The Kingdom is Now!

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) 

Have you ever really pondered the Kingdom of God?  Perhaps you think of it as Heaven, or maybe as a future time when Jesus comes to reign on earth.  These concepts of the kingdom are certainly a part of the picture, but there is so much more!

Did you know that we can experience kingdom reality right now?  In Matthew 4:17 Jesus proclaims: “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Even further, he tells us in Luke 17:21, that the kingdom of God is within us. That sounds pretty great, but what does it actually mean?  It means that God’s kingdom is not some far away time or place. The kingdom is, in part, a here and now reality.

How do we know this? Scripture teaches us that God’s Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the kingdom, lives within believers. 1 Corinthians 6:19 tells us that our “bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.”  So the Holy Spirit, the very same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11), actually lives within every Christian.  Think about that for a moment.  The same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives within YOU!  This isn’t just a nice comforting thought, this is POWER! 

When we allow God to use us as a channel for His power, reality changes.  Not only do we experience change within ourselves, God uses us to bring about change in the lives of others and in the world around us.  It is this release of power, expressed in love, that brings the kingdom into our present, physical realm.

God wants us to live in his kingdom now, and he wants to use you to make His Kingdom a reality “on earth as it is in heaven”.  Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 4:20 that “…the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.”  Do you want to experience His kingdom reality, not just someday, but now? Are you willing to let God use you for His kingdom? Are you ready to experience His Power?  These aren’t just hypothetical questions.  God’s kingdom is on the move, and he wants you to help set the captives free!

— By Shay Mason