“And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:20-21 KJV).
As our Lord Jesus was grilled by the Pharisees on when the kingdom of God would come, He reveals that the kingdom of God is already come. God’s kingdom is an internal present reality, rather than an external future spectacular display, for those who rest in grace by faith in the Son of Man. It is not identified by external observations, but by the spiritual abundance of joy, peace and righteous love within the believers. It advises us to focus on this inner spiritual reality over the expectation for outward physical experience. The kingdom of God is in the hearts of people, where God rules for all that believe.
This is in contrast with the Pharisaical religious focus on legalism, emphasizing that the kingdom of God is about the righteousness, peace, and joy found in Christ Jesus, not observing outward religious doctrines. The religious Pharisees were looking for a visible political kingdom that would overthrow the Romans. Our Lord Jesus Christ corrected them, explaining that God's reign is invisible, starting within and working through the hearts of those who believe.
We, being the redeemed of the Lord by grace through faith in Him, have God’s kingdom in our midst. The Father and Son are in us reigning God’s kingdom. With their presence in us, we are made the citadel of the kingdom of God. This truth, our Lord Jesus Christ proclaimed in His prayer to the Father. It is written: “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” (John 17:16-23 ESV).
And I say, AMEN!
Daily reflections by:
F. A. Frias
PFC Ministries
When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.
Partners For Christ Ministries, INC.
P. O. Box 773716
Ocala, FL 34477
Touching lives in Cambodia, The Philippines, The Middle East, The USA, and... other countries.
F. A. Frias
PFC Ministries
When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.
Partners For Christ Ministries, INC.
P. O. Box 773716
Ocala, FL 34477
Touching lives in Cambodia, The Philippines, The Middle East, The USA, and... other countries.
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