How Does God’s Kingdom Come

A Word of Truth #188  

The kingdom of God is not a kingdom with land boundaries. It is not an earthly kingdom at all, nor is it simply heaven. Rather, the kingdom of God is the ruling which Jesus our Savior does in the hearts of believers. Being in the kingdom of God is having Christ as your king. Christ lives and rules in our hearts through the working of the Holy Spirit with the Gospel. “The kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).

When we pray, “Thy Kingdom Come,” in the Lord’s Prayer, we are praying for the Word of God to bring people to faith in Jesus. We also pray that those who have already been brought to faith and already have Jesus ruling in their hearts will be preserved in that faith. “Thy Kingdom come” is a prayer for the work of the Holy Spirit to be done in hearts everywhere and in everyone.

How is God’s will done among us?

A Word of Truth #189  

WWJD are initials frequently found displayed in Christian pop art and on various types of Christian jewelry. Those initials stand for the phrase, “What would Jesus do” and suggest that Christians ought to make their moral decisions in accordance with the will and ways of Jesus Christ. In the Lord’s Prayer we pray, “Thy will be done” and, in effect, ask God to lead us to that same end. God’s will for His believing followers is that we use His precious word to resist the temptations of Satan, the sinful world around us, and the sinful impulses within us. God wants us to grow in grace and wisdom, to be filled with His Spirit, and to live our lives in faithfulness to our Savior. The writer to the Hebrews prays, “May the God of peace… make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight” (13:20).