Monday

Related Verses
John 3:3
3 Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

John 11:25
25 Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes into Me, even if he should die, shall live;

John 14:6
6 Jesus said to him, I am the way and the reality and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.

John 15:26
26 But when the Comforter comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of reality, who proceeds from the Father, He will testify concerning Me;

Matt. 16:24-26
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.
25 For whoever wants to save his soul-life shall lose it; but whoever loses his soul-life for My sake shall find it.
26 For what shall a man be profited if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul-life? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul-life?

Luke 9:24-25
24 For whoever wants to save his soul-life shall lose it; but whoever loses his soul-life for My sake, this one shall save it.
25 For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world but loses or forfeits himself?

Related Reading
As a creature, man does not have the life of God and cannot participate in the kingdom of God. Nicodemus was an upper-class, good person, but he did not have God’s life. Hence, he did not understand the things of God, and he could not participate in the kingdom of God. A kingdom is a sphere as well as a realm of life. A sphere is a matter of authority, and a realm is a matter of life. In order to understand the things in a certain realm, one must have a certain kind of life. Likewise, in order to submit to the authority in a certain sphere, one must have a certain kind of life. 

A kingdom is a realm. The kingdom of man is the realm of man, and the kingdom of God is the realm of God. A realm is a matter of life. If one has a certain kind of life, he can participate in a certain kind of realm, and vice versa. We can participate in the human realm because we have the human life. Those who participate in God’s realm must have God’s life. (CWWL, 1955, vol. 2, pp. 355-356)

—

In Mark 4:26-29 the Lord used a parable to illustrate the kingdom of God. He said that the kingdom is like a seed sown into the earth, which grows until it is mature, and then is harvested. From the time of the sowing of the seed to the time of harvest is the growth process of the kingdom. The harvest is the full manifestation of the kingdom. By means of this parable we can realize that we are now in the growth process. Suppose I have a tiny carnation seed, which is sown into the earth. After some time, a tender sprout will appear. Then the tender sprout will grow until it reaches the ultimate consummation, the manifestation of the carnation kingdom. Consider some carnation plants in various stages of growth. One is a tender sprout. Another is a plant with a long stem, and another is a plant with buds. Finally, there is a plant in which the buds have become blossoms. This is the full manifestation of the carnation kingdom, starting from the sowing of the seed into the earth and progressing to the full bloom, the ultimate manifestation of the carnation life. 

The Lord Jesus told us to pray, “Your kingdom come” (Matt. 6:10). But the kingdom will not come in the way many Christians think. In a sense, the kingdom has come already. In another sense, however, the kingdom is coming. To pick up our illustration once more, in a sense, the carnation kingdom has come already in its seed form. One day, when the carnation reaches full bloom, that will be the full coming of the carnation kingdom. Similarly, the Christ kingdom has come already. From the day He sowed Himself into the human earth, the Christ kingdom began to come. The growth process will continue until the time of the full harvest, at which time there will be the full manifestation of the Christ kingdom. 

What is the kingdom? The kingdom is simply Christ sown into us, growing in us, maturing in us, and reaching the time of harvest. The kingdom is not merely a dispensation or a sphere. It is the totality of Christ being life to us in all His activities. 

The animal kingdom is the totality of all animal life with all its activities. Birds are flying, monkeys are climbing, and turtles are swimming in the water…Likewise, the kingdom of Christ is the totality of Christ being life to us with all His activities. We all have Christ within us as life, and we have many activities in Christ. This is the kingdom of Christ. Recently, I was watching, observing, and enjoying so many activities of the members in the meeting. You may say that was a church meeting. I agree, but that was also the kingdom of Christ with His life and activities. (CWWL, 1972, vol. 2, “The Kingdom,” pp. 25-26) 

Further Reading: CWWL, 1972, vol. 2, “The Kingdom,” ch. 6