I would like to question the point made about Matthew 6:33- if the Kingdom of God is something that can only be found in heaven, what is the point of seeking it whilst on earth? I believe that the kingdom of God is something that can be found both on earth and in heaven; it is found wherever God is acknowledged, treated and honoured fully as king. The story in Mark 12:28-34 makes sense when we see that the teacher in this story is close to making God the Lord of all his life, and therefore not far from the kingdom.

Jesus said in John 10:10 that He came to give life in all its fullness. I don’t see homelessness, hunger, poverty or suffering as part of having a full life, which is why a focus on social action AS WELL AS a focus on the good news of eternal life is far closer to the original Biblical truth than either of the positions on their own. Again, the kingdom of God is shown to be one where those who are well-off, rich and powerful serve those who have nothing- Matthew 18 is a teaching about humility in the kingdom of God, so I see no reason why it cannot be a kingdom on earth as well as in heaven. Jesus knows that He cannot speed up the timing of the apocalypse and the coming of the new heaven and the new earth- why would He pray ‘Your Kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven?’ if He were not referring to the kingdom of God coming on earth in the lives of His children?

I count myself as a born again Christian who cares about people and their welfare in this world as well as the next- I believe that Jesus’ words in John 14:6 are absolutely true and that there is an urgent need to bring people to know Christ. But I also believe that Jesus can make this temporal world a better place, and I see that there is a way of mixing the two in making God the Lord of my life and thus bringing about His “Kingdom” in my life.

Also, I’m not sure that confrontation or conflict are good things, and I don’t believe that they bring people any closer to knowing Jesus than conversations do.