THE OPERATIONAL DYNAMIC OF THE KINGDOM
Bill ClickI believe the following is a biblically ‘safe’ statement to make: when God acts in the earth, the Holy Spirit is the source of power that makes what happens take place. When Christ said: “the Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed me to preach,” He was defining the intrusion of God’s authority and action into human affairs- to bring back into order what was out of order (Lk.4:18-21). By this, He demonstrated the kingdom of God. Furthermore, Jesus said: “I must preach the kingdom of God” and about ‘The 12′ it says “He sent them to preach the kingdom of God” (Lk.4:43; 9:17).
By revelation, Paul received this inseparable relationship of the Spirit to the kingdom and summarized it in absolute clarity, with simplicity. Writing to the Romans we find that “the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Ro.14:17 NIV). There you have it: the kingdom of God in ‘the church age’ as defined by the Lord’s own Word authoritatively, through the apostle. Biblically, it is clear that Kingdom and the Holy Spirit are inseparable. For the sake of this teaching, I call this inseparable relationship ‘the operational dynamic of the kingdom.’
Since the operational dynamic of the Kingdom of God is “righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,” the clearly supernatural dimension described by that revelation puts wheels on the instruction of Jesus when He made clear: “the kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say ‘see here!’ or ‘see there! For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you” (Lk.17:20-21).
THE KINGDOM’S TRUE NATURE RESULTS IN REVELATION REVOLUTION
For anyone who longing to be “rightly dividing the word of truth,” the above leads to a reexamination of doctrine (2Tim.2:15). It challenges how we understand the scope and action of God in the earth. One question that immediately arises is this: ‘Does this- the operational dynamic of the kingdom- mean that all Christians are automatically in the kingdom?’ (Or: Does this separate the church from the Kingdom?) The answer has to address the absoluteness of the aforementioned supernatural dynamic- the Holy Spirit.
The kingdom of God is supernatural; it is not natural. This means that questions cannot be answered without also asking others, such as: ‘are all Christians experiencing “righteousness peace and joy in the Holy Spirit?’” and still another one: ‘those who are (or do) experience the operational dynamic of the kingdom, do they ‘occupy’ (or possess) that actual experience every second of every day?’
I cannot tell by looking, talking, or being with someone what degree- if any- of that supernatural dynamic is currently active in their heart. I don’t believe anyone on earth can. But I can point you to the unmistakable fact that the New Testament epistles continually differentiate between believers who are experiencing supernatural aspects which describe this operational dynamic, versus those who are living naturally oriented in ways Paul refers to as being “carnally minded” or in “the flesh” (Ro.8:5-8).
THE KINGDOM: FLOWING FROM WITHIN, OR WORKING FROM OUTSIDE?
The following may sound preposterous, but the implications should be obvious to us. First, being a Christian does not automatically ‘place you’ or define your status as being in the kingdom. As Jesus said, the kingdom is not a place, it’s an experience (operational dynamic) of God’s reign “within you.” Second, it simply follows that when we “walk in the Spirit,” we can operate in the Kingdom, but when we do not, we not only cannot, but we are not (Gal.5:16, 25; see Ro.8:8, Eph.2:2). This actually explains so many of our issues. On the one hand, with the inability to ‘get God to move.’ On the other hand, what in other instances should be seen as referring to settings that- regardless of doctrine- are no more than those “having a form of godliness, yet denying its power” (2Tim.3:5).
Again, the above may sound preposterous, but it is not even close to being ridiculous. If we will receive the Jesus-taught, Paul expounded-upon understanding of God’s revelation regarding His kingdom, we will begin to better comprehend the way God moves among us (as well as begin to discern the why & when of where He doesn’t or can’t).
This is (again) because the Kingdom of God is not a geographical place, any more than the church is (but that’s another story). The kingdom is the actual experience of God’s reign in our lives, the operational realm in which He is completely free to be & do what He has designed & desired. Jesus said: “The kingdom of God is come unto you” by the release of His action through “the Spirit of God” (Mt.12:28). The Kingdom is God’s freedom to do as He pleases in us, through us, and for us by His very own transforming presence. This experience of the kingdom of God not only takes the form of a sufficient grace to follow Him fully to act, but also to receive whatever He has already allotted to release to us completely (Mt.6:33).
ENTERING THE KINGDOM OF THE KING WHO LIVES WITHIN US
“Christ in us, the hope of glory” is the positional reality of receiving His work of obedience to The Father to “reconcile us” by “the blood of His cross,” granting us both heavenly “citizenship” as well as “kingdom” membership (Col.1:27, 20, 13; Php.3:20). That is our status, our position with God (see also Eph.2:6). What Heaven speaks about us has been “translated” by Christ’s “redemption” and therefore so have we also, now having “access by one Spirit to the Father” (Col.1:13; Eph.2:18 see also Rev.2:17).
