Neighborhood Church

For Jesus. the Kingdom was:
• A reality where Jesus kicks off a new era of hope through his life, death, and resurrection.
• A reality where the lines between Heaven and Earth start to blur.
• A reality where God’s perfect love comes to heal and restore our tired, broken world.

The kingdom of God is a collective—a network of persons who have yielded their hearts and relationships to the reign of God.
Donald Kraybill

What is the Kingdom of God?
A sphere of reality where everything happens exactly the way God wants it.

Who is in the Kingdom?
Anyone and everyone who accepts Jesus’ Kingdom invitation.

Today's Question: How do I live in God’s Kingdom?

The Magic Kingdom

Religion has made it difficult for people to understand their place in God's Kingdom.

Jesus’ good news was that the Kingdom of God had come, and that he, Jesus, was its herald... More than that, in some special, mysterious way, he was the Kingdom.
Malcolm Muggeridge

How do I live in God’s Kingdom?
By aligning every aspect of your identity and lifestyle with Jesus.

We have our spiritual life, our work life, our family life, our social life - and often, these different spheres are siloed

When we live in God’s Kingdom, every part of our identity becomes an expression of our relationship with Jesus.

Many of us want the benefits of the Kingdom without surrendering our lives to the King.

Jesus is not looking for converts to Christianity; he’s looking for apprentices in the Kingdom of God.

Disciple = mathetes

Here’s what we might expect to see in the life of a disciple under Jesus:

• The fruit of the Spirit becoming more and more habitual and evident in one’s life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23)

• God’s love increasingly flowing through one’s life (2 Peter 1:3-4)

• An increasing sense of being “at home” in God’s love (John 15:1-8)

• Letting go of reactive attitudes and behaviors that harm others, and increasing one’s capacity to contribute to the good of others (Colossians 3:1-17, Ephesians 4:1-6)

• Love for others–even enemies–increasing (Matthew 5:43-48)

• Patience and endurance in the face of suffering (Romans 12:9-21)

• Emotional health and self-awareness, which increases our capacity to love others (Romans 12:2)

The greatest issue facing the world today, with all its heartbreaking needs, is whether those who…are identified as “Christians” will become disciples—students, apprentices, practitioners—of Jesus Christ, steadily learning from him how to live the life of the Kingdom of the Heavens into every corner of human existence.
Dallas Willard

What discipleship looks like?
• Be with Jesus.
• Be like Jesus.
• Do what Jesus did.

menō = remain, abide, stay, dwell, make your home in

Here’s what Jesus taught:
• We should love others (John 13:34-35)

• We should even love our enemies (Matthew 5:44)

• We should treat others the way we want to be treated (Matthew 7:12)

• We should care for the poor and marginalized (Luke 12:33)

• We should forgive others (Matthew 6:12)

• We should not judge others (Luke 6:37)

• Love should be the guiding principle of our lives (Matthew 22:37-39)

• Our love for God is not measured by religion, but by love for others (Matthew 23:23)

The Master's Invitation is based on 3 things:
1. The graciousness of the Host
2. The abundance of his resources
3. His desire to fill every seat