Kingdom Come: Keep in Step
We live in an age where everyone seems to be building something. Whether it is a brand, a political platform, or a social movement, the temptation is to treat these things we have built like kingdoms of our own making. The world tells us that if we don’t seize the moment and make something of ourselves we’ll be left behind. And so, even among believers, there’s a subtle temptation to run ahead of Jesus, to take the reins and try to establish His kingdom by our own methods, rather than trusting His timing and His ways.
But Jesus doesn’t need us to build Him a throne. He already sits on the throne at the right hand of his Father. Instead of running ahead, He calls us to trust Him, to follow his lead and to let him set the pace.
In the Parable of the Talents, we saw that what the Master valued most wasn’t production, it was posture. Two servants worked in faith because they loved and trusted their Lord. The third servant buried his gift in fear because he misunderstood the Master’s heart. And that misunderstanding is at the root of so much of our striving. When we start to think that Jesus isn’t doing enough, or that His kingdom needs our cleverness and control, we reveal how little we trust His power and how much we rely on our own.
That’s what happens when zeal outpaces trust. And I’m afraid that’s what’s happening in many corners of the Church today. In our passion to defend Christian values or preserve what we hold dear, we can begin to confuse our political ambitions with the mission of God. The rise of Christian nationalism, on one side, and the temptation to disengage entirely, on the other, both miss the mark. Jesus doesn’t bless one camp and condemn the other, He calls all of us to lay aside our kingdoms and to follow him on the narrow way.
In Matthew 22, when the Pharisees tried to trap Jesus with a political question, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar?” He answered in a way that stunned both sides. Holding up the coin, He asked, “Whose image is on it?” When they answered, “Caesar’s,” He said, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
That’s the essence of His third way. Jesus didn’t endorse Rome’s rule, but He also didn’t lead a revolt. He showed that while Caesar’s image may be stamped on the coin, God’s image is stamped on every human. The coin might belong to the empire, but your life belongs to the Creator.
This means that Christians are free to participate in civic life without confusing it for kingdom life. We can and should care deeply about laws, justice, and policy, but Christians must always recognize that the kingdom of God doesn’t rise or fall on any election. Our ultimate allegiance cannot be to a flag or faction but to the King who reigns above every nation.
Standing before Pilate, Jesus declared, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). That statement was not a retreat from public life, it was a redefinition of what real power looks like. He said, “If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting.” In other words, the kingdom doesn’t advance by domination or coercion, but through faithful witness and sacrificial love.
This is where the way of Jesus diverges sharply from the way of the world. Earthly kingdoms are built on grasping for control, but Christ’s kingdom begins with surrender. His throne is a cross, His victory looks like weakness, His army wins by washing feet and forgiving enemies. That doesn’t mean we stop engaging in politics or culture. It means we engage as citizens of a higher kingdom, refusing to fight with the world’s weapons.
Paul captures this beautifully in Philippians 3:20: “Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” That word await implies a posture of patient hope. We don’t build the kingdom through force or abandon it in frustration. The Christian’s responsibility is not establishing the kingdom, but embodying it as we await our blessed hope. We serve our communities, love our enemies, and steward what God has entrusted to us, not to secure power, but to display His grace.
When we forget this, we can start building towers instead of temples; acting like the kingdom depends on our success, rather than on the King’s sovereignty. But when we remember that our true citizenship is in heaven, we can live faithfully right where we are, with open hands and loving hearts.
Jesus never told us to conquer the world; He told us to make disciples in it. He didn’t call us to craft the perfect government; He called us to be salt and light in every culture we inhabit. The world will always be drawn to extremes, control or chaos, isolation or domination; but Jesus invites us into something far better.
He invites us to work the good of our nations without worshiping them. He invites us to defend truth without becoming harsh. He invites us to love our neighbors without fear and to engage with our culture without being entangled by it.
To follow Jesus in this world is to walk the narrow road between apathy and idolatry, trusting that the King who once came in humility will come again in glory. And until that day, our call is simple: to be found faithful.
So don’t run ahead of the King. Walk with Him, serve through Him, and wait for Him. Keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:25). Because ultimately, the kingdom will not come by our striving, but by His returning. Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!