The Kingdom of God does not expand…. we are invited in.
A Covenant pastor posted this insight on a Facebook forum that I am in:
“The kingdom of God is not something we “build” or “advance” or “expand.” The fact that many Christians use such verbiage when talking about the kingdom of God should tell us that our vision of the kingdom of God is completely out of whack. The kingdom is not “built” by us, it is “received.” We do not “advance” or “expand” the kingdom; we “enter” in”
The kingdom of God is not a colonizing effort. It is something that we are invited into, that we became heirs of, by God’s grace.
This matters because it changes our evangelism strategy. Oftentimes we pit God’s word against the culture, as if we must remove the world and put ourselves in power. But the truth is that God is King over all the earth already. And when he returns, every knee will bow. God doesn’t need us to fight for his kingdom. He wants us to spread the message that God’s Kingdom is open to be entered into now, voluntarily and that when we do so, we are not just tenants but also heirs. We will inherit God’s kingdom. That is the gospel message: The gates of God’s kingdom have been opened to all who choose to enter in, not just a select few. Evangelism is inviting more people to share in the inheritance of God’s kingdom.
Blessings,
Pastor Nick
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