The Effective Kingdom Citizen - The Good Samaritan

Power In the Blood Assembly
Apr 19
7 min read

By Pastor Terrence Sobers

“An Instrument of Good”

Luke 10:25-37 25 And behold, a certain [a]lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” 27 So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ” 28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.” 29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among [b]thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 On the next day, [c]when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ 36 So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” 37 And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”

Main Points:

It is the nature of God to be Good
Everything God has made is inherently Good
The Kingdom He has Created is Good
As ones made in His image and likeness we can manifest Goodness
All good comes from God
It must first be a heartfelt desire and intent of our Heart
In a fallen world it is the nature of a true Kingdom Citizen
When Transformed we must be transformers maintain a kingdom focus

Summary

Many desire the idea of the kingdom but never embrace its nature or its purpose. Unless there is transformation, in our thinking desires and actions to align with God’s goodness, we never become effective Kingdom Citizens or Kingdom Builders.

Key themes

It is the nature of God to be Good

What is Goodness?

In the Bible, goodness is often described as a characteristic of God, that should be embodied by his followers. The concept of goodness is closely related to love, kindness, and righteousness, and is often portrayed as an essential element of a holy and virtuous life.

1 Chronicles 16:34 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

Psalm 100:5 For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 136:1 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

Mark 10:18 18 So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.

Everything God has made is inherently Good

Gen 1:31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

The Kingdom He has Created is Good

(internal wellbeing)

Romans 14:17 (NKJV) "For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit".

The kingdom is not focused on satisfying the senses.
It is internal focusing on righteousness - the intent, desire of the heart and actions of a man being good
Focusing on Peace - a state of mind that engenders rest in spite of natural circumstance
Focusing on Joy - a profound state of the heart that engenders well-being and enduring contentment rooted in God’s presence, promises, and salvation, rather than fleeting circumstances.
It is external in the expression of these things, through actions.

(a treasure most desired)

Mat 13:44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

It is like a treasure to be desired more than all your possessions

(a place of wonder and majesty)

Psalm 145:11-13 They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom, And talk of Your power, 12 To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, And the glorious majesty of His kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And Your dominion endures throughout all [a]generations.

It is glorious, Powerful, majestic, everlasting and has dominion for ever

(a place of community, liberty and restoration)

Rev 21:3-5 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.

A Place where God is present always
Where we belong and are comforted
Where death pain, loss and suffering are no more

As ones made in His image and likeness we can manifest His Goodness

Gen 1:26-27 26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over [a]all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (NKJV).

Significance: This indicates that humanity was created intentionally to reflect God's character, rational thought, moral nature, and creativity.
The Hebrew term for "image" (tselem) implies a representative, (designated authority)
while "likeness" (demuth) refers to similarity or resemblance, typically understood as spiritual or moral rather than physical.

All good comes from God

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

When the intent of your heart becomes good, you can then assess your thoughts, desires and actions. What the bible call judging yourself
Without this focus, the shadow of sin will distort, infect and dominate everything
Sin becomes normal, profanity becomes normal, selfishness becomes normal, cruelty and indifference become normal, promiscuity and lewdness becomes normal, apathy and resignation becomes normal

It must first be a heartfelt desire and intent of our will

Phil 4:8-10 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

For change to occur it must first become something you desire
Whatever is the focus of your mind affects your heart
Whatever affects your heart influences how you see life
How you see life will determine what you do
How you see life will determine who you become
The Good Samaritan didn’t do what he did because of his race, age or culture. He did it because of how he saw life

In a fallen world Goodness is the nature of a true Kingdom Citizen

Matthew 5:16 – Jesus instructs citizens to let their light shine through good works so that others may see their nature and glorify God.

Galatians 5:22-23 – Lists goodness as a "fruit of the Spirit," indicating it is the natural byproduct of living under God's rule.

Matthew 12:33-35 – Jesus teaches that a "good tree" (a citizen) produces "good fruit" because of the good treasure stored in their heart.

Ephesians 5:8-9 – States that those who were once darkness are now "light in the Lord" and should walk as such, for the fruit of light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth.

Matthew 6:33 – Commands citizens to "seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness," making his moral nature their primary pursuit.

When Transformed we must be transformers maintain a Kingdom focus

Biblical scholars often point to the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12) as the "portrait" or "manifesto" of a kingdom citizen's nature.

Trait Kingdom Nature

Hunger for Goodness A deep craving for what is right and just (Matt. 5:6).
Purity of Heart Motivations that are sincere and aligned with God (Matt. 5:8).
Mercy Treating others with kindness and compassion (Matt. 5:7).
Peacemaking Actively working to restore relationships (Matt. 5:9).

Phil 3:13-14 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have [a]apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

2 Cor 4:16-18 16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Scripture describes a true kingdom citizen not merely as a resident of heaven waiting for the afterlife, but as an active ambassador bringing the culture, righteousness, and peace of God’s rule into the present world.
Their impact is defined by a distinct lifestyle that influences others, preserves moral truth, and reflects Christ