The kingdom of God is within you

“Neither shall they say, Lo here! Or, lo there! For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21)

Good morning, my friend…

It is my honor to spend the next few minutes with you today. Today’s passage is familiar to many of us in the Church. It has been oft quoted, referenced, and otherwise bantered about; however, it is a very critical teaching for us to understand. Today might get a little “deep” for some of you, but I ask you to let the Holy Spirit speak to you – even in the areas you don’t quite understand or can’t wrap your minds around – and let Him guide you into all truth.

This verse is nestled inside Jesus’ teaching on faith, the healing of the ten lepers, then on to a discourse concerning His return for His Bride. I would encourage you to spend some time simply reading through the gospels. Don’t necessarily dig deep, just read through them as you would a novel just to get the rhythm of how Jesus walked this earth. Of course I want you to study to show yourself approved, rightly dividing the Word. One problem I have always had is I like to get caught up in the details – looking up definitions, esoteric meanings, deeper, hidden truths, etc. Bear with me as we go through this next few minutes together.

Notice a few verses earlier that Jesus was passing through Samaria – an area populated by (mainly) half-bred Jews, mixed blood. They were part Jew, part Gentile. They believed a good portion of the scripture, but their religion had become corrupted. As Jesus passed through, however, out of the crowd came ten lepers – believers in Jesus, perhaps. More than likely they were believers in His miracles more than His Person (sounds like some people we know, doesn’t it?). Jesus saw their need, turned, and instantly freed them of their leprosy. I say freed them because He healed them – gave them relief from their symptoms. Theirs was, I believe from what I have studied, merely a temporary cleansing. As they departed to go to the priest to be declared clean, one returned to give thanks. This one, the Bible records, Jesus made whole – restored to full health. His thanksgiving drove the healing inside, making his cleansing a complete work.

I mentioned getting the rhythm of Jesus’ lifestyle earlier, because this was not a scheduled stop on Jesus’ missionary tour (so to speak). These lepers came out of the crowd unannounced, they had no appointment, they were outside the four walls of the Temple, and this was not a formal revival meeting. This happened alongside the street, in the middle of the day, in a crowded place. They broke protocol by joining with the crowds (they were supposed to be quarantined outside the city) and violated Jesus’ agenda. Yet He cleansed nine and totally healed the one who gave thanks. Just a little something to meditate on.

Immediately Jesus goes into a soliloquy about the kingdom of God. Of course, given the political situation at this time, the Jews were under the thumb of the Roman Empire, and they were hoping Jesus would set up an earthly kingdom. But He addressed something much deeper than that. His lifestyle was one of constant readiness. Paul admonished us later on to be constant, to be ready, in season and out of season. It’s one thing for a pastor to pray for you in church. It’s another thing altogether for him to stop alongside the road, out in the open air, and share the healing power and love of God instantly. Jesus lived His life on this earth as an example for us. We, too, must be always ready to minister to others – whether in the marketplace, in the home, in the jail, in the hospital, and yes, of course, from the pulpit.

The kingdom of God is within you. This phrase has given way to so much literature, so many unsettling teachings, and has been commandeered by the New Age movement to try to prove that there is no coming heaven, there is no hell, we are all gods, and we don’t need God. And yet, knowing there was this proclivity in mankind to twist His truth, Jesus spoke this great revelation.

In the Lord’s (Model) Prayer, we pray that “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” The Hebrew scripture renders it, “As in heaven, so on earth.” So what, exactly, does this mean for you and me – in a practical, day-to-day application? As we read through the gospels, we see the sick crying out to Jesus, we see the lame crying out for mercy, we even see demon-possessed men presenting themselves to Him. He didn’t have to preach them under condemnation, He didn’t have to point out their flaws, He didn’t have to beat them over the head with the scripture. His Presence, alone, offered peace, comfort, healing, and salvation. Yes, scripture tells us His fame spread throughout the land, but the drawing and tugging of their hearts came from their recognition of God’s Spirit in Christ.

The same should be true of you and me. When we walk into a store, can people sense that we have been with God? When someone is listening to us talk, can they tell from our language (not just the words, but the spirit behind it) that Jesus lives within us? Do we use our words and our hands to heal or to kill, steal, and destroy? My challenge to you today, my friend, is to get in step with Jesus. Let the Holy Spirit first heal you – heal your body, heal your spirit, heal your mind. Then, out of the healing power that was poured into you, may you go out and find others who need healing. May the words of encouragement you received from others empower you to share words of hope, peace, and encouragement to those around you. Don’t be ashamed of what God has done for you – share it with anyone who is hungry and thirsty, who is hurting, who is lost. It is my belief that people in our modern world need that personal touch more than at any time in the history of mankind. They need to know that He is here – in you and me – and that He sees their pain, hears their cries for help, and has put them in your path for such a time as this. Don’t share your religion. Share your relationship. And spread the kingdom of God abroad.

Be blessed.