Community Guidance
Core Scripture Readings
Luke 17:20–21
“The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed… For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.”
- If the Kingdom is described as “among you,” what does that suggest about how it is experienced rather than achieved?
Jesus is shifting the Kingdom away from arrival and achievement and toward presence and participation.
His listeners are looking for signs—events they can point to, outcomes they can measure, victories they can claim. Jesus refuses that framework entirely. He tells them the Kingdom does not come in observable stages, timelines, or visible conquests.
Instead, he says it is among you.
This suggests that the Kingdom is not something people build, seize, or accomplish through effort or power. It is something they enter, recognize, and live within.
A helpful way to articulate this:
The Kingdom is experienced through how people relate to God and one another, not achieved through control, dominance, or success.
In other words:
Achievement asks, “What do we accomplish for God?”
Experience asks, “How are we living in alignment with God’s way right now?”
This distinction matters because achievement language often mirrors empire:
- it emphasizes progress, visibility, and results
- it rewards power and effectiveness
- it creates winners and losers
Jesus’ language resists all of that.
By describing the Kingdom as “among you,” Jesus locates it:
- in relationships
- in shared life
- in ordinary, embodied faithfulness
The Kingdom becomes visible not through force or victory, but through how people treat one another—through mercy, humility, service, and trust.
You might also note:
- Jesus does not deny future hope, but he refuses to let the Kingdom be reduced to a future takeover
- He calls attention to what is already present and unfolding in lived faith
- This redefines faithfulness as attentiveness and practice, not control
For Walking His Way, this reinforces a central conviction:
Discipleship is not about helping God win a Kingdom.
It is about learning how to live as citizens of it—here and now.
The Kingdom is not achieved by effort or enforced by power.
It is experienced as people choose to walk in Christ’s way together.
Matthew 20:25–28
“It will not be so among you.”
- What kind of power does Jesus explicitly reject for his followers, and what does that reveal about the values of his Kingdom?
Jesus rejects dominating power—power that controls, coerces, or elevates itself over others.
In Matthew 20, Jesus contrasts two models of authority. He points directly to how power typically functions in the world: rulers “lord it over” others and make their authority felt through force, hierarchy, and control. This kind of power depends on status, enforcement, and the ability to compel obedience.
Jesus then draws a clear boundary:
“It will not be so among you.”
This is not a suggestion or an ideal—it is a refusal.
What Jesus rejects is not influence or responsibility, but power that:
- secures obedience through fear
- maintains order through dominance
- prioritizes position over people
- measures success by control or scale
By rejecting this model, Jesus reveals that the values of his Kingdom are fundamentally different.
A helpful way to articulate this:
Jesus’ Kingdom does not reject authority—it redefines it.
Authority in the Kingdom is not exercised over others, but for them.
Instead of domination, Jesus elevates:
- service
- humility
- responsibility for the well-being of others
- willingness to bear cost rather than impose it
Power in the Kingdom flows downward, not upward.
This reveals that the values of Jesus’ Kingdom are shaped by love rather than fear, and by faithfulness rather than effectiveness. Leadership is measured not by how much control one has, but by how much one is willing to give of oneself.
You might also note:
- Jesus names this distinction precisely because his followers are tempted to imitate worldly power
- He assumes the desire for influence will be present
- His instruction is not to deny that desire, but to transform it
For Walking His Way, this passage reinforces a crucial insight:
The Kingdom of God does not advance by overpowering others.
It takes shape through communities where leadership looks like service and faithfulness is expressed through care.
Jesus does not offer a weaker vision of power.
He offers a more demanding one—one that requires humility, sacrifice, and trust.
That is the kind of power his Kingdom values.
John 18:36
“My kingdom is not from this world.”
- How does Jesus distinguish his Kingdom from worldly systems of power without removing it from the world entirely?
Jesus distinguishes his Kingdom by its source and its methods, not by its absence from the world.
When Jesus says, “My kingdom is not from this world,” he is not saying that his Kingdom has no relevance to the world, nor that his followers should withdraw from society. He is clarifying that his authority does not originate from the same foundations as worldly power.
