Kingdom Thinking: Think Like Jesus

​Summary of tonight's talk at Hope Chapel Lane

Kingdom Thinking: Think Like Jesus

Jesus talked more about the Kingdom of God than about any other subject.(The Gospels record Jesus referencing the Kingdom over 100 times.)

You cannot fuse the Kingdom of God with the Kingdoms of this world. It's radically different. 

You’ve heard me say it in here before:

Jesus plus nothing equals everything.

Not Jesus plus red, white, and Blue, not Jesus plus green, white, and gold. Not Jesus, plus your preferred culture and NOT Jesus plus your preferred skin colour.

Only Jesus.

At Hope Chapel Lane

We don't raise flags, we raise people 

We don't cast stones, we cast crowns 

We don't build walls, we build bridges 

We don't fight with each other, we fight for each other 

We don't follow religion, we follow Jesus  

We don't welcome all behaviour, but we welcome all people.

We don't run away from the world, we run to it.

We don’t care what the world thinks; we care what Jesus thinks!

A Radical Kingdom Mindset for Today

Jesus calls us to a completely different way of thinking — one that stands in stark contrast to the power, status, and division of our world. We can remember this Kingdom mindset through the acronym T.H.I.N.K.

T – Towels, Not Thrones

Jesus didn’t grasp power; He laid it down. On the night He was betrayed, knowing full well what was coming, He took a towel and washed the feet of His disciples — including Judas (John 13).

If you had all authority in heaven and on earth, what would you do with it? Jesus used His to serve the one who would betray Him. Kingdom thinking chooses humble service over self-exaltation.

H – Heal, Not Hurt

When soldiers came to arrest Jesus, Peter drew his sword and cut off the ear of Malchus, the high priest’s servant. Jesus’ immediate response was, “No more of this!” — and He healed the man’s ear (Luke 22:51; John 18:10-11).

When the Kingdom of God “flexes its muscles,” it doesn’t look like Rambo or a conquering warrior. It looks like the cross of Calvary — sacrificial love. The Kingdom comes not with rage, clubs, and swords, but with compassion, healing, and signs of restoration.

I – Internal, Not Institutional

The Pharisees asked Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come, expecting something loud, visible, and political — armies, thrones, and the defeat of Rome.

Jesus replied:

“The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:20-21)

True Kingdom power is not first external or institutional — it is the supernatural presence of the Holy Spirit living inside us, transforming how we think and live.

N – Nets, Not Sieves

A sieve separates and excludes. A net gathers and includes.

The Kingdom of God is like a net. It doesn’t filter out people who are different from us. Instead, it welcomes and catches people from every background (see Acts 10, Peter and Cornelius). Kingdom thinking is inclusive, not exclusive.

K – Kids, Not Egos

Jesus said the Kingdom belongs to “such as these” — little children (Matthew 19:14). He even taught that unless we become like children, we cannot enter the Kingdom (Matthew 18:3-4).

When the disciples argued about who was the greatest (a classic worldly power play), Jesus pointed to a child. He wasn’t calling us to childish innocence, but to childlike dependence and humility — simple, trusting faith instead of striving, self-importance, and ego.

Summary:

The Kingdom of God is upside-down. It advances through humility, healing, inner transformation, radical welcome, and childlike faith. When we T.H.I.N.K. like Jesus, we live as citizens of a different Kingdom — one that truly changes the world.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​