Jesus could sleep in the midst of the storm...
Kingdom focus
The Holy Spirit is shaking the nations and stirring the Church in order to reveal the kingdom. It is time to pursue God’s kingdom above all things, not just for our own security, but also as a witness to our nation. Kingdom focus means that we surrender to God’s rule of righteousness in our own lives and uphold his values in our society.
Extend the kingdom
No one can build the kingdom of God. It simply is. It is the eternal and unshakable rule of God. We cannot build it, but we can help extend it. First, by building our lives on the words and revelation of Christ. We must surrender every part of our lives to the gracious rule of God and establish his righteousness in everything we do. The culture of the kingdom runs counter to the ‘me-first’ society and its liberal abandonment of Christian truth and Christian values.
Proclaim the kingdom
Second, extending the kingdom means proclaiming it uncompromisingly to others. This is going to become increasingly difficult in the years ahead as society continues to align itself either with secularism or false religion. We cannot afford to be silent witnesses; we must become active vocal and visible heralds of the good news. We have an unprecedented opportunity to do so, as society’s ‘gods’ are failing to deliver on the promise of peace and security. The secular world-view is failing and there is a window of opportunity to preach the certainties of the Christian message to a generation of people increasingly losing hope. If we do not rise to this challenge, then we leave to door wide open for others to step into the vacuum and to dominate the religious landscape of Britain.
Demonstrate the kingdom
But, proclaiming the kingdom means more than just preaching. We must also demonstrate it. Jesus did this through the ministry of signs and wonders and through his compassion and acts of kindness which testified to the reality of his message.?
We must also continue to demonstrate the kingdom to the world through our acts of compassion and service to others in society. Let every believer become active in good works and be living witnesses to the presence of the kingdom, just as Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16
Kingdom influence
The strategy of false religion is to become an earthly ruling power and dominant political force in society. Jesus said his kingdom did work like that. But that does not mean our faith has nothing to do with day-to-day life in the world. Far from it! Our faith is relevant for the whole of life. Jesus wants his rule to have a ‘salt and light’ influence throughout every part of society. This means we must actively engage in every aspect of our society – by our presence, through our life-style, by praying, by standing up for righteousness and by protesting against evil and injustice as well as by presenting positive Christian values to those around us. We must get out of the closet of closed church life and actively reach people where they are. This means that every Christian must become both a disciple and a disciple maker. This is what the cell ministry is all about. We need thousands of cells of active Christians meeting in homes, in offices, in schools and colleges, witnessing to the presence of the unshakeable kingdom of God.
It is time to show the nation another way of being and living – Christ’s way.