Kingdom Greatness - Deeper into the Kingdom (Part 4)

Into the Kingdom I think of the Kingdom of God as consisting of layers of increasing and expanding experience of the inward Presence of God’s Spirit. He is at work, using the Word of God, to move us ever forward in our journey toward Jesus Christ. By walking in the Spirit and being filled with Him, we enter more completely into the Kingdom and the great salvation we have in Jesus.

The film, The Wizard of Oz, captured this idea quite well. In her dream, Dorothy was conveyed by a powerful storm out of her black-and-white existence on a Kansas farm into the technicolor world of Oz, a land of Munchkins, flying monkeys, good and bad witches, and three remarkable companions. Dorothy learned that the goal of her journey back home would have to go through the Emerald City and the great Wizard of Oz. A good spirit instructed and encouraged her and gave her a pair of ruby slippers which had power to protect. Then she began her journey, ever deeper into the Land of Oz and its wonders and mysteries, until at last, she and her companions, who joined her along the way, arrived at their destination, only to discover it was all a hoax.

That’s where the comparison with the Kingdom of God ends. Because at the end of our journey, in the Presence of the Triune God, ruled by the Lord Jesus Christ in a new heavens and new earth, there will be no disappointments, no sorrows, no regrets, only ever pressing on together into the deeper realization of the Presence of God in every area of life. We will be finally and forever home.

But there’s a catch. To complete her journey to the Emerald City, Dorothy had to endure many trials. And the same is true for us as we strive to realize more of the presence, promise, and power of the Kingdom of God.

Ready for Affliction

Great experiences of the Kingdom of await us as we journey on our pilgrimage to the Lord. But that doesn’t mean the way will be easy. The apostle Paul did not mince words about how to realize more of the greatness of God’s Kingdom. He told the churches in Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, as he was working to strengthen their souls, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14.20-22).

What can sustain us when we are afflicted with personal failures, setbacks and disappointments, betrayal, loss, suffering, and many other unavoidable tribulations of this life? Most important is our vision of Jesus, exalted in glory, ruling over all things, shepherding His sheep, dispatching angels to help in various ways, and all the while preparing a place for us when our journey through this life is through. No wonder Paul, who advised us about many afflictions to come, instructed to set our minds on Jesus, exalted in glory, and not on the troubles and trials of this world (Col. 3.1-3).

But we must also nurture a vision of the Kingdom as it comes to earth in and through us, the citizens and ambassadors of that glorious realm. What will righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit look like as they are increasing in our lives? Through us to others? What about beauty, goodness, and truth? How are we planning and working to know more of these?

The Kingdom of God, Paul explained, consists of just these sorts of things, virtues and lifestyles and works of ministry that we can increase in day by day. But we must keep our focus of these if we are to grow through our afflictions into Kingdom greatness.

There will be opposition, of course, as well as afflictions of various kinds. But the clearer and more constant our vision of Christ is, seated on His throne as He oversees the progress of a glorious not-of-this-world Kingdom, the more our afflictions can serve to strengthen rather than stifle us and to bring us more deeply into the realization of the Kingdom of the living God.

Don’t settle for some comfy, mediocre, easy, or safe place in the Kingdom of God. There are wonders to know, grace to experience and express, and transformation to undergo by which we may become more like Jesus every day.

Seek the Kingdom of God and seek it in all its greatness. We have the Spirit of God to guide and empower, angels to protect and assist, and a glorious company of departed saints who are even now interceding for us that we may realize the Kingdom greatness God has prepared for us, here and now.

So today, step a yellow brick or two ahead into your Kingdom life and journey. Trust your efforts to the Lord, and, when afflictions come, enter them with courage, knowing that God will use the trials we must endure to open our eyes and lives to the greater glories of His eternal realm.

T. M. Moore