His Kingdom that Awaits Us

Attending Campus Challenge for the first time this year has taught me invaluable lessons. A concept which challenged me was that the kingdom of heaven is wherever Jesus' presence is. Up until this conference, I envisioned God's kingdom as a place marked by golden gates, angels, and sunlit clouds. I kept asking myself, "What does the kingdom look like on earth as it is in heaven?"

Throughout the Bible studies in Matthew, I began to envision God's kingdom not as a place, but as a people—sorrowful and sinful people who encountered King Jesus Himself. This naturally led us to then question, "What does it look like to meet with the living Jesus in conversation and prayer?" When I evangelize to people and truly believe Jesus Christ is Emmanuel—God with us—then I can explicitly share the Gospel without fear. Prayer then becomes an organic conversation where I can build on my other brothers’ and sisters' praises and petitions to God. It gave me great joy to partake in such a unique community of believers—precocious student leaders who are after God's heart and desire to bring the kingdom on their campuses as it is in heaven. Overall, the Christ-centered unity, learning, and love I experienced at Campus Challenge offered me a dearly cherished glimpse of His kingdom that awaits us.