“Repent, for the Kingdom of God has come near you”_ Jesus Christ
Dear brothers and
sisters,
READING
V: LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- What is a kingdom?
- The many kingdoms
- Kingdoms in conflict
- With whom are you reigning?
- Disciples reigns with God
WHAT
IS A KINGDOM?
A kingdom refers to a
country, state, or territory ruled by a king or queen, as in the Kingdom of
Thailand. In a kingdom such as Thailand, it is the king who rules
the nation. His choice, his will, and his decision fundamentally determine what
happens in his Nation.
A kingdom however also
refers to a domain in which something is dominant; it refers to a realm that is
uniquely our own, where our choice determines what happens.
We all have our own
kingdom, in other words, we all rule, we govern, or are in charge of at least
our own lives. When you come across a boy, who shout and scream at other boys
not to come near him, or not to touch his toys, he is basically saying “I am in
charge of these toys,” “I rule over them,” and you boys (have no right or)
should not touch my toys. Well, that’s a kingdom thing. A boy is reigning and
he rules over his toys.
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name, your Kingdom come, Your Will be done” (Matthew 6:9). The
key to understanding a kingdom is “Will.” In His likeness, God has created us
as free will creatures, we are made to exercise our Will, to rule, to govern,
and that is what makes a human being unique. We are given a “Free Will,” power
and ability to choose and reject, to build and destroy, to rule and govern,
etc. that is what it means_ “to be human.” Dallas Willard poignantly
wrote, “In creating human beings God made them to rule, to reign, to have
dominion in a limited space. Only so can they be persons.” (Divine Conspiracy,
29)
THE
MANY KINGDOMS
Not only do people have
their own kingdoms, we learned from the Bible that even Satan has his kingdom.
In Matthew 4, we learned how Satan tempted Jesus after 40 days and nights of
fasting. Satan pointed Jesus to the kingdoms of this world and said he will
give it (assuming his power over and reign over the kingdoms of this world) if
Jesus would bow down and worship him. In Mark, we read an account where the
teachers of the law accused Jesus saying that he is possessed by the prince of
demons, and Jesus replied, “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is
divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.” (Mark 3:20-24). So apart
from kingdoms we all rule and govern, there are the kingdoms of the worlds, and
there is a kingdom of Satan. Each one governs their own kingdoms.
When Jesus came to the
world, he came to announce the Kingdom of God, “Repent, for the Kingdom of God
has come near you” (Matthew 4:7). Jesus announced the Good News that His coming
to the world has now made it possible for all of us to be in God’s Kingdom here
on earth, to rule and reign with God.
KINGDOMS
IN CONFLICT
The nation of Israel
after the reign of King Solomon was divided into the Northern and the Southern
Kingdom. They fought with each other, they fought against enemies, and they
even fought with among themselves, in their own kingdom. As Jesus truly stated,
“If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand,” so it was
with the Nation of Israel. Both the kingdoms were totally destroyed by their
enemies!
Do we also not see the
countless divisions and conflicts in our society and the world today? It’s a
kingdom conflict.
When Jesus came and
announced the Good News of the Kingdom of God, the teachers of the law, the
Pharisees, and many other people opposed Jesus. There were countless conflicts,
kingdoms in conflict. The teachers of laws and Pharisees wanted to rule and
reign even in the streets and the Synagogues. They strongly opposed Jesus and
eventually with the help of the Roman government they crucified Him.
There was a group of
people who opposed the truth of God’s grace and bewitched the believers in
Galatia. Their beliefs and practices were in conflict with the Gospel of Grace
and the teachings of the Apostles. In such context, Paul rebuked believers
wrote, “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you (to bewitch a person,
frequently by use of evil eye and with evil intent) before your very eyes Jesus
Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified” (Galatians 3:1). Apostle Peter wrote
to believers to be alert and of sober mind, because their enemy the devil
prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1
Peter 5:8).
