Evening star., 1919-09-06
d Jesus as their king ~ He had

ana organize political klnEdom- Tnev
would have rallied as unit to build up
an army and be guided by the Christ.
, but they could not see in the poor phil
| osopher and prophet who condemned
their religious practices by His demand
for reformation of their personal
character and conduct Christ had
faced the facts of life and of His age in
His determining the nature Of the
kingdom of God. He realized that the
popular conceptions of the prophets.
psalmists and teachers in dealing only
with the externals in religious faith and
practice had failed to reach the springs
of conduct, so He sounded new note
in His teaching concerning the king
dom Of God that differed radically from
the national ideas OF His time. Preju-
dice and vested interests caused the re-
lection of His Messanic claims of a
universal authority based upon spirit
ual life.
While it is easy to see the error Of
the adversaries of the Lord Jesus. IT is
difficult 10 define what the Master
meant by the phrase. the kingdom OF
God. One writer found over eighteen
different definitions in his search for
| light upon the fundamental theme OF
, christs teaching. While kingdom may
| have various meanings all can be found
related to either realm or reign. Realm
| implies territorial domain and subjects
1t fitted into the nationalistic thought
| of the times that Jesus spent among
men. Reign refers more to the sover-
| eighty. authority and rule. In some of
Christs sayings it meant dominion, and
| in others it referred to rule. The ad-
dtion of heaven and of God shows that
the character Of the kingdom in the
thought. of the great Teacher was
| spiritual.
| 1t was spiritual in it's origin and in
! the character of its subjects. This is
seen in the entrance requirement o.
| faith for membership i'm the kingdom.
| hich is opened only to those who have
been born again. Regeneration. re-
demption and restoration translates one
| from the kingdom Of Satan into the
ordered spiritual realm of Gods king
dom. This work. as has been seen in
former studies. is that of the Holy
| Spirit. This also reveals its spiritual
| character. It's spirituality is seen in
| its progress, which is the constant
product and manifestation of the ever
present and prevailing power Of the
4 Holy Spirit.
! Its spiritual foundation is apparent
! from the statement that il is within
| you" This indicates that il is the life
! that is given to the believer upon his
| repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus.
| Freedom from the bondage Of sin is
the spiritual liberty given to individuals
/ that restores the spiritual relations OF
| the Fatherhood of God His spiritual
/ freedom is seen in the cha racter OF
| worship. that has freed the intercourse
|
| dependence upon particular persons.
4 places or physical appliances as essen
| tial to worship. The free soul is not
| Independent, isolated and Indifferent to
the lies OF others His spiritual life
\ draws him to have fellowship with
| others. who have experienced the COM
mon sense of the need of salvation, and
| through the common exercise of faith
! have come to share the common ex-
! periences Of forgiveness and regenera-
\ he rit affinity nf believers
| resulted under the leadership Of the
| Holy Spirit in establishing the church
| The ideals and laws of the kingdom
of God are identical with those of the
church The spiritual foundations of the
kingdom are indicated in the ordinances
and organization of the cbarch. al
| though the two are not identical The
mission Of the church and the work OF
every saved soul is to help establish the
4, kingdom of God among men. The spirit
ual life of the Christian and the church
finds expression in the development of
| the kingdom.
+, Christ's program for the new So
/ cial order started with the salvation
! of the Individual, but it included the
| winning of the world for Him as
/ King or Kings and Lord of Lords
, Imparting to men His own Ire. so
| that they are moved by the ideals
! of the risen Lord and are guided by
! His commands Jesus sought and Is
| still seeking to lift I'D humanity TO
! the level of His own divine fuilness
| Christ reigns today, as in the ages
| that have passed since His return TO
! glory. as the King of the World His
| kingdom is not a political kingdom
! but a spiritual realm and reign with
| out territorial limitations or census
| reports. His is sovereignty OF
! righteousness, peace and JOY IN the
! Holy Ghost.
| In a very real sense the kingdom
| in it's fullness of power is yet to come.
| He instructed His disciples to pray for
| its coming. In that model prayer the
| nearest approach to a definition OF
| the kingdom of God is given by the
Master when He taught them to pray
| Thy will be done. in heaven. so on
! earth The kingdom comes in pro
/ portion as men do the VIII or Coo
| He taught them model both Tor
prayer and practice. The one who
| studies the disciples prayer, usually
| called the Lords Prayer, has an ideal
| life placed before him. 1t teaches
I! what kind of Christian one ought
| to be. He is one who loves. ano
7, humbly seeks his heavenly Fathers
presence: who on earth. by purity or
i word and life. honors his Fathers $
; name: who. by loyal speech and gen
! erous service. seeks to hasten the
| coming of the Kingdom: who daily
| strives to fulfil his Fathers will on
earth. as the messengers of God do
| in heaven: who looks for God to give
|; him day by day both physical and7
| spiritual food: who forgives those
| who have failed in their daily duty
/, to him, as sincerely as he asks to-
| be forgiven for his own shortcom--
! ings; who. stunning every tempta,
+, tion both spiritual. mental ano
physical, keeps himself from evil pT
seeking assistance from his heavenly
| Father. In presenting such an ideal
| life for the Christian man to i've
Jesus revealed the social expression
| that is required of the spiritual lifef,
| The man who processes that he pos
sesses life from above proves 1T byi
| practicing its preceptS here
! When the shadows of death were
! rapidly approaching Jesus preached
with increasing power the certainty
of the coming supremacy OF the king
dom of God. The confidence of Jesus
! in the final establishment of a worid-
empire even when His rejection BY
His own countrymen was certainty
to Him, ought to fill any one of HIS
discouraged followers today with new
hope. His enemies might retard lis,
development but in the parable of the
mustard seed He proved His faith IN
| the ultimate triumph Men might con-
slider it to be insignificant. but it was
+, destined to become world empire.
The Church of Christ, like its founder.
was despiSed in its commencement. out
1 it has become the greatest organiza-
tion in the world, gathering strength
| and power from all nations and races
The kingdom is greater than the
church and the influence of Jesus Is
| seen in the new diplomacy, In the
| league to enforce peace and In the
effort to establish peace among the
nations of the earth.
The subtle and frequently the most
potent forces work silently, secretly
| but steadily. The gospel Of Jesus,
working by spiritual contagion,. Is