New Kingdom People

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9)

I love the image above. 

A man set free who was previously in chains. His hands are raised proclaiming his new found freedom. And he stands atop a hill, the sun rising at his back. Glorious. Grateful. Free.

I can easily see myself in that photo.

Our Savior, Jesus, called us out of darkness, and into His marvelous light.

So why do so many of us live like we're still in chains? Bound by the things of this world?

An old preacher once said to me, "You can't live with one foot in God's kingdom, and the other foot in the world." That's sort of like straddling a barbed wire fence.

We have to be all-in. 

We are ineffective and of no use if we still have one foot in the world—the kingdom of darkness.

 Prayerfully contemplate the following passages of scripture:

“Then Jesus said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23)

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:15-17)

“So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.” (Luke 14:33)

Those are just three of many extremely challenging passages from God's Word that require us to be all-in if we want to be disciples of Jesus Christ, and used by God.

We cannot serve two masters.

“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and has translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.” (Colossians 1:13)

We have been delivered from the power and kingdom of darkness, into the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

We're no longer old kingdom people—we're New Kingdom People now.

Think of all the things that rule, divide and consume the kingdom of this dark world: political bickering, the lust for power, material things, idolatry, covetousness, sex, drugs, alcohol, wicked entertainment, perversity, pornography, inappropriate relationships, pride, position, money, greed, dictates of the immoral culture, etc.

And yet, so many people who claim to be God's people—New Kingdom People—are ruled, divided and consumed by the exact same things as the kingdom of darkness.

We will never truly be free if we try to live with one foot in God's kingdom, and the other in the kingdom of darkness.

There are a lot of things that Christians today hotly defend or pursue. But I see no such things defended or pursued by Jesus or His disciples in the New Testament.

I believe God is sending the Church today a wake up call to each of us, to examine our own hearts, and repent of the things that are holding us back, keeping us bound, and preventing us from being all-in.

The Apostle Paul wrote:

“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14)

We argue over, debate, defend and pursue so many worldly things that will be absolutely meaningless and forgotten once we leave this earth and stand before Jesus. Just let them go.

Be all-in.

We're New Kingdom People now.



—God is Love and Love Never Fails.