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The kingdom of God within you
When the world seems crazy and life feels hectic, there is a divine alternative—to live in a way that is increasingly centered in what countless persons have discovered. I often call it “the wonderfulness within”; this is an idea that is attractive to many people who do not believe in God. The reality of the spirit of God within each person is also the one of the most widely shared truths among the world’s religions.[i] Interpretations differ, but they also overlap. In Jesus’ concept of the kingdom of God, this is an essential teaching.
The idea of God’s spirit within is found in the Hebrew scriptures. “The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of his being” (Proverbs 20:27 KJ21). God’s spirit presence intimately knows our thoughts and feelings, conscious and unconscious. Speaking on behalf of God, the prophet Ezekiel said, “A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you” (Ezekiel 36:26).
Jesus compared the kingdom of God to treasure hidden in a field (Matthew 13:44). He also taught that the kingdom of God was within—a striking expansion of the popular concept of the kingdom (Luke 17:20-21). In the following sections of this chapter, we first examine the context of this teaching of Jesus. Then we consider the spirit within as revealing God as a unique Friend. This gift of God’s presence plays a role in both kinds of spiritual experiences: those that are more ordinary, and those that are more memorable. We listen to the report of an unforgettable experience, shared by a student who recorded it as it unfolded in class.
Jesus clarified truths about the spirit within
In first-century Palestine, people were thinking of the kingdom of God mainly in terms of revolutionary historical change. It is understandable that some Pharisees tried to embarrass Jesus by asking him, “When is the kingdom of God coming?” Imagine their surprise when he replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with things that can be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For in fact, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21).
The Pharisees asked about when, but Jesus knew what they truly needed: to realize wherethey could find it without having to wait. He could have said, “The kingdom is at hand now—see our group proclaiming the message among you.” It would have been true to say this, but Jesus pointed to something that cannot be observed. Spirit is not perceivable by the senses; nor is it a product of the mind. Spirit transcends both matter and mind. This is why most of the time we are not conscious of it and why so many people live as though it were not there.
It is noteworthy that these Pharisees did not have to be followers of Jesus to have the Father’s spirit within them. Moreover, despite the fact that they had gotten seriously off the path, once the spirit had come, it stayed with them. God has taken up permanent residence in you during this life and the next, if you survive.
Someone might wonder about my interpretation and raise this objection. On the day of Pentecost, after he had risen into heaven, Jesus poured out upon all persons his Spirit of Truth, the Comforter, also known as the Holy Spirit. But nothing was said about the spirit of the Father. I reply that before, during, and after his life on this earth, Jesus and the Father were so intimately associated that Jesus could say, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). Does it make sense that the Father would then separate from the Spirit of Truth and leave it alone on earth to work for the kingdom? If I am right about God’s spirit within us, this concept helps the pieces of the puzzle in Jesus’ life and teachings fit together in a meaningful and heartening way.
Jesus compared the kingdom of God to “treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and reburied; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Matthew 13:44). Selling everything symbolizes total commitment to finding the treasure again and again until we make it fully our own.
It is natural to ask how to find the treasure within. Jesus did not supply a roadmap; there are no instructions for conscious breathing or setting aside 20 minutes twice a day to close the eyes, take a few mindful breaths, and consent to the presence and activity of the spirit within. No single roadmap fits everyone’s inward journey. Instead, Jesus told us where to look—within—and promised, “Search and you will find” (Matthew 7:7). The invitation to seek can awaken curiosity and a spirit of adventure. Jesus’ way of teaching leads receptive hearers into the arms of divine spirit.
The concept of the kingdom implies that God rules or reigns in humankind—to some extent now and eventually in heavenly fullness. God’s reign is not an outward, military-political rule; rather God becomes increasingly more dominant in our hearts. To make the treasure of the kingdom within us truly our own, we must in receptive faith, enjoy the presence of God’s spirit; then active faith makes the decisions and carries out the courses of action that lead to growth. The influence of God’s presence in our hearts becomes more dominant through the process of receiving love and goodness from our divine Parent—and then passing these blessings on to others. In doing this, we gradually become more God-like.
