The Kingdom Culture: Living as Ambassadors of the King

There's a profound question that echoes through the corridors of Christian life: What exa

ctly is the gospel? Many of us would quickly respond with the familiar answer—we're sinners, Christ died for our sins, and through faith in Him we receive forgiveness and eternal life. While this is gloriously true, it represents only part of the picture. The complete gospel encompasses something far more comprehensive, something that transforms not just our eternal destiny, but our present reality.

When Jesus began His earthly ministry, His message was clear and consistent: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17). Throughout the Gospels, Jesus mentions the kingdom of God more than 80 times—more than any other subject. Even after His resurrection, during the 40 days before His ascension, Jesus spoke to His disciples about the kingdom of God. This wasn't peripheral teaching; it was the very heart of His message.

The Gospel isn't just about individual salvation—it's the good news of the kingdom. When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, the first petition He instructed them to make was "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Notice the emphasis: on earth. Not just in heaven someday, but here, now, in this present reality where our feet touch the ground.

The gospel story doesn't begin at Calvary. It starts in Genesis 1, where God looked at everything He had created and declared it "very good". This was the first gospel proclamation—creation itself is good. The earth we inhabit, the air we breathe, the food we eat, the bodies we live in—all of it was created good and remains the Lord's possession. As Psalm 24 declares, "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it."

We were given a beautiful assignment in this good creation: to fill the earth, subdue it, and rule over it. We were meant to be God's co-laborers, cultivating and developing creation, bringing out its best potential. But sin changed everything. The curse that followed our rebellion affected our bodies, our relationships, our families, and the very ground beneath our feet. What was meant to produce beauty now yields thorns and thistles.

Yet even in pronouncing the curse, God promised redemption through "the seed of a woman" who would crush the serpent's head. In the fullness of time, God sent His son—the seed planted in the earth—who through His death, burial, and resurrection broke the power of the curse. As the Christmas carol proclaims: "He comes to make His blessings flow as the curse is found."

In Luke 19, Jesus tells a parable about a nobleman who goes to a distant country to be appointed king and then return. The people listening thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately, but Jesus was managing their expectations. The kingdom has come—Jesus is King right now—but its fullness is delayed.

Think of it like D-Day during World War II. The decisive victory was won on June 6, 1944, but the war didn't end for another 18 months. There was a period between the decisive victory and final triumph. Similarly, Jesus defeated sin, death, and the devil at the cross. He is seated at the right hand of the Father, far above all rule and authority. But we live in the time between His decisive victory and His final return.

This means that we inhabit a world where the King reigns but is actively resisted. In Jesus' parable, the nobleman's subjects sent a delegation saying, "We don't want this man to be king over us." This describes our cultural moment perfectly. We live among God-haters who will bow to any authority except the true King. They'll embrace any version of Jesus—the positive-thinking Jesus, the political Jesus, the cultural Jesus—but they reject the real Jesus who calls them to repentance and surrender.

Before the nobleman left, he gave each of his servants a mina (about three months' wages) with clear instructions: "Put this money to work until I come back." When he returned, he conducted an audit. Two servants had invested wisely and multiplied what they'd been given. They were rewarded with greater responsibility. But one servant had buried his mina in a cloth, returning only what he'd been given.

His excuse? Fear. "I was afraid of you because you're a hard man."

The master's response was devastating: "You wicked servant." The servant hadn't been belligerent or rebellious—just disobedient. He'd protected the asset rather than investing it. And in protecting it, he'd actually wasted it.

This parable strikes at the heart of passive Christianity. How many believers show up to church, look respectable, but aren't actually doing anything with what God has given them? How many churches focus on protecting assets—maintaining buildings, preserving traditions, keeping things nice—rather than expanding the King's influence?

Whatever we don't invest for God is wasted. Every part of our lives not used for kingdom purposes represents squandered opportunity. The King won't ask what we protected; He'll ask what we gained. How many souls were won? How many people were served? What ground was taken for the kingdom?

We're called to be culture builders, ambassadors bringing the King's redemption to every sphere of life—our families, schools, businesses, arts, and communities. This isn't about waiting for heaven; it's about praying and working for God's will to be done "on earth as it is in heaven".

The land that drinks in the rain and produces a crop receives blessing from the Lord. But land that drinks in the rain and produces only thorns and thistles is worthless and in danger of being cursed. We've been entrusted with the King's resources in a world that resists Him. Our responsibility is to do His business until He returns.

One day, every knee will bow and every tongue confess. Every tear will be dried, every enemy defeated. Creation itself will be liberated from bondage and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. But until that day comes, we have work to do.

The kingdom of God is the culture we're called to develop. It's bigger than personal salvation, bigger than church attendance, bigger than religious activity. It's about seeing God's redemptive work flow into every corner of creation, reversing the curse, and establishing His reign.

The question isn't whether we'll protect what we've been given. The question is: What will we gain for the King?