Worldly systems of power are typically sourced in:
- force or coercion
- political dominance
- loyalty enforced through fear
- the ability to secure outcomes
Jesus explicitly denies this source.
His Kingdom does not rise from violence, control, or institutional dominance. It is not sustained by conquest or defended through force. In fact, Jesus makes this distinction precisely at a moment when violence would seem justified.
A helpful way to articulate this:
Jesus’ Kingdom is not from the world’s systems of power, but it is very much for the world’s restoration.
The Kingdom remains engaged with the world, but it refuses the world’s methods.
Instead of coercion, Jesus’ Kingdom operates through:
- truth rather than force
- witness rather than domination
- faithfulness rather than control
- sacrificial love rather than self-protection
This explains why Jesus does not mobilize his followers to fight, even when injustice is present. He does not deny responsibility—he refuses to mirror the world’s violence in the name of righteousness.
You might also note:
- Jesus speaks this line to Pilate, a representative of empire
- He is not avoiding power—he is redefining it
- His refusal to fight is not passivity, but moral clarity
This distinction guards against two common distortions:
On one side, it resists the idea that faith should seize political power to enforce the Kingdom.
On the other, it resists the idea that faith should retreat into irrelevance or private spirituality.
For Walking His Way, this passage reinforces a central conviction:
The Kingdom of God shapes how disciples live within the world without adopting the world’s tools of domination.
Jesus’ Kingdom does not depend on winning.
It depends on witness.
It does not rule through force.
It transforms through faithfulness.
In this way, Jesus keeps his Kingdom deeply present in the world—while remaining free from the power systems that distort it.
What Did People Expect the Kingdom to Be?
1. When Jesus’ audience heard the word kingdom, what do you think they imagined?
Jesus’ audience hears the word kingdom through the lens of occupation and survival.
They live under Roman rule—a system marked by:
- military dominance
- heavy taxation
- public violence as deterrence
- enforced loyalty to empire
For people in that context, a kingdom is not an abstract spiritual idea. It is a concrete reality tied to land, power, protection, and freedom from oppression.
When they hear Kingdom of God, many likely imagine:
- the defeat of Rome
- restoration of Israel’s sovereignty
- a righteous ruler who would overthrow unjust power
- visible change in political and social order
This expectation is not unreasonable.
It is shaped by lived experience and by biblical stories of liberation.
2. Why would people living under Roman occupation hope for a political or territorial kingdom?
Because political power determined everything about daily life.
Under empire:
- who eats depends on power
- who is safe depends on power
- who belongs depends on power
For an oppressed people, liberation almost always looks like a transfer of control.
A political or territorial kingdom promises:
- protection from violence
- restoration of dignity
- reversal of injustice
- visible proof that God is acting
In this sense, the hope for a political kingdom is not rooted in arrogance—it is rooted in pain.
That’s important pastorally.
Jesus’ audience is not power-hungry.
They are weary, vulnerable, and longing for relief.
3. How does that context shape Jesus’ answers?
It explains why Jesus is so careful—and so disruptive—in how he speaks about the Kingdom.
Jesus does not deny the longing for justice.
But he refuses to meet it through domination.
Instead of promising conquest, Jesus:
- speaks of a Kingdom “among you”
- elevates service over rule
- rejects violence as a means
- redefines leadership as responsibility rather than control
This is not because Jesus ignores oppression, but because he refuses to let liberation mirror the logic of empire.
A helpful way to articulate this:
Jesus responds to a world shaped by empire by offering a Kingdom that heals people without becoming an empire itself.
His answers are shaped by the danger he sees in simply replacing one ruler with another.
Community Insight (Leader Framing)
Jesus speaks into a world shaped by empire. His listeners expect liberation through power. His response consistently disrupts those expectations.
As a leader, it can help to emphasize:
- Jesus understands why people expect power-driven liberation
- His refusal is intentional, not naïve
- He is offering a deeper, more demanding vision of freedom
This section helps us recognize that Jesus’ teaching is not abstract. It is a response to real suffering—and a deliberate rejection of the idea that domination is the path to faithfulness.
