The Lord's prayer; oh, what a great model used by so many people in the world even today. This prayer has been recited at worship, in funerals, parts of it used in public prayers across the ages. This is no doubt the most famous prayer lesson in Scripture. That's right, I said prayer lesson, not prayer. Jesus was teaching his disciples how to pray when this was recorded for us; He was not actually praying to His Father (Mt. 6:9-13; Lk. 11:2-4).
Are you still with me? I hope so, because there's something else I want to bring to your attention. In His words to the disciples, included are the words, "your kingdom come" (Mt. 6:10). We shouldn't pray this today. What; what did you say preacher? I said you can't pray this today. Why not? Because the kingdom is already here. The kingdom is the church which was established the first Pentecost after the ascension of Christ as detailed in the book of Acts.
I recommend highly praying for the kingdom to flourish, grow, attain greater spiritual maturity, but the kingdom cannot come once it's already here. What we are waiting on is the kingdom of Heaven, which the faithful will not be able to enjoy until after Judgment.
The next time you lead a public prayer, and you want to pray "The Lord's Prayer," keep in mind that the kingdom is here. Those who have obeyed the gospel message haven been transferred into the kingdom (the church) by Christ Himself (Col. 1:13).
Are you part of the kingdom?
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