God as a friend
In the ancient world, as now, it was important to have friends. The Hebrew Bible speaks of true friends in the Book of Ruth and disloyal friends in the Book of Job. The Book of Proverbs says, “A true friend sticks closer than one’s sibling,” and “He who loves purity of heart, and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend” (18:24 NRSVUE and 22:11 RSV). We could say that this section is about having God as our number one friend in his kingdom.
Jesus often spoke of friends in his teachings and called people “friends” in a wide variety of situations. Here’s a sample. The Son of Man was accused of being a friend of tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 11:19). He spoke encouragingly to a crowd, “My friends, do not fear those who kill the body and after that can do nothing more” to harm you (Luke 12:4). And he will call us friends in a special sense of closeness if we do what he commands (John 13-15). When Jesus called someone “friend,” he was expressing the truest love for, and faith in, the other person. Those who were receptive would have felt the blessing of the Master’s friendship pouring into them.
If, as I believe, Jesus revealed God in his life and teachings, then his frequent use of the word, “friend,” makes it reasonable for us to regard the great and powerful Creator as our friend. We can develop friendship with God in large measure thanks to the spirit within, which helps us all to know God in our personal experience. But to find God—a process with no end in sight—the more sincerely, wholeheartedly, and persistently we seek, the more our search is rewarded.
The divine spirit within is a source of:
- goodness and loyalty
- energy and power
- intuition and insight
- joy and liberty
- love and forgiveness
- creativity and inspiration
- peace and rest
- meaning, purpose, and guidance in life
and more.
This loyal friend and constant companion is a great listener; it always supports us by encouraging the best in us. It is a wise counselor in every struggle, and also someone we can relax and enjoy with. Out of respect for our free will, this presence never interferes when unwanted, forces anything upon us, or manipulates us against our will.
At times, it is necessary for living faith to break through the barrier between the thickness of the human mind and the divinity of the spirit. But reaching for connection is mutual. It is like two teams tunneling through a mountain working from opposite sides and meeting in the middle—except that the spirit is on our side, cheering us on and helping us every step of the way.
If we desire to experience our Parent’s love for us, we can turn to God’s gift of the spirit, our personal “I love you.” If we want to give this love to others, the inexhaustible Source is here. If we seek to know the will of God, it is not far off. If we want support in life’s challenges, we have a friend whose attention is constant and whose power is never diminished.
If we consent and cooperate, the divine spirit can do much more for us, with us, and through us. In this way, like the human Jesus, we are starting to reveal God. When cooperation with God’s spirit becomes an established part of our character, it is the crowning glory of Jesus’ message of the kingdom for an individual.
Two kinds of spiritual experience
Some people think of spiritual experiences as unusual and impressive. I use the term more broadly. We don’t need breakthrough insights or emotionally powerful religious experiences to become aware of the working of divine spirit. There is a beautiful kind of spiritual experience that fits its gentle uplift into the context of daily life. If we continue to develop our back-and-forth of interaction with divine spirit, this is all we need.
While we’re discussing terminology, I would mention another term. Sometimes I talk about “spiritual and religious” experiences. I’ve used the term “religion” a few times. I’m using a minimal definition here for my purposes in this book. By the term “religious,” I simply mean that the experience puts one in closer touch with God. I would add, God or a functional equivalent, for example, Krishna in Hinduism and Amida Buddha in Buddhism. In my view, a religious experience needs to be spiritual in order to be genuine; and a spiritual experience needs religious belief to be well understood.
My world religions course would begin with Hinduism and its concept of the spirit within (the atman, which I “translate” as “eternal spirit self”). I would encourage the students to modify that concept however they wanted to in order to make it into something that they felt comfortable about putting into practice. Most of them chose centering prayer or conscious breathing to get in touch with their wonderfulness within.[ii] After a few weeks some of them began to report experiencing new levels of calm, to take the most common example. I would say that what I call spiritual experience can be explained in terms of neuroscience, social psychology, religion, or (my choice) all of these in varying degrees.
