The Kingdom of God... A Primer

By Mike Batley

In Matthew, chapter 4, after Jesus is victorious over Satan and his temptations, after 40 days of fasting, his public ministry is inaugurated. As Jesus goes out, preaching throughout Galilee, he takes a simple message, "Repent and believe, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand."

Literally-Jesus was saying-the Kingdom of God was here.

When it comes to any type of kingdom, we as Americans are at a disadvantage. Oh, sure we are citizens. But we enjoy so much freedom given to us under our Bill of Rights, the Constitution and Democratic Republic system of government that it is difficult to understand what it really means to serve and submit to a sovereign leader. Much less a king that we didn't chose.

The Jews of the first century had a very clear concept in their minds when they heard the phrase "Kingdom of God" or "Kingdom of Heaven." They literally believed that God's rule or the rule of heaven would come down under the leadership of the messiah and that the Messiah/King would take control and restore their nation, their culture, and their way of life.

So what does it mean for us to live now-as Christians-under the rule and reign of the risen Christ our Messiah/King?

What does it look like for us to be Kingdom of Heaven citizens before anything else? How should our lives, priorities, and passions be aligned differently because the Kingdom is at hand?

Throughout the Gospels Jesus uses parables more than any other teaching tool to entice his audience to consider what the Kingdom of God is like. Jesus compares it to...

• A pearl of great price
• Leaven in a lump of dough
• A treasure hidden in a field
• A seed planted in different soils
• A landowner hiring throughout a day
• A king throwing a wedding party
• A dragnet cast into the sea
• A mustard seed

Through the month of August we will take a look at what it means to be the subjects of our benevolent, sovereign, loving King. We'll consider the ramifications of living in the Kingdom that Jesus reigns over and how it is not like the kingdom of men.

But we'll also see that as we submit to our King, as we place ourselves daily under his good and caring rule and reign we will begin to understand how life is to be lived and experience His love and care to the fullest.