[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_module=”2615″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_fullwidth_header title=”@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF90aXRsZSIsInNldHRpbmdzIjp7ImJlZm9yZSI6IiIsImFmdGVyIjoiIn19@” text_orientation=”center” background_overlay_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0.5)” _builder_version=”4.19.4″ _dynamic_attributes=”title” _module_preset=”default” background_image=”https:\/\/tlcchicago.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/book-header.jpg” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_fullwidth_header][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.22.0″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Have you ever asked yourself that question? I\u2019ve wondered about this for years but never felt like I got a satisfying answer. The gospels use the word kingdom so often it is hard to miss. \u201cJesus went through out Galilee\u2026 preaching the good news about the kingdom of God\u201d<\/em> (my paraphrase of Matt. 4:23, Matt 9:35 and Luke 4:43) Jesus\u2019 parables often start out with: \u201cThe kingdom of God is like\u2026\u201d followed by a story like metaphor for some aspect of Jesus\u2019 kingdom culture. We are exhorted to have \u201cears to hear\u201d – as though there were a secret message hidden within his parable.<\/p>\n Dallas Willard was the first person that really helped me to understand the mystery of all this \u201ckingdom\u201d language through a lecture series called\u2026wait for it, \u201cThe Kingdom of God Teaching Series\u201d. Words like government, society, culture, or country convey the idea that Jesus is introducing through the word kingdom. One doesn\u2019t have to travel very far to meet people from another country. Quickly we realize the differences in language, dress, mannerisms, food, entertainment; the list is endless.<\/p>\n Once we understand that Jesus is talking about his country, his culture; then we realize he is extending us a personal invitation. It\u2019s as if he is saying, \u201cRepent – rethink your thinking – for God\u2019s country is right here\u201d or, \u201cHey think about it, how is this life working for you? Why don\u2019t you move to my country? The door is wide open but you will have to constantly be repenting – thinking it out again – because this is upside down, opposite everything you\u2019ve come to expect. Do I have your attention now? Then join me in my kingdom enterprise.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s no need to get all cleaned up or run to the post office and get a passport. Shockingly the door is open to anyone. Rather get ready for a mind altering, heart opening, soul cleansing experience. We\u2019ll find we are more at home, all the while more confused then we\u2019ve ever felt in our life. We die a thousand deaths only to be reborn again and again.\u00a0 We realize this kingdom is all around. It is available all the time, but we will have to learn to see it because it is an invisible reality. We find we are developing eyes that see and ears that hear.<\/p>\n When I first invited Jesus into my life I thought his job was to help me live my life as I became like him, but I was missing something. The realization that God\u2019s kingdom is an invisible reality that I am continually being invited into changed my paradigm. I realized my job was to learn that<\/em> language, that<\/em> culture, that<\/em> etiquette and the ways God\u2019s country operates. It was like learning that the sun didn\u2019t revolve around the earth but in fact the opposite was true. What a relief to not be the center of the story, instead I\u2019m invited into another reality, the God life, and the larger story that is referred to by the simple but profound word – kingdom.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.22.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#efefef” global_module=”2606″ saved_tabs=”all” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.22.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.22.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_post_nav in_same_term=”on” _builder_version=”4.22.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_post_nav][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Have you ever asked yourself that question? I\u2019ve wondered about this for years but never felt like I got a satisfying answer. The gospels use the word kingdom so often it is hard to miss. \u201cJesus went through out Galilee\u2026 preaching the good news about the kingdom of God\u201d (my paraphrase of Matt. 4:23, Matt […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":237,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!<\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tlcchicago.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tlcchicago.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tlcchicago.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tlcchicago.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tlcchicago.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/tlcchicago.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2632,"href":"https:\/\/tlcchicago.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100\/revisions\/2632"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tlcchicago.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/237"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tlcchicago.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tlcchicago.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tlcchicago.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}