Before we discuss how to proclaim the Kingdom of God, I’d like to remind you that prior to article about the power in the blood of Jesus, I had previously written about what the statement ‘seek ye first the Kingdom of God’ means. In this article, I indicated that it’s gonna be an introduction to a quite an in-depth topic about the Operations of the Kingdom of God.
Before then, first things first, Jesus came to reveal the heavenly Kingdom to mankind. The four synoptic gospels talk about this especially the book of Matthew whereby the author presents Jesus as the King-Savior.
If you would like to know more about the Kingdom, go through the gospel of Matthew. The first message when Jesus started His public ministry was about how to enter the Kingdom of God. This is discussed below.
Did People Understand the Kind of Kingdom Jesus Was Talking About?
In this post, we will be majoring on “Understanding the Kingdom” because that’s our point of interest. First, it’s worthwhile noting that when Jesus began his ministry his message was “Repent, for the Kingdom of God has come near” (Matthew 4:17).
In simple terms Jesus was teaching is his listeners that the foundational step to enter the Kingdom of God is through turning away from sin and living a righteous life. Jesus gave many parables about the Kingdom of God, but his listeners did not actually comprehend what He meant, including His own disciples.
In Matthew 20:20-28, we see the cry of a mother (of the sons of Zebedee) who came to beg Jesus to allow her children, one to sit on the right and the other on the left of His Kingdom. This tells you that this mother was thinking about a physical kingdom that Jesus would establish.
The same story is repeated in Mark 10:35-45 whereby now the two sons of Zebedee (James and John) came personally to the Master and made the same request. This shows that even the disciples themselves had gotten it all wrong about the kind of kingdom Jesus had come to establish. What they had in mind was a physical kingdom.
The Pharisees wanted to know when this Kingdom would come in Luke 17:20-21 and Jesus answered that the Kingdom of God is amidst them. Jesus was pointing out that He did not come to establish a physical kingdom like David (as people thought) instead a spiritual kingdom which was already within them. Paul said in 1Corinthians 4:20 that the kingdom of God is not about mere talk but about power.
In Acts 1:4-6, before ascension, Jesus told His disciples to stay in Jerusalem until they receive the gift He had promised (Holy Spirit) but the disciples still thought that Jesus is going to establish a physical Kingdom in Israel. In verse 8, Jesus told them that they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them and they will be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and all parts of the world.
The coming of the Holy Spirit upon them was the culmination of the Kingdom upon them – within them. They could not understand these things until the Spirit Jesus promised came upon them in Acts 2.
How is This Kingdom Setup?
The kind of a kingdom Jesus came to establish wasn’t physical as per the people’s expectations. It was however, a spiritual Kingdom which was to be established in the hearts of men. Israel was expecting for a king who would restore and lead them in military conquest like David did (Acts 1:6).
Let’s discuss how the Christ’s Kingdom is set up.
In this post, I will only talk about three major things which will help to know how to proclaim the Kingdom of God.
Every kingdom has the following: –
- A KING
First, the head of kingdom is a king/queen. One major characteristic of a king is that he is very powerful, authoritative and he has the final say. Kings are never elected, they come from a certain lineage.
In Hebrews 7:1-ee3, we have a description of Melchizedek who was the king of Salem, who had no father nor mother. Verse 3 tells us that the king of Salem had no genealogy. You may wonder who is this king of Salem? This is picture/type of who our King is.
God is indeed the King of kings and Lord of Lords (1Timothy 6:15; Deuteronomy 10:17). We are the kings on earth! When you look at the Messianic genealogy, in Matthew 1:17, you find that there were 42 generations in the lineage Jesus from Abraham.
The kingship scepter doesn’t shift hands. Judah was blessed by his father Jacob and the scepter of leadership was placed on him (Genesis 49:10) It’s through Judah the Messiah was born as indicated above. However, one must remember that Jesus was God, He only took the form of man and had a virgin birth – through lineage of Abraham, David and Joseph.
One of the major reasons why Jesus took a human body is so that He can destroy the works of the enemy (1Peter 3:8). Though a king, He humbled Himself to be like man so that He could die a painful death on the cross (Philippians 2:5-10)
2. THE CONSTITUTION
Another important aspect of every kingdom is the constitution. No kingdom can ever run without a governing constitution. Why is a constitution important for every kingdom? Who makes the constitution?
To answer these questions, let’s go back to the king. We have already said that a king is very authoritative and has the final say. What does this mean? It means that everything the king says and declares becomes law and it is included in the constitution. Note that in God’s Kingdom, the constitution is the bible.
This is true with the King of kings. Whatever God said to one person for example to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Gideon, David, and other servants was recorded and included in the constitution.
Whatever Jesus said to disciples and to the congregation is now included in the gospels and we read it as part of the canonical scriptures. It’s already part of the law.
