What Is the Kingdom of God, Really?
What the kingdom of God is, how God’s will and power work together, and how Jesus brings the King’s rule into daily life.
Here are two questions for you.
What really is the kingdom of God?
And when you think about the last day or two, has the kingdom of God had any clear effect on your daily life?
These questions point to an important problem. The kingdom of God is central to the Christian faith. Yet it is still unclear to many believers. Many Christians accept it as an important Bible idea but see no real use for it from day to day.
In this newsletter, I will not explain the kingdom of God in the usual way. I will go back to first principles. We will look at what the kingdom of God really is and why every Christian must understand it, apply it, and live in it to walk in victory.
“My Kingdom Is Not of This World”
There is a striking conversation between Jesus and Pontius Pilate in John 18.
Jesus had been accused of presenting Himself as a king. This was a serious charge. A king ruled a kingdom, so a new claim to kingship could mean rebellion against Rome. The Jewish leaders were telling Pilate, in effect, “This man is a threat to Caesar.”
Pilate wanted a simple answer: Was Jesus a king or not?
Jesus answered:
“Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.”
—John 18:36 KJV
This tells us two important things.
First, Jesus has a kingdom.
He is a King. His kingdom was already real when He spoke to Pilate. Jesus did not say, “The kingdom I will receive is not of this world.” He spoke of it as His present kingdom.
Second, His kingdom is not of this world.
In other words, His kingdom does not work like Pilate’s kingdom.
Pilate knew physical kingdoms. Rome had a ruler, land, armies, subjects, laws, and political power. Jesus was telling him, “My kingdom does not operate like that.”
This difference is very important. When we hear the word kingdom, we often picture human kingdoms. We think of rulers, land, subjects, armies, and political control.
But Jesus warns us not to think of His kingdom only in those terms. If you want to understand the kingdom of God, do not start by forcing the pattern of a human kingdom onto God. Still, human kingdoms can give us a small picture of how rule, authority, and power work.
God Had a Kingdom Before Human Kingdoms Existed
God was King before He created the earth.
He was King before Rome, Persia, Babylon, Judah, or any other nation existed.
When God created Adam and placed him on the earth, none of the human kingdoms we know today existed. So we must not take our idea of a human kingdom and force it upon God. It is the other way around.
Natural kingdoms give us a small picture of a far greater spiritual truth.
God often uses natural things to help us understand spiritual things. Human kings and kingdoms give us clues about the kingdom of God. But God’s kingdom is not just a bigger version of human government.
Yes, there is a King.
Yes, there is authority.
Yes, there is power.
But we must go deeper.
One God, Many Ways He Relates to Us
Here is something that helped me understand this truth.
God shows Himself to us as King. But that is not the only way He shows Himself.
Jesus often spoke of God as Father (Matthew 6:9; John 20:17).
Think about the difference.
When you hear king, you think about a kingdom.
When you hear father, you think about a family, a home, and children.
God also shows Himself as Lord and Creator.
Of course, these are not different versions of God in heaven. We will not enter one throne room and see God as King, then enter another room and see Him as Father.
Pause and think about this.
There is one God.
The same God is Father.
The same God is King.
The same God is Lord.
The same God is Creator.
These names show us different parts of who He is and how He relates to us.
A father relates to his children in a certain way.
A king relates to his kingdom in a certain way.
A lord relates to those under his authority in a certain way.
So when Scripture speaks about the kingdom of God, it shows us one part of God’s character and personality, and how He relates to creation.
What part?
I love the way my pastor, Pastor Dave Olson, explains it:
A SIMPLE DEFINITION
The kingdom is the King’s dominion.
God’s active rule brings His will into the earth through His power.
That brings us close to the heart of the matter. The kingdom of God is God’s active rule. It is how God, as sovereign King, carries out His will through His power.
Two Things You Must Understand About Kingdom
- GOD’S WILLWhat the King wants
- GOD’S POWERWhat the King can do
- KINGDOMThe King’s rule in action
There is much we could say about a kingdom. But I want you to remember two words:
Power and will.
1. Power
A kingdom involves the use of power and authority.
Scripture says:
“Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?”
—Ecclesiastes 8:4 KJV
A king has authority to rule. His dominion is expressed through power.
Let us begin with first principles.
Power is the ability to cause change. Authority is the right and freedom to use that power.
Think about that.
Power belongs to God. He does not need anyone’s permission to use it. As Creator and sovereign Lord, He has the right to rule all He has made.
The kingdom of God shows us this divine rule in action. It shows us how God rules creation through His power.
But there is one more truth that changes how we understand the kingdom.
Power is not enough. We must also ask what the King wants to do with His power.
2. Will
We can understand this point by comparing a king with a president.
A king is not a president.
A president works under laws, a constitution, policies, and systems that limit what he can do.
A true ancient king was different. His will was law.
Nebuchadnezzar is a clear Bible example. Daniel presents him as a great human king. What he wanted done was done. People feared his power, and no council could overrule his choices (Daniel 5:18–19).
