The Good and Beautiful God by James Bryan Smith
Week 12: Chapter 11 — Living in the Kingdom of God
Read Chapter 11 of The Good and Beautiful God. Key Scripture: Matthew 6:9-13; Mark 1:14-15; Luke 17:20-21.
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Everything in this book has been building to this: once we have begun to see who God truly is, we are invited to live — not just believe — from within the reality of his kingdom. This final chapter asks what that life actually looks like.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Smith argues that the kingdom of God is not primarily a future location or a political program but a present reality — the rule and reign of God available here and now to anyone who will apprentice themselves to Jesus. How does this definition differ from how you have typically heard 'kingdom of God' described?
2.Jesus's first recorded proclamation in Mark is 'The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news.' Smith points out that 'repent' (metanoia) means a transformation of the mind — exactly what this entire book has been calling for. How have the previous chapters functioned as a kind of 'repentance' — a re-orienting of how you think about God?
3.The Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) begins 'Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.' Smith reads this as a description of the life we are meant to live — not waiting for heaven but participating in the kingdom's arrival now. What does that participation look like in the specific details of your life — your work, family, neighborhood, and money?
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