THE KINGDOM WITHIN

Dallas Willard (1935-2013) wrote, “Among the many misunderstandings Jesus had to counteract in his teaching was the one that held the kingdom to be some gigantic event in some special place. This was human thinking about human kingdoms, which always fit that description. He was constantly faced with people who wanted to know when the kingdom of God was coming. When is the big commotion? He patiently replied that the kingdom of God was not that kind of thing. It was simply God reigning, governing. It is not a special event you could see happening over here or possibly over there. “Now look,” he said, “the kingdom of God is right here among you” (Luke 17:20–21, paraphrase). His main sermon line was: “Get a new thought! The kingdom of the heavens is available to you from right where you are!” (Matthew 4:17 paraphrase).

It seems that if we can place the Kingdom as an event, especially a future event, we can also place our responsibility to it as a future event. But… it is here now and we are to respond to it now.

“The Kingdom of God isn’t ushered in with visible signs. You won’t be able to say, ‘It has begun here in this place or there in that part of the country.’ For the Kingdom of God is within you.” Jesus (The Living Bible)