Who are the believers and followers of Christ and what is their identity, status and role on the earth? This is a very complicated question and it is hard for one who is outside of the Kingdom to understand, but this issue is critical in determining how we live in the world and interact with the people and systems of the world.
Let's begin by looking at Jesus. Most of us live in countries that have what is called a Judeo Christian background and we take several things for granted. We take for granted that Jesus Christ is central to our belief system. We take it for granted that He is who He said He is. And we take it for granted that He is God and has given us guidelines for living. If you have ever gone to church it means that in some way you believe something fundamental about the authenticity of Jesus Christ or you are curious about Him.
In order for us to take an objective look at Jesus we need to begin by examining what He said about himself. If we adhere to the notion that He is who He said He is and we are His followers, then we must examine His statements, not what others said about Him. So what did He say about himself?
First of all He stated very clearly that He is a king. The Bible refers to Him in the Book of Revelation 19:16 as the King of kings. So the beginning of the conversation about Jesus is about a king and not just about a king -- about the ultimate and supreme king over all kings. This cannot be denied because it is a central theme in the Bible and in His own words.
If we look at His normal conversations with His disciples and others, He constantly spoke about a kingdom. We all recall when the disciples asked Him how to pray and He replied, "thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven". Many of us have grown up reciting the Our Father Prayer and have not paid attention to the fact that Jesus spoke about a Kingdom constantly. In another instance Jesus admonished the disciples to, "seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you". Matt: 6-33. Here again Jesus specifically refers to this Kingdom.
In another instance a young man came to Jesus wanting to know the keys to life and how to get into this Kingdom that Jesus spoke about, and Jesus went on to explain to him something that makes no logical sense in the everyday human experience. He told this young man, "Except a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom." (John 3:3)
So here again Jesus spoke about and focused on the central theme of His life and message, which was and is, the existence of and the centrality of this Kingdom as the ultimate source of life.
Let us agree then that Jesus' central theme was the establishment of the Kingdom. Beyond this basic theme, Jesus began to make startling claims about this Kingdom. He stated that this Kingdom was superior to any earthly kingdom and that this Kingdom would bring about abundant life. He also stated that this Kingdom would produce revolutionary change and benefit to anyone who became a part of it. The word kingdom was so important to Jesus that it is found over 100 times in the four gospels and 162 times in the New Testament.
What might be considered weird to the average resident of earth is that Jesus spoke so fervently about this Kingdom, but yet He was not referring to geographical location or territory. Even His disciples did not initially grasp this concept because they were expecting Him to overthrow the Roman authorities and establish a physical kingdom. Others in the region also began to question him about this Kingdom he referred to -- to the extent that he issued a strong and emphatic clarification. He explained that this Kingdom was not based upon a physical, earthly or geographic location. He explained to them that, "the Kingdom of God is within you". In this scripture you will note His answer, which probably further confused some of the questioners.
Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the Kingdom of God is within you."
After all the suspense about this wonderful Kingdom, Jesus explains to all that you cannot go to a geographical location to find it. He stated that to enter it you must be born again. These were, I am sure, very strange statements. He was either God or a lunatic. On earth up until the time He made these statements, the only kingdoms known were physical places where one could see a physical throne and a resident king. Jesus introduced a new concept into the world, something that we casually refer to, but something that is indeed a startling departure from what we would consider normal. Welcome to the discussion, the examination of the Kingdom of God, a unique and revolutionary Kingdom that has changed the world and the way we look at life.

o Pastor Dave Burrows is senior pastor at Bahamas Faith Ministries International. Feel free to email comments, whether you agree or disagree, to pastordaveburrows@hotmail.com. I appreciate your input and dialogue. We become better when we discuss, examine and exchange.

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