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     In previous articles we observed that (1) Jesus’ kingdom came into existence in the first century; (2) Jesus is reigning in heaven and (3) the territory of His kingdom is the heart of each person who is a citizen of His kingdom.  With regard to kingdoms, we think of kings.  Ancient Near Eastern kings portrayed themselves as shepherds even though they were usually ruthless tyrants.  Kings had all power, ruled by decree with an army, thus all citizens bowed to the king’s will.
     Nebuchadnezzar, the 6th century BC king of Babylon, is a classic example.  That he was a tyrant is evident by one of his aide’s remarks that the king would have his head if the king’s wishes were not followed (Daniel 1:10).  Because the king’s wise men could not interpret his dream, he ordered them to be executed (Daniel 2:12-13).  Kings also demanded total and unquestioning allegiance.  When people refused to worship the idol that he built, they were burned alive in a furnace (Daniel 3:1-20).  Nebuchadnezzar was typical of ancient kings – filled up with pride and inhumanely cruel.
     In contrast, Jesus, the king of His spiritual kingdom, portrays Himself as the good shepherd (John 10:11).  The imagery of Jesus in the Gospel according to John (chapter10) is that of a tender, caring and protecting shepherd, giving Himself for the welfare of his flock.
     We inquire – What is the purpose of Jesus’ flock, His kingdom?  And what is the citizen’s purpose in the kingdom, His church?  Why be part of it?  The kingdom has a worldwide purpose – to spread the good news of Jesus’ kingdom to the whole world (Matthew 24:14).  The kingdom has workers that help one another to be “complete” according to God’s will (Colossians 4:12).  The kingdom is an everlasting kingdom (2 Peter 1:1) in which its citizens are heirs (James 2:5).  These passages point to the eternality of the kingdom and its citizens.  In other words, being a loyal citizen of the kingdom results in living eternally.
     The citizens, individually, are to glorify its king, Jesus (Romans 11:36), and God (Romans 15:7; Ephesians 3:21).  Citizens are to be loyal to God even in dying in the face of persecution for the sake of Jesus (1 Peter 4:14-16).  Via such unwavering loyalty, the citizen “glorifies” God.
     What does it mean to “glorify?”  It is different from praise, which is giving honor to someone or something.  Even today, people give praise to idols.  “To glorify” has a core meaning of giving praise and honor to someone who has the reputation for deserving that praise.  Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, showed that He is deity and deserving of total allegiance and glorification by each of us.  In one word, the purpose of Jesus’ kingdom is to glorify Him and the Father.  This begs the question “How do we glorify King Jesus and God acceptably?”

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