The Ordinary Series – Part 2
The kingdom of heaven wasn’t meant to stay behind stained glass windows.
It was meant to walk into living rooms.
To show up in office break rooms.
To interrupt grocery store runs.
To bring light into dark places and hope into broken hearts.
And the ones who carry it?
They look a lot like you and me.
Carpenters. Fishermen. Business owners. Moms. Students. Retirees.
Ordinary people who listened for the Spirit’s nudge—and obeyed.
That’s how the early church turned the world upside down.
And that’s how the kingdom still comes—when we choose to live it out in the ordinary.
When Jesus declared, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17), He was announcing something radical. Heaven wasn’t far off—it was near. Not just a someday promise, but a present reality. He didn’t just talk about it—He embodied it.
Through healing the sick, forgiving sins, casting out demons, and teaching truth with authority, Jesus brought the reality of heaven to earth. The King had come. And where the King is, the kingdom reigns.
But He didn’t stop there.
Jesus commissioned His followers to bring that kingdom to others.
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always…” —Matthew 28:18–20
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses… to the ends of the earth.” —Acts 1:8
That wasn’t just a command—it was a call to partnership. A call to carry the kingdom into every place we set foot. And that still includes you and me.
If we want to be a part of kingdom work, we need to listen for and obey the nudge of the Holy Spirit in the ordinary moments of our lives. Because it’s often the person on the receiving end of that obedience who desperately needs to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to them in that very moment. It might be for them—but it can be for us too. God uses obedience not only to reach others, but to shape us into people who are sensitive to His presence and surrendered to His leading.
Don’t you see? The kingdom is still at hand—through Jesus’ followers. We saw it lived out in the early church: healing, deliverance, and the invitation to forgiveness through Jesus, the King Himself—the full embodiment of the kingdom who came to dwell among us. Now that same Spirit who empowered Him lives in us (Romans 8:11), and we’ve been invited to partner with the Holy Spirit to carry that same kingdom to the people God places in our paths.
But here’s the thing: many believers have become complacent—stuck in routines, believing that ministry only happens within the walls of a church or on a mission trip. And while the Church has a beautiful, God-given purpose, it wasn’t meant to be the only place the kingdom is seen. Because most of the world isn’t sitting in a pew on Sunday morning. They’re sitting at coffee shops, walking through grocery aisles, stuck in traffic, battling depression in their living rooms, scrolling their phones late at night—and they need to know the kingdom is still at hand.
How will they know unless someone shows them?
The early church was full of people who didn’t have titles, pulpits, or microphones. They were tentmakers, business owners, fisherman, shipbuilders. They were ordinary people—but they were kingdom partners.
And the same Spirit that moved through them moves through us.
Jesus came so that heaven would break into earth—and now He sends us to be carriers of that same kingdom.
Through our love.
Our words.
Our responses.
Our availability.
Our obedience.
That’s kingdom work. That’s the call. And it starts in the ordinary.
Ready to carry the kingdom into your everyday life? Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to the opportunities around you. Say yes to the nudge. Love boldly. Live obediently. And watch what God does through your ordinary.
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1 thought on “I Choose Today to Live in the Kingdom”
So true! It’s easy to forget that the people we rub shoulders with need to have an encounter with Jesus. And that encounter can come through something we do or say. Lord, help me be aware of the opportunities that you give me to make a difference in someone’s life today!