Thy Kingdom Come

While sitting in meetings recently, I did some brainstorming about the difference between two philosophies of The Kingdom of God.
The first is what I like to call the "pie in the sky by and by" view. This relegates all of Jesus' teaching about the Kingdom into the "not yet" category.
The second is the "Now" category. This explains Jesus' teaching on the Kingdom as referring to a lifestyle and belief system that says if we are living God's way, we are dwelling in the Kingdom.

Here are my random thoughts.


Not Yet - Kingdom after Second coming

People with Pause - Always afraid to be 'tainted' by the world and things outside our safety areas of church, family and theological circles.

Traditional Message - Stick with what we know. Say what we've always said. New is probable bad. Old is probably good.

Mantra: It's gonna get rough, It's gonna be tough but one day, it's gonna get better.


Now - Kingdom living starts when we find Jesus

People with Cause - Offers a lifestyle that makes a difference now. Offers a heart change that can heal your relationships and attitude now.

Transitional Message - Because people can become Kingdom dwellers and reap it's benefits immediately, the message is one of health, growth and maturity - change for the better.

Mantra: It's gonna get rough, It's gonna be tough but today we will make it better.