When the Apostle Paul reviewed his life and ministry with the Ephesian elders in Acts 20, he mentioned three main subjects about which he had preached — the gospel of the grace of God, the kingdom of God and all the counsel of God. The order of these is important. We must hear and believe the gospel first, so as to have new life in Christ. Then we must understand the kingdom of God, and, finally, we can learn all the counsel of God. It is the kingdom of God that we wish to consider in this article.
The Kingdom of God
When the Lord Jesus was on earth, He spoke frequently of the kingdom of God, for He had come to set up that kingdom. The expression really refers to the moral character suitable to God’s kingdom, and in His ministry, the Lord Jesus instructed His Jewish listeners as to what would be proper deportment in His kingdom. The natural man could not accept this and, consequently, rejected the Lord Jesus, the One who could say of Himself, “The kingdom of God is in the midst of you” (Luke 17:2121Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. (Luke 17:21) JND).
His work on the cross being complete, believers who now have new life in Christ are called to exemplify in their daily walk that character suitable to the kingdom of God. There is no visible kingdom today, for the rightful King has been rejected and has not yet come back to set up His kingdom. However, those who acknowledge the rightful king are called to act according to the moral quality of that kingdom. The importance of this cannot be stressed too much. In His ministry, Paul speaks repeatedly of the kingdom of God and tells his listeners that those who engage in wicked and fleshly acts will not inherit the kingdom of God. Even before Paul, Philip preached “the things concerning the kingdom of God” (Acts 8:1212But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. (Acts 8:12)), and the Lord Jesus spoke of it in resurrection — “speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:33To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: (Acts 1:3)).
True Christianity
The practical exhibition of the kingdom of God in our lives is the real essence of true Christianity. C. H. Mackintosh expressed it well in this quotation:
“Christianity is a living and divine reality. It is not a set of doctrines, however true; a system of ordinances, however imposing; a number of rules and regulations, however important. Christianity is far more than any or all of these things. It is a living, breathing, speaking, powerful reality — something to be seen in the everyday life — something to be felt in the scenes of personal, domestic history from hour to hour — something formative and influential — a divine and heavenly power introduced into the scenes and circumstances through which we have to move as men, women and children from Sunday morning until Saturday night.
“Christianity is the life of Christ communicated to the believer — dwelling in him — and flowing out from him, in the ten thousand little details which go to make up our daily, practical life.”
The Influence of the World
In writing His Word, the Lord well knew how the influence of the world around us would tend to weaken and even corrupt all this. All through the ages of the Christian testimony, the efforts of Satan have been to drag the believer’s life and behavior down.
When we have to live and move in an appalling condition of things, it is all too easy to fall in with it, at least to some extent. Our language may tend to take on the character of the world, and perhaps rough, uncouth, or even immoral expressions fall from our lips, instead of our speech being “always with grace, seasoned with salt” (Col. 4:66Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. (Colossians 4:6)). Today even women frequently use vulgar terminology that was seldom heard in public only a few years ago.
Showing the Kingdom of God
Our personal and home life, instead of being patterned after and governed by the Word of God, may tend to follow the trends found in magazines, on the television or in the world’s movies. Here is an area where a Christian family can show the kingdom of God. Do we dress in a modest way? Do we, as a family, make time for the things of the Lord? Do we read the Word of God together and talk about it? Children learn by example, largely from their parents and elders. Let us be a positive influence.
In our working and business life, instead of seeking to “serve the Lord Christ” (Col. 3:2424Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. (Colossians 3:24)), we may adopt worldly practices such as lying and cheating, coupled with a self-centeredness that strives to get ahead at all costs. We may laugh at lewd jokes, forgetting that “fools make a mock at sin” (Prov. 14:99Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favor. (Proverbs 14:9)). We may fall into the habit of recklessly borrowing money or living on credit when there is little or no ability to pay it back. We may slide so far into the world’s thinking that we fail to recognize that what we are doing is actually dishonest. But would another believer term it upright and honest? Would my colleagues at work think of me as a “righteous person”?
The Right Moral State
All this greatly weakens our spiritual power and effectively spoils any testimony to unbelievers. Instead of standing apart from the evil, as did Abraham, or being willing to suffer loss rather than sin, as did Joseph, we become like Lot. Despite his good intentions, his wanting the best in this world resulted in his godliness gradually being eroded until he almost perished in God’s judgment on Sodom. In addition to all this, we cannot really lay hold of “all the counsel of God” unless we have first taken to heart the things of the kingdom of God. Unless our moral state is right before God, the Spirit of God will not entrust us with “the deep things of God” (1 Cor. 2:10). We will remain babes in Christ and will not be able to handle the “strong meat” which is reserved for those who are of “full age” (Heb. 5:1414But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (Hebrews 5:14)). More than this, our senses will not be “exercised to discern both good and evil” (Heb. 5:1414But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (Hebrews 5:14)). Because evil has become commonplace to us, it will be impossible for us to differentiate between good and bad.
It does not have to be so. If we seek grace from the Lord to read His Word, to walk in His strength, and to live in separation morally from this world, we will find that the Lord Himself will desire our company. He says, “If any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me” (Rev. 3:2020Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20)).
W. J. Prost