There is a continuous spectrum from spiritual experiences that we hardly notice to ones that will continue radiating their influence in great prominence for the rest of our life.
Garden-variety spiritual experiences
I use the term “garden-variety” to refer to common spiritual experiences that accomplish essential things. For example, we
- genuinely enjoy doing unselfish good for others
- feel an inner emphasis being placed on a spiritual truth that we are reading or hearing
- sense that our prayer has been or is being answered
- feel divinely loved
- feel good about making an important decision
- find our worship shifting into a higher gear
- sense that we are not alone in working through life’s struggles
Of course there are more types of examples. We go into the question of how to discern genuine spiritual experiences as distinct from self-generated experiences in the section on discernment in chapter 8.
Taste-and-see spiritual experiences
Human beings have a God-given capacity to recognize divine spirit in a way that is akin to sense perception. Consider the psalmist’s encouragement: “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8). The psalmist is not only inviting us to experience divine goodness, but also to recognize God. The language of sensation is used because, in a very real sense, we can perceive divine spirit. When I speak of taste-see experiences, I am referring to spiritual experiences that are more vivid and memorable than garden-variety experiences.
To oversimplify, I learned the joy of loving service in two ways. As I recall, the first way was during my primary school years, when my father mobilized me and my siblings to join with him and rake leaves for friends and neighbors. By doing the service, I quickly came to love it.
The second way came as I was working on this chapter. Loving service had become an ideal, a goal, a Duty; and I knew I had a deficiency in this area. Deciding one morning to enhance my love of service, I created some steps, which I immediately put into practice. What will become garden-variety loving service was today a taste-and-see triumph. I can even imagine Jesus tracing his own accomplishments in this area by thinking through a list something like mine.
Since God is love, his indwelling spirit presence is, too. We can form the sincere intention to learn to turn within and experience the love that is there for us all the time. When that experience is established, we form the intention to take that love and give it back to our spirit within. Initially, we do this in the heart without doing any outward action at the same time. Then we form the intention to do a simple outward something for our spirit gift from God. Next, we begin to express this love in doing something for another person.
Of course, with each new step of love, it takes practice for habits to form. But once we have begun the learning process, we start noticing more quickly when we get bounced out of loving service. The next task is to find ways of responding to these events that enable us to get back on track as we learn to stay or abide in the love of our Parent.
A student’s taste-and-see experience
We turn now to a high-energy spiritual experience. A student in a world religions class was writing during class, as I assumed, taking notes. I discovered later that she was writing a poem describing an experience she was having. In her paper, she included the poem and introduced it this way.
My concept for this paper is living as if the Kingdom of Heaven is within us, as Jesus preached. This concept builds on the concept of the universal family that we worked on last semester. It also deals with one of my main concerns about religion in the present time: the disconnect with God/the spirit that dwells within us. Hopefully, by living this way, I will gain not only a deeper insight into my own spiritual needs, but also a greater understanding of God.
How does one go about living in this manner? Honestly, I am not sure, but I have my ideas. The groundwork was laid in the universal family project from last semester. Treating people as a sibling reflects the golden rule. However, this is not the only part of the Kingdom of Heaven. I believe the most important aspect, at least for me, is self-respect. You should have respect for the spirit/soul that dwells within the body. We should not berate ourselves for our wrongs, but ask for forgiveness. More important, we should not make ourselves feel inferior, because we deserve to be respected by ourselves, because of the spirit that we have. By no means does this mean that we should feel boastful or proud. Humility is very important to living the Kingdom of Heaven. Self-respect and humility can live together harmoniously, but neither one can become extreme. It would throw off the balance of the spirit.