For Walking His Way, this reinforces a central theme:
Jesus does not deny the world’s brokenness.
He challenges the assumption that power alone can heal it.
The Kingdom he proclaims is not smaller than people hoped.
It is different—and far more costly to live.
“Among You,” Not “Over You”
Read Together: Luke 10:33–37
“Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor…?”
He said, “The one who showed him mercy.”
Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
1. Where do you see the Kingdom becoming visible in this story—through position, authority, or action?
The Kingdom becomes visible through action, not position or authority.
The Samaritan has no religious status, no institutional authority, and no social power. In fact, he occupies a position of marginalization and distrust. Yet Jesus identifies his actions—mercy, proximity, and care—as the defining markers of neighborliness and faithfulness.
This suggests that the Kingdom does not appear where authority is held, but where compassion is practiced.
A helpful way to articulate this:
The Kingdom is revealed not by who has power, but by how people choose to love.
This reframes visibility itself. The Kingdom does not announce itself through titles or structures. It becomes visible when someone acts in ways that reflect God’s care for others.
2. What does this parable suggest about how close the Kingdom is to ordinary human relationships and choices?
This parable places the Kingdom very close—uncomfortably close—to everyday life.
The Kingdom does not emerge in extraordinary moments or religious settings. It appears on the side of a road, in an unexpected encounter, through an unplanned act of mercy.
Jesus makes clear that the Kingdom is not distant or abstract. It is present wherever people choose:
- compassion over indifference
- proximity over avoidance
- care over convenience
A helpful way to articulate this:
The Kingdom is as close as the next person in need and the next decision we make.
This challenges the assumption that faithfulness requires dramatic action or institutional change before it matters.
3. How does Jesus’ command, “Go and do likewise,” challenge ideas of the Kingdom as something enforced, claimed, or controlled?
Jesus’ command shifts the Kingdom from possession to participation.
He does not tell the listener to defend the Kingdom, expand it, or establish it. He tells them to live it.
“Go and do likewise” implies that the Kingdom:
- cannot be enforced from above
- cannot be claimed through identity or affiliation
- cannot be controlled through rules or power
Instead, it spreads through imitation—through people choosing to embody mercy in their own lives.
A helpful way to articulate this:
The Kingdom grows not through enforcement, but through faithful imitation.
This is deeply challenging because it removes the safety of abstraction. The Kingdom cannot be outsourced to institutions or leaders. It must be practiced personally and communally.
Key Idea (Leader Framing)
The Kingdom is revealed through mercy, proximity, and lived faith—not dominance or rule.
As a leader, you might gently reinforce:
- Mercy makes the Kingdom visible
- Proximity makes it credible
- Practice makes it real
This section helps us see that Jesus is not offering a smaller vision of the Kingdom, but a more demanding one—one that requires attention, cost, and ongoing faithfulness.
For Walking His Way, this passage reinforces a core conviction:
The Kingdom does not appear when Christians gain power.
It appears when they choose to love their neighbors faithfully.
Jesus’ Rejection of Dominant Power
Read Together: John 13:12–15
“Do you know what I have done to you?
You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am.
So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet,
you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
For I have set you an example,
that you also should do as I have done to you.”
1. How does Jesus exercise authority in this moment, and how is it different from how power is typically displayed?
Jesus exercises authority through self-giving service rather than control.
He does not deny his status. In fact, he names it plainly: “You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right.” His authority is not hidden, minimized, or symbolic. What is striking is how he chooses to use it.
Instead of asserting dominance, issuing commands, or demanding loyalty, Jesus kneels. He takes on the posture of a servant and performs the work normally assigned to the lowest position in the household.
This reveals a fundamental difference between worldly power and Kingdom authority.
Worldly power often:
- asserts itself upward
- protects status
- demands recognition
- maintains distance
Jesus’ authority moves downward:
- it assumes responsibility rather than privilege
- it closes distance rather than creating it
- it bears cost rather than imposing it
A helpful way to articulate this:
Jesus shows that true authority is revealed not by how much power one holds, but by how one chooses to serve.
