The Intentional Kingdom Manifesto

Welcome to The Intentional Kingdom!

This is a community of Christians who want to commit to a simple proposition: Jesus clearly wanted His followers to live their lives by what He taught. And the clearest concentration of Jesus' core teaching is found in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7).

This blog began in response to a sermon series taught in the Fall of 2014 at Mill Creek Community Church in Shawnee, KS. At the conclusion of the series, I felt like I didn't really want to leave the Sermon on the Mount. I wanted to keep hearing from Jesus! There was so much there, and such an intriguing challenge came from the words of Jesus, that I wanted to keep thinking about it so that my life could reflect His teachings. And so this blog was born as a way for us all to stay close to Jesus, to keep His words ringing in our ears beyond Sunday. 

The goal of this blog is simple: to weekly think about an aspect of Jesus' teaching. We preached 14 sermons in the series, so each weekly entry will pick up on one of those 14 foundational teachings of the Sermon on the Mount. If we do it right, we will have gone through the whole sermon 3 more times in 2015. I chose a blog format so that we can freely comment, adding our voices to the conversation,and as I find other media or useful resources, I can easily get the word out on a blog.

I have just two ground rules regarding interacting with these posts. 1) You are free to share with your friends, family and neighbors, but realize that comments will be moderated. I reserve the right not to publish comments or to edit them for doctrinal or moral clarity. 2) Let's be kind to one another, tenderhearted and forgiving. I hope each person will comment based on themselves, and not on behalf of others... Don't write a comment hoping to be the Holy Spirit, Jr. for someone else! That said, if someone freely admits a struggle in a post, let's pray for them, not pounce on them! 

Here is the manifesto we will commit to applying ourselves to understanding in 2015:

As a follower of Jesus, I commit to the ethical and spiritual standards my Master has set in His teaching. The Sermon on the Mount serves as a great guide for my life. As a citizen first of Jesus’ Intentional Kingdom, I resolve to live in the following way:

1) I will accept that humble repentance is the first response I must have when I am aware of my sin, for His kingdom is near. (Matthew 4:17-5:2)

2) I will realize that looking to His kingdom means I will never be satisfied with the stuff of this world. I will long for something more that only Jesus gives, seeking His Intentional Kingdom. (Matthew 5:3-6)

3) I will align my attitudes and actions with Christ’s kingdom so that I may be blessed. (Matthew 5:7-12)

4) I will seek to spread the good news of the gospel through the influence Jesus has given me as His salt and light where I live, work, and play. (Matthew 5:13-16)

5) I will let the change Jesus makes in me (and not my own legalistic efforts) be the visible work of His saving grace. (Matthew 5:17-20)

6) I will not be satisfied with wounded earthly relationships but will seek a heart of reconciliation as Jesus did when He came to reconcile sinners to the Father. (Matthew 5:21-26)

7) Regardless of whether I am single or married, I will view marriage as a sacred design of God’s and sexual purity as an important matter of the heart committed to Christ’s Kingdom. (Matthew 5:27-32)

8) I will make honest, simple commitments in my relationships and communications to other people. (Matthew 5:33-27)

9) I will love the kind of people that my sinful self may see as unloveable. I will go beyond the standards of human love to love like Jesus does. (Matthew 5:38-48)

10) I will practice spiritual disciplines, not to draw attention to my own sense of accomplishment, but so that Christ may change my heart. (Matthew 6:1-6; 16-18)

11) I will pray to my Father in heaven with humble submission, trust, willing confession, and a willingness to forgive others even as Christ has forgiven me. (Matthew 6:7-15)

12) I will view my essential investments as eternal, and not center my life around the worrisome stuff of this world. (Matthew 6:19-34)

13) I will attend to my own soul before attempting to point out a problem with someone else. I will seek to treat others as I want to be treated. (Matthew 7:1-12)

14) I will realize that living as a Christian in Christ’s Intentional Kingdom is hard and not easy. I commit to it knowing that heaven or hell, truth or error, success or failure, hang on these commitments. (Matthew 7:13-27)

So there you have it. Here is what we will continue to discuss and most importantly DO in the coming year. I hope to be challenged in the undertaking. I am glad you will help me understand and apply what our Lord asks of us as we interact together in comments on each post! And most importantly, may our Savior be seen as great and may His kingdom continue to flourish as we humbly follow Him!