Attributes of God's Kingdom

Your first priority is to stay focused on His Kingdom and His righteousness. That is what is required of you. But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:33
There is a code of conduct in the Kingdom. A standard of conduct has been established by the King for our behavior and social relationships. It is all written in God's Constitution. His Constitution (the Bible) is the laws of His Kingdom. They do not change with time or different cultures. This code of conduct is also the expectation of the King, regarding His values and moral standards to which citizens should choose to follow. The ambassador Paul made it very clear: Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything. I Corinthians 6:9-12 NLT
God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world. I Corinthians 10:23 NLT
There is a "common wealth" in the Kingdom. The King provides for His own! We don't "own" anything. It all belongs to the Lord God. He gives us access. A Commonwealth is described as one founded on law and united by compact or tacit agreement of the people for the common good; one in which supreme authority is vested in the people. It is the King's commitment to see that all of His citizens have equal access to the wealth and resources of the Kingdom. This is very important to the King because the quality of life of His citizens reflects the glory and reputation of the King. When the welfare of the King's citizens is excellent, then the reputation among other kings is honorable. All that is required is to seek after His Kingdom and His righteousness! “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." Matthew 6:25-34
There is giving and generosity in the Kingdom. In the Lord God's Kingdom, there is no taxation as such. The Lord Jesus never mentioned the paying of tithes through the new covenant. What He did command us to do, is to give to the poor. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the Scriptures say, “They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”
For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, He will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.
Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God. 2 Corinthians 9:7-12 NLT
Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow. Matthew 5:42 NLT When He sent His disciples out by twos, He spoke of giving freely. These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Matthew 10:5-8
We are to share all things to those in need. All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.
For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus. He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles. Acts 4:32-37 NLT
There is a Kingdom culture. If I said Asian culture, what would come to mind? What about Irish culture? Or African culture? Maybe New Orleans culture? There are key words, foods, actions, sights and traditions that would come to mind. These are the lifestyles that citizens manifest by their language, dress, eating, habits, values, morals, sense of self-worth, self-concept and self-control. The same is true of Kingdom citizens as Believers of our King Jesus. When the world interacts with us, they should see the attributes of Jesus and His Kingdom in us! The Lord Jesus made this statement while He was here on earth. If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:21-24 I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth. John 17:15-19 NLT
All verses are NKJV unless noted.
~~W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed. Thank you
There is a code of conduct in the Kingdom. A standard of conduct has been established by the King for our behavior and social relationships. It is all written in God's Constitution. His Constitution (the Bible) is the laws of His Kingdom. They do not change with time or different cultures. This code of conduct is also the expectation of the King, regarding His values and moral standards to which citizens should choose to follow. The ambassador Paul made it very clear: Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything. I Corinthians 6:9-12 NLT
God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world. I Corinthians 10:23 NLT
There is a "common wealth" in the Kingdom. The King provides for His own! We don't "own" anything. It all belongs to the Lord God. He gives us access. A Commonwealth is described as one founded on law and united by compact or tacit agreement of the people for the common good; one in which supreme authority is vested in the people. It is the King's commitment to see that all of His citizens have equal access to the wealth and resources of the Kingdom. This is very important to the King because the quality of life of His citizens reflects the glory and reputation of the King. When the welfare of the King's citizens is excellent, then the reputation among other kings is honorable. All that is required is to seek after His Kingdom and His righteousness! “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." Matthew 6:25-34
There is giving and generosity in the Kingdom. In the Lord God's Kingdom, there is no taxation as such. The Lord Jesus never mentioned the paying of tithes through the new covenant. What He did command us to do, is to give to the poor. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the Scriptures say, “They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”
For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, He will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.
Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God. 2 Corinthians 9:7-12 NLT
Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow. Matthew 5:42 NLT When He sent His disciples out by twos, He spoke of giving freely. These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Matthew 10:5-8
We are to share all things to those in need. All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.
For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus. He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles. Acts 4:32-37 NLT
There is a Kingdom culture. If I said Asian culture, what would come to mind? What about Irish culture? Or African culture? Maybe New Orleans culture? There are key words, foods, actions, sights and traditions that would come to mind. These are the lifestyles that citizens manifest by their language, dress, eating, habits, values, morals, sense of self-worth, self-concept and self-control. The same is true of Kingdom citizens as Believers of our King Jesus. When the world interacts with us, they should see the attributes of Jesus and His Kingdom in us! The Lord Jesus made this statement while He was here on earth. If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:21-24 I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth. John 17:15-19 NLT
All verses are NKJV unless noted.
~~W.R. Luchie
www.kingdomcitizens.org
This article may only be reproduced, in print or on the internet, if the author's name and website address are included at the end of the article as originally placed. Thank you