Whose Kingdom Is It, Anyway?

Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10a

-What is the Kingdom of God?

            Augustine explained the Kingdom in terms of a city -City of God. Adam and Eve lived in this perfect city to manage and care for it. They lived in constant fellowship with God in the garden and were given rule over the garden. When they sinned, a new city was introduced, the City of Man. All of us were born into that city, East of Eden and live in that city. That city is full of darkness and greed, self-absorption, and selfish ambition. Augustine’s discussion of the two cities reminds us that the Kingdom of God is not something that is part of the political system of this world. No government on earth truly represents God’s Kingdom. Instead, Christians are citizens of the kingdom that will one day arrive in consummate glory. Our hope is not that the governments of this world will transform into the kingdom of God, but that the kingdom of God will come from heaven to earth in power and glory.

Some Christians have mistakenly confused God’s Kingdom with a certain political party or a particular style of government. The Roman emperor Constantine thought that he could bring about God’s Kingdom by political force or some other sociological means. But God’s Kingdom is not of this world. You can make laws against murder stealing, speeding, abortion, homosexuality, pornography, or any illegal or immoral practice you can think of, but none of those laws change the heart of man. As Jesus teaches in this prayer, we are dependent on God and God alone to bring the Kingdom to every heart and every corner of the earth. We cannot manufacture God’s Kingdom by our own efforts. Instead, we are called to be faithful to the Great Commission, trusting that God by his sovereign supernatural grace will spread his redemptive reign to every tribe, nation, and tongue.

 So, what are we ultimately asking for when we pray for your Kingdom to come:

1. We are praying that history will be brought to a close.
2. We are praying to see all nations rejoice in the glory of God.
3. We are praying to see Christ honored as king in every heart.
4. We are praying to see Satan bound and evil vanquished and death no more.
5. We are praying to see the new Jerusalem, new heaven, and a new earth

Enough said! May Your Kingdom come today, Father God!