Jesus' passion was the kingdom. It was the major theme of His preaching. The word kingdom occurs 49 times in Matthew, 16 in Mark and 38 in Luke -- 103 times in just those three Gospels. Before He went to the cross Jesus said, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent" [Luke 4:43]. After the Resurrection the kingdom remained His driving force as He appeared to his disciples "over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God" [Acts 1:3]. Preaching the kingdom was Jesus' consuming passion.
How did Jesus Christ bring the kingdom? Primarily by bringing men and women into obedient conformity to the Father's will. This is the meaning of "your kingdom come" in its context because the immediately following and parallel words are, "your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Those who are in God's kingdom strive to do God's will. In fact, they do it.
That the kingdom of God is continuing to break out all around us is clear for all to see if we would but look around us with spiritual eyes. Yesterday, Janna and I attended church at Alli's home church in Caracas, Venezuela and while the service might as well have been in Greek for all that we were able to understand with our natural minds [it was totally in Spanish and very fast Spanish at that]. Yet, we could see a congregation of people [probably 130 +/-] totally in love with God and His Son. We watched four recent converts be baptized and learned that there were also four baptisms the previous Sunday ... this is as many or perhaps more believers' baptisms than many mainline denominational churches will have in a single year. I experienced the same thing in my previous medical missions to both Nicaragua and Cameroon. Everywhere I've gone, God has beaten me there! And His kingdom was taking root. Obviously, this has now [since Pentecost] become the overriding passion of the Holy Spirit.
When we see this though, it becomes very personal for several reasons. First, my will wants to go its own way, but being in the kingdom means my will is bent to God's will. It means repentance. Jesus often said, "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news" [see Mark 1:14; Matthew 4:17]. Being a believer, a member of the kingdom, means that we do not seek to do what we want but rather what God wants. To pray "your kingdom come" is to repent.
Secondly, this prayer demands commitment. Jesus was very direct when He said, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God" [Luke 9:62]. The kingdom of God is for those have decided to follow the Lord Jesus Christ and do not keep longingly looking back. To pray "your kingdom come" is to commit ourselves to Him above all other things.
Thirdly, the kingdom is to be pursued above all else. Jesus again gave us the authoritative word regarding this matter when He said, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" [Matthew 6:33]. Before all else we are to seek the kingdom in obedience to Him. We cannot pray the Lord's prayer with folded hands. To pray "your kingdom come" is to actively pursue it.
Lastly, the kingdom of God is for those who have a profound dependence upon God. We cannot over-quote Jesus' words, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" [Matthew 5:3]. No one has the kingdom except those who have come to the end of themselves and have turned to God.
Praying "your kingdom come" demands a depth of commitment from us, and such a commitment produces a life that makes a difference in our society and world. Kingdom power impacts our most intimate relationships. Lives are influenced for Christ, and some are changed. We can make a difference in our schools, in our work places and even our cities. Sometimes whole societies are elevated. Our vision for society should be the kingdom of God, and that is what we are to strive for. To be sure, we will never succeed in establishing a perfect kingdom as was supposed by some of our forebears. However, kingdom living has made and does make a difference in the world. Virtually all the great social reforms in history had their roots in kingdom living. The abolition of slavery came about through the kingdom living of Christians such as William Wilberforce and Abraham Lincoln. Prison reform came from the kingdom living of Elizabeth Fry. Great advances in compassion and medical care came through Florence Nightingale. Equal rights for blacks and other minorities came about through the Rev. Martin Luther King and other great black pastors and believers. We do make a difference when we pray "your kingdom come." This is a big prayer that depends on a big God. And when truly prayed, it makes for a big life. Is your life, is my life, big enough to pray, "your kingdom come"?
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