Why don’t we talk all the time about Kingdom of God and hardly ever about ”the church”. Why are we nasty and horrible about “the church” in a way we would never be about the Kingdom of God.

It’s all a mystery! Jesus did two things in his three years of ministry. Told stories about the Kingdom of God and healed people. No wonder the crowds were numbered in their thousands. Leave healing aside for a moment, Jesus taught people about the Kingdom and they loved it!

I agree with Hybels, the church is the best hope for the world, because it best represents the presence of the Kingdom. It is where people can best taste and see that it is good.

1. Kingdom Growth

The first story is about growth of a mustard seed. The native Black mustard of Galilee was more of a weed (considered a nuisance) but it could be controlled and cultivated for its seeds to be used as a spice. The seeds themselves were [...Full item]

Matthew 7:17-27

It is not straight forward to enter another country. E.g. In 2000 I hoped to travel to Afghanistan 18 months before 9/11. I just couldn’t get my Pakistan visa to fly to Peshawar. Or when I travelled through western Africa needed a Yellow Fever inoculation. Without the certificate, you cannot travel. Many people try to avoid paying the £60 or so by bribing local officials or risking an injection of who-knows-what!

Once in the country you are committed to living differently. For example to use its money, drive on the correct side of the road, respect its laws. It is no good saying “I’m British, I can do things the way we do at home”. It is the same with entering the Kingdom of God. We need a visa to get in, and then live as its citizens.

Summary of the Kingdom series so far:

1. It is an Upside down kingdom:

Again and again in parables, sermons, and acts Jesus startles us. Things are not [...Full item]

The key prayer of the Christian Church, taught by the Lord Jesus says:

Our Father, who art in Heaven Hallowed be Your Name Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

But what does it mean for God’s Kingdom to come on earth?

There is a very real sense that we often forget about the Kingdom and concentrate on the visible church as an institution. The ‘church’ is the thing that is respects more tangible and visible. The local church, which tends to dominate our horizons, is in fact a representation of a much richer and bigger concept: the rule of God in our lives and our witness to the world. The church is important as the body of believers, but it is the concept of Kingdom living that is of greater importance. We need to keep that wider perspective before us if the local manifestation is to be true to its purpose.

So, as we start this series on the Kingdom, it [...Full item]