Kingdom of God

What exactly is "the kingdom of God?" How does one recognize the kingdom? Are you in the kingdom of God? So often, people search for the evidence of the kingdom of God rather than simply identifying it. In the present day, the stress is evasively put on works and actions rather than a personal relationship with God. Too many people fall into the trap of participating in as many activities as they can, living to have their good deeds noticed by others; however, the key point is entirely missed. It is the innermost intimate part of a person that divulges the power of an individual's life, not the actions. Jesus makes this clear in the book of Luke when he states, "The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, ‘look, here it is!' or ‘There it is!' For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you" (17:20b-21). Luke places a lot of emphasis on this topic, it is of utmost importance to study what the Bible says about the kingdom of God and view it in the context of which it was written in order to grasp the precise concept of what God wants to reveal. Throughout the book of Luke, Jesus' life, teachings, and miracles illustrate the nature of God's kingdom, who it includes, and what it costs to enter into His kingdom.
The kingdom represents God's government, authority, and ruling power, therefore, the kingdom is present whenever someone yields their life completely to God's authority. Donald Kraybill, in his book The Upside-down Kingdom, notes that people must enter into the kingdom because it is state of affairs rather than a state of mind (19). Until one is born again, one cannot enter the realm of the kingdom of God. In the book of Luke, Jesus tells His disciples that He speaks in parables so that others will not understand the "secrets of the kingdom of God" (8:9-10). Furthermore, one cannot understand the kingdom of God without being born again. When one submits their life to God's authority, he or she releases the nature of Christ

Cited: Dayton, Donald. Discovering Evangelical Heritage. New York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1976; 2nd ed., Peabody Hendrickson. 1988. Drane, John. Introducing the New Testament. Minneapolis: First Fortress Press, 2001. Kraybill, Donald B. The Upside-down Kingdom. 25th anniv. Ed. Scottsdale, PA: Herald Press, 2003. Snyder, Howard. The Community of the King. Downers Grove, Illinois: Intervarsity Press, 1978. The New Oxford Annotated Bible. Third Edition. Edited by Michael D. Coogan. New Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. Yoder, John Howard. The Politics of Jesus. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1980.