The greatest hindrance to the advance of the Kingdom of God has never been the world system, the rulers of this world, the spiritual forces in the heavens, or the cosmic powers of darkness. All these have some limited impact on the outworking of the Kingdom, but ultimately these adversaries have been stripped of their power and paraded before the host of heaven as defeated (Col. 2:15).
The greatest hindrance lies with the people of God who perpetuate the Christian Religion; a religion that acknowledges Jesus as King, preaches about His Kingdom, and claims to base its activities on the teachings of the Bible. However, given all its activity, the Christian Religion causes disciples of Jesus to fall short of God’s eternal purpose, fail to walk in their new creation identity and deny the power of the One it claims as King.
Wherever nationalism and politics integrate with the people of God, the Christian religion is present. Wherever distinctions between clergy and laity exist, the Christian religion is present. Wherever social justice overshadows the proclamation of the Kingdom, the Christian religion is present. Wherever conscripted, guilt-laden giving is preached, the Christian religion is present. Wherever there is division based on one group exalting its interpretation of the Bible, with little or no effort to strive together for the unity of the faith, the Christian Religion is present.
The answer is not revival, reformation, or renewal within the context of the Christian Religion. Every generation petitions God for revival, renewal, or reformation but He never gave life to, formed, or originated the Christian Religion. We have journeyed around this mountain long enough. The answer is to exodus the Christian Religion and lay hold of a Christ. We seek a sustained, authentic manifestation of the Kingdom.