Kingdom

Warning. I've been thinking. Lately I've been thinking about the kingdom of God and how it applies to our lives every day. We talk about being kingdom subjects, under the lordship of Yaweh, but how do we see it and experience it? When I pray, I try to follow the Lord's Prayer example as closely as I can and I always pray for God's kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven.
There is a recent song that has been released by Derek Webb. The chorus is this, "My first allegiance is not to a flag, a country or a man. My first allegiance is not to democracy or blood. It's to a King and a kingdom." Admittedly, I find myself in a strange place. I am a Christian who sometimes doesn't want that label. I see that Christians are defined as zealous patriots and white, middle class Republicans. I don't always feel patriotic. I am undoubtedly white and in the lower middle class. But before any of these definitions touch me, I am a child of God.
I am a kingdom subject. I am an ambassador of God's kingdom, which exists already all around us. But what does that mean? Does it mean that I am hand out brochures about how great heaven is? Heaven isn't really the goal of the Christian life. Christ is. But how do we as the church get Christ to people? Do we merely invite them to church and hope they hear something they like? Do we adjust our prayers and lives to make them comfortable? How do we convince them that God's kingdom is real?That leads me back to the earlier questions. How do we experience God's kingdom? Only then can we share it with others.
In God's kingdom there will be health without limit. Our new bodies will be complete and without suffering. There will be peace. There will be no death, no jealousy, no listless wandering. Everything will point to the Glory which is God. There will be love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, self-control.
These things are what we are to be living in. Healing. Peace. Harmony. I'm starting to sound like John Lennon. But what is it that people are on about all over the world? Is it not peace, healing, harmony...?
Scripture teaches us that it will not come until Jesus does. So are we to sit back and retain our sinfulness until Jesus returns? Absolutely not! We are to live in the kingdom. Let it come to us as it is in heaven. Healing those we can. Bringing peace when we are able. Being at peace with all men as much as it is possible.We are to be more and more Christ like in our lives.
This is how we will be partakers of the redemption of the world. We decrease. Our names are less and less important. The spotlight on us fades as the light inside us grows and overtakes it, the light that is Jesus. Our hearts become well springs of life that others are able to partake of. We will have all things in common. I could go on.
But as it is, we separate ourselves from the world by definition instead of by action and citizenship. We come against those things which we are told our fight is not against. Our war is with things unseen. We see the effects of that war, and like medicine these days, we attack the symptoms and leave the disease to fester and grow.
Pray that God will send His Holy Spirit. Pray that you will be filled. Pray that the kingdom comes on earth as it is in heaven.