Do You See It?

"The Kingdom of God won't be detected by visible signs. You won't be able to say 'Here it is!' or 'It's over there!'. For the Kingdom of God is already among you - Jesus Christ (Luke 17:20b-21).

When Jesus announced that the Kingdom of God was already present, he caught his earliest followers off guard.

After all, for centuries his people had expected that when the Kingdom came it would be with power and noise - a mighty military and political liberation movement.

Not the itinerant teaching of a misunderstood small-town Jewish carpenter turned rabbi.

But when Jesus said "The Kingdom of God is already among you" he was referring to himself.

When Jesus ascended to heaven he sent the gift of the Holy Spirit, who is now the presence of Christ in each of us who believe in Christ and in us gathered together - the church.

In other words, the presence of the Kingdom of God in 2010 is not in visible strength, political influence, "success", or dominance. It is present when people who follow Christ demonstrate the principles of the Kingdom in their own lives and in their lives lived together.

So, is the Kingdom of God present and evident and SEEN in your own life?

-Is your life characterized by a God- and others-focus or are you mostly thinking about your own interests?
-Are you known as a complainer and arguer or are you someone who is guaranteed to leave others more encouraged than when you found them?
-Is your speech characterized by affirmation or criticism?
-Are you devoting substantial portions of your resources to what God is doing through the church, particularly in caring for the less fortunate?
-Do those in positions of power know that they can count on your integrity and followership but also know that you won't be silent if they practice injustice or take advantage of others?
-Is your gut instinct compassion or judgment?
-Does your heart flutter and your blood race a little faster when you think about what God is up to in and through your church in spite of its imperfections (and ALL of our churches are imperfect!)

Let's imagine someone who knows you really well - someone who has never heard the language "Kingdom of God".

Let's say they are given the defintion of the Kingdom and then they think about YOU.

Do they make a connection or does the fact that you are a citizen of that Kingdom never occur to them?

Do they see it?

Do you?