This post is by Joseph Putnam, a brother in Christ and friend that I have come to know through this blog. This is the introduction of a two-part series that will completed in the near future. You can follow Joseph on Twitter (@JosephPutnam).
The Kingdom of God is a realm in which God can rule and reign. His desire is to have such a realm on the earth today where He can carry out His ruling and reigning. This realm is the Church.
We need to see that the Church is both the house of God and the Kingdom of God. As the house of God, the church is the place where we enjoy the Lord and receive His life. It’s a place of rest, enjoyment, and satisfaction.
But the church is also the Kingdom of God–the place and the realm where God can carry out His divine ruling. Our need today is not only to be those who are enjoying the Church as the house of God, but also to be those experiencing the Church as the Kingdom of God, allowing the Lord to rule and reign within us.
God wants to accomplish His eternal purpose on the earth today. To do this, He needs a group of people who are living under the divine ruling of the Lord’s life within them and cooperating with this ruling to carry out the Lord’s heart’s desire. We need to realize that God wants to accomplish something, and to do so, He needs a group of people who are living under His divine ruling and carrying out His purpose on the earth today.
Will you be such a person? Will you allow the Lord to rule and reign within you so that He can carry out His purpose on the earth?
Hi Quincy,
Thanks again for hosting my post. I’m looking forward to the second installment.
No problem, I was excited to do it!
I like it:
“He needs a group of people who are living under the divine ruling…”
Not just a few super-Christians. A group. That’s a great. How could you do it alone, anyway?
I agree, Clark. It’s not only impossible to do alone, it’s not even God’s will. He wants one unified building instead of a bunch of scattered bricks.
That’s awesome Clark, and a great point. God needs a group of people, and not just a few super Christians.
This reminds me that the Lord as the Great Shepherd (Psa. 23; Jn. 10) restores and refreshes our souls so that we would be willing and able to receive more of the divine life and thus become buildable living stones (1 Pet. 2:5) for God’s building. I really like Joe’s point though that such a builded church is also the realm where God can rule and reign within us. I think I need to pray about this today!
That’s a really good point, and so true. Thanks Hector!
I read Hebrews 12 this week and was impressed with the connection in that chapter (and elsewhere in the Bible) between grace and kingdom. Dispensationally it IS the age of grace and WILL BE the age of the kingdom. But experientially, both should be present realities in the church.
The whole context of the book of Hebrews is the kingdom as a warning and incentive, but the way to run the race that is presented is receiving grace. Only grace can enable us to live under the Lord’s ruling. This really comes out in chapter 12, especially verse 28 – “Therefore receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us have grace, through which we may serve God well-pleasingly with piety and fear.”
Thanks for the post.
Hi Kyle, thanks for the great comment. It’s important to see that we need the supply of the Lord’s in order to live under the Lord’s ruling.