The Kingdom of Christ is eternal, and shall never ever be overshadowed by any other, regardless of how mighty they may seem to be. Its values are in stark contrast. contradictory to- and upside-down from those of worldly kingdoms and cultures. There are many ways in which this is manifested, for instance there is a reversal of the power dynamic found in the Kingdom, since the meekness and poverty of spirit which God interprets as greatness is interpreted by the world as weakness. In the Kingdom blessings come to the meek and lowly. Jesus’ teaching to love your enemies is also seen by the world as being upside-down. In the Kingdom there are riches in being poor in spirit and the principle to prosperity here is that to give results in gain, and not get to gain. Dying to self leads to life and the first shall be last, the last first. The focus in the Kingdom is internal transformation in contrast to external conformity to the laws of a country. In the Kingdom sacrifice is elevated above self-preservation. Self-preservation is typified by self-justification. The Kingdom way of life is a challenge to the believer, because it is so radically different to that of the world. It demands that we prioritize spiritual- over material values, humility over pride, selflessness over selfishness, and living a life that reflects God’s grace and love, even when it goes against the grain of what is normal to society. Jesus, although King, was a servant, obedient, respectful, loving, and willing to lay down his life for us. The call on- and strength of our Christian Walk is serving others like He did, using the grace we have received thereunto. A lifestyle of serving the Body of Christ is nothing else but adopting His mindset and, in this way, we are also serving Him. The Kingdom of God is a kingdom of divine power, in speech and action, based on the authority given to us. In Christ we have authority over sickness and to forgive sins, based on repentance. Christ had authority and power over creation, evil, sin and temptation, laying down his life and taking it up again. We therefore have the authority to speak life to people in His name. We have the power and authority to live and proclaim the Kingdom in all the world and change it to be the right side up.