His kingdom expressed his will.
A kingdom involves the expression of the king’s will through power.
Again, first principles help us understand hard subjects. So what is the will of God?
Do not make this more complex than it needs to be.
God’s will is what God wants—what He wants for us, for creation, and even for our streets.
Think about your own will. Your will is what you want to do or what you want to happen.
God’s will is what God wants. Now we can begin to understand what Jesus meant by the kingdom of God.
“Thy Kingdom Come. Thy Will Be Done.”
Jesus taught His disciples to pray:
“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”
—Matthew 6:9–10 KJV
Look closely at the order.
First, the kingdom must come.
Then, God’s will must be done.
Do you see the connection?
The kingdom of God is God’s active rule. By His power, He brings things into line with His will.
That is the King’s dominion.
This is why kingdom cannot be separated from will and power.
And this is where the message of the kingdom becomes very personal.
But notice something before we go on.
Jesus told His disciples to pray for God’s kingdom to come. This means God’s will was not yet being done on earth in the same way it was being done in heaven. Yet Jesus also told Pilate that He already had a kingdom.
So where was the kingdom coming from, and where was it going?
It was coming from heaven to earth. The kingdom was already present in Jesus, yet its rule was not fully seen everywhere on earth (Matthew 12:28; Luke 17:20–21).
Let me show you what this means. I pray it will awaken holy anger, zeal, and a deep hunger in your spirit.
In heaven, there is no poverty, fear, sin, addiction, pornography, sickness, or despair. In heaven, God’s will is clear: healing, provision, protection, peace, joy, and victory (Revelation 21:3–4).
But when we look at our lives, families, and communities, we often see something very different. Our streets and neighborhoods may look more like what Satan wants than what God wants.
Once, while I was praying about money, the Spirit reminded me that I am seated with Christ in heavenly places, and there is no poverty there (Ephesians 2:6). There I was on earth, harassed by poverty and needs, yet God's will in heaven for me was provision and abundance. It was my responsibility to find the disconnect and address it.
In short, He was teaching me to bring the kingdom into my finances.
It has been a bloody battle ever since to see God’s will established in that part of my life.
Brethren, what God shows us will shape what moves us.
Few things stir me as much as when the Spirit opens the Word, shows me what God wants, and then shows me where my life does not yet match it.
May God stir you up too.
What Is God’s Will?
Jesus tells us to pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Why should we pray this?
Because everything happening on earth is not God’s perfect will.
That should be clear.
Sin is not God’s will.
God does not want any person to perish (2 Peter 3:9).
Disease was not part of God’s original creation for humanity (Genesis 1–3).
Poverty, demonic oppression, addiction, fear, depression, broken homes, and all the other things that trouble people are not pictures of God’s perfect will.
Someone may quickly answer, “But Christians suffer.”
Of course we do.
The apostles suffered (Acts 5:40–41; 2 Corinthians 11:23–27).
We will face persecution (John 16:33; 2 Timothy 3:12).
Christians become sick (Philippians 2:25–27; 2 Timothy 4:20).
Christians face money problems.
Some Christians die from disease.
Some battle depression.
Some families break apart.
Some struggle with terrible temptations (1 Corinthians 10:13).
But the fact that something happens in our lives does not mean it is God’s perfect desire.
We are living on a battlefield.
There are things about suffering that I cannot explain here.
I do not know why every hard thing happens.
I do not know why one person suffers in one way while another does not.
But I know where to look when I want to see God’s perfect will.
Look at Eden before the fall (Genesis 1–2).
Then look at the world God will restore (Revelation 21–22).
These two pictures show us what God first intended and where He is taking creation.
We would never say, “God made me commit adultery to teach me a lesson.”
Why?
Because we know sin is against God’s nature and will.
Yet when sickness, oppression, or another kind of suffering comes, we may assume that everything that happens must be God’s perfect desire.
No.
We are in a war.
And this brings us to what the kingdom of God means for us.
Find God’s Will—and Enforce It by His Power
The battle of the kingdom is this:
Find out what God wants. Then, through His power, bring your life and your surroundings into line with it.
To enforce God’s will does not mean that we control God or force an outcome. It means we submit to the King. We pray, obey, resist evil, serve others, and act in faith. We depend on His power and trust Him with the result.
This is why the kingdom of God is good news.
God does not only tell you His will. He also makes His power available to help you walk in it.
And if you ever wonder what God is like or what His will looks like, there is one place I especially want you to look.
Look at Jesus
Over the past several days, I have felt impressed in my spirit to listen to the Gospels again.
Matthew.
Mark.
Luke.
John.
Just listen to the life of Jesus.
If you are confused about God’s will, do not begin by getting lost in hard theological arguments. Take your Bible and look at Jesus.
Watch how He treated people.
Watch what He did when sick people came to Him.
Watch what He did when people were hungry.
