The Kingdom and the church are two cross-referenced words commonly used to denote the congregation of saints on earth. The Holy Scripture, though, clearly differentiates one from the other.
The kingdom of God is solemnly the restoration of the intended divine relationship of Almighty and humans, which will be interrupted by the disobedience of Adam & Eve. On accepting Jesus Christ as Savior, one enters into the Kingdom where love prevails over hate, envy, greed and selfishness. Forgiveness of sins is the first & foremost thing we experience in the Kingdom, followed by righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).
“Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you” Luke 10:19
Jesus has given us spiritual authority over all the powers of the enemy which we ought to exercise with the help of the Holy Spirit. Relying on Jesus unlocks unto us the vaults of His heavenly riches and glory stored for us in places where neither thieves nor moths can invade.
Continual existence in His Kingdom outgrows the spiritual to reflect divine attributes in the natural, reflecting the essence of Jesus and His Kingdom to a world alien to His dogmas. Through our lifestyle, habits, and relationships, we ought to manifest the divine culture-reflecting the holiness of God and His everlasting love. We are called to exhort the world to follow Jesus, with deeds that are more impactful than mere words.
Do we make efforts to build God’s Kingdom?
“And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Mathew 16:18
God’s plan to establish the intricate and impeccably beautiful ‘Church’ began even before the creation of the world. Apostle Paul rightly describes it as a hidden plan: God has chosen us to be in union with Him through Jesus, a divine covenant to bear the fruits of holiness within our souls. Because of His love, God has made us His children through Christ and that was His pleasure and purpose (Ephesians 1:4-5).
Neither man’s inclination toward sin nor rebellion towards Christ caused God to bring a halt to His plan for establishing the Church.
“To the general assembly of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,” Hebrews 12:23
The first born in the New Jerusalem, those born again, unto them has He entitled all the privileges of the Church; dreaming dreams and receiving revelations being the pre-requisites of being called the Church, whereas access to the Kingdom is a promised treasure unto all those who believe.. Salvation and access to the Kingdom is shared equally by Jews and Gentiles whereas for the Church, God’s plans remain exquisite- To use her to reveal the manifold wisdom of God (2 Corinthians 4:7-11) which is Christ’s possession (1 Corinthians 1:24, 30 ). Forgiveness of sins and faith paves a path to enter the Kingdom of God, but to inherit it we ought to pursue Christ who will eventually use us to manifest God’s wisdom and Glory through our lives to the world.
In His perfect time, Almighty will finish His plan and Lord Jesus will come for the ‘church- His undefiled bride’ to be with Him in all eternity.
Let us prepare ourselves to be a part of the ‘Church’ to receive the bliss of eternally living in His Glory divine.
Praise be to God!
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