Kingdom Principles — Part 4: Kingdom Decisions
Unless the Lord changes my mind (which He does routinely) this is my next to last post on the Kingdom of God for a while. This is a very long post, even for me. Here is a summary of the main points:
Every human being lives in a kingdom – we are kingdom people. Even though there are many countries, cultures, nationalities, religions, and races in the world, there are only two kingdoms. Each of us lives in one or the other.
We are all required to choose which kingdom will be our home. We cannot have dual citizenship. We are all born into the physical kingdom — the kingdom of the world. Those who hear the Good News in the power of the Spirit will have the choice to receive and live in the spiritual kingdom, the Kingdom of God. In the Kingdom of God we have salvation and freedom from Sin, although we can still choose Sin. Paul tells us “it is for freedom that Christ has set us free”.
God enables. We must freely receive and choose; we can reject God’s offer. When I freely choose God’s offer, I must turn away from – repent of – my former life in the kingdom of the world. I must deny myself, pick up my cross, and follow Jesus. I can have no other master. I must solemnly commit to Him and to Him alone. There is no other way.
To be saved means to enter into and live in the Kingdom of God, where we receive the indwelling Holy Spirit, can be healed and made whole, are given power, authority, and freedom. But we must choose the Kingdom, choose to believe I am a new creation, choose the gifts God offers in the Kingdom, choose the Father’s love, choose to love the Father and others, choose to forgive, choose holiness, healing and wholeness. They are gifts of God given by the Holy Spirit, but I must choose to receive them.
Jesus says “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14: 6 NIV). No one enters into life with the Father, which is life in the Kingdom of God, except through the Kingdom Gate – Jesus. There is no other real life, no power, and no hope outside of the Kingdom of God; not just for this world, but for eternity.
No one lives in the KOG perfectly. We frequently revert to self. But God has given us the gift of repentance, which is pure grace, to reconnect us to Kingdom life as often as we need — usually daily. But I must choose to repent.
He chooses us, but we must choose Him and His Kingdom. It is not either/or, it is both. It is not enough to choose Jesus, we must reject our life in the kingdom of self – we cannot serve two masters; we cannot have dual citizenship. It is not both, it is either/or.
What follows is the full post:
Jesus desires for all to live with Him in the Kingdom of God. Writing about the seeming delay in bringing about the consummation of all things – the New Heaven and New Earth in Revelation 21, 22 – Peter says “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3: 9 NIV). Repentance is turning away from finding our acceptance and value in the world – the kingdom of self – and turning toward Jesus to find all that we need in the Kingdom of God. But not all will accept His Kingdom offer.
Many Christians, hungering for a transforming, life-changing relationship with God have never confronted their own kingdom realities. While seemingly confessing Jesus as Lord and Savior, they have not looked deeply into where the source of their life truly comes from. For many, it is not rooted in love for and obedience to Jesus, but in finding their deep need for acceptance and value in the world, in all of its infinite possibilities. This is the heart of living in the kingdom of self, and as long as we live there we can never know the blessings of salvation or the beauty, joy, and peace of a life surrendered and submitted to the King of Glory. The thirst for authentic life has been planted in the heart of every human being. Too many of us have settled for the counterfeit of this life – life in the kingdom of self, a subset of the kingdom of the world — as I wrote in a previous post (actually several) it is life in the wasteland. In this kingdom there is death, deception, fear, devaluing, and rejection. The kingdom of the world is Satan’s kingdom.
Jesus said “I tell you the truth: no one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again” (John 3: 3). All are born into the kingdom of self, which means Sin and sins dominate our lives. David wrote “Surely, I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51: 5 NIV). How do we leave our life in the kingdom of self to enter life into the Kingdom of God? By being born again. For some, that phrase means a powerful moment when one is filled with the Holy Spirit, culminating in ‘speaking in tongues’. It might mean that, but most fundamentally I think it means choosing to turn away from – or repenting of – our life in the kingdom of self, and receiving the offer of life in the Kingdom of God; a life lived as we enter into Him for the first time – a new beginning. We are a new creation. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5: 17). Remember ‘in Christ’ means living within the sphere of His activity, power, and presence — the Kingdom of God.
In the first birth we came out into the world. In this second birth, we come out of the world, into Christ, even though Christ calls us to be “in the world but not of the world”. Our hearts find value and acceptance in Christ, not the world; but physically we still live in the world, available for Christ to release His Kingdom into the world through us.
“Every mere human being. . . is born into the kingdom of this world. . . But there is another Kingdom. It is known as the Kingdom of God. . . Citizenship is by birth. Dual citizenship is prohibited. All those born into the kingdom of the world remain in that kingdom unless, by a miracle of divine grace, they are born again, born a second time, born of the Spirit of God into the Kingdom of God” (Repentance: The First Word of the Gospel, Richard Owen Roberts, pg. 28).
