Take a moment to imagine a king from the Middle Ages. Try to envision his environment: the castle and turrets, knights and ladies-in-waiting, the battles, the kingdom, and his glory. The office and lineage of a king was often considered ordained by God, so kings were greatly revered by their subjects and lived in abundant wealth. The king’s word was law and his judgments were final. A good king understood that his responsibility was to protect those who lived within his kingdom’s boundaries; he was also in charge of pursuing the interests of the kingdom by extending its borders and securing additional resources.

There was a tremendous amount of responsibility placed on this position and, consequently, the king was granted extraordinary power—at times even absolute power. Keep in mind that I am not describing a figurehead (typical of our era, when democracies and republics serve as the most common forms of government). I am describing an absolute monarchy. Now imagine this sort of king rejecting or being completely unaware of the power that comes with his position. What would happen to his kingdom? Soon it would be conquered, its inhabitants enslaved, and its resources confiscated. It isn’t enough for the king to simply hold the position of “king” (meaning he merely enjoys residence in the palace and the accompanying opulent lifestyle). He must perform the functions of kingship that are only made possible by the power of his position. The king’s position of authority is of no effect if he does not wield the power that comes with it.

As children of God, we have become co-heirs with Christ. In Romans we read, “And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory” (Romans 8:17 NLT). This position is again made clear in Ephesians 2:6: “[God] raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” In and through Christ, we have been repositioned. No longer are we children of this world, but rather we are royalty (heirs) in the kingdom of Heaven. As heirs in this kingdom, we have been charged with the advancement of our Lord’s mission. His conquest and His kingdom have become our own because we have been adopted into His lineage. What a mind-blowing truth! But like the earthly king in our illustration, if we are to be effective in our position in Christ, we must discover and wield the power that comes with it. In this chapter we will delve into how we are empowered to fulfill our role in the advancement of His kingdom. Peter declared:

You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. (1 Peter 2:9 NLT)