Description:
How does Jesus expect his followers to live in this world? The Sermon on the Mount is the manifesto of his Kingdom. Not a future kingdom, but his present kingdom. Satan is the ruler of this world. The Bible tells us he is the prince of this world, the prince of the power of the air, and a king. This world is enemy territory. As Jesus told Pilate, his kingdom is not of this world. Jesus' followers represent his kingdom and are to live out its values. The Sermon on the Mount lays out the values of Christ's kingdom. It is in living out these values that we can subvert the kingdom of this world. We are revolutionaries inside the enemy's kingdom. But our revolution is not one of violence and force. It is a revolution of love and peace based on obedience to our Lord and living out his values.

About the Contributor(s):
Stephen Grunlan is Senior Pastor of Osage Alliance Church, Osage, Iowa. He has earned graduate degrees at Wheaton Graduate School and the University of Illinois at Chicago and completed his doctoral studies at Luther Theological Seminary in Minnesota. He is the author of Healing Relationships, Missed Blessings, and Serving with Joy.