The Kingdom Of God.

Christians have long sought the Kingdom of God.

But what is this mysterious Kingdom?

The Church has traditionally taught that membership of the institutional Church equates to the Kingdom of God.

But this conflicts with the Beatitudes which set out the values of the Kingdom.

The Church has all too often not reflected these values.

Jesus said, "'the kingdom of God is among you.'"  Luke 17:21 (NRSV)

But I say if you practise the values of the Kingdom - mercy, compassion, and love - then you are in the Kingdom of God.

In this way the Kingdom of God exists among the kingdoms of the world but does not reflect the values of the world.

And "If God is for us who is against us?"  Romans 8:31 (NRSV)


[Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.]

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