The kingdom of heaven is among us. Wherever Jesus is, there is the kingdom of heaven. Is He in you? Then the kingdom is, too.
“The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, 21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is in your midst.” Luke 17:20b
As we continue looking at the Baptist Faith & Message, today we look at:
IX. The Kingdom
The Kingdom of God includes both His general sovereignty over the universe and His particular kingship over men who willfully acknowledge Him as King. Particularly the Kingdom is the realm of salvation into which men enter by trustful, childlike commitment to Jesus Christ. Christians ought to pray and to labor that the Kingdom may come and God’s will be done on earth. The full consummation of the Kingdom awaits the return of Jesus Christ and the end of this age.
Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 9:6-7; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Matthew 3:2; 4:8-10,23; 12:25-28; 13:1-52; 25:31-46; 26:29; Mark 1:14-15; 9:1; Luke 4:43; 8:1; 9:2; 12:31-32; 17:20-21; 23:42; John 3:3; 18:36; Acts 1:6-7; 17:22-31; Romans 5:17; 8:19; 1 Corinthians 15:24-28; Colossians 1:13; Hebrews 11:10,16; 12:28; 1 Peter 2:4-10; 4:13; Revelation 1:6,9; 5:10; 11:15; 21-22.
The kingdom of God is also the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom is wherever its King is, so if the King rules in our hearts, then the kingdom has come to us, and we are part of His kingdom. Peter calls us “living stones”:
4 So as you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but chosen and precious in God’s sight, 5 you yourselves, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood and to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 2:4-5
Paul implies the same when he says that we are a holy temple in the Lord,
19 So then you are no longer foreigners and noncitizens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, 20 because you have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Ephesians 2:19-22
So, we don’t have to wait to get to heaven to join Christ in His kingdom, although we will receive glorified bodies when we do,
20 But our citizenship is in heaven—and we also eagerly await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform these humble bodies of ours into the likeness of his glorious body by means of that power by which he is able to subject all things to himself. Philippians 3:20-21
Let’s rejoice that we are part of His kingdom right now!
Abba, thank You for not waiting for us to die to be with us. Having You in my life is greater than anything this world has to offer. Besides, You have promised something so much greater than this world. In fact, You have already “rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son You love, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14). Hallelujah! Praise You, Lord Jesus! Thank You, Abba! Amen.
In the Master's Hands 