Colossians 1:13 NKJV
He has delivered us from the power of darkness and [a]conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
Jesus came proclaiming about the Kingdom of God. Those of us who have headed to his message and have been saved by grace through faith are now part of God’s kingdom. The church is part of God’s kingdom, and thus the church ought to operate with that in mind. A kingdom denotes a king, which means then that we must submit to his word because it is law and our allegiance is to the king.
If we then are part of God’s kingdom, we must live our lives and make our decision based on the word of the King. We cannot run our lives or the church as a democratic entity where the majority wins through a vote, rather we must align everything we do to the word of God.
Colossians 3:17
17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Everything we do as individuals and also corporately a body should be done in the name of the Lord because he is our king, and we submit to his authority. Only God should direct what we do and when we do it, and this can only happen if we allow ourselves to be guided by the Holy Spirit.
When we read about the early church in the book of Acts, we see a church that walked in submission to the leading of the Holy Spirit, no wonder they were as effective as they were.
As believers and as the church, we should not strive to be people pleasers or to be politically correct, rather, we should seek first the kingdom of God in all we do. Christ should be the focal point in everything that we do.
Reflections
What is your understanding of a Kingdom?
Do you submit to God’s leading, or do you consistently seek independence to do as you please?
What lessons can the church today learn about submission to the Holy Spirit from the church in Acts.