The process of being born again is the gift of the Holy Spirit. We must surrender and submit to the rule and reign of Christ in our life – our whole life. It is the acknowledgement that our self-rule was devaluing to God, a rejection of God and His gracious gifts, especially His gift of love and acceptance. When we are born again by “water and the Spirit”, we enter the Kingdom by faith and repent of life in the kingdom of the world in the power of the Spirit. Repentance is the condition of Kingdom life, but it is only part of how we enter into the Kingdom. We must also receive the Kingdom.
We receive the Kingdom by first choosing kingdom life. Then by repenting of our life in the kingdom of self — Jesus calls this “denying yourself”. We do not just repent, we are repentant. We cannot repent without faith. Faith is the belief that there is something to repent to, something better. Then by choosing to yield to God’s sovereignty and rule over our life – as we yield to Jesus we “pick up our cross” and continue to kill off our self life, sometimes daily. The cross is not a burden, it is a place of death. We daily bring before God the things in which we find our value and acceptance in the world, especially our need to be accepted and honored by men, our wealth, power, accomplishments, and the need to be relevant. We are called to put these idols to death, or to ‘crucify’ them, and our dependence on them, which enslaves us.
Finally, we live in the Kingdom of God by following Jesus, wherever He leads us. Following Jesus means choosing a life of radical obedience and surrender. We are no longer our own. He owns us, and He can do with us and to us whatever He wills. Unlike our slavery to Satan, who is a cruel taskmaster, God is good and His character is loving kindness. In the Kingdom of God we receive God’s blessing, we are filled with His glory as He makes our hearts His dwelling place, and we embark on the destiny that He planned for us from before the beginning of time. We are called to love God and our neighbor.
‘Following’ means obedience to, dependence upon, and connection with Jesus. He warns us: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown in the fire and burned” (John 15: 5, 6 NIV).
In Romans, Paul tells the Gentiles that if God pruned the branches (Israel) off of the tree, He can prune them off as well if the Gentiles fall into unbelief. “But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you either” (Romans 11: 20, 21 NIV).
Our dependence and connection is not part-time; it is full-time. But Jesus makes it clear that we need to choose to remain in Him.
This is why daily repentance is essential. As I have said in other places (many times), we don’t just repent of what we do, most fundamentally we repent of who we are. Until the day I die, I will be a Sinner. Repentance is a wonderful gift of God’s grace. When I sin living in the Kingdom of God, I can repent, and then get right back up on that “highway of Holiness” leading to the City of God that Isaiah writes about in Isaiah 35.
We enter the Kingdom of God through Divine grace. Deciding, repenting, believing, and yielding are too difficult for us to do in our own power. The Holy Spirit helps us – but part of the mystery is that we have to make these choices. God will not make them for us. Or, to put it another way “He will do it for us, but we must do it with Him”.
We have the freedom to choose, which also means we have the freedom to reject the Kingdom.
“This is the mystery of the Kingdom: that the Kingdom of God has come among men yet men may reject it. The Kingdom will not achieve uniform success. Not all will receive it. This was a staggering thing to one who knew only the Old Testament. When God’s Kingdom comes, it will come with power. Who can resist it? Who can withstand God? But precisely this is the mystery of the Kingdom. The Kingdom is here but it can be rejected . . . God’s Kingdom is working among men, but God will not compel them to bow before it. They must receive it; the response must come from a willing heart and a responsive will. God is still dealing with us in this way. God will not drive you into His Kingdom” (Ladd, ‘The Gospel of the Kingdom’, pg 56, 57).
Kingdom life requires that we make kingdom choices. Really? Do we have the freedom to choose anything? Scripture affirms that we are free to choose our own path. Both the Old and New Testaments instruct us to choose. For example:
Adam and Eve were given freedom to make the ultimate choice.
God spoke to Cain and said “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it” (Genesis 4: 7 NIV). God is telling Cain that he must choose.
Joshua tells Israel to make the same type of choice God calls each of us to make daily — “Then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24: 15 NIV).
Moses gives Israel instructions in his last address to them. As I see it, he is instructing them to choose the Kingdom of God and not the kingdom of self — “This day I call heaven and earth witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses (this reminds me of Jeremiah 17: 5 – 8). Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him” (Deuteronomy 30: 19, 20 NIV).
In 2 Kings the Lord warned Israel of not choosing correctly — “But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their fathers, who did not trust in the Lord their God. They rejected His decrees and the covenant He had made with their fathers and the warnings He had given them. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless” (2 Kings 17: 4, 15) NIV). They had freedom to choose; they chose the wrong kingdom.
Jesus calls us to choose over and over again — “Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness“, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you“, “But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand“; “Enter through the narrow gate“, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth (I interpret this to mean in the kingdom of self), where moth and rust destroy . . . But store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven (the Kingdom of Heaven aka the Kingdom of God) . . . For where you treasure is, there your heart will be also” ( From Matthew 6 and 7 NIV). Jesus is commanding us to make Kingdom choices.
In Matthew 10, Jesus sends His disciples out with power and authority to preach the Kingdom of God is here, heal the sick, raise the dead, and cast out demons. And then He tells them, “whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that city, shake off the dust from your feet” (Matthew 10: 14 NKJV). The people in the villages heard about and saw the Kingdom of God in action (healings, casting out demons, and raising the dead). And then they had to make a decision — to choose the Kingdom or to reject the Kingdom. They had that freedom. Apparently some chose to reject the Kingdom of God.
