3:1-12). The primary commandment from the beginning of creation has been love, the foundation of God’s kingdom… existed as a plan, pattern, or purpose in terms of a spiritual fellowship in Christ before the world began (Eph. Before that day arrives, the period in which we are living is the time for the people of God … This is the Kingdom of God we are advancing and lives are on the line. The kingdom of God on the earth today is the church of Christ. The divine enablement to see the Kingdom of God is a consequence of regeneration in the human heart by the Holy Spirit. “The theology of the cross clarifies the hidden nature of the kingdom of God during ‘this present age.’” (229) Between Christ’s resurrection and return, the kingdom is hidden beneath the cross. The Benefits of the Inner Kingdom: Constant flow of outer abundance. God heals because He loves you so much that He doesn’t want to see you sick! Just what the kingdom consists of, however, has been hotly debated in Christian theology. The Kingdom of God. The Kingdom is the Rule or Reign of God or will or heart of God (Mt 5:10). Jesus only hinted at the nature of the Kingdom in parables, so the details are shrouded in mystery (and in theological controversy.) And that kind of distortion is specifically why Jesus spent so much time teaching about the true nature of the kingdom of God…. His first public message was, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Joe Lewis. Love is the reason He displays His power and glory! Whatever the outcome, let us explore this magnificent topic to get the best possible answer. The kingdom of God is synonymous with the kingdom of heaven. Jesus' parables centered on the nature of the Kingdom of God. However, a careful, exegetical study of the use of the kingdom in Matthew provides at least a framework for continued study. That many stumble over the spiritual nature of the kingdom of God grieves us. After all, it sums it up rather clearly. The kingdom of God is a way of describing the reign of God. A long line of Christian interpretation has emphasized the otherworldly nature of the kingdom, removed from temporal concerns. Those who possess the kingdom of God and His righteousness attract a constant flow of opportunities and abundance. Seeing the Kingdom “Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, if one is not generated from above, he is not able to see the kingdom of God” John 3:3. Such is the magnetic nature of God’s inner kingdom. A contrast of scopes: The kingdom of the world is intrinsically tribal in nature, … 1Th 2:12 See also Mt 25:34-36; 2Pe 1:10-11. The Nature of the Kingdom The kingdom of God is unlike any kingdom that has ever existed on earth. The Kingdom of God is hidden from unbelievers. Lives are on the line. (230) There is a distinction between the hidden rule of God in “this … Some have insisted that, for Jesus and the authors of the New Testament, the kingdom is a present reality. "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." The Kingdom of God is not an actual location. Jesus said, \"No, it is not coming in a way that can b… Broadly speaking, the kingdom of God is the rule of an eternal, sovereign God over all the universe. United Methodists, with other Christians, recognize that the reign of God is both a present and future reality. Jn 18:36; Ro 14:17. Whatever you need or want seems to find its way to you. Thus, God’s kingdom will practically and completely come upon the earth. Bible Quiz: The Kingdom of God 1) The "Kingdom of God" or "Kingdom of Heaven" is at the very core of the teachings of both John the Baptist and Jesus, especially in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. When allowance is made for the use of the word to refer to secular kingdoms and for parallel verses of the same sayings of Jesus, the phrase ‘the kingdom of God’ and equivalent expressions (e.g., ‘Kingdom … The kingdom of God was God's spiritual reign in the life of the believer that resulted in an inner moral ethic. “The Kingdom of God has to do with the time when God exercises his sovereign rule over the affairs of mankind, the time when God steps on the scene and ushers in his rule, and his reign.” – Gordon Fee [Please note that these videos feature a much younger Gordon Fee who is still eloquent and very engaging.] Or is it something else that we as human beings cannot grasp with our limited mindset. Jesus did teach that in his person and work the kingdom had … ln our own time the nature of the kingdom of God, especially as presented in the New Testament, has been a matter of controversy. He saves because he loves you too much that He doesn’t want you to perish! John Wesley recognized both of these aspects of God's reign: "The kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are but two phrases for the same thing. As Christians we must be able to have Biblical answer… The kingdom came in the presence of Jesus Christ as King. Our text, Luke 17:20–21, is aclear statement that Christ's own coming is the coming of thekingdom.First, Jesus begins to correct a misunderstanding of thekingdom—namely, that it would come with such observable signsthat it would be unmistakable: Rome would be overturned, Israelwould be vindicated, and an earthly kingdom would be established. “God’s kingdom will not be hidden by the cross forever." The debates over the nature of the kingdom of God will continue. The kingdom of God does not conform to the standards of this world. The Gospel Mark examined the content of Jesus’ Gospel thus: ‘The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel’ (Mk 1.15). Perhaps this whole idea was from this quote that I just heard my friend Joe say. Mat 5:10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. But it does not surprise us. (2 Corinthians 4:4) It is a time of struggle, trials, worries and deceit—but it is also a time of growth that leads toward God’s harvest. Those who inherit the kingdom of God are to bear its fruit. But the best thing about all of this is: The kingdom of God is God’s gift to us. The coming of Kingdom of God involved God taking back the supremacies of history, which he allowed the Pagan empires that had ruled. The answer is, the kingdom of God is God’s reign — his sovereign action in the world to redeem and deliver a people and then at a future time finish it and renew his people and the universe completely. Trading the Throne for a Cross Then the kingdom of this world will become the kingdom of God and Christ. The Kingdom of God is as broad and as overarching as the presence of God which renews and transforms and recreates everything touched by it. Being planned and created by God, it defies and contradicts human conceptions All needs and even good desires are fulfilled. And they are right — partially. Sin Challenged God’s Authority over His Kingdom. Is it that personal hope that one day after our death we will enter into the Kingdom of God and have eternal life? This ethic focused on Jesus' teachings concerning the universal Fatherhood of God, the infinite value of … The spirituality of the kingdom of God is offensive to multitudes today. Do we really know what the Kingdom of God is, or are we only speculating? The Lord has commanded us to seek “first the kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33). Our Lord addressed his teachings on the kingdom of God to these Israelites, to those with false earthly ideas of the kingdom. The Nature of the Kingdom A kingdom, as we all know, is a defined area containing a subject people, ruled by a lord or king who defines the laws of the land and blesses all who faithfully serve him. It’s easy to think of the Kingdom … The Kingdom of God (or Kingdom of Heaven as Matthew likes to call it) is similar to an earthly kingdom. Exactly this was the offense of the kingship and kingdom of the Messiah to the Jews of Jesus’ own day. Introduction. The concept of the kingdom of God takes on various shades of meaning in different passages of Scripture. Please do me a favor right now: Please bookmark the main Jesus and the Kingdom Bible Study page so you can find it again easily. The kingdom of God, as described in these parables, is not a utopia in which everything is perfect. Scripture speaks of Satan’s … The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible says this about the Kingdom of God: “The word ‘kingdom’ is found fifty-five times in Matthew; twenty times in Mark, forty-six times in Luke and five times in John. But in our time we can add the fact that while the secular world tends to look with suspicion on virtually every other element in Christian belief -- the existence of a personal God, the nature of man, the He came to save us from our sins and to put things right from the kingdom of man. It advances through the lives of kingdom citizens in the … The kingdom of God is and will be a kingdom of peace Christ’s teaching about the kingdom of God. The Kingdom may exist in the individual human heart, in groups, in institutions, and in nature. What you do (or don’t do) today may have an effect on whether or not someone comes to know Christ. 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