From before the foundation of the world God the Father always wanted children
(heirs) with whom to share Himself. Our Father in Heaven – rich in love, slow to
anger, abounding in kindness – longed to share His heart. So He made an
agreement with His only Son to provide a way to pass all that He possesses to
His heirs (that’s us).

In due season, God the Son – our Father’s only Begotten – came to earth. As
the Son of God His Father anointed Him King of kings, forevermore. Jesus’
response to His Father established that His rule would be only what His Father
wanted. He would make no decisions independently of His Father’s will. When He
came to earth, transcended His eternal existence / life and confined Himself to
time and space, He did so for the purpose of revealing His Father’s heart to
mankind and re-establishing His eternal rule upon the earth.

Jesus is the King. His Father gave Him an inheritance (the nations – that’s us). As
King of the eternal Kingdom, Jesus’ rule for the subjects of His Kingdom is
always for our good. Kingdom subjects are entirely dependent upon our King for
life and all that pertains to life. All that the Father has (which is everything) He
gave to His Son, Jesus. They are One. As King, Jesus now longs to give all that
He possesses (everything) to His co-heirs (that’s us).

In time and space, people are consumed with natural elements – shelter, clothing,
food, water, warmth from the cold, shade from the heat. People view their
existence framed in days and nights, weather, seasons, events, occupations,
cultures, societies…. And make self-governed choices based upon this natural
(temporal) framework. Mankind’s choices are entirely about how he will take care
of himself and self is the priority in each and every choice.

This time continuum existence–composed of many kingdoms – has a god. He is
the god of this world and was given the right to rule by mankind’s choice in the
garden. When Jesus came in the flesh – into time and space – His ultimate
purpose was to restore God’s rule upon the earth. He brought the Kingdom of
Heaven (source not location) so that on earth it would once again be done as it is
in Heaven.

Every kingdom has a king. Jesus is the King of kings. He rules over all: all
kingdoms, all heavenly beings (angelic and demonic), all peoples. His rule is
righteous, just, merciful, kind, Perfect. His rule personifies His Father’s nature
and character.

The rule of every other earthly and demonic kingdom is fueled by the self-
priority. Through Self-effort to acquire perceived needs, self-provision and
protection govern each choice. Self-rule is accomplished at the expense of
others through adversarial competition in every aspect of daily life
In the Kingdom of Heaven all our need is already supplied. This reality operates
as an understood given. King Jesus rules for each of our benefit, daily providing
and caring intimately for our every need. No longer consumed with our needs, we
are free to pursue Him.

The King lovingly rules His realm. Rule is founded upon authority and ownership.
Ownership mandates responsibility. Children of God – subjects living in the Kingdom of
Heaven – bow our knee to King Jesus (obedience) in response to His Love.
Children of God own nothing; therefore, we are not responsible for our provision
and protection. He supplies EVERYTHING. We are responsible for our choices.
If we are children of God, we have entered the Kingdom of Heaven. We now live in
the eternal realm of His Kingdom (in but no longer of this world). All that the
Father owns (everything), and gifted to His Son Jesus, is now available to us. If in
this Kingdom all our need is already provided, what then is our purpose as His
subjects?

God the Father always wanted to share His heart with His heirs. His desire is to
share His Love with another capable of receiving and returning His Love. So He
created humanity – unique in all of creation because of our capacity to receive and
return His Love. Who is God? Love. What is His motive? Love. What is the
nature of His character and rule? Holy, noble, righteous, gracious, good to all.
God the Father declared that His heirs would be “a kingdom of priests, a holy
people.”

Our inheritance, in Jesus, is to receive the very nature and character and heart of
God. In receiving the Father’s gift of Himself through Jesus we enter into our
destiny, our identity, our purpose – a love relationship with our Creator. In and
through us, our Father’s character is put on display in time and space to draw
others to their destiny in Him. We share our inheritance with all whom we
encounter.

In Him we are nobility. We are equipped and disciplined to rule with Him (as sons,
as the bride, His body). This nobility is one of character. Jesus described His rule
– “I only do what I see my Father doing…. Apart from Him I can do nothing.” And
He explained the reward of His rule; “Greater love has no man than this, to lay his
life down for his friends.”

As subjects of the King, our noble life is no longer our own. In His Kingdom we
surrender our lives to His rule, His will. Of all that we receive we freely give to
those He entrusts to our care. His priority has, is and will always be a love
relationship. He mysteriously, yet in daily ordinary and practical ways,
accomplishes His will and fulfills His purpose through the vehicle of human
relationships.

The unknowable God reveals Himself to his chosen creation as Father, King,
Bridegroom, Brother, Teacher and Friend. Each of these a unique aspect of how
He desires to relate to / with us.

When Jesus ascended to Heaven He gave gifts to men – apostles, prophets,
evangelists, pastors and teachers – gifts of Himself in mankind so that we may
grow up in every way in Him.

Through His precious Holy Spirit, God clothes Himself with humanity. Through these
various human relationships He offers Himself to mankind. We are free to
choose Him or chose self. We make this choice daily, as a lifestyle. We choose in
the private garden of our hearts to receive or to reject Him. We choose regarding
the ordained relationships around us to lay our lives down (invest) or to reject
His call to live for another.

As the body of Christ we are intimately and inescapably dependent upon one
another for wholeness, maturity and fulfillment. We each have a unique destiny
and purpose in Him as individual members of the corporate body, His Bride, the
church. As we individually choose to receive or reject, we each nourish or neglect
the Body. As Paul explained, the eye has need of the hand. Therefore, there is
no place for adversarial competition in His body.

His desire is that we are one, in Him. He works patiently yet relentlessly to
assemble the stones of His building, His Bride, His Body. He is the Head, we are
the members of His body. As we each individually respond to / obey the Head,
the needs of the body are met, the body matures and He is glorified.

Earthly kingdoms function in hierarchical order. Competition establishes this
order. Fear fuels competition. Hierarchy assigns one’s significance, value and
identity in what self-accomplishes and is determined through constant
comparison. The goal is conquest, achievement, power… control.

The Kingdom of Heaven functions organically through relationships. God is our
Father; we are His sons and daughters. Jesus is our King; we are His subjects. Jesus is our
bridegroom; we are His bride. He is the Head, we are His body. Our significance,
value and identity are in Him, alone. The goal is surrender for His glory.

We glorify Him because, “All things were created through Him and for Him. And
He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. He is the head of the body,
the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He
may have the preeminence.” (Colossians 1:16-18)

(Preeminent – having paramount rank, dignity, or importance)