2. What does Jesus assume about leadership when he says, “You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right”?
Jesus assumes that leadership includes real authority, but not the right to dominate.
By affirming his title, Jesus makes clear that service is not the absence of leadership—it is the expression of faithful leadership. Authority in the Kingdom is not erased; it is entrusted with care.
This challenges the idea that leadership must choose between strength and humility.
A helpful way to articulate this:
In Jesus’ Kingdom, authority is not proven by command, but by responsibility.
Leadership is measured by:
- willingness to act for others’ good
- readiness to take the lowest place when necessary
- commitment to the community’s well-being
Jesus assumes that leaders are accountable not for how impressive they appear, but for how faithfully they serve.
3. What kind of community is formed when leadership is practiced through service rather than status?
When leadership is rooted in service, the community itself is transformed.
Instead of hierarchy built on fear or competition, the community becomes marked by:
- trust rather than suspicion
- mutual care rather than ranking
- shared responsibility rather than dependency
People are not managed or controlled—they are valued.
A helpful way to articulate this:
A community shaped by servant leadership becomes a place where dignity is protected and faithfulness is shared.
This kind of community does not eliminate structure or responsibility. It reshapes them around love, humility, and care for one another.
Gentle Challenge
(Leader Framing)
If Jesus defines leadership through self-giving service rather than dominance, how should that shape Christian attitudes toward power, influence, and control?
As a leader, allow this question to remain open.
This is not about drawing immediate conclusions or prescribing specific outcomes. It is about inviting honest examination of how closely Christian desires for influence align with Jesus’ example.
You might gently reinforce:
- Jesus does not shame the desire to lead
- He transforms the way leadership is understood
- Faithfulness is measured by how power is used, not whether it exists
For Walking His Way, this passage reinforces a central conviction:
Jesus does not ask his followers to abandon authority.
He asks them to carry it differently.
The Kingdom he embodies is not sustained by dominance, but by love that is willing to kneel.
Kingdom vs. Empire
Group/Reflective Exercise
Purpose of the Section
This exercise helps us see the difference between Jesus’ vision of the Kingdom and the dominant models of power we already know—often without realizing how deeply those models shape their assumptions about faith.
It is not designed to critique specific governments or political systems.
It is designed to surface patterns of power and contrast them with the way Jesus consistently describes life in God’s Kingdom.
The goal is recognition, not judgment.
How to Begin the Exercise
You can consider something simple and grounding, such as:
This isn’t about labeling anything as good or bad. It’s about noticing differences between how power usually works and how Jesus describes the Kingdom.
This helps lower defensiveness and keeps the focus on Jesus rather than ideology.
Guiding the Comparison
We can name characteristics slowly and descriptively.
Encourage:
- observations rather than conclusions
- patterns rather than examples
- language drawn from Scripture rather than opinion
If you feel hesitation, the provided contrasts can be offered gently as examples, not corrections.
Important leader posture:
- Do not refine or “improve” the lists
- Do not debate whether a characteristic is accurate
- Let the contrast emerge organically
The exercise works because we recognize the differences ourselves.
What This Section Is Doing
Without saying it directly, this exercise helps us notice that:
- Empire organizes life around control, security, and hierarchy
- Jesus’ Kingdom organizes life around trust, service, and mutual responsibility
It also reveals something more personal:
Many people discover that the Kingdom Jesus describes is more demanding, not less.
Empires demand compliance.
Jesus’ Kingdom demands transformation.
That realization prepares us for the grounding question.
Holding the Grounding Question
Which model feels more demanding to live out personally—and why?
This question is intentionally inward-facing.
It is not asking:
- which system is better
- which one is right
- which one should be adopted
It is asking:
- which way of life requires more from me
As a leader:
- allow silence
- do not rush to fill space
- do not ask for consensus
If sharing happens, affirm honesty rather than correctness.
