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     In the last article we considered how Jesus declared He would build His kingdom and then left the earth before doing so.  We immediately conclude it is an invisible kingdom.  Jesus said “My kingdom is not of this world.  If My kingdom were of this world, …” (John 18:36).  During Paul’s time, he said the kingdom already existed (Colossians 1:13).  The 12 disciples (minus Judas) would be the human medium by which He would establish His kingdom.  Jesus said He would send the Holy Spirit who would divinely guide them into all truth.  Let’s consider the makeup of any kingdom.

     A kingdom consists of four basic elements: (1) king (2) subjects (3) territory (4) royal edicts.  The first element in the kingdom of heaven — Jesus is the king.  The apostle Paul acknowledged His kingship — “He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords...” (1 Timothy 6:15).  Jesus said of Himself moments before leaving the earth, ascending into heaven, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18).

     The second characteristic of a kingdom is citizenry.  The word “Christian” means “belongs to Christ.”  Thus if a person belongs to Christ and He is the king, that person is a citizen of His kingdom.  Christians are citizens of the kingdom of heaven.  “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20).  Of course Christians are to obey the laws of the land.  God created all government to maintain order (Romans 13:1-7).  However, since government is made up of sinful men, the power granted them is sometimes misused.  When government rails against God and His order to mankind and especially to Christians, Peter declared to the supreme court, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).  People agree (personal decision) to this citizenship when they are baptized responding to true faith in Jesus, the King, and responding according to His authority (John 3:3-5; Acts 8:12).  Nearly 30 years later, Paul recounted the benefits of becoming a citizen of Jesus kingdom — “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13-14).

     Territory is the third element of all kingdoms.  Where is the territory of Jesus kingdom?  Where does He rule?  Certainly, there are Christians around the world and Jesus has all authority over it.  But His rule is far more than mere earth-land!  Like any kingdom (nation) there are requirements to become a citizen.  There is always an oath of allegiance to the nation and its ways.  Jesus kingdom is no different.  He said, “...unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).  Many utter an oath, but are those utterances genuine commitments?

     Paul wrote regarding the Romans’ decision to become Christians by being baptized, “...yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine....” (Romans 6:17; see Romams 6:3-4 for context).  Jesus knows a person’s heart, thus certifies citizenship – adds those of true faith to His kingdom, (Matthew 16:18-19; Acts 2:47).  When a person submits to baptism, Jesus knows whether the person is doing so with faith in Him as the Savior or for some other reason.  Thus He is the one who adds them to His kingdom.  He knows whether a person’s response is genuinely from the heart as He has commanded, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37).

     And Jesus knows if a person’s response is superficial (hypocrisy) — “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me” (Matthew 15:8).  Note this hypocrisy begins in a person’s heart (spirit) — “...although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Romans 1:21).

     Have you decided whether to become a citizen of Jesus kingdom?  If you made that decision, are you a loyal citizen?

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