Third, since the full expression of the kingdom is “not yet,” man must “believe in the gospel.” God’s kingdom is not perceived by human sight and therefore it is fully appropriated only by faith. Thus we can understand why we must become like little children to comprehend the kingdom. We must preach in such a manner to help our people replace childish faith with childlike faith.
Fourth, the phrase, “is at hand” reminds us the kingdom has not yet fully invaded our planet. When Jesus made this declaration, the kingdom was “at hand” in the flesh. It was fully expressed in the Son of Man, yet not fully realized on earth or even among His followers. Nonetheless, the seed of the kingdom had been sown and the harvest of the kingdom is now assured. Since the kingdom came in Jesus but is not yet complete, there is the open invitation for us to be involved in the advance of the kingdom.
Advertisement
Jesus inaugurated the kingdom and its spread is continued by the Holy Spirit through the church until it is brought definitively to earth by the Son of Man, the risen and resurrected Lord. Thus we must follow Jesus’ example and preach in such a manner that we encourage our hearers to bring kingdom principles into ongoing earthly relationships. Kingdom preaching will not only have personal implications, but it will have social implications as we work to His righteousness on earth. Let me suggest a few implications or appropriate kingdom involvement.
Since the kingdom is a divine prerogative, our first response is to pray. The focus of the Prayer of Jesus in Matthew 6 was to fast forward kingdom realities into present day relationships. Jesus taught His disciples to pray that God’s kingdom would come on earth as it is in heaven. When we listen to our prayers, we often find that they are focused on issues of our kingdom and not His. Even our requests for bread, forgiveness, and deliverance from evil all have the intended results of enabling us to focus on His kingdom.
Second, kingdom citizens are to serve with the firm assurance that the rightful king is returning. Many of the parables of Jesus concerning the kingdom deal with the priority of service among kingdom minded persons. We have not always placed issues such as stewardship and service in the broader context of kingdom privilege and accountability.
Third, we must boldly declare the gospel of the Kingdom. Even a cursory reading of Acts indicates that the Holy Spirit provided the members of the early church with the empowering to boldly declare the gospel. Statistics among all evangelicals tell us the church has not been very bold in declaring this incredible news about the kingdom of God.
Fourth, we must model kingdom living. This task must flow from the top. You cannot preach with conviction about a kingdom lifestyle unless you as preacher are willing to embody and model kingdom living. This means that we must allow the beatitudes to speak to us and to transform us. We must humbly ask the Father to produce His character in us. We must be passionate about mercy, purity, peacemaking, and the quest for God’s righteous rule on planet earth. We must be salt and light as we preach the gospel of the kingdom.
We must both engage the culture and work for its transformation. Paul tells us “The Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17). Our preaching should not lead to a new form of legalism, but to a new freedom which works for righteousness and peace in the context of joy.
_____________________
Ken Hemphill is National Strategist for the Empowering Kingdom Growth effort among Southern Baptists.