This kingdom is in our midst but it is not what we thought, or are still thinking today. It is more about the presence of Jesus and his approaching crucifixion in Jerusalem. In fact, in describing the kingdom of God, Jesus used parables that described, not so much its physical nature but more the nature of the king and his citizens. For us who have put our faith in Christ Jesus it is a present reality. This becomes increasingly clear in the parables Jesus tells. 

In telling the parable of the ten minas, Jesus of Nazareth made this statement about the business of the kingdom of God:
Calling ten of his servants, [a nobleman] gave them ten minas, and said to them, “Engage in business until I come.” Luke 19:13 ESV
Jesus tells this parable “because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately” (Luke 19:11 ESV). What did he mean by this and what does it mean for us? What is this kingdom? How does this parable shed light on our understanding of this kingdom? And, going deeper, what exactly is the business of the kingdom of God?
To answer these questions in any thorough form, we should take in the whole range of parables and teaching that Jesus has given in the preceding chapters of Luke’s gospel account.
What is the kingdom of God?
Both the gospel writers, Matthew and Luke, recognise that Jesus’ teaching heavily emphasised the nearness of the kingdom of God:
Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ Luke 10:8-11 ESV
Regardless of circumstance or response, Jesus instructed his disciples to declare that the kingdom of God was near. Jesus’ hearers would have been more than pleased to hear this for they had been longing for it. They longed for the kingdom to come and to remove the oppression of the Roman empire from their lives. But while it is near, very near, he is at pains to alert them to their mistaken misunderstanding:
“The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” Luke 17:20,21 ESV
This kingdom is in our midst but it is not what we thought, or are still thinking today. It is more about the presence of Jesus and his approaching crucifixion in Jerusalem. In fact, in describing the kingdom of God, Jesus used parables that described, not so much its physical nature but more the nature of the king and his citizens.
For us who have put our faith in Christ Jesus it is a present reality. This becomes increasingly clear in the parables Jesus tells. But what also becomes clear is that it seems to be about money! Or at the very least it is about our sense of responsibility towards our king’s possessions. It is about the business of the kingdom of God. Let’s look at a few of these parables each in turn.
Responsibility in the Kingdom of God
Understanding the parable of the ten minas.
Returning to the parable of the ten minas, the nobleman in question gave a mina to each of his ten servants.
Read More

Paul wanted to know his Lord. He wanted to know the power of Christ’s resurrection. And he wanted to share in his sufferings. He strives to become like him in his death and so attain to the resurrection. And it seems clear that he did not simply acquire this knowledge as a result of his conversion. It was his hungry pursuit at the time of his writing. Paul was quite explicit that he is still acquiring this knowledge.

Can we ever be confident of God’s specific will for our lives? It is always amazing how confidently Paul expresses his thoughts on God’s specific will for his own life and that of others as well. Talking from prison where he was awaiting an imperial decision as to whether to execute him or not, Paul had this to say:
For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress in and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.
Philippians 1:21-26 ESV
There are a number of startling aspects to his mindset that deserve further attention.
Origins of the Word Confidence that Paul Uses
In verse 25, given above, Paul uses a word that the English Standard Version of the Bible translates as “convinced”. That word is peitho is defined as:
“…to persuade, to have confidence …”
Strong’s Concordance
The HELPS Word-studies has this to say:
“The Lord persuades the yielded believer to be confident in His preferred-will”
HELPS Word-studies
This is not an unusual word in Scripture. In fact, we find this small word and its derivatives 53 times in the New Testament and 22 times in Paul’s writings. Paul has already used it twice in this letter:
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ … And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
Philippians 1:6,14 ESV italics mine
It was obviously a favourite word of Paul’s and amongst the believers of his day. The idea of confidence, of assurance, and growing in confidence was central to their understanding of their Christian walk. But the question remains. We can grow in assurance or certainty as to our eternal destiny. But can we ever be confident as to God’s specific will for our lives? In order to answer that question we need to grasp Paul’s full understanding of this term.
Confident in God’s Sovereignty
The authorities of the day were weighing up the decision as to whether Paul should live or die. But here in his personal account on the subject, he does not refer to any of the factors that would have been decisive in their decision-making.
Read More

God only has to speak and everything happens! Right down to the cold needed to create snow, frost and crystals of ice. And then the Lord is also the one who melts them using his wind or breath. But he is not finished there. The psalmist ends his praise in stunning fashion: He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and rules to Israel. He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his rules. Praise the LORD! Psalm 147:19,20 ESV. God spoke life into being at creation. He speaks every day in order to sustain the life that he created. But now he also chooses to declare his word to his children. Unbeknown to the psalmist God does this most gloriously in the man who was the word incarnate.

What do believers mean by the sovereignty of God? Some Christians deny it is a characteristic of God at all. Wikipedia, of all places, defines this Christian teaching this way:
… God is the supreme authority and all things are under His control. God is the “sovereign Lord of all by an incontestable right [as the] creator . . . owner and possessor of heaven and earth”. Sovereignty of God in Christianity
Many who believe in this will argue that, even though the word does not appear in Scripture, you can find evidence of it on almost every page of our Bibles. There is not enough time or space in this article to prove that. But the psalmist who wrote Psalm 147 demonstrated his settled belief in the sovereignty of God.
On display in his psalm is the Lord’s greatness, his power, his infinite understanding. Basically on display is his sovereignty. The psalmist divides his understanding of the sovereignty of God into three themed lists. And the items are overwhelmingly impressive. To do justice to his thoughts we need to look at each list in isolation.
Sovereignty of God Over His People
The psalmist starts his themed list exhibiting God’s sovereignty over his people:
The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. The Lord lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground. Psalm 147:2-6 ESV
Regardless of where we are and what we are going through and who is oppressing us, he knows. The Lord understands. He is powerful enough to change circumstances. Our God is great enough to achieve the intentions of his will and never to be thwarted – “The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel”.
The apostles were quick to reinterpret Jerusalem, in the light of Jesus, as a new city coming down out of heaven from God:
I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Revelation 21:2 ESV
Read More