This question often reveals that:
- control can feel easier than compassion
- hierarchy can feel safer than mutual care
- fear can feel more efficient than love
That recognition is the work.
If Tension Arises
If the conversation starts drifting toward:
- modern political arguments
- defending systems
- abstract theory
Gently re-center with a question like:
How does this help us understand Jesus’ vision of the Kingdom?
Or:
What does this ask of us personally, not just societally?
This keeps the exercise aligned with Walking His Way’s focus on discipleship rather than ideology.
Key Reminder
This section is not meant to produce clarity or resolution.
It is meant to produce honest awareness.
Walking His Way trusts that when we clearly see the contrast between empire and Kingdom, Jesus’ way will speak for itself.
Your role—whether as leader or individual—is simply to hold the space, name the contrast, and let the Spirit do the deeper work.
Modern Uses of “Kingdom Language”
1. Where do we hear “Kingdom” language today?
Kingdom language appears in many places, often without careful reflection.
It can show up in:
- sermons and worship language
- Christian movements or ministries
- calls to cultural influence or moral reform
- language about “taking ground,” “winning,” or “advancing the Kingdom”
Much of this language is well-intentioned. It often arises from a genuine desire to see faith make a difference in the world.
That matters pastorally.
The question is not why people use Kingdom language, but how it is being shaped and directed.
2. When does that language feel faithful to Jesus?
Kingdom language aligns with Jesus’ teaching when it reflects the values he consistently names and embodies.
It tends to feel faithful when it:
- emphasizes service over dominance
- centers love of neighbor
- invites transformation rather than compliance
- resists fear-based motivation
- remains attentive to the vulnerable and marginalized
A helpful way to articulate this:
Kingdom language sounds like Jesus when it reflects his posture—humble, merciful, and oriented toward faithful living rather than control.
Faithful Kingdom language draws people toward Christ’s way of life, not toward loyalty to a cause, identity, or power structure.
3. When does it begin to resemble empire, dominance, or moral control?
Kingdom language begins to drift when it adopts the logic of empire.
This often happens subtly.
It may start to resemble dominance when it:
- frames faith as a battle to win
- divides people into insiders and outsiders
- prioritizes outcomes over people
- relies on fear, pressure, or coercion
- seeks control rather than conversion of heart
At this point, the language may still sound religious, but its methods and assumptions no longer resemble Jesus.
A helpful way to articulate this:
When Kingdom language is used to enforce behavior or secure power, it begins to mirror empire more than Christ.
This is not always intentional. Often it reflects unexamined assumptions about how change happens.
Important Boundary (Leader Framing)
This is not about labeling others as unfaithful. It is about evaluating ideas by the teachings of Christ.
As leaders, this boundary is essential.
We can reinforce it by:
- keeping the focus on language and ideas, not people
- redirecting personal examples toward general patterns
- reminding ourselves that discernment applies to all of us
This section is not an invitation to critique others.
It is an invitation to examine how closely our language reflects Jesus’ vision of the Kingdom.
Leader Posture
- Avoid naming specific movements or individuals
- Resist “us vs. them” dynamics
- Affirm that sincere faith can still carry unexamined assumptions
- Return often to Jesus’ words and actions as the measuring point
Walking His Way approaches this conversation with humility.
We assume that all disciples—including ourselves—are capable of confusing faithfulness with effectiveness, and conviction with control.
This section helps us learn how to listen more carefully to the way Kingdom language is used, and to ask whether it forms people in the image of Christ or in the image of power.
Personal Discernment
(Journaling or Silent Prayer)
Purpose within Walking His Way
This moment intentionally moves the study from shared discernment to personal honesty.
Throughout Week 3, we have examined how Jesus reimagines the Kingdom away from domination, control, and winning. This reflection invites us to notice where those alternative visions may still shape their own understanding of faith—often quietly, often unconsciously.
The questions are designed to surface:
- internalized assumptions about power
- fears tied to loss of control or certainty
- places where faith has been linked to dominance rather than trust
This is not about self-criticism.
It is about self-awareness before God.