The Rich Young Ruler in Mark 10: 17 – 23 was given a choice by Jesus. Jesus did not compel him, his choice was freely made.
Paul gives the Roman Christians these words of instruction — “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of our body to sin” (Romans 6: 12, 13 NIV). Paul is telling the church in Rome — “choose”.
In his letter to the church at Philippi Paul writes “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose” (Philippians 2: 12, 13 NIV). This verse describes the tension between our choice and God’s work in our heart. God will do it for us, but we must do it with Him. When we choose the Kingdom every day, God will act within us according to His purpose. And our work is serious and solemn — we do it with awe and a sense of God’s presence.
To the church in Laodicea John writes “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3: 20 NIV). Jesus knocks, but our response is to choose — to open or not to open, a momentous choice.
We have responsibility, we have to make choices. We are, in this sense, free agents. There are some things God will do for us, there are other things that we must do for ourselves. Making choices is one of these. Of course, God is sovereign. But in His sovereignty He has given us authority and responsibility — which means the freedom to choose. These choices are Kingdom choices:
We choose to enter into and live in the Kingdom of God. We cannot ever make ourselves worthy of Kingdom life. We are worthy only because of Christ’s work on the cross. In fact, the enemy constantly tells us we are not worthy. In a sense this is correct. In our own power we are not worthy. We are not worthy if we are living in the kingdom of self. But although the lie has a grain of truth in it, it is still a lie. We are worthy because of the blood of Jesus! But we must not confuse choosing to enter the Kingdom with ‘work’ to earn entrance into the Kingdom. They are two different things. God will show us the Kingdom life. He will give us faith. But, in the end, the choice is ours. And choosing the Kingdom is not enough —
We also choose to reject the Kingdom of self and all the ways we found to give us value and acceptance; all of the things we used to medicate our sense of rejection. This can be hard, but we begin this journey with choice. Although repentance is a divine gift, we must choose to repent. God cannot do it for us.
We choose to utterly and even desperately trust in and depend upon Jesus for life.
We choose to believe that we are a new creation when we enter the Kingdom of God — the old is gone, the new has come. Too many of us hold onto old ways of living and thinking, too many of us remain in bondage to old actions and decisions simply because we have not chosen freedom. We must choose to reject the shame and guilt from the past. One of God’s gifts in the Kingdom is freedom, but we must choose it. As we choose, He begins to heal our broken hearts.
We choose to accept the spiritual gifts offered to us in the Kingdom of God. We have been given power, but how many of us refuse to accept this fact or use the power God has given us to heal, prophesy, preach or teach, or even pray? We must begin by choosing the gifts before we can operate in them.
We choose to receive the Father’s love. Too many people choose the Kingdom but remain convinced they are still unloveable. We must first choose to be loved.
We choose to love God and others.
We choose to forgive.
We choose holiness.
Making these choices does not mean that everything we choose will automatically happen. To choose is the first step in the journey to become what I have chosen. How can I forgive if I have first not chosen forgiveness? The choice does not necessarily translate into reality — just because I chose forgiveness does not mean that in that moment I have forgiven. No, but it does set me on the path to forgiveness in the power of the Holy Spirit. It begins with my choice. Kingdom life cannot become a reality for any of us apart from choice. Of course, we don’t choose just one time — we choose every day to remain on he path we have chosen.
I believe that faith is a multifaceted thing. It is a gift, but we must choose faith. And isn’t this what faith is? In the not-knowing what lies ahead, even in the midst of doubt, we choose the Kingdom, we choose Jesus, we choose to give Him our lives because we trust Him. How do we choose? We just do. But in that decision, there is power. Because as soon as we choose, Jesus will come alongside of us to help make our choices a tangible reality. We must do it, but He will do it for us.
Kingdom life is life in Christ, the life that God intends for every man and woman to live. It is the restored life of peace, joy, power, and hope in the midst of a dark and dangerous world. It is the only life that can bring about real change in our world. Do you want to bring peace to the world, end poverty and homelessness, put an end to war and hatred? Do you want to see the addicts set free, the cancer patients healed, relationships restored, and the power of evil everywhere vanquished? Do you want to see swords beat into plowshares? Then seriously and solemnly choose the Kingdom of God. Make the Kingdom choices that will release the power of God into your heart and mind to make Kingdom living a reality. Not just for you, but so that you can impact the world in His power — so that from you can flow rivers of living water. And always remember that while the Kingdom of God is here, it is not yet here in its fullness. We still live in a fallen world.
This is why it is so critical for Kingdom men and women to share the Gospel of the Kingdom of God with the world. We ‘release the Kingdom of God into the Kingdom of the world’ – pushing back the darkness, taking back the territory for the King and His glory – by carrying the message of the Kingdom into the world to give men and women the knowledge they need to choose the Kingdom for themselves, but not alone – in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus and His Kingdom — the hope of the world.
Hallelujah!
Grace and peace
John