My Father is King

Written by Fr. Dale Minor - Reclaim Ministry - Rutland, OH

​It may be a surprise to some to hear that man was created to rule the earth, yet that is what we we read in the story of the creation of man, (Gen 1 &2). “Subdue the earth and have dominion over it.”  (Gen 1:28)    But Adam relinquished that authority when he chose to rebel against God. The result; Adam was exiled to a harsh and unfriendly world and we still reside in that world.  However, as much as we may think otherwise, we do not rule over it.  We have a King!

As Christians, we believe and acknowledge Jesus as Lord and King.  Even His enemies unwittingly acknowledged this fact as they placed a crown of thorns on his head at His crucifixion while the multitudes proclaimed Him the King of the Jews.  But, what does the Bible say about Jesus and His kingship?  More than 80 times in Scripture there is a reference to the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of heaven, or the Kingdom of Light, all referring to the place where God reigns supreme and Jesus is king of an everlasting realm. 

So, just where is this kingdom?  Many people look to this as a future kingdom, that which they will enjoy in heaven.  Yet there is considerable evidence in the Bible urging us to understand that the kingdom exists whenever and wherever Christ is king of your life. For instance, Col. 1: 13 says, “Christ has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.”  At the same time Rev. 20 promises an everlasting kingdom in heaven, leaving us to understand that the Kingdom of Heaven has both a present and eternal dimension.

Yes, we can look at the words of Jesus as in Mt. 18:36 and quote, “My kingdom is not of this world.”  But to understand what Jesus was saying we have to read on. “If my kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now, My kingdom is not from here.”  Christ has not said that His reign has nothing to do with the world, but that His reign does not come from any earthly human  authority, but from God.  Further, Jesus spoke of the benefits of kingdom living as he explained why he spoke in parables, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.” (Mt. 13:11) And, did He not instruct us to pray for the kingdom here on earth? “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  This says that when we are in God’s will we are in His kingdom.

In the 1970’s a best selling Christian book was making the rounds, How to live like a King’s Kid, by Harold Hill.  The premise is that King’s kids live in a natural world, yet we enjoy heavenly rule.” So if we are children of God, that is King’s kids, then why aren’t we living like it? Why aren’t we enjoying the perks of living in the palace?  The answer is simple enough: Because we are spending too much time living outside the kingdom. We often choose to step back into that world of exile which was assigned to Adam because of his sin.

Okay, so Christ is king, we know that, but He has ascended to heaven. Won’t we have to wait until he returns to live in His kingdom?  No; Mt. 16:18-19;  “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter; and on the rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”  At this, Jesus assigned limited authority of the kingdom to His church.

One final thought: It is the gift of the Spirit received at Pentecost that has instilled in us the right to proclaim citizenship in the Kingdom of God for as St. Paul claims, “No one can say that Jesus is Lord (King) except by the Holy Spirit.”  To paraphrase Harold Hill, “It is time to begin living who we are,  -- as King’s kids.”