When the Pharisees asked Jesus to tell them when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus answered their question with power. His response has provided guidance to generations of followers:

"When He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them, 'The kingdom of God does not come with observation. Nor will they say, 'Here it is!' or 'There it is!' For remember, the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:20-21).

We won't find the kingdom of God to our left or right. It's not just down the street. We cannot observe it.

But God's leaders have His kingdom principles within them.

The overarching guideline for leaders is to measure our leading by kingdom principles.

"Was that conversation godly?"

"Did I seek to understand?"

"Was I only concerned about being right?"

"Did I demand 'my way' or God's way?"

"Did I love the unlovely, as Jesus would?"

A pastor told me once to gauge the effectiveness of my leadership by how often I left the kingdom. I know this:

When I leave the kingdom of God, and behave such as a man of the world, I stagnate my growth and the growth of the team I lead.

If I call myself a leader, I must fight to remain kingdom-minded. Rationalizing that no one can get through a day without man "stepping out" is simply not good enough.

In Romans 7, Paul laments that, "I do the very thing I hate." 

In verse 19, he summarizes our tendency to flip between kingdoms:

"For the good I desire to do, I do not do, but the evil I do not want is what I do."

Unfortunately, I hear this verse quoted too often as if to excuse a continuing behavior. Paul asked, "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this death?"

The grace of Jesus abounds for kingdom flippers. Yet, we must repent and cling to the cross.

Kingdom-minded leaders abide near the cross. 

Today's Scripture

"Remain in Me, as I also remain in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, neither can you, unless you remain in Me" (John 15:4). 

Platform Tip No. 150

Make your message great.

Don't settle for good. Or even "done."

The quality and growth metrics of your audience will reflect the quality and greatness of your message.

The Lord will help you. He will lead you to make it better every day.

Dr. Steve Greene is the publisher and executive vice president of the media group at Charisma Media and executive producer of the Charisma Podcast Network. His book, Love Leads: The Spiritual Connection Between Your Relationships and Productivity, is now available.

Leaders, Dr. Greene wants to help you understand the spiritual connection between relationships and productivity. Read his new blog, here.

Get Spirit-filled content delivered right to your inbox! Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

Dr. Steve Greene is now sharing stories, teachings, and conversations with guests who lead with love on Love Leads, a new podcast. Listen now.

Dr. Mark Rutland's

National Institute of Christian Leadership (NICL)

The NICL is one of the top leadership training programs in the U.S. taught by Dr. Mark Rutland. If you're the type of leader that likes to have total control over every aspect of your ministry and your future success, the NICL is right for you!

FREE NICL MINI-COURSE - Enroll for 3-hours of training from Dr. Rutland's full leadership course. Experience the NICL and decide if this training is right for you and your team.

The NICL Online is an option for any leader with time or schedule constraints. It's also for leaders who want to expedite their training to receive advanced standing for Master Level credit hours. Work through Dr. Rutland's full training from the comfort of your home or ministry at your pace. Learn more about NICL Online. Learn more about NICL Online.