Your Kingdom Come

The Bible talks about three kingdoms: God's Kingdom, Satan's kingdom, and the kingdoms of this world or man's kingdom. But this world began with only one kingdom - God's Kingdom. Something happened in the garden of Eden that changed that. From one kingdom on earth it became three kingdoms on earth. Jesus came to restore it back to one kingdom - God's Kingdom. This is the good news of the Kingdom - the restoration of God's Kingdom on earth, which is expressed in the prayer, "Let Your Kingdom come. Let Your will be done on earth as it is done in heaven." (Matt.6:10). Jesus told us it began when He came and it will be completed when He comes again.

The good news that Jesus preached is not the good news of salvation to go to heaven, but the good news of the Kingdom of God which is about the restoration of God's Kingdom on earth. The Bible is very clear that it started when Jesus came. Not something only in the future when Jesus returns. God put us on this planet for a purpose. Man deviated from that purpose. Jesus came to restore us back to God's original purpose.

When we understand what the Bible actually says about the good news of the Kingdom of God, that Jesus has come to be King over this world and God wants to restore His Kingdom on earth, our whole understanding of church, ministry, missions, and God's will for our lives, will be totally changed. We will be very concerned about what is happening in this world. We will become very concerned about injustice and suffering and everything else that is wrong in this world. Instead of disengaging from this world, we will work with God to bring change to our communities and to this world, so that His Kingdom can come and reign, and His will can be done on earth as in heaven. We will realize that, each of us, whether we are teachers, doctors, engineers, farmers, musicians, administrators, or businessmen, etc., will have a role towards that. Not just those in "full time" ministry. Our understanding of spirituality would not be a self-focused and self-centered thing that is just inside us or within the four walls of the church building, but love, which is a focus and concern for others.

Evangelists and missionaries are into evangelism and church planting, and churches are into church growth, but Jesus said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Let My Kingdom come. Let My will be done on earth as it is done in heaven." Before Jesus returns to judge this world, Isaiah prophesied that the people of God will be Kingdom communities of love and justice through which the salvation and the glory of God will be revealed to the world. This would also be the witness of the good news of the Kingdom of God that Jesus prophesied would be preached to all nations before the end of the world. This book is a call for the people of God to be these Kingdom communities that God has been waiting to see.