The Kingdom of God

The Kingdom of God 

         The Kingdom of God has already come! 

         It has been more than 2,000 years since Jesus started preaching about it. How has the Kingdom of God arrived? I have put jigsaw pieces together. Now I know for sure that the Kingdom of God Jesus talked about has already come.  

How does it affect us? 

         How does the Kingdom of God affect us? 

         "Glory to God in the highest. And on earth peace among men in whom he is well pleased." Luke 2:14 (American Standard-ASV1901)  

         This scripture describes the birth of Jesus. Angels praised God and told the shepherd the good news. 

         One sentence stands out to me, that is, “and peace among men in whom He is well pleased”. This peace has not appeared in this world yet, except in those who host the presence of the Holy Spirit. (It is my personal experience and understanding.) So the peace that the angels described happens in those whom the Lord favors, on a case by case basis. It has not happened in mass (or in multitude of people) yet. According to my observation, this peace happens in brief periods, just like the presence of the Holy Spirit that happens briefly or in short intervals. It is necessary that we hold on to the presence, so that this peace can stay longer. For me the longer I keep the presence of the Holy Spirit with me, the longer the peace in me.

         If you can live your life with the presence of the Holy Spirit 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, then the Kingdom of God is within you.  

         Let’s me define the word “the Kingdom of God” here. When the Holy Spirit dwells upon anyone, we say “there is the presence of the Holy Spirit”. But when many people carry the presence of the Holy Spirit and walk together according to His will, within well-defined territory, then, it is ‘the Kingdom of God’.  

         For example, Koh Samui is the Kingdom of God because there are many people who carry the presence. They come together to do whatever the Holy Spirit guides them, such as, casting out demons or evil spirits etc. They also encourage or push for the development of the island and decrease the influence of bad people by bringing in good people. This started at Chaweng Buri Resort. It benefits not only Christian people but all people including workers and guests who come for holidays. Therefore, when the Kingdom of God comes, both believers and the general public will live better lives. This is different from having the presence, which focuses on individual change. 

The Kingdom has come! 
       
        On November 7, 2016 at the World Gathering in Jerusalem, Israel, the song ‘Joy to the world’ was sung. This was the proclamation of the arrival of the Kingdom of God in the world. The task of the believers is to claim the land. Remember the promise of God to give Canaan, which was filled with milk and honey, to the Israelites who came out of Egypt.  

        Out of 2 million people who came out of Egypt, only 2 people ‘Joshua and Caleb’ entered the promised land, together with those who were born in the desert. The rest including Moses, died before entered the promised land. They were not able to get what God had promised. 

        There are some condition that you must fulfill. Obedience, strength, and courage to seize the land.  

        For the Kingdom that has just arrived, you have to seize it, and build it with glory. One character of people who can enter the Kingdom of God is enthusiasm, seeking to fulfill the will of God. (These is no carriage to bring you into the Kingdom, you must walk your way into it.).  

        The good news about Jesus Christ and the work He did while in the world, not many people were able to see. Healing the sick, rising the dead, casting out demons and feeding 5,000 people with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread happened in a small group of people or only among a few.  

        But Jesus said in John 14:12 “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” (NIV) Jesus asked the Holy Spirit to come and help us. And this is the reason why we can do greater things than Him. Because now there will be more people like Jesus or more people who carry the presence of the Holy Spirit. Why can’t ‘now’ be greater than ‘then’ - in the time of Jesus?  

        Up until now I have not seen or heard anyone doing great things than what Jesus did. Some people did only one or two things. Why is that? I asked myself all the time. Is God’s promise futile? Let it not be! The Kingdom of God is here on earth now. Let us believe hard! To tell you the truth, I was very excited to see that the Kingdom is here. But my excitement was short-lived.  

        Who would believe it? Even my wife did not believe it. Only Mr. Andrew (a friend from Hong Kong) did. And how can I make Koh Samui His Kingdom as the Lord told me. Managing Chaweng Buri Resort is very difficult and I wanted to give up many times. Let alone Koh Samui! Only when brothers and sisters in Koh Samui are in one accord, then it is possible that Koh Samui become the Kingdom of God.

How does the kingdom of God affect us? 

        For this question, I do not have an answer. I have never heard about (or seen any place as) the kingdom of God before. What I write here is just a hypothesis, considering the progress that has happened at Chaweng Buri Resort: guests’ satisfaction is better (a lot of return guests said that the resort is much better than before); guests and worker feel happier staying here; less workers quit the job, etc. In short, it is better in all aspects. 

        If the same happens in Koh Samui, how wonderful it would be! I would like to believe that it is possible.  

        What about you who read this?  

      Will you join me and do something together for the world to see?

                                *****