The bible says that all scripture is God breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2Timothy 3:16-17). The most interesting thing with our constitution – the bible is that it’s written by the King Himself (God breathed) so you are sure that it is reliable for the above mentioned factors.
Something about our constitution is that it’s a light and a lamb (Psalm 119:105). What does this mean? The word provides enough illumination to everyone who cherishes it. Verses 9-11, same chapter, how can a young man keep his way pure? By hiding the word of God in his heart. So the word of God is a sure guide in life.
Why is the word of God so reliable? Someone may ask. Because it is alive and active, sharper than any doubled edged sword! (Hebrews 4:12) Where does the life in the word of God come from? It comes from God Himself – He is the source of life. Jesus said in John 6:63 that “the Words that I speak are life and they are Spirit.”
We also know that the scriptures are God breathed and inspired by the Holy Spirit. In other words the bible is the Word of the King of kings. Jesus in John 14:6, Jesus said that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. This should so far be enough confirmation that the word of God is fully packed with life and if you read and meditate upon it as in Joshua 1:7, you are sure that you are connecting yourself to God’s life.
3. THE HEADQUARTER
Every kingdom has its headquarters which becomes the designated operation center. For example, the queen of England’s headquarters is Buckingham Palace in London since 1837.
Every king/queen must have his/her headquarters where they operate from. This headquarter/palace is normally magnificently prepared and constructed. Let’s briefly look at the palace that Solomon constructed for himself. The bible says that it took thirteen years for Solomon to construct the palace, 1Kings 7:1-2.
How do you think the palace looked like which took thirteen years to construct? It must have been lovely and magnificent and complex in nature. One character of kings is that they are very proud and normally will settle on nothing but the best.
In verse 7, Solomon built a throne hall where he would sit to exercise justice in his ruler-ship. You must always understand that the physical world reflects the spiritual world. Where did Solomon derive this way of construction? From the Throne of God. The following passages portray the full picture of the Throne of God (Isaiah 6:1-3; Daniel 7:10-11; Revelation 4-5).
God is the King of kings, Lord of lords and God of gods, and the most awesome God (Deuteronomy 10:17). He is a just judge and the creator of the universe. By His power he made the best of best residing places – His Throne as described in passages quoted above.
We learn that God established by creating all things on earth and in heaven, the visible and invisible, authorities, principalities, thrones, and powers. So, everything was created through Christ and for Christ (Colossians 1:16). The bible says that the highest heaves belong to God but the earth He has given to mankind (Psalm 115:16). God therefore operates from His throne (heaven) as His headquarters.
How To Proclaim the Kingdom of God
After discussing on the above three important things, now we know that Jesus being our King, first came as a servant savior – to literally show us the way (John 14:6).
Before ascension, Jesus gave His disciples (now to us) the Great Commission, to go to the whole world and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:18-20).
We can therefore do the proclamation of the gospel – Kingdom in two main ways: –
1. By Setting An Example
One powerful way to preach the gospel of the Kingdom is by setting a good example by our deeds. Paul said in 1Corinthians 11:1 that, “follow me as I follow Christ.” What does this mean? It means that Paul was not only using mere words in the ministry but was setting a good example in his lifestyle.
In the same way, Paul challenged the young preacher Timothy that, he should not let anyone look down on him because he was young, but instead set a good example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity (1Timothy 4:12)
2. By Testimony
Another powerful way to proclaim the Kingdom is by testifying what the Lord has done. We call this witnessing and it’s an important element to overcome the enemy the devil. The bible says that they overcame by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony (Revelation 12:11).
Testifying about the deeds of the Lord is one of the most powerful ways that made the first Church grow tremendously. When the apostles got a chance to share the word of God, they used this simple approach – testifying about what the Lord has done and God used this method to bring thousands to the Kingdom (Acts 2:40-41).
I believe that this is still a very powerful tool to use in the Kingdom as we proclaim the message of hope. Personally, I’ve used it – just sharing a simple personal story of what the Lord has done in my life and as a result I’ve seen men and women turning to the Lord. Yes, you can use it too.
In Conclusion
As we conclude this article on how to proclaim the Kingdom of God, we must bear in mind that Jesus didn’t come to establish a physical kingdom rather a spiritual one. Many people however didn’t understand exactly Jesus’ mission that’s why the Jews rejected Him.
We have discussed three important pillars in God’s Kingdom. In this Kingdom Jesus Christ is our King – He’s the King of kings and the Lord of lords (Deuteronomy 10:17). In this Kingdom, whatever the King speaks becomes law – the bible is our constitution (Psalm 119:89-92).
God created us in His own image so that we may represent the heavenly Kingdom here on earth. Jesus saved us and restored to us the lost dominion and therefore commissioned each of us to make disciples and win people to the Kingdom. We can easily do that by demonstrating it with our lives and also by testifying about what the Lord has done in our lives.
To receive Christ as your Savior, click HERE. For spiritual growth, click HERE.