The last book of the
Bible, the book of Revelation ends with a great conflict between the kingdom of
Satan and the Kingdom of Jesus, a mighty war between the kings of this world
led by Satan and the King Jesus Christ along with his followers. Of course, the
victory was easily won by King Jesus because He is the King of kings and the
Lord of lords (Revelation 19).
The kingdoms in conflict
are real. History is loud and clear about the conflicts. The present-day is not
without exception. There are conflicts and wars (physical and spiritual)
happening somewhere even as I write, and there are conflicts and wars happening
within each one of us, in the spiritual realm, every day, and every
hour. Indeed we must heed the words of Apostle Peter, to be sober
mind because our enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring
lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).
WITH
WHOM ARE YOU REIGNING?
“For none of us
lives to himself alone, and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live,
we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live
or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Christ died and returned
to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living,” writes
Apostle Paul (Romans 14:7-9).
We all have our own
kingdom, we live, we rule, and we reign, but by our will, our kingdoms are
either given, and so controlled by the kingdom of Satan, or submit, and so
received into the kingdom of God. Satan dominates and controls people to do his
will- which are evil, destructive, and bad. God liberates and frees people to
do His will- which is good, pleasing, and perfect.
If someone’s lives,
deeds, and beliefs are opposite to how Christ lived and taught, he or she is
living in his own kingdom and is reigning with Satan. “As for you, you were
dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you
followed the ways of this world and other rulers of the kingdom of the air, the
spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient” (Ephesians 2:1-2).
Those who have
surrendered their “will,” and said to God and themselves, I am no longer the
one and only in charge of my own life, I am no longer the one and only ruler of
my own desire, and have I submitted my life under the Lordship of
Christ. Such people will begin to reign their lives with God
Jesus reigned with God
when He came on the earth for the redemption mission that is why He said, “My
Father if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not my will, but
as your will” (Matthew 26:36-42); “For I did not speak on my own, but the
Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken” (John 12:49).
DISCIPLES
REIGN WITH GOD
At the gate of the
temple called Beautiful, a lame beggar begged Peter and John for money, but they
don’t have it with them. Peter then looked straight at the beggar, said, “Silver
and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus
Christ of Nazareth, walk! Then taking him by the right hand, Peter helped him
up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his
feet and began to walk” (Acts 3:1-8). Again on another occasion the Apostles
were persecuted and commanded not to share the Good News of the Kingdom of God,
but in such a thorny situation Peter and the other Apostles replied, “We must obey
God rather than human beings!” (Acts 5:29).
Without God’s power,
Peter could never have performed the sign and wonder. The miracle event at the
gate of the Temple was a manifestation of Peter reigning with God. Also in the
midst of the life-threatening situation, the Apostles could courageously stand
on their ground, to do the will of God which was to keep preaching the Good
News. God was with them, they were reigning with
God.
What about us as
disciples of Jesus? Do we see God’s working through our lives? We are very
limited in our ability and power to bring about changes and good things; we
have lots of limitations as humans. I would like to quote Willard once again,
he said, “Now, what we can do by our unassisted strength is very small. What we
can do acting with mechanical, electrical, or atomic power is much greater….
What we can do with these means (mechanical, electrical or atomic power) is
still very small comparing to what we could do acting in union with God
Himself, who created and ultimately controls all other forces.” (Divine
Conspiracy, 30)
Wow! As disciples of
Jesus, if we reign with God there is much we can all do… Do you believe that?
As we continue to seek,
to learn, and to obey as disciples of Jesus, may the Holy Spirit teach us to
know more about the Good News of the Kingdom of God!
“When we submit what and where we are to God, our rule or
dominion then increase”_ Dallas Willard
PRAYER POINTS:
1. Pray that you submit yourself to God, and then
resist the devil (James 4:7)
2. Pray for God’s Kingdom to come and for His Will
to be done in your life, in our society, in our political realm (Matthew
6:9-14)
3. Pray that God will continue to give you wisdom
and knowledge to live as a faithful disciple of Jesus (James 1:5)
4. Pray for RCFD Discipleship-II members.
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