It's All Around Us

Observe it.

It’s otherworldly. The gates and streets are not named by human governments. You can’t define its borders by guarding it with foot soldiers. Jesus said it cannot be observed like we observe Rome. It’s not made of stones and pillars. But, He did say, “The kingdom of God is at hand.”

A young blind boy from a forgotten tribe in the Amazon was found and interviewed by some locals searching for the remnants of his tribe. The locals wanted to preserve history. They wanted to understand everything about the tribe they had been looking for. The tattoo on the young boy’s forehead was the evidence they needed to confirm he was a part of the tribe. They asked questions in his language. After all, they had studied for years the tribes’ form of communication. They really wanted to know about culture, their ways, their beliefs. They said to the boy, “Would you describe to us your ways?” He answered, “You won’t find a fortress; you will find a people. We dwell not on a mountain but scattered around the land. My people have tribe codes. We paint the forehead of our brother who deceived us, showing we have forgiven his wrong. This shows that our hands touched the mind of the offender and were willing to embrace him again. I’m a blind boy, but I would know our tribe’s ways through experiencing them. When we cut down fruit from the Bacaba tree, we always leave some fruit around the base of the tree for the aging tribes around us who are too weak to climb. Although we don’t intermarry with other tribes, we love all tribes. Sharing mountains is a saying used to teach our young ones to help others escape the rising rainfall. We are good healers. You will know our tribe by the powerful minds that break curses. You can hear the strength in our chants. Our saying have the power to break evil. The highest honors are given to our weakest and least fortunate members. The children are embraced and given great blessings. The aged are listened to. We are a people who live near other tribes but do not act like them. Every time we gather over the evening fire, you will see the kingdom ways of our tribe. You will know us by our love.”

It’s not a matter of fresh-baked bread or new wine from new wineskins. It’s not the act of marriage even. If this otherworldly kingdom is not seen by the eye but is surely among us, how do we see it? Can it be observed?

I was in Albania a few years ago leading worship, and between sessions a local and I were in a discussion about America. He was describing what he knew about America even though he had never been there. Hollywood really influenced his opinion. He talked about the riches of America, the greed of America, the sensuality of America, and the selfishness of America. From his perspective, America was telling the world what mattered to it by placing it on the television. America’s culture bled out through every scene and commercial. He wasn’t wrong. Our culture is all about money. It’s about getting to where you want to go and not letting anything stop you from achieving your dreams. It’s sensuality. It’s Pride. It’s selfishness. It’s shopping and going into debt. I need not continue.

Now, I’m not trying to bash Americans; I love this country. But I agree with what my friend from Albania said. It’s hard not to come to his conclusion when you observe America. Here is a positive way to look at American culture from a definition created by Google. American culture can be defined as a diverse mix of values and customs that emphasize individualism, freedom, equality of opportunity, hard work, and a strong belief in personal achievement.

Like the blind boy’s tribe, and like America, the kingdom of heaven has a culture. It has noticeable ways that don’t have to be seen to be believed. Heaven’s culture is a way of life that models God’s heart. The kingdom of heaven can be experienced through its love, justice, mercy, humility, community, and passion for not only hearing the words of God but doing them. Seeing the words of God in action is the strongest evidence of His unseen kingdom.

You will see a small spark of love turn into a raging fire of compassion. At first, it may go unnoticed because only one heart is moved by something Jesus said, but the impact of that spark has a great return because of the divine investor pumping resources into it. The kingdom is a small seed that eventually becomes the most visible in the world. You can notice the kingdom by observing a person who has willingly given up what they cherished most in order to gain the treasure and surpassing worth of knowing Jesus. That trading of treasures is otherworldly. The kingdom unseen can be observed through that exchange. You will notice that the kingdom of heaven is not its own field of perfect crop. It’s not a people living isolated in the mountains. The kingdom and its people are mixed among the haters of the said kingdom. It’s like good seed and weeds growing together. You might identify the kingdom people as one who endure through strife. Eventually separation will come, but they glorify God even as weeds are trying to strangle them. The kingdom of heaven is not limited to geography or politics. It’s a heart condition. In fact, it’s a new heart. You can see the kingdom by heart-watching. Hearts that are from the Kingdom of Heaven are very captivating. They are like a city on a hill. They preserve what is true. The fuel in those hearts for the fire lighting the hill up is peace, love, joy, kindness, and goodness. If you are looking for these things, you will see the kingdom of God. It is all around us. It can be observed.

Every time a kingdom heart runs from addiction, forgives his brother, walks in a loving manner, that’s culture. That’s the kingdom. When you see a kingdom heart caring for the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the less fortunate, there is the heart of God visibly on display. When churches place Christ at the center of their stage instead of politics or culture divides, there is the kingdom of heaven unifying its tribes under the banner of Christ. You will know the kingdom by the inclusive sermons. You will know it by the physical healings brought about through prayers of faith, spiritual regeneration given by grace, and restoration handed out by forgiving kingdom-hearts. These are all pieces of evidence of this kingdom. We can observe this unseen kingdom through its culture intertwined in this cursed world. Children are loved and protected. The aged are held in high honor. Humility is king. Whenever you see things like these, the kingdom is present—because that is what God’s heart looks like. When we sing, pray, surrender our lives, we are calling down the reign of our God into the present moment.

It’s all around us. You just have to call it out when you see it. In doing this, you will teach your heart not to grow weary, since the kingdom is at hand. Observe the kingdom by observing the people. You will know them by their love. You will recognize the tribe of heaven by the name of the father tattooed on their foreheads.