A few years ago I was walking with my boss to the large room where we were about to have a joint prayer meeting with the employees of our mission agency and the large church where we have our offices, so about 80 people.

I asked him, “who’s in charge?” Like, is this our thing and he and I are leading? Or are they taking the lead? Seemed like a good thing to know before we got into the room. He said, “Jesus”. I responded, “Yeah, yeah, but who’s leading it?” He said again, “Jesus”. By that time we were going through the door and it was too late to press him for a more practical answer.

Now I think back to that short conversation every time I say “Jesus is leading” and someone responds with “ya, ya, but….” as happened to me again last week.

Somehow we’ve lost the basic message of the kingdom: that Jesus is the King. The good news is that God is in charge, not us. It’s all His world, His responsibility, His plan, His resources, His commands, His rule and reign. His kingdom, not ours.

This is the message of the New Testament: the kingdom of God is at hand. It’s difficult to find chapters that don’t refer to God’s rule over our lives. I searched for a while and found 1 Corinthians 13, which talks all about love without explicitly mentioning God’s authority over us. Maybe you can find others. Here’s how often these terms are used:

• God = the Creator and owner of all things: 5.1 times/chapter
• Lord = a person exercising absolute ownership rights: 2.4 times/chapter
• Christ = Messiah, the anointed one, as in, king: 2.1 times/chapter

One problem is that the world has significantly downgraded how we most commonly use these terms today:

• God = generic expressions like “Oh my God” or “Thank God”
• Lord = sarcastic expressions like “Lordy lordy” or “Lord have mercy”
• Christ = expletive expressing surprise, frustration or emphasis
• Messiah = hyperbolic description of human hero figures

Another is that the church has done the same. We’ll say “Lord Jesus” as a title, like “Mr. Jesus”, and “Jesus Christ” as if that was his last name, losing the significance of what we’re declaring:

• God is the creator of the whole universe, and you and me!
• Jesus is Lord of heaven and earth; we all belong to him!
• Jesus is the Christ, the anointed king of all kings!

In every situation, every relationship, every meeting, every event, every project, every challenge, every victory, every everything, Jesus is Lord. If you find yourself saying “ya, ya, but…”, I would encourage you to think about when God’s kingship kicks in. It’s not just when Jesus comes back. His rule and reign are now. He’s in the room. He’s got this. It’s good news.

I find myself continually meditating on each word of this next verse, struggling to believe. What’s right in front of me is John, the main guy, was put in prison. Yet Jesus sees it differently.

After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” – Mark 1:14-15