there was no religion. There was no “worship” in the sense that we usually understand the word. Adam and Eve enjoyed full, open, and transparent fellowship and interaction with their Creator in a mutual relationship of pure love with absolutely no guilt, shame, or fear. Their disobedience broke that relationship, and humanity’s efforts to restore it on their own without divine assistance gave rise to religion.
The Kingdom of Heaven is the sovereign rulership of the King (God) over a territory (Earth), impacting it with His will, purposes, and intent, producing a citizenry of people (ekklesia—the church) who express a culture reflecting the nature and lifestyle of the King. Therefore, as we have already seen, the Kingdom of Heaven is a real, literal country, although invisible to physical eyes because it is spiritual in nature. As King of Heaven, God’s big idea was to extend the influence of His heavenly country over and throughout the Earth. So we are really talking about two things here: God’s country and its influence.
(God’s Big Idea, Chapter Six)
CONSIDERATIONS
1. Wherever the Kingdom of God is, the Kingdom of Heaven has influence. So wherever we go as Kingdom citizens, the influence of the King should go along. Are believers as aware as they should be about their sphere of influence?
2. A strong and rich culture can wield influence far beyond its geographical boundaries. Name a few ways culture or values have infiltrated nations outside their origin.
3. There are two kinds of influence: the influence of the moment, which spreads rapidly and then disappears just as quickly; and lasting influence, which grows more slowly, but succeeds through persistence and permeation. Give examples of how both types of influence can or cannot be of value to planting gardens for His glory.
4. What is meant by the term “Irresistible Influence” concerning the Kingdom?
5. At least 4,000 years have passed from the time Adam and Eve lost the Kingdom in Eden until Christ announced its return. God has been continually working out His plan. Do you see an end in sight?
MEDITATION
Ultimately, the influence of God’s Kingdom is irresistible. This does not mean that everyone eventually will enter the Kingdom, but it does mean that someday everyone will acknowledge the reality, authority, and absolute supremacy of the Kingdom of Heaven. The apostle Paul stated plainly that the day will come when “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:10-11). The word Lord means “owner,” and is a term properly applied to a king. Christ is the King of an eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing, present-everywhere Kingdom, and one day everyone will confess that this is so, even those who have rejected His Kingdom.
(God’s Big Idea, Chapter Six)
Is your influence making a difference in those around you? In those you love?