Building the Kingdom of God; Out of this World

April 20

Read: John 18:36, John 15:8-9, Eph 2:4-7

Building the Kingdom of God;

Out of this World

“Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” (John 15:8,9)

“…by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Eph; 2:6)

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” (John 18:36)

The Kingdom of God has its origin “out of this world”. The Kingdom of God is “other-worldly”. It is not anchored in this world., but completely “other than” in the same way that God himself is “completely other-then” his creation. This truth is a COSMIC REALITY, not something that always makes sense to us. The truth is that God is bringing two different dimensions together… HIS Kingdom invading the other world that he made. This is a supernatural reality. The more we learn about physics and the universe, the more we see this mystery unfolding. Space and time are not the purely linear and flattened realities that we once thought they were. Some of our “old ways” must be abandoned and left behind.

For instance how can something exist in two places at the same time?! And yet, “WE ARE SEATED WITH CHRIST IN THE HEAVENLY REALMS” and here at the same time. “In the world not of the world” they say… but I have a hunch that may mean so much more than we think. Likewise JESUS dwelt with us… he is “IN US”. (cf. John 14:23, etc.) Yet, Jesus is squarely seated at the right hand of The Father and ascended to the Father in Acts 1. The Kingdom of God is indeed two worlds colliding, and paradigms of how things work shifting for the follower of Christ.

It takes some calibration to begin to think of yourself as one whose life is now “seated in Christ”, and not in this world. The ways of this world and the ways of Christ are opposed. This is due, in part, to the fact that the Devil is the prince of this world. (Eph. 2:3, etc / Remember the “domain of darkness” that we spoke about before; Col. 1:13) When praying to the Father, Jesus says this:  “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.” (John 17:6) This “out of this world” reality is important, because it sets the stage for what we will look at next which is “Mystery”. For today, ask the Lord to give you eyes to see how his Kingdom is unfolding around you. Ask him to show you how heaven is all around us… how the prayers of Jesus - “on earth as it is in heaven” - are being answered RIGHT NOW. Ask the Spirit to lead you into his truth in the midst of this world. Always understand that there is a SPIRITUAL reality and a PHYSICAL reality in play in ALL THINGS. Nothing is purely a “physical matter” and nothing is purely a “spiritual matter”. It is all held together in Christ! (cf. Col. 1:15-20) We truly exist in 2 dimensions… we are “not of this world.” Our lives - yours and mine - are “hidden in Christ.” We are “quantum entangled” with Jesus himself! WILD! Love you guys. - JDP