The Kingdom

Imagine a city... up on a hill, surrounded by a wall, protected and fortified.

Inside the beautiful stone fortifications the citizens are well cared for, well fed, happy – kids are playing in the streets.

The King watches it all from his throne on the balcony and smiles but his eyes lift over the wall to the surrounding hills.

There are poor, sick and hungry masses outside the gates. Suddenly a citizen hears the King shout, "Go!" and he hurries outside the walls to share the Kings goodness with strangers. He brings others along and they rush out, arms filled with provisions and give help to those they encounter. They tell stories of the King but only a few listen. They want their independence, they don’t want rules or sacrifice and many listen to loud foreigners who tell them that if they go within the walls they will be giving everything up. Even that they might die.

Some are just content to wait outside and hope for some bread to be tossed over, to sustain them for another day... but one young boy grabs ahold of a citizen and begs to be taken back to the city. He has heard the stories of help and healing and a King - so good - that He sent his own son on a mission just to save others. That boy, he will leave everything behind as long as he can meet the king.

The ruler watches as the young boy forces his way through the gate which splinters a little as it bursts open. He enters the gates and runs to the castle as the king runs down the steps to greet him.

From the Days of John the Baptist until now, The Kingdom of Heaven has been subjected to violence and the violent lay claim to it. Matt 11:12

“Has been subjected to violence” is translated from the Greek word biazo which means “to force.”

The Kingdom of Heaven is taken by violence, carried by a storm – a share in the Kingdom of Heaven is sought for “with the most ardent zeal” and great exertion.

We can’t sit passively by and expect the Kingdom of Heaven to drop in our laps we need to be like that boy and want an audience with the King with all we have.

The violent is the Greek word biastes (same root word biazo) it is a positive aggression guiding them and empowering them to act forcefully in a good way… “Fired up by God” to do the tasks of the King.

Lay claim to it is translated as to properly seize like someone seizing a bounty or snatching a prize. To take by an open display of force.

The boy didn’t even know what went on within the city until the citizens came and testified. The citizens had to first go and share the good news.

God deserves followers who are excited about Him! Who see His Kingdom as a city to enter, eager to understand and learn all that it has to offer and about the government that rules it. Meek and quiet warriors will not overtake it. We do want everything it has to offer.

The Kingdom of God is rich, filled with power and blessings from the King. Some, like illegal aliens, want the blessings without the sacrifice of citizenship. They don’t want to have the Lord as the Supreme Sovereign ruler of their lives. They want the blessings without giving anything up

Seek FIRST the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness (legal justification) and all of these things (worldly needs) will be added unto (placed in front of) you. Matthew 6:33

Seek doesn’t just mean to go look for - that boy didn’t want to just go look at the city - it means to demand with the intent to receive. He wanted to partake! He wanted to meet the King!

A Kingdom is not a kingdom without a King.

We seek Him.

We seek His Sovereignty.

We seek His Kingship.

We seek His Royal Power.

We seek His authority.

We pay everything in taxes.

But we receive everything in return.

We as believers break into the Kingdom of God legally through Jesus and we carry off the spoils and blessings to share with the world and testify of the Kingdom’s greatness. The good news is that Jesus made a path to citizenship. Let us all be good ambassadors for Him and properly represent the Kingdom wherever we go today.