A Change of Mind: The Kingdom is Now
From that time, Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.—Matt. 4:17
It has been my observation that most folks see the Kingdom of God as something off in the distance, possibly somewhere in the heavens or off in the future. It’s not really something that is a front-and-center reality in our everyday lives. I get it, it’s not exactly a message that gets a lot of airplay in the church today. The truth is, the Kingdom is here and now, and Jesus said it is the most important thing for us as Christians to SEEK or pursue daily!
The Kingdom is an absolutely vital key for unlocking the true power of our Christian lives. It is, in essence, the King Himself. For us, it is Christ in us, the absolute assurance of His glory. John came preaching it, and Jesus was relentless in His teaching of it, mentioning it well over 100 times. It was the central theme and message that He shouted from the rooftops.
John and Jesus were both preaching, “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus Himself was the Kingdom personified: The King of Kings. Now, before we get too far into this, I want to take a minute to clarify the word repent. Repent in the New Testament is the Greek word metanoeó. Don’t worry about the pronunciation; it is a very interesting word that we will get to shortly!
Most of us grew up hearing the word repent in the context of sorrow, the awareness of our sinfulness, and the hardship of putting that sin behind us; that sounds exactly like the law to me, not grace. While it’s important to realize sin and turn from it, it is more important to realize the goodness of God. Yeah, I said that. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.
The Bible says that both godly sorrow and the goodness of God lead men to repentance. This godly sorrow comes only by the goodness of God. It is in this dynamic display of truth through the gentleness of His love that our minds begin to change by grace through faith.
This word, metanoeó, means to change your mind or think differently afterward. It’s through our exposure to the truth, in combination with our experience of the goodness of God, that our minds began to change afterward. Goodness of God encounters change our minds, and that means repentance. So, I invite you to change your mind because, whether you know it or not, and now you should, the Kingdom is the King who is inherently GOOD and the Kingdom is paramount!
I believe the Kingdom is a distant concept for many because the church has provided little exposure or information about it. As the Apostle Paul said, How will they know, if no one preaches it?” If you don’t know you have something, you’ll act like you don’t. There is a vast difference between living from the Kingdom and living toward it. If it is a distant reality, you’ll live toward it. If it is here, now, and yours, you’ll live from it! Jesus said, It is at hand, (Here! Now!)
This seeking of the Kingdom, what does it mean? Why would we seek it if it is here? And, doesn’t that mean that we would be living toward it, not from it? All great questions!
To seek is a good word of action, but it is slightly off in meaning. The Greek word for ‘seek’ corresponds to the Hebrew word for ‘seek’. I know. I know, you are probably incredibly in awe of my Greek and Hebrew scholarship! Enough of that! The Hebrew word for seek is used in a Bible passage that contains my all-time favorite scripture, and it’s all about the goodness of God!
Jeremiah 29:11-13
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
In both the Old and New Testaments, to seek means to worship! To be completely consumed with the One Who is the Most High! This word to seek is the passionate pursuit of the King! It is the worship in Spirit and truth Jesus speaks of in John 4:24. It is the crème de la crème of all that is godliness!
This call that Jesus and John have given is to hear the Father’s heart concerning the Kingdom and think differently afterward. This thinking differently after the fact is a result of tasting and seeing that God is good. It becomes our passionate pursuit of the Kingdom and all of His righteousness. It is a call to a life of grace that is focused not on our sin or shortcomings, but on the target of His goodness and rule within us: the power of Heaven’s transformational influence!
To seek is to worship! What we worship is the highest priority in our path. That is who the King is to be! Thus, Jesus told us in Matthew 6:33 to SEEK or worship the Kingdom (The KING) in the highest priority of all things! He is to be second to none!
This Kingdom is here. This Kingdom is now. This King means to rule in our hearts, subduing and erradicating all that is not of Him. He is at work in all things for our good and His glory. Change your mind. Lay hold of His rule within you at all costs. Allow this King to change everything in you and lead you to a destiny that will change the world around you for the glory of His Kingdom! As John and Jesus said, Change your mind, the Kingdom of Heaven is now!
In the passionate pursuit of His Kingdom,
Pastor Jason
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I welcome and encourage you to post your comments in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
Good!
Thanks, AT! I appreciate it.
True humility is to agree with what God says about us. He says our sins are forgiven through faith in Him, yet we continue to wrestle with sin and our identity. He says “ we’ve been made perfect for all time through His one sacrifice, yet we continue to confess we’re not good enough. It’s a struggle because most of us repeat what we feel, see, or have heard, rather than what His Word says about us. The King and Kingdom are here, living inside of us. It’s hard to experience what’s inside when we are focused on what’s outside. BIBLE get in it.
Random thoughts, sorry if they didn’t come out right.
Heck, don’t apologize, I like it! What we focus on, we dwell in. Truth, my brother!