The relationship between the Church and the Kingdom of God is often misunderstood. Christians often speak as if the Kingdom of God was just another name for the church. In fact, they are quite different from each other; and the Kingdom of God is much more important. The main thing that Jesus came to do was to establish the Kingdom of God. This is clear from the basic message that he proclaimed:

The time has come. The Kingdom of God is near.
Repent and believe the good news (Mark 1:15).

The gospels tell us that Jesus was constantly teaching about the Kingdom of God. The good news that he proclaimed was the gospel of the Kingdom or the Government of God. The twelve disciples were also sent out to proclaim the same gospel of the Kingdom (Luke 9:1-2). In contrast, the gospels only mention the word church twice.

The Kingdom of God is a much wider concept than the Church. The Kingdom includes every area of life that is under the rule and authority of God. If God rules a home, it is part of the Kingdom. Where a business is run on biblical principles, it is also part of the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God includes every human activity that is done according to his will.

God intends his Kingdom to expand into every area of life. This expansion takes place in two different ways. Individual people must be born into the Kingdom. Jesus said,

Unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:5).

As people are born again through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, they become citizens of the Kingdom. God will deliver them from sickness and control of the spiritual powers of evil. Being born again is the only way that a person can enter the Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom also expands as followers of Jesus bring the different aspects of their lives under the will of God. As a Christian applies the principles of God's word to those activities where he/she has authority, they become part of the Kingdom of God. The Government of God expands as Christians voluntarily expand the rule of God into the areas of life where they have authority without the use of force.

Authority is an essential aspect of any Kingdom. Within the kingdom of God, there are five main spheres of authority (more on these at Spheres).

  • People
  • Family
  • Business
  • Church
  • Law and Protection

The Government of God becomes a reality when every sphere of authority is managed according to the Word of God. This happens when those with authority are followers of Jesus who are submitted to the authority of God. When a sphere is functioning according to his will, it becomes part of the kingdom of God. Where authority is exercised contrary to his will, that sphere of authority is outside the kingdom.

At the same time, the interaction between the various spheres of authority must also be governed by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. It is wrong for one sphere to take over the authority that belongs to another.

Everything outside the kingdom of God is part of the kingdom of darkness. It is ruled and controlled by the spiritual powers of evil. Their kingdom is characterised by disunity and conflict. These are the consequences of human sin. The powers of evil love to lie and destroy, so their kingdom is full of hatred, bitterness, and destruction of human life. The only way to escape is through faith in Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:13).

Naturally, there will be warfare between the two kingdoms. God's purpose is to extend his Kingdom throughout the entire world. The spiritual powers of evil are trying to expand their kingdom. This task has been made easier as Christians have withdrawn from many spheres of authority. The idea emerged that law and business are improper activities for Christians. These two very important areas of authority have been handed over to evil. Even where Christians are involved in politics or business, there has been no serious attempt to apply biblical principles to these activities. This has severely weakened the government of God.

Instead of seeking to establish the Kingdom of God, Christians have concentrated on building the church. The church has become a place of retreat from the world. It may have supported Christians in their daily lives, but to the world, it appears weak and irrelevant. Rather than being a place of retreat, the church should be a recruiting station and training ground for the kingdom of God.

It must recruit members for the kingdom by proclaiming the gospel. At the same time, it must send Christians out into the world to establish the Kingdom of God. Christians should move into every area of authority and take up responsibility. The Church should teach these Christians to exercise that authority in accordance with the Word of God.

Jesus talked about the Kingdom of God incessantly (Mark 1:14,15, Luke 4:23, John 3:3). He only mentioned the church twice. Jesus preached the Good News of the Kingdom. The modern church tends to preach the gospel of personal salvation or the gospel of the church. The Gospel of the Kingdom is rarely heard. The gospel of the Government of God is never heard.

The reason is that most Christians think the Kingdom of God and the church are identical. The Kingdom of God is just used as another name for the church. This is not correct. The Kingdom is a much broader concept than the church. Therefore the Gospel of the Kingdom is much broader than the gospel of personal salvation. If we are to obey Jesus and proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, we must recover a vision of the Kingdom of God.

The Church is just one sphere of authority within the kingdom of God. For too long, it has been seen as the only one. The Church must never be an end in itself. It must always be working with the Holy Spirit to establish the kingdom of God. When Jesus comes back, he does not just want to find a holy Church. He is coming back for a victorious Church, a Church that has allowed the Holy Spirit to establish the kingdom of God as a reality in the world.

The role of the church is expanding the kingdom is developed further in a book called
BEING CHURCH
Where we Live

Click here to find out more

Citizens or Residents

To understand the difference between the church and the kingdom of God, we must grasp the importance of territory in God’s purposes.

When the followers of Jesus living together in one place engage in spiritual warfare, they can force all the spiritual powers of evil out of that territory. Once they achieve victory, this territory belongs to Jesus, not to the spiritual powers of evil.

Within this territory, there will be two types of people.

Jesus is the king of everyone living and working within that territory.

An ekklesia is a gathering of the citizens living in a place (Act 19:39). In terms of the Kingdom of God, the ekklesia is all the citizens of the Kingdom (they have given allegiance to Jesus) living in that piece of territory. Not everyone living within that territory is a citizen.

Citizens are the body of followers of Jesus, who are:

The citizens (ekklesia) in this piece of territory engage in the following activities. Citizens can operate in the spiritual realms. They can go into the king’s presence because the King is their brother and friend.

Residents live within the territory of the king, but they are not citizens because they have not yet given allegiance to the king. They only know the king by hearsay. They cannot go into his presence because they are confined to the physical realms of life.

Residents are not interested in the activities of the ekklesia listed above. However, because they belong to the Kingdom, they are entitled to the benefits it provides for residents.

The King cares about all residents of his kingdom. He wants them to prosper, so they do not rebel against him.

Kingdom Communities serve citizens and residents, although most of the work will be done by citizens because they are committed to the king and his kingdom. Residents will also be glad to receive:

Kingdom Communities make human government redundant. Political power takes plenty, but has nothing to offer because a Kingdom Community delivers everything better.

For more see Government of God.

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