Kingdom Principles

Kingdom Principles

In the same way, the fact that the Kingdom of Heaven is invisi ble does not mean that it has no impact. Jesus taught this truth about the Kingdom more than once. On one occasion He illustrated it this way: What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough (Luke 13:20-21). That’s how yeast works—slowly but inexorably until all the dough feels its influence. Once mixed with the dough, the yeast is invisible, but if you think that means no impact, just try baking bread without it! People have been debating the nature and timing of the coming of the Kingdom of heaven for centuries. It was no different in Jesus’ day. One day He spoke of the invisibility of the Kingdom in response to a question from some of the religious leaders:

Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the Kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21).

The Kingdom of God is invisible. We cannot detect it simply by observation. And if the Kingdom of God resides within its citizens, this means that all Kingdom citizens are invisible also. We bear no physical or outward signs that broadcast to the world, “I’m a Kingdom citizen!” Our citizenship must become known in other ways. One day in Ohio I shared an elevator with a lady who asked politely, “How are you?” “Fine,” I replied, and we began to talk.

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