Our position “in Christ” is activated by actually entering the Kingdom, or as I once received (& released) while ministering to others: “you must get inside The One who is inside you.” As always, the revelation of the Lord has to be spiritually perceived, it cannot be logically comprehended (1Cor.2:13-14). Therefore Jesus said that if you can “hear” it, you can have it (Mt.11:15; 13:19; Rev.2:7-3:22).
Whenever we ‘enter’ the realm of the Spirit, we begin to experience God’s presence and become more and more subject to His presence, desires and action. This is because God does not move with us by connecting with Him through our soul (mind, will or emotions) or body, but instead by His Spirit. This, when we are actively submitted to Him in our spirit (see Jn.4:23-24; Ro.8:13-14).
PROBLEM WITH THE NATURAL? THERE ALWAYS HAS TO BE SOMETHING NATURAL
This operational dynamic of the kingdom is very difficult if not impossible for many to ‘get their head around’ because it defies empirical definition. It is not mathematical, molecular or subject to any of our evaluative criteria. Although there are biblical parameters, the experience of God’s Spirit will cause us to actually understand Scripture as He means it! (1Cor.2:12-14). This is exactly what Jesus said and meant when sowing His Father’s revelation into the disciples: “the kingdom of God does not come with observation, nor will they say ‘see here!’ or ‘see there! For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you” (Lk.17:20-21 NKJV). What should be so illuminating to us is that the “within you” (of the NKJV) can be translated just as importantly “in your midst” as it is in the NIV (eti entos humone).
We know that they were looking for something that- to use our terms today- was clearly geopolitical (Ac.1:2-8). Instead, Jesus was about to ascend so that the Spirit would descend, fulfilling both His prophecy that “it is to your advantage that I go away” and His promise if they would “stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high” (Lk.24:49). Even after three years, the kingdom that was being released was completely different than the kingdom (of Israel) they had long expected and desperately wanted to see restored.
Instead, the kingdom of God Jesus had preached was about to be released by His resurrection power and spread “in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Ac.1:8). As Jesus made clear, it must be experienced, and that must take place supernaturally. After all, He had made it clear to those seeking a sign that “if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Lk.11:20).
REGARDING GOD’S REVELATION: STARTING WRONG PREVENTS ENDING RIGHT
The lack of experiencing the operational dynamic of the Kingdom (which results in the inability to perceive it) leads to aberrations in understanding of the church’s role and agenda as well as the end times. It creates liberalism by incorrectly understanding the creation as God’s kingdom, leading to the religious ‘need’ of attempting to create for God a social, political and economic environment that He forever assigned to those walking in covenant with Him (Deut.8). It also creates cessationist understandings by defining the kingdom as totally futuristic, therefore declaring God’s power as unavailable until Christ returns.
GOD’S PROMISE OF RESTORATION & REVIVAL OCCURS THROUGH THE KINGDOM
Just throughout my lifetime, there have been so many promises from the Lord from His Word and those made to others about great moves of God. We know of this firsthand because 24+ years ago God released our ministry in its present form through such a revelation.
But it has been dismaying to see how so little progress has been made. Instead of actually becoming a people who “seek first the Kingdom,” many have hyped momentary displays or specific personal events, neither of which have even remotely approached what God longs to release. Instead of a people who take hold of God and refuse to let go until He moves, many have been taught to look for a place, a person, a buzz, a movement, etc.
I am convinced that the preaching and presence of the kingdom of God by the anointing is the way of Heaven to bring people to Christ. But not only that: the preaching and presence of the kingdom of God by the anointing is God’s way to bring restoration of the Church back to God’s original path by releasing revival of the Spirit: both “within us” as well as “among us” (eti entos humone). It is the essence of what it means to actually be the manifested presence of Christ in the earth- the preserving, flavoring, illuminating difference in order that “the wisdom of God in all its variety might be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realm in keeping with the eternal purpose that God carried out through the Messiah Jesus our Lord” (Eph.3:10-11; Mt.5:13-16).
In the same way that “when two or more gathered I am in the midst of them,” Christ longs to release the power of the kingdom of God “within” us personally and “among” those you are gathered with for His purposes (Mt.18:19-20). By going after God’s presence, settling for nothing less than Christ’s anointing, and being willing to take the time, make the effort and refuse to be distracted by anything less than or different from Him, He will be “found” (Jer.29:13; Mt.5:6). It is by inviting- even imploring- that the King Himself take His place upon His throne among you that He will release His ruling power (Psa.22:3). In that ‘space’ Christ will rule and reign. His Spirit will then be felt, His agenda will come to the forefront, and His action will be released.
That is what we’re after; that’s what we offer the body of Christ.