Whose Kingdom? And Who’s Building It?

“Jesus also said, ‘The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed spouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens. The earth produces the crops on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens. And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the harvest time has come.’” (Mark 4:26-29 NLT)

If you are born again of the Spirit of God, you are a member of the Kingdom of God. Church membership and Kingdom of God membership are two completely different things. You can be a member in good standing of a very active, alive, and anointed fellowship, but if you haven’t yielded your heart and life to Jesus, you’re not a member of God’s eternal Kingdom.

We sometimes wrongly assume that doing work in and through the church is Kingdom work, but that’s not necessarily the case. I can live, eat, sleep, and work in my garage, but that will never make me a car. Humans and cars are two completely different entities.

I can attend worship, serve, and even be employed by the church; I can know all the doctrine, recite all the creeds and catchy phrases and give sacrificially of my finances; I can teach and even preach powerful sermons, yet still not be a member of God’s Kingdom. According to Jesus in Matthew 7:22 we can even prophesy in His name and cast out demons and perform many miracles in His name and still not be a member of His eternal Kingdom.

So, who IS a member of God’s Kingdom? Jesus said in John 3:3: “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” WHOA! What does that mean? As Jesus explained to Nicodemus in John 3, it means to be born of the Spirit of God. It’s a spiritual process initiated and accomplished by God alone.

Our only part is being available and willing to receive the gift of God’s presence into our lives. The Kingdom of God isn’t a building or organization, it’s a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ and His eternal Family. When we, by faith, accept the Lord’s invitation to receive His Holy presence into our life we are, as the Bible describes it, born again.

It’s a spiritual process accomplished through prayer and illustrated by water Baptism. In Romans 6:4 Paul writes: “For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.” Please understand, Baptism doesn’t save us, it simply illustrates in an outward, visible form what transpires between us and God by faith when we voluntarily choose to “die” to our sin and become “alive” spiritually in Christ alone by faith alone.

We do not create or build God’s Kingdom, He does, we just pray for the honor and opportunity to be a small part of what He is doing. Francis Schaeffer says it well when he writes: “We are not building God’s kingdom. He is building his kingdom, and we are praying for the privilege of being involved.” 

There is so much pettiness in the Church today, largely because we fail to realize whose Kingdom it is and Who’s building it. The Church is the compilation of all those born again of the Spirit, but it’s GOD’S Church it’s GOD’S Kingdom, we just have the privilege of being a part of what He has done and what He is doing.

Let’s please live like we understand that; like we’re a member, not the owner!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