Advancing The Kingdom

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
John 3:5‭-‬8 ESV

We are commissioned as soldiers in God’s army to advance the Kingdom of God. What does that mean? First of all, the Kingdom of God is not a physical kingdom, it does not have a set location on the planet, at this time.

The Kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom, an invisible kingdom. It is the place where God rules and reigns. You can’t see it with your eyes, but you can see the effects of it in the natural world, as believers walk in obedience to the Spirit of God. They say and do what the Spirit leads them to. Just as Jesus did nothing of His own initiative but only what His Father was doing, when we are submitted to the Spirit, we do what Jesus does. He is the Head of the Church and we are the Body.

We are carriers of the Kingdom. We are ambassadors of Christ. We’re representing the Kingdom of God as temporary residents on Earth. We are in the world, but not of the world.

Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”
Luke 17:20‭-‬21 NKJV

The Kingdom of God is within you. You have a body and a soul. If you’re born again, you also have a spirit. That spirit is of the Holy Spirit. And that spirit that God places in you belongs to God. God is literally inside you. If you’re not born again, it’s quite possible that you have some spirits, but they’re not holy, they are unclean spirits.

Oftentimes, people don’t deal with their demons once they enter the Kingdom. Deliverance is for the believer not the unbeliever. If you don’t have the Holy Spirit and someone casts a demon out of you, you’ll end up more demonized. Only cast out demons at the leading of God. Only do so after sharing the Gospel and leading them in a prayer of repentance.

Unbelievers think in human terms. Believers have the mind of Christ. It’s a totally different ball game than what popular culture engages in. If you don’t know God, you won’t be able to discern God’s will. You must be led by the Spirit to do the will of God. It’s not something we dream up or imagine. We don’t make our plans and ask God to bless them. Do nothing out of selfish ambition.

God has a plan and He is executing it according to His schedule. Our job is to be His chosen vessels of righteousness. We are to do the works of God according to His will, in His timing, by His Spirit, in His strength. Kingdom building is not a human endeavor. It’s the movement of God. If you want to see unity, surrender to the Lordship of Christ and walk in obedience and encourage everyone else to do the same.

For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.
1 Corinthians 4:20 ESV

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Romans 14:17 ESV

The Kingdom of God is not about our personal liberties to eat, drink and say whatever we want, whenever we want. We’re under grace, not the Law, but walking by faith is walking in agreement with His will. I’m not sure I’m explaining this well.

What I’m trying to say is that God can lead you and guide you every moment of every day. As you mature and grow in the Lord, it becomes second nature. You love. You do good works. You have inner peace. You have joy regardless of your circumstances. Christ in you is manifested. The light shines for all to see. It’s not just talk. It’s a way of life. The Way of Jesus.

Move according to God’s instruction. Seek the Kingdom and all its righteousness. Do God’s will at His direction. Obey your commanding officer. Obey the Lord of Lords. Obey the King of Kings. We no longer strive to become self-reliant. We no longer rebel against God and assert our independence. We surrender to the Father. We become a part of something greater, something eternal. We belong to God and cease from our works of carnality.

That’s how we advance the Kingdom. Any questions? Leave them in the comments section below. Otherwise, may the Lord lead and guide you by His Spirit, today and everyday, until Jesus comes back again to put everything right. Amen.