This past Sunday, we continued our focus on the Kingdom with a message titled “The Message of the King.” It was a powerful reminder that if we truly want to understand Jesus, we must not only look at what He did, but listen closely to what He said. Many people celebrate His miracles, His compassion, and His sacrifice, but often overlook the central theme He preached everywhere He went. Jesus did not come primarily to build a religious system. He came preaching a message. That message was the Gospel of the Kingdom.

When Jesus began His ministry, the Bible says He went about “preaching the gospel of the kingdom” (Matthew 4:23). That was not a side topic. It was the heart of His mission. He did not simply preach about going to heaven someday. He preached about heaven’s government coming to earth now. His message was not escape from the world, but transformation within it. The Kingdom was His announcement that God’s rule had arrived and that humanity could once again live under the authority of the King.

This changes how we view the Christian life. Religion often teaches people to endure earth while waiting to leave it. But the Kingdom teaches believers to represent heaven while living in it. Religion focuses on rituals, rules, and external behavior. The Kingdom focuses on authority, identity, and spiritual reality. Religion can keep a person busy without making them free. The Kingdom makes you alive, empowered, and purposeful. It shifts the believer from survival mode to assignment.

One of the key truths from Sunday’s message was that Jesus did not come to invite people into church attendance. He came to call people into Kingdom citizenship. When we are born again, we are not just forgiven, we are transferred. We are brought out of the kingdom of darkness and into the Kingdom of God’s Son. That means our values change, our mindset changes, and our mission changes. We belong to a different government now, and we are called to live with that awareness daily.

The message of the King also reveals what the Gospel truly is. The Gospel is not simply the announcement that sins can be forgiven. It is the announcement that the rightful King has returned, and His Kingdom is available to all who repent, believe, and follow Him. Salvation is more than a ticket to heaven. It is the restoration of relationship with God and the restoration of purpose on the earth.

Jesus taught the Kingdom through parables because it was a new way of thinking. He described it as a treasure worth everything, a seed that grows into something unstoppable, and leaven that quietly changes everything it touches. The Kingdom is not weak or passive. It is powerful, active, and advancing. Wherever the King’s rule is welcomed, things begin to change. Homes change. Minds change. Communities change. Darkness is pushed back and the will of God begins to manifest in real ways.

This message challenges us to examine what we have been building our lives around. Have we reduced the Gospel to a weekly routine, or have we embraced it as a King and His Kingdom? Have we allowed religion to shape our faith, or have we submitted to the rule of Jesus in every area of life? When the Kingdom becomes the priority, we stop asking God to simply bless our plans and we begin to align ourselves with His purpose.

As we move forward as a church, we must stay centered on the message of the King. It is not a trend. It is not a new idea. It is the original message Jesus preached. The Kingdom of God is not just coming later, it is here now. And we have been called to live as representatives of the King on the earth.

May we be a people who do not simply admire Jesus, but follow Him. May we not only celebrate His works, but carry His message. And may the Kingdom of God be seen in our lives through faith, obedience, and power.

With Kingdom clarity,

Pastor Chris Tullis

Grace Church