QUESTION: What Is Kingdom Building?

The following question came to me recently via “The Question Box” at our congregation’s web site where I have answered hundreds of questions over the past four years.

Question: What is kingdom building ?

Put in its simplest form, kingdom building is anything that contributes to the purposes of God on this earth.

This includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Evangelism: bringing people into the kingdom
• Benevolence: showing the love of God to the world as a light that glorifies God and builds up those who give
• Developing godly relationships: again, building those in the relationships and showing the love of God through them
• Edifying the Body of Christ: encouraging to love and good deeds, the work of the kingdom
• Spiritual Formation: developing the traits of character, in yourself or in others, that form us into the image of Christ
• Worship: but only when it promotes growth in the Lord or the obedience of faith
• Providing for the poor: when it is done in the name of the Lord
• Comforting the afflicted:
• Training Children: bringing them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord
• Living as Christians: 24 hour per day, 7 day per week, 365 days per year, doing all things in the name of the Lord
• Being an Influence in Your Community: when you are living to the glory of God in your day-to-day life
• Giving a Cup of Cold Water in Jesus’ Name
• Visiting the Sick in Jesus’ Name
• Visiting Those in Prison in Jesus’ Name
• Serving as a PTA officer or helper: when you do it to the glory of God
• Doing All in the Name of the Lord

These are suggestive, not exhaustive. From these, you can see that “kingdom building” is what happens when you recognize the “reign of God” in your life. It happens when your Church organizes itself, its programs, and its church-life around the purposes of God, as contrasted with our own comfort and convenience with little thought to how those will promote the cause for which Jesus died.

The things above are not to be done seeking credit, but because you are serving others, realizing that in serving them you are serving Christ. In other words, you do not do it to promote yourself or your congregation – but out of love for people that grows from your love for Christ, which springs from the Holy Spirit within you.

Kingdom building is what Jesus did when He was on earth and when He died for us. Today, He continues to build His kingdom through us as we give ourselves to His work and live according to His purposes.