The Kingdom Within

By Danny New

[Page 158]

     "Pilate said to Him, 'Then you are a King?'"

     "Jesus answered, 'Certainly I am a King! This is why I have come into the world, to bear witness to the Truth'" (John 18:37).

     Jesus is King! Jesus is President! He presides over His Kingdom. And His Kingdom meets every dictionary definition of a nation except that of geographical boundaries. There is but one Christian nation on earth, and it is not the United States of America. Those of us whom the Lord has saved are subject to a higher power than any civil government on earth. "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36).

     When are God's people going to begin thinking of themselves as a nation, complete with a governing power, laws, a judicial system, a welfare system, in short a kingdom to whom our allegiance must go before any other nation on earth? Indeed, the governments of the earth belong to Satan (Luke 4:5, 6) and it is dangerous for any Christian to try to reconcile allegiance to both.

     If one studies the attitude of the Jewish nation throughout the past 2,000 years, as well as during their exiles in the Old Testament, one can see precisely the attitude Christians should have today concerning themselves and their relation to this world and its various authorities, whether they be democratic or despotic, material or spiritual. All are under Satan's realm of influence. The Children of Israel knew they were God's chosen vessels. They knew they were the ekklesia. And they loved each other and helped each other through exiles, captivities, persecutions, famines, inquisitions, and worst of all, prosperity. They clung together as a remnant, and today are as identifiable as they were under the reign of Caesar.

     As joint-heirs with Christ we are children of God, and we need to quit trying so hard to infiltrate the Enemy's lines. We are too well camouflaged. As the battle lines become clearer each day, and the forces of God vs. Satan square off, we need to more clearly identify with one side or the other. There will be no neutral observers at Armageddon.

     Where is the fraternal relationship between today's English-speaking Christian and his brethren who speak Spanish, or Czech, or Russian? Are your brothers in prisons behind the Iron Curtain ever mentioned in your prayers? Are we members of a fragmented religious club, concerned with our own individual problems only, or are we volunteers in a disciplined army, striving for every soul we encounter?

     If you really want to be one of those peculiar people the Bible says you are (Titus 2:14), try selling your television back to the world (and give the money to Jesus) and discover the amount of time you will suddenly have for devotion and adoration of the Savior! Not only can you remove a foothold of Hell from your living-room, but you can begin to experience what we've preached for so long, being set-apart from the world.

     "Neither shall they say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' For behold, the Kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21).

     Is it?

     Danny New may be addressed at Route 1, Box 103, Coppell, Texas 76019.