Why Silence Matters Here
Silence allows people to encounter these questions without:
- needing to defend themselves
- performing faithfulness
- explaining their answers
Some of these reflections may feel uncomfortable or unresolved. That is expected.
Walking His Way trusts that the Spirit works in places we cannot rush or manage.
By clearly stating that no one is required to share, this section:
- protects vulnerability
- removes pressure to resolve tension publicly
- affirms that discernment is not always communal
Leader Posture
- Introduce the reflection simply and calmly
- Do not elaborate on the questions
- Do not invite sharing afterward
- Hold the silence without apology
If there is restlessness or uncertainty, resist the urge to fill the space.
Your steadiness communicates safety.
How This Fits Walking His Way
This reflection reinforces a core conviction of the practice:
Faithfulness is not only about how we speak about the Kingdom.
It is about what shapes our imagination, our fears, and our daily choices.
By turning inward here, we are invited to consider what kind of citizens we are becoming—not in theory, but in practice.
This prepares us to carry the study beyond the gathering, where the Kingdom is lived quietly in ordinary decisions, relationships, and acts of trust.
Practice for the Week
Purpose within Walking His Way
This practice functions as a gentle bridge from reflection into lived discipleship, not as an assignment to be evaluated.
It translates the vision of the Kingdom from idea into embodied choice.
Throughout Week 3, we have encountered a Kingdom that resists domination and redefines power through service, humility, and love. This practice invites us to notice how that Kingdom is lived—not in large systems or dramatic actions, but in ordinary interactions.
The focus is intentionally small.
Listening.
Serving.
Loving without control.
These are the everyday places where Jesus says the Kingdom becomes visible.
Why This Practice Is Framed This Way
The practice avoids:
- confrontation
- persuasion
- moral correction
- winning an argument
Instead, it emphasizes relational faithfulness.
By choosing one interaction, we are invited to:
- slow down
- pay attention to our instincts
- notice how power shows up in subtle ways
This reflects Jesus’ teaching that the Kingdom is among us, revealed through how we treat one another.
Leader Posture
- Frame this as an invitation, not an expectation
- Do not assign specific situations
- Do not check whether we “did it” the following week
- Avoid turning reflection into reporting
You might say something like:
Notice what it feels like to practice the Kingdom this way, not whether you did it perfectly.
How This Shapes Understanding of the Kingdom
This practice helps participants discover something important through experience:
- Listening can be harder than asserting
- Serving can feel riskier than correcting
- Loving without agreement can feel more demanding than winning
That realization is the formation.
The Kingdom Jesus describes often feels more costly because it asks for trust rather than control.
How This Fits Walking His Way
Walking His Way does not aim to produce correct answers.
It aims to form faithful habits.
This practice reinforces that:
- the Kingdom is lived before it is explained
- discipleship is revealed in ordinary moments
- faithfulness is practiced quietly, not enforced publicly
By the time we leave this study, we are not being asked to believe something new about the Kingdom.
We are being invited to try living as citizens of it—one interaction at a time.
Transition to the Closing Prayer
You can move from reflection into prayer without commentary.
A simple transition is sufficient, such as:
We’ll move now into a closing prayer. You’re welcome to remain seated, eyes open or closed, as you’re comfortable.
No explanation is necessary.
Closing the Study
As we close this week’s practice, we remember that the Kingdom Jesus speaks of is not something we establish or secure in a single moment.
Like the disciples who struggled to understand what kind of Kingdom Jesus meant,
we are still learning.
Still unlearning.
Still discovering how Christ’s way reshapes our understanding of power and faithfulness.
Some ideas may feel clearer.
Others may feel more challenging or unsettling.
That is not failure.
That is part of faithful formation.
Walking His Way does not ask us to claim the Kingdom through certainty or control. It invites us to live into it through humility, service, and love—together, over time.
Thank you for walking this path together this week. May Christ help you recognize His Kingdom among you—in ordinary interactions, quiet choices, and faithful practice. Go in peace, and keep walking His way.
Walking His Way 