Kingdom Culture

Kim and I were on holiday in Italy recently and we had the opportunity to spend 3 days in Rome. I have wanted to go there since I was at school studying Latin and Roman History (I didn't study much other history it seemed!).
It was an amazing time, standing in the place of at least 2,000 years of history; walking in the Roman Forum and on the Palatine Hill, looking around the Colosseum, visiting a church with 4th century church beneath it and below that a Pagan temple amidst Roman buildings.
The buildings are staggering and to people from other parts of the world around 100 AD a visit to Rome could have been an overwhelming experience. Imagine going from a relatively primitive setting to one where you are surrounded by opulence, colour, magnificent architecture etc etc - no wonder the idea of becoming a Roman citizen was appealing, and it was this appeal that helped Rome spread its culture and influence around a large part of the world. In its day Rome must have been an awe inspiring place.
As I thought about it, I was inspired by the way that one small place had affected much of the planet, not only 2,000 years ago but also today - the Roman Culture and language has impacted so many things.
It made me think about the parable of the mustard seed in Matthew 13 and Mark 4 - the Kingdom of God is like the smallest seed that grows to become the largest of all the garden plants providing shelter for many things. As we focus on developing a Kingdom of God/Heaven culture amongst us, although it may start small it will grow into the biggest thing we have known providing shelter for many.
Transforming from a primarily church focussed culture to a Kingdom Culture is quite some transition, but I believe the more we see it with clarity the more we will realise it is the "pearl of great price" that has the capacity to transform the world around us for generations to come. The language of the Kingdom can affect the way we communicate in amazing ways, and I believe it will enable us to communicate far more effectively to all, just as Jesus did. I believe more people will want to become citizens of Heaven when they see the Kingdom of Heaven demonstrated before them.
How do we make this transition? I will try to start looking at that question over the next few weeks on this blog.