The Kingdom of God is Within You

These last few days have been quite humbling—out on the mission field on the edges of the Middle East, surrounded by such raw hunger and need. Something about that feels familiar in a very distant kind of way. Like something one used to know. This experience has given me a new meaning to Luke 17:20–34. It is important to point out that Jesus’ response is very carefully framed in the context of who asked the question. The Pharisees were asking Jesus about the kingdom of God. These were the merchants of knowledge—experts at data analysis, models, and theories. Jesus was responding to people who were accustomed to reading and writing dissertations.

The kingdom of God is not by observation

Without any preamble, Jesus dove straight in. The kingdom of God is not something that can be observed in the traditional sense—not through empirical evidence, measurable metrics, or quantifiable data. It does not require data collection. It requires living it out. It is something to experience. Don’t try to systematize it into a curriculum or reduce it to a framework. It doesn’t require a telescope or microscope—those instruments need calibration, models, and experts. But the Kingdom doesn’t function that way. Jesus made it clear: the kingdom of God was not within anyone’s expert domain. It is not something to be found “out there.”

There’s a danger in relying on external metrics—it creates the very problem Jesus warns against in verse 21, where people say, “Here it is,” or “There it is.” People try to identify the kingdom by comparing it to something instead of connecting to it. But Jesus says, the kingdom of God is within you. This does not mean the kingdom cannot be observed outwardly at times. It’s like investing heavily in research for a model that will never surpass what already exists. That is not God’s intent. The Kingdom is within you. Everyone has the same level of access, if they so desire. Most people are afraid of looking inward. Those who embrace it often do so from a place of pride, but many avoid it entirely because it means facing hard truths—conversations they’d rather not have. They feel they’re not enough, and so looking inwards terrifies them. They’re afraid of confirming what they suspect. But it’s better to face and confirm your fears and hand it over to Jesus than to remain stuck in a bubble, never truly being who God made you to be. Nicodemus is an example of a man that went for it in John 3. You must be willing to be born again, all over again and again because that is how God gives you access to within.

The kingdom of God is always looking for expression

The kingdom of God is within you and always seeking expression—power waiting to solve problems, heal the sick, and raise the dead. We are often wired to try to diagnose conditions—but that can be challenging for something that is trapped just beneath the surface, waiting to be released. As Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, God has “set eternity in the human heart.” Jesus said, “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12). The kingdom is always bubbling up, pressing to break through—but often held back by our doubts, unbelief, and unwillingness to surrender. Romans 8:19 tell us that creation is groaning for the sons of God to be revealed. It’s not that something new must be created—the work is done. The kingdom is waiting for that revelation. Waiting for the light to come on. Lightning is the action. Thunder comes after. Yet most people fear thunder—it’s loud but harmless. Lightning is the power. If you’re hearing thunder, it more than likely means you’ve missed the real thing.

How can we activate it?

These passages teach us a lot—not just how to activate the kingdom, but more importantly, how not to.

1. Stop Running After It (v.23)
When you run after it, you become subject to people, to rumors, to manipulations. You’re listening for the thunder, and so you miss the lightning. Those who chase after noise will always miss the real thing. The thunder might be loud but it is fleeting. Anything that makes contact with the lighting is never the same. The devil keeps people trapped in a loop—stimulus-seeking behavior. Chasing the loudest, the hottest. We confuse being cold with being bad, and lukewarm with being okay (Revelation 3:15–16).

2. Learn from Noah and Lot’s Times (vv.27–30)
Jesus gives us two examples of people who missed it by a mile.

• In Noah’s day, people were eating and drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage. Simpler times. It was life as a party. No time for hunger. Everything was planned, accounted for. No acknowledgment of God.
• In Lot’s time, things were a bit more complex, like our present day. Still eating and drinking, but now: planting and building—commerce, career. They were so busy with their own rhythms—celebration or ambition—that they missed God entirely. They completely missed the big ark- the shelter, the solution that God was building right before their eyes.

These examples show us that a life centered on routine and comfort can become a distraction. We need to get rid of the eating and drinking—replace it with a fast. We need to take a break from chasing things and chase the Lord. We need spiritual hunger. The absence of hunger in our lives is why we are chasing everything else. Those things are not wrong, by the way. The problem is they’re not centered on God. Remember, the passage says, “Seek first the Kingdom.” It didn’t say what we shouldn’t seek—it only says what we should make a priority, the central theme of our lives.

3. Don’t Look Back (v.32)
Jesus says, “Remember Lot’s wife.” If you leave the house and forget something, don’t return for it. Don’t look over your shoulder. Pursue God earnestly and sincerely. Keep moving forward. Stop going back to the things that God has delivered you from. Some things in life are meant to be left behind.

4. Break the pattern: avoid symmetry (v34-35)
This might feel abstract, but it’s meaningful: If there are two, add a third. If you get to four, add a fifth. Don’t be afraid to be called odd; don’t seek safety in evenness; blending in instead of standing out. Don’t rest in comfort or predictability. True safety is in surrender, not in symmetry. Life with God is not about playing it safe—it’s about growing, stretching, and living beyond your expectations.

Finally, always remember, the kingdom of God is not somewhere “out there.” It is already within you, waiting to be put to a God-use. The Pharisees were seeking for Jesus to validate them; instead he challenged them to live by the Spirit.

Bible Readings:
Monday- Matthew 11:1-19
Tuesday- Genesis 19:10-26
Wednesday- Romans 8:18-30
Thursday- Revelations 3:14-22
Friday- Proverbs 4: 1-13
Saturday- 1 Timothy 4