Matthew 6:10 “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
In one sense Kingdom thinking is bringing in or working towards a ‘new Christendom.’ What I mean by this is that we desire to interweave Biblical precepts into our culture, society and nation. Not only do we want to see people saved, but being the salt and light in the area where they are located, by bringing Biblical principles into their situation.
We mentioned in our last weekly letter: If we want to live straight, we have to think straight. If we want to think straight, we have to have renewed minds. We can add that if we want to see righteousness and truth being played out in our society then we will need people who are righteous through the sacrifice of Christ presenting truth (through an understanding of the Word of God) in the midst of all the fallacies and falsehoods.
Our society in the West as well as many others throughout the world is characterized by what Isaiah described in Isaiah 59:14,15 “So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice.” Is this what God wants? I do not think so. Kingdom thinking wants to see and bring a change.
God is the One who creates, judges, redeems and perfects, but we are admonished to go, preach and bring the Gospel to every people group in the world and to make disciples that will shine in their community and bring about the change the Lord wants – places where righteousness and truth prevail. It is not enough to just see people changed through the Gospel, but to see them mentored and equipped for the ministry.
Kingdom thinking is to know what the fear of the Lord is. Job 28:28 “And he said to man, ‘The fear of the Lord — that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.'”
Kingdom thinking recognizes in human experience two major realities – good and evil. Though not being equal they do dominate life here on earth. To one God brings human fulfillment and the other, evil, human alienation and despair. Kingdom thinking recognizes both and has the right attitude and evidence of loving God and hating evil.
Secularism which has taken over most of the West today not only dethrones God, but it also destroys human beings. Secularism is a closed worldview which denies God and even glories in a spiritual vacuum it creates. TS Eliot was right to call it a wasteland.
The Christian mind is a humble mind. When Nebuchadnezzar was strutting around his palace like a peacock claiming for himself instead of God the kingdom, the power and glory, he went mad. It was only when he acknowledged the rule of God did his sanity come back. Pride and madness go together, so do humility and sanity.