
Romans 14:14-18 14 I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 15 Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; 17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.
What is the Kingdom of God?
What is the difference between a Republic (Democracy) and a Kingdom?
A Monarchy is a form of government where a state is headed by a monarch while democracy/republic is a government headed by elected representatives. … Power and position is passed through heritage and bloodline in Monarchy while democracy principally supports elections (people’s choice).
The Scripture declare that God has a kingdom:
Psalms 145:11-13 11 They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom, And talk of Your power,12 To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, And the glorious majesty of His kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.
Religion vs. The Kingdom
Worldwide there are more than 30,000 registered Christian denominations, yet only ONE Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is not a religion, it is a form of government based upon the legal terms (which are not theological terms) of righteousness and justice. How did Jesus react and respond to those who were the religious sects?
Both John the Baptist and Jesus scolded the Jewish religious leaders of His day declaring that their religion was keeping them and their followers out of the Kingdom of Heaven.
But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. Matthew 23:13
Consider: Has religion united or divided? How many wars have originated from religious extremists? Has religion solved or created problems? Neither The Scriptures or Jesus are not about establishing a religion, but a Kingdom.
Jesus did not come to earth to get us into heaven. Jesus came to earth to get heaven into us, by the Promise of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. Religions do not bring heaven to earth, only the Holy Spirit brings heaven to earth. No religion can claim it belongs to the Kingdom of God, for “the Kingdom of God is peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
The Kingdom of God is not a religion
And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. Matthew 4:23
Everywhere Jesus went he preached and he healed. He brought the kingdom of God with him. From heaven to earth. This is exactly how he taught his disciples to pray. He said to pray like this, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
The kingdom of God is Joy – God’s joy is not man’s joy.
John 15:11 11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
Most people understand happiness and look for it in their lives. Yet joy is much more. Happiness occurs in you at your birthday party or at a friend’s wedding, etc. Yet happiness fades so quickly. The day after the party your happiness can disappear as quickly as someone makes a rude comment to you or you miss an appointment due to your overbooking. Joy, however, is based on something much deeper than a celebration or the sunshine in the day. In the Christian’s life joy comes from Jesus. In knowing him and serving him we are full of the joy that comes in being known by him and knowing him. Joy stays with us in the ups and downs of life.
The Kingdom of God is Peace – God’s peace is not man’s peace.
John 14:27 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
The peace that Christ gives is much like the joy he gives. It is very much based on his character and his deeds on our behalf. The peace we may know in this world is more about the lack of war, strife and conflict. The peace of Christ is focused on him as a person and his deep desire to show his love to us. It is a relational peace that continues in spite of the conditions of world leaders’ relationships. It is a deep confidence that God is with us and is always founded on the promises of God. Jesus said, “I will never leave you, nor forget you.” So we are at rest deep inside our soul. He is with you and me.
The Kingdom of God is Righteousness – God’s righteousness is not man’s righteousness.
Isaiah 64:6 6 But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousness is like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; Matthew 6:33a
True meaningful satisfying peace and joy do not come from our labor or from the possessions we may acquire, they are products only of righteousness of and through the Holy Spirit. It is because of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross that we have righteousness. It’s his righteousness. He makes us right with the Father. In the flesh we love to be right. To say I am not right is so difficult for a human. However, our lives were corrupted by sin in this world and we are not right. Then Jesus died and made a way for you to be right.
What is the News of the Kingdom of God?
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. Matthew 24:14
We have heard many pastors preach that when the “gospel” is preached throughout the world, Christ will return. Yet, what exactly is the “gospel” that needs to be preached? Is it preaching a “gospel” about the Christian religion? Is it preaching the “gospel of the Good News of Jesus Christ, or the “gospel of John the Baptist?” What “gospel” did Jesus preach? He preached The kingdom of God is here.
Matthew 4:17,23 – From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. …And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
The Kingdom of God does not have members; it is made up of citizens.
God created the Kingdom of Heaven (spiritual) and created earth and man (physical) to expand and share His Kingdom upon the earth. Although the kingdom concept is the same, the Kingdom of God in not like the failed kingdoms of the earth, where sinful men were kings. It is a Kingdom where Jesus is King, in whom there is no sin.
Jesus said His Kingdom was not of the world. He never said His Kingdom was not in the world. The Kingdom of God is the government of Heaven and Christ is its King, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. All kingdoms exist to manage a domain, and when one is “born again” he leaves the domain of darkness and enters the domain of the Light of the World, the Kingdom of Heaven.
The Kingdom of God is not a “religion” but a government. In the Kingdom of God, it is not a government of the people. It is a “Thus says the Lord” style of government. Christians living in western civilizations under “democracies” may find it difficult to identify with the Kingdom mentality. There are no elections in the Kingdom, there is one King of Kings, who is Lord of Lords. While a Constitution can be amended, there are no amendments that can be made to the Law of God, the Word of God.
The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. It is a kingdom of which God rules over all. The believers in Christ become citizens of that kingdom. The citizenship is paid for by the blood of Christ. By the citizenship we have the authority to bring the kingdom of God to places, people and situations. It is not a religion; It is a kingdom. Christ came to bring the kingdom of God; to get the kingdom inside of you. The kingdom of God is in you and with you. If you are open to it, the kingdom privileges are all yours. The authority and power of heaven is available to you. However, you have to submit to the king then stand up and recognize your citizenship. When you do that the kingdom of God becomes real for you.