I do not know how this concept is going to work out. I had been struggling with a topic. Nothing had quite seemed to strike a chord in me. Then you assigned this paper, and I do not know if it was a time table or just the right time for a concept to come to mind. Unfortunately it did come right in the middle of class. I was afraid to close off the flood gate that had opened, so I wrote. I hope that you will forgive this indiscretion. I would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions that you have on this topic, or if you think it is worth-while.
The light went on,
So bright.
It burned brightly,
For only a few minutes.
The light became too bright,
And burnt itself out.
The light bulb burst,
Sending glass shards everywhere.
My idea
That burnt so brightly,
Is gone.
Now I sit,
Trying to pick up the fragments,
And put my idea back together.
This student’s humble sincerity, lofty project goal, and sustained seeking prepared her for this glorious taste-and-see experience. We can receive such gifts as revealing spirit realities and encouraging the faith of the individuals who receive them and others who learn of them.
The way that her experience ended was understandably troubling. In all gratitude to her gracious willingness to let me share this spontaneous writing, I would offer a thought that I could not come up with at the time. Something eternal has been revealed—to a maximum after which no more could be added that she could receive at the time. Hence, the “explosion.” Fortunately, we retain such experiences in our memory and they can continue to enrich us.
Summary and transition
All kinds of people around the world have discovered a remarkable wonderfulness, often identified as the spirit of God within. Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17.20). Jesus gave no instructions about how to find the kingdom within; on the inward journey of discovery, each person has a unique adventure in developing a closer friendship with the spirit. Largely due to the presence of this gift, we can know God as a friend. The spirit within plays a significant role in our spiritual experiences. Some of these are the ordinary “garden-variety” sort, including feeling good after worship or making a good decision or doing unselfish good for others. The memorable experiences I call “taste-and-see” experiences, after Psalm 34, where we read, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Our physical senses cannot perceive spirit or recognize God, but our deeper self, the soul, can do these things. This was illustrated in the student’s experience report.
Growing up with Jesus, becoming centered in God, whose spirit lives within us, we begin to live in a way that allows the spirit of God to live through us. This is how we reveal God.
The life that Jesus lived was not a head-in-the-clouds pursuit of ever higher levels of extraordinary experience, nor a retreat from the challenges of his place and time. He was well-integrated and wisely balanced. For me, the wisdom of balance is illustrated by the countless young people who have gathered in retreats, sat around campfires, and joined in the song that begins, “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine.” With smiles in their faces and love in their hearts, they express shared faith and commitment in an unselfconscious way, free of concerns about anyone’s level of spiritual experience.
Now we can appreciate what is coming into being as we learn loving service the simplest way—by discovering the love as we are serving—and, to some extent perhaps, through a series of steps. All efforts in this direction will blossom into living the will of God, in the ways of righteousness that will unfold in the next three chapters.
Starting in childhood, Jesus balanced his life by becoming magnificently grounded in this world. He gained, and continued adding to, his excellent knowledge of nature and people on earth.
In the next chapter, I portray Jesus as an inspiration for us to integrate religion and science in daily life.
Questions and invitations
- Have you discovered your wonderfulness within? How do you interpret it? What kinds of experiences do you associate with it? When you want to get in touch with it, what do you do?
- Imagine some things you could do for your mind to become a more hospitable place for the spirit of God within you (however you interpret this idea)?
- If you were to dedicate some time every day for a month or so to developing your friendship with the divine spirit—or with God—what would you do?
- What can you do right now to begin? Give it a try.
[i] The quotes are found in the Hindu Bhagavad Gita 2.18-25, 6.47, 9.29, and 18.61; the Buddhist Mahaparinirvana Sutra; the Confucian Mencius 4B14; and Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, in W.H. McLeod, Sikhs and Sikhism (Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 199), 174-75.
[ii] For centering prayer, I adapted the practice of Thomas Keating, Open Mind, Open Heart: 20th Anniversary Edition (New York: Continuum, 2006); https://www.contemplativeoutreach.org. For conscious breathing I drew on Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life, ed. Arnold Kotler (New York: Bantam Books, 1991), 8-10; https://thichnhathanhfoundation.org.
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