Watch how He responded to sinners.
Watch how He dealt with demons.
Watch how He cared for broken people.
Jesus is the perfect picture of the Father (John 14:9; Hebrews 1:3).
He shows us how God thinks.
He shows us how God feels.
He shows us how God acts.
Jesus is the perfect expression of the will of God.
In Him, we see the kingdom of God breaking into the earth.
That is why the kingdom is good news.
Why Is the Kingdom Good News to You?
Maybe sin is troubling you.
Maybe it is addiction.
Maybe it is fear.
Maybe it is depression or anxiety.
Maybe something seems to follow you everywhere you go.
I know what it feels like to be harassed by fear.
There was a time when fear came after me like an armed robber in the night.
So why should the kingdom of God be good news to someone who is being harassed?
Because the kingdom announces this truth:
This is your Father’s will, and His power is available to establish it.
The things that oppose God’s will do not have the final word.
The kingdom of God is His will being expressed by His power in your life and in the lives of those around you.
And that brings us back to something many Christians—especially Pentecostals like me—sometimes misunderstand.
There Is No Kingdom Without Power
When I grew up hearing about the power of God, I thought first about miracles.
Healing the sick.
Casting out demons.
Laying hands on people.
People falling under the power of God.
And listen—I love those acts of God’s power!
There is nothing wrong with that.
They are crucial expressions of His power. Make no mistake: we must never dismiss them.
But God’s power is much greater than dramatic signs.
It takes power simply to live the Christian life.
Paul says:
“For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”
—Romans 14:17 KJV
- RighteousnessPower to live God’s way
- PeaceCalm in the storm
- JoyStrength in hard times
You may ask, Where is the power in that?
It is everywhere.
It Takes Power to Have Joy
We live in a world full of sorrow, pain, fear, disappointment, and depression.
If people could always choose joy by their own strength, no one would want to stay depressed.
But life can hit you hard.
If you have lived long enough and faced enough trouble, you know what I mean.
To remain joyful in a crisis can require supernatural power.
When you wake up with joy while everything around you says you should be defeated, something spiritual is happening.
The things trying to push you into despair are meeting the power of God within you.
That is kingdom.
It Takes Power to Have Peace
How do you have peace when the mortgage is due and you do not know how you will pay it?
How do you have peace when there is not enough money for food?
How do you have peace when your body is sick?
How do you have peace when the storm is raging?
Jesus slept in a boat during a violent storm (Mark 4:35–41).
That is not ordinary.
Peace in the middle of chaos is an expression of God’s power.
That is kingdom.
It Takes Power to Live Holy
We live in a world filled with sexual sin and many other temptations.
And I am telling you:
Your human strength cannot live the Christian life.
You need the power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said:
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
—Matthew 6:33 KJV
Why did Jesus connect kingdom and righteousness?
Because it takes God’s power for a person to live in righteousness.
Your flesh will fight you.
Temptation will come.
Spiritual forces know where you are weak.
Someone may say, “Every time I decide to live for God, that man shows up.”
Or, “That woman shows up.”
“When I see him…”
“When I see her…”
“I lose control.”
The enemy understands our weak places.
For one person, the temptation may be sexual sin.
For another, it may be food.
For another, it may be anger.
For another, it may be fear.
Whatever your battlefield is, living by God’s will takes more than a strong decision.
It takes the power of God.
When God’s power helps you live in righteousness while the world pulls you toward sin, the kingdom of God is being expressed in your life.
So What Is the Kingdom of God?
BRING THE KINGDOM INTO DAILY LIFE
- Understand the meaning and principles of the kingdom.
- Know the King’s will: Look at Jesus. Look at Scripture.
- Release the kingdom through faith, obedience, and walking with His Spirit.
- Do and be the will of God. Do not only do what God wants; become who God wants you to be.
Let me bring all of this together.
The kingdom of God is the active rule of God’s power that establishes His will—what God wants.
It is the King’s dominion.
It is God using His power so that what He desires becomes real.
That kingdom is already here through Jesus Christ. Yet its work is not complete, and many things around us—and within us—are not yet in line with God’s will.
So we ask God to bring His rule into every part of life:
Come into my life.
Come into my mind.
Come into my body.
Come into my marriage.
Come into my children.
Come into my finances.
Come into my neighborhood.
Come into my church.
Come into my school.
Come into my city.
Come into our government.
Come into our nations.
Now What?
I have to stop here.
I had planned to explain the mystery of the kingdom that is already here and the kingdom that is still to come. I also wanted to explain how human kingdoms relate to the kingdom of God. Perhaps we will continue there next week.
But these few words already give you enough to begin.
The kingdom of God is not a vague Christian idea. It is good news for you. It is closer than many of us think. It is not only about kings, presidents, or church leaders. It reaches every part of your life—your health, money, walk with the Holy Spirit, joy, peace, and much more.
So here is God’s final word for you:
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
—Matthew 6:33 KJV
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