The Right Now Kingdom

I was raised in the Bible Belt South in a Christian home. While I have grown significantly in my faith since then, I am grateful for my simple understanding of the gospel as a child and the genuine decision I made at a young age to spend my life following Christ. My recollection of the meaning of the gospel was simple: I am a sinner. Jesus died for my sins, and if I give my life to him, I will go to heaven. I said the Sinner’s Prayer, I was baptized, and I believed in my salvation with all my heart.

My childlike faith was not wrong, but it was incomplete. I hope I have matured significantly since then , as I see the gospel as impacting my life now as well as my life in eternity. Early in my faith, I viewed the kingdom of God as the part when he returns and makes the new heaven and the new earth.

The Not Yet Kingdom

Clearly God outlines in the Bible that he will return and make the world new. There are multiple Scriptures that discuss his plans:

• “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:3 NIV)
• “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 3:20 NIV)
• “For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.” (2 Cor. 5:1 NIV)

When we lead someone to Christ, it is natural to discuss our full reunification with him and how we will live with God forever in our new home. It’s a beautiful picture of his kindness and mercy. It’s reasonable that we should look forward to the day when all the pain and suffering in this world will be gone. However, that is really the end of the good news and omits the beginning.

The Right Now Kingdom

I cannot recall if the children’s program leaders in my church explained the immediate impact Jesus would make on my life when I was growing up. If they did, I was not yet mature enough to understand it.

It wasn’t until my teen and adult years that I fully realized how impactful the presence of Jesus would be in my earthly life. At first, my faith was primarily self-centered. I was looking for how Jesus and the Holy Spirit would help me through my struggles on the path to maturity. I was looking for the experience of feeling his presence, and I found it. That was a precious gift.

As I matured even further and dug into the Bible, I realized how clear was the call of our faith to love others. I don’t just mean to love those in our families or in our church bubbles. I mean we are to seek out and truly love the marginalized and those who are hard to love.

As James reminds us, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (Jas. 1:27 NIV).

In my immature faith, I read those versus and thought to myself, “If I ever meet an orphan or a widow, I will love them.” In my maturity, I’ve realized not only that the words orphan and widow represent all of those who are marginalized, but also that I am called to seek them out.

If I don’t have those who don’t know Jesus or who struggle to find belonging in my life, then it is me who is at fault. I should seek out relationships with those who are hurting, with the orphans, the widows, the lost, my black brothers and sisters, and my LGBTQ friends. Shining the light to all of –them— this is the call. This is the kingdom of God at work on earth.

Yes, of course I absolutely believe and hope for the day when Jesus calls us home and perfects this world for his glory. What a beautiful and amazing day that will be. The not yet kingdom is one in which we can have immense hope.

However, to wait only for that day and focus on ourselves would be completely missing the right now kingdom. God has a calling for each of us to love his creation. He wants us to share his light and to take active steps to love and defend and stand up for the marginalized. He gives us glimpses into his character now. We don’t have to wait. If we miss this call, we miss the right now kingdom working actively in our lives.

May we fully embrace both the right now and the not yet kingdoms. They are equally real and equally critical pieces of our faith in Jesus.

Amy Wiebe is a Jesus follower, wife, mom of three, finance director, and lover of sarcasm and deep conversations with friends. She also loves camping, rafting, skiing, sewing, and hosting others in her home.

Photograph © Aaron Burden, used with permission